‘We don’t know,’ Jean repeated. ‘She’s just…gone. That woman has taken her.’ A stifled sob broke through. ‘It’s all my fault but I had to go and see about the water, didn’t I?’
‘Where’s Jason?’
‘They arrived back just a few minutes after I found she’d gone. They’ve taken the fire engine and the whole crew has gone looking for her. She wouldn’t have got far on foot. But…but Jason doesn’t know about that man yet.’
‘What man?’
‘The one that left the puir wee bairn on the doorstep in the first place.’
Jason learned about the man soon enough, and Laura heard enough to piece the whole sorry story together as she sat on station in the company of two fire and ambulance crews at shift changeover time.
‘It has to be her brother.’
‘It was no brother that I saw that morning. No’ the way they were kissing each other.’
‘Why didn’t you tell us that in the first place, Mackie?’
‘Because you wouldn’t have taken your wee girl home with you. That Shelley creature is no’ fit to be a mother.’
‘That was part of the reason I refused to leave Megan at home.’ Jason nodded. ‘She doesn’t know much about babies and she cares even less.’ He groaned. ‘I had a suspicion she might try and pull a stunt like this. We had an argument last night when her brother was backing her up and trying to intimidate me. They both went oddly quiet when I said we’d have to see what the courts had to say about custody.’
‘It’s my fault it happened.’ If Mrs Mack had been wearing an apron, it would have surprised no one if she’d thrown it over her head.
‘You were set up, Mackie. She must have plugged that basin and turned the taps on as soon as she saw Tim and Laura get called out. She had to know you’d go and see what was causing the flood. She was just waiting here long enough for us all to be out at the same time.’
‘What are we going to do?’ Laura said quietly.
‘We didn’t see any sign of them on the streets,’ Stick said unhappily.
‘What did your mate in the police force reckon, Jase?’ asked Bruce. ‘You did ring him, didn’t you?’
Jason nodded wearily. ‘He said that it would not be considered kidnapping and if there’s no evidence that she’s planning to harm the baby then there’s absolutely nothing they can do.’
‘She’s not going to leave town in a hurry.’ Stick gave Jason’s shoulder a comforting squeeze. ‘Let’s face it, mate. It’s you she wants, not the kid.’
‘But she can’t look after her. She only took her bottle and her blanket. She doesn’t even have any clean nappies.’
‘She’s a woman,’ Cliff said somewhat acidly. ‘She’ll find the shops.’
‘She must have looked after her for the first month of her life,’ someone from Red Watch added. ‘So she must have some idea what she’s doing.’
‘Ha!’ Both Jason and Mrs Mack made identical sounds of contempt.
‘She must be staying somewhere.’ Laura stood up. ‘Let’s get the phone book and start ringing motels.’
‘And backpackers’ hostels,’ Jason said. ‘Camping grounds, even. You’re right, Laura. They’re not going to be sleeping on the streets with a baby, even if they don’t have much money. We’ll find them.’
But they couldn’t. They spent hour after hour on the phone until it was so late the responses from motel managers became abusive and Laura finally agreed to go home and get some sleep.
‘You’ve got work starting at seven a.m.’
‘So do you.’
‘I’ll see if I can get someone to cover for me. I need to be around in case Shelley decides to make contact.’
The next day dragged more than any Laura had known. Interest in her patients was at an all-time low and she was very thankful that Tim was prepared to pick up the slack. Between calls, she rang Jason, hoping for news. She found him on station that afternoon, looking bleak.
‘I’m not getting anywhere,’ he told her wearily. ‘Most managers quite rightly refuse to give out any information on their clients.’
‘Then let’s go and talk to them in person. Even if they won’t tell us anything, we can keep our eyes open and even snoop around a bit. We should make a list of all the less expensive places and visit them tomorrow. I’ll help as soon as my shift finishes. Are you going home again now?’
‘No, I think I’ll stay here tonight. She left Megan here the last time she wanted to make a point.’
‘She might go back to the house.’
