Stay With It

‘Get this midden cleared up,’ Chisolm gestured to the half-finished coffee cups and empty water bottles that littered the table. ‘No. Not you,’ he growled as Susan stepped forward. ‘Whoever made the fucking mess.’ He eyed the male members of his squad.

Murmurs of dissatisfaction accompanied the men’s reluctant movements.

When the table was cleared of debris, Chisolm sat down.

‘Where are we at with Brannigan?’

‘Not looking good, sir.’ Douglas was first off the mark as usual. ‘He’s been in and out of theatre. They’re not saying much. But what I can tell you,’ he paused theatrically, for all the world like a seasoned politician, ‘is that in the course of the attack his windpipe was severed.’

‘Windpipe’s repairable,’ Duffy said with a satisfied smirk. ‘Most times, anyhow.’

‘I’ll hand you that,’ Douglas came back. ‘But it still gives us a problem.’

‘How’s that?’ Duffy walked right in.

Wood beat Douglas to it. ‘Fucker canna speak,’ he drawled, a look of grim satisfaction on his face.

‘Bang goes our statement.’ Chisolm slumped in his seat. ‘I’ll stand down the twenty-four-hour guard. But I want regular updates on Brannigan’s condition.’ He squared his shoulders. ‘Make sure I get them, Burnett.’

‘Sir.’

‘Susan, what’s the latest on Sheena Struthers?’

‘Not much progress there, I’m afraid. So far, all I’ve managed to get out of her is general chat. Nothing specific, not even what she remembers of the hours leading up to her hospitalisation.’

‘Which is?’

‘Zilch, according to her. Insists she has no memory of events after she went to bed the previous night.’

‘It might equally testify to the fact the woman is still heavily medicated.’

‘Mmm.’ Chisolm steepled his fingers. ‘What about the husband? Has she said anything on that?’

‘I’ve raised the question of the marriage, sir. She’s pretty non-committal. Pleads exhaustion when I try to draw her out.’

‘So we’re still some way from a formal statement.’

‘I’d say so.’ Susan hung her head. She’d have given anything to shout success in front of these hard-nosed bastards. ‘Sorry, sir,’ she added, somewhat lamely.

‘Stay with it, Strachan.’ For once, Chisolm looked kindly. ‘Get yourself up there when you get the chance. Sometimes, perseverance is all. However,’ he looked down the table, ‘seems like we’re not going to get a result in either of these cases. Not anytime soon.’

‘There is just one thing, sir,’ Susan ventured. ‘Sheena Struthers did say something. Patient was drowsy at the time so it could be nothing,’ her voice tailed off.

‘Out with it,’ Chisolm encouraged.

‘She said “enough”.’

‘Enough what?’ Duffy demanded with a cheeky grin. ‘Tea? Gin?’

‘Mebbe she’s had enough of marriage,’ Dave Wood chipped in, his face dour. ‘I know I fucking have.’

‘Maybe it’s her has a fancy man on the side.’ Duffy again.

‘As I said,’ Susan rushed to defend her position, ‘it could be nothing. Only…’

All eyes were upon her.

‘When I pressed her about it she became quite defensive. Agitated, is the word I’d use.’

‘Can you be more specific?’ Chisolm asked.

Susan shrugged. ‘Not really.’

‘Oh, come on,’ Douglas rounded on her. ‘What sort of “agitated”? Excited? Distressed? Scared?’

Inwardly, Susan cursed. Her chance to shine and she’d blown it. She drew a calming breath. ‘All of those, I’d say.’