She saw him looking at her hands, but she left them where they
were.
‘Are my hands that interesting?’
‘Sorry. I didn’t mean to stare. And I’m not really following
you. But I would like to ask you how your patient is.’
The smile faded. She moved her hands into her lap, and
looked at him curiously.
‘Why do you want to know? Are you a relative?’
‘I’m her brother.’
‘I see. You are the reason I have a policeman outside the
door. I don’t think I should be talking to you, really.’
Michael gave an inward sigh of relief. She hadn’t panicked
or screamed. In fact she was ice cool.
‘You don’t need to tell anyone. Just tell me how she is. I
can’t enquire so easily you see.’
She considered this for a moment. ‘Alright. Your sister –
Siobhan, was shot in the stomach. But you must know this. She went straight
into theatre when she came in. The bullet is gone, but there was internal
damage. The surgeon has tidied that up, and she is now stable, but still
critical. And under heavy sedation. She is under constant observation for now.
There is someone in there with her while I take a break.’
Michael stared at the table. It was as much as he could have
hoped for. ‘Thank you.’
‘I must get back now.’ She made a move to get up.
‘Just give me five minutes to get out of here before you
tell our friend on the door who you’ve been talking to.’
‘I won’t mention it. And yes, you should leave first.’
They exchanged a long look. He was trying to read her, would
she or wouldn’t she? His gut told him she was telling the truth. But he asked
anyway.
‘Why not?’
‘Perhaps they will shoot you. I don’t want that on my
conscience.’
He stood up. ‘I’m sure that won’t happen, but thanks
anyway.’ He hesitated for a moment. ‘I’m Michael.’
‘Sabine. Is it nice to meet you?’
He laughed. ‘Where are you from, Sabine?’
‘Germany, a place called Heidelberg. It’s in the South. You
know it?’
‘No, I don’t. I’d like to talk to you again, Sabine, just to
know how Siobhan’s doing. Is that possible?’
‘So. You’re going to follow me again. Well, you know where I
am.’
‘I do. Goodbye then.’ He hesitated. He wanted to stay longer
and find out more about this woman. But this was not a time to be distracted.
He contented himself with a last look then abruptly turned around and walked
swiftly away.
Chapter 6
‘There is news,’ Jack Hudson
pronounced as Harry entered the office.
‘You mean the shooting of that girl? It wasn’t far from here,
either. I saw the TV report. You know who she was? They haven’t named her yet.’
‘And they won’t for the moment. It’s been 48 hours though,
and we can’t keep a lid on it for much longer. But yes, that’s the news I’m
talking about. Her name is Siobhan O’Reilly. Mean anything?’
Harry shrugged. ‘No, should it?’ Then it hit him. ‘You mean,
as in Michael O’Reilly?’
Jack smiled. ‘His sister. What the TV didn’t tell you is
that there were three people at the scene when the ambulance crew arrived.
Siobhan and two men, one of whom was dead. The other referred to Siobhan as his
sister, so by a simple process of elimination…’
‘The man on the horse then, must have been.’ Harry pulled up
a chair and sat opposite Jack. ‘But who shot his sister? And why?’
Jack began to speak then thought better of it. He punctuated
the pause by clearing his throat. ‘Actually, we don’t know the answer to that
one. Wasn’t us though.’
‘Where’s O’Reilly now then?’
‘Don’t know that either. His sister is in hospital, alive
but critical. Perhaps O’Reilly will go there at some point, though that would
be unwise in my opinion. Apparently he was shot too. In the shoulder.’
Harry leaned back in his chair. From his perspective, none
of this was making him any happier.
‘Look, Jack, all of this shooting and me getting involved in
things I had no idea I’d get involved in
were.
‘Are my hands that interesting?’
‘Sorry. I didn’t mean to stare. And I’m not really following
you. But I would like to ask you how your patient is.’
The smile faded. She moved her hands into her lap, and
looked at him curiously.
‘Why do you want to know? Are you a relative?’
‘I’m her brother.’
‘I see. You are the reason I have a policeman outside the
door. I don’t think I should be talking to you, really.’
Michael gave an inward sigh of relief. She hadn’t panicked
or screamed. In fact she was ice cool.
‘You don’t need to tell anyone. Just tell me how she is. I
can’t enquire so easily you see.’
She considered this for a moment. ‘Alright. Your sister –
Siobhan, was shot in the stomach. But you must know this. She went straight
into theatre when she came in. The bullet is gone, but there was internal
damage. The surgeon has tidied that up, and she is now stable, but still
critical. And under heavy sedation. She is under constant observation for now.
There is someone in there with her while I take a break.’
Michael stared at the table. It was as much as he could have
hoped for. ‘Thank you.’
‘I must get back now.’ She made a move to get up.
‘Just give me five minutes to get out of here before you
tell our friend on the door who you’ve been talking to.’
‘I won’t mention it. And yes, you should leave first.’
They exchanged a long look. He was trying to read her, would
she or wouldn’t she? His gut told him she was telling the truth. But he asked
anyway.
‘Why not?’
‘Perhaps they will shoot you. I don’t want that on my
conscience.’
He stood up. ‘I’m sure that won’t happen, but thanks
anyway.’ He hesitated for a moment. ‘I’m Michael.’
‘Sabine. Is it nice to meet you?’
He laughed. ‘Where are you from, Sabine?’
‘Germany, a place called Heidelberg. It’s in the South. You
know it?’
‘No, I don’t. I’d like to talk to you again, Sabine, just to
know how Siobhan’s doing. Is that possible?’
‘So. You’re going to follow me again. Well, you know where I
am.’
‘I do. Goodbye then.’ He hesitated. He wanted to stay longer
and find out more about this woman. But this was not a time to be distracted.
He contented himself with a last look then abruptly turned around and walked
swiftly away.
Chapter 6
‘There is news,’ Jack Hudson
pronounced as Harry entered the office.
‘You mean the shooting of that girl? It wasn’t far from here,
either. I saw the TV report. You know who she was? They haven’t named her yet.’
‘And they won’t for the moment. It’s been 48 hours though,
and we can’t keep a lid on it for much longer. But yes, that’s the news I’m
talking about. Her name is Siobhan O’Reilly. Mean anything?’
Harry shrugged. ‘No, should it?’ Then it hit him. ‘You mean,
as in Michael O’Reilly?’
Jack smiled. ‘His sister. What the TV didn’t tell you is
that there were three people at the scene when the ambulance crew arrived.
Siobhan and two men, one of whom was dead. The other referred to Siobhan as his
sister, so by a simple process of elimination…’
‘The man on the horse then, must have been.’ Harry pulled up
a chair and sat opposite Jack. ‘But who shot his sister? And why?’
Jack began to speak then thought better of it. He punctuated
the pause by clearing his throat. ‘Actually, we don’t know the answer to that
one. Wasn’t us though.’
‘Where’s O’Reilly now then?’
‘Don’t know that either. His sister is in hospital, alive
but critical. Perhaps O’Reilly will go there at some point, though that would
be unwise in my opinion. Apparently he was shot too. In the shoulder.’
Harry leaned back in his chair. From his perspective, none
of this was making him any happier.
‘Look, Jack, all of this shooting and me getting involved in
things I had no idea I’d get involved in
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