Outside Looking In

by Michael Wood

  Colin stormed over to the sofa and dragged Alice to her feet by her hair. She screamed as he wrapped her shoulder-length hair around his free hand. He placed the gun to her temple.

  Matilda and Sian exchanged glances. A message was passed between the two. They had been working together for many years – they knew a glance and a slightly raised eyebrow meant more than a nervous tick.

  ‘Colin,’ Matilda shouted. ‘Let go of Alice. She’s been through enough. If you want to hurt someone come and hurt me.’

  He stopped in his tracks and looked up at Matilda.

  ‘You’ve been in and out of prison your whole life; you know the score. Say you do walk out of here with twenty grand, maybe killing one or all of us, sooner or later you’re going to end up in prison. Now, how good do you want to look inside? Do you want the death of a housewife on your hands, or the murder of a Detective Chief Inspector? Which one will make you the big man?’

  ‘Matilda, don’t,’ Sian pleaded.

  He seemed to be weighing up the options. ‘You’ve got a point there. A cop killer is definitely going to get me on the front pages.’

  ‘If you plead not guilty then there’ll be a full trial. That will be on the front pages for months. Leave Alice alone.’

  He finally relented and let go of Alice’s hair. She almost collapsed and was caught by Faith just in time.

  Colin stepped forward. ‘Come on bitch, how about I send you to meet your husband?’

  The rage building inside Matilda blurred her vision and she almost missed her opportunity. Seeing Sian move made her jump into action.

  Sian stepped forward, picked up a glass bottle of olive oil and smashed it over Colin’s head. As he screamed and ducked in pain, Matilda picked up the marble rolling pin from the counter and brought it down on Colin’s right arm that was holding the gun. He screamed again and fell to the floor. Matilda reached for the gun and kicked it out of the way. Sian jumped and landed on Colin’s back so he couldn’t get up. He was crying out in pain.

  Matilda leaned down and whispered into his ear. ‘Men like you are pathetic. You sound like a tough bastard, you’ve got the words and everything, but I’m just not feeling it.’

  FORTY-NINE

  Alice was inconsolable. As armed police and uniformed officers burst into her house she cried and screamed for her children. Aaron restrained her and led her out of the house with his arms around her shoulders. The second she saw her two terrified kids she shrugged out of Aaron’s hold and ran towards them and refused to let go. All three went into the ambulance as one.

  Faith was also having a hard time dealing with what she had just gone through. It was the first time she had been on the receiving end of a gun and it was not what she had expected. She thought she was cool and calm under pressure. Her brief sojourn in the Murder Room last year had made her lose a great deal of confidence; however, four months on, Faith believed she was back to her usual self. She was wrong.

  Being the victim in a hostage situation was surreal, horrifying, and traumatic. She smiled at her fellow officers and watched Sian out of the corner of her eye to see how she was dealing with it all, but she seemed unfazed. How was that possible?

  She made her way through the hectic crowd, avoided questions about how she was feeling and practically fell out of the house and into the cold night air. The fine rain had started up again and the wind was brisk. She could feel the naked elements against her skin. Her hair was whipped up by the breeze and the cold cut through her but she didn’t care. She was alive. That was what mattered. She had survived.

  ‘Are you all right?’ Matilda asked Sian quietly in the corner of the kitchen.

  ‘Yes I’m fine. You?’

  ‘I think so.’

  ‘I didn’t think you were going to hit him after I clocked him with that bottle. I saw you just standing there. My heart was in my mouth.’

  ‘I know. It was him mentioning James; it was like a slap in the face. I just froze. Then James popped into my head and I knew he’d want me to beat the crap out of him.’

  ‘I think you may have broken his wrist,’ Sian said, looking over to the sofa where Colin Theobald was sitting on the floor, leaning against the units, and holding his wrist. The agony on his face was satisfying for the two detectives. His suffering wasn’t enough though. Not for everything he had put them all through.

  A team of paramedics pushed their way through the crowd and began to tend to Colin who was now under arrest. His good arm was handcuffed to a uniformed officer. There was no chance he was going to be allowed anywhere on his own. Not for a long time.

