Jakie Jackson did something he had never done in his thirty-four years on the force. He left his charge unguarded. ‘I’ll be back in a jiff.’
From along the corridor Maggie watched the people darting past her, nurses and porters pushing patients to safety on trolleys and in wheelchairs. Doctors were still trying to give treatments along the way. On Christmas Eve the place was packed with people rushed in from accidents, fights and illnesses, and then there were the ones who were there because they had been unable to get appointments with GPs and just wanted to be better for the big day tomorrow.
The tall burly police officer stood head and shoulders above most of them.
*
It was Nathan who spotted it, but he didn’t need to explain what it was to Greg. Greg had seen plenty of needle caps on the ground before, in alleyways and on the floors of public toilets. The white plastic sheath was a protective cover for an injection needle.
Like an experienced detective, Nathan retrieved a rubber glove from his pocket. ‘New. I haven’t worn it,’ he said of the glove. He wrapped the sheath in the glove and handed it to Greg.
‘I’ll bet you anything we won’t lift a print. It’s too small, and the killer would certainly have worn gloves as well.’
Nathan Bell gave a rare smile. ‘You’ve never seen Maggie Fielding with a syringe in her hand. She always bites the cap off and keeps it like a matchstick in her mouth. You’ll have DNA, Greg – even better than a fingerprint.’
*
With the fire alarm still screaming, Alex couldn’t hear what was going on outside the room. She didn’t want to risk bumping into the policeman, but knew that this would be her only chance of escape. Carefully she inched open the door and peered out. There was no sign of the police officer, or anyone else for that matter. She had been left behind while everyone else was hurrying out of the building. She could hear them down the corridor, their voices raised with excitement. She could smell smoke and suspected it was a rubbish bin set alight by someone – a patient, visitor or even staff – having a crafty cigarette in one of the cubicles.
Risking opening the door another few inches she saw the corridor was still empty. If she was going to escape she had to do it now, because there wouldn’t be another opportunity. It was the first time she had been left entirely alone since being brought in last night. She must seize the moment to try and undo all the damage Maggie had done and somehow find a way to prove she was innocent. If she could contact Seb she would ask for his help. She needed time and a place where she could think. Out of everyone she knew he was the only one with the means to help her escape.
Before she could change her mind she quickly moved along the corridor; she could see the throng of people gathering outside through the windows. As she passed the staff room she slipped inside, and a couple of minutes later emerged dressed in a white doctor’s coat and green tunic trousers. Her feet were bare, but there was nobody around to notice.
She would pass through the crowd. With all the commotion, she expected it to be easy. She stopped dead as she spotted the policeman outside and decided against this escape route. She would head to the north side of the hospital instead and leave that way. His back was towards her, and not wasting the opportunity she rushed past the windows, keeping her head down, and walked fast along the south corridor, taking quick checks over her shoulder to see if she was being chased. It was less noisy here; quiet enough to hear her own unsteady breathing. She heaved a jagged breath as she planned her next move. She needed to get to a phone, call Seb, and decide what to do. She needed clothes, money and proof that Maggie was guilty. She would find Oliver Ryan’s agent, find out how he died, and find someone who knew he was involved with Maggie, someone who had seen them together.
Almost running now, she reached the end of the corridor, turned a sharp left, and then almost collapsed in fear as Maggie Fielding gripped her by the neck and stuck something sharp into her skin.
‘One word and I will cut your throat,’ Maggie said in a vicious voice. Her face was white with hatred, and Alex could feel Maggie’s hand shaking badly as she held the blade against her neck.
Keeping perfectly still, Alex tried to review her options. Fight Maggie off and risk being killed? Cooperate and face the threat of something worse? She thought of everything that had already happened to her and everything waiting to happen. She saw the ending clearly, like a film in her head, and then she made up her mind. She was tired of running and being afraid. She was tired of it all. She spread her feet apart, making sure she was properly balanced, and then swiftly, without hesitation she jerked her head to the side so that the blade sliced right across her neck. Her blood immediately began to flow and Maggie looked at her as if she had gone mad.
‘You stupid woman, you’ve barely nicked the skin. I’m not going to kill you here, Alex, no matter how much you try to make me.’
Grabbing a handful of Alex’s hair, Maggie jerked her head hard and pushed the blade into her side, piercing clothes and then flesh. Alex sucked in breath at the pain as the blade penetrated her body.
‘Just enough pain to keep you in check,’ Maggie growled into her ear. ‘Now walk, and don’t make me stab you harder.’
Chapter fifty-four
Jakie Jackson scanned the empty room in the hope that Alex Taylor would somehow materialise. He was becoming frantic. He had already looked under the bed and checked the en suite shower room, and even gone back outside the department where everybody was gathering, but had seen no sign of her.
Taking out his mobile he called the station and asked for more officers to be sent so that a search for the missing doctor could be made. Then he ran back down the corridor to start the search alone. He felt relief when he saw his boss coming towards him. He didn’t care about being in trouble. He only cared about the safety of the young woman left in his charge.
‘Where is she?’ Greg Turner asked, already guessing the situation.
Jakie didn’t waste too much time explaining or wondering how his boss had got there so quickly. ‘The fire alarm went off. I left her while I checked it out, and when I returned she was gone.’
‘You let her escape?’ Greg Turner yelled above the still shrilling fire alarm.
‘Yes, and I’ve got a bad feeling about it, sir.’
Greg’s phone vibrated against his chest. He pulled it out of his shirt pocket and stabbed a finger in one ear as he put the phone to the other. He was shouting down the phone when the fire alarm suddenly ceased. ‘Who is it and what do you want?’ he continued to shout in frustration.