Beyond the Tree House

by Gudrun Frerichs

  “We need to keep going, Sweetie.”

  She looks at me and smiles. “I know. I dreamed of us playing at the beach. We were all laughing and Scott made a bonfire.”

  I laughed. “That’s a good sign. You must be our lucky star. Come on, let’s go.”

  Chapter Thirty

  Elise: 24 March 2017, Early Evening, Gateway

  Run. Run. Run. It isn’t over yet.

  After two hours of running for our lives, the screaming terror lodged in every cell of my body has become a good friend. It pumps adrenaline into my bloodstream and coaxes from my muscles every iota of strength left. We run a hundred yards and then rest for a few minutes. Hundred yards … and rest. Again, and again.

  The Tribe is like a well-oiled relay team. We pass on the baton to the next person. Lilly, Amadeus, Luke, Mikey, and me. Each of us squeezes another hundred yards out of the body. I realize we’ve always operated that way, sharing the load and helping. Only this time it was about sinking or swimming. It’s over or it’s over with us. We will succeed. We have to. Everything else is not an option.

  When we reach State Highway 6 we stop. The road cuts through the landscape, its black asphalt gleaming like a river in the afternoon sun. I pluck Rena off Scott’s back. She smiles. After all the shooting, shouting, running, and hiding under scratchy bushes, she smiles. She’s such a trouper.

  Scott flops to the ground and leans against a tree trunk, gasping for air as his head drops to his chest. I take a seat next to him and Rena is snuggling between us. She looks up to Scott and me with her large, blue eyes. I’m sure she’s hungry, the little peanut.

  “Sweetie, can you hold on a little longer until we find something to eat?”

  “I’m not hungry.”

  I choke seeing how she tries not to be a burden; so much so, she even denies being hungry. We must be a strange group for anyone who comes across us. Her summer dress is in tatters, so are Scott’s jeans. His upper body is bare, besides the blood, the bruises, and cuts, and I’m walking around in nothing but a hospital gown.

  Reaching the highway isn’t the relief I’d hoped for. What if one of the oncoming cars is a Gateway person patrolling the road? Even though they were looking for us in a different direction the last time we spotted them, we can’t assume they are so clueless that they don’t expect us to reach the road.

  “What are you thinking?”

  “Two things. You need a rest …”

  “No, I don’t. We can’t afford a long rest. We’re not safe yet.”

  “You need a rest. If you weren’t such a brilliant hunter, they would have caught us on several occasions, I’m sure. Every part of me is in awe of you. Where did you learn all those tricks?”

  He grins, pulling his face into the macabre grimace.

  “If you’re out hunting, you learn how to avoid making noises and being seen or else you dinner is running away quicker than you can lift your gun.”

  “Talking about dinner, what are our chances of finding a good Samaritan who stops and takes us to Port Somers?”

  “Less than average to slim.”

  “What do you want to do instead? Do you want us to walk all the way to Port Somers? We need to stop a car. Rena can’t walk much farther. Tired as we all are, it’ll take at least five hours to reach Port Somers.”

  He shakes his head. “There has to be another way. We can’t risk being caught. Not after our mammoth effort.”

  “Of course not. That’s not what I mean. I guess I’m only expressing my disappointment. I hoped to reach the road meant we would be safe and now I realize we’re not.”

  He puts his arm around me and squeezes me to him. “I’m sorry love, let’s walk for a while until a car drives by with someone I know and trust.”

  “Not Simon Barker. It wouldn’t surprise me if he patrolled the road for Raymond.”

  “You think he’s in on it?”

  “How can he not? He delivered us on a plate.”

  We get up and for the next while, we walk just within the tree line, always keeping an eye out for traffic, cowering between the trees. My heart hammers every time I hear a car coming, but we never recognize anyone we know.

  “I’m surprised how few people I know.”

  He shakes his head. “It’s not just you.”

