Seconds later, Kate’s office door burst inward.
She attempted to stand.
‘Sit the fuck down,’ Bright barked.
Walking round her desk, he took a seat, ignoring Hank as if he were invisible. For a long moment, the Detective Chief Superintendent stared at Kate, exploring her injuries as well as his options. ‘Kate, listen very carefully to what I have to say. If you insist on working, that’s fine by me, but when you’re not in this building I want you in a safe house.’
‘That’s not necessary.’
‘You don’t get a say in it. You’re going, end of.’ Now he eyeballed Hank, pushing Kate’s laptop towards him, sliding a flash drive across her desk. ‘Show her . . . And while you’re at it, take a look yourself, then you can invent a valid reason for being here.’ Bright knew that with Kate in mortal danger, Hank wouldn’t leave, even if ordered to do so. As her 2ic, he took his job of watching over her seriously.
‘I’m seeing Stone at ten,’ Hank said.
‘Do not lie to me! I just saw him leave the building.’
Absolutely nothing got past him. No matter how careful they thought they had been over the years, he kept catching them out. Busted, Hank exchanged a worried look with Kate. The movement of her eyes toward the door was almost imperceptible. Receiving her unspoken message, he was on the move.
‘Where the hell do you think you’re going?’ Bright said. ‘I’m not finished with you yet.’
Hank’s expression bordered on insubordination. ‘Weren’t you suggesting that I have no business here, or did I pick that up wrong . . . guv?’
‘Cut the backchat. I appreciate your loyalty and I know Kate does. I assume you’ve checked every single collar she’s made since joining the MIT as a detective sergeant for this JC character?’
‘Carmichael has . . . and I double-checked it.’
‘What about earlier, the shite she put away when she was in the drug squad?’
‘No joy there either.’
‘Which means he’s an unknown quantity.’
‘Totally.’
‘Right, I’ve heard enough. I’m moving the goalposts. This maniac we’re hunting is unpredictable and out of control. There’s no telling what he’ll do next. Now watch the video clip.’
Hank attached the flash drive to Kate’s laptop and handed it to her.
She opened it with her fingertip, then pressed play.
They viewed the footage together, the blood drained from the face of her wingman as the tape ran on. It caught the moment that she was shoved into the path of an oncoming car that could so easily have killed her. Hank flinched as her body collided with the windscreen of the vehicle that hit her.
‘Was that necessary, Phil?’ Kate’s hackles were up and it showed. ‘I was there, remember?’
‘Then you know perfectly well that it was deliberate. That fucker has a target on your back. You think it was a happy accident that CCTV caught the unfolding incident so perfectly? Think again. He chose his spot. He’s giving us the finger, demonstrating his superiority.’
They locked eyes.
‘How could he possibly know that I was going for a run? I didn’t decide until I got home.’
‘He was watching you. When you ran out onto Osborne Road, he followed in a vehicle nicked off someone’s drive an hour earlier. By the time you reached Acorn Road he was waiting to make his play. And, before you ask, the answer is no. We didn’t see his face. The car was found torched on the road leading to Baker’s Yard Industrial Estate. Whoever this guy is, you can’t fault his organisation. He’s done his homework. Now we need to do ours. Are you in or out?’
Kate didn’t answer quick enough.
‘Was there something you wanted to add? Because I’d like nothing better than to order you to take sick leave. As you keep telling everyone, Walker’s murder is a linked incident, so it’s no skin off my nose if I hand the whole lot to Stone. So, what’s it to be, the safe house or your house?’
No one could ever say that Kate’s reaction was out of character. If she had something to say she said it, no matter who she was talking to. ‘Look, I appreciate your concern, really I do. Believe me, I get it, but my safety isn’t our only worry, it’s Jo’s. She’s compromised. Whoever shoulder-charged me off the pavement, whether JC or one of his henchmen, they saw her at close quarters. She’s family . . . to all of us. I’ve made arrangements for her to move out temporarily. James has been staying with us. He’ll go with her. When I’m certain they’re safe, I’ll go wherever you want.’
‘I’m coming with you,’ Hank said.
Kate turned to face him. ‘I don’t need a babysitter.’
‘The hell you don’t,’ Bright said. ‘So here’s the deal. Hank, as of now, I’m lifting your suspension and will square that with Stone. You’ve not been charged with anything and I don’t consider you a flight risk. This is now down to me, so don’t fuck up. Until Stone has completed his enquiries, you’ll take no further part in any investigation. What you will do is shadow Kate wherever she goes – but no one, and I mean no one beyond this office door finds out about the safe house. We saw what JC did to Hannah Swift. If he gets hold of Kate, we all know how this ends.’