Chapter Forty-Six

 

Emma Angel tried to open her gummy eyes and failed. She was so tired and so thirsty. And in pain. Her right side was on fire. Awareness gradually seeped in. She knew that smell. There was the squeak of shoe on vinyl floor, counterpointed with the steady beep of machines and the low hum of conversation.

Bugger. She was in hospital.

She knew that, of course. From the steadily growing burn in her side, the painkillers were starting to wear off. Together with the increasing pain, awareness was coming in. Her memory of the past few hours was patchy. Time in her memory was elastic. She thought she'd spent hours, maybe days in the ambulance. The rocking of the drive, every speed bump feeling like she'd been stabbed again. Paramedics discussing saline solution and blood pressure.

Her memory went further back. She'd had a confrontation with Greg Watts and stripped away all his pretence. In return, he'd plunged a sharpened screwdriver into her side. With skilful precision he'd slid it under the edge of her stab vest and cruelly twisted it upwards.

The transfer from ambulance to A&E to this room was all hazy. She had seen a thousand ceiling tiles, interspersed with lights and concerned faces. With a flash of panic she remembered all her clothes being cut off with surgical scissors. She breathed again when she realised that she was wearing something – probably a hospital gown.

All her memories were hazy with painkillers. She remembered the drip being inserted, she had been lifted into a bed and moved around, hands had checked her. But there were large blank spots. She had woken up with an ultrasound wand being moved over her side but the pain had made her black out again. When she came to, she was in this room.

Shit. She'd been stabbed. Her thoughts were like sludge, slowly moving from subject to subject at random. Was she paralysed? Experimentally, she tried to wiggle her toes and fingers. They didn't move much but she could definitely feel them and everything in between. A wave of relief of swept over her.

Time to open the eyes. Everything was blurry and slowly swam into focus. There was a windowsill and a section of wall. The glass was black, reflecting the room. If it was dark, she must've been drifting in and out for far longer than she realised.

'Angel? Are you awake?'

Damn. She recognised that voice, even if she hadn't heard it for nearly ten years. That was her father. Badger. Badger Stardust to give him his full name. How bad was her injury if they'd called him in? And how long had she been drifting in and out if he'd got here? As if to answer, her side gave a weird spasm and sent pain shooting down to her knee and up to her armpit. She gasped.

'Drink,' she said. Even her voice was croaky.

Her father reached forward and held a glass of water to her lips. Like a child, she slurped a little water and dribbled some down her chin. She hadn't seen him since she, well she hadn't left home. He'd headed off on one of his tours around the country, attending various festivals and meetings and, after a vicious row, she'd stayed behind to go to school. By the time her parents got back, she had left.

He didn't look too bad, given all the years that had passed. He had gained weight, his face filling out. His hair was thinner and grey at the temples, but still curling over his collar. He was still doing the faux-gypsy thing – work shirt, black waistcoat and a red check bandanna.

Her neck was stiff so she experimentally rolled her head to from side to side. And immediately felt worse. Sat on the other side of the bed, silently observing her and her father, was Rob Haines.

She laid her head back onto the pillow and closed her eyes. Why had the stab wound not killed her? It might have been easier to bear than sharing a room with her ex-boss and her estranged father.

'Angel, are you okay?' Badger asked, concern in his voice.

'Emma? Are you still awake?' Rob Haines asked at the same time.

She didn't reply but half closed her eyes as she observed the two men.

'Why did you just call her Angel? Aren't you her father?'

'Because,' Badger said slowly as if Haines was stupid, 'that's her name. It's the name we gave her when she was born.'

'I know that. Emma Angel. I just thought a father would call his own daughter Emma.'

'Oh, Angel, are you still pretending? I thought you just did that in a fit of teenage pique. I honestly thought you'd be gone for a few months, blow all the rebellion out of your system and then, you know go back to being yourself.' There was a dangerous pause. 'Are you going to tell your boss your real name then, Angel?'

She found the energy to shake her head. She shut her eyes and tried to sink back into the bed. With luck she'd be able to sink through the bed, through the floor and out of the room all together. But, no matter how much she hoped, that didn't happen.

'Detective Chief Inspector Rob Haines,' Badger said with exaggerated politeness, 'allow me to introduce my daughter, Angel Rainbow Stardust.'

To his credit, Rob didn't laugh. There wasn't even a suppressed snigger or a smirk. On the other hand, her life in the police was now over. This was a seam of gold for station banter.

'My wife and I changed our names before Angel was born,' Badger explained, answering the unasked question. 'Did you know that after the big bang, elements clumped together to form stars and those were like factories that churned out new, heavier elements. Those then coalesced together until they made the universe that we know now. So, we literally are all made of stardust.' There was a slight pause before he added. 'And of course, there's the David Bowie connection.'

Emma sneaked her eyes open a crack. She could see that the words were flowing over Rob, but he wasn't really understanding what was being said. She felt a rush of warmth and affection. Conversations with her father always involved leaping around subjects. Linking astrophysics with seventies pop stars was quite normal to her.

