by Lynda Stacey
Chapter Thirty-Nine
Nina drove the Outlander at speed. It was a big vehicle and one she wasn’t used to driving, but she was terrified and needed to get to a hospital quickly.
She swerved around a corner, raced through a hairpin bend and then glanced over her shoulder. The colour had completely left Rick’s face and her whole body shook with the fear of what she’d done.
‘It’s too late. I … I know it’s too late.’ She slowed the car to a halt. Her eyes filled with tears and huge, soul-wrenching sobs took over her body. A scream left her throat and she began kicking at the pedals of the car.
But then, as quickly as they’d begun, the sobs stopped and she stared into space. Her mind became clear. A hospital was not going to save him. Which meant that she now had only two choices left: did she aim for the water, or did she bury him with grace and dignity in the woods?
‘I could say a prayer for you,’ she whispered as she turned the engine back on and once again began to drive.
The road twisted and turned in all directions. One minute she’d be driving uphill, the next she’d be going down. She reached across to a box of tissues, pulled one from the box and wiped her eyes. She lost concentration, just for a moment. A car’s headlights were aiming directly at her and she found herself swerving the vehicle violently to one side.
‘Oh my God.’ She cursed, slowed down and pulled back onto her own side of the road. She realised how close she’d been to crashing. And for just a split second she wondered what the police or the fire brigade would have made of a vehicle with two dead bodies in it, one that had died some hours before the other.
She slowed down as she neared the lake again, pulled the Outlander over and stopped.
Will slammed his foot on the brake, swerved and stopped. The hospital had told him not to drive and that … that had been why. But he shook his head. He was sure the near accident hadn’t been his fault. He was sure the car had aimed for him, but he hadn’t been sure whether it had swerved on purpose or by complete accident. He just felt relieved that the collision hadn’t happened.
He thought for a moment. The car had seemed familiar. Outlanders were not common in this area and he tried to think back to where he’d seen it before. He looked down at his phone, now fully charged, and with trepidation he pressed on Ella’s name.
‘This had better be good.’ Ella’s voice was calm, but angry. And without a doubt, Will didn’t blame her.
‘Ella, listen. I’m so sorry.’ He paused. He could hear her breathing, and even though she barely said a thing, he could feel her temper. ‘Ella. I’ll explain everything later. But I know who attacked you. I know where the Golf is. I found it.’
‘I know. Sarah saw it on your computer. She’s had a team searching the farm all afternoon. The car’s been found, burned out, and Sarah and the police are trying to find Nina so that they can question her, especially now that they suspect that Peter Hannigan could be dead. The police have looked into his finances etc. He’s had no bank activity for years. So … thanks for the information, Will, but you’re about ten hours too late.’ Her voice was flat, and without emotion. ‘Is that all, Will? Because I really have to go and let Millie out.’
Will felt his heart sink. Ella was furious. No, from the way she sounded, she was more than furious. ‘Ella, I swear to God I thought I’d be back before you woke. I really did.’ Will wiped his forehead. His skin was cold, clammy. He still felt drowsy, and he knew he shouldn’t be driving. ‘If I could have got to you, I would have. But I was attacked. I’ve been in hospital, sedated. Tell Sarah that Nina attacked me. And then she dumped me on the side of the road, in a ditch. She left me for dead.’
Will listened. Ella made no sound and for a moment he thought she’d hung up.
‘Ella?’
‘I’m here.’
‘Ella? I …’
‘Oh my God, attacked? Will, are you okay, because … I really thought … I thought you’d walked out on me.’ The words came between sobs and broke Will’s heart. He knew how badly Ella would have felt, how much emotion she’d have gone through.
‘Ella. I swear. I would never do that to you. I’d never intentionally hurt you. Jesus, Ella, I love you.’ He swallowed and realised what he’d just said. He knew he’d said it before, but now, now he knew it was true, he really did mean it. He really did love Ella Hope. ‘If I could have got back to you today, I swear to God, I would have.’ He paused and restarted the car. He had to get home. He had to get to Ella.
‘Will, I want to trust you, I want to believe that you love me, but after what happened with Rick, with the attack—’
‘Ella, that’s it. The car, it was Rick’s car.’ He suddenly remembered where he’d seen the Outlander last.
