Stretched Horizons

by Ross Richdale

  "You could have warned me, though," Bree cut in. "I was all prepared to act like a platonic friend when you crushed me with that kiss, then came up with that conference bit. I almost blew that."

  "But you didn't," Ray replied. "You caught on quickly."

  "Yeah, her experience at being a headteacher," Jenny said.

  "Anyhow, we maintained the peace and they're going back to Auckland in a couple of days," Ray said. "There's no harm done."

  THE TALL MAN IN A BUSINESS suit waited impatiently at the inquiry counter until the receptionist glanced up.

  "Could you tell me where to find one of your patients, please?" he said in a pronounced English accent.

  "The English tourists involved in the aeroplane crash?"

  "That's correct."

  "Wait one moment." There was a click of keyboard keys and the woman looked up. "Mrs. Ashworth was treated as an outpatient and discharged."

  "So, where can I find her?"

  "We are only permitted to disclose a patient's contact address to their designated next of kin or a close relation."

  "I understand," the man replied. "I'm her husband, Colin Ashworth."

  The receptionist frowned. "You are not listed on the file, Mr. Ashworth."

  "That's understandable. Bree isn't expecting me. When I heard about the accident I flew straight here."

  The receptionist glanced up. "We will need identification before information is released."

  Colin impatiently took a passport from an inside pocket and handed it across the counter. "Now, will you tell me where my wife is?" he said.

  "Her contact address is care of the Chancellor Motor Lodge in Fitzherbert Avenue."

  Colin sighed. "I've been there. They said that she never arrived and the booking was cancelled."

  The woman gave a superficial smile. "My only suggestion is that you contact Mr. Ray Barnett. He was the gentleman who arrived with Mrs. Ashworth and Miss Jenny Dench."

  "And how do I do that?" Colin's voice was now caustic.

  The woman frowned and tapped more information into her computer. "I'm sorry," she said. "All I can give you is Mr. Barnett's local address." She wrote it on a slip of paper and handed it across to Colin. "It's only a few blocks from here. Turn right out of the hospital car park and right again at the traffic lights. It'll be the third or fourth street on your right. You'll be able to see the signpost."

  "Thank you," Colin replied and walked out into the afternoon sun.

  He drove his rental vehicle up the drive of 46A Langton Avenue and glanced around. The place appeared deserted but he walked up and knocked on the door. A moment later, a middle-aged woman opened the door.

  "Good afternoon," Colin said. "I am Colin Ashworth."

  PERHAPS EMILY PRESTON had not heard Bree's surname for she made no connection between the visitor and her son-in-law's girlfriend. She stood and waited for the visitor to continue speaking.

  "Is this the home of Ray Barnett?" Colin asked.

  "Yes, but I'm afraid I'm the only one home at the moment. Can I take a message?"

  "I'm looking for Bree, actually. Do you know her?"

  "Bree!" Emily's eyes lit up. "Of course I know Bree. She's Ray's..." She waved her hand in the air as she tried to think of an appropriate word. "...Err, partner."

  "I'm afraid I don't understand," Colin replied.

  Emily frowned. With his accent, this fellow was certainly an Englishman, probably another of those reporters that were still annoying them. Mind you if he was English, perhaps he was from one of those big newspapers like the London Times. She hoped it wasn't one of the racy tabloids they also had over there.

  "What do you young people call it?" she flustered when she noticed the man looked impatient. "Cohabiting...is that it? Oh, we never did it in our day. Of course, not every bride was a virgin but it wasn't like it is now."

  Colin's face darkened. "I thought they were strangers," he almost spat.

  For a second, Emily wondered why this man looked so annoyed, but he was a Pom, after all. They were a frosty lot at the best of times. "Oh, lordy no," she said. "They've been lovers for ages, a couple of years or more..." Emily smiled. Perhaps she had exaggerated a little but what the heck.

  "Two years!" the man whispered.

  "At least," she said. "They met at some conference somewhere. It might even have been back in England Ray did go overseas on a trip but I thought he never went beyond Australia." Emily began to enjoy being so helpful. "Apparently, they hit it off straight away Mr..." She stopped. "I'm sorry, I never picked up your surname."

