The next day, Hathaway spent all his free time giving off-the-books assignments to whatever constables he thought he could trust to do the work with little supervision and much discretion. He was encouraged by how willingly the work was undertaken.

However, just before lunch, DI Knox tapped him on the shoulder. "I had a look at the papers on your desk while you were out relaxing with a cigarette again. It looks a bit like you're planning on giving assignments to officers who are not even on this case. And these aren't assignments I remember approving. I hope I don't have to remind you of your proper place again, Sergeant."

"No, that isn't necessary." Looking at papers on his desk? Hathaway realized he'd have to be more careful. He didn't want any constables to get in trouble over this.

"No, that isn't necessary, Sir." Knox's tone was cold.

"Yes, Sir."

An hour later, Innocent knocked on the door, a pink RDA slip in her hand. "Sergeant? A word?"

Biting back everything he wanted to say, he followed her to her office and closed the door.

"Making unauthorized assignments to constables who are not even on the case," she read from the form. "Well, Hathaway, this shows initiative. You know, if you were going to twist any of the constables into helping you behind DI Knox's back, DC Macklin's sister is a member of the Oxford Union. You might see if she can learn anything. David Harvey used to run in that circle, didn't he?"

* * *

That evening, Hathaway found Lewis looked much better with the ventilator tube removed. But the sedative had only been reduced during the late afternoon and he remained unconscious.

James sat close to him. "Come on, Sir. It's not easy doing all this myself. I need you to do your part, too."

* * *

As soon as Hathaway sat down at his desk on Wednesday morning, DC Cheryl Macklin popped into his office. She was blond and leggy, and James found her quite attractive. But she had never paid him any attention, and he was not inclined to go begging for it. Nor had she been overly responsive when he asked her to help. But she had agreed to ask her sister if she knew anything.

However, she was quite animated now. "Wendy, my sister, said—" They both heard Knox's characteristic throat-clearing out in the hallway, steps away. Macklin threw herself at Hathaway and started kissing him passionately, just as Knox entered the office.

"Oh, for God's sake, do that somewhere else!"

Giggling, Macklin took Hathaway by the hand and led him down the hall, slipping into an interview room when Knox could no longer see them. She instantly shut off the giggles.

"Sorry, but that was all I could think to do so he wouldn't realize we were talking about the case."

"No need to be sorry at all. You can do that any time you like."

She looked confused. "Really? Inspector Knox said you and Inspector Lewis . . . well, you're both single, and don't have girlfriends, and spend a lot of time together . . ." She reddened.

"Did he leave it at that, or did he draw the conclusion for you, too?" The hostility was clear in his voice. "That man is a . . . ."

He left it at that. "Now, what was it your sister said?"

"Wendy's here, in Interview 2. She can tell you herself."

Just as Hathaway was about to enter the room, the Chief Super came around the corner with a pink RDA in her hand. Before she could start in on him, he explained what had gone on that morning. Innocent agreed to watch the interview from behind the one-way glass.

"What about DI Knox, Ma'am?"

"I'll deal with him later. Go ahead and see what Wendy has to say."

Wendy told James that David Harvey was staying with Chloe Baxter's sister, Connie, in Lonsdale College. Chloe had assisted Harvey in murdering a man a couple of years back and had been sent to prison for it.

"Connie has mentioned he has some guns he's keeping in her room and I've heard him brag about having escaped from prison and having shot a police officer. He even gloats about planning to 'finish off' the officer—" she fingered the quotation marks "—and his partner, too. That's you, isn't it? But I haven't heard what his plans are, specifically. I thought he was just trying to impress me until Cheryl told me about Inspector Lewis getting shot."

Hathaway felt a rising panic as she spoke. "Would you excuse me a moment, please?" He dashed out of the room at the same time Innocent emerged from the observation room.

Concern filled her face. "I'll get the warrants, you get another PC on Lewis's room. And James—take a couple Firearms officers with you out to Lonsdale. Just in case."

Hathaway sped out to Lonsdale with uniform before and behind and two Firearms officers at the rear.

Connie Baxter was in her room, but David Harvey was not there. A search of the premises turned up a nine-millimeter rifle, and Connie was arrested and taken into custody. Although she resisted Hathaway's questions for over half an hour, her defenses collapsed when Hathaway pointed out that the man she was protecting was responsible for Chloe being sent to prison.

"You want him to be responsible for getting you put away, too, Connie?"

"Please, I never thought he was serious. Just showing off, trying to impress me, or something. But he took his pistol this morning. I think he plans to kill that detective today, the one he shot." She started to cry.

"What is he planning? How is he going to do it?"

"He said he's going to create a diversion somehow at the hospital and slip in past the officer guarding the door. He laughed about how easy it would be to do. Then when you arrive, he's going to kill you, too."

Minutes later, Hathaway and his team were on their way to the Radcliffe.

* * *