‘Will, what are you talking about? What car?’
‘An Outlander. Rick drives a Mitsubishi Outlander, doesn’t he?’ He didn’t wait for her to reply. ‘Ella, I’ve just seen it. He’s just gone flying past me at speed, almost run me off the bloody road.’
Once again Ella went quiet. ‘I saw them earlier. They were at Michelle’s funeral.’
‘Who?’
‘Nina and Rick. They left together, in his car. Shit, why didn’t I remember this?’ Ella paused. ‘Will, where are you?’
Will had begun driving and looked around. ‘I’m about five minutes away from you, between you and the gap, near the lake. Actually, I can see the Outlander. It’s parked up ahead. He’s pulled up. I’ll call you back.’
Chapter Forty
Will slowed his car as he drove past where the Outlander was parked, just as the rain once again began to fall. He was about to pull over, but saw Nina and changed his mind. She had tears streaming down her face, and after what Ella had just said about her stepfather, he wasn’t taking any chances.
Will parked further up the road, out of sight. He sat for a moment before he climbed out and quietly closed the car door. He then stood and caught his breath. The rain dropping on his face was refreshing, but his head still spun, his legs still wobbled and he felt as though he were walking in a cartoonish and unusual way as he crept along the roadside. His hands held onto anything and everything he could grab hold of and he used the trees and bushes as camouflage until he was close enough to try and see what Nina was doing.
He felt a sense of relief as she disappeared into the woods. She was now out of his view, but the Outlander was close. He could almost touch it and, using the vehicle to hide himself, he crept to its side and peered in through the window.
‘Oh, no. Oh my God,’ he whispered as he saw Rick’s lifeless body laid flat on the back seat. He peered around the vehicle, tried to see where Nina had gone. The rain now fell persistently; it blurred his view and he could only just make her out as she seemed to pace up and down deep within the woods, spade in her hands.
His hand lifted to the door handle and, as quietly as he could, he pulled open the door.
‘Okay, Rick. Okay, let’s check you out.’ He felt for a pulse. Again, and again, his fingers felt along his neck, and he sighed with relief when he felt the faintest of throbs. Again, he looked into the woods. Nina had vanished. The last thing he wanted was for her to come back now, knowing that if she could incapacitate Rick, she’d have no issue with doing the same to him. Besides, she’d already tried to kill him once and there was no way he was about to give her a second chance.
‘Hold on, mate. I’m going to try and help you.’ Using every ounce of his strength, Will pulled Rick out of the car. They both collapsed in a heap and Will used his foot to gently close the door behind him. He tried to stand, but his foot slipped on the wet grass and he sat for a moment trying to decide what to do. He had two choices: he could try and get help or he could drag Rick’s body along the verge, one inch at a time. ‘Damn it,’ he whispered, ‘Bloody sedatives.’ He knew what he’d normally do, what he’d normally be capable of. But his strength was failing and his body felt weak. He took in a deep breath. He had to get Rick to safety and, with Ri
ck’s head resting in his lap, he hooked his arms under Rick’s and pulled as hard as he could.
‘Shuffle, pull, repeat, shuffle, pull, repeat, that’s the way,’ he chanted over and over again, as he inched his way towards where he’d parked his car. He could feel the raindrops dripping down his forehead; his clothes were soaked, but his mouth was dry and he felt desperately in need of a drink. With his strength so much more depleted than normal, it was only the adrenaline that kept him going and, with one final surge of effort, he once again tried pulling Rick to safety.
Every few pulls he looked into the woods. He had to know where Nina was at all times. Had to ensure she wasn’t about to spring upon them both. He’d already seen her handiwork and how he felt right now, he really didn’t fancy tackling her, not when she had a spade in her hands. He looked over his shoulder. His car was still too far away down the road, the rain wasn’t helping and he made the decision to pull Rick behind the trees and bushes. They formed a line between the road and the lake and Will knew that they both stood more chance if they were camouflaged by the waterside.
Once there, Will finally felt able to check out Rick’s condition more thoroughly. ‘Come on, Rick. Breathe.’ Rick was struggling and, without hesitation, Will placed his mouth over his and blew into his lungs. ‘Come on.’ Again he blew. Will pulled his phone from his pocket.
