Chapter 8

A Lesson in Compassion

The Chief saw Fran waiting by the cordon round the Kingston Building. Once he had gotten out of the van, she came over, giving Mark a friendly wave as he pulled away, heading off to collect Ed.

'Good afternoon, Officer Belding,' Ironside said with a smile.

'Oh, Chief, I'm glad you're here,' she said, her frustration clear in her tone, even though she had smiled back at him. 'I've got as far as I can, I'm just going in circles. I-I don't know what I did wrong.'

Ironside reached out and took her arm.

'Fran, it's okay.'

'No it isn't,' she said, more annoyed than the Chief expected her to be. 'I shouldn't need help to do my job. I bet E-.'

Fran stopped abruptly, her mouth pressed tightly closed. There were no prizes for guessing what the sentence was going to be before she cut it off. The Chief hadn't wanted Fran to compare herself with Eve, but it was inevitable that she would think that way. He'd been careful never to mention her in relation to work, but even so, Eve would be a hard act to follow. But he hadn't chosen Fran to be a replacement, he wanted her to be herself. They all did. Ironside gave her arm a gentle squeeze.

'Everyone need help from time to time in this job. No one can do it alone.'

'You try to,' she said reasonably. He had no answer to that. Even when he had been so reliant on Ed and Mark and Eve in the early days after the sniper's bullet, he had driven himself forward relentlessly, resenting the help the others had freely offered. There had been days when he could hardly stand to look at any of them, bitterness at needing their help making it nearly impossible to do anything. How any of them had stuck it, he wasn't sure. Instead he asked:

'How far did you get?'

Fran sighed, then told him about what she'd learnt last night, and then about this morning's uncomfortable interview with Dr Wright. Ironside listened intently as Fran explained what the other woman had said about sabotage, and proof, and that she suspected that Dr Wright had deliberately dropped the names of two students, as well as their supposed meeting place, into the conversation just to cause them problems.

'I wondered if it might be her way of getting back at them for the trouble they caused,' Fran said.

'How do you mean?'

'Giving their names to the police,' she replied. 'Mr Kingston didn't do anything, maybe she thought we would. I wouldn't put it past her.'

Interesting as well was Fran's obvious dislike of the woman. Ironside thought Fran a good just of character. She wouldn't have taken a dislike to someone without cause. This Dr Wright appeared to enjoy making enemies. Was it any wonder she had become a target for the students to vent their anger?

'And Dr Wright was Katie Marshall's tutor?' Ironside said thoughtfully. Fran nodded.

'I don't think she likes Katie,' Fran said. Then she frowned. 'I don't think Dr Wright likes anybody.'

'Hmm,' Ironside nodded thoughtfully again. That would fit in with the fleeting impression he'd made of her, as well as Ed's passing comments.

'And she was rude about Sergeant Brown as well.'

That got Ironside's attention, maybe more so than he'd have expected.

'What do you mean?' he asked.

'She called him incompetent for almost getting himself blown up. I didn't even know they'd met.'

'Now that is odd,' Ironside said quietly.

'Maybe she just likes being rude and disagreeable,' suggested Fran. 'Because she was being both.'

The doctor's comment bothered the Chief, though he didn't know why. It was rude, and disagreeable, just as Fran said, but it was also a very strange thing to say. Ed had a natural way of attracting the attention of women, usually a good way, but why had the doctor felt the need to say something about him to another officer? Why reference the explosion as well? Everyone on campus already knew how close it had been for Ed, why make such a pointed comment. What was needling Dr Wright?

'I'm almost tempted to go and speak to her myself,' Ironside said. 'Right now, just to see what would happen.'

Fran looked surprised for a moment, then she gave a wide smile.

'She's not going to like you either,' Fran said. 'But if there is anyone who can give as good as she gave, then it's you.'

'Are you calling me rude and disagreeable?' Ironside asked with mock seriousness.

For just a second, Fran looked terrified that she'd said the wrong thing. Then she saw the slight twitch at the corner of his mouth and gave him a playful scowl.

'Well, maybe we should save it until later?' he suggested.

'Scared?' Fran asked in mock seriousness.

'No, but I'm sure there are other things to do first, before I go and annoy Dr Wright.'

'You're probably right,' said Fran wistfully, giving a loud sigh. 'But I would love to be there when you speak to her.'

'I'll keep that in mind,' he said. 'In the meantime, do you have any suggestions where we should start?'

