I've Been Watching You: a stunning crime thriller from The North East Police Series (18 page)

Pleased with his actions, he made his way back to his car and got inside, the engine roaring to life as he turned the key. He didn't even glance at her as he pulled away from the street outside the car park.

TJ couldn't see much through the streams of blood covering her eyes. Her face was burning and she could feel her body wanting to pass out. Gritting her teeth together, she pulled a pen and notebook from her handbag and watched as the man walked to his car and got inside. The angle of the road was such that she would be able to see his registration plate as he pulled away. Angling the pen above the paper she watched. Her mind surprisingly clear, at least for the moment, she painstakingly jotted down the numbers she saw, ND13K. Before she could finish though, her mind went blank. She felt herself slipping, falling into darkness, and too tired to fight now, she let go.

11th June, 2115 hrs - Boxmania Gymnasium, Sunderland

Stan threw the heavy bag over his shoulder and left the gym. He'd had a long work out, slowly punching out the kinks in his neck and shoulders. His left cheek was a little tender and he opened his mouth and rotated his jaw from side to side. It had been a good match, taking on one of the featherweights who had been after some additional coaching for an upcoming match.

The road to his apartment was long, and usually deserted at this time of night. He heard a car squeal as it pulled away from the kerb a short way ahead, and went back to thinking.

Introducing the boxing ring at the centre was definitely one of his more fruitful plans. Brian had been patting him on the back ever since, but he knew what the kids needed. The ring was the perfect place for them to vent, and in the few days it had been up, the behaviour had dramatically improved, the lads in the centre wanting nothing more than to finish their work, then box.

It was a habit of his to know his neighbourhood; he knew what was going on where and with whom. He glanced at the rear of the solicitors as he always did when he passed – they'd had a break in a couple of months back, and since then he'd made a more conscious effort to check both that building and the other commercial ones in the street.

His steps slowed as he saw the crumpled form of a female on the floor. Dropping his gym bag, he made his way over to her and placed two fingers on her neck. Her pulse was thready and weak, pounding softly against his fingers like the soft swell of waves on sand. Careful not to touch anything else, he pulled his mobile from his pocket, pressed 141 followed by 999 and asked for the ambulance. Speaking softly, he advised them of the situation, hung up and picked up his bag. He didn't like attention, she was still alive and there was nothing more he could do for her. He could watch the events unfolding from his kitchen window if he hurried home.

11th June, 2145 hrs - Desperado's Restaurant, Sunderland City Centre

'That was fantastic,' said Ben, leaning back in her chair feeling stuffed. 'I can definitely see why this is TJ's favourite place. The enchiladas were cooked to perfection.'

'You have room for dessert?' asked Jacob, as he topped up Ben's wine glass with the sweet white she'd selected.

Ben shook her head slowly, 'Nope. I couldn't be any fuller if I tried. If I eat one more thing I may actually go pop.'

'Know how you feel. I was ...' Jacob was interrupted by his phone ringing. 'Jacob Tulley,' he said into the receiver after swiping the screen to answer. As he listened his face went pale, 'What? Where? ... OK, I'm on my way.'

'Sorry, Ben, I need to go. TJ's been in an accident. She's at the hospital.'

'I'll come with you.' Ben stood and made her way to the front desk to pay the bill, and within minutes they were in the car heading towards the Sunderland Royal.

Jacob stayed silent for the whole journey, his face taut with worry.

11
^th
June, 2200 hours – Sunderland Royal Hospital

As they reached the hospital, Jacob parked in a disabled bay outside the Accident and Emergency ward, grabbed his stick and limped inside, Ben following closely.

She glanced around as they entered, taking in the three uniformed cops stood quietly to one side. She recognised one as Sergeant Harry Green and nodded at him as she followed Jacob to the reception.

'My name's Jacob Tulley, I believe you have my sister here? Someone just phoned me.'

'Jacob? My names Harry. Come sit down and we'll discuss what's happened.' Obviously having overheard Jacob, Harry had made his way over and interrupted. Ben saw the flash of sympathy on the face of the receptionist. This wasn't going to be good.