‘She didn’t last night. I’ll go home to get some clothes in the morning and check to see if she’s left any kind of message.’
The only message Shelley left was a broken window. Baby equipment and other items were missing but Jason couldn’t see any point in reporting the burglary to the police. There was no proof that it had been Shelley and they would be wasting valuable searching time by trying to persuade the authorities to become involved.
Jason and Laura spent the whole of the day visiting the motels in person, trying to persuade people how important it was that they find Megan.
‘She’s got a medical condition,’ Laura invented desperately in the end. ‘And her mother hasn’t got the medication she needs.’
‘Try the police, then. It’s none of our business. How do we know you’ve got any right to be tracking her down, anyway?’
‘We could hire a private detective,’ Laura suggested late that afternoon. ‘They might be better at this than we are.’
‘What could they do that we’re not doing?’
‘I don’t know. They might have contacts to track things like credit-card use.’
‘She won’t need a card for a while,’ Jason said. ‘She cleaned out my wallet when she broke into the house and I had the rent money for a month in there.’
‘She’ll be in touch.’ Laura was trying to reassure herself as much as Jason. ‘As Stick pointed out, it’s you she wants. She’s just trying to show you that she’s capable of taking Megan away. She’s betting that you’ll be missing her enough to agree to anything to get her back.’
‘I am missing her. Crazy, isn’t it?’ Jason pulled Laura into his arms and held her tightly. ‘I know you’re worried about her just as much as I am but don’t worry. We’ll get her back…somehow.’
‘Are you coming into work tonight?’
‘May as well,’ Jason said grimly. ‘We’re not getting anywhere like this so we’re going to have to wait for her to contact us. Waiting for that will be a lot easier at work than sitting at home by myself.’
It was a busy night for both the fire and ambulance crews. Laura hardly saw Jason and when they were diverted from returning to station after a job that finished at 6 a.m. she groaned aloud.
‘No sleep all night and now a job that will probably make us late and I really wanted to see Jason.’
‘Must be tough for you guys at the moment,’ Tim said sympathetically. ‘Have you got the details for this priority-one through on your pager yet?’
‘No. I don’t even know what suburb we’re supposed to be heading for.’ Laura picked up the radio handpiece. ‘Inglewood 950 to Control.’
‘Must be busy.’ Tim noted the length of time taken to respond. ‘We’ll just keep cruising for a minute.’
‘Towards the station,’ Laura suggested with a smile. ‘That way, if we’re too far away from the action they’ll have to send someone else.’
‘Yeah.’ Tim returned the smile but it faded quickly. ‘This business with Megan isn’t great for you, is it?’
‘You could say that.’
‘It’s funny, but I never thought Jason would be so cut up. He gave the impression that the sooner the mum came back to collect, the better.’
‘Things changed,’ Laura sighed. ‘He fell in love with his baby.’
‘And with you?’ Tim suggested softly.
‘With the whole package,’ Laura corrected. ‘He doesn’t want to lose the family he was g
iven.’
‘I can understand that,’ Tim said. ‘And I can under—’
Whatever else Tim understood was never made clear. The radio crackled into life abruptly.
‘Inglewood 950. Priority-one callout. Standby for house fire. Code 61 in attendance.’
Code 61 was the fire service. Maybe Laura would get to see Jason after all. She pushed the button on the side of her microphone.
‘Roger. What address?’
Tim had the beacons going. He caught Laura’s eye, waiting for the street name. There was no point in picking up speed until they knew they were heading in the right direction.
‘Crighton Terrace.’ The dispatch officer’s tone was perfectly calm. ‘No number given.’
Tim’s gaze was still on Laura and his eyes widened to reflect her own alarm. He hit the siren and pushed his foot down hard on the accelerator.
Crighton Terrace.
Jason’s street. Had Shelley decided to make even more of a point than simply breaking into Jason’s house? Was it burning to the ground right now?
And where in God’s name was Megan?
Chapter 10
Jason’s house was not on fire.