'Wright mentioned two people involved in that student group,' she said. 'I can't find either of them. Poppy Preston and Tim Montgomery. They're not in their rooms.'

'And that's also interesting,' Ironside said thoughtfully.

'What is?' asked Fran.

'She gave you the names of Miss Preston and Tim Montgomery?' Fran nodded. 'The so-called list I was sent by Curtis Kingston only had Katie's name on it. If Dr Wright had told Kingston about her suspicious, shouldn't their names be on it too?'

Again, Fran nodded.

'I wonder why the discrepancy,' Ironside murmured. 'And you didn't find either of them yesterday?'

'No one knows where they are.'

'Or no one's telling.'

Fran had been good at getting informal information, but sometimes you just needed to apply some good old fashioned scare tactics. Maybe it was time for that, to get some answers, as the Chief could sense time running out. After all, Kingston had already complained once to the Commissioner, maybe next time it wouldn't be so straightforward to convince Dennis to keep him on the case.

'Who do you think was closest to Katie?' he asked. 'Who did she trust?'

Fran thought about the question for a few moments.

'Tim,' she said firmly. 'Of all the people I spoke to, he's the only one who genuinely cared.'

'Then that's where we'll start.'

Fran helped the Chief to navigate through the halls. It didn't take them long to get to the right room and Fran knocked on Tim's door. No answer. Fran knocked again, harder. She tried the door, and it opened.

'Tim?' Fran called, peering inside. 'Tim?'

'You're still out of luck,' said a voice from behind them.

The Chief looked around to see a tall young man standing in the doorway of the opposite room, leaning against the frame with his arms crossed. He had the build of a football player, big and broad, with tousled black hair that had been left uncut for months. He looked at them, his lack of respect for the police obvious from his stance. The Chief sensed Fran take a small step back, her posture stiffening. Ironside waited for a few moments for the man to speak, but he was looking at Fran with a smug expression on his face.

'No luck finding Tim, officer?' he asked, his accent educated mid-west, but there was an obvious edge of derision to his voice. 'You didn't find Tim,' he gestured at Ironside, 'so you brought in the reinforcements.' He laughed at his own joke, but neither Fran nor the Chief smiled.

'Chief, this is Todd Chadwick,' Fran said, somehow managing to sound polite. 'I spoke to him yesterday.'

'Always a charming pleasure to talk to a pretty policewoman,' Todd said, his tone a cross between mockery and flattery. 'But as I told you, my friends call me Chad.'

'This is Chief Ironside,' she said. Todd wasn't impressed.

'I didn't know they let cripples on the force,' he said, looking the Chief in the eye, challenging him to respond.

Ironside looked back at him, just as unimpressed.

'I can't tell you the number of times I've been told that,' he said calmly. 'It's not even original.'

There was a flicker of annoyance that passed over the other man's face, it was gone as quickly as it had been there, but the Chief gave an inward smile.

He had met this type of person many times before. Rolling in money and privilege, they had been told they were special for all of their short lives. They had no idea how to handle anyone who was smarter than they were, or people who had learnt how to deal with the harsh truths of life. They kept telling themselves they were clever, that they could keep it cool and under wraps, but in reality they were dying to boast about themselves. A few well-chosen questions and it would all be over. This man would be easy to crack.

Ironside waited for a few seconds longer, then asked:

'So where is Tim Montgomery?'

'How should I know, man?' came the bored reply. Todd even managed to roll his eyes.

'Of course you know,' Ironside said. 'You know all about it, don't you?'

There it was, the look that the Chief had been expecting. Yes, Todd did know all about it and was just aching to show off his knowledge and get one up on everyone else.

'I've not seen him since yesterday, man.'

'We need to find him.'

Todd gave a short, braying laugh.

'You're going to bust Tim for something?' he asked incredulously. 'Timmy is the least likely to get into trouble. But then, it's always the quiet ones.'

Again, he laughed at his own joke, no one else joining in.

'We think he might know where Katie Marshall is.'

The laughter stopped a little too abruptly.

'Katie?'

'Yes, Katie. Have you seen her today?'

Todd tried to keep his cool, but there was a decidedly uncomfortable edge to his next words.

'What do I care, man?' he said. 'She's not my girl.'

A feeling of intense disgust formed in the Chief's stomach, that there were people in this world who could show such contempt for others, all the while hiding it under the guise of friendship. Ironside looked up at the young man, carefully weighing what to say and how hard to push. People with an all-consuming ego that needed the constant attention from others were the easiest to trip up in conversation.

