Please, God, don’t let this good man die, not here, not now, not like this!
Her prayers were answered when the male paramedic shouted, “I’ve got a pulse. All right, let’s get him stabilised and back to the hospital. Does anyone want to come along for the ride?”
“Yes, me,” Katy shouted in her excitement at seeing Sean’s chest rise and fall as it should do. “Charlie, the keys are in the car. So is my mobile, will you get that for me?”
Charlie sprinted to the vehicle and returned. She held out Katy’s phone and smiled. “I’m glad he’s all right. Don’t worry about your car, it’s all in hand.”
“Don’t let the driver get away. Also, Paula Thatcham is in the back of the limo. Take her in for questioning. I’m not sure if she had anything to do with this or whether she was spouting her innocence just for our benefit. We’ll interview her all the same. I’ll ring you with an update when I can.”
“Want me to ring AJ?”
Katy held up her phone. “No, I’ll do it.”
Epilogue
“He’ll be surprised to see us,” Katy said, marching along the corridor with a bunch of hospital-bought flowers in her hand.
“Depends if that’s a good or bad surprise,” Charlie replied. She pushed open the door to the men’s ward.
“We’ll soon find out.” Katy winked at her.
They walked the length of the ward and stopped at the bottom of the bed closest to the window. Sean Roberts opened his eyes, sensing their presence.
“Ah, my two favourite officers. Come to visit your injured superior, have you?”
Katy stepped forward and placed the flowers on the bedside cabinet. She hesitated, wondering whether she should kiss him on the cheek or not.
He must have been aware of what was running through her mind because he raised his cheek and pointed at it. “You may kiss me. Only if you want to, though.”
“Will it go in my favour with any further promotions?”
“Cheeky mare.” Roberts laughed then winced and placed a hand over his injured side.
“Sorry, didn’t mean to make you laugh. How are you?”
“Doc says I should be out of here in a few days. I don’t have to tell you how bored rigid I am being in this damn bed.”
“Nope. It’s a necessity. A few days? You won’t be back at work anytime soon, will you?”
He cocked an eyebrow. “Wanna bet? I’ve already spoken to the super. He’s given me the all clear to return to the station.”
“Bloody hell, Sean…sorry, sir, give yourself a break.”
“I’m fine. Eager to get back behind my desk. Don’t worry about me. Tell me what’s been happening regarding the investigation.”
Katy and Charlie sat on either side of the bed.
Sean’s focus remained on Katy.
“Well,” Katy said, “after we questioned Paula, she broke down in tears and admitted she knew that Anderton had killed her husband but is swearing blind she had nothing to do with his murder.”
“Do you believe her?” Roberts asked through narrowed eyes.
“The jury is still out for me, especially after she admitted Anderton had just slipped an engagement ring on her finger. Distasteful bugger it is, too.”
“What? She got engaged to Anderton? Her bloody husband only died a few days ago, for fuck’s sake.”
“Exactly. However, we’ve got nothing to tie her to the murder, not yet, although I intend to keep digging. I’ll run it past the CPS, see if they can offer any guidance on the matter.”
“The nerve of the frigging bitch. She must have had something to do with his murder. What decent woman would accept another man’s ring before her former husband was buried?”
“Hard to figure out. Maybe she felt what the heck after finding out Ray had cheated on her.”
He shook his head and tutted. “Bloody women—sorry, present company excepted, of course. Oh, ignore me, I’m just being a grumpy old divorced geezer.”
“You said it,” Katy replied. “Anyway, she swears blind she had no knowledge of the transaction that was about to go down. Again, something in the way she portrayed herself during the interview caused me to doubt she was telling the truth. Without solid proof or any evidence to the contrary, there’s not a lot we can do about it.”
“Don’t give up on her, go with your gut if you need to. Put twenty-four-hour surveillance on her if necessary.”
“What would be the point? Oh God, you don’t know, do you?”
“Know what?”
She grinned and then twisted her mouth before she spoke. “The ART did a number on Anderton and his gang. They were all killed at the port.”
Sean clenched his fist and punched the bed beside him. “Great, not the news I was expecting to hear. I was hoping we’d get our day in court with those bastards. What about the cars?”
“All safe and returned to the families.”
“That’s one thing at least.”
“Oh, and we found Lorraine Salter tied to a chair at the warehouse. She had a bomb strapped to her chest. The disposal team deactivated it and set her free, and she was reunited with her husband, Aaron, who has supplied us with a full confession. I think that covers everything, the only thing left to fathom out is how the gun was lifted from our evidence room and found its way into the hands of these criminals. Okay, enough about work, is there anything we can get for you?”
“I don’t suppose you have half a bottle of whisky or brandy in that handbag of yours, do you?”
“Nope, and even if I had, I wouldn’t hand it over.”
“Spoilsport. I need something to brighten my day. I thought about flirting with the nurses but discovered my heart wasn’t in it. Maybe it’s going to take me more time than I anticipated to get over Carmen.”
“Talking of which, I was wondering if I should ring her, let her know you’re in hospital. What do you think?”
“Don’t you dare. The last thing I need or want is her sympathy.”
“I wasn’t really thinking about her, I was thinking of Sara. She’d want to visit her
