Authors: Heather Atkinson
“I can’t,” she croaked before bursting into loud sobs.
The door opened and the mortuary attendant hastily covered Danny with a sheet, for which Alex was very grateful.
“Come on Sweetheart, you need to get some rest. You can see him again at the funeral home. Promise,” Alex told her quietly.
Rachel nodded and attempted to get her emotions under control. When she was ready Alex wheeled her back to her room. She was shaking as he helped her into bed and tucked the sheets around her.
“Where’s Leah?” she said.
“At ours with Beth. She can stay with us as long as you need.”
“Thanks.”
“Do you want to see her?”
“Desperately but I need to get hold of myself first. I don’t want to frighten her.”
“No problem. Let me know when you’re ready. I’ve got to get Mum. Bruiser will watch over you.”
Rachel finally noticed her bodyguard sat in the chair by the window. She’d failed to spot him at first, which showed how off her game she was because Bruiser was impossible to miss. Her grief-stricken mind failed to comprehend why she needed a bodyguard so she just nodded, her eyes already closing with exhaustion. Both men were relieved when she drifted off, finding her grief deeply distressing.
Rachel’s dreams were vivid and frightening. She was caught in an endless loop of the last moments of Danny’s life. He smiled and kissed her then there was the bang, the pain in her shoulder, the blood on his chest, over and over and over. Bang, pain, blood, bang, pain, blood.
Her eyes flew open and she sat bolt upright, panting and bathed in sweat.
“The bullet hit me first,” she exclaimed. “I was the target.”
“You can’t see her yet,” objected Mikey. “We’ve only just calmed her down, she’s in no fit state.”
“This is a murder inquiry,” retorted Benton. “I can’t wait around forever.”
“Danny’s death has knocked her sideways. I know you Benton, you’ll start interrogating her and spewing your usual bile and upset her all over again. I’m not having that.”
“I’m not in the habit of upsetting the victims of shootings, even if that victim is Rachel Maguire,” he said indignantly. “But she might hold vital information and the longer it’s left before I speak to her the longer Danny’s killer has to cover his tracks. I’ll be gentle, I promise.”
Mikey started to waver. “Alright, I’ll see if she’s ready to talk.”
As Mikey went into Rachel’s room Benton rolled his eyes. It annoyed him how they all treated her like a bloody princess.
Mikey returned a moment later. “She’s ready to see you.”
“Thank you,” said Benton sharply.
He walked into the room and stopped in his tracks, stunned by the state Rachel was in. The strong, collected woman he had sparred with so often had disappeared, replaced by a shaking tearful wreck. Her eyes, normally black with wrath when she looked at him, had lost all their fire and were so light they were almost brown.
“Superintendent Benton, have you found who killed him?” she said hopefully.
“Sorry Rachel,” he replied softly. “I just need to ask you a few questions, if you’re up to it?”
She nodded, wringing her hands anxiously.
He took the chair by the side of her bed. “Okay Rachel, you had lunch at the restaurant. What happened when you left?”
“We walked outside. Our car was parked at the kerb.”
“Was anyone else with you?”
“Just Battler. He didn’t come into the restaurant with us, he waited outside with the car. Me and Danny stopped before we got in the car to talk then I heard a bang and felt pain in my shoulder. I couldn’t work out what had happened at first then when I saw the blood on Danny’s shirt, I knew we’d been shot.” She started to get agitated, not caring when her eyes filled with tears. “Danny fell and I tried to catch him but we went down together. There was a second bullet but Battler pulled us out of the way and it hit the pavement instead.”
“Can you recall from which direction the bullet came?”
“I…I’m not sure. Sorry.”
“It’s okay. You’re doing really well Rachel.”
“The next thing I knew the police were there and the paramedics were tending to Danny but they couldn’t bring him back.”
Her chest heaved with sobs and Benton handed her a wad of tissues and patiently waited until she’d recovered herself.
“I think I was the target,” she said.
“What makes you say that?”
“The bullet hit me first.” She looked up into his face. “But I see you’ve thought of that already.”
“It’s a possibility. Or the shooter could have been after you both or perhaps he was simply cold enough to shoot through you to get to Danny. It doesn’t mean you were the target and judging by your husband’s position in the family it’s more likely he was the intended victim. Rachel, can you tell me if Danny had been threatened recently?”
“Not that I’m aware of. Oh wait, there was Richard Spencer.”
Benton’s eyes narrowed. “The contractor Richard Spencer?”
“Yes. He blamed us for the attack on his son, Bruce.”