'She's been missing for over a day,' Ironside said. He watched as the meaning dawned on the other man.

'A day?'

'She was last seen in the Kingston Building.'

The man stood up straighter, no longer leaning on the door frame. He took a tiny step to the side, shifting his weight to the other foot.

'Oh.'

'Is that all you have to say?' demanded Ironside. 'Is that all you have to say when a friend of yours is missing and could be in trouble, or in danger? Is that really all you have to say?'

'Look, man, I haven't seen her,' he said, his composure breaking.

'But…?' said Ironside loudly. There was no reply. 'But?' he repeated more forcefully. 'But you know what happened?'

The man looked from one to another.

'What did you do?' Ironside demanded.

The man looked stricken with guilt and all of a sudden Ironside could take a guess. It was a guess, but with every word he said, the Chief grew more certain.

'She went to the Kingston Building on her own, didn't she,' he said, unable to hide the contempt in his tone. 'You knew that's where she was going. But you didn't go with her, not for this. You let her take something, maybe she was nervous, and then you just let her go there on her own.'

'No!'

'Then tell me what happened.'

'I don't know. I'm not sure.'

'Then tell me what you know,'

Todd pressed his lips tightly together, glaring at the Chief, and the Chief glared right back at him, keeping his temper under as tight control as he could. The arrogance of earlier was gone, and the Chief knew he would get what he wanted.

'If I tell you, that's it?'

'I make no promises,' Ironside said, uncompromising as always. 'You have got to tell me, either here, or down at the Hall of Justice.'

Todd didn't speak, but now he was glancing anxiously from side to side. The Chief went for the jugular.

'I wonder what your parents would say to that, and maybe a charge for possession as well?'

Todd's shoulders sagged. While before he had given an air of casual superiority, now he just looked scared. Ironside wondered what exactly Mother and Father Chadwick would think of their beloved son's actions while at university. Would they be proud of their little boy now? Somehow, Ironside doubted it.

'She said she had something big,' Todd said quietly. 'Big, big, y'know. She wanted to get into the Kingston Building for proof. But she was scared.'

Ironside waited, still staring, not showing a hint of mercy.

'I let her take some of the stuff I had. She wanted it. She asked. It was nothing heavy, just to help her keep calm. Focus. Be less scared. Some mellow, that's all. She said it helped.'

'Then?' the Chief demanded.

Todd gulped, licking his lips. In truth, Ironside did feel a little sorry for the boy, he was young and foolish, and had tried to cover up his mistakes. In other circumstances maybe he wouldn't have been so harsh and uncompromising, but these weren't other circumstances. He wanted answers, and quickly.

'She said she was going to hide,' Todd continued. 'Stay in the Kingston Building before it was locked up for the night and then get into the labs once everything was quiet. She was going to get those secret files she said they were hiding there. She went on and on about it. She was really fired up.'

'And you didn't try and talk her out of it?' asked Fran incredulously. 'You let her go alone?'

'Get off my case!' Todd snapped. 'You didn't know what she was like.'

Ironside snorted.

'You were too scared to go with her,' he said. The look on Todd's face said it all. 'It was one thing messing with the staff, causing trouble and playing tricks.' Ironside felt his anger rising again. 'But when it came to something serious, maybe even dangerous, you backed out?'

'Yes,' he whispered. 'We let her go on her own.'

'We?'

'Me. Poppy. Tim had pulled out weeks before. They'd argued.'

'And where is Miss Preston?' Ironside asked, thinking it was most likely she was hiding somewhere close by.

Todd took a surreptitious glance backwards toward his room. The Chief shook his head in disapproval.

'So you both backed out to save your own skins. And you wouldn't even help us find her after the explosion?' It was all Ironside could do to keep the contempt from bubbling over. 'So where is Katie now?'

'We don't know, I swear!' Ironside looked doubtfully at the young man. 'No, I don't!'

'Who would?'

'Tim, most likely.'

'And where is he?'

'I don't know that either!'

'Give me one good reason we shouldn't take you downtown?' Ironside demanded.

'I don't know,' Todd sounded panicky at the thought. 'Tim was in his room for a while, then he went out in the afternoon. I saw him but he didn't say anything to me. He looked angry.'

'I can't say I'm surprised.'

Ironside was thinking about the conversation he'd had with Tim, that he'd told them Katie was going to go on her own when the others had chickened out. Tim must have known who she meant, and that Todd and Poppy had refused to help her. No wonder he was angry. But where would he have gone? Where would he have looked first?

