by Jack Probyn
Two armed officers were in front of Jake, either side of the bathroom door. They screamed at Lester for him to lower the weapon.
‘Put the weapon down!’
‘Drop it, or we will shoot!’
Lester’s chest rose and fell like a trampoline as he stared at the mayhem he’d caused. Before he did anything, he laughed. He twisted his body slowly and, facing the armed officers, lowered the weapon, dropped it to the ground and raised his arms.
Within seconds, he was pinned to the tiles and cuffed. Jake watched, paralysed.
The armed officers hefted Lester to his feet and dragged him out of the bathroom. Jake retreated at the sight of him. That smile, those teeth, the hair, the eyes – they would all burn in his memory for a very long time to come.
‘Better luck next time, Tanner,’ Lester said, his mouth dripping with saliva.
‘Shut up!’ the armed officer closest to Jake said. Then he grabbed Lester’s head and thrust it down into his chest.
As soon as they were out of sight, Jake rushed into the bathroom.
Jennifer’s body still lay there, limp. Blood continued to gush from her head.
‘Jennifer! Jennifer! Jennifer!’ Jake bent down by her side and felt for a pulse on her neck. It was faint. ‘Wake up! Come on!’
He turned to the door and screamed for help. A second later, Liam and Drew arrived. They swore aloud as they saw Jennifer lying in the bathroom.
‘Get a medic!’ Jake barked, spittle flying out of his mouth.
Drew disappeared, headed downstairs and called for assistance. While he waited, Jake tried to staunch the blood erupting from Jennifer’s head and keep her alive.
After what felt like an eternity, Drew returned with two paramedics in tow. They carried an emergency travel pack with them. As they entered the bathroom, they ordered Drew and Liam outside, and moved Jake out of the way. He was useless and covered in blood.
‘Give us some space please,’ one of the paramedics said, while the other spoke into the radio on their shoulder.
‘Jake!’ a voice called from somewhere. ‘Jake!’
It was Liam, beckoning him to get out of the bathroom.
‘Leave them to it, mate. Get out. Let them do their job.’
Jake ignored him, and it wasn’t until Liam grabbed him by the arm and pulled him out of the room that he finally lost sight of Jennifer. She was dying. And it was his fault. He’d been too slow.
Jake stopped at the top of the stairs, crouched down and burst into tears, smearing them away with his bloody hands.
‘Come on, lad,’ Liam said, crouching by Jake’s side.
‘It’s my fault,’ he said between breaths. ‘I fucked it all up. Now three other people have died.’
‘We got him. You got him. He can’t hurt anyone else ever again. He’s done. History. And it’s thanks to you. If you hadn’t called the pimp in the first place, we would never have known where he was – we would have had to start from the ground up again.’ Liam reached across Jake’s back and eased him to his feet. ‘Come on, mate. Lester won’t be able to touch anyone else. I think we should get you home.’
‘Jennifer…’ Jake said, looking up towards the bathroom door. As they reached the bottom step, another duo of paramedics entered the property and raced upstairs.
‘There’s nothing you can do for her. You’ve done everything you could, mate.’
Somehow, Jake didn’t believe any of what Liam had just said.
CHAPTER 77
DANGEROUS GAMES
The following afternoon – just after Jake had woken up at midday – Bow Green bustled with people Jake didn’t recognise. Many were carrying lever-arch folders and cups of tea, jostling and talking excitably to one another. There was a furore of excitement that permeated and bounced about the place. It was so unusual to him. It was as though he’d stumbled upon a completely new team.
Jake moved across the floor to Liam’s office, minding the new faces that shot past him from every angle, and knocked.
A couple of seconds later, Liam’s face appeared.
‘What’s all this then?’ Jake asked, pointing at the room.
A smile grew on Liam’s face. ‘Well, since you’ve decided to sleep for half the day, we needed to replace you.’
‘This many?’ Jake asked, his eyebrows raised.
‘Consider it a compliment.’ Liam stepped aside. ‘Please come in. I’ve been waiting for you to show up.’
