Twice Lucky

by Mardi Alexander

  Richard knelt down next to Mac and leaned into her face until their foreheads were touching. “I told you not to fuck with me, didn’t I? Didn’t I?” He grabbed Mac by the jaw so that he looked straight into her eyes. “Do it again, and I’ll kill you both. Understand?”

  Mac swallowed and whispered, “Yes.”

  Richard dug his fingers into Mac’s face as he shook her jaw. “Yes, what?”

  “Yes, I understand. I’m sorry.”

  He shoved her to the ground, stood up, and resumed pacing the room. “You bloody women. Always thinking you’re smart. Always causing problems. You’re all the bloody same. Can’t be trusted. Take everything away. Now you’ve gone and ruined the plan. I have to think. Need to make…”

  The phone buzzed in Richard’s hands, and he dropped it. He stood, staring at it, as it vibrated on the floor. The screen’s face shone brightly as it flashed in time to the vibrations, grabbing and holding his attention. He slowly bent over and picked it up. He pressed the answer button. Mac watched anxiously as Richard listened, growing more red-faced by the second.

  “Well, Mr. Kevin McIntyre, I don’t care if you’re with the police or you’re the prime-bloody-minister, I don’t want to talk to you, so piss off.”

  Chapter Twenty-nine

  “There you go. Try to keep your stitches dry for the next couple of days. The dressing will need changing in two days. Keep it covered during the day for the first week, just so that no dirt gets in. If all goes well, you can either come back here or see your local doctor in ten days’ time to have the stitches removed. Alice here will get a few more details from you, and you can collect a script for antibiotics on the way out. And have a think about putting that safety guard back on, okay?”

  The carpenter, who had sliced open several of his fingers on a scroll saw, nodded. “Thanks, Doc. I will.”

  Sarah was taking off her gloves and throwing them in the bin when her mobile rang. As she walked through the heavy plastic swinging doors to the nurses’ station, she reached into her coat pocket to retrieve it. Looking at the screen she could see it was Jean. “Hey, Jean, what’s up?” All Sarah could hear was Jean sobbing into the phone. “Jean, take a deep breath for me. Now tell me, what’s the matter?”

  “Richard’s got Thomas. He came to the school and took him.”

  “What happened?”

  “He was waiting for them and when they went outside, he grabbed them.”

  “Them?”

  “He’s got Mac too.”

  “Mac and Thomas?”

  Jean broke into fresh sobbing. “Sarah, he’s got a gun.”

  “Do the police know?”

  “Yes, they’re here now.”

  “Where are you?”

  “I’m at the school.”

  “Stay there. I’m on my way.”

  She walked to the nurses’ station and spoke to Claudia and Alice. “My nephew and Mac have been taken at gunpoint. Alice, can you get me a trauma kit ready please? Claudia, I need you to call Don and tell him what’s happened and get him to come in. I’m going to the school. I’ll have my phone on me and will call if I have any news.”

  Next Sarah rang Martha at the fire station. “Hi, Martha, it’s Sarah.”

  “Sarah, I’ve just heard. Where are you?”

  “I’m at the hospital, but I’m about to head to the school to be with Jean and the police. What have you heard?”

  “Only that they have both been taken at gunpoint. The last report was that they were seen driving away in a navy-blue sedan.”

  “Okay, well if you hear anything, can you let me know?”

  “Will do. Stay in touch.”

  “I will, thank you. Bye.”

  Just as Sarah hung up, Alice arrived with the kit and a triage vest that had Doctor written on the back. “I’ve put the radio in as well, in case you need it.”

  “Thanks.”

  Alice gave her a quick hug. “Please, be careful.”

  “I’ll do my best.” With that, Sarah grabbed the kit and ran out the door to her car.

  She threw the bag in, slammed the car into gear, and took off. She knew she was speeding across town, and she was pretty sure she ran at least one red light, but she didn’t care. Soon enough she turned the corner to the school and could see the flashing lights of the police cars parked in the school’s driveway. She grabbed the bag and ran towards the nearest police officer.

  “I’m sorry, ma’am, this is a restricted access area at the moment. I can’t allow you to go in.”

  Sarah held up her bag. “I’m a doctor with the local hospital, and I’m here with a trauma field kit. The two people taken hostage? They’re my nephew and my partner. I need to get in there and be with my sister.”

  Chief O’Reilly strode over to her. He looked at the policeman and nodded. “It’s all right, she’s with us. Let her through.”

  The officer nodded and let Sarah pass to join the chief. “What’s going on?”

  “The police have not long arrived. We heard over the shared services radio that they’re talking to various witnesses now to piece together what happened. Follow me and I’ll take you in. John told me the little boy is your nephew.”

  “That’s right.”