'He would have gone to try and find her,' Fran said. 'Where would he start?'

She fixed Todd with an icy stare, even being a good foot and a half shorter than the man, he looked nervously at her, the haughty mockery of earlier long gone.

'Where did they like to go, where did they meet? Where did you hang out?'

Todd blinked rapidly, uncertain.

'Um, they liked some of the bars just off campus,' he said. 'They saw each other in class. I-I think they sometimes walked in the park together.' From the tone of his voice Ironside sensed what Todd thought of boys who walked in the park with girls and just hung out, rather than anything else, anything more.

'And?' the Chief said.

'I-I don't know.'

'Where did you meet up?' Fran asked suddenly. 'Your group. Which basement?'

Todd looked at her in surprise and alarm, maybe understanding that the police knew more about their clandestine activities than he'd thought. When Todd didn't answer, Ironside knew he had to push as well.

'Which basement?' he echoed. 'She could be there.'

Todd gestured to the other building that they used as halls.

'There are a few in there that no one was using. We used one of those. The basement at the back, with the old desks and chairs. And it's easy to lift the key when no one was looking. But usually, it's not locked.'

Ironside looked coldly up at the man.

'I suggest you and Miss Preston stay here for the time-being,' he said. 'Because an officer will be over soon to take a statement.' He leaned forward in the chair, narrowing his eyes in as menacing a way as he could. 'And if that officer doesn't find you here, then we'll need to look for you, and make sure you make your statement back at the Narcotics Division downtown. Am I clear, Mr Chadwick?'

Todd nodded, edging back towards his doorway. Though the corridor had remained empty during this conversation, Ironside was sure that everyone else on this floor was probably listening in.

With a brisk push of his chair, Ironside move off, Fran at his side, wearing a smile that Ironside approved of.

'That was a very satisfying conversation,' he said to Fran as they left the building, heading out into the fresh, clean air.

She smiled more widely.

'Yes,' she replied. 'It was.'

Once more they paused outside, Ironside looking around, thinking.

'She wouldn't be somewhere public, somewhere obvious where people would notice,' he said, squinting against the bright sun.

'I agree,' Fran said. She gave a slight frown. 'That basement. If I'd been needing somewhere to hide, that's where I'd go. Maybe Tim's there too.'

Ironside nodded, but he was feeling very unsettled by the whole thing. Tim knew they were looking for Katie, and he knew that Ed had seen her. The impression he had from their quick meeting yesterday was that Tim wouldn't have tried to keep them in the dark, he had wanted to help, volunteering information when he didn't really have to. If he had found Katie in that basement, wouldn't he had told them?

That led on to something else, something much more unsettling. He'd last been seen yesterday afternoon. If he had found Katie, where was he?

For a few moments, Ironside paused, mulling the options over in his mind and seeing which one felt right. Then he turned to Fran.

'I think you're right. Let's go.'

He pushed the wheels of his chair, and Fran moved behind him, to help over the bumpy pathway. The building was quiet. Only a couple of students were in the entrance hall, Fran pointed to one of the doors nearby.

'The caretaker's in here. I spoke to him yesterday.'

The man was nearing retirement age, with a wide smile and a large waistline. He greeted Fran with a happy grin, lifting his hand in greeting. He opened his mouth, probably to say hello, but Fran beat him to it.

'We need to take a look in one of the basements,' she told him. 'It's urgent.'

He looked down at the Chief, mildly taken aback, but he didn't question who he was.

'But them's locked,' he said. 'The keys are…'

He turned back into his room, and rummaged around in a drawer. Fran and the Chief exchanged glances.

A few seconds later he had the keys in his hand and was leading them on. They took an elevator, pressing the B button, to the lowest level.

It was less well-lit down here, but clean and quiet, except for the low hum of the heating system.

'Which one, Miss?' the caretaker asked. 'We got four different ones.'

'Storage,' replied Fran, 'chairs, tables, maybe?'

He jerked his head in a nod, motioning them to follow. They reached a doorway at the back of the building, the door was slightly ajar. The caretaker looked furious.

Fran almost reached for her gun, but at the last moment, pulled back. She pushed open the door, flicking on the lights.

There was no sound, and for a moment Ironside thought that they were wrong and there was no one here. Then he spotted something, a figure was lying on the ground behind the wall of chairs. Recognising the clothes, he realised it was Tim Montgomery, slumped sideways on the ground beside the far wall.

