Blindside - By Gj Moffat Page 0,33
window seeping dirty yellow light from the streetlights outside.
She waited, straining to listen for any more sounds from down the hall. She thought she could hear whispers, but couldn’t be sure. There was another thump, this time definitely emanating from the flat she was going to visit. Irvine stepped back, wondering if maybe it would be a good idea to wait for Armstrong after all.
She turned to look back down the stairs, didn’t see the door to Suzie Murray’s flat slowly open, revealing the black interior of the flat.
She heard a slow creaking sound behind her as the door to the flat opened all the way, turned and saw the silhouette of a man against the light from the window. His face was indistinct in the gloom of the hall.
She heard what sounded like a woman crying.
The man didn’t move.
Irvine reached into her bag and took out her warrant card, holding it up.
‘I’m a police officer. DC Irvine, Strathclyde Police CID.’
Her voice sounded stronger than she felt. That’s how they taught you – got to sound like a cop, even if you don’t feel it.
The man turned his head and looked inside the flat. She saw him in profile – long hair with a prominent brow and a boxer’s flat nose. Realised now that he was tall and wide.
Wished to Christ she’d waited for Armstrong.
The man turned back to look at her.
‘Bad timing,’ he said, and walked towards her.
4
Irvine held her ID out in front of her, as though it would act as a shield. The man continued to advance on her. She stepped back, felt her foot slip on the edge of the top stair – nowhere to go but down.
He was close now, ten feet from her. She pushed her other hand into her bag and grabbed the canister of pepper spray, pulled it out and pointed it at him.
‘Stay where you are or I’ll use this.’
She said it loud and it was enough to stop him. Still couldn’t make out his face. She smelled alcohol and aftershave.
His head cocked to one side.
He ran at her.
Irvine saw his face clearly for a moment and pressed the button on the spray.
He ducked his head and held a big hand up to protect his face from the spray. Irvine tried to angle the liquid into his eyes.
Then he was on her.
He shoved his leading hand into Irvine’s face, cracking her face back on to the wall. She felt the impact on her eye socket and cheek, the whole side of her face going numb from the blow.
She kept her finger on the spray and moved the canister rapidly from side to side hoping to catch him in the face. It worked.
He shouted out and pulled his hand off her face.
Irvine kicked out at his legs and felt the side of her shoe connect with his shin. She stepped up into the hall and swung her fist at his head, the canister of pepper spray still grasped in it. She caught him with a glancing blow and he staggered on to the stairs, grabbing at the railing with one hand and swinging the other one round at her.
She saw the blow coming too late. His hand closed into a fist and hit her high on the head, just below her hairline. The force of it made her stagger and she fell back against the wall.
The man rubbed at his eyes. Turned and ran, half falling down the stairs.
Irvine leaned against the wall and listened to the sound of him running on the stairs and the main door crashing back against the wall as he went out on to the street.
She slid down the wall and dropped the pepper spray, her whole body shaking. She felt on the verge of tears but forced herself not to cry, taking in deep lungfuls of air to slow her pulse.
The side of her face felt hot and tight. She put her hand to it and felt swelling around her eye, pulled it away and saw blood. She wiped the blood on the wall, smearing it red.
Irvine searched in her bag for a packet of tissues, pulling out a handful of them and pressing them to her face. She felt blood soak them almost immediately.
‘Are you okay?’
Irvine looked up at the sound of the woman’s voice. She was leaning against the doorframe of her flat staring at Irvine.
‘Did he hit you?’
Irvine nodded and pushed herself up. She bent down to lift her bag and felt her