  "Call me Colin."

  "Of course, Colin, but I'm afraid she's not in. Everyone including Ken, my husband, went for a drive out in the country. The car was full so I said I'd stay behind and just relax. We drove down from..."

  Colin interrupted her before she could even tell him about her trip down. Young people were so impatient.

  "Yes, yes," he said. "But, can you tell me any more about Bree and Ray?"

  Emily smiled. "She's such an attractive young woman, principal of a primary school in one of those upmarket suburbs in London probably not far away from where you work...err...Colin. Far too young for such a position of responsibility, I say, but..."

  She rattled on with very little factual information but plenty of opinions and suggestions about Bree's lifestyle. When she finished the visitor thanked her and turned away. "Would you like to leave a message?" she asked.

  "There's no message, thank you. I'll catch up with her another time," Colin said and drove away.

  Emily shrugged. "Strange man," she muttered to herself and returned to the casserole she was preparing. Hopefully, it would be all cooked before the family arrived home.

  COLIN'S RAGE WAS BARELY being contained as he drove across the city to his motel. How dare any wife of his have an affair and hide it for two years! He thought back. That was even before their marriage headed for the rocks and he began to screw Linda Rouke. Linda, that stupid cow was becoming a pain in the ass, too.

  "The bitch," he snarled, not really sure which woman he was talking about. His mind switched back to Bree. If only that other bastard had...Colin slammed his fist down on the steering wheel in frustration.

  He roared into the car park of the best motor lodge in town and headed for the bar. An hour later, he staggered back to his room with a bottle clutched in his hand. It was empty.

  God, he needed company!

  The telephone book had one well-fingered page. He glanced through the short list, tossed it away and turned to a local paper. In the middle of the classified ads was small photograph of a buxom girl.

  Colin grinned and reached for the telephone.

  A soft voice answered. "Brenda speaking. Can I be of assistance?"

  "I need a companion," Colin said in a contrived calm voice. "Is that photo in your add one of you?"

  "That's me, honey. And your name?"

  "Colin."

  "An Englishman. I just love Poms. Now, a massage starts at seventy five for an hour."

  "Listen, girlie." Colin's voice almost showed anger. "I want two hours and I want it now."

  "I see," the woman's voice became business like. "Two hundred but I take credit cards. You wear a condom and I don't go into kinky stuff. If you want that, I can refer you to a colleague. It'll cost you, though."

  "No, you'll do," Colin replied and gave her the address. "Wear street clothes. Nothing exotic."

  "Sure, Colin. I'll be with you in thirty minutes."

  THREE HOURS LATER, a badly beaten young woman tried to look dignified as she limped away from the motel. One eye was closed and already bruises were appearing on her cheeks. She wiped blood from her lips and grimaced in pain as she slid into her car and headed to the police station.

  "Hello, Brenda," said the duty sergeant. "Someone go a bit too far this time?'"

  "The bugger," she retorted. "I want him nailed and quartered."

  The policeman sighed and reached for an official document. "Oka
y, Brenda," he said. "But shouldn't you go and see a doctor first?"

  "That can wait," Brenda replied. "This guy is a maniac. He practically killed me." She lifted her head up. "Look at my throat."

  Ugly red marks showed a distinct outline of fingers and a thumb.

  "Where is he?"

  "The Swordsman Motor Lodge, Unit Sixty-seven. The bugger will be asleep, I reckon. He reeked of spirits."

  "Okay, I'll get a squad car there."

  It took less than ten minutes before the police car screeched to a halt outside The Swordsman Motor Lodge and two officers made their way to Unit Sixty-seven. However, the door was open and a well-dressed man was wiping bloodstains off the bathroom wall.

  "I'm the manager," he muttered. "If you're looking for the guy who hired this unit, he's just booked out. It was a funny time so I came and inspected the room." He sighed in disgust. "Look at the mess."

  CHAPTER 15

  After threatening to discharge himself if he wasn't allowed out in the sunshine for a few hours, Ray sat in the front seat of his Toyota while Bree drove. Jenny, Ken and Pattie crowded in the back seat.

