Deadly Trust

by J J Cooper

  A breathing mask was placed over his face and pure air rushed into his lungs. He coughed and the mask was removed, then placed back on. Jay opened his eyes. He leaned back against a side of the fire truck, relishing its cold comfort.

  The minibus was now engulfed in flames. A fire crew were merely containing the area, spraying foam at the base of the bus. Two ambulances had arrived, one near the injured, one closer to Jay. Two paramedics wheeling a stretcher rushed towards Jay.

  Jay felt a presence beside him.

  A fireman grinned. ‘You got out just in time.’

  Jay pushed the mask off his face and tried to speak, but coughed instead.

  The fireman put the mask back on and said, ‘Gotta keep it on, mate.’

  The paramedics arrived and one bent down to Jay. Then Jay realised what he was still holding. He looked past the paramedic towards the others working on the little girl. Jay grabbed the paramedic by the shirt and pointed to the girl.

  The paramedic turned and then looked back at Jay. ‘They’re working on her, buddy. Let’s just worry about you.’

  Jay gripped harder on the paramedic’s shirt and held his other hand up to the paramedic’s face. He opened his hand to reveal the little girl’s ear.

  ‘Holy shit! Is that an ear?’ the fireman asked.

  The paramedic looked stunned. He now realised what Jay was trying to say. Turning to his co-worker, he said, ‘Get the esky. We’ve got an ear that needs to go with the other injured.’

  The second paramedic raced back to his ambulance to retrieve a small esky.

  Jay pushed the breathing mask back off. He started to control his breaths on his own.

  ‘Did you go back in there for that ear?’ the fireman asked.

  Jay’s lungs were burning. He couldn’t speak. He nodded.

  The paramedic looked over to the flaming bus as his partner ran back with the esky, and then turned back to Jay. ‘You are one crazy bastard,’ he said. Grabbing the esky, he gently removed the ear from Jay’s hand and placed it into the container. The second paramedic raced it back over to the team working on the little girl.

  The paramedic grabbed Jay by the elbow ready to assist him up. Jay looked across at the group of young girls by the boulder, cleared his throat and said to the paramedic, ‘Check ... check those.’ He pointed to the group.

  The paramedic looked over. ‘Already have. Their injuries can wait.’

  Jay shook his head.

  ‘Listen, mate,’ the paramedic said. ‘You’ve had a rough trot. We gotta get you to hospital.’

  Jay leaned against the fire truck. He checked himself. Blood on the back of both hands. None of the cuts bleeding enough to require stitches. Singed arms, and a bit of skin lost. All the hair gone from the back of his legs, but no burns there. He brushed some residual glass from his knees. One cut deep enough for a few stitches. He reached into the paramedic’s open kit, grabbed a bandage and proceeded to patch himself up.

  ‘I’m telling you now, mate, you should be going to the hospital,’ the paramedic said.

  Jay cleared his throat. ‘I’ll be fine. Go patch up the girls.’

  The paramedic, resigned, stood up. ‘Stay here then. We’ll need your details when we’ve finished. And the cops will be here soon to take your statement.’ He moved towards the group of girls. Seconds later, two police cars drove up, parking next to the fire truck.

  A police officer headed for the officer in charge of the firefighters. Another headed straight for the injured girl. A third went straight for the group of girls by the boulder, while a fourth stood by the car door, speaking into a handset.

  Jay ambled across to the injured girl. She was now strapped into the stretcher and being wheeled to the back of an ambulance. He could see the paramedics were working hard to keep her alive. They had the girl in the ambulance and the siren blaring in under thirty seconds. And then they were gone.

  The male helper looked at Jay and then looked down. He grabbed his female companion by the arm and led her back to the group by the boulder. Jay watched as they both spoke to the police officer. Every now and then all three would look towards him. Jay figured they had it all under control and felt there was nothing more he could do. He just wanted a shower and a scotch and dry. He headed for the Chevy.

  As he passed the fourth police officer, he heard, ‘Excuse me, sir. We need some details.’

  ‘I’m going to the hospital,’ Jay lied. ‘You can find me there.’ He kept walking to the Chevy. He didn’t want to be around the accident anymore. He hoped the little girl would live.

