Hard Evidence

'You don't know what I want.'

'We found her for you; you can trust us. You don't want Jenny to get hurt, do you?'

'That's why you have to let us go.'

'And how's that going to work?'

'We've done nothing wrong.'

'She's your daughter, Howard. Of course you've done nothing wrong.'

Morgan nodded. 'It was Candy. She took her. I'm keeping her away from her, so she can't hurt her. I'm her dad. She should be with me.'

Sally smiled reassuringly at Jenny, who was still huddled terrified in the corner.

'You're scaring Jenny. Why don't you let her come to me? I'll take her somewhere safe.'

Morgan shook his head and looked back at his daughter. 'Jenny, stay where you are.'

Sally took a step forward and held her hand out to Jenny. 'Come on, Howard, let me take her out of here. The petrol is making her eyes sting.'

As she took another step forward, Howard shouted at her, holding up the lighter and flicking the flint wheel a little with his left hand. 'Stay where you are.'

Delaney gripped Sally's arm with steel fingers, holding her in place.

'It's okay, Howard. Nobody's going anywhere. We just want to talk.'

'Everyone wants to talk, but what good does it ever do?'

Delaney paused, not sure he had an answer. 'Just put the lighter down. And let Jenny come to us.'

Morgan was emphatic. 'She stays with me.'

'Nobody's saying we will be taking her away from you, Howard. We just need to sort everything out.'

'You're lying.'

Sally moved a step forward and Morgan raised the lighter again. She stopped. 'You're her father. Of course she'll stay with you.'

'Candy took her away. You're going to let her keep her, aren't you?'

'She shouldn't have taken her. That was wrong.'

'Are you going to send her back to prison?'

'We all need to sit down and talk about things. We need to sort everything out.'

'She told you, didn't she? Candy told you everything.'

Delaney kept his eyes flat, neutral, but Sally couldn't meet his gaze and Morgan nodded, vindicated.

'That's why you're here.'

'Just come off the boat, Howard.'

'Dad, please…'

Morgan looked over at his terrified daughter. 'Don't worry, sweetheart. This is all going to be for the best.'

He held the lighter out again and flicked it a couple of times, the sparks darting out and licking the air.

Chief Inspector Campbell slammed her car door shut behind her and walked angrily over to where Bonner stood with his binoculars held to his eyes. Beside him a couple of SO19 officers were prostrate on the ground with their rifles trained on Morgan as he moved in and out of shot in the window.

'What the hell's he doing in there, Bonner?'

Bonner lowered the field glasses and smiled apologetically at his boss. 'He went in to get the girl out.'

'He didn't wait for armed back-up? He didn't wait for the trained hostage professionals?'

'He evaluated the situation and assessed that there wasn't time to wait, ma'am.'

Campbell glared at him, her voice dripping with sarcasm. 'He evaluated the situation, did he?'

'That's right, ma'am. That was his assessment.'

Campbell took the binoculars from Bonner and trained them on the boat. 'He should never have let the girl go in the first place.'

'That was my assessment too, ma'am.'

Campbell glared at him. 'Shut it, Bonner.'

'Morgan has poured petrol all over the boat. Threatening to torch it. That's why he went in. To protect the girl.'

Campbell nodded at the SO19 snipers. What's their position?'

'They're waiting for the word.'

Campbell turned to a sniper. 'You take a shot, is it going to set the petrol off?'

'Shouldn't do, ma'am.'

'Delaney said he'd signal if it was looking like Morgan was going to do anything and it was safe to take him down.'

Campbell looked at the prone officer who was watching her. 'You don't do anything without my say-so. Those are my officers out there.'

The rifleman nodded his head. 'Ma'am.'

Morgan flicked the lighter once again, the sparks more visible as the sun set lower.

Delaney held his voice calm. 'Let's get off the boat and talk, Howard. You want something, we know that. And we want something too. And you know what? It's the same thing. We both want Jenny safe. We're singing from the same hymn sheet here. Can you see that?'

Morgan snaked his tongue between his lips and licked the corner of his mouth. He tried to swallow some saliva but he had to strain his throat muscles. His eyes stung with the salt of the sweat dripping into his eyes and the petrol vapour that was hanging like a fine mist of poison in the overheated air of the barge.

'Jenny stays with me.'

Back on the bank, Bonner smiled as he watched Delaney hold his hand up in a wait gesture. 'That's his signal, ma'am.'

Campbell hesitated for a moment as Morgan moved backwards, giving the marksmen a clear shot at him. She swallowed and nodded to the waiting snipers.

'Take him down.'

The marksmen trained their rifles, relaxed their breathing and caressed the steel curve of their triggers just as Delaney moved in front of Morgan again, blocking their view.

'Take the shot!' Bonner shouted.

'Shit!' Campbell glared at him. 'What in the name of sweet fuck do you think you're playing at? Are you trying to get Delaney killed?'

Bonner shrugged unapologetically. 'They had a chance, they could have taken Morgan out.'

Campbell was about to say more, but the sight of a Sky News mobile camera van parking further up the road stopped her dead in her tracks.

'What moron fuck tipped those clowns off?'

But as the tall figure of Superintendent Walker walked hurriedly towards her, with Melanie Jones hard on his heels, she had her question answered.

'Do you think it's wise to have cameras here, sir?'

'They've been behind us on this from the beginning, Chief Inspector. Their help has been invaluable.'

Campbell threw the reporter a pointed look. 'What help? Delaney tracked the girl down both times.'

Walker glared across at the barge. 'What is he doing on there?'

'Morgan's poured petrol all over it. Delaney's playing the hero.'

'That man is a liability.' Walker looked at the armed officers. 'Have they had a clear shot?'

Bonner nodded. 'Almost.'

Walker's scowl faded as the cameraman arrived and Melanie Jones moved forward to interview him.

'Come on, Howard. Put the lighter down.'

Morgan had tears in his eyes. 'I'm done talking. Get off of my boat.'

'No one's going to hurt you.'

Morgan pointed out of the window to where he could see Candy waiting by the uniformed police. 'She hates me. She's going to make Jenny hate me.'

'Is that why you were taking Jenny away?' Delaney fought to keep his voice level.

Morgan's shoulders slumped slightly. 'I don't want Jenny hating me like she did.'

Delaney stepped forward. 'Let her go then. Let Sally take her off the boat. We can sort this out.'

Sally moved to the side of Delaney and held her hand out again to Jenny, who took it but didn't move from the table, which she kept in front of her like a barrier.

Morgan looked at his daughter. 'I always loved you, Jenny.'

Sally crouched down and smiled reassuringly at the girl. 'Come on. We're going to be just outside.' Howard said nothing, but the arm holding the lighter relaxed as Sally led Jenny off the boat.

Delaney stepped forward to take the lighter, but Howard stiffened, holding it up again. Delaney breathed in, the petrol in the air tasting of bad memories. Tasting of an opportunity to put all those bad thoughts that tumbled constantly in his brain behind him once and for good.

Morgan's eyes darted back and forth again as he stepped back. 'It's time for you to get off my boat.'

'Come on, you don't have to do this.'

'It's over, isn't it?'

'Is this how you want her to remember you? Setting yourself on fire? Don't you think she's been through enough?'