by K Pierce
As she wound her way through the narrow lanes Nat tried to formulate a plan, but her mind just screamed at her to hurry up. Her phone vibrated in her pocket. She ignored it. Barry would only try to persuade her to wait and time was not on Emily’s side. So, no plan and no weapon. Great. She shook the thoughts away and slowed the car. She could see a few low buildings, one of which she assumed was the main farmhouse, beyond it there were fields and not much else. Low stone walls divided up the land before a thick wall of trees encroached on the far side. Nat took a deep breath and pulled the car over, tucking it as far as she could into the hedgerow. She slipped out and clicked the door shut with her hip. She pressed up against the hedge and moved towards the house just as a crack split the air. Nat ducked and cocked her head. She knew gunshots when she heard them.
Dropping into a crouch Nat moved closer and stopped at the mouth of the drive. The shot hadn’t come from the house, but she had no idea how many people lived here, and she was taking no chances. She slipped onto the drive, scanning windows and doors, alert for any signs of life. The place was a dump. Several cars, bikes and wrecked engines were strewn across the front yard. A rusted toolbox sat next to an old scrambler. She moved forward and flipped the lid, more than a little relieved to find a hammer inside. Gripping it tightly she slipped around the debris to the edge of the house, careful to stay below the windows. She stepped around the side of the building as another gunshot shattered the silence. It was to her left. She changed course and looked out towards the trees. There was a quad bike abandoned at the edge of the field and a figure was leaning over the wall with his back to her. He gestured wildly with his arms to someone beyond her eyeline.
There was a lot of open space between her and the wall. If she approached and he turned she’d lose the element of surprise. She sat back on her heels desperately trying to come up with something. It always seemed so easy in the movies.
Nat ducked back out of the gate and onto the road. She jogged along the tarmac, careful not to make any noise. When she drew level with the quad bike she stopped. The hedges were thin at this time of year and she could see the man clearly. He was young, but he was big. The left side of his face was smeared with blood and he kept putting his hand up to his eye. She ducked down and moved slowly up the road until she could make her way into the trees. There was a shout from the man on the wall and her stomach dropped. She paused. He shouted again and the trees behind her burst into life as someone went crashing through them at speed.
Nat squatted, pushing on along the road until she was certain that she wouldn’t be seen, and hopped over the wall. She landed solidly in the thicket below. The echo of a voice rang out clearly through the trees. ‘I think I got her, mate. She went down like a lead balloon.’ That voice sounded familiar. Nat lay on her belly, eyes wide and searching. There was a man about ten feet from where she lay, and he was carrying a sawn-off shotgun. He turned, and she caught a glimpse of someone she knew all too well. That slimy bastard! I’ll kill him!
‘Can you see her?’ Was the answering shout from the wall.
‘Nah, she went down the hill. If I go down there I ain’t getting back out.’
Shit. Nat’s heart sank, and tears stung her eyes. The thought of losing Emily made her blood boil and her heart break all at once. She watched him saunter off through the trees, her grip on the hammer almost painful. When he was out of sight, she slowly crawled on her belly in the direction he’d come from. She hadn’t gone thirty feet when the earth fell away in front of her. It was so densely packed with undergrowth she wouldn’t have seen it if she’d been standing.
Nat sat up and looked for a way down the embankment. She took out her phone but there was no signal out here. She was on her own. Before she could move there was a click behind her. Nat closed her eyes and let out a frustrated sigh. Never turn your back on them. Amateur.
‘Nice to see you again, sweetheart.’ The leer in his voice made her skin crawl. ‘Lovely of you to visit my humble abode.’
Nat didn’t move. ‘Gaz Shepherd. I’d say the pleasure was mine, but I’d be lying.’ She tightened her grip on the hammer in front of her. ‘I honestly did not see this coming. A low life piece of scum like you and the perverted little rich boy. How did that happen, Gary? And how the hell did you score this place.’
‘My wonderful father used to sneak his women out here. Even used a nice fake name so it couldn’t be traced back to the family and mum wouldn’t get it if she left him. Turns out he left first, and without his paperwork. Fancy that.’ He gave her an odd smirk. ‘Now, nice and slow. Stand up and turn around.’
She stood, turning her head slightly to size him up. He was taller than she’d realised and the shotgun he had was pointed at her stomach. ‘And young Alex up there?’ He ignored her. ‘Come on Gaz. You finally get me alone and you don’t want to talk about what you’ve been up to?’