Laura let out a sigh of relief as they turned into Crighton Terrace. The two fire appliances, beacons lighting up the overcast grey of the dawn sky, were parked at the end of the street beside the old deserted house.
‘Probably arson,’ she decided aloud. ‘No one’s lived in that place for months, which would make it a tempting target.’
‘Can’t see any flames.’ Tim sounded vaguely disappointed as he parked well clear of the activity surrounding the fire trucks. ‘Bit of smoke, though.’
They skirted a pair of firemen from another station who were unrolling and coupling long lengths of hose. Bruce was standing beside the control panel of the Inglewood appliance. Laura couldn’t see Jason anywhere and assumed he must be on the other end of the hose leading through the open front door of the house.
‘Anyone injured?’ Tim queried.
‘Not yet.’ Bruce waved towards where their ambulance was parked, its back doors open and the empty stretchers visible. ‘Take a pew and put your feet up for a while.’
‘Anyone inside the house?’
‘Not that we know of. Jase tells us it’s been empty for a while. Early morning jogger saw the smoke coming out from under the eaves as he ran past.’
‘Can we get a bit closer?’ Tim enjoyed watching a different service at work.
‘Sure. Just watch you don’t trip over any hoses. Or firemen.’
Laura was staring at the house that had become a familiar landmark during her walks with Jason and Megan. She could see fingers of flame reaching out through the smoke billowing out from under the eaves. Only one corner of the house seemed to be involved at present, on both storeys. Her gaze tracked along the side of the house as she wondered where Jason might be.
‘Who’s upstairs?’
‘What?’ Bruce had to shout over the sounds of the pump and other fire officers being deployed nearby from the second appliance.
‘I saw someone.’ Laura pointed. ‘At that window.’
‘What?’ Bruce jerked his gaze away from the panel of instruments. ‘Are you sure?’
‘Yes. Look!’ The shape appeared again, a shadowy outline due to the drifts of smoke.
‘We haven’t got anyone upstairs. The staircase is dodgy.’ Bruce was reaching for his radio. ‘Jase? Can you hear me?’
A crackling sound came back. ‘Affirmative.’
‘Looks like there’s someone upstairs.’
A swear word came back this time. ‘Roger. Send in a ladder. We’ll get in at—’
But Laura didn’t wait to hear what was planned for the ladder. She had been focussing on another window at the far corner of the house from the flames. She had seen the person again and this time a puff of wind had cleared the drift of smoke for a fraction of a second. Just long enough to recognise the face of the woman. A face framed by long, blonde hair.
‘Oh my God!’ Laura started running.
‘Laura!’ The shout from one of the firemen she raced past as they came out of the house sounded like Jason’s voice. A heavily gloved hand caught briefly at her arm but Laura was going fast enough to pull away easily.
‘Shelley’s in there,’ she shouted back over her shoulder. ‘Megan must be here as well.’
The heat inside the house hit her solidly as she ran through the front door but, surprisingly, the smoke didn’t seem too bad. Enough to make her eyes sting and force her to hunch her shoulders and keep her head lowered, but she couldn’t see any flames and she knew that the area of the house she had seen Shelley in was as far as it could be from the worst of the fire. If she could just get up the stairs she would be able to find them faster than anybody else because she knew where they were.
She also knew she shouldn’t be doing this. She could hear the shouts of the firemen trying to catch up with her. They would pull her clear if they succeeded. Number-one rule for rescuers—do not put yourself in danger. A rule for anyone at a house fire was to get out and stay out. But there was no time to think about anything other than a gut reaction. Laura was running purely on instinct and adrenalin.
This was Megan whose life was in danger.
Laura took the stairs two at a time, her eyes now streaming and a painful cough grabbing at her lungs. She heard even louder shouts from the firemen behind her and then she heard something far worse. The crack and rumble of timbers falling as the staircase she had just climbed collapsed.
