Shot of Silence (Justice Again Book 3)

by M A Comley

  “Mum, we’re in safe hands here. Thanks for the offer, but we’ve got this. I’m just calling you to give you an update on what’s happening.”

  “I know you are. The offer is still on the table, should you need it.”

  “Thanks. I’ve got to go, the doctor is here to speak to us,” he lied, just to get rid of her.

  “Oh, very well. Keep me informed. I could be there within the hour, if you should want me, us.”

  “Let’s see how things progress for now. There are only usually two visitors to a bed anyway.”

  “I’m glad you’re together. Stay positive, and let me know daily if you can.”

  “I will. Goodbye, Mother.”

  AJ wrapped an arm around Katy’s shoulders and pulled her in for a hug. “That’s the hard part done, now we can concentrate on our daughter.”

  “I need to ring Roberts. Make him aware of the situation and that I won’t be able to work for a few days.”

  “Let’s hold fire on that for now.”

  They hugged again and drifted into the corridor, stopping a porter to ask the way to ICU. He dished out instructions, and they set off.

  At the nurses’ station in ICU, one of the nurses gave them both gowns and masks to wear. Georgie was there already, behind a screen as they were setting up the equipment for her. The screen was removed around fifteen minutes later. Katy gasped. Her daughter was hooked up to several monitors, an IV drip, and she was wearing an oxygen mask.

  The nurse who had given them the gowns placed an arm around her waist. “It looks worse than it is, I promise. Come on.”

  Katy and AJ held hands and approached Georgie’s bed.

  Katy’s eyes misted. She wiped the moisture away to clear her vision. “My poor baby.”

  “Hush now, think positively, love,” AJ whispered and kissed the top of her head.

  The nurse placed two chairs on the other side of the bed and motioned for them to sit down. “What about a drink? Can I get you a tea or coffee?”

  Katy shook her head. “No, you have enough to do as it is, without running around after us.”

  “Nonsense. It’s a one-time-only offer, we do it for all new arrivals. You’re on your own after that.” The nurse smiled and winked.

  “Okay, you’ve twisted my arm. Two coffees, milk with one sugar. Thank you so much.”

  “No problem. I’ll be right back.”

  Katy and AJ took their seats.

  Katy stared at her daughter, willing her to get better, and quickly. “She seems so fragile.”

  “She does. She’ll pull through this. We have to believe that.”

  “I’m doing my best to think positively, but it’s not easy when you consider what she’s been through in the past.”

  “Even more so, she came through that last time. Surprising both of us. She’s a resilient little bugger.”

  Katy smiled. “She is.”

  The nurse reappeared. “Here you go. I’m Maddie, by the way.”

  “Thanks, Maddie. AJ and Katy.”

  “Pleased to meet you. If you have any questions at all, don’t hesitate to ask any one of us. There’s always someone around.”

  “You’re too kind. Is it all right if we hang around?”

  “For a few hours. You should go home and get some rest when you can. She’s monitored all the time, so there’s really no need for you to be concerned at this stage.”

  “Do many children die from this?”

  The nurse smiled. “Not really. Not nowadays. The statistics are in Georgina’s favour.”

  “It’s Georgie,” Katy whispered. “My little Georgie, and she’s a fighter.”

  “I have no doubt about that. I’ll be over there if you need me.”

  “You’re very kind, thank you.”

  The next couple of hours consisted of deep sighs and a lot of hand holding. Eventually, at around midnight, AJ suggested they should go home. Katy detested the thought of leaving her daughter there alone, but the nurse assured them it was their best option and to get some rest. In the end, Katy gave in. AJ drove home, and everything was carried out on autopilot, Katy’s mind elsewhere, with her daughter.

  “What are you going to do about work?” AJ asked once they were in bed.

  “I’m going to play it by ear. See what tomorrow brings.”

  “I’ll ring the hospital first thing, eh?”

  “I was thinking the same. What a day.”

  Katy drifted off to sleep, exhausted.

