Soft Target (Major Crimes Unit Book 2) (11 page)

T
hey entered the city of
Oxford forty minutes later, driving through the high street and cutting between
the Norman, Gothic, and Victorian architecture that mingled with the grand
buildings of the world
’
s oldest English-speaking university.  It was a city that cried
‘
England,
’
but at the same time was undeniably cosmopolitan. 

As Sarah moved through loose
traffic, she spotted students of various nationalities talking, hugging, and
crying as they no doubt discussed the day
’
s terrible events.  It was a microcosmic example of how the world
could be when petty differences and culture were set aside.  It almost restored
Sarah
’
s faith in humanity,
until she remembered that Wazir Hesbani had also attended Oxford University. 
How
many of these kids will grow up to be monsters?

Howard came over the radio.
 
“
The clinic is a half-mile from here,
”
he
said. 
“
Stay close, but keep a little distance.  When I park up, find a
place nearby and wait for my signal.  Mandy will be on standby in case I need
to make an extraction.  Bradley, you and Sarah are to remain in a support role.
”

“
Roger that.
”

The radio went silent.

“
The only thing with a support role in this car is my bra,
”
said Sarah, making Bradley blush. 
“
Any
sign of trouble and I
’
ll go get the doctor myself.
”

“
We don
’
t know the doctor had anything to do with the bombings.
”

“
For his sake, I hope not.
”

Howard took a series of side
streets that led into an office district.  The buildings were modern and
red-bricked, in contrast to the darker stone buildings of the city centre. 
Sarah followed behind until he pulled into a small car park in front of a
three-story building.  Sarah overshot the car park and came to a halt around
the corner in front of a newsagent.

“
I
’
m entering the building now,
”
Howard
said over the radio. 
“
Stand by.
”

Sarah leaned forward and
replied,
“
Roger that, ten-four, Captain Badger.
”

Howard didn
’
t reply, but she heard him sigh before the radio cut off.

“
Why do you like winding people up so much?
”
Bradley
asked.

“
I can
’
t get laid.  What else am I supposed to do for kicks?
”

Bradley blushed, but he kept
on at her. 
“
Do you mean because of your scars?  That puts men off?
”

“
What d
’
you think?
”

Bradley shrugged. 
“
I don
’
t know.  I imagine people would stop noticing after a while.  I don
’
t think it
’
s as much of a problem as you think.  My little sister has spina
bifeda
but she never lets it hold her back.  She
’
s
happy.  It
’
s all about how you look at yourself, not how other people look at
you.
”

“
Your sister is unhappy, trust me.  The brave face she puts on is just
for you.  She knows that if she feels sorry for herself you
’
ll all grow tired of her.  Every time she smiles she dies a little
more inside, trying to make herself less of a burden to the rest of you.   
Your sister might be brave, but she
’
s not happy.
”

“
Screw you,
”
Bradley said, suddenly flushed in the face.

Sarah grinned. 
“There
you go
. 
Sooner you realise the world is less Disney
and more News at 10, the better.”

Bradley stared out of his
window in silence. 

Sarah glanced around, checking
out the area where they
’
d parked.  It was a nice part of town.  New buildings nestled
between patches of grass and shade-giving trees.  It looked just like the type
of place you would expect to find a psychiatrist working, but certainly not a
terrorist.

Sarah noticed a girl working
inside the newsagent was staring at them.  She talked on a phone while eyeing the
Range Rover suspiciously.  Sarah and Bradley hadn
’
t
broken any laws, they were just parked in the street.  So why was this girl
taking such interest in them?

Something was off.

From the way the girl
’
s vision was fixed on the Range Rover, there was no way she was
looking at anything else.  There was some sort of problem.

Sarah had suffered enough
scrutiny for one day.  She got out of the Range, and climbed the single step
into the newsagent
’
s front door.  Howard wouldn
’
t
like it, but she was damned if she was going to sit and be stared at the whole
time she was waiting.

When the girl saw he coming
inside, she muttered something into the phone and hung up hastily.  She gave
Sarah a wide, welcoming smile. 
“
Hi, there.  How are
you today?
”

“
I
’
m fine.  You okay with me parking out there

The girl seemed confused and a
little unsettled.  It might have been because of Sarah
’
s
scars. 
“
No.  No problem.  You
’
re welcome to park
there.
”

Sarah strolled around the
shop, glancing at stacks of newspapers as if they were the most interesting
things in the world and taking her time.  Eventually she turned back to the
girl. 
“
You here all by yourself, sweetheart?
”

“
I
…
yes, for the time being.  Why do you ask?
”

“
I used to work in a shop like this,
”
Sarah lied. 
“
I remember how my boss used to leave me holding the fort all the
time too.  Sucks being all alone.
” 
She walked up to
the counter and placed both hands on it. 

