Title: Crossroads
Summary: Mickey walks into a trap, with devastating consequences

1.

Mickey studied the information in front of him.
The face of Darren Adams started back at him, as the file lay open on the desk in front of him.

"Is this your suspect?" Jack Meadows asked, surprising the younger man by his sudden appearance.

"Yeah, Guv." Mickey filled in, putting the plastic cup of water down as he turned to explain the situation. "Angela Adams, sister of Darren was found by uniform this morning. Unconscious, badly beaten, looked to be a vicious mugging except the attacker hadn't taken any valuables but she'd had plenty of jewellery and cash on her."

"So why would her brother do that?" Jack queried.

"Neighbours of Angela said her brother was a frequent visitor. But recently, he'd turned more aggresive and his visits would usually end in a row, and her chucking him out. A few weeks back the neighbour even reported them when the row seemed to turn violent. Angela didn't want to press charges, and she wasn't hurt, but the place had been turned over a bit, things smashed up. Like he'd been looking for something."

"Right. Is that all we've got to go on?"

"No. Their father died about a month or so ago. Apparently he wasn't short of a few bob. Now this neighbour reckoned that Angela had been the one left his money in the will. And she told me about a.." Mickey stopped to check the name on a file underneath Darren's. "Karen Daze. Now, she was always visiting Angela, a good friend the neighbour said. When I spoke to Karen she told me Angela had cut her brother off from their father a few months before he died. She'd been caring for him. Said the brother was convinced that Angela had made their Dad cut him out of the Will so she got all the money, but Angela always told Karen that it was because he was a junkie."

"Right. So what's the plan of attack?" Jack pressed on, happy with Mickey's report so far.

"With Angela in hospital, I was going to follow Adams movements, see if he goes back to the flat now Angela's gone. There must be something there he's looking for."

"Okay, keep me updated, Mickey."

"Guv."

Jack started to walk away before stopping. "What do you think he wants?"

"Adams? I dunno. My first thought was it was about the money, but he could have got some already. Seems like there's more to it."

"Family pride? He feels snubbed." Jack guessed.

"Maybe. I'll try and find out." Mickey said, taking a mouthful of water before getting up, grabbing his jacket and heading for the door.

**

Mickey went to Adams' flat first and after that proved unsuccesful, he waited at Angela's flat.

He was rewarded with an appereance after only twenty minutes.

Mickey gave him time to settle before making his way up. There was no forced entry, Mickey guessed he had a key, but he hadn't closed the door it had been left on the latch. Mickey let himself in. "Darren?" He called, wanting to alert the man to his presence.

A startled man appeared at the top of the stairs. "Who are you?"

"DC Mickey Webb, Sun Hill." He flashed his warrant card. Waited as Darren came down.

"How can I help?"

"You can tell me what you're doing here to start with."

"It's my sister's flat." He explained.

"Angela Adams? And?"

"I was going to take a few things to her at the hospital."

"Right." Mickey said. "Can you think of anyone who had a reason to hold a grudge against your sister?"

"I can think of plenty of people. Anyone who met her. She's a bitch."

"That's not a nice thing to say about your sister."

"It's the truth though. I don't wanna lie to the police, do I?" There was a glimpse of an attitude with those words, something Mickey was certain was lurking behind the man's cool exterior.

"You certainly don't. If you think of anything more specific, let me know, eh?" Mickey gave the man a card with his details on.

"Yeah, sure thing." Darren watched the man leave, the door closing behind him.

**

After returning to the station, Mickey had done some more digging. He'd found nothing that seemed to lead to anyone holding a grudge against Angela. The only thing on her record was a noise complaint from a neighbour dating back to 1997. Hardly relevant now.

Comparing it to Darren's file, who had a stack of complaints against him. Recently he'd been arrested for theft but there hadn't been enough evidence for him to be convicted. If he did have a drug habit, his recent kleptomaniac stint could be paying for it. However, it still didn't give him any motive to attack his sister or a reason why he hadn't stolen from her.

He glanced at the time. He should be getting off soon. CID was starting to clear out now as everyone left. Deciding he'd put his fair share of hours in for the day, he reasoned it was his time to go. He planned to swing by Angela's flat, check to see if Darren was still about and what he was up to, before heading home.

"Mickey, you off?" Jack asked, checking into CID just as Mickey grabbed his jacket.

"Yeah, Guv. You going to the pub with the others later?"

"I don't think so. Still got a stack of work to go through before I'm done" Jack replied. "You?"

"Nah, not tonight."

"Right then, I'll see you tomorrow then."

**

Mickey almost missed him.
The car that passed him as he drove into the car park, that drove off almost as soon as he arrived. And he just spotted Darren in the car. He didn't seem to notice Mickey though.

Casually, Mickey turned the car round in the car park and started to trail Darren. He called in the index, found out the car was indeed Darren's. At least he hadn't stole that.

Mickey started slightly at the sound of his phone ringing. He answered on the second ring. "Yeah?"

"What the hell are you doing? I thought you went home?" Jack Meadows asked.

"Yeah, I was. I'm just seeing what Darren Adams is up too. Where the hell are you, anyway?"

"I just drove past you." Jack hesitated a moment. "You need me there?"

"Nah, I'm just observing, Guv."

Maybe that was when Adams spotted him. "Hang on a minute." Mickey said to Jack. He put the phone on the passenger seat as he concentrated on watching.
Adams looked briefly into the rear-view mirror before aking a short phone call.
Backing off might be appropriate now, he decided. Before he blew it all.
He heard Jack calling his name, sounding worried. He reached across and put the call onto loud speaker. "I'm 'ere."

"What's happening?"

"I thought I might have spooked him, but I think I'm alright. I'm keeping well back. I jus' wanna see where he's heading."

"No. You stop tailing him now." Jack heard Mickey exhale, frustrated.

"Okay, okay." Mickey relented. There was a crossroad up ahead and he'd veer off from Adams, even if he had to go the long way home.

"You're going home now, right Mickey?"

"Yeah Guv. I'm just approaching the crossroad at Pellum Street. I'll veer off there and head home."

He slowed, increasing the space between him and the car in front. It was then he noticed the bright headlights of a car behind. The lights were on full beam making it hard to see. The road was pretty deserted and he was too distracted by the car behind to see Darren speed off ahead.

"Mickey? What's going on?" Jack asked.

Mickey concentrated on the car behind, more than the conversation. "Nothing, just some idiot blinding me with his headlights."

The next thing Jack heard was an almight crash and then the line went dead.