Jake entered Liam’s office and, at once, he noticed something different about it. Or perhaps it was something different about Liam. He didn’t know. But there was a nice smell that lingered in the air. As though the years’ worth of sweat and alcohol abuse from previous occupants had disappeared in one clean sweep.
Before he could give it any more thought, he was ordered to take a seat.
‘How are you feeling?’ Liam asked.
‘OK,’ Jake said. ‘I’ve been trying not to think about it.’
‘It’ll take some time to get used to, but you will eventually.’
‘How is she?’
‘Critical. But stable. Lester crushed her skull and bruised her brain. She was lucky a piece didn’t pierce any of it. It’s too early to say what state she’ll be in when she wakes up… if she wakes up.’
Jake hung his head low. Visions of Jennifer’s head resting in his hands flashed in his mind. The blood. The weight of her body. The small dent in her head from where Lester had caved it in with his hammer.
‘And Lester?’ Jake asked, looking up at Liam.
‘Talking. Surprisingly. Or rather, unsurprisingly. He’s giving us every little detail. He’s getting some sort of kick out of it all.’
‘He’s a narcissist. He wants to satisfy his ego. He’s probably jacking off in his head about how good he is and the fuss we’re all making over him.’
There was a pause.
‘He confessed to something none of us knew about,’ Liam began.
‘What?’ Jake asked, his intrigue rising.
‘Sampson Decker. He killed him the night you guys went and spoke to him.’
‘Wait,’ Jake said, dumbfounded. ‘The night Drew fell asleep when he was supposed to be listening to the surveillance?’
Liam held a hand in the air, pre-empting Jake’s protestations. ‘Don’t worry about that. I’m dealing with DS Richmond as we speak.’
Jake sighed and looked down at his lap. He breathed in through his nose and out through his mouth in an attempt to calm himself down. ‘How many more victims do you think we’ll find after all of this is done?’
‘I hope none. He’s going to spend the rest of his life in prison, regardless. But if you ask me, that’s not enough. For what he did…’ Liam paused a beat. ‘For what he did, we should bring the death penalty back.’
‘Bit too political for my liking,’ Jake said. ‘Maybe he’ll suffer more by rotting inside a small box.’
Outside Liam’s office, laughter erupted.
‘You never told me what was going on out there,’ Jake said.
‘We’ve enlisted help in filing everything and getting the evidence together for the CPS.’
‘A confession’s not enough?’
‘Not if there’s any chance he could try and get the insanity plea or something like that. He and his lawyer are going to try that route, I think. They’re in the interview room now… You fancy speaking with him?’
Jake shook his head. ‘I’ll pass thanks. I have nothing to say to him. And the questions I do have, I think I’d rather not know the answers to.’
‘Sometimes it’s better not to know anyway – that way you can never get hurt.’
Liam paused a moment; Jake could see that there was something he wanted to say.
‘Listen…’ he began, ‘we need to talk.’
Jake didn’t like the sound of that.
‘I’m sure over the past few days you’ve had enough stress and things to worry about without the added pressure of the Reg 13 notice you were se
rved. I know you’ve been meaning to talk to me about it, and I know I haven’t been the most cooperative, but I wanted to let you know that it’s no more.’
‘Excuse me?’ Jake said. The tension in his back and shoulders and neck and fists subsided.
‘There never was a Reg 13. It was a test. A practical joke. I wanted to see how you’d react to it, see how you’d improvise and begin to prove yourself.’
‘But… I…’
‘You don’t need to say anything. But you can at least rest easy that there won’t be a meeting, and your record isn’t going to be tarnished… for the time being.’ Liam gave Jake a little smirk.
‘I… I…’ Jake sighed heavily and shook his head. ‘That’s some fucking dangerous game to play, sir, if you don’t mind my saying so.’