  ‘Sian, I want you to do me a favour,’ Matilda said, lowering her voice even more. ‘Give Scott Andrews a call. I know it’s late but this is vital. Ask him what make of BMW ran him off the road.’

  ‘What? Is that relevant?’

  ‘Depending on what answer I get from him, it could be very relevant.’

  Sian saw the ACC heading towards them. Her stony face and pinched lips were evidence this was not going to be a slap on the back and a cheery ‘well done’. Sian made her excuses and left.

  ‘I don’t even know where to begin,’ Valerie said. ‘You broke every single rule in the book. You put the lives of two officers, Alice, her two children, and yourself in the most serious danger.’

  ‘I know. I’m sorry. As soon as I saw the two kids through the gap in the curtains I knew I couldn’t stand by. I had to do something.’

  ‘Do you have any idea what kind of a nightmare you’ve caused? I should suspend you on the spot for what you’ve done.’

  ‘Ma’am, I understand where you’re coming from and I really am sorry for the headache I’ve caused you but look around you, we’ve got a result.’

  ‘It could so easily have gone the other way.’

  ‘But it didn’t. And that’s my point. If this had turned into a bloodbath I would have given you my ID right now. I would have handed myself in and told you to charge me with manslaughter because I would have deserved that. But what I did here tonight worked out for the best.’

  ‘There will be an inquiry,’ Valerie said after a while.

  ‘I’m aware of that.’

  ‘And there is a dead woman over there.’

  ‘That happened before even Sian and Faith got here.’

  Valerie took a deep breath and let out a long sigh. ‘One of these days, Matilda, your luck is going to run out and I won’t be able to protect you.’

  She didn’t wait for a reply. She turned and left the room, not giving a second glance to Matilda or the scene of chaos that lay on the kitchen floor around her.

  Superintendent Hasselbank had been eavesdropping and came over to speak to Matilda. ‘If you tell anyone I said what I’m about to say I will strenuously deny it. If I were in your position, I would have done exactly the same thing. You saw two kids in peril and you saved them. Well done, Mat.’

  He didn’t wait for a response. He patted her on the shoulder and then left the room. Matilda stood, her back to the wall, and inwardly smiled. She had received a bollocking, but it could have been worse. She had received praise, and that made up for the inquiry and the questions and the finger-pointing that was to come.

  Matilda didn’t want to let Colin Theobald out of her sight so asked Rory to drive her to the Northern General Hospital, following the ambulance.

  There seemed to be more uniformed officers milling about the hospital than there were back at HQ. They had been assigned to look after Alice and the children, and Colin needed an armed guard. He may be incapacitated with cuts to the head and a broken wrist, but he was still a highly dangerous man.

  Matilda was shocked to find Faith sitting in a chair in a cubicle, a red blanket wrapped around her shoulders.

  ‘Faith, what happened? I thought you weren’t injured.’

  ‘I’m not. Apparently I’m in shock,’ she smiled.

  ‘Was that your first time staring down the barrel of a gun?’

  She nodded, holding back t
he tears.

  Matilda sat on the edge of the bed. She was relieved to take the weight off her feet. ‘The first time is always the hardest. You’re trained for it and you think you’ll be able to cope when it happens but it’s never the same as when you’re in a classroom.’

  ‘Sian seemed to handle it OK.’

  ‘During Sian’s first week on the force she attended a robbery in a bookmakers’ on London Road. She and another uniformed officer were first on the scene. They entered the shop to find the robber still on the premises. He had two handguns and he pointed them both at Sian. She froze. She had no idea what to do and couldn’t remember any of her training. Later she told me that she looked at the kid holding the guns and saw he was more scared than she was. There’s nothing more dangerous than a scared man holding a gun. She talked to him, and after about twenty minutes, he put the guns down.’

  ‘Colin Theobald isn’t a scared kid though.’