'Are you happy for Ben to sit with you?' asked Harry, his eyes flicking between the two. At Jacob's nod, he continued. 'Your sister was found in the car park to the rear of the solicitors. It would appear she was robbed. Whoever the offender is, he's given her a couple of good whacks round the head with something hard. The doctors have her in X-ray now.'

'A robbery? But I don't understand. TJ can take care of herself, she's done karate for years. She wouldn't have just let someone hit her.'

'It looks like she was surprised; the offender hit her from behind to the side of the head. We think he then hit her again while she was down. She's a smart girl your sister though. She managed to scribble a partial plate before she passed out.'

'Who's doing the scene?' interrupted Ben quietly.

'Craig I think. And it's being headed up by Ali McKay. He’s at the scene now but when he gets here we’ll head back to the nick. She's a strong one, Jacob. Am sure she will be fine.'

Jacob nodded slowly, his brow crinkled in concentration.
A robbery? Why the hell would someone want to rob TJ?

‘Mr Tulley?’ asked a tired looking nurse, flashing him a brief but strained smile. It was obviously a busy night. He nodded at her silently, not quite trusting himself to speak just yet. ‘If you’d like to follow me, I’ll take you through to the family room. The doctor will be through to update you shortly.’

‘Please, Nurse …’ he paused as he checked her name badge, ‘Gina. TJ is my sister, we are very close. Please at least tell me if she’s alive.’ His voice threatened to break, fear running every scenario through his brain as he stood and waited for her to respond.

Despite her obvious tiredness, Gina nodded. ‘She’s alive. We think she has a head injury and some facial breakages, but the doctor will clarify in full when he comes through. She’s not currently conscious, and we’re not out of the woods yet, but trust me when I say Dr Stirling is the best there is. She’s in good hands.’ She placed her hand on his arm, a brief pat of comfort, then turned and led the way to the family room.

Not quite knowing what to do, Ben followed behind. If Jacob wanted her to leave he could just ask.

It took a moment for them to get seated; they were the only people inside the room. The walls were painted puce, and there were posters asking whether the NHS had provided a good service, and telling how to submit feedback. One corner held some tired and broken books and toys, and a couple of small tables were scattered with the remnants of magazines from years gone by.

Jacob sat rigidly, his back straight, his hands clenched on top of his legs. His eyes were troubled, like storm clouds rolling in on rough oceans.
What if she’s not OK? What if she dies? God, please don’t die, TJ.

Feeling his pain, Ben placed a hand on top of his. ‘I’m sure she’ll pull through this, Jacob. From what you’ve told me, TJ is a strong person. You need to believe she’ll be OK.’

Jacob took hold of Ben’s hand and held it tightly. What she was saying made sense, but still, he was worried. He needed to see her himself, touch her hand and feel her pulse pound beneath his fingers. Visions of injured soldiers, crying and screaming in pain ran through his mind, and he felt himself starting to slip.
Not now.
His teeth ground in his mouth, and he tried to focus on his breathing. He did
not
need a PTSD flashback right now. But his mind didn’t listen to his urgent plea.

He was in the base hospital. Unable to move his lower body, he was propped in bed by pillows. Screaming could be heard at the entrance, and suddenly four nurses ran inside, their faces terrified. They were followed by an Asian male carrying an AK47 rifle. Jacob couldn’t move, couldn’t save them. All he could do was watch as the man opened fire on the three nurses huddled together in the corner. He made no eye movement towards the one hidden beside his bed though, all he could do was hope the man finished him off and didn’t look past him to see her. He stared at the man, feeling his hatred of these western people, and their healing methods. The man held his eye contact, raised his weapon and aimed it at the middle of his chest. As Jacob prepared for the gun to fire, he saw the man’s eyes widen in surprise suddenly. Jacob watched as his eyes turned vacant, and the man’s body slumped forward to the floor, a growing stain of red spreading over his back. Glancing at the door, he saw the armed response officer enter the room, sweeping the gun from side to side as he checked for further threats. He nodded at Jacob, and pulled the now sobbing nurse to her feet and led her away from the room, her colleagues slumped together with blood pooling, amalgamating, beneath their bodies.