  The sun, about to sink behind the tree line, throws long shadows onto the road. It’ll soon be dark. That might be a good thing safety-wise, but I don’t like it. We are exhausted, and Rena needs something to eat.

  “Not just Rena, I would give everything for one of Ama’s peanut butter sandwiches. We are hungry too.” I’m failing everyone, including the Tribe.

  “Can’t we build some kind of shelter and get a few hours of sleep before we continue?”

  Scott is not going for my idea of a makeshift camp.

  “We could. Let’s walk a little longer. I’m still hoping we come across a truck or car from a mate.”

  I’m about to step out from among the trees when Scott pulls me back.

  “It’s not safe.” I can all but see his mind working hard to find a solution.

  When we take the next corner, we come to the turnoff to Gateway and drop deeper into the bush again. We don’t want them to catch us now that we’re almost in the clear. Scott signals me to wait. When he’s convinced the coast is clear, we dash across the turnoff and continue along the highway.

  Loud humming announces a caravan of at least ten vehicles, cars and armored trucks with blue emergency vehicle lighting comes rumbling around the corner. Scott pulls me back, but it’s too late. The first car stops. A police officer accompanied by an officer with an armored vest steps out, followed by a person in civilian clothing.

  “Hello. Stop. Please identify yourself.” He pulls out an ID card. “I’m Detective Sergeant Fischer.”

  My glance flies up to Scott. I swallow hard. Is that the end of the road? The end of our freedom? Are these people in Raymond’s pocket? Are they here to catch us? He gives me a reassuring nod and I try to control my shaking voice with clearing my throat.

  “My name is Elisabeth Seagar, and this is my partner Scott Thompson.” Rena must have noticed my tension and burrows between Scott and me.

  “How do you know Officer Blake?”

  I stare at him. Officer Blake? Can it be?

  “You heard from Officer Blake?” A sob tears from my lips. “He helped me when I was kidnapped a year ago.”

  “You emailed him a large file a few hours ago?”

  I can’t believe what I hear. He knows about the file.

  “Do you mean you got my file?”

  DS Fischer laughs and nods. Then he turns to Scott.

  “You are wounded.”

  “Yes I am, but it’s not serious. A flesh wound.”

  “Well, your face tells a different story. But let me see.” The man in civil is getting his cell phone out. “Our doctor will look after you.”

  “John, we need you here,” he calls out to the man with a doctor’s bag and points at Scott. Then he turns to me. “The files went to officer Blake, who didn’t lose any time informing us that we had to lose no time and assist you.”

  I can’t believe it … Officer Blake deserves a place in Heaven … I mean not right now, but when his time comes. He’s the last one I wish dead. He’s an angel. I fight back my tears. Never in my wildest dreams did I expect to find a Guardian Angel. Never.

  “Don’t cry.” Rena’s tiny hand grabs mine and she clings at my side.

  “It’s okay, poppet. I’m not sad. These are tears of joy. You cry them when a person surprises you with kindness and caring.”

  “Like I did when you said that I might run away with you?”

  “Yes, poppet, just like that.”

  “And who is this young lady?” DS Fischer squats down to Rena and looks at her. Despite the warm tone in his voice, Rena’s face turns ashen. Her lips tremble and she grips my hands. I can read her body signals as if she is one of the Tribe. And just as I defend them,
I’ll protect her. I put my arm around her shivering body and pull her closer to me.

  “This young lady is the hero of the day. Without her, we would not have escaped. We don’t know her full story yet, as you can imagine, we focused on getting away.” I kiss her forehead. “Say hello to Officer Fischer. He’ll make sure it all ends well.”

  Rena doesn’t lose her shyness and half-hides behind my leg while watching the doctor clean up Scottie’s face and bandage his arm.

  “I don’t need all this fussing about. Why we are still here instead of moving in on Raymond Feldman.”

  It’s impossible to miss Scott’s frustration as he ducks away from the doctor’s hands. It’s too late to warn them that he’s a lousy patient. We all but had to tie him up when we first met him and Lilly pulled him out of his truck.