  8

  Neither she nor AJ slept well that night. He got up and made a drink while she called the hospital to see how Georgie had fared overnight. She spoke to a different nurse who had an equally pleasing manner about her. The nurse told her that Georgie had slept well during the night and seemed to be a little better that morning. Her temperature was coming down by the hour, which was a huge relief. The nurse added a note of caution that it wasn’t uncommon for temperatures to spike now and again during the infection.

  With that news on board, she rang DCI Roberts. He appeared to have just got up and sounded annoyed to receive a call from her so early.

  “What is it, Katy? Couldn’t this wait until nine?”

  “No, sir. You know I wouldn’t be ringing you at this hour if it wasn’t important.”

  “Go on then.”

  “Would it be possible for me to have some time off?”

  “What? You’ve only just come back to work after your damn honeymoon. Off on your jollies again so soon?”

  “Hardly, sir. It’s Georgie.”

  “What about her? Is she all right?” Concern was obvious in his voice.

  “She’s in hospital. She’s got meningitis.”

  “Jesus Christ, why didn’t you tell me that sooner rather than sitting there, letting me tear you off a strip?”

  “I’m still trying to get my head around it myself, sir. It’s hard to say the word, as you can imagine.”

  “Of course. Oh, Katy, I’m so sorry. What’s the prognosis?”

  “Not sure as yet. They’re monitoring her. We were initially worried about the effect it would have on her heart.”

  “Of course, she’s not a well child anyway, this on top will only add to your stress. Yes, take all the time off you need.”

  “Thank you. I’ll see how things go for now.”

  “Keep me informed. Sending my best wishes to the little one and to you and AJ.”

  “What about the case?”

  “I’ll step in. Don’t worry. Charlie and I will deal with it.”

  “Christ, poor Charlie… Umm…that came out wrong, what I meant was that she has her sergeant’s exam in a few days.”

  “She’ll be fine. That’s the least of your concerns. Just concentrate on getting Georgie better and out of hospital. All right if I inform the team? Or would you rather keep it quiet?”

  “No, you can tell them. Good luck with the investigation, sir. At least we know who the killer is, it’s just a matter of tracking him down.”

  “You’ve done all the hard work, leave it to us to find him.”

  “Thanks for being so understanding, Sean. I truly appreciate it.”

  “Ring me later, if you get the chance.”

  “I will.”

  Katy ended the call and released the breath she’d been holding in. “That’s a relief. He’s going to take over the case for a few days.”

  AJ placed the tray on the bed and slipped in beside her. “Thank God for that. One less thing for you to worry about.”

  “This means we can visit Georgie together, the onus isn’t solely on your shoulders.”

  “I know how you feel about work and how involved you get with your investigations. If you need to be there, you have my blessing, you know that.”

  She leaned over and kissed him. “I know. Let’s see what today brings first.”

  Charlie arrived at work at around ten-to-nine and entered the incident room to find DCI Roberts pacing the floor in front of the whiteboard. Patrick and Stephe
n were already at their desks.

  “Come in, Charlie. Any sign of the rest of the team?”

  “Karen’s nipped to the loo. She shouldn’t be long. Is everything okay, sir?”

  “Not really. I’ll share the news once everyone is here.”

  Five minutes later and he did just that. “The more observant amongst you will have noticed that Inspector Foster isn’t with us today. She rang me first thing with some devastating news.” He raised a hand for the others to let him finish as several mouths opened to ask the obvious question. “It’s her daughter, Georgie. She’s been admitted to hospital with meningitis. Katy has asked for a few days off, therefore, I’ll be stepping in to take over the case. Any objections?”

  “Why would we, sir?” Charlie challenged.

  “Good. You’ll have the pleasure of me being your partner for the foreseeable future, Charlie, and yes, I’m aware you have an exam to sit at the end of the week. We’ll deal with that nearer the time. So, who would like to bring me up to date on where we’re at with the investigation?”

  Between them, the team filled him in.