‘Ambulance, and the police. Fast. Please, tell them to come fast.’
‘You say Will’s been sedated and he’s doing what?’ Sarah screamed down the phone with a voice loud enough to break glass. ‘Ella, she’s dangerous and Will, what the hell is he thinking? He shouldn’t be driving or confronting Nina!’
Ella’s heart began to pound. Sarah was right. Nina was dangerous and if Will challenged her in his condition, there was no telling what she’d do next.
‘Sarah, meet me there. Meet me at the lake.’ She slammed the phone down without waiting for an answer, ran from the house and jumped into her car.
Turning on the windscreen wipers, Ella followed the road, followed the twists and turns. Then, finally, she spotted the Outlander at the roadside, swung in beside it and, without thinking, jumped out of the car. Her door slammed. She’d expected to see Will, expected his car to be right there, but something was very wrong.
‘Couldn’t help but interfere, could you?’ came Nina’s voice from behind her. Ella spun round to see a large object aiming at her, and then heard the sound of Will’s scream as he launched himself forwards.
‘Noooooo,’ His voice and then body appeared from nowhere and the object dropped to the sodden ground, and so did Nina.
Ella looked down at the ground, at where the spade had landed. She threw herself forward, but the ground was slippery and Nina moved quickly. Once again the spade was in her hands. Will jumped to his feet but wobbled. He grabbed at Nina, missed and then once again propelled himself at her.
And then, as though in slow motion, the spade went high above Nina’s head and spun out of control. It flew in Will’s direction and Ella heard an agonised scream, before Will dropped to the ground, clutching at his side.
Ella’s mind spun. This wasn’t happening. This couldn’t happen. She couldn’t allow Nina to win, not again. Turning quickly, Ella opened the boot of her car, grabbed at the burnt hockey stick and swung it as hard as she could in Nina’s direction. The stick connected with Nina’s head and snapped in half before Ella saw Nina drop to the ground. For a moment Ella froze. She couldn’t breathe and felt her legs go weak. ‘Is … is … is she dead? Oh my God, I… I killed her!’ she screamed as she dropped to her knees. She hurriedly wiped the rain from her face and gasped for breath as she looked from Will to Nina and then back again. Should she check Nina?’ Should she see if she was alive? Or did she look after Will?
She chose to look after Will and scrambled through the wet grass until she knelt by his side. She could see the blood oozing from a huge gash in his side and she quickly moved into action, pulling off her cardigan and pressing it hard against his skin. ‘You’ll be okay. I saw this on telly, it’ll help. It’ll stop the bleeding.’ She bent her head down to his and their foreheads touched. ‘You’ll be okay. I promise.’ Their eyes locked and her lips momentarily grazed his. ‘I’m so sorry I thought badly of you… I thought you’d left. I … I should have known you wouldn’t.’ A slight half smile crossed her lips and then she sat up and began fumbling in her jeans pocket. ‘The ambulance, I have to call the ambulance.’
But Will lifted his hand to her face and wiped the rain from her cheek. ‘I called them,’ he said, his voice just a whisper as he twisted to look behind him. ‘Rick, he’s over there, he isn’t looking good.’ He pointed to the bushes.
Ella gasped and jumped up. But Will’s sudden movement made her spin on the spot.
‘Where is she?’ Will shouted as he lifted his head to look at the ground where Nina had lain. His eyes opened wide. ‘Where the hell did she go?’ The question didn’t need to be answered. The Outlander’s engine fired up and the car suddenly sped towards the bridge but turned abruptly before it got there, and in one swift movement, it left the road and flew through the air. Ella’s hands went up to her face as she watched the Outlander hit the water with force. Then, as though time had stopped, she felt the breath leave her body as she watched the car slowly disappear below the surface of the lake.
Ella jumped up. ‘We … we have to get her! She’ll die! She … she can’t die!’ Ella scrambled on her hands and knees to the water’s edge. ‘Will, she has to pay, she has to pay for what she did to me … to you … to us, to all of us.’