  “Anything you need, Sarah, you let me know. John is here too. He’s in with your sister and the police, helping them with descriptions and the like.” Sarah followed the chief into the school and towards the principal’s office. The chief signalled to the police officer standing outside the office door to let them in.

  Jean leaped out of her chair and straight into Sarah’s arms, weeping. “Oh God, Sarah, what am I gonna do? He’s got them. We don’t know where they are.”

  “Shh, love. I’m sure everyone is doing all they can.”

  A detective walked over to them. “Hello. My name is Senior Detective David Morales. Dr. Macarthur, would you like to take a seat next to your sister?” Both Sarah and Jean sat down. “We have descriptions of all three people involved. The chief tells me you’re a doctor from the hospital.”

  “Yes, I’m the doctor in charge of the emergency department. I’ve also brought along a field trauma kit, in case it’s needed.”

  “That’s good to know. Let’s hope we don’t need it.”

  “What happened?”

  “It would appear the suspect was waiting outside the school grounds in a hire car. When Lieutenant James came out of the classroom with two of the children to retrieve some equipment from a vehicle, he approached them. Lieutenant James managed to send one of the children back with a note and a warning for the teacher. The teacher, a Miss Kelly, ran outside in time to see the suspect wielding a gun at Lieutenant James and the boy, before they drove away.”

  “What happens now?”

  “We’ve issued a KLO4 to all units, a high priority broadcast to keep a lookout for the suspect, your son, and the lieutenant. We have extra patrols combing the city, and we’ve alerted the nearby towns to help with extra patrols on the crossroads heading out of town. At this stage, there’s been no communication, no ransom demand. Some of my colleagues are busy trying to contact the suspect’s most recent therapist. We’re hoping to be able to build a profile and get a better picture of where he might be at, psychologically, to try and help us.” The detective looked at the drawn faces around the room. “Why don’t you all go and grab a hot drink from the staff tea room. We’ll come and get you if we hear anything.”

  Sarah nodded. She put her arm around Jean. “Come on, love. All we can do now is wait.”

  They headed to the staff room with John in tow, carrying Sarah’s kit. He put the bag down inside the door. “Why don’t you two sit down and I’ll put the kettle on.”

  Sarah smiled and hugged him. “Thanks, John.”

  John held her and whispered in her ear, “Mac will do her best to look after him. We have to trust in that.”

  Sarah gave him a squeeze, “I do.”

  Sarah’s phone rang. She hurriedly pulled it out, hoping
it was Mac, only to see Maree’s name come up on the screen. She took the call outside the room. “Hello, Sarah speaking.”

  “Hi, it’s Maree. I’ve got you on speakerphone. We’re both here. Martha called and told us the news. Are you okay?”

  Sarah leaned against the wall and closed her eyes. She was far from okay, but she knew if she lost it now she’d be no good to anybody. “Yeah, I’m okay. Just worried, like everyone else.”

  “Has there been any more news?”

  “No. All we know is that he has both Thomas and Mac and that he has a gun. The police don’t know where they are. They’ve got patrols out looking. All we can do is wait.”

  “How’s Jean holding up?”

  “She’s terrified. We all are. But there’s nothing we can do. John and the chief are here too. We’re all just waiting.”

  “Would you like us to come down there with you?”

  Sarah sighed. “I would, but there’s already a cast of a thousand here. What about Martha? Is someone with Martha?”

  “We were just talking about that. If you think you’re okay there, then we might head over to Martha’s. If nothing else, we’ll cook up a storm together, the three of us, for when everyone comes home.”

  Sarah’s throat closed as a wave of emotion hit her. She could manage a whispered, “Yeah.”

  “Sarah, you have to believe that. They will come home. We have to stay positive.”

  “I know.”

  “You sure you don’t want one of us there?”

  Sarah took in a deep breath. “No, it’s okay. I’d feel happier knowing that you were with Martha. Thank you both, though. I really appreciate it.”

  “We’re right here if you need us. You have my mobile number. Call if you need or want anything, okay?”

  “I will. And thanks again, girls.”

  “That’s all right. You hang in there, okay?”

  “Okay. I’ll call if I hear anything.”

  “Okay, give our love to Jean too.”

  “Will do. Bye.” Sarah took a minute to centre herself before heading back. Jean looked up as she came in. Sarah shook her head. “Maree and Terri, seeing if we were okay. They both send you their love.” Sarah turned to John. “They offered to come here, but I said that we were okay, so they’re going to go over and stay with Martha.”

  John nodded. “That’s good. They’ll be able to keep each other busy.”

  All three sat and waited, watching as the minutes turned into hours.