  “We planned to storm in, but running into you is a blessing. Your hands-on experience will be useful in determining our strategy. If you don’t mind, how did you get free?”

  Scott and I give him the short version and Rena explains how she ran to the white house when she saw the men in nurse’s uniforms loading us into the ambulance.

  “We thought we had to use armed force to release you from the compound. I’m glad we don’t need to do that.” DS Fischer looks relieved.

  “I’m afraid you still have to expect the worst. Rena told us that some kids are like her, afraid, abused and without their parents. They may hold others against their will. The problem is the place is huge with plenty of places people can hide and plan an ambush from. If you pass me a pen and paper, I can sketch you a rough map.”

  Scott outlines the village, the sprinkled about Swiss houses, the Community Hall, and the big white house with the tower on the opposite end of the park.

  I point to the white house. “I think they have the heart of their organization in this building. There are also the rooms they held us captive in. Like a prison hospital. I’d say that’s where all the nasty stuff happens; it’s where Scott got his bruised face.”

  “What can we expect at the compound?”

  We now had DS Fischer and a handful of his men surrounding us waiting for what we can tell them.

  “How many people are we dealing with?”

  “They take their meals together so most of the people must have been present at lunch. I’m guessing at least fifty families are living in the community. Two adults plus children would make approximately two hundred people. Half of them children.”

  I’m surprised how much Scottie found out in the hall while I had focused on how harmonious the children were singing. He’d appeared impressed with the set-up, but it is clear, he’d never lost his critical eye. I should kiss him for that and I will when this is behind us.

  DS Fischer’s eyes fly up in surprise. “We must get social services involved to take care of the children. And we need more vehicles for transporting people from the compound.” He points at the man next to him. “Ring in for more transport and get social services here ASAP.”

  “What else? Are you saying everyone is involved?” Fischer looks at me.

  “I can only speak for the people I had contact with. The female nurses were aware Raymond held me against my will. So were the doctor, and the guards. Kids may or may not be victims of abuse. I’m unsure about the other women. It is possible that the criminal activities involved all the adults in some form. The documents I sent through to Wellington could have more information.”

  “With the material you’ve sent through, we can take the whole group into custody. I’d like you to come along. You seem to know your way around. Would you mind showing us the way?”

  Scottie must have seen that I flinched at the suggestion to go back to the Gateway compound.

  “I don’t think she should come along. Elise has had a hard day. I’d rather we do this without her.”

  I love him for the care and consideration he has for me. Although he’s been standing by me for over a year, it still feels wonderful each time he stands up for me. In this case, though, I don’t need protection. I need closure.

  “Darling, I love how you show you care but I have to do this. I must prove to myself that I did everything to put a stop to these monsters. I have to see it with my own eyes. The children of the Tribe need to see that it’s over once and for all.”

  “Are you ready then?”

  “Yes, Officer Fisher, I am. I’d appreciate some spare clothing if that’s possible. I’m wearing nothing under this hospital gown.”

  “We always have spare clothes and trainers in case the men need to change after a mission. I’m sure we’ll find something for you, including a bulletproof vest.”

  Looking at Scottie’s pleased expression, I know not to refuse DS Fisher’s offer.

  But a bulletproof vest?

  Chapter Thirty-One

  Elise: 24 March, Early Evening, Gateways

  I’m dreaming. You know, the kind of not quite a dream where you know it’s a dream and you should wake up any moment now but you can’t get your eyes to open. For a while I’m dipping in and out, getting lost in the story of a police car chasing me through a rocky riverbed. The police car is coming closer and closer, hopping over the boulders in the river like a rabbit on its way to its burrow.

  A police siren blares, breaks squeal, and doors slam.

  Startled, I pull out of Scott’s arms. It takes a few seconds to realize I’m halfway falling off the seat of a police bus. A glance out the window tells me we are standing at the gate. It’s cold and I rub my arms to help them come alive again.