The girl swallowed audibly. 

 Sarah grinned, knowing that
doing so would only distort her messed-up features even further. 
“
Try to mind your own business, sweetheart,
”
she
said. 
“
I would hate if we were forced to become better acquainted.
”
 

Sarah left the newsagent and re-joined
Bradley in the car. 

“
Everything okay?
”
he asked her.

“
Something
’
s off about the girl in that newsagents.  Don
’
t ask me why.
”

“
You think she knows something?
”

“
Either that or she
’
s just nosey beggar.  Most shop workers don
’
t
even give the time of day to customers standing in front of them, let alone a
car parked outside on the road doing nothing.  I
’
ll
give her the benefit of the doubt for now, but she
’
s
got my spidey senses tickling.  Heard anything from Howard?
”

“
Nope, all
’
s quiet.  Sorry.
” 
By Bradley
’
s tone, it was clear
he was still upset with her.  When Sarah thought about what she
’
d said about his sister, she could maybe understand why.

 
“
Look,
Bradley, I
’
m sorry
—”

The radio squawked and Howard
’
s voice rang out. 
“
Target has flown the nest.  Repeat: target is gone.  Be on the
lookout, he got wind we were coming.  Suspect is a middle-aged man, spectacles,
receding brown hair, shirt, tie, trousers.
”

“
Somebody must have warned him,
”
Bradley
said.

“
That bitch.
” 
Sarah leapt out of the Range and raced back into the newsagent. 
The girl was gone.  A door in the back hung open. 
“
I
’
m going to kick your skinny little ass,
”
Sarah
shouted.  She bounded through the open door and found herself in a bricked yard,
but there was no sign of the girl. 

The sound of an engine. 

Sarah saw the sky-blue Citroen
speeding towards her and shouted
“
Stop,
”
but without a gun, the demand was impotent.  Yet, surprisingly, the
driver stepped on the brake. 

Sarah rushed to the driver
’
s side door, snarling and shouting, but it was only an old lady at
the wheel.  Sarah immediately felt ashamed. 
“
Oh! 
S-sorry, ma
’
am, I thought you were a friend of mine.
”

The old lady spluttered,
“
That
’
s how you treat your friends?
” 
She
sped off, no doubt wanting to get as far away from Sarah as she could.  Sarah
didn
’
t blame her.

That ten-second delay could be
all it took for the shop girl to get away, so Sarah got moving again.  She
heard racing footsteps ahead of her and went after them.  She picked up speed,
wishing she
’
d kept herself in better shape.  The old wound in her thigh
throbbed. 

She rounded a corner and
caught sight of her target.  They were heading back around to the front of the
newsagent.  Ahead was the doctor
’
s clinic, and Mandy,
sitting in the other Range Rover. 
She
’
s
making a play for the doctor
, thought Sarah. 
I
knew she was involved in something.

Sarah tried to shout a warning
to Mandy, but was too late.  Her teammate was forced to duck down in his seat
as the shop girl opened fire at him.  Despite being unarmed, Sarah kept up her
pursuit.

Mandy managed to slip out of
the driver
’
s side door and popped up over the hood to return fire from his own
pistol, but the girl had him pinned down and his shots were all blind.

Bradley appeared, coming up
the left and adding another gun into the fray.  Mandy held his cover on the
right, while Sarah rushed up the back. 

The clinic
’
s main entrance opened and Howard appeared from within it.  The girl
had no place to go now, surrounded on all sides.

But when Howard exited the building, he was not
alone.  A man fitting Dr Cartwright
’
s
description was there also, and he had a syringe full of something pressed up
against Howard
’
s
jugular.  “L-let me out of h-here,”
he demanded, all three chins wobbling.  “Let me out of here or I’ll fill
him full of enough diazepam to kill a herd of buffalo.”

“
Take the shot, Mandy!
”
Howard snarled. 
“
He
’
s got no place to go.
”

The shop girl fired at Mandy
again and kept him pinned down behind the Range.  Sarah tried to come up behind
the girl, but only narrowly avoided getting a bullet in the temple.  She skidded
on her heels and put her hands up, really wishing that she
’
d asked for a gun before leaving the Earthworm.

Bradley stood in a firing
position to the left, but was struggling to keep his aim straight.  His face
was pale and sweating.

“
Everybody chill the fuck out,
”
said
the shop girl. 
“
Dr Cartwright, are you okay?
”