  ‘You can’t just leave the scene of an accident without giving a statement.’

  Jay stopped and turned to face the police officer. ‘Either I go in the ambulance or I go on my own. They need that second ambulance for the kids. You can get my statement at the hospital.’

  The policeman was about to say something when his radio came to life. Another officer informed him that they had found the driver, still in the bus. In his haste to save the girls, Jay hadn’t thought about the driver. At the time he’d assumed the male helper would have helped the driver at the beginning, when he left Jay and headed for the front of the bus. He gave an involuntary shudder.

  The policeman left Jay and ran towards the burning bus. Jay turned to the Chevy. He fired it up, drove around the emergency vehicles and headed for home.

  Something was wrong and he had plenty to think about. Twice in the one day, he had been in the wrong place at the wrong time.

  He didn’t believe in that type of coincidence.

  SEVEN

  Surfing and rescuing kids from a bus crash had a tendency to drain one’s energy. Jay left the surfboard attached to the roof of the Chevy, navigated the security system and headed for a hot bath. He poured half a bottle of antiseptic liquid into a steaming bath before gingerly stepping in.

  Jay didn’t have tweezers so he used his kitchen tongs to remove slivers of glass from his hands and knees. The shards became quite a collection in the ashtray beside the bath. He stayed in there for an hour, only moving to top up the hot water.

  The events of the day played over in his mind. Coincidences too great to be a viable option in the believability stakes. He pondered why he would be a target ... and kept coming back to a year ago when he’d been shot. Yet, those loose ends had been tied off, hadn’t they? He wasn’t sure. He did, however, conclude that whoever wanted him dead wanted it to look like an accident. Caught in the middle of a robbery or bumped into a bus full of kids. This thought had been confirmed when he’d arrived home and there was nobody waiting for him. He was thankful for no more surprises though – too much excitement for one day.

  He would have been happy to soak half the night away in the tub if it wasn’t for the large slice on his knee that needed stitches. The bleeding had stopped but the gash was too large. He didn’t want to risk infection and decided to go to hospital before it stiffened up too much.

  Wearing a pair of board shorts, Billabong shirt and thongs, he grabbed his wallet and headed for the Byron District Emergency Ward for stitching up. Fortunately, he had plenty of bandages and medical supplies from his old gunshot wounds to wrap the gash before he left.

  He parked the Chevy, now minus his surfboard, grabbed his mobile phone and made his way through the emergency department entrance.

  About a dozen people mingled in the waiting room, including young girls with various bandages, Senior Constable Underwood and a partner, and what looked like social workers with their clipboards and sombre looks. Jay gave a wry smile to Underwood and approached reception. He spoke to a nurse who looked like her shift had ended six hours ago.

  ‘Hi. I’m here to get some stitches in my knee.’

  ‘Busy night.’ She looked towards the group of girls. ‘Bus crash.’

  Jay nodded.

  ‘We’re just about done, so it shouldn’t be too long a wait. How did you hurt yourself?’

  ‘Being clumsy with some glass.’

  T
he nurse looked down at the back of Jay’s hand resting on the counter and frowned. ‘I’ll need your details.’

  Jay gave the nurse his details and took a seat while he waited. He picked up a three-year-old magazine and started to flick through it when he noticed a small figure standing in front of him. Although Jay didn’t know any ten-year-olds, he guessed that’d be about her age. She had her left arm in a cast and strapped across her chest. She held out her good hand to him.

  ‘I’m Jodi,’ she said.

  Jay took her hand and gave it a gentle shake. ‘Jay.’

  ‘I just wanted to say thank you.’

  ‘You’re welcome, Jodi. Sorry if I was the one who broke your arm.’

  She smiled. ‘No, it was already broken from the crash.’

  Jay smiled back. ‘The other girl. The one with...’

  ‘With her ear missing?’

  ‘Yeah. How is she?’

  ‘A helicopter took Brooke to another hospital.’

  Jay nodded, not wanting to push the point further in case it upset Jodi. He glanced around and then looked back at her. ‘Is everybody else okay?’

  Jodi lowered her eyes. ‘Mr Baker died.’