  “Did I doze off?”

  A glance out the window tells me we are at the Gateway gate.

  “Do you know you snore when you fall asleep?”

  “How romantic of you. Why didn’t you wake me up?” I mock-box his good arm.

  “I gathered you could do with the extra sleep.”

  Scott pulls me toward him and shares his body heat with me.

  “You only missed about half an hour it took for the additional police vans and social services to join us. Our motorcade has doubled in numbers. I decided to let you sleep. You were knackered and needed the rest.”

  Have I mentioned I love this guy? I do. When have you ever seen anything like him? Do I even deserve him?

  “Thanks for looking after me. What’s happening now?”

  I stretch and stamp my feet on the ground to get my legs working.

  Two cars ahead of us, the driver stops. Two men jump out and work on the gate. It takes a while but then it finally opens and we drive through. A shiver runs down my back when we pass the parking bay where we stopped with Simon Barker and waited for Raymond.

  I remember the niggling concerns I had when we drove down the same street with him. There were plenty of warning signs I didn’t listen to. I’m sure the Tribe will tell me off for it as soon as we’re out of danger.

  It isn’t far to get to Gateway village. The good thing about Gateway’s need for secrecy is that they set up their village over a mile away from the highway, nestled deep into the valley and the bush. That means nobody has yet noticed the imminent invasion of police vehicles.

  “Are you still okay to come with us?”

  DS Fisher seems to worry the closer we came to the village. I’m not worried at all. Knowing that my fight for sanity and freedom is coming to its conclusion, I’m keen. No longer alone, there is no doubt about the outcome. We will prevail.

  “Yes, I am. I might be mistaken, but I don’t see these people as gun-slinging miscreants. I’m sure they’ll give up and surrender. Some might try to run away but I’m not expecting much resistance.”

  We are coming to the part where the road loops around the park, where the beautiful Swiss houses are lining the road.

  “The big house to the right is the Community Hall. You might find people in the kitchen preparing dinner.”

  DS Fisher gives commands into his radio and as if moved by invisible hands, two big buses and the ambulance divert and stop in front of
the Community Hall. Six armed police officers slip out and rush to the door, their guns at the ready. Meanwhile, other police cars drive into the small side streets and park in front of the houses. In the blink of an eye, armed police officers are everywhere.

  I point to the white house at the opposite end of the park.

  “The large white house over there is the hospital, or at least that’s was what they made me believe. They kept us there. That’s also where I found the office from which I sent the files to Officer Blake.”

  I just finished explaining when DS Fisher commands the driver to move to the white house. I glance over to Scott. He reassures me by squeezing my hands. I’m puzzled about his silence.

  “Why are you not saying anything?”

  “This is your success. None of this would’ve happened if you hadn’t stepped forward. Even our escape …” He kisses me. “I adore you.”

  I’m nervous, but I’m not afraid. This time the odds are in our favor. This time the police are on my side. On top of it, there is this amazing man who adores me. What can go wrong?

  We arrive at the building and eight officers from the Armed Offender Squad storm up the stairs to the hospital. As I predicted, there is little resistance. Nursing staff and guards no longer look threatening as the officers lead them to the van.

  The doctor who’d plied me with chemical restraints stares at me, his face contorted in a hateful grimace, as the officers lead him away. I look the other way. His hate will not intimidate me.

  DS Fisher stops the doctor with a firm hand on his chest and bellows, “Where is Raymond Feldman?”

  The doctor breaks out in an insane cackle. “You’ll never get him. He’s too smart for all of you.”

  I’m not sure whether Raymond’s smart, but he has the advantage of knowing his way around better than we do.

  “Perhaps he saw us coming? Or he’s hiding in his house. It shouldn’t be too difficult to find out which house is his.”

  Scott follows the officers who open the doors to each room. To my greatest relief, they are all empty. My fear that other victims were still held in these rooms is unfounded.