Page 113 of First Blood

If she gave him her honest answer she’d say she was having the time of her life, but she was keeping that fact to herself. There was something obscene about them both rejoicing in current events. People had died.

He turned another corner and slowed into Cedar Close.

‘You wanna bet that’s his car?’ Dawson asked, pulling in behind a grey Range Rover a few spaces away from the address to which the doctor had been called.

‘What do we do now?’ she asked.

Dawson turned off the engine and thought for a second. ‘We knock the door.’

‘Dawson, do you know what time it is?’

‘Lights are still on.’

Stacey had already seen the outline of ice blue flashing Christmas lights behind thin curtains. That didn’t make it any more acceptable to frighten the life out of people. Late night door knocks never brought good news. ‘You could still cause someone a heart attack knocking their door at this time of night.’

‘You don’t think the boss would want to know if Doctor Lambert is in there tending sick folks right now?’

She opened her mouth but it was not a point she could argue with.

‘I’m just not comfortable…’

‘Bloody hell, Stacey, man up or woman up, whatever. You go check around the car, see if the doors are open while I go and ask.’

Stacey got out of the car and approached the vehicle. Her heart hammered in her chest with the unnerving feeling that she was doing something wrong and the police were going to arrive any minute. Her actions would look suspicious to anyone taking a glance out of the bedroom window before closing the curtains.

She watched as Dawson knocked quietly on the door. It was answered within seconds by a bearded man who towered over Dawson. The facial hair did nothing to hide the look of annoyance on his face.

‘Sorry to disturb you at this—’

‘There’d best be a fucking good reason for—’

‘Sir, have you called a doctor to this address this evening?’ she heard Dawson ask with more politeness than she’d heard from him all week.

She shrank back against the side of the car and then jumped away in case she set off the alarm.

‘What the fuck are you talking about?’

‘Thank you. That’s all we needed to know. Is that your car?’ he asked, nodding her way.

The man looked beyond him. ‘I bloody wish. Now fuck off.’

‘Thanks again,’ Dawson said, moving away from the door which was already closing in his face.

‘Anything, Stacey?’ he asked.

She moved towards the driver’s door and reached for it. Her palm instantly recoiled from the metal as she felt a cool stickiness on her hand.

‘Dawson,’ she said, holding her palm upwards.

He took out his phone and shone it towards her.

There was no mistake.

Her hand was covered in blood.

Chapter One Hundred Six

Kim’s trepidation was tempered with relief as they pulled up outside the clinic building. A car was already parked. A Mondeo Estate that had been at the shelter both times they’d visited. And both times Curtis and Carl Wickes had been present.