Read Online Fatal Connection by Malcolm Rose - Free Book Online Page A

always seemed to know what was in someone else’s mind. They called me perceptive. They did some tests, decided I was good at talking to people and working them out. They thought I’d makea good police officer – with an outer partner. So, here I am. Detective Goodhart.’ He spread his arms. ‘Just like you and Mum.’
    Troy’s skills of perceptiveness and easy conversation had no value in that hospital room. He couldn’t be perceptive with a stranger who was completely inert. There was no reaction to guide him. If his father heard – and understood – what Troy was saying, would he be proud and happy? Troy didn’t know. Not even the heart monitor provided a response. Troy might be good at talking to people, but only when he got something back. In this one-way conversation, he felt awkward and tongue-tied.
    He tried to imagine being locked helplessly in a cell as flames churned inevitably down the corridor, the heat became unbearable and clouds of lethal smoke swirled in through the vents. At least that was how he pictured his father’s fate. He didn’t know any better because he hadn’t been given any details.
    ‘It must have been awful,’ Troy muttered. ‘Someone must have let you out.’ He shook his head. ‘If only they’d done it sooner.’
    Troy talked about living with Gran and working with Lexi Iona Four. He talked about his investigations – his successes and frustrations – and mercury. ‘It’s a weird runny metal. A wolf in sheep’sclothing. It’s fun – all bright and silvery and harmless – but it causes all sorts of bother if it’s let loose. It changes into deadly stuff.’
    Making Troy jump, Gran burst clumsily through the door and let out a cry. With barely a glance at Troy, she dashed to her son’s bedside, clutched his left hand in both of hers and mumbled, ‘Oh, honey …’
    Normally when Troy looked at his grandmother, he saw a strong woman. A woman who would never show any sign of weakness. Physically, nothing had changed, but right now Troy saw a frail ghost of his grandma. And she seemed to fade further as she stared at her sickly son, deathly pale and unresponsive. His plight was draining the strength from both of them.
    She looked up at Troy. ‘Has he said anything?’
    Troy shook his head.
    ‘They told me they could open all the cells at the push of a button,’ Gran said to Winston. ‘That’s what happens in an emergency like a fire. So, what went wrong? How did you get like this?’
    Troy felt the vibration of his life-logger. For an instant Gran scowled at him from across the bed because he wasn’t paying attention to the last moments of his father’s life. Head down, Troy didn’t spot her expression. He swallowed as he scanned themessage and felt his spine shiver. Looking up again, he said, ‘I’ve got something from the police commander. It’s not what I expected. Erm … I think you’d both better hear it. He wants me to read it out.’
    Gran looked puzzled.
    Troy steeled himself and said, ‘I hope you’re getting this, Dad. It’s … important.’
    Winston Goodhart did not react but, sensing Troy’s sincerity and urgency, Gran nodded reassuringly at him.
    Troy cleared his throat and spoke loudly, in case it helped his dad to hear. ‘I will get straight to the point. What I am about to tell you rests on two facts. I know your state of mind was deeply affected by your wife’s death and this may have influenced your conduct afterwards. Secondly, in the last few hours, you have acted gallantly and without thought for your own safety. By all accounts, you could have left the prison like everyone else, but you alone chose to go back into danger and rescue an injured prisoner. In doing so, you saw two trapped guards in even greater peril. The details are not yet clear but, once you had carried out the prisoner, you went back inside and, showing immense physical and mental strength, you freed the two prison guards and dragged them to safety. We do know