The piercing wail of a siren and several shouts distracted him, and Nat saw the hesitation in his eyes. She took the opportunity and turned fully, swinging the hammer hard and slamming it into Gaz’s jaw. There was the horrific crunch of bone, a spray of blood and he dropped like a stone, but not before the gun in his hand went off. The blast popped her ears and Nat felt burning in her side. She looked down at her once white t shirt, now slowly turning scarlet, and hesitantly lifted the hem. Blood oozed from a graze on her left side. She let out a grateful breath that there were no holes.
The sirens blended with the ringing in her ears. Everything sounded like she was underwater. There was shouting and a frenzy of activity. Alex did not want to give up quietly. Gripping her bleeding side Nat kicked the shotgun out of reach and made her way gingerly to the edge of the embankment. It was steep, and her side was hurting like a bitch. She sighed and began to pick her way through the various vines and branches. She was halfway down when there was a voice behind her.
‘I’m gonna kick your arse for this, Johnson.’
She smiled up at Barry. ‘I’ll be needing an ambulance.’
‘Damn right you will, you little shit.’
‘No. Really.’ She said. ‘I’ve been shot.’ His mouth opened in surprise and his gaze dropped to where she was clutching her side. Her fingers were coated scarlet. She was just about to say something else when she slipped. ‘You’ve got to be fucking kidding me!’ She yelled.
Nat landed in a tangle of rotting vegetation. She was sure she was about to be sick. She pushed herself into a sitting position, squeezing her eyes shut at the wave of dizziness that assaulted her. She put a hand out to steady herself and felt soggy fabric beneath her fingers. Looking over she saw a sock, then a leg encased in a filthy pair of jeans, and finally a familiar hoody. She crawled over to Emily as quickly as her broken body would allow, scanning her for injuries. Emily lay on her side, her face obscured by her matted hair. Her foot was at an odd angle and as Nat got closer, she could see that her arm was obviously broken too. The bone protruded from the material of her sleeve.
‘Barry!’ She screamed. Her voice was hoarse with emotion. ‘Barry!’
‘Nat? Where are you?’ Came the answering shout.
‘Get someone down here! Now!’ She was afraid to move the hair, afraid to check for a pulse, afraid that she was too late. ‘I found Emily and she’s hurt!’ The urgency in her voice left no room for arguments, and she heard shouts and movement in the trees above her.
Nat reached out a shaky hand. Emily had yet to move or make a sound and fear gripped Nat’s heart, choking the breath from her. ‘Emily?’ Nothing. ‘Emily? Sweetheart?’ Her fingers touched the hair matted across Emily’s face. Images of the other victims flashed through Nat’s mind and she swallowed the bile threatening to rise in her throat. Pushing Emily’s hair to the side Nat was relieved to see that her face was still there. Her beautiful features were caked in grime and blood. A large wound marred her right temple. ‘Emily?’ Nat tried again but there was no response. She moved closer, leaning down and listening for a breath or a heartbeat. At the ang
le Emily was at Nat couldn’t hear anything but she was reluctant to move her, especially with a head injury.
‘Nat!’ Barry’s voice carried down through the trees. ‘Nat, you still with me?!’
‘We need to hurry up. I don’t think she’s breathing!’
‘The rescue team are just gearing up, should be with you soon.’
Nat turned back to the prone form beside her. ‘You hear that, Em?’ She winced as the burning in her side got more intense. ‘They’re coming.’ There was no movement, but Nat was certain she heard a sigh. ‘Just hold on for me.’ She lay down beside Emily. ‘Hold on.’ She whispered.
Epilogue
Nat fidgeted in her seat. She knew this was going to be hard, but she hadn’t expected it to be this difficult. She felt like she was back in the Headmaster’s office, awaiting her fate, but this time she knew exactly what it would be.
Barry looked up. The white envelope stayed untouched on the desk in front of him. ‘No.’ He said simply.
Nat’s eyebrows leapt up. ‘What? What do you mean “no”?’ She asked.
‘I don’t accept it.’
Her eyebrows dropped into a frown. ‘You have to.’
‘No. I don’t.’ Barry said calmly. ‘And I won’t.’ He leaned back in his chair and folded his hands over his belly.
Nat took the bait. ‘You arrogant bastard. Who do you think you are? You really think that you can lord it over me just because they made you the boss?’ He didn’t answer and Nat ploughed on. ‘If I want to bloody well quit then I will!’
‘Have you finished?’ He asked quietly. Nat glared. ‘I understand you’ve been through a lot but you’re a bloody good officer and I won’t let you throw that all away on a whim.’
