Isle Avenue 2
Part Two.
Miho sharply turned the wheel and easily steered the Mondeo through the enormous Victorian style gates at the entrance to Penrose Hill, Ailen's only maximum security prison. It looked exactly the same as all the others spread out across the country; a massive fortress of red brick, with arched windows and thick wrought iron bars. She had conducted numerous interviews and transfers to prisons exactly like Penrose Hill while both within Ailen major crimes and previously in homicide in her hometown of Bristol and she hated every moment she spent in these dark and depressing buildings.
“So what's McNamara in for?” Gillian's Manchester brogue from the passenger seat drew Miho's attention from her otherwise dark musings and she glanced over at the other woman whilst parking the car in front of the main doors.
“Clint McNamara was arrested and convicted of murder in the first degree when he held up the Abbey National on Isle Avenue four years ago,” answered Miho, having had the chance to quickly look through the man's file before she and her partner had been sent to Penrose Hill. “There was a panic when one of the hostages tried to run and McNamara shot him twice in the back with a shotgun. When the others panicked his accomplices opened fire and took down three of them.”
Gillian was nodding her head as she stepped out of the car and into the harsh light being given off by the huge fluorescent flood lights which surrounded the yard.
“I remember that,” she said as Miho followed her lead. “His two accomplices were never caught.”
“Yeah,” answered Miho. “Jamie thinks they're not even in the country any more since none of the money has ever shown up.”
Unfortunately the Isle Avenue hold up was one of the cases which had already gone cold when the Major Crimes Unit had been set up in the Ailen Police Department just over eighteen months ago. For five months Mike and his then partner Aaron Simpson had followed every lead no matter how small or insignificant to no avail; they weren't even sure if McNamara's accomplices were still in Britain or had fled through to Europe and McNamara himself wasn't talking. Eventually other cases had taken precedence and this one had gone on the back burner, that was until now.
“And Rick is desperate enough to get his brother out of jail that he'll risk certain death at the hands of Inspector Edwards snipers?” mused Gillian.
“I know, I don't understand the compulsion myself,” said Miho, quickly climbing the concrete steps up to the main doors with her partner trailing behind. “I'd just let Kaito rot in there.”
Just as she was about to push open the heavy oak doors which led into the main foyer of the prison, she felt a strong hand grip her bicep and give it a reassuring squeeze and glancing over her shoulder to catch the curious look in Gillian's brown eyes. She understood why her partner would be interested in this little piece of information she had just given up, especially since in the past eighteen months they had been partnered Miho had been very reluctant to release any information about the life she had left behind in Japan ten years ago at the age of seventeen.
“Lets see what Clint has to say for himself hey?” said Gillian, letting go of her arm to push open the door but the look in her eyes said that this particular conversation would continue the moment Rick McNamara had been taken into custody.
A short woman with the build of a professional wrestler greeted them just inside the doors, her uniform and the huge amount of keys attached to her waist indicated that she was one of the higher ranking prison officers.
“I'm Detective Saunders,” said Gillian stepping forwards to shake the woman's hand. “And this is Detective Morioka.”
Taking her cue Miho shook the prison officer's hand and plastered her most welcoming smile on her face.
“Lorraine Jones,” said the woman, glancing between the two of them. “You're here to see Clint McNamara?”
“That's right,” said Gillian. “There's an incident at Ailen General involving his brother Rick and we need to get some information.”
Lorraine nodded her head absently and then gestured them to follow her through the gate at the far end of the foyer which she unlocked with one of her many keys.
“You're lucky that you came today, he's a little more coherent than usual,” she said, as they all walked down a nicely lit and decorated corridor lined by the offices of prison management.
Looking to her left Miho caught Gillian's eye and the other woman raised her eyebrow.
“And what does that mean?” demanded Miho.
At that Lorraine came to a halt in front of another gate and turned to face them.
“You don't know about Clint?” she asked, a look of confusion passing over her lined features.
“What about Clint?” asked Gillian.
“He's got leukaemia,” answered Lorraine, shrugging her shoulders. “Clint McNamara is dying of cancer Detectives.”
**
Rick was arguing with the police negotiator again and John found himself only half listening as he entered into a light doze, everything appeared reasonably calm at the moment and he didn't want his head to be fuzzy when the shit did eventually hit the fan.
“... and then you'll let me talk to my brother?”
The hopeful tone to their captors voice brought John out of his trance and he instinctively tightened his hold on Madison, focusing on Dr. Weston who was fast asleep with his back against a desk with a contentedly sleeping Jake curled up on his lap.
“What's going on?” he whispered to Paul, whom he knew was paying attention to every moment in the hope of a media whirlwind.
“The police are trying to talk him into letting your kids go in exchange for being allowed to talk to his brother,” muttered Paul. “Looks like it might be working.”
