Blood & Guts by Ed James (best books to read now TXT) 📕

‘Just anything about this place you were in.’

‘Okay. Well, like I told you in my interview and you didn’t believe me, I went to the Law, to meet the boy who’d nicked my phone. Right? Only, someone attacked me. Grabbed me from behind, wrapped his arms around my throat and the next thing I know, I wake up in the bushes.’

‘Did you see anything that might—?’

‘Pitch black, like I said. And my head was full of mince.’

Which backed up Mike Wilkie’s story. ‘You were very evasive about your location at the time of Carly’s murder. And with Catriona’s rape.’

McLean leaned forward, kneading his forehead like it was a loaf of bread. ‘Christ. You’re seriously doing me with her rape?’

‘Yes. And you’re going to go down for it. We’ve got it on video. To say nothing of the forty-one-year-old woman, who we have yet to identify but will no doubt turn out to be fourteen… Aye, we know about that too and it’s only a matter of time before we have her signed up as well.’

McLean shook his head.

Vicky pushed her seat back and stood up. She leaned over to Karen. ‘We’re done here.’ She walked over to the door and took one last look at the raping bastard. He was going to rot for a long time. Then she pushed out into the corridor. The stale air tasted like she was on a hike up in the glens with her dad.

Considine was lurking around.

‘You still here?’

‘Sarge, aye. Hate to see him get away with it.’

‘He’s not.’ Vicky looked back at the door. ‘In fact, can you take him downstairs and get him charged?’

‘Sarge.’ He slipped inside the room, brandishing his handcuffs.

Vicky checked her watch. Just after three, half an hour drive at this time, even with the ice. She’d get a few hours’ sleep before Bella came clambering into her bed, hunting for presents. She smiled at Karen and caught her yawn. ‘Time to get home. I’ll see you in five minutes.’

‘Vicks.’ Karen walked off along the corridor.

Vicky opened the door to the Obs Suite.

Forrester was leaning on the back legs of his chair, his feet on the desk. Very precarious. The screen showed Considine trying to help McLean up, but he was staying rooted to the spot. ‘Honestly, some people, eh?’

‘Tell me about it.’ Vicky stayed by the door. ‘Considine is just taking McLean down to do him with Catriona’s rape.’

‘Well, that’s a decent result, isn’t it?’ Forrester shook his head. ‘Shame a girl’s dead and another’s in hospital because of— Jesus Christ!’

On the screen, Ennis was somehow in the interview room, aiming his fists over the lawyer’s arms at Mike Wilkie’s head.

Shit, shit, shit.

Vicky darted back down the corridor and tore open the door.

Considine lay on the floor, completely out of it.

The lawyer wasn’t up to handling Ryan Ennis, just took one sock to the jaw and he went down.

Then Ennis had Mike in a headlock. ‘Think you can do that to my daughter, do you?’

‘Ryan!’

Ennis looked over at Vicky. ‘What, you’re going to save this piece of shit?’

‘Don’t.’

‘Bugger this!’ Ennis pushed Mike against the wall. One punch to his throat, a second to his gut, then he went down. Ennis launched a kick at his face, then put his foot on his neck.

Vicky grabbed Ennis by the arm, but caught a flailing hand in the face. His wedding ring took a chunk out of her lip.

Sod this.

Vicky launched herself shoulder first at Ennis, pushing him away from Mike and pinning him against the wall. Another of her dad’s old tricks came out to play – she drove the crown of her head right into his nose. Less a Glasgow kiss, more a Dundonian handshake.

Ennis was squealing. She pushed him down on the floor, and reached for Considine’s cuffs lying in the middle of the floor.

‘You coward.’ Ennis’s voice was muffled. ‘You absolute coward.’

But Mike Wilkie wasn’t in any shape to hear. Eyes shut, mouth hanging loose.

Forrester was in the doorway. He let the duty doctor past him. ‘Christ, tell me he’s alive.’

19

Vicky was on her feet, stomping around Forrester’s office, mobile in her hand, just waiting to give him the news.

Forrester put his desk phone down and slurped coffee out of his mug. World’s Best Father. Not a dad, but a father. ‘Well.’

‘That’s it? That’s all you’re going to say?’

‘What, you want me to say we’re charging Ennis?’

‘Aye, I do. He attempted to murder a suspect. He deserves jail time for this. At the very least, he should be kicked off the force.’

Forrester took a slow sip of coffee. ‘Come on, Doddsy, after all you’ve been through with him.’

‘We’ve been through nothing.’

‘That’s bollocks. He turned you from a rough-and-ready DC into the DS you are today.’

‘No he didn’t!’

‘Aye, he did. Course he did.’

‘Sir, that is absolute bollocks and you know it.’

Forrester kept his peace.

Vicky leaned against his desk. ‘So, what, you’re going to try and cover it up?’

‘Maybe.’

‘That’s corruption.’

Forrester flicked his wrist towards the door. ‘None of that was recorded. It’s just the word of Mike Wilkie and that lawyer against us.’

‘No.’

‘Come on, Vicky. Ryan’s a good cop. He’s got a good conviction rate. That guy put his daughter in the boot of a car and…’

‘I sympathise with his situation, really I do. Convicting Wilkie for Ennis’s daughter’s ordeal is the right thing to do. Hospitalising him isn’t.’

Forrester finished his coffee and put the mug back on the desk, nudging it away. ‘Any word?’

‘On who? Wilkie?’

‘Teresa.’

‘She’s going to be okay. Physically. Psychologically, the doctor is less sure. But Wilkie’s in a coma.’

‘He’s what?’ Forrester’s eyes were wide. ‘A coma?’

‘No, he’s not.’ Vicky rolled her eyes at him. ‘But he’s not speaking to us, is he? He might’ve killed someone, but he’s a victim too.’

Forrester sighed. ‘Had me going. Guy like that, he had no idea what he was doing. Stands to reason he’d go all catatonic. I mean…’ But he trailed off.

‘You need to report this higher, sir. You need