Nat scoffed, and angry tears filled her eyes. ‘Good huh? That good that I went off half-cocked when you warned me not to, slept with a witness and then almost got her killed.’
‘You stopped them, Nat. You’ve been cleared of any wrongdoing in the case of Gaz Shepherd’s untimely demise and Mr Machin is going away for a very long time.’ He held her gaze. ‘And as for the other bits…I’m the only one who knows that for sure and my lips are firmly sealed. Just don’t make a habit of it.’
It had been a tense few weeks as they’d awaited the decision following Nat’s actions. And while she’d been cleared over his death, she’d still been chewed out over going it alone. As for Alex Machin, he was currently awaiting trial for a whole list of offences. It had taken a while, but they’d eventually gotten him to talk. His connection with Gaz Shepherd had surprised them all. When Gaz was fifteen his mother had become a cleaner for the Machin family. As a way of avoiding his father Gaz had often gone with her, spending time with Alex while his mother worked. They’d bonded over strict fathers, recreational drugs and shared love of Gaz’s mother. Alex had divulged that he’d had an affair with Mrs Shepherd and had intimated, but wouldn’t fully admit, that after a harsh beating from her husband he and Gaz had removed Mr Shepherd from the picture. They’d kept in touch even when Alex had wandered North and while Nat had no doubt that Alex had committed the rapes and the murders, Gaz had enabled him, as he’d done all their lives.
Barry tried again. ‘Without you this might’ve ended a lot differently.’
The tears spilled over. ‘But I couldn’t save her.’
Barry’s features softened, and he rounded the desk to take her in his arms. ‘I know it’s hard, but do you think running away is really the answer?’ He asked. ‘Don’t you think you should be here?’
Nat pulled away, reaching for the tissues on the desk. She looked up at him, sadness in her big brown eyes. ‘Could you imagine Jenny waking up one day and not remembering who you are? Yeah, Emily survived, but for me it’s like she didn’t. We had something and now we don’t. I can’t stay here, it hurts too much.’
Barry returned to his seat. ‘The doctors say she’s doing great and her memory could come back at any time. It’s only been a few weeks.’
‘If it does, she’s going to have enough to process and deal with. Six months of your life is a lot to lose, and even with Fiona’s help she’s going to struggle. Besides, you saw the way she reacted when we told her the few details that we did about the kidnap...’ She paused. ‘…The rape. If she actually has to remember and relive it, one day then it’s really gonna mess her up.’ Nat took a deep breath to steel her resolve. ‘Trust me, it’s better this way.’
‘She’ll find out about you eventually,’ Barry said, ‘and then what?’
‘I’ve asked Fiona not to tell her and I’m asking you to do the same. It’ll only complicate things for her.’ Nat looked down at the hands clenched in her lap. ‘If, in time, she remembers then we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it.’
Barry sighed. ‘Do you not think that’s her decision?’
‘I’ve made up my mind. I have someone to rent my house, the car is all packed up and me and Quinn are going away for a while.’ She twisted the tissue between her fingers and looked at him pleadingly. ‘So please, just accept my damn resignation.’
Barry eyed her carefully and picked up the envelope. ‘I tell you what,’ he started, ‘how about a compromise?’ Nat looked suspicious. ‘You’ve been through a traumatic event and you were injured in the line of duty. How about you take some extended sick leave and we revisit this decision in a few months? If you still want to quit, then I’ll accept it and you’re done. If not, the door is still open, and you come home. Deal?’
‘I won’t change my mind.’ Nat said, standing and tossing her tissue in the bin. ‘But who am I to stop you if you want to pay me for nothing?’ When Barry followed her to the door, she was surprised to see tears in his eyes. Without a word, she pulled him in for a hug, wincing as he pressed against the wound in her side. It wouldn’t be long until she was fully healed but for now the pain was a reminder, one that she wasn’t quite ready to let go of yet.
Stepping out into the crisp November afternoon, Nat forced herself not to look back. She knew Barry would be watching, could feel his eyes on her back, but she knew that if she faced him then her resolve would break, and she’d stay. Instead, she slipped into the passenger seat of her car and started the engine. Quinn growled on the backseat, his annoyance for being put in the cat carrier still as evident as it was when they’d left the house. ‘I know mate, but it’s for your own safety. Ok, that’s a lie, it’s for mine. I know you hate my driving and those claws of yours are lethal.’ He yawned and turned his back, settling down for the journey. Nat rolled her eyes and pulled away.
The End