'Well, I've always known her as Emma Angel,' Rob said evenly. 'And that's what it says on her warrant card.'

She had to intervene. With all her energy, she opened her eyes and turned to her father. 'Sorry, Dad, but if I was going to get anywhere in the police I had to leave the past behind. I got my name changed, all my documents updated, the whole lot.' She paused for breath. 'Mum's sister, Aunty Belle, is down as my next of kin.'

'I know. She called us. Your mother's here too but she went back to the hotel to rest. I texted her as soon as you started to wake up. She'll be here soon.'

'Oh good, a proper family reunion,' Rob said with heavy sarcasm.

Emma took a deep breath. 'I should explain why my dad, well, I'm surprised he's sat in the same room as you,' she said to Rob.

'I did notice that he hasn't warmed to my charm,' Rob said, still being sarcastic.

'Dad, show Rob your forearm, please.'

Badger rolled up his sleeve. Tattooed on his forearm in ink that had faded from black to blue were the words "18th June 1984", then "NEVER FORGET" and under that, "1st June 1985".

'And?' Rob asked.

'Battle of Orgreave.' He tapped the first date. 'And the Battle of the Beanfield.'

'Were you there?' Rob asked quietly.

'Beanfield, I was. Part of the Stonehenge free festival convoy. Herded into a field and attacked by riot police. Unarmed civilians. Orgreave, I knew folk. I wasn't directly involved with the miner's strike, but people in the community talked about it. I know what happened. I know what the police do, what they are.'

'What some of the police did a long time ago,' Rob corrected.

'Hmph.' Badger stared him down. 'Things haven't changed that much.'

Rob stood and looked out of the window. With his back to the room, he spoke to the glass. 'Yes, I was one of those, a corrupt cop.' He paused to gather his strength. 'I mean, I was never into breaking heads, nothing like what went on with South Yorkshire. I did take money that I shouldn't have and a few other irregularities. But your daughter, whether she is called Emma or Angel, well she wouldn't be corrupted, wouldn't join.'

'What the hell!' Badger moved instinctively towards Rob, hands balling into fists. 'Listen, Angel joining the other side, the filth, was too much. But you were her boss. If you're not one of the good ones, what hope does she have?'

'You're not listening. Emma, Angel, whatever, is one of the good ones. In fact, it was her who shopped me, the whole team, to Professional Standards. She did a lot of good for this town. Wouldn't be swayed by any argument. Good old-fashioned copper.'

Badger nodded slowly, taking in the compliment and what it said about both his daughter and her ex-boss. Slowly, his hands relaxed and opened.

Emma for her part was stunned. Yes, she had saved Rob's life but she had also shopped him to Professional Standards. She had stopped any possible return to the force, although thankfully for her guilt his head injury made that impossible. She still couldn't feel completely guilt free though – she wished she could've moved faster, saved a life and prevented Rob's injury.

But she was amazed that Rob had forgiven her – he even sounded proud of her and the choices she'd made. She must still be foggy with what she assumed were strong painkillers. 'So, what happened then, boss? I guess I missed your final interview?'

'Yeah, no that went okay. I've retired from the police on medical grounds, full pension rights. And I've been assured that the CPS have closed my case, no further action.' He paused for a moment. 'All I need now is a country pub with roses around the door.'

The room went quiet, the tension palpable. Badger obviously wasn't comfortable with all the police talk.

'Angel! My darling! Are you okay? Are they looking after you properly?' A woman burst into the room, all flowing skirts, jangling bracelets and a cloud of incense-like perfume.

'Mum!' Emma burst out. 'You're here!'

The tension diffused. Rob leant against the windowsill and studied Emma's family. Jenny Stardust was clearly in her mid to late forties, with laughter lines around her eyes. Straggling blonde hair fell to her shoulders, dyed in lighter and darker shades. What impressed him most was that she was full of energy. In the muted tones of the hospital room, she brought in colour and life.

'Of course! You think I'd leave my baby girl in a hospital all alone. Besides, we have friends in Taunton, and outside Bristol. We can stay in the area. We'll be here as long as you need us.' She gently laid her hands on Emma's shoulders and looked at her square in the face. 'You don't look too bad. Your aura's got some holes in it though, and it's obviously depleted but that's only to be expected. What exactly happened, love?'

Emma took a deep breath. Both Rob and Badger drifted closer, but kept the bed between them. 'There's this bloke, Gregory Watts. I've been aware of him for ages. Has an interest in schoolgirls but up till now he managed to keep it legal.' Rob nodded. 'I've got friendly with his mum. I went round there today after the raid as I knew there'd be lots of gossip on the estate and I wanted to get our message out first.' She paused for breath. 'Anyway, Watts was there and he didn't appreciate me talking to his family. I was really stupid. He pretended I'd broken his right hand when I smacked it with my baton.'

'No pretending, you did break it,' Rob said with pride.