Will reached out and grabbed hold of her hand. His grip was weak, and Ella knew that he was suffering. She looked along the road. The ambulance still couldn’t be seen, but from somewhere in the distance, sirens could be heard.
‘Will, I can hear them. They’re coming.’ She gripped his hand, but her eyes went back to the lake.
‘Ella, please, it’s over.’ His voice was barely a whisper. She could hear the pain in his words and held a finger to his lips.
‘Shhhh, try and save your energy.’ Again, she looked up, ‘I can hear them, Will … they’re coming. I promise. They won’t be long.’ She knelt by his side as his eyes searched hers.
‘Ella, promise me …’ He struggled with the words and Ella lowered her face towards his.
‘Shhh … shush, my love … they’ll … they’ll be here soon.’ The words came between sobs. She knew he was losing far too much blood and she held her hand tightly over the wound, but she gasped as the colour left his face and she could physically see the life draining from him.
‘Ella,’ he whispered. ‘Leave the job, promise me.’ His body began to shake. ‘No more danger.’ He gripped her hand. ‘Go … go take photographs … weddings, dogs … anything.’ He smiled. ‘Something nice, on sunny days.’ He tried to lift his face closer to hers. ‘Stay home when it rains.’
Ella nodded. ‘I will. I swear … Weddings. Yes … I’ll do weddings …’ She wiped the tears on her sleeve. ‘I’ll do anything, anything you say, just don’t you dare leave me, not now. Not now I’ve found you.’ The words tumbled from her mouth just as Will’s head tipped to one side, his eyes closed and the hand that had held onto hers fell away.
I was blinded by tears when Ella Hope rose up before me. She was the one who’d lived, the one who’d caused all the trouble. And now, now she was here, interfering. She was watching me. She knew what I’d done and I had to get rid of her. I had to stop her from talking and swung out with the only weapon I had, my old, rusty spade. But then like a vision, a ghost appeared before me. Will Taylor was there, although he couldn’t be there, could he? He was dead. I’d disposed of him, but now … even the dead are coming back to haunt me, and all I can wonder is who will come next? I can’t bear to see them, their opaque, eyes staring at me, screaming at me and accusing me for taking their lives. I know I’m crazy. I know I’ve gone too far and that I can’t go on. I know that if the dead come back, if
they come back to haunt me, it’s one part too many of crazy. I feel myself crawl to the Outlander. I pull myself inside and start the engine … and then I smile knowing that my final journey is about to begin.
Chapter Forty-One
Ten weeks later
Ella walked up and down the garden. It was still early, before breakfast, yet already the sun was warm and Ella smiled, knowing that later in the day it would get warmer still. She breathed in a mixture of aromas. The scents of tomato plants, roses and lavender were all jumbled together, but Ella didn’t mind. Every single smell, bird, bee or butterfly made her smile and it was mornings like this that made her thankful to have survived Nina’s rampage. Others hadn’t been so lucky, and she was more than aware of how easily she could have joined them.
‘Here you go, Millie. Fetch.’ She kicked a ball down the garden and towards the cottage as Millie happily scampered after it. But a noise in the house sent her racing inside and Ella ran in behind her in her daily race for the post. It was a race she almost always lost.
‘Millie, come back with that!’ Ella shouted as Millie sped past her and down the garden, a copy of today’s newspaper firmly grasped in her mouth. ‘Sit down, Millie, stop.’ Ella stood still, shook her head and watched as Millie mischievously made her way as far down the garden as she could. But then as quickly as the game had begun, it ended, and the paper was dropped as yesterday’s marrowbone caught her attention.
Picking up the paper, Ella made her way back to the garden bench, where the morning sun shone down on the pages as she began to turn them. She glanced over the headline and sighed. It was the headline she’d always known would be there and a picture of Rick jumped out from the page with the headline ‘Murdered business owner finally laid to rest’ written above it. A tear dropped down her face. Rick had been in a coma for six weeks before his family had made the heartbreaking decision to turn off his life support. She thought of the funeral and the sense of sadness that had surrounded the day. After all, everyone had blamed him for the murders and her attack. Everyone had thought him guilty, even her. Yet, finally he too had become one of Nina’s victims. He too had lost his life, and for what?