Next chapter. Some words are from Jed's script but said by different characters.
Steve stood frozen to the spot. This was in no way what he had expected her to say to him, but he believed her.
"Say something, Steve," Kate pleaded, worried he was going to let her down.
"You feel able to tell your whatever it was you were going to say to me, to my boss and partner as well. Save you from repeating yourself,".
Kate smiled. He wasn't going to let her down at all. "I suppose I could do that," she agreed. Steve pulled out his phone and started calling a number. "Are they gonna come here?".
Steve held out one arm to silence her as someone answered his call. "Sir!" Steve said as he turned away from Kate. "Sorry to call you out of hours but I've just heard something you are going to want to hear as well,".
There was silence as Hasting's said something to Steve.
"Can you be at AC-12 in half an hour?" Steve asked. "Great. I'll call Georgia as well," Steve said before hanging up.
Kate watched as Steve made another brief call before he turned to her. "I'm gonna take you to my office," Steve explained. "I think it'll be better there,".
"What about Josh?" Kate said. "I can't leave him here,".
"We'll take him with us. Can he sleep in his buggy?".
"Yeah," Kate said.
Within minutes, they were in Steve's car heading to AC-12. Kate in the back seat with Josh who was still asleep. "We're not being followed are we?" Kate asked. She didn't want her tormentors knowing she had gone to the police. She had been warned about such an act and didn't want any repercussions for her disobedience.
"No," Steve said, as he looked in the rear view mirror to make sure. "But just to be sure we'll take the long way,".
They were soon pulling in to the AC-12 car park and Kate finally relaxed knowing she was safe in this building. Steve had trouble putting the buggy up so Kate quickly handed Josh over to him whilst she made quick work of the job. Steve had never held a young child before and just held him stiffly. He was relieved to hand him back to Kate who tucked him up in his chair.
"Follow me," Steve said as he headed to the lift.
"So this is where you work?" Kate said as she got her first look at the open plan office. Glass walls separated off smaller rooms from the main area.
"Yeah," said Steve, "and this is my desk,". Kate put the break on the buggy just in front of the desk. "Shall we try again with the drink?" He suggested. They'd left Steve's place before their earlier drinks had been ready.
"Ok," said Kate.
"Tea. White with no sugar, right?" Steve checked and Kate nodded.
Casting an eye to make sure Josh was still asleep, Kate followed Steve to the kitchen area and watched him make the refreshments. "Your boss and partner," Kate said, "what are they like?".
"You nervous about meeting them?".
"Yeah. A bit," Kate admitted.
"They'll be fine," Steve soothed.
"I hope so." Kate said as she took her mug and followed Steve back to his desk.
It wasn't long before the lift pinged and Ted and Georgia entered the office having arrived at similar times. "Steve!" Beckoned Ted and Steve left Kate to join his boss and partner. He saw Ted glance a little perplexed at Kate and Josh.
"This better be good," Georgia said. "Me and Pete were having an early night," she informed her partner. He was her latest fling and she wasn't impressed at being summoned to AC-12 during some very nice foreplay.
"Apparently there's going to be another attempt to kill our Witness Protection person," Steve said.
"Mother of God," Ted exclaimed. "And how did you come by this news?".
"Kate," said Steve. "She's one of the Intensive Care nurses looking after him,".
Ted nodded. "And how exactly does she know this?".
"I'm not sure," replied Steve. "I haven't heard her whole story yet, but she was very scared when she called me,".
"And how does she have your number?" Ted asked. Steve saw Georgia raise her eyebrows and look at Steve wondering if he was going to come clean about his date with Kate.
"I gave her my card," Steve admitted, half telling the truth. "Told her to ring me when her patient was able to talk. I asked if we could be the first ones to speak to him,".
Ted accepted Steve's story. "OK. Let's hear what she has to say,".
Steve led Ted and Georgia over to where Kate was sitting. "Kate, this is Superintendent Hastings, my senior officer in charge, and DC Georgia Trotman, my partner," he introduced her to his colleagues.
"Nice to meet you," Kate said as she shook their hands.
"Steve has said you've something important to tell us," Ted said and Kate nodded in confirmation. "Shall we head in to the interview room?".