There was no turning back now and Laura knew she only had a matter of seconds to find what she was looking for. The smoke upstairs was thick. And black. She dropped to her knees to find the only clear patch of air and crawled in a frantic rush towards what she desperately hoped was the room in which she had seen Shelley. God help her if she’d got it wrong!
Everything became a blur. She found the room. Shelley pushed past her at a one-legged crawl, her other leg trailing uselessly behind her. She shouted something at Laura but the words were made incomprehensible by racking coughs. And Laura wasn’t listening anyway because it was too hard to think of more than one thing at a time and she could see the small, still shape on the floor beside the window.
It had to be Megan.
The shattering of the window glass was followed by a more ominous sound of something exploding into flames nearby. Laura couldn’t breathe any more. Couldn’t think. But she didn’t need to. Rough, gloved hands were pulling at her, picking her up with Megan still clutched to her. And then she was in Jason’s arms.
‘Put one arm around my neck. Wrap your legs around my waist and hold on tight!’
If Laura hadn’t been so close to losing consciousness or so afraid of whether Megan was still alive or not, she might have been terrified of being carried down the long extension ladder, clinging to the front of Jason’s body like a monkey, with Megan wedged securely between them.
Tim came into focus a short time later.
‘You bloody idiot,’ he told Laura.
She pulled the oxygen mask from her face. ‘Wh-where’s Megan?’ she croaked.
‘Right here.’
Laura struggled to sit up. Tim was bent over the second stretcher, with his stethoscope on a tiny chest. Megan’s face was covered by the paediatric oxygen mask that was miles too big for her.
‘Is…is she…?’
Tim glanced at Laura, then smiled as he lifted the mask from the baby’s face for a second. The sound of her crying became separated from the cacophony of shouting, sirens and equipment running outside the ambulance, and Laura laughed and sobbed and coughed all at the same time until Tim gently pushed her back down and firmly tightened the elastic string on her oxygen mask. Laura closed her eyes but not before she caught a glimpse of more ambulance officers rushing past the back doors with another figure on a stretcher.
And then Jason was there. Still in his full protective uniform, he seemed far too large
to be standing in the back of an ambulance. His breathing apparatus tank was still on his back, the mask dangling beneath his chin. He ripped off his heavy gloves and his helmet and dropped them onto the floor. Then he reached for Laura’s hands.
‘You bloody idiot,’ he told her. Laura could see tears in his eyes as a wobbly smile appeared. ‘Don’t you ever do that to me again.’
Laura couldn’t speak. It was painful to breathe anyway and the look on Jason’s face was enough to make her think she was precious in her own right. He loved her…there could be no doubt about that. But was it a love that was separate from how he felt about his daughter? Did Jason even know that Megan was all right? Still unable to produce any words, Laura pulled one hand from Jason’s grip and pointed to the other stretcher, her lips curving into a smile just as wobbly as Jason’s had been.
Jason turned to look at his daughter. The tears that had brightened his eyes overflowed now and built into a trickle that carved a pathway through the grime on his face.
‘Thank God,’ he whispered. ‘I thought that was just too much to hope for.’
Had it mattered even more than her well being? ‘Sh—’ Laura coughed hard and drew in a ragged breath of oxygen. She pulled the mask from her face and tried again. ‘Shelley?’ she managed to croak.
‘Alive,’ Jason told her. ‘But injured. We got her out just in time. Couldn’t do anything to save her brother, or whoever he was, though.’
Whoever he was became clear much later that day.
Laura and Jason found themselves sitting that evening, side by side, on chairs pulled up to a bed in a side room on the orthopaedic ward of Wellington’s General Hospital. The woman lying on the bed had her plastered lower leg supported on pillows. Her arms and hands were heavily bandaged and her face was red with areas of peeling skin. With her eyelashes and eyebrows singed to virtual baldness, Shelley Bates looked nothing like the attractive female that had walked into their lives only days before.
The sobbing that had accompanied her confession was only now diminishing, and Laura held tightly onto Jason’s hand, unable to swallow the lump in her own throat on witnessing the very real grief on display.
The Firefighters Baby Page 16