John sincerely hoped that it would, with his children out of the way he could make a serious attempt to disarm the man and try to diffuse the bomb, from what he had seen of the explosives it seemed pretty basic and certainly not beyond his abilities.
“If my kids get out of here I'm going to need a distraction,” he muttered out of the corner of his mouth. “Are you up to it?”
He saw Paul glancing around the department, eyes lingering on the assorted personnel some of them injured and the rest understandably scared.
“I've got an idea,” he whispered, nodding his head in the direction of the fire alarm a few metres down the wall.
It was decidedly juvenile idea but if the fire alarm set off the sprinkler system then it would definitely cause enough of a distraction for him to escape this department and stage an offensive from elsewhere in the hospital. He knew that his escape would possibly have severe consequences on the other hostages, but at this rate the police were never going to get them out and John already knew that there was no way that Rick's brother was going to be released just because the moron had taken a few people captive in the local A&E.
**
Clint McNamara was clearly at the end of his disease as he was hooked up to a barrage of medical equipment in Penrose Hill's sanitorium. The man himself was thin and pale amongst the crisp prison linen, dull grey eyes staring at them as they entered the room from within his sunken skull.
“Mr. McNamara?” Gillian, ever the professional, stepped forward immediately and sank into the chair beside the bed.
“Yeah,” answered the man, turning his head so as to fix Gillian with his stare. “Who're you?”
“I'm Detective Gillian Saunders,” she flashed her badge and Miho fumbled to pull hers from her pocket as her partner turned her attention to her. “And this is Detective Morioka.”
Miho held up her badge and Clint gave her a small nod of acknowledgement.
“What do you want?” he demanded. “Trying to get some more information out of me now I'm on my deathbed?”
Shaking her head Miho stepped forward to stand on the other side of the bed to Gillian.
“No that's not why we're here,” she said. “This is about your brother.”
At that Clint's eyes widened and he tried to sit up, quickly flopping back down into the bed as his strength gave out.
“Rick?” he demanded, reaching out to grab Miho's wrist tightly. “What's happened to Rick?”
“Your brother has caused an incident at Ailen General Hospital,” said Gillian, leaning forward to catch Clint's eye. “Do you know anything about it?”
Miho, as the only member of major crimes to actually have a doctorate, had been trained in forensic psychology and so knew the cues to watch the when somebody was lying, the shock and horror on this man's face was genuine and she gave Gillian a brief nod to convey this information.
“Of course not!” exclaimed Clint, using his grip on Miho to force himself into a sitting position. “What kind of incident?”
“He's taken twenty-five people hostage in the A&E,” answered Gillian. “Including two children.”
“Are you sure?” demanded Clint, looking between the two women wildly. “Rick would never do anything like that.”
There was nothing Miho hated more than friends and relatives who insisted on defending clearly guilty perps and she had to physically restrain herself from rolling her eyes at the shocked tone of his voice.
“We're very sure Mr. McNamara,” she said, carefully extracting her wrist from his grip. “Now did Rick mention anything to you about seeking revenge for your incarceration?”
He looked between the two of them in wide-eyed surprise. “You don't understand, I haven't heard from Rick since I got put away. I assumed that he wanted nothing to do with me after it got out what I did.”
Miho hadn't expected that, especially since Rick was so determined to have his brother released from prison that he would go to such extreme lengths, she had thought that the two brothers were close. Something suddenly didn't seem right.
“He hasn't tried to contact you at all?” asked Gillian, confusion lining her face. “Not even by letter?”
Clint shook his head.
“Then why would he state that you're the reason he's doing this?” asked Miho. “Why would he even care when he hasn't spoken to you for four years?”
“I don't know Detective, but I didn't ask him to do anything like this,” said Clint as he fell back onto the bed. “Maybe he's having another breakdown? Rick's never been all that strong mentally.”
After nearly half an hour questioning Clint they had finally had to admit defeat and either he was the best liar in the world or he really didn't know anything about what his brother had been planning. This bode very well for the Ailen police department and particularly for the hostages, since whoever Rick was working with it clearly wasn't Clint.
“So what now?” asked Miho, as she slid into the drivers side of the Mondeo. “That was a dead end.”
Gillian shook her head and began tapping her fingers on the dashboard in what was clearly a habitual manner.
“I have no idea,” she answered, pulling her mobile phone from the inside pocket of her suit jacket. “I'll let the Cap know.”
**
“Thanks Gillian.”
Mike watched as Jamie snapped her phone closed and dropped it onto the crate beside Sarah's computer and he hurried over from where he had been going over the hospital blue prints with Sarah and the two techs who had come in with the SP.
“Clint McNamara doesn't know anything about Rick's plans or who he's working with,” said Jamie, running a shaking hand over her face and her entire posture slumped. “So we're back to square one.”
