examination.
Hank had more . . .
‘What did we do before everyone and his dog installed CCTV?’ Despite the fact that he’d been hauled from his bed too early, he sounded upbeat. He always got excited when the
cards fell his way. ‘John Allen was captured on camera leaving the hospital via the fire exit of a maintenance tunnel, a minute and a half after the main entrance video equipment was tampered
with. It’s him, no doubt about it. Where the hell have you been? I’ve been calling you for yonks.’
Kate sidestepped the question as another call came in.
Tim Stanton was calling from the morgue.
She put Hank on hold to answer. ‘What’s up, Tim?’
‘I thought you should know: Terry Allen had substantial bruising – weeks, rather than hours old – as well as several broken ribs. Looks like someone gave him a right going-over
and came back for more. The injuries would have required treatment by a physician.’
‘Interesting. Thanks for letting me know. I’ll drop by later on.’ Kate hung up and went back to her call. ‘Hank, you still there?’
‘Where else would I be?’
‘Still at the hospital I meant, Wally.’
‘Yeah, I’m here.’
‘Make your way to A & E.’ Kate indicated to turn left. ‘I’ll meet you there in five.’
S he was actually there in three. Abandoning her car in a bay marked EMERGENCY VEHICLES ONLY she put a police notice on the dash and made her way inside. As luck would have it,
Senior House Officer Valerie Armstrong was working a split shift and was back on duty. Even though she’d been up half the night, she looked amazing. Kate felt like she might contaminate her
just by standing there, with images of death and torture scrolling through her head involuntarily, as they had done all day.
Pushing them away, she forced herself to focus on the doctor. Listing Terry Allen’s injuries as Stanton had described them, she disclosed her victim’s ID, asking the SHO to check the
hospital records to see if he’d been treated in the recent past. The doctor’s colour rose. For a moment, Kate thought she was about to refuse her request, but she was wrong. The
man’s identity had triggered a memory in the doctor’s subconscious that took a while to surface and was only now clicking into place.
‘I remember him,’ she said.
‘You’ve treated him before?’
Hank slipped into the room from the corridor.
‘Yes,’ Valerie said. ‘If he’s the man I think he is—’
‘I don’t believe this.’ Kate didn’t understand. ‘Why didn’t you say so earlier?’
‘Did I miss something?’ Hank asked.
Ignoring him, the house officer kept her focus on the DCI. ‘Because I didn’t know who he was.’
‘How could you not?’ Kate asked. ‘If you were the one who found him—’
‘Don’t fight, ladies.’ Hank was grinning. ‘I can’t stand the sight of blood.’
‘Because he was unrecognizable from the man I saw this morning.’ The doctor explained: ‘He was badly beaten. I’m sure I don’t need to tell you how much the face
swells when traumatized. I thought there was something familiar about him. Now I know why. If it
was
the same man, it was weeks ago and he was very poorly.’
‘I see.’ Kate ran a hand through her hair. ‘I’m sorry. It’s been a very long shift, for both of us.’
‘No apology necessary. Do you have a date of birth?’
Kate reeled off Allen’s details. Picking up the internal phone, the SHO dialled a number, asking for hospital notes on Terence Allen, and then hung up. While they waited, Kate filled
Gormley in. A moment later, there was a knock at the door. A receptionist entered carrying a thin manila file.
Valerie waited for her to clear the room before opening it. ‘Ah,’ she said. ‘It is him. He was admitted in the early hours of Friday the thirteenth of July. As I said before,
he was in an awful state. I suspected concussion. He was treated, but discharged himself a few hours later – against my
Hank had more . . .
‘What did we do before everyone and his dog installed CCTV?’ Despite the fact that he’d been hauled from his bed too early, he sounded upbeat. He always got excited when the
cards fell his way. ‘John Allen was captured on camera leaving the hospital via the fire exit of a maintenance tunnel, a minute and a half after the main entrance video equipment was tampered
with. It’s him, no doubt about it. Where the hell have you been? I’ve been calling you for yonks.’
Kate sidestepped the question as another call came in.
Tim Stanton was calling from the morgue.
She put Hank on hold to answer. ‘What’s up, Tim?’
‘I thought you should know: Terry Allen had substantial bruising – weeks, rather than hours old – as well as several broken ribs. Looks like someone gave him a right going-over
and came back for more. The injuries would have required treatment by a physician.’
‘Interesting. Thanks for letting me know. I’ll drop by later on.’ Kate hung up and went back to her call. ‘Hank, you still there?’
‘Where else would I be?’
‘Still at the hospital I meant, Wally.’
‘Yeah, I’m here.’
‘Make your way to A & E.’ Kate indicated to turn left. ‘I’ll meet you there in five.’
S he was actually there in three. Abandoning her car in a bay marked EMERGENCY VEHICLES ONLY she put a police notice on the dash and made her way inside. As luck would have it,
Senior House Officer Valerie Armstrong was working a split shift and was back on duty. Even though she’d been up half the night, she looked amazing. Kate felt like she might contaminate her
just by standing there, with images of death and torture scrolling through her head involuntarily, as they had done all day.
Pushing them away, she forced herself to focus on the doctor. Listing Terry Allen’s injuries as Stanton had described them, she disclosed her victim’s ID, asking the SHO to check the
hospital records to see if he’d been treated in the recent past. The doctor’s colour rose. For a moment, Kate thought she was about to refuse her request, but she was wrong. The
man’s identity had triggered a memory in the doctor’s subconscious that took a while to surface and was only now clicking into place.
‘I remember him,’ she said.
‘You’ve treated him before?’
Hank slipped into the room from the corridor.
‘Yes,’ Valerie said. ‘If he’s the man I think he is—’
‘I don’t believe this.’ Kate didn’t understand. ‘Why didn’t you say so earlier?’
‘Did I miss something?’ Hank asked.
Ignoring him, the house officer kept her focus on the DCI. ‘Because I didn’t know who he was.’
‘How could you not?’ Kate asked. ‘If you were the one who found him—’
‘Don’t fight, ladies.’ Hank was grinning. ‘I can’t stand the sight of blood.’
‘Because he was unrecognizable from the man I saw this morning.’ The doctor explained: ‘He was badly beaten. I’m sure I don’t need to tell you how much the face
swells when traumatized. I thought there was something familiar about him. Now I know why. If it
was
the same man, it was weeks ago and he was very poorly.’
‘I see.’ Kate ran a hand through her hair. ‘I’m sorry. It’s been a very long shift, for both of us.’
‘No apology necessary. Do you have a date of birth?’
Kate reeled off Allen’s details. Picking up the internal phone, the SHO dialled a number, asking for hospital notes on Terence Allen, and then hung up. While they waited, Kate filled
Gormley in. A moment later, there was a knock at the door. A receptionist entered carrying a thin manila file.
Valerie waited for her to clear the room before opening it. ‘Ah,’ she said. ‘It is him. He was admitted in the early hours of Friday the thirteenth of July. As I said before,
he was in an awful state. I suspected concussion. He was treated, but discharged himself a few hours later – against my
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