Dangerous Games

Chapter 13 part 2

We marched back to the swing doors and went through. There was a fight going on inside me, between the sickening feeling trying to force its way up from the pit of my stomach, and my sense of pride and duty trying to force it back down again. Once we were in the building, Constable Lee, clearly in charge of the ground floor, stepped forward and turned the key in the lock.

"Just a precaution, mate," he explained. "In case anyone wants to come in and spoil the whole thing." Or did he simply want to stop me from doing a runner?

"Where did you get those keys from?" Claire asked.

"Listen, you're not the only one who can borrow stuff off building managers. Returned those tapes yet?" Did everybody back at the station know all our secrets?

"Everything's set," Lee continued. "All the notices about not using the lifts in position and all uniformed officers at their posts." He turned to Claire. "Except you that is. Look lively! We'll give you a couple of minutes to reach the tenth floor."

Great, I thought, T minus two minutes and counting.

Claire pressed the button to summon the lift, but unlike me, she clearly didn't have the magic touch when it came to lifts and there were a few uncomfortable seconds of silence while we waited for the ping to inform us that her ride had arrived. Standing in the lift, Claire effortlessly pressed the button for ten – how much I envied the ease with which she could do that – then turned and mouthed the words good luck to me. The doors closed, and I couldn't help wondering if that was going to be the last time I would ever see her.

Lee started to whistle the Imperial March theme from the Star Wars movie, until I gave him a nasty look.

"Must you?"

"Sorry, mate. I was only trying to keep your spirits up."

"Well don't."

"Dunno what all the fuss is about. All you're doing is going up and down in some bloody lift, and everyone's treating you like flippin' Superman. I could have done what you're doing."

"Well, why don't you, then? Believe me, you'd be welcome to change places with me."

"Oh, no. I ain't falling for that one. Superintendent Sugden says you're going, so going you are. Now, do you have your camera with you?"

In response, I showed him the small silver box strapped to my upper chest. "One body camera, standard issue. Already running. Want to give it a wave to test it?"

Lee waved at the camera, and smiled. At this point his radio crackled and Claire's voice came over loud and clear. "Right. I'm on the tenth floor landing. Ready when you are."

Lee pressed the All Stations button on the radio. "All right, everyone, we're on for this thing." Clearly the man liked a bit of authority. He'd go far that one!

He turned to me one last time. "Okay, then. All set?"

"All set."

"Well then. Best of luck." He pressed the button to summon the lift. This time I knew it would take its time, as the lift was having to make its way down from the tenth floor. I didn't mind. It could take all the time in the world, for all I cared.

Lee turned slightly. "Oh, I almost forgot. Don't be surprised if you see the panel of lift buttons has some of those buttons taped off. Claire thought that it might help you concentrate on just the floors you need."

"Did she? How thoughtful!"

All too soon, the door opened with its optimistic ping.

Right, here goes. Best foot forward. It would be just like yesterday evening, I thought. Not that yesterday evening had gone particularly well, but at least I had got through it. All I had to do was get through this.