“Were you responsible?”
“A lot of people were gunning for him after what he did to that girl Superintendent. It could have been anyone.”
He noticed she didn’t deny it. “He threatened you?”
“Yes. He came to The Wherry Tavern and basically said he’d make us pay for what had been done to his son.” She sat up straighter in her seat. “He’d have the money to hire someone to kill Danny. It’s him, isn’t it?”
“We don’t know that yet. Danny dealt with a lot of people with access to guns. We must explore all avenues before leaping to conclusions. Was there anyone else with a grudge against Danny, anyone involved in the businesses?”
“I don’t know, you’d have to ask Alex,” she said, too exhausted to talk any further. She couldn’t think of a single person with the guts to take Danny out. “I wish I could help but I really don’t know.”
They were interrupted by Rachel’s doctor entering the room, who told Benton that he had to leave because he needed to examine his patient. Benton wouldn’t have been surprised to learn that Mikey had sent this guy in on purpose.
“Alright, I’m leaving. Take care Rachel. Hope you get well soon.”
“You don’t really mean that,” she said wryly.
“Yes I do. Life would be boring without my nemesis,” he said with a small smile.
He left and Rachel felt a little better for seeing him, surprisingly. He did seem to be serious about catching Danny’s killer. But she didn’t want him to catch them, she wanted to get hold of the bastard herself and inflict unimaginable pain on him before finishing him off personally. The thought was the only thing getting her through, forcing her to fight.
When her parents arrived she dissolved into tears again. She reached out to them, praying they wouldn’t turn away from her. To her relief her mum sat on the bed and gently wrapped her in her arms.
“I’m so sorry Sweetheart,” said Gillian, kissing the top of her head.
“He’s dead Mum, Danny’s dead.”
“I know. It’s awful.”
Gillian glanced at Rick, unable to find it in herself to mourn Danny Maguire. They blamed him for dragging their daughter into a dangerous world and because of him she’d been shot. His one redeeming feature was that he’d given them their adored granddaughter.
CHAPTER 11
“So what’s our police source said about the investigation so far?” began Alex.
An urgent family meeting had been called in the office of The Wherry Tavern and also in attendance were Mikey, Battler, Jez, Ryan and Col Sugar. Bruiser was still at the hospital standing guard over Rachel.
“Benton seems intent on catching who did it,” said Mikey. “Rachel said he was kind when he interviewed her. It seems he’s professional enough to put personal feelings aside but let’s not get carried away and start thinking he’s doing it for us. He just doesn’t want a war on his patch.”
Alex nodded and dragged his hands down his face. The grief and pain were constantly at the surface but he had to be strong and keep it inside. He couldn’t afford to show a second of weakness, it would be dangerous, even in front of those closest to him. If the Laws wanted to take everything over then now was the perfect time for them to make their move. So far they’d been a great support but Ryan was smart, he could just be biding his time. He couldn’t wait to get home to Beth, then he could let down the strong front and cry into her lap like he had the night before. He thanked God every day that she had walked into his life.
“Forensics found the shooter’s hiding place on the roof of the pizza place opposite the restaurant but they didn’t leave anything behind and no one saw anything,” ended Mikey.
“What gun was used?” said Ryan.
“AS50 sniper rifle,” replied Battler. “A fucking professional’s weapon used by the British Army.”
“The first thing we need to find out,” said Alex, “is who the actual target was, Danny or Rachel?”
Ryan’s head snapped up. “What do you mean?”
“There are two scenarios,” Alex explained. “Either Danny was the target and he shot through Rachel to get to him or she was a target as well. If it’s the second then they could try again.”
Ryan was filled with horror. “Why would anyone want to kill Rachel? Danny was the head of the family.”
“It might be personal.”
“She could still be in danger,” said Ryan quietly, attempting to disguise his panic.
“Battler and Bruiser are taking it in turns to guard her,” replied Alex.
“Does she know?”
“She’s smart, she worked it out.”
“We need to track the gun. If we can trace the vendor we’ll find the killer,” said Ryan, his mind frantically working.
Alex nodded in agreement. “That’s the plan but no bloodshed until after the funeral, for Mum’s sake. Then it’s no holds barred,” he said, relishing the prospect.
Ryan arrived at Rachel’s room with a big bunch of lilies and, like Benton, he was stunned by her appearance. She looked so sad and lost it broke his heart. She turned painfully in the bed to see who had entered, moving a huge effort for her.
“Ryan,” she croaked.