This wasn't very good at all. It meant that they had absolutely no leads on tracking down the person or people who had provided Rick with the bomb, finding out what their reasoning was and getting them to stop the mad man they had sent into the A&E, releasing the hostages.
“Then we're just going to have to go in with brute force,” he said, pushing his hands deep into his pockets as a cold wind blew over the 'pad. “I know you didn't want to Jamie but right now it seems the only way we can get the hostages out alive.”
Jamie glared at him and placed her hands on her slender hips in an aggressive posture.
“If we go in like you're suggesting then we're more than likely going to lose some of the hostages,” she hissed.
This wasn't going very well and Mike knew that her husband worked in the hospital as a nurse and could very well be amongst the hostages, but Jamie had a job to do right now.
“You've got to look at this objectively, I know the man has a bomb but if the snipers manage to get in before he activates it this whole situation will be over,” he said. “Its really the only option left open to us.”
“And if the snipers don't manage to get him before he activates the bomb we'll lose everyone in the hospital and a five mile radius,” said Jamie. “Including us.”
“It's an acceptable risk,” he said, shrugging his shoulders.
“It is NOT an acceptable risk!” exclaimed Jamie, her voice raising up above the howling wind. “And I don't know how you think it could be.”
Running his fingers through his windswept brown hair Mike took a deep calming breath, there was no point trying to argue with Jamie when she was in one of these moods.
“Then what do you recommend?” he asked.
“Is there anyway of getting his brother over here to try and talk him down?” asked Sarah, who had sidled over to them. “Or is he considered to dangerous?”
Mike nodded at her. “That's actually not a bad idea … good one Hilton.”
She grinned and playfully flicked a strand of red hair out of her face.
“That's not a possibility,” said Jamie.
“Why not?” he asked. “We've brought maximum security prisoners into situations before. As long as we've got enough security, Her Majesty's finest don't mind.”
It was true, just three months ago they had had to bring a woman who had shot her husband and his new girlfriend into a crime scene to identify the body of the sister-in-law, the SP had needed to provide half their force to make sure the woman hadn't escaped. Everything had gone swimmingly and the prison system had been left singing the praises of Inspector Richards, there shouldn't be anything wrong with them getting access to Clint McNamara.
“He's dying. From what Gillian was saying he's pretty much on his last legs,” she answered. “There is no way he would survive the trip over here without a full medical team and even if he did there is no way he would handle the pressure.”
That was not good, not only because they couldn't bring him onto the scene but because someone had to tell Rick and that would probably throw him right off the deep end.
“Ok then,” said Mike. “Any other ideas?”
There was a moment of silence in which they all shuffled their feet and avoided eye contact.
“Infiltration,” Jamie had a thoughtful look on her face. “Send two officers in undercover, it seems that our man is crazy enough to not notice a trap.”
It was a sound plan, one that even though it held risk meant that they were more likely to be able to get close to the target and take him down before he could activate the bomb.
“I'll do it,” he said, ignoring Sarah's shocked look. “I want to be one of the officers infiltrating.”
“Mike,” said Jamie. “You haven't had any tactical training.”
“That doesn't really matter Jamie,” he said. “I'll be going in unarmed anyway and I'll be going in with a sniper.”
Sarah nodded her head. “The SP have already been given a quick run down of the hospital blue prints, but I'll have to go over it again with whoever decides to go in with you. It'll probably be best if you use someone with medical experience just in case something happens in there and you have to think on your feet.”
“I'll contact Edwards and see if he's got anyone that fits that description,” said Jamie.
“No need,” said Mike. “I've got an idea.”
**
John gave both Jake and Madison one last hug as they were ushered out of the A&E by a pale and terrified looking Julie and as the doors slammed shut behind them he glanced from the distracted Rick to Paul and nodded his head. Silently and with more grace than a man of his demeanour generally displayed, Paul eased himself along the wall and pulled the fire alarm. Immediately alarms started ringing throughout the department so loud as to be almost deafening and the sprinklers turned on drenching everyone standing below them.
In the chaos caused by people panicking left, right and centre John slipped off into one of the many corridors that led out of the department. All there was were some offices, an elevator and a pair of old fashioned swinging doors. Knowing that the elevators had probably been turned off in this part of the hospital to stop people from wondering into the stricken department, he hurried through the doors and into what appeared to be a radiography department. This to was completely empty save for the flickering lights on the machines and the gentle humming of computers, now all he had to do was find a weapon of some kind and hold an offensive.
**
“And how exactly do you know that this guy is military trained?” demanded Jamie. “I'm not sure I
like this idea.”
Mike found himself shifiting nervously from one foot to the other.
