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Newcastle Home
32 Burlington Lane, Chiswick
Kate felt the tumbler shift in the lock... That’s three... She shifted slightly, trying to keep the tools level in the lock as she moved. Her right foot was starting to fall asleep, the first tingles starting to shoot up her ankle and calf. Her knee was starting to feel heavy and locked up, and she knew if she tried to stand now, she wouldn’t be able to walk, much less run or fight Marshall off. She threw a careful glance at Marshall, her eyes noting his position and overall demeanor peripherally.
Marshall was getting agitated, not that he hadn’t been before, but this was different. Kate could see the nervousness, the desperation, in his frantic movements. He was breaking down, and even with her basic knowledge of PSYCH-101, Kate new that things would go from bad to lethal if he snapped. She had no idea whether Pierce was on his way, but she did know one thing... She needed to keep Marshall focused on her and away from Jess Newcastle and her son. Kate moved her eyes to them. They were huddled on the floor, their backs to the entrance to the attic or crawlspace or wherever it led. They seemed calm, though Kate could see that glint of fear mixed with resolve in Jess’ eyes. She kept herself positioned between the boy and Marshall, always aware of the shotgun and where it was pointed.
“Hey! Eyes on your work, you!”
Kate turned to glare at Marshall. “Excuse me?” Marshall stepped closer, the shotgun barrel precariously close to Kate’s upper right leg. She thought for a moment that if it did go off and shoot her in the leg, she probably wouldn’t feel it because now the falling-asleep feeling in her leg had moved above her knee.
“You heard me... Get to work!
Kate took her hands off the lock picking tools, leaving them suspended in the lock. “Listen, considering I have people hovering around, I’m doing a pretty damn good job opening this, though quite frankly I’d be better able to concentrate without them here.” Kate watched his face for a reaction, hoping for the right one. By “them”, she of course meant Jess and the boy, though, they weren’t disturbing her at all. If she could get him to put two and two together, and conclude that it was better if they left, they’d at least be safe from him when he snapped. Of course, the other side of this was risky... He could decide that the best way to eliminate the distractions was to eliminate them... Kate watched closely, hoping she hadn’t overplayed her hand...
“They aren’t going anywhere, and neither are you, until that file cabinet is opened.” Marshall trained the shotgun on Kate more directly, the muscles in his jaw and neck almost rigid, a physical manifestation of his psychological stress. Kate sighed rather dramatically, and turned back to the file cabinet. By her estimation, this was a four-tumbler lock, very basic as locks went, and she could have popped it twenty minutes ago. Yes, she was stalling. She winced as she shifted her weight. She needed to stand up, and said as much to Marshall.
“What for? Finish!”
“No.”
Marshall’s eyes flashed with rage, and he brought the gun barrel in closer, nearly resting it on Kate’s chest. Kate glanced down at the barrel, then up at him. She moved her hand up, wrapping her fingers around the barrel, but not moving it. It remained trained on her heart. One mistake and this was over.
“DS Marshall... it is DS, isn’t it?” Kate began. “I need to stand up a moment because my right leg circulation has been cut off. It’s causing my other muscles to react by twitching, which is why it’s taking me so long to pop this lock. If I could stand up for a minute, and get the blood moving again, it would help me work faster.” She stopped, trying to keep her face as neutral as possible. It was kind of true...
Marshall seemed to be processing what she said, and Kate hoped it wouldn’t take too long. Finally, Kate felt the movement in the shotgun as Marshall began to lower it. She released the gun barrel and waited expectantly.
“Would sitting in a chair help?” Marshall didn’t wait for her to reply, instead moving to grab the chair nearby and pull it to her. “Here. Sit here. And keep working.”
Kate nodded. “Thank you.” She shifted her weight, trying to move on her left leg so the right wouldn’t buckle, and lifted herself up into the chair. She glanced up as she settled into the chair, her eyes finding the gap in the curtains with little effort, and her stomach dropped. It wasn’t a bad drop, really... It was relief. Armed Response units were outside, which meant that, while Pierce hadn’t shown up, he was on the ball. It would be ideal if she could get the curtains opened more, so that the police could get a better view inside... Kate was sure they had someone on the roof across the street, or positioned strategically at a window... A clear view meant a clearer shot, if needed. Marshall seemed to be oblivious, though, and drawing any attention to the windows would likely trigger him, and Kate didn’t want to think about the result.
