Sunday 6 February, 13:02
‘Alana, how are you feeling?’ Winter smiled at her.
It was strange seeing him in a jumper and jeans. She wasn’t sure it suited him. She coughed as she tried to answer.
‘Not great,’ she admitted, her voice hoarse. ‘My throat’s killing me.’ Her shoulder ached and her arm too. She grimaced as the pain radiated down her sides. Her head was banging as if something was digging inside it and the sockets of her eyes throbbed worse than any migraine, the hospital lights too bright.
Winter poured her a glass of water out of the plastic jug and held it out to her. She took it gingerly and sipped.
‘How’s Jane?’ she asked.
‘Recovering well. Her husband and children were thrilled to have her home. She didn’t need to stay in long, just dehydrated, sprained wrists and ankles, but it’ll all heal. Nothing serious. How are you doing?’
‘They say no major ligaments or nerves were damaged so I should make a full recovery.’ She thought of Emma, Sarah and Gabriella. There was no recovery for them. ‘Is Dominik all right? He hasn’t come to see me.’ It bothered her more than she wanted to admit. She’d expected him at her bedside when she woke up, but instead he’d been absent the whole time she’d been in here.
‘He’s suspended. We’ve told him he’s not allowed to see you. I’m sorry, but you understand what a mess this is. He didn’t disclose the relationships with the victims. And there are real question marks about his involvement with Lena Trawinska. He brought her on to the case.’
Loxton sat up straighter, wincing as she did so.
‘I know, I know.’ Winter put his hand up as if to placate her. ‘I’m sorry, at the very least he’s made some serious errors of judgement, and at the worst… Well, the investigation is ongoing.’
Loxton shook her head in frustration. ‘You’re wrong about him, sir. He didn’t know what Lena was. She admitted she was avenging Szyman´ski’s death; she blamed Dominik for catching him and sending him to prison. We can’t let her win. Without Dominik I’d be dead. Jane would be dead too.’
‘Look, it’s too early to talk about that now. We have to let the Department of Professional Standards carry out their investigation. I understand your loyalty to Dominik – I feel the same, but it’s a professional matter.’
‘Lena confessed. Doesn’t my statement count for anything?’ She shook her head, her shoulder aching. ‘I want to see him; you can’t stop me seeing him.’
‘I’d rather you didn’t while the investigation is ongoing. We have to let them do their job.’
‘If we’d let homicide do their job, who knows if I’d still be alive,’ she said.
Winter hesitated for a moment. ‘They got side tracked by Pearce but they were doing their best. It was a unique case. Lena had access to everything, it meant she could tamper with the evidence, manipulate us all.’
Loxton knew it wasn’t fair to take it out on him, but she hated how Kowalski was being treated.
‘I need to talk to you about homicide, actually,’ he said. ‘They’re recruiting next month and they’ve asked for you to apply. They’re going to offer you a position. DI Meyer was impressed with how you handled this case and the work you did in the past on Barratt. You don’t have to do the application until you’re well enough, but they’ll keep a space open for you, off the record. Murder’s what you excel at, Alana. You deserve this.’ He smiled at her. ‘We’ll miss you, of course, but I’m happy for you.’
‘Thank you, sir.’ She’d been desperate to get back to murder. It’s all she’d ever wanted to do. But somehow the joy had gone from it.
‘And I’ve got some more good news. Luke Pearce was sentenced to three years for dangerous driving. It’s not the full five years he could have got, but it’s something. The motorcyclist is out of the coma, although he’ll never walk again.’
She nodded absently. Three years’ imprisonment seemed small compensation for the motorcyclist.
‘I’d better let you rest. Let me know what you think of the murder squad’s offer when you’ve had a chance to mull it over.’ Winter picked up his coat, ready to leave.
‘What about Dominik?’ she asked. ‘His promotion?’
‘He can forget about that for a while. You can’t be promoted while you’re suspended, so he’ll miss being posted and then he’ll have to start the process again. With what’s gone on, he needs to focus on getting back on his feet again first.’
‘Dominik’s going to need his friends around him.’
‘He’s a good officer,’ Winter said. ‘I’ll do what I can, but we have to let the DPS do their job. Now get some rest. Take as long as you need. Your new role can wait.’ He patted her arm and left her.
She thought of Dominik, the pain he must be feeling, the confusion, and she wished more than anything that she could see him.