Page 75 of Her Lips Are Sealed

‘Just a moment, I don’t think anyone has brought a sick cat in, but I’ll just check out the back. Also, I need to check what treatment Kevin is on. This computer has crashed. I’ll have to use the one in the office.’

The receptionist disappeared out the back. Morgan was looking around reading the posters when she heard a door open and a man’s voice call, ‘Neil.’

Morgan looked at Neil and smiled. ‘You’re up, dude, good luck.’

Then she glanced at the nurse in green scrubs standing waiting for Neil and her heart almost exploded from her chest. It was the guy off the photos. There was the small mole to the left side of his nostril and she was absolutely positive. Everything slowed down as if she was filming on her phone in slow-mo. The guy glanced at Morgan and his eyes widened. She tried not to show that she knew who he was, but her hands were shaking and her mouth went dry. She couldn’t lunge for him because Neil and his owner were standing between them.

It was as if the world stopped while she tried to figure out the best thing to do with the guy who was their top wanted and extremely dangerous watching her every move. Finally, Neil’s owner was through the door with the dog, leaving her staring at him and him staring straight back.

Once he shut that door to the examination room there was a door he could leave through out the back and God knows how many exits.

Her last thoughts before she bolted towards him were, ‘Sorry, Ben.’ Then she was sprinting towards the door, shouting. ‘Police, put your hands up where I can see them now.’ She pressed the red button on her radio because she didn’t have time to give an extended update.

Her radio began vibrating and transmitting her entire conversation over the airwaves so every officer could hear. Control began shouting for immediate assistance to her location.

‘What’s happening, Morgan?’

‘Suspect in sight, wearing green scrubs, on foot. Stop, police, I said put your hands up, don’t move.’

The guy glanced at the exit, realised that Morgan was blocking his escape and slammed the door in her face just as she reached it.

‘He’s on the run, South Lakes Vets in Ulverston.’

She pushed the door open to see the shocked face of Neil’s owner. Neil looked a little calmer now the nurse had gone. Morgan ran through the door, following him into a large room with lots of cages for animals that had come out of surgery. Two women were watching, mouths open.

‘You can’t come back here.’

‘Police, where did he go?’

‘Don’t be ridiculous, he’s done nothing wrong,’ said the older of the two.

Morgan stared. There were four doors to choose from. The younger woman looked at Morgan and pointed to the first door, ‘Kitchen, leads out to the garden.’

‘Did you get that, Control? He’s run out into the gardens. I need the entire area flooding now.’

She ran through into the kitchen just in time to see him unlocking the rear door. He turned and picked up a mug off the counter, launching it through the air at her head. She managed to duck, then came another one that was twice the size and thickness of the last one that caught her off guard and caught her on the side of the head with a loud thump. He was out of the door and Morgan, who felt a little sick at the force of the mug that had landed on the floor and smashed into a hundred pieces, rubbed at her head as she took off after him.

She pulled out her CS gas and saw him pounding across the car park. He was picking up speed and fast, but so was she and she was pumping her much shorter legs as hard as she could to keep up with him.

A car turned into the driveway, and he almost collided with it, but kept on running towards the town centre, where there was a warren of cobblestoned streets and alleyways threaded throughout. If he cut down one of those and she lost sight of him, it was game over.

Sirens finally filled the air and police vans and cars all screeched to a halt. Officers got out and began to give chase, but he darted down a small alley that had three different connecting ones and Morgan, who felt the pavement below her starting to move sideways, had to slow down.

An officer came running towards her shouting on the radio. ‘Officer with a head injury, she’s upright but bleeding.’

Morgan looked around to see who she was talking about then realised it was her and that was when she slumped to the ground, dazed.

Cain grabbed the van keys from Amber, and him, Ben, Amy, Lucy and Josh all piled into it when the call for officer injured came over the radio. His face paled. ‘Morgan, speak to me, what’s happening?’ he shouted, his voice full of panic.

‘Sir, she’s a bit dazed. Bleeding a bit from a gash on the side of her head, but she’s conscious.’

‘Fuck.’ Cain put his foot down, the sirens were deafening and it was pure chaos both over the airwaves and the turmoil inside of the van. ‘Offender update?’

‘We’ve lost him down Lower Brook Street.’

‘Keep looking, I need a dog to the area now, Control.’

‘Ben, it’s Cassie, I’m on my way.’