The windscreen had taken the brunt of the impact and most of the momentum out of the throw but Dewar still felt himself go woozy as he fought to find vision through the shattered glass by punching at it with his fist until he had a hole big enough to see out through. He hadn’t taken his foot off the accelerator throughout. The ambulance was swinging madly from side to side as he fought to control it until finally, he hurtled out of the no-go area into the relative safety of beyond.
Dewar put his hand to his head as he slowed the vehicle. Blood was trickling down his face and he felt dizzy. He looked at Grant’s unconscious body and shattered face and recognised that he was still the lucky one. ‘Please God, you’re alive, old son,’ he muttered as he caught sight of Health Board vehicles parked outside one of the schools they were going to be using as a vaccination centre. He pulled in behind them, slightly misjudging the distance and hitting the rear bumper of the last one in line. He got out to find help.
Dewar felt himself become even more dizzy as he entered through the swing doors of the main hall and sought support from the wall at the side as a blurred figure came towards him and a female voice said, ‘Adam! My God, what’s happened to you? You’re hurt!’ It was Karen.
Karen helped Dewar to a seat and made him put his head between his legs for a few moments until proper blood circulation to his brain had been restored.
‘Grant … He’s outside in the ambulance,’ he stammered…. ‘You’ve got to help him … He’s badly hurt.’
Karen organised help for Grant and returned to Dewar. ‘You’ve had a nasty blow on the head,’ she said. ‘I take it you two have been out recovering the something that was lost?’
Dewar agreed.
‘Successfully?’
‘We got the virus … The case in the ambulance. It has the vials in it … Don’t leave them there. Got to get them … ’
Karen put a restraining hand on his shoulder and said, ‘It’s all right, I’ll do it. Just sit still for a few minutes.’ She returned in under half a minute with the case and put it down at Dewar’s side. ‘Feel better?’ she asked with a smile.
Dewar nodded. ‘How’s Grant?’ he asked in trepidation.
‘He’s in a bit of a mess. ‘His nose and cheek bones have been smashed; his jaw is broken in three places and several ribs have gone. They can’t be sure about damage to internal organs at the moment but an ambulance is on its way to take him up to the Royal Infirmary.’
‘Is he going to pull through?’
‘I wouldn’t bet my salary on it, but I’d say, yes. Superintendent Tulloch is on his way over.’
‘Tulloch? Just what we need.’
‘One of the others called him when they saw the state of Inspector Grant. It’s right he should know,’ said Karen.
I suppose so,’ agreed Dewar. ‘But maybe I can be out of here by the time he comes.’ He made to get up but Karen stopped him. ‘You’re not going anywhere for the moment,’ she said. ‘You’re concussed.’
‘I was never actually unconscious,’ argued Dewar.
‘You soon will be if you don’t do what you’re told. You’re in no fit state to go anywhere. What d’you have to do that’s so important?’
‘I’ll feel happier when the vials are a long way from here,’ said Dewar.
‘Someone else can take care of them. I strongly suggest you go up to the hospital for a check up with Inspector Grant in the ambulance.’
Tulloch and the ambulance for Grant arrived almost together. Tulloch watched mutely while the Grant’s broken and unconscious body was loaded into the back and the doors closed. Dewar declined to go with him. He decided to face Tulloch instead.
‘What the hell happened?’ stormed Tulloch. What were you doing in the no-go area? Of all the irresponsible … ’
Dewar’s head hurt but he was in no mood to roll over. ‘There was nothing irresponsible about it!’ he retorted. ‘Do you honestly think we wanted to go in there? Do you think we did it for a laugh? A dare? Use your brain man. We had to go in.’
‘For God’s sake, why?’
‘Because there was enough smallpox virus hidden in Aberdour Court to wipe out the entire city and most of the county besides. Grant and I went in to recover it and we succeeded.’
Tulloch looked at Dewar unsure of what to say. ‘This is all incredible. I’ll wait until I hear what Inspector Grant has to say before I take this further but as I see it, disciplinary measures will be inevitable.’
Dewar said coldly, ‘Assuming Inspector Grant lives, the only measures you will be taking with respect to him will comprise a strong commendation for a bravery award. He’s the real reason the virus is currently sitting in that case instead of a flat half way up a concrete tower in the middle of a no-go area controlled by yobs. As to why there should be a no-go area at all … ‘
Dewar sensed that Tulloch had taken the point. He continued, ‘Right now there are some shitheads out there who’re pretty miffed that two policemen, as they saw it, broke in and took something — they know not what, from the flats but that’s only made them look foolish in front of the others. They’re not going to be able to start a war on the back of that whereas a full scale operation with police riot squads might have had a very different outcome.’
Tulloch did not choose to argue with the logic.
‘All the same, I think you’d do well to strengthen the area round the road leading up to Aberdour Court. It could be bonfire night again. They’ll probably block off the road too to make sure it no one else tries to gate crash them but with a bit of luck, that’s as far as it’ll go.’
‘And the virus?’
‘I’ll make arrangements for it but I’ll need transport. My car’s sitting at police headquarters.’
‘Where do you want to go?’
‘Back to the Scottish Office. Maybe one of your people could contact Dr Malloy and ask him to meet me there.’
Tulloch nodded. ‘I’ll arrange a suitable escort.’
As Tulloch turned away, Karen returned to remonstrate with Dewar again. He held up both hands, saying, ‘Honestly, I’m fine and I’m getting a lift back to the Scottish Office so there’s no driving involved. I’ll see that all the vials are handed over to Steven Malloy and then I can sleep easy.’
‘I really wish you’d stay here tonight where I can keep an eye on you if I can’t persuade you to go to hospital where you really should be.’
‘I’ll be fine.’
Karen looked for a moment as if she was going to continue the argument then her expression softened and she said, ‘Go straight to bed after you’ve handed over the vials?’
‘I promise.’
They kissed but the sound of a large truck pulling up outside interrupted them.
‘It’s the vaccine!’ said a voice by the door. Karen and Dewar resumed their hug.
‘Thank God,’ said Karen.
‘He usually gets the credit,’ muttered Dewar. ‘Pity no one questions his creation of smallpox in the first place.’
A powerful police traffic-division car with four motor cycle outriders took Dewar back to the Scottish Office. He sat in the back with the case containing the vials on his knee deep in thought. The only advantage offered by this ‘parade’ — as he saw it, was that neither officer in the front asked him anything about the case or its contents. Presumably they had been instructed not to by Tulloch. This was fine; he didn’t feel like talking. The silence however, did allow him to consider another aspect of the package he was carrying. It was not only very dangerous, it was also very valuable. There were people, already in this city, who might pay as much as a million pounds for it and he was about to hand it over to an unemployed scientist named Steven Malloy.
Dewar trusted Malloy but he remembered having an earlier conversation with him about what people would and would not do where large sums of money were concerned. He remembered Malloy ‘hoping’ that he would have the resolve to turn down the offer of a huge sum if it involved him doing something against principle. Was hope good enough in this instance?