She took a deep breath, leaning forward to work at the lock again. It was nearly there... Kate felt the click more than heard it. Marshall, however, must have had sonic hearing, because he was beside her in a flash. He pushed his way in front of her, no mean feat considering how close Kate was sitting to the file cabinet, and slid open the top drawer.
Five seconds with Marshall’s ass in her face was more than enough, and Kate eased her way out of the chair. Her right leg was nearly back to normal feeling and mobility, and she stood over by the curtained window, debating whether she could fake falling and accidentally pull the curtain open.
“Open that curtain, will you?” Kate froze, wondering if he was playing with her, that he’d caught her and was going to make her death by gunfire a spectacle in the front window. Marshall looked up, irritation on his face. “Hello? Anyone there? I need some light here, open the curtains.”
“Right. Sorry.” Kate carefully pulled the curtains back, pinning them on each side. That left the window open and clear.
Marshall was oblivious, his focus completely on the file cabinet drawers in front of him. He shifted papers here and there, clearly looking for something specific, but Kate wasn’t sure what. She glanced out the window again... and saw Pierce. He was looking up at the house, looking directly at the window she was in. He saw her, judging by his reaction, and began waving, his motions reminding her of someone directing an airplane where to go at the airport. He wanted her to move so they could get the shot.
Kate nodded, and stepped away from the window, turning her attention back to Marshall. They couldn’t hit him where he was, he would need to be in front of the window.
“It’s not here.” The file cabinet drawer slammed, and causing them all to jump. Marshall’s jaw was clenching and unclenching, the movement like a pump pouring fury throughout his body. He was about to snap...
“Marshall, what are you looking for?”
Marshall stopped, his face a mixture of confusion and exasperation as he scowled at her. “What? Shut it!”
“Excuse me!” Kate sighed, glancing quickly at Jess before continuing. “It’s just, if you’re looking for something... we don’t exactly want to be hanging around here either... Maybe we could help you find it.”
Marshall’s face softened a bit... a very small bit... but it was enough to know she was getting through. “Fine. Newcastle stole information about me so he could set me up... I want it back.”
Kate noticed Jess about to speak, and sent the subtlest gesture of “no” that she possibly could. The message was received, and Jess settled back, her arms tight around her son.
“Okay,” Kate began. “So, are we looking for actual papers, or a flash drive, or...what?”
“It’s...an SD card... Newcastle put everything on it, he said. All my information. I want it back.”
“Right.” Kate glanced at the window. She needed to get him over there, to give them a chance... She moved to the other side of the window, positioning herself so that he would have to stand right in front of the window to shoot her at point-blank range, which he seemed keen to do when the mood hit him. “Um... Marshall? You do realize the cops already have everything they need, right?”
Marshall sneered, a frown furrowing his brow like a thundercloud. But... there was fear in his eyes now, and Kate wished for a moment that she hadn’t said it. Men who were afraid were far more likely to lash out than men who were angry, and to do far more lasting damage.
“What do you mean?”
“Well, if I’ve seen the evidence, I’m sure they all have.”
“You? You.” Marshall stepped forward. A few more steps would do it. The gun was visible in his hands, but she doubted that Armed Response could see it. Oh, Pierce, please be looking... please be looking... Kate swallowed hard, and nodded.
“Yes. Me. I’ve seen the evidence from the CCTV footage during the shooting, and before when you were there scouting the site... I’ve talked to the witness that shot footage of the shooting independently, and that evidence is logged at Lambeth. I’m sure the police have your financials and personnel file by now...” She paused, before throwing in the last piece on the fire... “And with what you’re doing now... holding the four of us hostage...” Kate saw Jess’ mouth fall open, the terror in the woman’s eyes...