  ‘No he’s not. But he isn’t the norm. The man is a psycho. Thankfully the majority of those only exist in films. We rarely meet one in our work. Use what you went through tonight, don’t try and forget it or feel embarrassed by it, remember it, then, next time you face something like this you’ll know exactly what to do.’

  ‘When Colin pointed that gun at you, what did you think?’

  ‘I’ll be perfectly honest with you Faith, and if you tell anyone, I’ll kill you: when he pointed that gun at me, I wet myself a little. I was terrified.’

  ‘Thank you.’

  ‘What for?’

  ‘Your honesty.’

  ‘I know we haven’t worked together much Faith, but there’s one thing you should know about me, I will never lie to you.’

  Matilda left Faith to her thoughts and went in search of Rory. There was nothing more she could do here tonight. Once Colin had had his wrist tended to and his head patched up he would be transferred to a police cell. She would interview him in the morning after everyone had had a good night’s sleep.

  As soon as she stepped into the corridor she was greeted by a stern-looking Adele Kean.

  ‘Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t slap you across the face.’

  ‘Because I make a great beef stew?’

  ‘What the hell were you thinking tonight?’

  ‘Who’s been talking?’

  ‘Rory phoned and told me everything.’

  Matilda rolled her eyes. ‘Thanks for the loyalty, Rory.’

  ‘Don’t you dare have a go at him. He’s looking out for you. He’s got your best interests at heart, though God only knows why. You could have got yourself killed tonight.’

  ‘But I didn’t.’

  Adele, put her arm around her friend and took her to one side. She lowered her voice. ‘I know you’re going through hell right now with what’s been written in the newspapers and the anniversaries and everything, but are things really so bad that you’re playing Russian roulette every time you leave the house?’

  ‘Adele, you weren’t there. You didn’t see the kids in that house. If you had, you’d have done exactly the same thing.’

  Adele didn’t reply. The thought of two innocent young children in danger would have made anyone put their own life at risk. She couldn’t deny that. ‘Just don’t do it ever again, do you understand that?’

  ‘I’ll try.’

  ‘Good. Anyway, how are you feeling?’

  ‘I’m fine.’

  ‘No, really?’

  Matilda laughed. ‘Really, Adele. I’m fine.’

  Adele frowned. ‘You haven’t heard, have you?’

  ‘Heard what?’

  ‘About Ben Hales.’

  Matilda’s heart sank. She didn’t want to hear that man’s name again, not after what had happened tonight. ‘What about him?’ Her question lacked sincerity.

  ‘He’s in Intensive Care. He drove through a red light and was hit by a car. According to witnesses, it looked deliberate.’

  Matilda swallowed hard and the prickly sensation of anxiety crawled up her back. Was this another man’s death she was going to have on her conscience?

  ‘Is he going to be all right?’

  ‘He’ll be lucky if he makes it to morning.’

  FIFTY

  Matilda didn’t sleep much after the excitement of the hostage situation. Fuelled by adrenaline, anger, and stress she eventually fell asleep around three o’clock, only to wake less than two hours later.

  Come on bitch, how about I send you to meet your husband?

  She woke with Colin’s words echoing around the room. Given his character he would have pulled the trigger and shot Matilda. Is that what she wanted? Did his words ignite something in her that made her realize she wanted to be reunited with James? Is that why she risked her life as soon as she realized the situation was fraught with danger?

  On her bedside table was a wooden framed photograph of her husband. She took it just after they had become a couple on a weekend away to the Lake District. He was leaning against the railing outside the cottage and looked straight into the lens of the camera. His hair was windswept, his blue eyes bright and intense, his smile beaming, his teeth chattering as the cold tore through him. But he was happy.

  Matilda wiped away the tears and pushed back the duvet. She knew sleep was lost to her now.

  Sitting up in bed, she picked up her mobile and dialled a familiar number. It took a while for the call to be answered.

  ‘Hello?’ a sleepy voice asked.

  ‘Hello Mum, it’s me.’

  ‘Matilda? What is it? What’s the matter?’

  ‘Nothing. Why?’

  ‘Well it’s … it’s still dark out. What are you doing ringing at this hour?’