'But he had a screwdriver, hidden up his left sleeve. Bastard knew exactly what he was doing. He went low and stabbed up and into my hip. Managed to get it right under the edge of the stab vest.' She could see the wide-eyed concern of her family.

'Did they operate?' her mother asked in a hushed voice.

'No, they've been monitoring my fluid levels and blood loss. They think, based on ultrasound, that there's minor trauma to my liver, but no point in operating.'

'And it was a screwdriver?' Jenny said. 'Blood metal, that's what the fairies call it. Iron is never good.'

Rob bit his tongue. He wanted to ask if Emma would be in better shape if she'd been stabbed by sharpened bamboo. But he knew he'd be treated with scorn and then told that the tree spirit would help the healing process, so he kept quiet.

'What happened to the man, Gregory, did you say, who did this?' Badger asked, his voice tight with suppressed anger. 'Have they caught him yet?'

'I'll say so,' Rob said, obvious pride in his voice. 'Young Emma here only managed to handcuff his ankle to a gatepost while she was bleeding out. By the time the uniforms got there to arrest him, he was like a rabid dog. Took three goes with the taser before he could be cuffed.' He chuckled to himself. 'Of course, we had a sharpened screwdriver with his fingerprints and your blood on it, plus you can give a statement when you're recovered. I doubt it'll even get to court. Attempted murder on a police officer means he won't be out for a long time.'

'Still, you were very lucky, Angel,' Jenny said. 'It just shows the kind of risks you're taking.'

'Mum, this is not the time or the place,' Emma said. 'I'm exhausted. I need to get better from this, get my fitness back.' She paused to make sure that her mother was listening. 'But I have to warn you that I'm already working out how to get back to work.' She paused again to take a deep breath and gather her strength. 'I make a difference here. I may have been stabbed but Gregory Watts is currently in a cell. That's one more bad person off the streets. I'm helping. Didn't you say I should be the difference I want to see in the world?'

'It was Eleanor Roosevelt,' Jenny said sulkily. 'Damn it! I raised you, we raised you, to be strong and independent and above all do your best to show compassion.' She shook her head and went to take Badger's hand. 'We wanted Angel to grow up into a headstrong woman and she has.'

Rob, feeling more and more uncomfortable, said gruffly, 'This looks like family time. And it's only two visitors.' He slid out of the door, hardly noticed.

'Wait,' Emma said weakly. 'What happened with Jeremy Bradley?' She was exhausted but still wanted to know exactly what had happened in the interview. Letting Rob speak would give her a time to recover her strength.

Rob looked nervously at Badger and Jenny. 'I'm about to tell Emma things that should stay out of the public domain. Jeremy will be charged soon and that's when the papers will have to stop reporting.'

Badger held up a hand. 'Say no more, we'll get a coffee. Great to see you awake, love, and we'll be back in fifteen minutes.'

When they were alone, Rob ran through the result of the interview and the revelations Bradley had shared.

When he finished, Emma asked, 'So the Callum Frost case?'

'As soon as he highlighted his den on the map, we dispatched a specialised search team because we wanted to get there before any of the women knew we were onto them.'

'And?'

'And we got there first. No one had been in that place for the last fifteen years. There was the vodka bottle with bits of blood on it from where they split his lip. Most importantly they found the shaft with the remains of Callum Frost. We're not sure yet but the evidence should put the four of them there at the same time as Callum.' He stopped and looked shifty.

'What? What aren't you telling me?'

'Well, it looks like Bradley did us a favour. The three women are now so upset by what they've seen that we're going to keep pressuring them. I'm guessing that fairly soon one of them will crack and tell us what we need to know. We'll keep telling them that we've found the den, we have his remains, we have their fingerprints in the same place.'

Emma took a deep breath. She needed to stay awake. 'But the parents. They know.'

'Yes. I mean, it's not the answer they wanted but it is an answer.'

Emma lapsed into silence as she struggled to process this new information. She was saved from dozing off in front of her boss when a nurse bustled into the room.

'Right, time for meds and obs,' she said brightly. 'Good to see that you're looking a bit brighter.' She peered closely at Emma. 'But these visitors have tired you out.'

'And that's my cue to leave,' Rob said.

As she went about her job, the nurse chattered. 'That's a nice bloke you got there.' Seeing the look of confusion on Emma's face, she continued. 'No, not those two. Don't you remember? The painkillers and shock can do that. No, I meant your boyfriend. Brought up a bag with a few bits and pieces. Clothes and the like. Mind you, if he's like most men it'll be stuff you never wear, perfume you hate and nothing useful. But it's a nice thought.'

'Pete was here?' Emma asked.

'Yes. But as soon as the others turned up he left. Don't think he quite wanted to meet the parents, just yet.' Deftly the nurse laid out a small pot of pills and a glass of water.

'It's complicated,' Emma said. How could she explain that she'd just met her parents for the first time in years? Instead she swallowed her pills, then let her eyes close so she could gently doze off.

 

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