  "Don't worry about leaving Emily behind," Ken said. "She doesn't like the beach much anyhow."

  "But look at that sun," Jenny said. "Who's coming swimming when we get there?" She glanced at Ray. "Is it a good swimming beach?"

  "Great, but keep your jandals on," Ray replied. "The sand will scald your feet in this weather."

  "Jandals?" Bree asked.

  "Those things on your feet."

  "Oh, thongs." Bree said. "I thought you called them thongs."

  "No, that's in Australia I think."

  "Oh, Ray," Bree laughed. "I'll never get used to all your strange words."

  They arrived at Himatangi Beach and Bree followed a line of cars onto the sand. Waves rolled ashore and hundreds of swimmers frolicked in the surf between two red and yellow flags.

  "Keep between the flags," Ray warned. "There can be rips, so the surf patrol always picks the safest spot. Also, you could get hit by surf boards further along."

  "I'm going in," Ken announced. "Jenny is I know but what about you, Bree?"

  "I am,"' she replied. "It's different from Mount Maunganui but that surf looks so inviting."

  "Yes, West Coast beaches are more exposed and have higher breakers," Ray said. "God, I wish I could go in."

  "What about Pattie?" Jenny asked

  Ray laughed. "She'll go crazy in the surf. She loves it."

  And Pattie did. She ran in and out several times and shook water over the two women, who were still dry. Next, she charged after Ken swimming out in the breakers. Bree found the water cool but once wet, she loved the surf. Jenny kept with her and time slipped by.

  Meanwhile up on the beach, Ray erected a massive sun umbrella and gathered up driftwood. He settled down with his back against a log and watched Bree. When everyone arrived back, exhausted but happy, Ray lit a fire and began to cook some sausages on sticks. They crackled and hissed as fat dripped on the naked flames. He wrapped a slice of bread around each cooked sausage, squeezed some tomato sauce on and handed one each to Bree and Jenny.

  "None of those namby-pamby things you guys have," he said. "This is the real stuff."

  Smoke curled up around them, and Bree had a coughing fit with tears rolling down her eyes. Ray grabbed her and fanned the smoke away. He kissed her cheek and laughed when she almost dropped the sausage.

  "Well, it's hot," she protested.

  "And if you aren't careful you're going to get sunburned again," Ray replied. "Here, wrap a towel over your shoulders."

  Bree gazed into his eyes and smiled. She sat down and began to spread sun block over her skin. "I'm covered in sand, " she moaned.

  "The sand brushes off when it's dry," Ray said.

  So the summer afternoon rolled by and, all too soon, they headed back to Palmerston North where Bree escorted Ray back to his ward.

  "So I won't see you tomorrow?" he asked after a passionate embrace.

  "We'll be back," Bree replied. "It doesn't take all day to drive to Wellington. It's only about a hundred and forty kilometres away." She grimaced. "It's a nuisance having to personally uplift our duplicate passports but I know they need the security." She kissed Ray and returned to the others waiting in the car.

  "Emily will have a flash meal waiting for us," Ken said. "I didn't tell Ray but I can't stick those burnt sausages covered in sand."

  "What!" Jenny retorted. "I loved them." She pouted. "They were pure fat, though. My hips are already complaining."

  They arrived home to the smell of the casserole; Emily fussed around and told them nothing important had happened while they were away.

  BREE WAVED GOOD-BYE to the Prestons and Pattie as they reversed their car down the drive, turned and headed towards the corner. She noticed a square shaped Landcruiser parked across the road and thought for a second that it was somewhat out of place in the suburban street.

  Jenny sat with a map on her knees and chatted. It was another hot morning and the city limits meant just that. Straight away, they were in the country with green fields stretching away in every direction. The ranges formed a boundary to the southeast and the plains stretched ahead to the coast they'd visited the day before. The two-lane highway was straight but narrow, with only light traffic coming in the opposite direction.

  "The road curves left ahead," Jenny directed ten minutes later. "Then it's over the river, a few bends and another long straight."