  Jay assumed that was the driver, and because Jodi started crying, he didn’t ask any more questions.

  Jodi looked back up at Jay, tears dripping down her cheeks. He didn’t know what to do. Hug her? Inappropriate, perhaps. But at a time like this maybe it was the right thing to do. He was confused and chose the safe option and put his hand on her shoulder. She seemed to take that to mean a hug was in order. Jay patted her back like he would pat a dog. He didn’t have any kids or really know any kids. He looked over to the police officers, who were watching. Jay motioned for one of the other girls to come for Jodi and made his way to Underwood and his partner.

  Underwood stood with hands on hips and a vicious scowl across his face. ‘What do you want?’

  Jay rubbed his hand over the mark left by Underwood. ‘Guess we got off on the wrong foot, mate.’

  ‘Senior Constable.’

  He gave it a shot, but Jay wasn’t in the mood. He turned his head towards the other police officer. ‘I need to talk to you about the accident.’

  Underwood said, ‘What’s it got to do with you?’

  Jay turned back to him. ‘I saw it happen.’

  Underwood gave Jay the once-over. ‘Likely caused it. You’ll need to give a statement.’

  ‘That’s what I intend on doing as soon as I’m finished here.’

  ‘We’ll need to take it now.’

  ‘I’ll get stitched up and then give you my statement.’ Jay decided to tell them about the man fleeing the accident. ‘I’m trying to give you some important information now.’

  ‘Then we’ll take your statement now.’

  Jay knew there was only one way to get Underwood off his back. ‘Fine, but it’s very detailed and may take a while.’

  Underwood took a moment. ‘Constable Barnes will take your statement.’

  Barnes rolled his eyes and dug a notebook out of his pocket. Underwood headed for a vending machine.

  ‘Okay, sir–’

  ‘I’m not giving a statement now,’ Jay said. ‘Your partner is a jackass. I’m injured, I’m hungry and I’m tired. I’ll give a full statement first thing in the morning.’ Jay hoped Barnes disliked his partner as much as Jay imagined he would.

  Barnes looked over at his partner, who was pulling a packet of potato chips and a chocolate bar from the vending machine, then looked back to Jay. ‘Let’s hear what you have to say then, Mr...?’

  ‘Ryan. First name Jay.’

  ‘Okay, Jay, go ahead.’

  Good, Jay thought. Barnes had the forethought to attempt rapport by addressing Jay by his first name. An important ingredient in any interview. Just maybe, Constable Barnes would believe him and take the appropriate action. ‘It wasn’t an accident. A guy in a four-wheel drive attempted to push me into the bus.’

  Barnes breathed in hard. ‘We’re aware the driver of the other vehicle has left the scene.’

  ‘I assumed that. Did you know that driver tried to push my vehicle in front of the bus?’

  Another deep breath. ‘You must be mistaken. From what I’ve heard, the bus and the other vehicle came together. If your car was involved in the crash, why did you leave the scene of the accident?’

  Barnes had a point. Jay realised giving his theory to the cops may be premature. He nodded and rubbed his palm against his forehead. ‘Yeah. I suppose I’m a little groggy from the accident. I may be mistaken...’

  ‘Jay Ryan?’ The call came from the nurse at reception.

  A way out. Jay looked up and the nurse pointed to a man with a stethoscope hanging around his neck. Jay got up and immediately had to take the weight off his knee.

  He glanced back to Constable Barnes. ‘I’m going to get stitched up. We’ll talk more when I’m done.’

  He limped over to the doctor, wondering what Barnes would say to his partner.

  Jay followed the doctor into a small cubicle and sat atop a medical trolley. The doctor unravelled the bandage from Jay’s knee and started organising instruments, getting ready to stitch the wound. Jay pulled out his phone and dialled a number he had committed to memory.

  ‘You can’t use that in here, Mr. Ryan. It interferes with our equipment.’

  Jay looked around the small cubicle. ‘I don’t think it’ll mess with the electronics of that needle and string you’re going to use on my knee, doctor. Besides, it’s a matter of national security.’

  The doctor shrugged and Jay waited for the call to connect to the Director of Australia’s National Intelligence Service.

  ‘Hello, son.’