  “So the surveillance proved to be a waste of time. This cottage that Katy got out of the ex-wife, has anyone had a chance to follow up on that yet?”

  “No, Katy only sent me a text last night once she’d left the hospital. That needs to be our priority, however, if I might add, sir, I don’t think we should throw much weight behind it.”

  His brow furrowed. “Why?”

  “Because all the murders have taken place in this area, not on the coast where the cottage is situated.”

  “Makes sense. Good thinking, Charlie, that’s probably saved us a few hours of travelling down there and it proving to be a waste of time.”

  “I have my uses, sir.” Charlie grinned.

  “You do. Let’s try and source the address and leave it to one side for now. If he senses us getting close, he might resort to using that place in the future, agreed?”

  “Agreed,” Charlie replied. Want us to get on with the tasks we were set yesterday by Inspector Foster?”

  “Yes, let’s up the pace. Do we know if everything was quiet overnight, or if any other murders have taken place? I hope I’m not tempting fate by mentioning that.”

  “I’ll do the necessary checks with the desk sergeant. Karen, can you check the wires for me?” Charlie asked.

  Karen nodded, and her fingers flitted across the keyboard. “Nope, nothing as yet.”

  Charlie breathed out a relieved sigh. She picked up a nearby phone and contacted the reception desk. The sergeant told her all had been as silent as a graveyard there as well. She reported back to Roberts.

  “That’s good news. What other leads do we have that we can be working on today?”

  Charlie raised her hand. “I was in the process of searching the database for any possible stolen cars in the area where Boyd’s previously acquired vehicle was found.”

  “Makes sense. Get back to that, Charlie. Let’s hit the ground running and have this bastard behind bars quickly.”

  He marched into Katy’s office and closed the door.

  Charlie took it upon herself to buy him a coffee and delivered it a few seconds later. She knocked on the door. He yelled for her to enter.

  Roberts glanced up from the brown envelopes littered across the desk. “Damn post, gets more and more each day. Is that for me?”

  “It is, sir. Thought it would help you tackle this lot.”

  “Are you sucking up, Simpkins?”

  Charlie’s cheeks warmed. “No, sir. The thought never even crossed my mind. If you don’t want it, I’ll have it.”

  “I was jesting. Thank you for being so thoughtful. Time to see what the inspector is always complaining about.” He took a sip and grimaced. “Crikey, no wonder she’s always on the cadge for a decent Colombian coffee when she visits my office.”

  “It’s decent enough, sir. You get used to it after a while.”

  “Depends whether your taste buds survive in the meantime, I should think. Thank you anyway. Let me know if anything comes to light out there. I’ll be a while going through this lot, I should imagine.”

  “Yes, sir. Do you mind if I ask how Katy sounded when you spoke to her?”

  “She seemed to be bearing up. That doesn’t mean to say that you should be pestering her. Leave her alone for a day or so. Send her a text to let her know you’re thinking about her, if you have to. It might be a good idea if you did that, let her know that you care.”

  “Thanks for the advice, sir. I’ll crack on and leave you to your onerous chore.”

  “Great. I can’t wait to get stuck in to someone else’s pile of crap.”

  Charlie smiled and backed out of the office. She made her way back to her desk and fired off a text to Katy to let her know that she and the team were thinking about her.

  Katy responded within a few minutes.

  We’re fine. Be in touch soon. Thank you, and good luck with Roberts!

  Charlie smiled, aware she may need to keep her spirits up with the main man sitting only a few feet away from her. Christ! Mum would be laughing her socks off now if she knew this was happening. She pondered whether she should call her mother regarding Georgie or not. It could wait until that evening when she finished her shift, providing she made it home that night.

  Another half an hour flew by before she had a list of vehicles Boyd might have picked up for the next leg of his mission. There was no telling what that was likely to be, but at least they’d have a heads-up on him, for now.

  Roberts came out of the office and deposited his cup in the waste bin close to the vending machine. “Best place for it, I think. I’ll try and find another supplier. Bear with me on that one, won’t you, guys?”