“Hi Rachel.” He looked at Bruiser. “Why don’t you take a break? I’ll sit with her for a while.”
Bruiser nodded gratefully and got to his feet, stretching his big body before leaving the room. When he’d gone Ryan perched on the bed beside her and took her hand.
“How’s the shoulder?” he said softly.
“Fine, just a flesh wound.”
“Oh Rachel I’m so sorry,” he said genuinely.
“He’s gone Ryan,” she said, a tear sliding down her face. “What do I do now? I can’t live without him.”
“It might feel like that now but one day it will get better, I promise you. Danny wouldn’t want you thinking like this.”
“It happened so fast. One minute we were talking, the next he was dying in my arms. The last thing he said was to ask if I wanted to try for another baby and I said yes.”
Oh Jesus.
Ryan winced at the sheer pain in her eyes and desperately wanted to make it go away. “Have you seen Leah yet?”
“No, I don’t want her seeing me in this state. Mum’s bringing her in tomorrow. Thank God she’s too young to understand what’s going on.”
“That at least is a blessing.”
“You were right Ryan.”
“About what?”
“Fear. We lost it, we thought we were untouchable and we let our guard down. Now Danny’s dead.”
“We’re going to find who did it Rachel and we’ll make them pay.”
Her eyes snapped into focus, the steel he knew so well filling them. “I want in on that.”
“You’re not well. Leave it to us.”
“I said I want in Ryan. I will not be cut out.”
“Alright, if that’s what you want but it will get messy. No doubt some people will have to be encouraged to talk.”
Her eyes turned jet black. “Oh I do hope so.”
For the first time in his life, Ryan was ashamed of himself when he became aroused by the sheer will and determination radiating off her. He realised the thought of retribution was the only thing keeping her going. “We won’t make a move without you,” he soothed, patting her hand.
She nodded and settled back into the pillows, feeling a little calmer. He sat by her side as her eyes grew heavy with sleep. For the second time Ryan remained by her hospital bedside watching her doze and stroking her hair, just as he had after she’d suffered the miscarriage. When he was with her all his bad thoughts and inner rage evaporated. Only when he was with her did he know peace.
Ten minutes after she’d dropped off his mobile phone rang. Wincing, he hastened to answer it before it disturbed her.
“What?” he snapped, annoyed at having this rare moment interrupted.
“Ryan it’s me,” said Jez. “Can you come to the house? There’s something you need to see and I don’t know what to do about it.”
“Can’t it wait?” he sighed.
“It’s to do with Rachel.”
He looked at her sleeping form. “I’ll be right there.”
Once Bruiser had resumed his vigil, Ryan left for his brother’s house and arrived to find him staring at the computer screen. Jez was a computer addict and spent most of his free time surfing the net.
“What’s so urgent?” said Ryan, throwing himself into the chair beside his brother’s.
“This,” replied Jez, clicking a button on the mouse.
Ryan frowned when he found himself staring at a video that looked as though it had been taken on a mobile phone.
“What is this?” he demanded.
“Just watch,” replied Jez, his eyes never leaving the screen.
Suddenly Rachel and Danny appeared, walking down the street together. They stopped by a Mercedes Ryan recognised as Danny’s, Battler stood by it. When his arms went around Rachel’s waist, Ryan experienced a spike of jealousy. They appeared as though they were talking although he couldn’t hear the words. Whatever Danny said caused Rachel’s face to light up and he surmised that was the moment he’d asked if she wanted to try for another baby. They kissed then a shot rang out, so loud even the crappy mobile phone managed to pick it up and blood sprayed the pavement. Danny fell, taking Rachel with him. Battler leapt into the frame and shoved them both behind the Mercedes just as a second shot rang out, striking the pavement where Rachel had been just a moment ago.
“Battler saved her life,” said Ryan. “He kept that quiet.”
“He’s a man of few words,” replied Jez.
They watched as Rachel frantically tried to revive Danny but to no avail. Ryan gritted his teeth when she threw her head back and screamed as he was pronounced dead.
“Jesus Christ,” breathed Ryan, running a hand through his hair. “Why is this on the internet?”
“People can upload what they like onto it.”
“Surely this sort of thing isn’t allowed? Why hasn’t it been given to the police?”
“That’s what people do. They’d rather get internet fame than help catch a murderer. Look, half a million people have viewed it already and it’s only been on a few hours.”
Ryan Law, murderer, drug dealer and pimp was disgusted by the entire human race.
“Something needs to be done. Rachel and Martina will be heartbroken if they hear about this and Alex will be out for blood.”