‘I had every faith you’d be fine. Although I don’t know which I admire more: your tenacity to prove yourself, or the fact that you had the balls to try and argue the toss. You’re a good egg, Jake. And it’s good to know we’ve got loyal people within this team who are willing to fight it out to the end – no matter the cost. Now, what are you doing for the rest of the day?’
‘Well,’ Jake said, ‘if it’s all the same to you, sir, I’d like to go and see my wife and newborn, and maybe take my paternity leave while I’m at it.’
‘I can’t see a problem with that.’
‘That is, if you don’t need me for the investigation anymore?’
‘I think you’ve earned it. Have you decided on a name yet?’
Jake smirked. ‘You won’t like it.’
‘What is it?’
‘Promise you won’t let your head swell?’
Liam’s nostrils flared. ‘You did it, didn’t you? You chose Ellie.’
Jake nodded.
Liam erupted out of his chair and extended his hand. ‘I knew I could always rely on you to do the right thing, Jake. You won’t regret it, trust me. Now why don’t you get out of here and take as much time as you need.’
CHAPTER 78
PERFECT
Jake skipped down the steps and jogged to his car. He couldn’t wait to get out of the building and forget about everything for the foreseeable future.
His job was done. Lester had been arrested and would soon be sitting in a prison cell like he deserved. Jennifer was in a hospital bed, recovering. And he had his job back. He had his job security. And, he knew, this meant he would be back in the team. He would be respected again. He would be able to join in the camaraderie, the banter, the loyalty that each member showed to one another.
Then a thought hit him.
As he reached his car door, he opened it, hopped in and leant across to the glove compartment. The £500 the team had given him earlier in the week was still there. He pulled out the wad of money and flicked the notes through his fingers. It felt good. It had been a long time since he’d held that much money in his hands.
And he had the perfect idea on how to spend it.
On his way to the hospital, he drove into Stratford Shopping Centre, hurried into a PC World and made a purchase.
He rushed back with the bag in his hand and a sense of accomplishment in his heart.
As he returned to the car, he called Elizabeth and told her he was on the way.
‘I’ll be about an hour,’ he said. ‘Which room are you in now?’
‘The same one as before.’
‘Perfect. I can’t wait to see you.’
CHAPTER 79
FINGER
Elizabeth’s face beamed as Jake entered the hospital room. She was sitting upright in the bed with the sheet pulled up to her chest. She spread her arms out as he approached her.
‘I’m so glad you’re OK,’ Elizabeth said. ‘I’ve been worried sick.’
Jake set the PC World bag on the floor, reached across Elizabeth and hugged her. He wanted the moment to last a lifetime, but he was overpowered by his sudden urge to kiss her. He pulled away from her and gave her a kiss on the lips, forehead and cheek.
‘I told you I’d come back safe.’ Jake sat by her side and stroked her face. Her skin felt soft under his, but, as he sat there, the sensation was tarnished with flashbacks of Jennifer’s bloody head last night. He tried to shake them free from his mind. To his surprise, they disappeared. But he knew it would only be a temporary solution.
‘How was it?’ Elizabeth asked, squeezing his leg.
‘Horrible. But you don’t need to worry about that – nor me. I don’t want it to stress you out. It’s done. It’s over. I’m here now. I’m all yours.’
Elizabeth held out her hand. ‘I’m Elizabeth. Nice to meet you. I don’t think we’ve been introduced.’
Jake took her hand and kissed it. ‘The pleasure is all mine, Miss.’
She flinched and flashed her left hand, twirling her wedding ring on her finger.
‘Mrs,’ she corrected.
‘Apologies. He’s a very lucky man.’
‘Meh, he’s all right.’
Jake chuckled. He enjoyed their sense of humour – the fact that they could still act childish and get away with it, even though they were both in their mid-twenties and had just had their second child. Every other aspect of their lives was serious, so why couldn’t their relationship and their family be their escape from that?
Jake leant down by his side and grabbed the bag.
‘I bought you a little something.’
‘When? Why? With what money?’
‘What’s with the interrogation? Isn’t that my job?’
Elizabeth scowled. ‘Answer me.’