  EIGHT

  ‘I need a favour, Dad.’

  ‘You in trouble, boy? Everything okay? Fallout from this morning?’ Ed Ryan asked.

  Jay looked down as the doctor inserted a needle into the side of his cut. He winced and held his breath.

  ‘You there, Jay?’

  ‘Hang on,’ he said through clenched teeth. The local anaesthetic wasn’t working that well. The doctor removed the needle. Jay breathed out. ‘Dad, I need an urgent favour.’

  ‘What’s the matter? I got a message from the Commissioner that you’re in the clear.’

  ‘Not that. Well, maybe linked to that. Short story. I helped pull some kids out of an overturned bus tonight.’

  ‘Pardon? Everyone okay? You all right?’

  ‘One kid’s badly injured and a few more with broken bones and a few cuts. I’ll fill you in when you get here. How far away are you?’

  ‘Fifteen ... twenty minutes. What’s the favour?’

  ‘I haven’t got much to go on and it may be too late by now–’

  ‘Spit it out and make a call. Don’t tell me you’ve lost the ability since becoming a hippy.’

  Jay kept the explanation of the accident brief, but highlighted his suspicions about being targeted.

  ‘What’s the favour?’

  ‘I’ve been thinking about the commonalities of both incidents.’

  ‘Good. You made any assumptions?’

  Jay smiled. A game he had always played with his dad. ‘I’ll stick to the facts at the moment. Personalities first. It’s a fact, but maybe a long shot. Yesterday, this morning and this evening I have run into the same police officer...’

  ‘You’re in a seaside town. Not that big.’

  ‘I’m aware of that. Just got this feeling that I can’t shake. We can cover it in detail when you get here. Just thought you could run a check on him.’

  ‘What’s his name?’

  Jay told him and added, ‘Is Bill in Brisbane at the moment?’

  ‘Nope. Gold Coast. I’ve got him freelancing for this anthrax thing.’

  ‘Private-eye game must be working well for him then. Got his licence yet?’

  ‘No need. He’s got his own driver now.’

  ‘Business must be good. Can you give him a call, D
ad? Ask him to come down tonight. I have some work for him.’

  ‘Anything else? Can I pick you up a pizza and a six-pack of beer on the way?’

  ‘Pizza would be good. Got enough booze at home.’

  ‘I was being sarcastic.’

  ‘I know. See you soon. Pepperoni.’ Jay hung up before his father could reply.

  The doctor was tying off another stitch. The anaesthetic had finally kicked in. ‘How many, doc?’

  ‘One more will make seven. Two of the girls got more.’

  ‘Mmm. Hey, doc, did you treat the badly injured girl?’

  ‘I stabilised her before the helicopter came. She’s in a bad way. Should be able to re-attach the ear though. By the looks of you, I’d say you were the one who got her out and went back for the ear. That was a very brave thing to do, young man.’

  Jay didn’t answer.

  The doctor stood. ‘And you saved her leg and probably her life by stemming the bleeding with that circular bandage.’

  ‘My shirt.’

  ‘It did the job just fine. She’s in for a tough fight to stay alive. Bottom line though is that she’d already be dead if you hadn’t been there.’ The doctor held out his hand. Jay took it and they shook. ‘I’m also guessing that, by the way you cleaned up these wounds, I don’t need to tell you how to look after them.’

  ‘I’ll be fine.’

  ‘Need any painkillers?’

  ‘I’m good.’

  The doctor gave a nod. ‘Okay, you can go. I’ll get the nurse to wrap it up tight for you.’

  ‘Thanks, doc. Can I ask a favour?’

  ‘Sure.’

  ‘If you hear anything about the girl who got choppered out, can you give me a call?’

  ‘I think I can manage that. Leave your number with the nurse and I’ll call as soon as I hear.’

  The doctor paused at the foot of the bed and turned to Jay. ‘I get the feeling you’d rather avoid talking to the police officers in the waiting room?’

  ‘I’d prefer not to. Not tonight anyway.’

  ‘When you leave, go down the corridor this way.’ He pointed to Jay’s right. ‘Then take another right. You’ll come to the emergency exit. It’s not alarmed. All our smokers go out that way.’