As Fran rushed over, Ironside looked at the Caretaker, who was standing, him mouth open looking dumbstruck with shock.

'Get an ambulance!' he told the man. 'Now!'

Fortunately the man responded to the Chief's instructions and turned away immediately. At the same time, Fran knelt down, checking Tim's neck for a pulse.

The Chief waited, holding his frustration in check, aware once again of his limitations in these critical circumstances and the clumsiness of his chair. It was always like this, when you had wheels instead of legs, when other people had to take action, while he sat around in his metal prison. He carefully rolled forward.

Tim was very still, there was a line of blood in his hair, it looked quite fresh. Unexpectedly, as Fran touched his shoulder, the young man gave a groan. She put her hand under his arm, as he struggled to move, lifting his head slowly.

'Take it easy,' she said. 'You're hurt.'

Tim looked up groggily at Fran, blinking in the bright light. There was a moment or two of confusion, then he gave a start.

'Katie!' he said, gripping Fran's arm so hard it almost pulled her over. 'You've gotta help her.'

'Try to keep calm,' Fran said, but Tim was anything but calm. His eyes were darting frantically as he looked around.

'Katie? Katie! Where is she?'

Ironside risked getting closer, aware of the narrow gap, and the lean of the chairs. Tim looked up at him, confused and surprised.

'Chief, Chief, um…?'

'Ironside,' the Chief reminded him.

'Chief Ironside. Where's Katie?'

'She was here?'

Tim gave a slight, restrained nod, wincing as he moved.

'What happened?'

There was no need to treat Tim like Todd, Ironside could see the unfiltered worry on the young man's face. For a second, Tim screwed up his eyes, touching the side of his head.

'I think she pushed me,' he said disbelievingly, looking at the blood on his fingers. 'I don't understand.'

Fran put her hand on the man's arm.

'It's okay. But tell us what happened. We can help.'

Tim opened his mouth, looking like he was about to argue, but then he closed it again.

'She was here,' he told them. 'I found her here last night.'

'Last night?'

Tim gave another small, delicate nod.

'My God, she was so scared,' he said. 'I've never seen anyone so terrified.'

'Why, what happened?'

'I looked in a few places on campus,' Tim replied. 'I tried a few of the places we'd meet. I thought she might be with some of the others, or that she might be outside, it took hours and I still didn't know where she was. I was about to give up. Then, I thought about here, that maybe if she really didn't want to be found she might be here. She was. She was hiding.'

He pointed to a corner, further along the row. The chairs were all pushed together, like a barricade. Ironside noticed a few smears of blood. Alarmed, he turned to Tim.

'When she saw me she started to cry,' he said, his voice shaking with emotion. 'She made me stay with her, she wouldn't let me go and get help. We had to sit behind those chairs, she wouldn't leave. She had blood on her face, her nose kept bleeding, her eyes were red from crying. But she wouldn't let me go and get anyone to help her.'

'Why?' Ironside asked gently. 'What did she say?'

'People were following her. That they were coming to get her. She was so paranoid. I asked her what had happened but she couldn't remember. She said she had to be safe. And she just got worse and worse, all night. She was scared, so, so scared. I've never seen anyone like that before.'

'Drugs?' asked Ironside with a sinking heart. It sounded like she was coming down off something bad.

'I don't know,' Tim said miserably, shaking his head, and Ironside believed him.

'Then what happened?'

'It got later and later. I could hear people moving around and I said I had to go. I was hungry, I was sore and she was so scared, I said I had to find someone to help her. She panicked. She said I was one of them, she didn't trust me.'

He stopped for a few moments.

'I think she pushed me. I fell back. That's all I remember.'

'When?' It was a question Ironside had been dreading asking.

'Not long, she can't have gone far.'

He made as if to try and stand but Fran stopped him.

'Tim, you're in no condition to help her at the moment.'

The young man looked furiously up at the Chief.

'I have to,' he said. 'I have to make it up to her.'

'We know what we're doing,' Fran added. 'Please.'

Ironside could see the conflict raging inside Tim, knowing that he had no intention of letting them do anything without his help.

'She pushed you, she ran,' Ironside said gently. 'You have to let us take it from here.'

The mixture of emotions on Tim's face subsided as he glanced to the ground.

'But I don't know where she went,' he said miserably. 'She could have run off anywhere.'

'She was scared. She wanted to hide.' Ironside thought for a few moments. 'She would go somewhere familiar, somewhere she thought she'd be safe, somewhere away from everyone one else. Somewhere she could be alone.'

