Danielle Ramsay - Vanishing Point

‘I’m sorry …’ he replied lamely, not knowing what else to say.

‘In future, Jack, stick to the rules,’ Amelia said coldly. ‘You have your case to work on, and Adamson and I have ours.’

Finished, she abruptly stood up.

Trying not to wince, Brady also slowly straightened up.

‘You’ll find what you wanted on your desk. But don’t ever expect me to do something like this for you again. It might surprise you, but I don’t want to lose my job.’

‘Amelia … I didn’t—’

‘Save it for when you actually mean it,’ Amelia interrupted.

Brady didn’t say anything. He knew that whatever he said wouldn’t be enough.

‘Remember, I do work at Rake Lane Hospital as well,’ Amelia continued. ‘And I hear things. Like you going into a patient’s room when it has clearly been made off-bounds to you. Then you have a fight with her father. You were in the ICU! The patients there are lucky if they make it through the next couple of hours, without a copper having a brawl with a victim’s father. When will you grow up?’

‘It wasn’t like that,’ Brady lamely replied.

‘What was it like, then?’ questioned Amelia, folding her arms. ‘I’m intrigued. Because I’m sure your version of events will be dramatically different from everyone else’s.’

Brady frowned as he dragged a hand through his hair, pulling it back from his face. He had no idea why she was so mad at him.

‘I’m sorry, Amelia. Honestly, I am.’

‘I hope it’s worth it, Jack.’

Brady shook his head, confused.

‘Being able to crack the case on your own before the others. Because from the way Gates is acting you may as well pack up your things and go home now. Just so you know, Adamson has a copy of the same surveillance footage.’

Brady visibly reacted – Amelia would have got the same response if she had slapped him.

‘Adamson is heading this investigation. Don’t you think he needs every bit of information and evidence he can get? I was curious about what it was that you wanted so badly. So I talked to the receptionist and she told me what she told you. It wasn’t hard to find them on the surveillance tape once I knew who I was looking for.’

Brady didn’t say anything. He couldn’t. He was still trying to get his head around the fact that she had taken this information to Adamson.

‘You compromised my loyalty and … and after what I saw on the tape I had no choice.’

Brady looked away, unable to look Amelia in the eye.

‘What’s really going on, Jack? Why wouldn’t you want Adamson to see something as significant as that?’

‘It was just a hunch … that was all. Remember, I still haven’t seen the tape.’

‘Bullshit!’ retorted Amelia. ‘What? Two men just so happen to walk in to Rake Lane Hospital by chance and ask at reception about the condition of a copper who has been brutally attacked. Jack, no one could have known about this, don’t you get that? When they turned up, the news still hadn’t been released to the press. Only we knew about it. No one on the outside did, which means they were involved in her attack. Maybe they turned up because they thought they’d left her for dead. Now they’ll be worried about whether she’ll talk.’

Amelia suddenly realised what she’d said. But it was too late.

The look in Brady’s eyes told her that her words had cut him.

She knew, as they all did, that Simone Henderson would never talk again.

‘Look, if there had been any way of withholding the tape I would have done. But it’s too crucial to the investigation,’ explained Amelia.

‘I understand that you had no other option,’ answered Brady. ‘And I’m sorry for putting you in such a position,’ he added quietly.

Amelia looked up at him. Something about the wounded look in his eyes at the mention of Simone Henderson’s condition had got to her.

She didn’t know what it was about Jack Brady. He was the only person who could make her feel this way. He worried her. It was rare to see him look so vulnerable.

Something about him at this moment told Amelia that he was in trouble.

She watched as he dragged a nervous hand through his long, dark brown hair again. Pulling it back from his handsomely rugged, albeit beaten-up, face.

‘I promise it won’t happen again,’ assured Brady as he made a move to leave.

Amelia placed a hand on his arm, stopping him.

She made sure no one else could hear before she spoke.

‘I also got the security tape for the hospital grounds. There’s something there that you need to see. I haven’t handed the grounds CCTV footage to Adamson yet. And he hasn’t asked for it. But he will. Once he’s had a look at the surveillance tape of the two men talking to the receptionist he’ll be on to it. You haven’t got long before he requests it.’

‘Thanks, Amelia …’ Brady said falteringly.

Without another word he turned and left.

Brady ran along the first-floor corridor, ignoring the pain in his side. He turned the corner, and continued until he reached his office. He didn’t have much time.

Whatever was on that security tape, Adamson now had access to it.

He reached his office door. It was unlocked.

Had Amelia got someone to unlock his door? Or had it already been unlocked? He couldn’t shake the feeling of paranoia he’d had ever since he found the victim’s head, along with the note, in the rear of his car.

Then he remembered that Conrad had said Claudia was waiting for him in his office.

He prepared himself before walking in. He wasn’t in the right frame of mind for a face-to-face meeting with Claudia. The only thing on his mind was watching that DVD before Adamson.

He opened the door and breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that the room was empty.

On the table sat an envelope.

He picked it up and ripped open the seal.

It was a DVD accompanied with a note: You know where I am if you need me. A.

Brady crumpled the note up and threw it into his waste paper bin. There was nothing Amelia could do to help him. In fact, no one could help him right now.

He sat down behind his desk and opened up his Apple Mac laptop.

He shoved the DVD in and waited for it to load.

He could feel his heart starting to pound.

The DVD started playing. Fuzzy images from inside the reception area kicked into life. Patients, visitors and staff entered and left through the revolving doors by the reception area. He watched and waited.

Then he saw them.

Two well-dressed men made their way through the revolving hospital doors straight to reception.

He narrowed his eyes as he tried to get a clearer image of the two men. It was impossible. All he could make out was that they were tall, well built, with short, cropped dark hair and in their late twenties to early thirties. But what he could see was a glint of white gold on one of their hands: the third finger, right hand. Any identifiable trait at this point was crucial.

He thought immediately of Jed, the force’s computer forensic expert. He’d have to call in a favour. He had no choice. Jed was the only person he knew who had the ability to digitally enhance the image of the two men’s faces and the rings.

Brady watched as the men spoke to the receptionist before leaving through the revolving glass doors. He waited, wondering exactly what it was that Amelia had seen.

Nothing happened.

He saw himself come into the reception area. Talk with the receptionist and then leave, heading off towards the ICU. He fast-forwarded until he saw himself return. This time looking the worse for wear. Clothes dishevelled, face bleeding.

He watched as his figure walked out the main entrance.