Jake knew better than to argue. ‘When? Today. Why? I wanted to treat you, and it’s a little apology for my absence these past few weeks. And with what money? The guys at work gave us some as a small congratulations for Ellie.’
‘How much?’ Elizabeth said. She had entered concerned and serious mode.
‘Five hundred quid.’
‘What!’
‘I forgot to tell you the other day when I brought the card home.’
‘And you spent it all?’
‘On an investment,’ Jake pointed out.
‘What do you mean an investment? You could have used that to pay off the car insurance that’s overdue. Or the other bills that we’ve got piling up.’
‘It’s an investment,’ Jake repeated, handing her the bag.
She reached in and pulled out a box. As soon as she saw the branding on the side, she gasped.
‘Oh, Jake!’ she said, holding the gift in her hands.
‘Is it the right one?’
Elizabeth nodded. Tears formed in her eyes.
‘It’s the one you said you wanted, right? And hopefully you’ll be able to take better pictures with it. And with those better pictures, you’ll make more money. And with that money, it’ll pay back the money spent on the lens in the first place. See… an investment!’
‘This is not how you treat an emotional woman!’ she said with a catch in her throat.
‘You can use it on Ellie. Test it out on her. Make sure it works all right. Do you like it?’ Jake asked with a smile on his face that he hoped would never end.
‘I love it. It’s perfect. Did you bring my camera with you?’
Jake’s smile dropped immediately. It told Elizabeth everything she needed to know.
‘Idiot,’ she said, chuckling.
‘Sorry.’
‘Don’t be daft – it’s fine.’
‘How is she?’ Jake finally asked.
‘She’s doing fine. Doctors have been looking after her all night. They say she’s in perfect condition.’
‘Where is she?’
‘Sleeping at the moment. My mum’s with her.’
Jake stood and brushed his legs down. ‘You want to come with me?’
‘Not right now,’ Elizabeth replied. ‘I will later.’
Jake bent down and kissed Elizabeth on her forehead again. He’d read somewhere that it was common for mothers to suffer from postnatal depression. And Eli
zabeth had reacted the same way when Maisie was born – as though she felt some sort of resentment towards the baby. Jake knew her well enough to avoid pressing her for a response. In time, it would come.
He said goodbye, told her that he loved her and hurried down to the baby room. There, he found his mother-in-law sitting on a chair, thumbing away on her Blackberry.
‘Fancy seeing you here,’ Jake said.
‘Sorry I’m not your actual mother,’ Martha replied, keeping her eyes fixed on the screen. ‘She left a few hours ago.’
‘She can look after herself.’
Martha raised her gaze to him. ‘I heard about work. Congratulations. The Stratford Ripper’s finally off the streets.’
‘Just another day in the office,’ Jake replied smugly.
Martha placed the phone under her leg. ‘Speaking of the office – will you be staying there?’
Jake nodded. ‘They dropped everything. They said they were just testing me to see how well I coped under the pressure.’
‘And I suppose now that you’ve arrested Lester Bain, you passed with flying colours?’
‘A little hyperbole, but I’ll take that.’
‘Good,’ Martha said. ‘We’re pleased for you. Keep up the good work.’
Jake knew deep down she was being genuine, no matter how sarcastic it came across when she said it.
‘It’s nice having you around,’ Jake said sarcastically, hoping she recognised it. Their relationship was amicable though; they had both mutually – and silently – agreed to respect one another.
Martha gathered her things, shoved them under her arm, gave Jake a brief hug and then left to rejoin Elizabeth.
As soon as Martha moved out of his field of view, Jake completely disregarded her from his mind. The only thing that was important right now was his beautiful little girl, wrapped up in a blanket, sleeping.
He placed his hand on the glass. A midwife entered through a door on the other side of the partition. Jake recognised her as the one who had helped deliver the baby. She wandered over to Ellie, lifted her out of her bed, disappeared through the door on the other side of the glass and returned through the same door Martha had just left from.