  The road curled up over a stop bank, down into a flood plain over the Manawatu River and across the next stop bank. There were a couple of twists before they came to a small settlement. Bree slowed and pulled to the roadside when she noticed a country school with children playing in the playground.

  "What a lovely setting," she said. "They've even got a swimming pool."

  Jenny peered in the wing mirror. "That Land Rover has been behind us from before we turned off the other highway," she said. "It's still there."

  "Probably a local farmer," Bree replied. "With so little traffic around it's just natural it is still with us."

  "So why did it slow down and stop when we did?"

  Bree shrugged and pulled back onto the road. The highway was now built higher than the surrounding land. Grass fields turned to an expanse of cultivated land with potatoes growing in rows. The road shoulder consisted of a narrow grass verge beside a deep drainage ditch. With no opposing traffic in sight Bree had to be careful to stay within the speed limit.

  "Bree!" Jenny suddenly screamed in alarm. "That Land Rover! It's not slowing."

  Bree glanced in the mirror. The Landcruiser was closing the distance between the two vehicles. If anything, it appeared to increase speed but did not pull out to pass.

  Bree accelerated and their car pulled away. The road surface made it vibrate and difficult to control. Her eye caught the speedometer that hovered around a hundred and twenty. Even in kilometres an hour that was too fast for the rolling surface. She slowed and Jenny screamed. The Landcruiser was so close only its front bumper and grill were visible.

  "Go faster, it's right behind."

  But it was too late.

  The vehicle hit their back bumper with a shuddering crunch. Bree swung the steering wheel towards the centre of the road and accelerated rather than braked. This deft movement helped her remain in control.

  "It's coming again!" Jenny yelled.

  The Landcruiser had also braked and swung diagonally across the road in a cloud of tyre smoke. It straightened and accelerated towards them. The car was faster though and slowly pulled away.

  "A bend." Jenny pointed to a sign ahead.

  "I see it," Bree whispered.

  It wasn't just a curve, but a ninety-degree turn, well sign-posted but still there. Bree braked and swung into it. Her driving skills proved to be successful for the car made it and headed along another straight section of road.

  The pursuing vehicle had lost twenty or more metres befo
re it accelerated back up behind them.

  "Go!" Jenny screamed.

  But Bree didn't. Her hands were covered in perspiration but her mind was on overdrive. If she accelerated, she might lose control. It was too much to hope that they could continue at this deadly speed. She never touched the brake but lifted her foot off the accelerator and the car slowed.

  "Are you crazy?" her passenger howled.

  "Look for a side road," Bree replied but there was no time for more conversation. The Landcruiser was right behind.

  The driver's tactics also changed. The vehicle moved out to the opposing lane and moved up beside them. Bree glanced sideways and shrieked.

  There, peering across the intervening space was Colin, her husband. She knew that dark look; those almost closed eyes and determined lips. He always appeared that way before he attacked her with a violence that she wouldn't talk about.

  The panic disappeared as quickly as it arrived and was replaced by sheer determination to survive. "You won't kill us, Colin," she whispered and went on attack.

  If the heavy vehicle sideswiped them they'd be pushed into the ditch. Braking probably wouldn't help and it was too late to accelerate so Bree did the only other thing possible. She swung the tiny car into the Landcruiser.

  For a microsecond, Bree's eyes met those of her husband. The uncertainty was now his!

  Steel screamed and buckled, sparks flew, the scenery spun and the car's passengers plunged forward to the extent of their seat belts. They dropped back behind the Landcruiser, spun around and stalled in the middle of the road.

  The Landcruiser was not so fortunate. It headed across the road, Colin over-compensated, and his vehicle hit the grass verge, wobbled and bounced back on the road. Smoke howled from screaming brakes. The vehicle hit the grass on the near side; inside wheels lifted and the cab toppled.

  Outside wheels spun and the centre of gravity was breached. A noise like thunder cut through the air as the Landcruiser skidded across the grass on its side and plummeted into a deep ditch, that was really a drainage canal to take water away from adjacent swamp land.