The images started to fade, and Jacob focussed on Ben’s words. She was telling him over and over that he was OK, and that TJ was going to be fine. He felt her thumb softly rubbing the back of his hand, just as he had done when he’d helped her through her panic attack. He felt his breathing slow back down, and realised that judging by the pain now pulsing in his jaw, he had been gnashing his teeth together throughout the episode.

‘I’m OK, thank you.’ He said the words quietly, his voice neutral.

‘How often does it happen?’

‘Depends. Usually maybe once every few months, but if I’m stressed they come more regularly. Doc says they might just disappear one day, or they might never go away.’

‘You want to tell me about what you see when you go back there?’

‘I do, but -’ Jacob’s sentence was interrupted as the door opened, and the doctor entered.

‘Mr Tulley, I presume?’ Dr Stirling held his hand out for Jacob to shake. He gave a quick nod to Ben, and continued. ‘I believe in being straight to the point and not sugar-coating information. Your sister was assaulted by someone wielding a hard object; from the shape and colouration around the bruising I’d say something like a wrench. She has a bad concussion, fractured jaw and cheekbone and some severe bruising. She’s just heading to surgery now where my colleague will put a metal plate inside her cheek to hold her bones in place whilst they heal. He will also apply some wire to her jaw to hold this in place. Obviously there are certain risks to surgery, but we are confident she will be fine given time. She will be in hospital for at least the next few days, so I don’t know if you want to pop home and get her some toiletries and pyjamas. She’ll be moved to a private room on the Ward 42 once she’s out of recovery.’

Jacob let the information sink in. She was hurt, but she would be OK. ‘Thanks, Doc, I’ll pop to her flat now. How long will it be before she gets back to the ward?’

‘I can’t say as yet – the surgery itself isn’t too complicated, it’s something the surgeons perform relatively regularly. Try not to worry, Mr Tulley. You’ll be seeing her soon enough.’ And with that, he left the room just as he’d entered.

11
^th
June, 2335 hours – O’Byrne residence, Sunderland

Ben stood and watched as Jacob’s tail-lights turned the corner at the bottom of the street as he made his way to TJ’s house. He’d already dropped Ben off at home, and she knew he would spend the night at the hospital, waiting for TJ to come out of surgery and then sitting with her through the night. He’d glared at the one nurse who dared to suggest he head home and wait for them to ring him on his mobile phone with an update. She’d smiled knowingly, patted his arm, and left him in the waiting room with Ben.

Opening the front door, Ben made her way inside with a sigh.

‘Ben, you’re home earlier than I thought you would be. Did you and Jacob not have a good evening?’

Looking at her aunt, she nodded with a soft smile. ‘We had a lovely meal, but TJ, Jacob’s sister was attacked in the car park of the place she works. We’ve been at the hospital the last couple of hours.’

‘Oh goodness, is the poor girl alright? What happened? Is Jacob OK?’

‘Whoa, lots of questions there. Let’s have a cup of tea and I’ll tell you everything.’

‘Now that sounds like a plan, I’ve just boiled the kettle.’

Ben followed Aoife into the kitchen and as her aunt reached the bench, Ben cuddled her gently from behind. ‘I loves you, you know.’

‘I loves you, too.’ Aoife patted Ben’s hand with a smile, reaching for cups with her good hand. Ben kept hold, not wanting to let her go, needing the closeness for a moment.

‘You OK, sweetheart?’ Aoife turned and looked at Ben, studying her expression thoughtfully.

‘Yeah, I’m OK. I just wish certain things didn’t happen sometimes is all. TJ getting attacked is awful. I mean, I see this all the time at work, but I detach from it, don’t let it affect me as a person. When it happens to someone you know, it just makes it all so real. I moved back here `cos I couldn’t cope with Durham, kept constantly thinking
he
was out there somewhere looking for me. Is it naïve of me to have believed that it would be different here?’

‘No it’s not naïve, love. You just need to remember that there’s a little bit of bad everywhere. But there’s also a whole lot of good everywhere too. You’ve put things in place to stop anything like that happening to you again. That’s all you can do, is do your best to be safe. It’s all any of us can do.’

Ben reached for her tea and held the cup in both hands, leaning against the bench behind her. Her green eyes were thoughtful as she nodded slowly.