“I’ve got a contact who works for this website, he’s the one who told me about it in the first place. He’s working on tracing who uploaded it, he should have a name soon.”
Ryan was impressed with his brother. “You know Jez I’ve been meaning to say that you’re doing really well. I’m proud of you.”
Jez gaped at him in astonishment. He’d never heard a compliment pass Ryan’s lips before.
“Thanks,” he beamed. Perhaps Ryan’s infatuation with Rachel wasn’t such a bad thing after all? She was clearly having a positive effect on him.
The moment was interrupted by the ringing of Jez’s mobile phone. Jez listened intently while scribbling down a name and address.
“Thanks. The payment will be in your account tomorrow morning.” With that he hung up. “Got it. They’re going to pull the video in a few minutes.”
“Too bloody late. Half a million have already seen it and God knows how many have downloaded and circulated it,” said Ryan. The horror in Rachel’s eyes would stay with him for the rest of his life. “Come on, we’d better take this to Alex.”
After he’d watched the clip, Alex turned ghostly pale and sat staring at the computer screen.
“I’ve got the name of the prick who put in on the internet,” said Jez quietly. “Darren Shaw.”
“Darren Shaw,” repeated Alex in an eerie monotone. “I’ll be paying that bastard a visit personally.”
“I think it proves what we’ve suspected,” interjected Ryan. “Rachel was a target too. The second bullet was clearly meant for her. Battler saved her life. Danny was an easy target lying on the pavement but they went for her instead.”
“Unless the shooter thought he was dead and decided to take Rachel out too?” muttered Alex. The video had knocked him for six, he felt sick and dizzy but he kept it all inside. No weakness.
“Perhaps but it proves she’s still in danger. They could try again.”
Alex nodded. “We’ll maintain the guard on her. No one tells her or Mum about this video.”
“Of course,” replied Ryan.
Rachel’s shoulder felt a little better when she woke the next morning but she lay still and quiet for a while, trying to find a reason to open her eyes. Then she found it. Her parents were bringing Leah to see her today but she needed to prepare herself first.
Bruiser left the room to stand guard on the door while she gingerly washed and changed into t-shirt and jeans with the assistance of a nurse, her arm still strapped up. After the nurse had gone Rachel lay back on the bed and switched on the television in an effort to take her mind off the agony of losing Danny, she still couldn’t believe he’d gone. She kept expecting him to walk through the door at any moment with a bunch of flowers and a big grin. She wanted that to happen so badly it hurt.
Her thoughts were interrupted when the words
Maguire Murder
flashed up on the TV screen in big white letters. Turning up the volume, she was just in time to hear the newsreader issue a warning that the following footage may cause distress.
Rachel watched open-mouthed as she relived the worst moment of her entire life.
The crunch of bone breaking beneath his fist eased some of Alex’s pain, as though he was transferring it onto the bloody wreck on the floor. Mikey filmed him beating Darren Shaw to a pulp. Both were dressed in black and were wearing ski masks.
When he felt Darren had taken enough punishment, Alex straightened up and looked at Mikey, who nodded and saved the footage onto his mobile phone. They left Darren a mess on the floor and hurried out to the car parked round the back. As they climbed in and pulled off the ski masks Alex’s phone rang.
“Bruiser, what is it?”
Mikey waited for him to finish the call before he set off, getting the feeling they wouldn’t be going home.
“Oh for fuck’s sake,” sighed Alex. “We’ll be right there.”
“What’s up?” said Mikey.
“Rachel’s seen the video and she’s on the rampage.
Rachel shoved Ben Archer, Director of News, roughly backwards, ignoring the pain in her shoulder. She’d discarded the sling at the hospital.
“My husband dies in my arms and you put it on your shitty show as entertainment.”
The flabby middle aged man stared at this angry woman jabbing a finger in his chest in astonishment. She’d floored one of his security guards with a single punch and if he hadn’t seen it for himself he wouldn’t have believed it. The big man accompanying her had sorted out two more guards and now stood behind her, growling at anyone who got too near her.
“How would you feel if Danny had been your son or brother? Would you have shown it then? But of course you would because people mean nothing to scum like you.”
“Please Mrs Maguire, the last thing I want to do is upset you.”
“Well I am upset,” she snarled.
Ben could feel the sweat trickling down his spine. He’d never seen anyone with eyes like hers before; they were black, like shark’s eyes. He looked around at his staff for help but they all appeared to be delighted by his fear. The bastards, they’d never liked him.