  Matilda looked at the alarm clock on the bedside table. It wasn’t quite five o’clock yet. ‘I’m sorry, Mum, I thought it was later. Do you want me to call you back another time?’

  ‘No it’s all right. I’m awake now. Are you OK?’

  ‘I’m fine. I just wanted to ring for a chat, see how you are.’ Matilda’s voice was breaking and she had to swallow hard a few times to keep her emotions under control.

  ‘I’m doing OK, thank you, Matilda. How are things with you?’ The worry in her mother’s voice was palpable. She had never been comfortable with her daughter being in the police force.

  ‘They’re OK. I’m sorry I haven’t called recently. Things have been a bit … well I’ve been busy.’

  ‘I understand.’

  ‘What have you been up to lately?’

  ‘Your dad took me to Bakewell yesterday. He bought me a lovely antique necklace. I think he’s feeling guilty over inviting his brother to stay without asking me.’ She half-laughed. ‘We had a great meal too. Then we went to feed the ducks and some of them got a bit over-excited and your dad panicked. I wish I’d had a camera on me, Matilda, you should have seen his face. He’s standing there with a full loaf of bread and the ducks are literally jumping out of the water. He ended up emptying whole slices into the river. Everyone was laughing.’

  Matilda leaned back in bed and began to relax. She could picture her father standing by the river’s edge battling with the ducks. It made her smile. She listened while her mother regaled her with more tales from Bakewell, including her father standing in a cowpat (it wasn’t his day yesterday), and how they bought a real Bakewell pudding and ate it all last night, something her mother was now regretting (but loved every mouthful).

  Eventually Matilda ended the call. She promised she would visit at the weekend and it was a promise she intended to keep.

  She made herself a strong black coffee and took it into the living room. She turned on the light and saw the mass of boxes that, somehow, she had forgotten about. She opened the nearest one to her and pulled out the first book: No Night is Too Long by Barbara Vine. She laughed at the irony of the title. Every night spent alone was too long.

  Matilda sat among the boxes and began to look through them. Jonathan Harkness seemed to own every printed word by Michae
l Robotham, Mark Billingham, Simon Kernick, P. D. James, Agatha Christie, Susan Hill … the list was endless. Had he really read them all? She wondered how many books he’d read in a year; did he read as soon as he came home from work in the early evening until the early hours of the morning? He had immersed himself in fiction. When Matilda considered what reality contained, she could understand why he’d done it.

  At the bottom of one of the boxes, Matilda found a hardback notebook. It was Jonathan’s book of books: the journal he used to write a list of books he wanted to buy from his favourite authors and the date they were published. She flicked to the last page with writing on it and saw several novels he had wanted but hadn’t got around to buying. There were three: Elly Griffiths, Sarah Hilary, and James Oswald. Books were important to Jonathan, owning them as well as reading them. He’d wanted these to complete his collection.

  Matilda put the notebook to one side. She’d buy the books once the shops were open. She was happy to act as caretaker to Jonathan’s collection, and she was determined to make sure it was a complete collection.

  Matilda arrived at South Yorkshire Police HQ for eight o’clock. She wanted to prepare the interview with Colin Theobald. She had called DI Christian Brady while it was still dark and he had agreed to go over the burglaries with her so she could hit Colin with everything they had. There was no way he was escaping justice.

  ‘Good morning Matilda,’ Sian said. ‘You look tired; didn’t you sleep much?’

  ‘Not really.’

  ‘I was out as soon as my head hit the pillow. I couldn’t keep my eyes open.’

  Matilda smiled. Did nothing faze this woman?

  ‘I spoke to Scott last night about the kind of car that ran him off the road.’

  ‘Go on.’

  ‘It was a BMW 3 Series convertible.’

  ‘Oh.’

  ‘He got part of the number plate too. It began YP and ended KKE or it could have been KKD.’

  ‘Right.’

  ‘Not what you wanted to hear?’

  ‘Not really.’

  ‘Colin Theobald drives a BMW series 1.’