“We've met before,” he answered, it probably wasn't a good idea discussing his sex life with his supervisor during the middle of a hostage situation. “He may have mentioned it.”
Jamie's eyebrows drew together. “I've known Joe for a few years now and he's never once said anything about being in the air force, so how come he told you after meeting him once?”
“He probably saw his dogtags while they were fucking,” clearly Sarah had read this situation correctly. “Or something like that.”
“Sarah next time you want to blurt out my sex life in front of everyone can you clear it with me?” he hissed, glancing over at the amused looking technicians and then Jamie's horrified face.
Sarah merely smirked at him and then focused her attention back onto the computer monitor in front of her. “Sure thing Cott, I don't know why you're so embarrassed … he's hot.”
Mike didn't get the chance to answer her back as the doors slid open, both Joe and Sean walking back onto the 'pad bickering amongst themselves in what was clearly a familiar and good natured way.
“You wanted to see us?” asked Sean, standing at fake attention in front of Jamie and giving her a cheeky salute. “Cap'n.”
It was obvious by the stress lines around both paramedics eyes that the situation in the A&E had them more stressed than they were letting on and it was clear that it was common for them to use humour to deflect those emotions.
“Give it up Sean,” said Jamie. “And I asked to see Joe not you.”
Sean shrugged her slim shoulders at that and her grin widened. “We come as a package deal you know that.”
“Really...” muttered Sarah leering in Mike's direction.
“Fuck off Hilton,” he answered, kicking her crate so as to shut her up.
“So Mike tells me that you've had military training,” said Jamie, shooting Joe a harsh look. “How come I never knew?”
Sean rolled her eyes. “That's because the only people who know are the ones he's tried to pick up by wearing his old dress uniform or the one's he's fucked.”
Mike groaned at that, having hoped that this particular subject would be dropped, and what was making it worse was that Joe didn't seem to be concerned at all instead he just folded his arms and smirked.
“Which one are you?” he asked, leaning slightly into Mike. “Hopefully the latter.”
“You two can reminisce about your night of gay passion at another time.” Jamie was glaring at them both, which Mike felt was completely unfair because he hadn't actually said a word about it. “Can we please focus on why I asked you to come up here?”
“You want us to move Bessie don't you?” said Sean. “You could have given us a moment to do handover and grab a cup of coffee.”
“Whose Bessie?” asked Sarah.
Joe nodded in the direction of the helicopter, a look of affection passing over his face as he looked at it.
“No I don't want you to move it just yet,” answered Jamie, clapping Sean on the shoulder. “We want Joe to help with the infiltration of the A&E.”
At that Joe's attention snapped to the Inspector, “What do you want me to do?”
“You, along with Detective Cotton, are going to go undercover and be taken hostage as doctors in the A&E,” Jamie spun the monitor of Sarah's computer around to show a blue print of the department. “That way you should be able to get close enough to take him down.”
“Weapons?” asked Joe.
“It doesn't look like Rick has the foresight to search his hostages for hidden weapons, which just adds to the suspicion that there is someone else holding the reins here,” answered Jamie. “So it shouldn't be to difficult to hide a gun on you.”
“Excuse me why can't I go too?” demanded Sean, folding her arms across her chest and stamping her foot. “I've had military training as well and more in depth medical training than him.”
Mike watched as Joe poked her in the arm. “Don't argue with them Blackie.”
“I don't care if I've hurt your pride Sean, I just want to do what's best for those hostages,” said Jamie.
“What and you don't think I do?” hissed Sean.
Mike had already had enough of this particular argument and he gestured for Joe to follow him to where a SP officer had the .22's that they were going to be using.
“Is she always like this?” he asked, glancing over at where Sean and Jamie were still going at it.
“Pretty much,” answered Joe, unzipping his flight suit and stuffing the gun down the waistband of his boxers.
“What are you doing?” Mike knew that he couldn't stop the horrified expression on his face at the thought of the other man running around the hospital with a loaded gun stuffed down his underwear. “Are you insane?”
“What?” asked Joe, doing the zip back up.
Numbly accepting his own gun Mike stashed it in the holster underneath his jacket. “Aren't you worried about blowing something off?”
Joe's eyebrows furrowed in confusion and then his expression cleared as he understood, with a smile he shook his head.
“Trust me I've had much larger guns in far more vulnerable places,” he answered.
The imagery of that statement was actually quite disturbing and Mike shook his head to clear the pictures that had appeared there.
“We need to get you changed anyway,” he said. “Can't have you going in dressed like a pilot, Rick will definitely get suspicious then.”
“You do know that the likelihood of us actually succeeding is minimal right?” said Joe.
“Yeah I know,” answered Mike. “But if we don't do something soon then SP is going to go in guns blazing and screw the collateral, this is pretty much out last chance at stopping the big kaboom.”
Part Three