Mark Pearson - Death Row

Delaney stood up and looked at her steadily. ‘‘We’re going to find him, Gloria. That’s what!’

‘You promise?’

‘I promise.’

Mary shot him a reproving glance but Delaney ignored it, gesturing for Sally to join him as he stood up.

‘We’re going to find him and return him home safe to his mother. You have my word on that!’

*

DI Tony Bennett watched as a nurse held a clear plastic cup of water to Jamil Azeez’s lips and he took a swallow, his Adam’s apple bobbing in his slender neck.

‘Not too much, now,’ said the nurse, letting him have another sip before she took the cup away. Bennett smiled gratefully at the nurse. She was petite, with midnight-black hair and delicate Asiatic features.

‘And not too long!’ she said to him reprovingly. ‘He is still very far from well and the last thing he needs right now is any added stress.’

‘I understand,’ Bennett said.

‘Good,’ she replied. ‘I’ll be back in five minutes.’

Bennett watched her walk from the room, pulling the door closed behind her and nodding to Danny Vine who was standing guard outside. Then he looked at his watch, pulled the bedside chair closer to the bed and sat down on it. ‘Pulled yourself a cracker there,’ he said to the patient.

Jamil Azeez blinked his eyes in what could have been a sign of accord and croaked something that could have been an agreement.

‘Do you know who did this to you? Do you know who hurt you?’ asked the DI.

Jamil shook his head. ‘No,’ he said in another painful croak.

‘Can you tell me anything of what happened?’

The patient shook his head and winced. Bennett put his hand on his arm. ‘Okay, try not to move. Try not to upset yourself. I don’t want to have that pretty nurse telling me off.’

Jamil swallowed again and nodded almost imperceptibly.

‘What do you remember?’

‘Nothing. I can’t remember a thing.’

Bennett was taken aback a little — Jamil’s accent was pure British.

‘You speak very good English, Jamil. How long have you been here? You’re in your second year at university, is that right?’

Jamil blinked his eyes. He had long dark lashes. ‘Yes, but I grew up here. My family moved back to Iran five years ago. English is my first language.’

‘What can you remember?’

‘I don’t know.’

He closed his eyes, squeezing them shut as if he could somehow press some memories from them. ‘I don’t know. I can’t remember.’ He opened them again, clearly distraught. ‘I just don’t know.’

‘It’s okay, Jamil,’ said Bennett sympathetically. ‘It’s not uncommon. After a tragic accident it is quite normal sometimes for the brain to shut out memories. Hide them away until you can deal with them. Usually they do come back. That was what the lovely nurse said, and I guess she knows her stuff.’

‘But this wasn’t an accident, was it?’

Bennett looked at him sympathetically. ‘No. It wasn’t.’

Jamil blinked back tears, and Bennett was fairly sure it had nothing to do with whatever physical pain the young man was feeling. ‘Why would anyone want to do this? Who would want to stab me?’

‘We don’t know. That’s what we need to find out.’

‘Were they trying to kill me?’

Bennett leaned in. ‘They nearly did, Jamil. I’m sorry but whoever did this to you was in all likelihood trying to murder you. There is no one you can think of who would want to harm you?’

‘No one. No. Was it a racist attack, do you think?’

Bennett shrugged. ‘It’s possible.’

‘Where did it happen?’

‘You don’t know?’

Jamil shrugged. ‘I can’t remember a thing about it. I remember waking up here.’

‘What do you remember? Go back to yesterday. Lunchtime — can you remember that’

‘Yes.’

‘Okay, then. After lunch what did you do?’

‘I remember going to the library.’

‘The university library?’

‘No. At my hall of residence. Whitefriars. It’s a small one but it makes a change from sitting in my room. I remember going there. I remember doing the crossword.’

‘Which one?’

Jamil looked embarrassed for a moment. ‘The Daily Mail . I don’t read it … but I like the crossword.’

Bennett held up his hand. ‘It’s okay — no one is here to judge you.’

‘And then …’ Jamil concentrated for a moment or two, looking down at the floor to the side of his head. He hesitated for a moment and then shook his head. ‘No. Nothing after that.’

Bennett leaned forward. ‘You looked as if you might have remembered something then, Jamil.’

‘No. Some other students came into the library, I think. But no, that was early evening. You say I was found at midnight?’

‘Just about. You were lucky!’

‘Lucky?’

‘Relatively speaking. The woman who found you is a police surgeon. She was able to keep you alive until the paramedics found you.’

‘What is her name, please? I must thank her.’

‘Kate Walker. Doctor Walker.’ He gestured with his thumb to the general ward outside. ‘She’s trying to find your consultant, right now.’

‘And where was I when she found me?’

‘Just off Camden High Street.’

Jamil reacted, surprised. ‘Camden. What was I doing there? I’ve never been to Camden in my life. Why would I want to go there?’

‘We don’t know, Jamil. Maybe it was a random attack. Maybe it was racially motivated, like you said, or maybe it was just a robbery gone wrong.’

Jamil looked at the side table. ‘My wallet?’

‘No. Sorry, there was nothing on you.’

‘It was a mugging, then?’

Bennett shrugged. ‘Most likely. But maybe why you were there in the first place has something to do with the attack on you.’

‘Can’t see how. Like I said, I’ve never been to Camden.’

‘You’ve been there once.’

Jamil held a hand to his bandaged chest, his breathing becoming more ragged as he laboured to draw in breath. ‘Yeah, and it seems like once was too often.’

Bennett would have replied but the nurse opened the door quietly and came in.

‘Okay. Time’s up,’ she said in a manner that would brook no argument.

Bennett looked at her appraisingly. ‘I’m sorry — I didn’t get your name?’

‘Jessica Tam,’ she said.

Bennett held out his hand and after hesitating for a moment the nurse shook it. ‘I’m Tony Bennett.’

Jessica Tam raised an eyebrow but before she could say anything Bennett handed her a card. ‘If Jamil remembers anything more be sure to give me a call straight away.’

Jessica put the card in her pocket. ‘Okay.’

‘Or, you know …’ he said, with a smile. ‘If you just want to give me a call.’

‘I’ll bear it in mind,’ she said coolly, and taking his arm by the elbow she steered him out of the room. She closed the door on him and turned back to her patient. ‘Are you okay, Jamil?’

‘I’ve been better,’ he said weakly. ‘I just wish I knew who would want to do something like this to me.’

‘I know how you feel,’ she said thoughtfully, remembering a time when she had been attacked by a deranged former patient. ‘Sometimes it’s just because you’re in the wrong place at the wrong time.’

‘Why was I there, though? That’s what I don’t understand.’

Jessica Tam nodded. ‘Give it time. Sometimes that’s all we can do.’

‘I suppose so.’

‘And try to get some rest. We need to get you well first. Maybe things will be better for you tomorrow.’

Jamil sank his head back deeper into his pillow and closed his eyes.

Maybe he would find some peace in his sleep, Jessica thought.

But she was wrong.