'And she wouldn't go far,' Fran added. 'She would attract too much attention.'

Ironside nodded.

'There are only so many places,' he said.

'Shall I wait wi-' Fran started to ask, but Tim interrupted.

'No. I'll stay, I promise I will, if you go and help her. Please help her.'

Fran stood, grabbing the handles on Ironside's chair as he moved, pushing him along, getting out of the building as quickly as possible.

A minute later, and for what Ironside fervently hoped would be the final time that day, he was back outside the Kingston Building. He was beginning to dislike this place intensely. He was thinking how to organise a search, and how to make sure Katie Marshall didn't panic and get herself into more trouble. This was going to be a tricky one. He glanced impatiently around, feeling the lack of his other staff members acutely. Ed was always the one he relied on in this type of situation, he would have already been on his way over to liaise with the officers nearby, to start getting a search set up, a much easier thing to do when you could walk. Mark would be helping him at the van, getting in touch with the department or helping him manoeuvre over the difficult ground. Eve would have… he stopped himself, but not quickly enough to prevent the sudden feeling of loss. It wasn't the time to wallow. He had Fran, and though she was inexperienced, she would do her job to the high standard of the SFPD.

But having the others here would be helpful too. What was keeping them? He'd expected them ten minutes ago.

Right on cue, there was the faint noise of the van, and a few moments later it rolled round the corner. Mark drove it as close as he could get to the Chief before parking and getting out.

Ironside watched with growing unease. He said nothing as Ed climbed out of the passenger door, moving across to join his colleagues. On the outside, there was nothing unusual. Ed was immaculately dressed, his tie perfectly straight, his collar smooth, the man was as sharp and well-dressed as always. His eyes were slightly glazed, and still had a tinge of red in the corners, and perhaps he was a few shades paler than usual. He looked like a man in control. Ironside mentally shook his head. No, that wasn't what he was seeing. Ed looked like a man keeping control, very tight control. Every action or movement was precise and measured, as if he had to think it through every time, in case he fell apart. Ironside didn't like what he was seeing. Was that the type of officer he needed here at the moment in this potentially delicate situation? In spite of their friendship, the Chief had his doubts.

'What's happened?' Mark asked, seeing the looks on their faces. The sound of an ambulance made them all turn.

Quickly, the Chief told them about Tim, not mentioning the conversation with Todd as it was unimportant at that moment. All during the explanation, Ed grew increasingly agitated and alarmed, the veneer of calm only paper thin. If it hadn't been so urgent, the Chief wouldn't have involved Ed at all.

Even as he was talking, Ironside was mulling the possibilities. Four buildings were close enough and had the highest probability of success. The Administration Building, the two student halls, and the Kingston Building itself. There weren't a lot of other places she could have gone, not without attracting attention. The student halls were busy, they'd even just come out of one, and the Kingston Building was out of bounds with no one allowed in. But the last possibility, the Administration Building was full of staff and had a receptionist at the front.

He'd missed something obvious. He looked up at the faces of his staff, wondering what their next move should be, when there were shouts from behind them. Loud, authoritative shouts, the officers and tech boys from the department were shouting at the nearby people to move.

Ironside had a sudden, cold sinking feeling. One man ran up, red-faced and breathless. He was waving at them frantically, but the Chief held his ground.

'What's going on,' he demanded.

'You need to evacuate the area,' the man said. 'There's another bomb.'

'What?' hissed the Chief, suddenly alarmed. He was beginning to see what he'd missed, where the girl would go. 'Explain!'

'There was a girl, screaming about a bomb, she was covered in blood and…'

Beside him, Ed jerked forward.

'Where was she?' he demanded furiously, rounding on the other man, almost grabbing the lapels of his jacket. 'What did you do to her?'

The officer stared incredulously at Brown, as if he couldn't imagine a more ridiculous thing to say. They glared at each other for a moment.

'She said there was another bomb,' the officer said, anger in his voice. 'She was screaming, telling us to get out of the building. She told us all to get away, and stay away or everything would go up! What were we supposed to do?'

The police officer pointed to the broken Kingston Building. Ironside looked round, already planning their next move, how to get to the girl quickly and make sure the area was kept safe. Everyone looked round; or at least that was what the Chief thought happened.

But not everyone did look round. A moment later he saw movement out of the corner of his eye.

Ed dodged to the side, swerving to avoid the police officer as he reached out to try and stop him. Then Brown sprinted off, straight towards the Kingston Building.