Flying Under Radar
MINE: Elena, Jessie, Xian-Tau, Ruby, Jerome, George, Giovanni, Paul and Andy.
NOT MINE: Jo, Sam, Mickey, Tony, Honey, Roger, Yvonne, Dean, Leela and Tess.
(Brief mention: I am in no way implying that Alton Towers has rubbish rides, having never been myself I am not in any position to comment. I was simply comparing the frenzied driving of one of our favourite detectives to a thrill seeking rollercoaster ride.)
CHAPTER SIX
Sam gets off of the phone to Mickey, and Jo is about to speak to Sam about the kiss when her phone buzzes. It is Tess, telling Jo she misses her and asking when she'll be getting home. Tess's apparent warmth towards her cheers Jo up, not realising that it is out of guilt on Tess's part. Sam asks who the message is from, and Jo tells her Tess is asking when she'll be getting back. Scoffing, Sam realises that what Tess really wants to know is how long she has with her lover before her girlfriend gets home. Jo gets rather miffed, thinking that Sam is belittling Tess.
"What's your problem Sam? One kiss and you think we're involved? I'm sorry darlin', that's nothow it works. I've been living with Tess for months,sharing a bed longer. Just keep out of matters that don't concern you."
Opening and shutting her mouth several times, Sam realised her goldfish impression would do nothing to help the situation, but how on earth could Jo just turn on her like that? And Tess certainly didn't deserve the loyalty Jo gave her... But Jo was right, she should keep out of it. Let Tess break Jo's heart if she had to, Sam would always be there to pick up the pieces.
It turns out that Collins is more of a henchman than a dealer, and with the arrest of Xian-Tau and Walker, the only dealers in Radar are Jaimeson, Giovanni and Collins who have returned to the hidden back room. Giovanni has instructed Paul the doorman to search the club for anyone who looks like a copper.
By this point, Mickey, Tony and Honey have reached the store room and are preparing to arrest Giovanni, Ruby and Jerome. Sam and Jo scout around the rest of the club, ensuring they haven't missed anyone.
At the entrance there is a scuffle- Yvonne and Roger are facing off doorman Paul Burgess, who is armed with a wicked looking knife. There is no way that he will give up the knife, so they are forced to try and restrain him. In the ensuing scrap, Roger receives a nasty cut to his arm, from which arterial blood is squirting. Her priorities instantly changing, Yvonne attempts to stop the bleeding from Roger's gash, while Paul runs out of the club, intent on making his escape.
Hearing Roger cry out, Sam and Jo reach the entrance just in time to see Paul running from the scene. Chasing after him, he gets into a black Mercedes and roars off, just as Sam and Jo reach their car. Sam gives Jo the keys, trusting her detectives driving skills, despite their disagreement. Putting her foot to the floor, Jo really puts the small car through its paces, rapidly gaining on the more powerful, if badly driven Mercedes. Beeping the horn twice, Jo motions at the driver to pull over, following the protocol without actually expecting anything. Seeing the Mercedes prepare to turn left, Jo spun the car into a handbrake turn, speeding in the opposite direction, intending to take a short cut and cut off Paul's escape route. Despite being pissed off with Jo for being so pig-headed, Sam still has to fight the temptation to forgive the adorably pouting detective. Unaware of the face she is pulling, Jo is concentrating on driving at speed, and her cunning (albeit dangerous) plan. Making the tight turns through the labyrinth of deserted backstreets, Jo silently prayed that they wouldn't meet oncoming traffic.
Remembering that Sam is not yet aware of her plan, Jo tells her to take her seatbelt off, as they will need to get out of the car in a hurry. Sam, meanwhile, is clinging on for dear life, as Jo's driving, while impressive, is far scarier than the best Alton Towers had to offer.
After a rollercoaster ride of sharp corners in quick succession, the car screeched to a halt as Jo leapt from the vehicle. Shouting for Sam to get out of the car, Jo sprinted around the vehicle to find a panicking Sam struggling with her seatbelt.
Catching sight of the dazzling headlights of the speeding Mercedes, Jo dived back into the car, her heart pounding, as she realised that the Mercedes would almost certainly destroy the small car, and anyone left inside. Frantically working to free Sam's jammed seatbelt, Jo could hear the roar of the engine as the powerful car bore down on them.
Diving out of the car with only a split second to spare, the detective rolled under the nearest parked car to shield herself from the flying debris of the crash. With the terrifying screech of metal buckling the Mercedes ploughed straight into the side of the unmarked police car, flipping onto its roof as it continued it's path of destruction, coming to rest as it skidded into a parked Mini, decimating the old car, only recognisable by the wings on it's twisted bumper. Glancing around to see where her partner had sheltered, she couldn't see the other woman anywhere, not under any of the cars, or on the pavement, or inspecting the damage to the Mercedes. That left one place...
Her eyes growing impossibly wide, the detective realised her colleague hadn't been able to get out of the car before the crash.
"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"
Hearing the anguished cry, it was seconds before she realised it had been torn from her own throat. No longer able to stand, she sank to her knees in the middle of the road, tears coursing down her face, surrounded by the mangled wreckage from the crash, the devastation of the scene nothing compared to the devastation wrought in her heart.
It's all my fault... the seatbelt... she couldn't know- climbing out of it... back to save... and now she's gone...
Moments passed, the unnatural silence deafening, until a single word escaped parched lips.
"Jo..."