Deep Heat II Chapter 9

9.

Morning came early in the village; the church bells will toll early and the cows and the shepherd’s dogs will chorus along. For me, it was the phone ringing. I was lying on the bed still in my full suit of leathers and the shotgun reachable.

“Hello.” I sounded nervous. I was expecting calls at odd hours as an officer but that morning, I was unprepared.

“Ma’am, it's me. Tabitha.” I was relieved to hear that voice. I sat up and listened to her. She has the information I needed. She went back ten years and in the last five, there were reports of missing persons in the village vicinity. Not the locals but backpackers or passer-by. All single ladies in their twenties to the thirties. The odd part of the report was there were investigations by the local constabulary but no results. There were no local crimes reported. It was as if the village was a blessed place. It was far too good to be true.

“Sergeant Constable O’Reilly, Sean O’Reilly, and Constable Paddy Muggins.” Both were stationed there for the last decade. I had then in my head, the odd couple with the wide girth on the waist. I want her to email me and realized I was without the laptop.

“Send me the folders. Can you or Ian bring it down?” I knew it was against the rules. “Or send Carly what’s her name. Asked her to get a gun too. Check if she was trained in firearms.”

“I think you ought to come back. CI McMahon is looking for you and so is CI Bromley. There has been a new development on the Assistant Chief Constable.”

I was back at my desk in an hour creaking some road speed limits but I was where I was needed.

“We got a lead that the killer of Assistant Chief Constable was a member of Sidney’s gang. They are claiming the Police were responsible for Sidney’s death.” I heard Tabitha.

“CI Bromley is calling in the new leaders. They are few but these are young Turks. They will fight off any arrest.” Tabitha continued on. “I told Ian to be careful. Armed Response is with them. They raided the Church now.”

At the Church across the city, Ian leaned against the wall next to the open doorway at the Church. He had on the armored vest and held the service gun; Glock 17 pistol in his right hand. He was trained as a Specialist Firearms Officer which authorized him to carry firearms. The Armed Response team of six officers were all lined up along the wall armed with the MP5K rifles and armored vests. They also had on leather greaves and shin protectors. He looked to the patrol car and saw CI Bromley was behind it.

“Are we ready to go in?” The communication unit voiced out on Ian’s vest. Ian looked to the other officer in charge of the Armed Responses. The latter nodded and Ian gave the word back to the CI. The Armed Responses officers tossed in the flash grenades and then the smoke grenades.

“Go! Go!” The call went out.” The Armed Responses Team at the doorway rushed in, with Ian in the rear. They were met by heavy fire once they stepped in. Three of the Armed Responses went down before the others could find shelter.

“Find cover!” The officer in charge called out before he dragged himself behind the bench for cover. He saw of the three officers down, only one was moving. “I got officers down. Need backup.”

CI Bromley heard the call and motioned the second Armed Responses Team to move in. That team was a ten men outfit and they went split into two teams, with one team from the front entrance and the other team from the rear.

“We have hostiles in the rear.” The second team responded with fire. There were two gunmen there hidden behind overturned furniture.

“Fire in the Hole!” A a flash grenade was tossed in and then the Armed Responses rushed further in. They fired on the two stunned gunmen and then took a position to storm the front.

“Rear secured,” The team leader called in. “Moving to the main gallery.”

Team Front rushed in and reinforced the previous assault team. The officer in charge was Sergeant Murray. He was a fiery Scots with the boxing title belt. He slid towards the wooden bench next to Ian. He looked over his left shoulder and did a headcount.

“Team, we got four hostiles. One at the Altar and two at the left and the last on the front bench.” Murray called in. “Let’s frag them to Hell.”

“Blasphemy, Sergeant. We are in the House of God.” Officer Tray Williams, the only female officer in the team replied. “I say we tossed in the flash and then take them down.”

“We go by yours but on any one of us getting shot, you have my authority to liberalize them of their existence,” Murray replied. It was then Ian cut in.

“Sergeant, I need one alive.” Ian tapped the Sergeant on the right shoulder. The other nodded, and relayed the message. Then he raised his left hand and did the countdown from four. When his finger reached one left, the grenade went over from Tracy. Murray stood up like the rest of his team to fire at the hostiles. In seconds, it was all over.

“Five accounted for, and only one can talk.” Ian later reported to CI Bromley.

“Get that one into the Station.” CI Bromley then looked at the Coroner and the Forensics team moving into the kill zone. They were blocked by the crowd from entering the scene until some uniforms moved in and cleared the passage. A scuffle broke out and the fight erupted. The uniforms moved in to assist their members and truncheons were seen in use.

“Call in the Police Support Unit.” CI Bromley called out. “Get those poor guys to retreat.”

The Coroner and Forensics The team withdrew to their vehicles while the uniforms tried their best to contain the issue. Soon in minutes, the siren was heard in the area. The Police Support The unit or PSU had arrived in the two white vans. The officers of the PSU unit then disembarked and took over the rioting. The team of twenty-two officers was in the overall and plastic reinforced shield, and visor down the helmet, shin and elbow guards. They moved in and contained the situation.  CI Bromley saw Ian still standing there. He approached the Detective. He was still heckled by the crowd who had congregated there a distance outside the Church.

“Let get you back to the Station.” CI Bromley told Ian. The Armed Responses Team has left to avoid any publicity by the press while the PSU held the boundary. “Your wife was calling.”

Just when Ian was walking to the patrol car, he was thrown with paper cups and bottles for his part.  He turned to look and it was then the shot came. He was shot in the chest and fell to his knees. He heard the shouts and the shoving of the crowd before he fell into unconsciousness.

I got the news on my way into the City. I re-directed towards the Medical Centre and was with Tabitha while Ian underwent surgery. According to the doctors, he will be fine.

“The bullet missed his heart but it tore some other organs near it. We will know after we opened up.” The doctors were right and soon Ian was in recovery. I had to leave the couple and went home.

“About time you showed up.” Doctor Elizabeth Tan confronted me at my unit seated at the armchair facing the door. She was still in her scrubs and held a glass of whiskey in her right hand. She looked drunk and I saw the nearly empty bottle at the flooring.

“I was harassed for the last two days by some goons at my workplace. My Administrator had me sent home with a few days off. I am pissed. I have patients to take care of.” My lover released her anger towards me. I dropped my bags and glared at her.

“Who were them?” I asked.

“Your uniforms mates. They called me your bitch.” I knew then we won’t fuck that night but I was fucking mad.