Chewing on half a box of tic tacs, Gardner reversed from her spot in the secondary school car park. Following Riddick’s car towards the opening gate, she caught the wail of an ambulance in the distance.
After Riddick passed through the gate, he stopped his vehicle. Gardner paused behind him and saw, to her annoyance, that the lane of the road they planned to turn right onto was packed. A peculiar place for a traffic jam.
The sound of the ambulance intensified.
When it was clear that the traffic was not moving for love nor money, and that the ominous sound of the emergency services was coming this way, Gardner exited her vehicle. She knocked on Riddick’s window.
He rolled down his window. ‘An accident?’
‘My thoughts… Let me check.’
The jammed cars on the road just ahead of her had concluded it was time to leave. One by one, they reversed into the car park of a leisure centre, so they were able to turn, and drive away in the opposite direction. She could hear the ambulance full blast now, and she could also hear the sound of an approaching fire engine.
She turned the corner.
A beige Fiat 500 had mounted the kerb at the end of the road, just before the busy A59, and ploughed into a pedestrian guardrail. Gardner couldn’t see the front of the vehicle clearly, but the smoke rising from its bonnet suggested the damage may be terminal. A fire engine had already pulled to the side of the A59 adjacent to the front of the Fiat whereas the ambulance had turned onto the road and was alongside the accident.
‘Jesus,’ Riddick said, coming up alongside her. ‘Someone must have been going at some speed to lose control and clip that.’
The emergency services went to work. It looked as if they were preparing to cut someone from the smoking vehicle.
Her phone rang. It was Barnett again. ‘APW out, boss.’
‘Susan Harrison doesn’t drive a Fiat 500, does she?’ She gave the registration on the back of the vehicle.
‘Yes… how did you… You’ve got her, boss?’
‘I wish I had. No, Ray, she got herself. She slammed into a guardrail getting away from us.’
‘Good God. Is she okay?’
‘I’m about to find out. I’ll call you back.’ She pulled her badge from her pocket and approached the emergency services with Riddick.
* * *
Gardner and Riddick followed the ambulance to the hospital where they were provided with a private room while they waited for a doctor to speak to them. Susan Harrison’s next of kin would be on their way, and Gardner wanted to avoid any awkward moments with an emotional husband.
Details as to Susan’s condition were at a premium right now. In the end, the fire service hadn’t needed to cut her loose, but she hadn’t looked in the best state when she’d been removed from the Fiat, unconscious with a bloody head. However, it always looked bad when someone was strapped to a stretcher with a neck brace on, so Gardner tried to stay positive.
‘We’ve no idea how long this will take, Paul,’ Gardner said. ‘Your instincts are with the friends and the gangs. Why don’t you go and probe Dan Lotus and then run the briefing? Draw the day’s findings together for us?’
Riddick nodded. ‘You sure you want to hand me that responsibility knowing what a liability I am?’
‘If a lass from the alien lands of the south can handle that bunch of middle-aged northern men, then I’m sure you’ll be fine.’
‘I’m more concerned about the press,’ Riddick said, ‘I can think of one journalist who will love the fact we scared a suspect into a major RTA.’
‘Well, keep schtum and order everyone else to keep quiet too. Joe Bridge can handle it unless our bloody leak gets there first.’
After Riddick had left, Gardner sat and used the internet to scroll through old news stories on Knaresborough and Harrogate, focusing specifically on county lines, and gang culture. Unsurprisingly, being rural and middle-class, it wasn’t a hive of villainy, but it did have its moments. The history of Neil Taylor and his enterprises was there in black and white. Dan Lotus got a few mentions, and it seemed a lad called Michael Sanderson had spent some time in a juvenile centre for dealing ecstasy tablets that caused the death of a young lady from Wetherby. Gardner was interrupted by a phone call from an anonymous number.
‘DCI Gardner speaking.’
‘Hi… sorry… it’s Cherish.’ She sounded as though she was whispering.
Gardner stood. ‘No need to apologise, Cherish. I told you to call me anytime, and I meant it. Are you okay?’
‘Yes… I think so.’
Gardner started to pace. ‘Where are you?’
‘I’m in my room. I’ve found something. I want to give it to you.’
‘What?’
‘Something big, I think…’ She went silent.
‘Cherish?’
A really quiet whisper. ‘He’s outside my room.’
‘Who? Neil?’
‘Yes. Just wait…’
Gardner paced some more, her heart rate picking up. She couldn’t bear it any longer. ‘Cherish?’
‘I’m okay, he’s going back down.’
Gardner sighed.
‘Can you come now?’ Cherish asked.
‘Are you in danger?’
‘No… I don’t think so.’
‘Can I send someone, Cherish? I’m—’
‘No, just you. I’ll only give it to you.’
The door to the waiting room opened and a woman wearing spectacles and a surgeon’s gown stepped in.
‘Okay. I will get there as soon as I can, Cherish. Sorry, what is it you want to give me?’
The phone was already dead.
Gardner put the phone in her pocket and shook the surgeon’s hand. ‘DCI Emma Gardner.’
‘Doctor Fiona Marshall.’
‘How’s Susan Harrison?’
‘Indebted to an airbag. As many are in this day and age. Susan is bruised and sore, but she’s awake and communicative. We’ve taken x-rays, and nothing seems broken or damaged. However, she did lose consciousness a couple of times, and is clearly suffering from concussion. So, she won’t be going anywhere for the moment. Strict observation.’
‘But I’m free to go and talk to her?’
The doctor eyed her warily. ‘I won’t ask you how important it is because it obviously is. A DCI wouldn’t be standing in the waiting room otherwise. But, can I ask you to go as easy as you can? She’s had a shock and won’t be thinking clearly from the concussion anyway.’
‘Message received. However, she is a person of interest in a major crime. So, I will have to keep an officer here while she’s in hospital.’
‘Are you going to arrest her?’ the doctor asked.
‘She tried to run from us, and some of the evidence we have against her is compelling. Like I said, at the very least, she’ll have to be guarded.’
‘I understand. It won’t be the first time this has happened.’
‘Can you take me to her then please?’