Shot of Silence (Justice Again Book 3) by M Comley (the unexpected everything .txt) 📕

“I don’t know how to say this but I think the man you’re after is sitting in my church.”

Katy shot out of her chair. “What? Oh heck, right. I’m on my way. Do not approach him. Can you lock yourself in a room until I get there?”

“Yes. I’ll do that. Please hurry.”

“I’ll be there within twenty minutes, I promise you.” Katy ended the call. She pulled on her jacket en route and tore out of her office, firing off orders as she walked. “Let’s go, Patrick, you’re with me. He’s at St Bart’s Church on Croft Road. Karen, I need you to arrange for an ART to join us at the location. Graham, get that road blocked off, let’s try and preserve as many lives as possible.”

Katy barged through the outer door and down the stairs, two at a time, Patrick close behind her.

She stopped briefly at reception and filled the desk sergeant in while he signed out a Taser. “If your guys show up, I need them to be aware they could be in imminent danger, Mick. I don’t want any heroics, you hear me?”

“Leave it with me, ma’am. Good luck.”

The station’s car park was a hive of activity. Katy headed towards her car, her heart racing, and pressed the key fob. Once inside, she fired up the engine and instructed Patrick to input the information into the satnav, a little unclear of the exact location they were aiming for.

“Right, yes, I think I know it now. Jesus, let’s hope he’s still there by the time we get there.”

“Twenty minutes is an eternity for a man on the run, boss.”

“Yep, I’m aware of that. We’ve got the Taser, get the pepper spray out of the glove compartment, will you? We might as well go the whole hog.”

“I hope we don’t need them and the ART will be on hand to take over.”

“Yep, me, too.”

Katy fell quiet and channelled all her attention into nipping in and out of the traffic, her siren emitting a stark warning not to toy with her.

They reached the location, only to find the road blocked by a patrol squad. Patrick and Katy leapt out of the car. A uniformed officer raised his hand to prevent them getting any closer to the church.

“Glad to see you’re doing your job properly. I’m DI Katy Foster, SIO on this investigation.”

“Sorry, ma’am, I should have recognised you.”

Katy waved his excuse away. “The ART, are they here yet?”

“Not that I know of, ma’am. Want me to get on the radio to the other cars dotted around?”

“Yes, do that.”

The answer was negative. Damn, I can’t wait for them, I need to get in there. Now.

“Patrick, you and I are going in. Are you up for this?”

“You really have to ask me that, boss?”

“Not before we get geared up properly. In the boot you’ll find a couple of stab vests. Some protection is better than nothing at all, right?”

Patrick scooted around the car and opened the boot. He returned wearing one of the vests and held out the other for her. “Tight fit, but as you say, it’s better than nothing.”

Katy slipped hers on and then pulled her jacket over the top again. “I feel safer already. Come on.”

They walked along the pavement. Katy scanned the area for possible places where they could take cover at a moment’s notice, should the need arise. The street was unnervingly quiet. A few curtains twitched now and again but, in the main, residents remained tucked safely behind their front doors.

Outside the church, Katy turned to Patrick and said, “Are you sure about this?”

He handed her the Taser and held up the pepper spray. “We’ve got this.”

She wished she had his confidence. She inched towards the entrance and strained her ear to listen. Nothing but silence greeted her. Is he still here? What if he’s out here, hiding, spying on us, waiting to take a shot?

Katy double-checked her surroundings and then gave Patrick the thumbs-up—they were going in.

She turned to enter the church, but something caught her eye at the end of the road. The ART had arrived, and now she was in two minds whether to go ahead with her planned entry or not. She shook her head and ordered Patrick to retreat.

“I can’t do it. Our jobs could be on the line. I won’t do it to you, mate.”

He nodded his understanding, and the pair of them ran up the road to join their armed colleagues.

The commanding officer cocked an eyebrow at her. “You weren’t about to do anything foolish then, were you, Inspector Foster?”

“Nearly. You took your time getting here.”

“Less of the cheek and tell me what we’ve got. The intel we received was a tad scant to say the least.”

“I take it you’re aware of the shootings that have happened in the area over the past three days?”

“Very. Are you telling me the shooter is inside?”

“Possibly. The priest rang me around thirty minutes ago to inform me Boyd had shown up at the church. I told him to lock himself in a room. He swore he would stay put.”

“You did right. Give me two minutes to plan the attack, and we’ll see what we can do. I don’t feel inclined to give this guy the opportunity to hand himself in. Am I wrong to think that?”

“I agree, although killing him outright isn’t the answer either.”

“I didn’t say it was. Leave it to us, we’ll bring your man down with enough force without harming him. That’s the hopeful strategy anyway.”

“Okay. Can we get a wriggle on?”

He shook his head and tutted. “Stand back.”

She and Patrick took up their positions beside the team’s vehicle.

Katy couldn’t help feeling nervous about what lay ahead of everyone concerned. “What if he intends to go down fighting?”

Patrick shrugged. “There’s no telling what’s going to happen, boss.”

Katy watched four armed policemen approach the church. She closed her eyes as they disappeared through the front door. They sprang open again when shots were fired.

“Shit! Not what I wanted.”

The commanding