“Four?” Marshall brought the gun up, pointing it directly at Kate’s chest again. “Where? Who else is in—”
The window glass shattered, cutting Marshall off, and he fell to the ground. His hand squeezed the trigger, firing the shot into the wall directly behind Kate. Jess and her son were screaming in the background, and Kate could feel a painful ringing in her ears, likely from the sound of the gunshot in such a closed space. She immediately turned, running to the hidden door. She stopped before knocking on it, and turned to Jess. “You do it. He won’t come to me.” Gasping for air amidst tears, Jess crawled across the floor to the door and pounded her hand on it. She called to her son to come out, giving him assurances of safety even as Kate heard Armed Response breaking in downstairs, then pounding up the stairs.
Kate glanced at Marshall’s body on the floor by the window... She should have been thinking about checking for signs of life, about the statement she was going to need to give before she could go home tonight... But the only thing she could think about was getting out.
She held up her FSS identification as she pushed past the lead Armed Response officer and wove her way down the stairs. It was a tight weave, as the officer were well-armed and suited up. When Kate reached the foyer, she encountered the paramedics and had to weave once more.
Kate popped out onto the front stoop and stepped to the side, as out of the way as she possibly could be. She took several deep breaths, her exhalations frosting in the cold night air as she fumbled in her pockets for her cigarettes. Finding one, she placed it between her lips, her hands shaking visibly as she did. It wasn’t simply from the cold, though her body felt draped in a bone-deep chill. She fumbled in her pockets for her lighter, and struggled with it, her thumb flicking and flicking without result. Kate could feel her thumb getting sore, the effect of the roller scraping the tip in combination with the cold air making her thumb red She could feel tears starting to moisten her eyes, threatening to spill over as she continued to flick, at once dreading the pain and relishing it, because it meant she was still here... again... She knew it was the effects of the tension and stress releasing, perhaps even a little shock...
Suddenly, there was a light... but it wasn’t from her lighter. This lighter was metal, like the standard Army-issue metal lighter her grandfather had had, a memento from WWII that he kept long after he’d quit smoking. Kate eagerly accepted the light, watching the end of her cigarette glow red-orange, and enjoying that first puff of smoke, the chemicals running through her system and making her the tiniest bit dizzy, like she’d been spinning in a circle and suddenly stopped.
Inhaling a second time, she raised her eyes to look up at the person holding the lighter. Pierce smiled, closing the lighter cap and putting it back in his pocket.
“Sorry I’m late. Traffic was bloody awful.” His eyes were soft as they looked at her, questioning... no doubt wondering if she was alright, but not daring to ask. Sometimes merely the question is enough to open a floodgate for some people, and it often seemed that the stronger an individual was, the more easily that displays of concern and emotion could affect them.
Kate smiled. “Yeah.”
Pierce watched her a moment, then jerked his head toward the street. “C’mon. Let’s get you out of here.”
“Don’t I have to make a statement or something?”
“Not now. C’mon.” Pierce started down the stairs, turned and waited for her at the bottom. “Well?”
“Bossy, aren’t we?” Kate plodded down the stairs. Her legs felt like two pegs locked in place as she walked along beside Pierce. As they neared the crowd of onlookers, among them some news reporters, Pierce placed a guiding hand at the small of her back. They squeezed past the gathering throng unmolested and kept going down the street. Pierce had parked his car a few houses down, doubtless so that if Marshall had been observing he would go unnoticed. They settled into the car, and sat quietly for a moment.
Pierce turned, his eyes soft again as he looked at her. “Now I can ask you... Are you alright?”
Kate kept her eyes ahead. She didn’t stare, for that would have made the tears start flowing almost immediately. Instead, she looked around, moving her eyes only to take note of houses, trees, other vehicles on the street. She blinked rapidly, ensuring that her eyes were clear and bright before turning to Pierce. She smiled.
“I’m alright, Rick... Really.” He looked at her closely for a moment, the hint of a concentrating frown between his heavy dark eyebrows. Kate turned back and took a deep breath. “So, since we aren’t heading for the Yard, where are we going?”
Pierce’s frown faded, and he smiled. “Hungry?”
“Starving.”
Pierce nodded, the smile remaining on his face as he started the car, pulling away and leaving the crowds and the crime scene behind them.