Page 26 of No Safe Place

Thursday | Early hours

Field

The scream could have belonged to another stabbing victim.

Field was halfway through checking the evidence log, bending over in the boot of the car as she checked the reference numbers. It made her jump, and she smacked her head.

‘What the—’

She extracted herself from the boot as a second scream tore through the night. The PC cataloguing the evidence was staring, open-mouthed, towards Callum Mulligan’s house.

‘Get off me,’ Callum shrieked, twisting and turning against the arms that held him. ‘Get the fuck off me.’

Riley was shouting and the scene was chaos. Field sprinted over, accidentally barging a PC out of her way.

Riley and a muscled Territorial Support Group officer were dragging Callum away from the house and from the crime scene tent, which was shielding the body from view. They were heading towards an unmarked car that had all four doors thrown open.

‘What are you doing?’ She could barely make herself heard over Callum’s desperate yelling.

Riley and the TSG were shouting over Callum, telling him to stop moving. Even with two of them, they were struggling to keep hold of Callum’s arms and shoulders, until they managed to push him down against the bonnet.

‘Stop fighting,’ Riley barked at Callum, as Field shouted, ‘Get off him.’

Doors were opening along the street, people in dressing gowns appearing, phones out.

‘Get off me, get off me, get off me.’ Callum drew his head back and smacked it into the bonnet with a sickening thud.

It was like trying to contain a wild animal, and their grip was only making Callum struggle harder, fight more. He let out another wild scream.

‘Stop pushing him into the car, for fuck’s sake,’ Field ordered. ‘Lower him to the ground.’

The TSG glanced at Riley, but didn’t hesitate to follow orders.

Callum kept writhing as they wrestled him to the ground. Field knelt and grabbed Callum’s head, gripping it hard, to prevent him hurting himself.

‘I can’t,’ Callum panted, still struggling. ‘I can’t – don’t make me, please.’

‘It’s okay—’ Field started.

‘I don’t want to have to cuff you, Callum.’ Riley was sweating with the effort of trying to restrain him, now pressing his weight onto Callum’s legs. ‘Can we get a medic over here?’

Riley had barely got the words out before a green jumpsuit appeared.

‘Callum,’ the paramedic said over the noise. ‘Callum, I need you to try and calm down for me, okay?’

‘He told me he’s agoraphobic,’ Field said, stroking Callum’s hair, even as he continued to thrash. Tears were streaming down his face. ‘He hasn’t left the house for years.’

Riley swore and jumped to his feet. His trousers were wet – Callum had wet himself with fear.

They were all wearing bodycams. Field’s was blinking steadily in her eyeline. Field could feel the prying eyes of the neighbours on them. They could be – probably were – filming the whole episode.

Riley brushed his trousers and kneeled back down, next to the paramedic, still trying to assume some kind of control.

Suddenly Callum went totally still, his eyes rolling between Field and the medic.

‘Callum,’ the paramedic said again, and Callum’s eyes followed the voice. ‘Tell me what’s going on with you.’

‘It hurts,’ Callum said in a whisper.

Field shot a look at the TSG officer, and he eased off Callum’s legs a little.

‘I can’t leave the house.’ Tears streamed down his face. ‘Please. I can’t.’

‘It’s going to be okay, Callum,’ the paramedic said, taking his left hand and holding it. ‘It’s going to be okay.’

Callum’s head swivelled to look at Riley. ‘He’s taking me away.’

Callum moved without warning, limbs waving, and Riley’s head snapped back as a fist caught him in the lip. Callum was screaming again, and the TSG was struggling to keep him pinned down.

‘Ten milligrams diazepam,’ the paramedic shouted over his shoulder, but his counterpart already had the syringe ready.

Riley pressed his sleeve to his lip, trying not to let blood drip onto the pavement as the needle pierced Callum’s neck.

‘We need to protect his head,’ the paramedic barked, taking over from Field.

Gradually, Callum calmed down, going glassy-eyed and rolling up into a ball.

Riley stood awkwardly by Field, nursing his face and not looking down at his piss-stained trousers. She forced her rage down, kept her face neutral.

A docile Callum was stretchered onto the ambulance, while the uniforms urged people to go back into their houses.

‘Think he’s faking it?’ Riley asked a passing paramedic.

The medic threw him a filthy look and didn’t answer.