The Accident

Detective Inspector Paul McMillan started the journey from Dalroy near Inverness back to the Police Station in Inverness. It had been snowing heavily with an east wind blowing in the bitter cold air from Russia. Sitting next to him is Detective Sergeant Geoffery Hunt. They had been investigating a murder in Dalroy. It is a small hamlet but it has plenty of action. The investigation had not got anywhere. Both of then felt they were looking at the wrong people.

The mobile in Geoffery’s jacket rang with the Star Wars theme.

         ‘Hello,’ said Geoffery, ‘hello Peter how are you?’

Geoffery listened carefully. The said to Paul McMillan, stop the car. You need to take this.’

He handed his mobile to Paul, ‘Hello Paul speaking.’

         ‘Oh, hello Peter, how are you?’ Paul listened carefully.

         ‘Where is the accident?’ asked Paul. ‘On the road between Balloch and the A96, any one hurt?’

Paul hung up the call and handed the mobile back to Geoffery.

         ‘Are you okay Paul?’ asked Geoffery.

         ‘Bit shook up, there has been an accident by Balloch, my ex-girl friends’ kids are both injured.’ Paul took a breath to calm down. ‘The boy Saul was driving he has concussion and his sister Janice is badly injured, they had a passenger who is badly injured, he is not expected to last the night.’ 

         ‘Saul is only fifteen, he will have no licence or insurance,’ replied Geoffery.

         ‘Dot is at home, they are going to get her and take her to the hospital,’ said Paul. ‘Can you drop me by the accident and I will get a lift to the hospital.

         ‘Sure,’ replied Peter, ‘are you sure that you are okay, you look very shook up.’

         ‘I will be fine,’ said Paul. ‘Once I get there the routine takes over.’

They drove to the crash site, there was a car over turned that belonged to Dot. Ambulances and police cars were at the crash site. Paul made his way to the ’cordoned off area. He showed his ID to the constable on duty.

         ‘My name is Paul, I am Detective Inspector at Inverness, I know the mother of two of the children.’

         ‘Hi my name is Rory; I am one of the paramedics from Raigmore Hospital. The driver is badly shook up, looks like he has concussion, the girl in the passenger seat is in a bad way, she was not wearing a seat belt and got thrown about, luckily not through the windscreen. The boy on the back seat got thrown out of his seat he went through the windscreen. I don’t think he is going last long but we are doing our best for him.’

         ‘What caused the crash,’ asked Paul.

         ‘You will need to speak to the policeman over there,’ said the paramedic.

Paul walked over to the policeman, ‘Oh hello sir I didn’t recognise you.’

         ‘Any ideas what happened to cause this crash?’ asked Paul.

         ‘We have had a word with the driver he is a bit mixed up, the medics think he is concussed, but it sounds like a deer ran out in front of them, they braked and lost control of the car, they ended upside down in a ditch.’

         ‘You know the boy is fifteen, no licence and no insurance.’

         ‘No sir, he looks old enough to be able to drive, but we need to wait until we can get him into hospital before we speak properly to him.’

         ‘When you bring him into Inverness police station, please let me know. I am a friend of his mum. I don’t want to do any favours but am interested to know how he gets on. Here is my card.’

         ‘Yes sir, replied the policeman.

Paul went back to the paramedics who were getting ready to load the patients into the ambulances.

         ‘Can I hitch a lift to the hospital, please.’

         One of the paramedics replied yes of course you can and pointed to the passenger seat of the ambulance.

They arrived at Raigmore, the staff instantly went to work getting the patients into hospital. Paul let them carry on and waited until they had cleared the area then walked into Raigmore. One of the staff directed him to the waiting area.

Paul had just sat down, when Dot their mother ran into the hospital, tears streaming down her face. She grabbed Paul and cried into his collar, leaving it damp.

         ‘What happened?’ asked Dot.

         ‘It sounds like it was a deer that ran in front of the car, Saul braked, lost control and crashed, the boy in the back went through the windscreen and Janice is badly injured. Her kidneys are damaged and she went straight to theatre. The boy in the back is not expected to live.’

         ‘Oh my god what have I done to deserve this,’ wailed Dot.

         ‘Calm down we have to wait to hear what the surgeons say,’ said Paul. ‘Why was Saul out driving himself.’

Dot did not answer the question, she ignored it. ‘What will happen to Janice her kidneys are in a terrible state, and what about Saul?’

         ‘Saul I can probably do something for, I will speak to the officer in charge of the case, but I can’t do too much, or I would be seen to be trying to do you a favour,’ said Paul.

         ‘You have to do something about it, he is your son,’ blurted out Dot.

Paul looked dumbfounded and shocked. Dot looked as bad after her outburst.

         ‘What do you mean he is my son, ‘you got married before you had Saul,’ said Paul trying to keep calm. You mean you were pregnant before I left.’

         ‘Yes, you just up and left without a word, and you have just appeared back here after fifteen years away.’

         ‘But you are married, does your husband know about Saul being my son.’

         ‘Yes, he knows all about it, and he has treated Saul like his son. I don’t love him, but he loves me and he looks after me.’

Dot went and sat down in the waiting room next to Paul. She knew it was going to be a long night.