Kate looked worried. She hadn't realised they were going to interview her. She looked at Steve for help.
"It's bigger," Steve said, understanding Kate's worry. "We can all sit around the table and talk,".
"Ok," Kate said. "Josh'll be ok here?".
"He'll be fine," Steve reassured her.
"Right you take a seat there, Cathy," instructed Ted pointing at the chair which was usually occupied by the person AC-12 was interrogating.
"It's Kate," Kate corrected as she sat down.
"Sorry, lass," Ted apologised as he sat down in his usual chair. Steve and Georgia taking their places either side of him. . "I'm awful at names,".
"Am I in trouble?" Kate asked.
"No. Not at all," Ted said.
"Feels like I am," Kate said, "with you three all over that side of the table,".
Steve got up and moved his chair to sit next to Kate. "Habit," he explained.
"Right then Kate," Ted said. "Tell us what you wanted to tell DS Arnott about this plan to attack our mystery patient,".
Kate took a deep breath and looked to Steve for encouragement. "It started yesterday," she started. "I was on the early shift and left work about 2.30pm. I headed to my car and was just pulling out of the space when someone drove in to the back of me. He was very apologetic and offered to pay for the repairs at a mate's garage so I didn't have to wait for the insurance,".
"Did you get a name?" asked Ted.
"I only know him as Joe," Kate replied.
"Probably not his real name," Ted concluded.
"You weren't suspicious that he was avoiding insurance to withhold his name and address?" Steve asked accusingly.
"Not at the time," Kate retorted. "He had a nice car. Nice clothes. Seemed like he was doing me a favour,".
"How'd you describe this Joe?" Ted asked.
"Mid to late twenties. White," Kate said from memory.
"Would you be able to work with a photo-fit artist to produce a likeness?" Ted asked.
"Yes. I can have a go," Kate agreed, willing to offer any assistance she could.
"Good," said Ted.
"Tell me how Joe came to involve you in this plan?" Steve asked.
"We dropped my car at his mates garage and he offered to drop me home," Kate explained before she saw Steve give her an exasperated look. The criminals now knew where she lived. "I know!" she said, suddenly angry. "It was a stupid thing to do. I know that now!".
"What was this garage called, lass?" Ted asked, breaking up the little spat.
"Umm...AB...A to B...or something," Kate said as she tried to recall the sign on the front of the garage. "Do you have a map? I can show you where it is,".
"Georgia," Ted instructed and Georgia left the room to find a map of the city. It wasn't long before she reentered and unfolded the large map of the city on the table in front of Kate. Kate leant over and orientated herself, finding the hospital where she worked before retracing the journey she had taken the day before. "There!" She declared, pointing at the location.
Steve looked at where Kate was pointing. "Canalside Industrial Estate," he read out loud.
Georgia picked up her phone and googled the estate for car repair garages. "No garage there," she said to Kate. "You're sure you have the right place?".
"Definite," Kate argued. She got the feeling Georgia didn't entirely trust her. She looked to Steve for help.
"So what happened today?" He asked, moving the story on.
"Joe came to pick me up. We took Josh to nursery and then I thought we were going to pick my car up as we had discussed the night before, but he drove me to the hospital instead,".
"What happened then?".
"He said he knew people who'd kill Josh if I didn't do what they wanted," Kate explained and Steve suddenly understood the turmoil she had been under earlier that night.
"What did they want you to do, Kate?".
"I had to show them how to get to the Intensive Care Unit. They wanted a plan of the place and which bed their wanted man was in," Kate said. "They wanted to know what my shift times were and he wanted a pair of scrubs,".
The three police officers looked at each other. They were gonna kill the man on the unit in broad daylight whilst trying to blend in with the staff.
"You said this was gonna happen day after tomorrow," Steve remembered what Kate had said at his flat.
"Yes. I have to let him into the unit or they hurt Josh," Kate said.
"Why not tomorrow. Why wait another twenty four hours?" asked Georgia out loud.
"I'm not at work tomorrow," Kate said.
"Well that's something I suppose," commented Ted. "It gives us a bit of time to come up with a plan so they don't succeed,".
