News?
Brian looked at his friends, he knew they thought he was a little on the eccentric side but he had a way of finding and understanding information most other people would miss. He glanced at Danny who was equally as pedantic as him, if not more so.
"Look." Danny started, "I already spoke with Angie upstairs about this."
"Ok." Sandra nodded. "You think this Brian Smith had something to do with Ted ending up in hospital?"
"Yes." Brian nodded. "He was sentenced to almost twenty years in prison, rape, murder, attempted murder and perverting the course of justice. He was and still is a nasty piece of work."
Sasha narrowed her eyes. "He was a police officer."
"Yeah." Danny looked as angry as she felt. "He was a Detective paired with Ted in the Trident Unit. He was arrested when he failed to turn up to a raid the team were on. Ted had suspected something was wrong for a while but had no evidence. When he did, he arrested him. It was Ted's testimony that put him in prison."
"Until last month."
"The witnesses said the people who attacked Ted were young." Gerry frowned. "About late twenties, early thirties."
"Yeah." Danny agreed. "The same age group as Smith's youngest boy who would have been a little kid when Daddy dearest was put inside."
"You think he was acting on his Dad's orders?" Sandra frowned, thinking that it was probably the first plausable theory they had. "And you've told Angie this? MIU are aware? I'm not having anything prejudice the case against the scum that did this to Ted."
"Yes, we did. You can talk to Ronnie Brooks if you want. I was up there for an hour before I came here." Danny paused. "He is going to follow it up but I swear this all leads back to the case where Ted was almost shot. He would have been safe if his partner hadn't been off doing God only knows what instead of where he should have been."
Sandra nodded as she thought of what her team had found. "Turn it over to them upstairs. Focus on the case Ted was working on when Brian Smith was arrested. That may be the key." She turned to see Strickland in the doorway.
"Sandra, Sasha." He nodded towards the inner office as the men in the room fell silent.
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Kelly held Ted's hand as she watched him laying in the hospital bed. The scan results had shown more than the doctors had originally thought. She felt sick as she watched the machines that surrounded her father bleep and flash up various numbers. She knew she had very little hope of understanding what half of them did.
"Kelly?" She looked up to see Steve next to her. "You ok? Nurse Rachet over there said I've got five minutes."
"I'm ok." She paused. "I lied, said my uncles may visit. That's why they let you in."
"Where's Pat?"
"I finally persuaded him to get something to eat and a shower." She sighed as she squeezed Ted's hand. "Dad will have enough to say if Pat neglects himself."
"True." Steve smiled slightly. "You?"
"Sandra already made sure I am ok." She paused. "The scan shows he has a fractured skull. A bleed and some swelling. The swelling is better than they saw. So, that's why he is off the life support. Lazy sod just has to wake up now." She watched as the oxygen mask over Ted's face misted and cleared with his breaths.
"You heard the lady." Steve smiled. "Anything to get out of paperwork."
Kelly raised an eyebrow. "You came here for more than a welfare check."
"Aye." Steve nodded. "You know a man called Brian Smith?"
Kelly's face hardened. "You know I do. He's out. He should be rotting in Hell."
"Agreed." Steve had read the file. "You think he would get someone to do this?"
Kelly nodded. "I used to get on really well with his son, Jamie. He was around my age, a little older maybe. Anyway, he and I never saw each other after his father went to prison but I know he blames Dad. It wouldn't take much for him to do this." She turned sharply as she felt Ted squeeze her hand. "Did you see that?"
"I did." Steve paused. "I."
"Dad?" The machines began bleeping around him as a nurse rushed over. Steve pulled her away from his friend as the nurse closed the curtains around his bed.
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(Anyone reading this?")