. Strong enough for her to feel the vibrations.
‘Emergency, which service do you require?’
‘Police,’ Gill said quickly, knowing there was no need to elaborate to the switchboard, who could only redirect her call.
Thud, whump. She heard a roar of rage which curdled the contents of her stomach and made her tremble.
‘Police, can you tell me the nature of your emergency?’
‘My name is DCI Gill Murray, I’m at Shaw and an intruder is trying to break into my house.’
‘Are you alone in the house?’ the operator said.
‘Yes.’
More shouting downstairs, still outside. Then fast banging, blows raining on the door.
Gill felt a lurch of fear.
‘Do you know how many intruders there are?’
‘No. One, I think.’ She’d heard only one voice, one set of footsteps. Had she? The prospect of more than one of them made her knees weak, her head spin.
‘Please stay on the line. Is there anywhere in the house you can lock yourself in?’
Another shout, she caught some of the words. ‘… fucking door, Gill, I’m warning you.’
She froze. Dave!
‘Are you there, caller? The car will be with you soon.’
Gill moved quickly out of her room and into Sammy’s, overlooking the side of the house. She could see the car, the BMW that Dave drove. Relief drenched through her and with it came a wave of rage so intense she thought she’d explode.
‘I think I know who it is,’ she said to the operator.
She ran downstairs, the house shaking with each great thump on the door. Gill glanced out of the sidelight beside the door and could see Dave, illuminated by the security lamp, his face contorted as he staggered back then launched himself at the building.
‘It’s my husband,’ she told the woman.
‘Any history of violence in the marriage?’
Not yet, Gill thought, seething, but you just bloody wait. ‘No,’ she said. ‘I’m fine. I don’t need the response car. I’m fine, really. I’ll be fine.’ Much as she’d love to heap humiliation on Detective Chief Superintendent Dave Fuckwit Murray by having him cuffed and chucked in a cell for the night, she still had sense enough to think of the wider ramifications. The fallout for Dave and his professional standing, which was already a damn sight wobblier than hers, the embarrassment for Sammy, the whole frigging mess. Bollocks!
But of course, they couldn’t cancel the call-out, she could hear the siren already, nee-nawing along the valley. The stupid dream had left her muddled, panicking, when if she’d only gone and checked from Sammy’s room in the first place…
Gill turned off the burglar alarm and waited for Dave to move. He’d settled into a rhythm. A thump then he swayed back again and readied himself. As soon as the next blow fell, Gill slid back the bolt quick as a flash, twisted the key in the lock and snapped off the Yale. She threw open the door just as he charged again.