  “Sounds good to us, sir,” Patrick shouted.

  “Right, what have we got?”

  Charlie was the first to speak. “I’ve made a list of all the vehicles stolen within a couple of miles of the location where he dumped the last car.”

  “Good, good. Any luck tracing those vehicles through either the CCTV or ANPRs in the area?”

  “Stephen and Patrick are looking into that now, sir.”

  The phone on Karen’s desk rang. She answered it. Her face dropped as she glanced at Charlie. She hung up and shook her head. “Yet another shooting.”

  “Where?” Roberts asked.

  “In the underground car park at Zedex.”

  “What? Why hasn’t that place been sealed off by now?” Roberts demanded.

  “Would that have been feasible, sir?” Karen asked.

  “Charlie, you and I should get over there. I take it the pathologist is at the scene?”

  “Yes, and SOCO, sir,” Karen replied.

  “Carry on with the tasks in hand. We’ll bring you up to date on things when we return. Charlie, are you ready?”

  “I was born ready,” Charlie replied and winced when the words tumbled out of her mouth.

  “I’m not surprised, considering who spawned you.”

  Charlie stifled the laugh teetering on her tongue.

  Roberts drove, and they arrived at the scene within twenty-five minutes. “I might be a bit rusty out in the field, feel free to butt in at any time.”

  “Don’t worry, sir, I’ve got your back,” Charlie replied cheekily.

  Patti eyed them with curiosity. “Hello, what’s going on here? And you are?”

  “DCI Roberts, Patti, he’s my partner for the day.”

  “Something wrong with Katy?” Patti asked.

  “Can we keep to the investigation in hand?” Roberts interjected.

  “Of course. Yet another victim who worked for Zedex. Apparently, she was on the phone to her fiancée at the time. You’ve got good camera angles, hopefully you’ll manage to pick something up from them.”

  “Her name is Andrea Gregory,” Charlie filled in, staring at the body.

  “Thanks. I’ll note it down. If you want a closer look, I’m going to have
to ask you to suit up to protect the crime scene.”

  “That won’t be necessary,” Roberts said. “We’ll leave you to it and track down the camera footage. Nice to meet you, by the way, Patti, I’ve often heard you mentioned.”

  “I’m at a disadvantage; that’s a good thing, right? Proves the girls don’t run you down, not within earshot of me.”

  Charlie sniggered.

  “Good to hear I’m not the ogre they perceive me to be. This way to the office, is it?” Roberts pointed off to the left.

  “I believe so.”

  “Don’t let us hold you up then, Patti. I’ll expect your PM report within the next day or two.” He turned and walked away.

  Patti raised an eyebrow and jerked her thumb in his direction. “I’ll do my best,” she shouted after him.

  “You’ll do more than that,” he retorted.

  Charlie watched the interaction and found it comical.

  “DC Simpkins, are you coming?” Roberts bellowed, his voice echoing around the car park.

  “Sorry, gotta fly.”

  “Good luck, Charlie.”

  “Thanks.”

  Charlie trotted to catch up with Roberts’ long strides.

  “Let’s get one thing straight, I don’t take to people standing around gossiping when there’s information to gather and get collated,” he said.

  “I don’t think we were gossiping as such, sir. Patti is a close friend. She’s professional in the same way as we are, when we’re involved in a case.”

  “Good, I’m relieved to hear that. Let’s see what the camera tells us. They never lie, apparently.”

  They reached a tiny office. A man with chunky grey eyebrows answered the door. “You the police? Those people told me to expect you. I’m Warren Bagshaw.”

  Charlie showed her badge and introduced them. “Can you let us see the footage and perhaps run us off a copy of the disc?”

  “Aye, I thinks I can do that for ye. Come in, although it’ll be a bit of a squeeze with all three of us in here.”

  “I’m sure we’ll manage,” Roberts told him, sporting an uncomfortable grin. “Can you tell us when the body was discovered?”