  Chapter Thirty

  Richard was pacing again and ranting. “Stupid fucking cow! All we needed were a couple of hours and we could have been gone, but oh no, little Miss Fucking Bright Spark…” He stomped past one of the cupboards that had a phone book, a cup of pens, and a box of computer paper on it. He picked them up and hurled them at Mac in rage. Suddenly he stopped pacing. He ran over to the window that overlooked the street. “They still don’t know where we are. There’s no one there. We might still have time. Can’t wait for nightfall. Need to go. Gotta get ready…need to go now.” Richard ran to the table and grabbed his bag. He stood over Mac. “You better be here when I get back.”

  Mac could only manage a whisper. “Yes.”

  He strode through the door, slamming it shut and locking it behind him. Mac heard him go down the steps. Pushing up on her elbows, then to her hands, she managed to right herself to a sitting position. She put her chin to her chest in thought. She had to come up with a plan. We’re running out of time. Can’t take much more of this. Think, Mac. Think. The stairwell. Maybe she could use that to buy them some time, ’til somebody came. She looked at Thomas in the shadows of the cupboard. He was sitting with his knees pulled up tight to his chest. Poor baby’s terrified. I don’t blame him. So am I. It was hard to sign. The ties on her wrists were so tight that she was losing the feeling in her hands and was very restricted in her movements. She half turned so Thomas could see her and clumsily signed, “When we go to leave this room, I want you to keep your eyes on me. When I say move, you move. Duck or run, whatever you can. Okay? Just move out of the road. You got that? Just move.”

  Thomas nodded.

  “Okay, I need to rest for a minute. But remember what I said. You watch me and move, as soon as I tell you to.”

  Thomas nodded.

  “Good boy.”

  Mac put her chin back down on her chest and concentrated on her breathing. She was so tired. She could feel that her shirt and jacket were soaked in blood from the cut on her ribs. She also suspected she had some internal damage from all the kicks she’d caught. In the last half hour, it had gotten harder to breathe.

  She looked down at her leg and knew if she was going to get out of here, she had to at least try and straighten it so that it could take some weight, if need be. Her shin was slightly misshapen, with a lump in the middle. She closed her eyes briefly and offered up a prayer for it not to be a complete break, in the vain hope that she could put some weight on it. She knew if both bones were gone, her leg would collapse out from underneath her, but she had to be ready in the small hope that she could hold out. She carefully spun around until she faced the pole and hooked the foot of her broken leg around the metal beam. Next she took a deep breath and pushed out on the pole with her good leg, straightening and pulling the bone shafts apart. With grimaced teeth, and tears streaming from her eyes, she leaned forward and felt with her hands to make sure the bones were aligned as best she could manage, before releasing the pressure and falling backward, panting and whimpering with the effort. She bit her lip to stop herself from passing out. Stay awake. Got to stay awake.

  Lying there, Mac thought through the possibilities. There weren’t many. The door opened inward. The balcony was about a metre and a half wide and two and a half long, connected to the steps, which went down in two stages, about eight metres off the ground.

  Again, Mac gritted her teeth and slid back into position, with her back against the pole. She dropped her chin to her chest and rested. Every movement was such an effort. She was reduced to taking short rapid breaths. She turned her head and looked at the window facing the street. It had gotten dark outside. She had no idea of what the time was or how long they had been there. It was also starting to get cold. At least Thomas was warm in the cupboard.

  A flashing light out the window caught Mac’s eye. She looked again. Nothing happened. Damn. Must have imagined it. Mac’s head snapped around. She could hear Richard running up the steel stairs. The door burst open. His face was covered in sweat. Mac could see the Glock tucked into his belt and he had the sawn-off in his hands. His eyes were wide and panicky as he looked around the room.

  He strode over to Mac and kicked her hip. “Fucking cops have found us, thanks to you.”

  Mac smiled lopsidedly in relief. “God bless the cavalry.”

  The sound of a loud hailer broke the silence. “Richard Adams. This is the police. Richard, we know that you have two people in there with you, including your son Thomas. We’re currently outside the building. I’m going to call you on the phone and I’d like you to pick up.”

  As promised, the phone rang. Richard pulled it out of his pocket. “What?…No, here’s the deal. You piss off, and I take my son, and we all get the hell out of here…All I want is my son.”

  Whatever the cop was saying to Richard, it was making him increasingly agitated.

  “I know what you’re doing. You’re trying to get inside my head. Well I won’t let you! And I won’t let you take my son away from me again. I am leaving here with my son, one way or another. Either way, he’s coming with me.” Richard disconnected the phone and threw it against the wall, shattering it into pieces.

  Mac looked around the room to see if there was anything she could use as a weapon. There was nothing.

  Richard strode over to the cupboard, reached in, and roughly grabbed Thomas by the shirt. Thomas kicked and struggled. Richard slapped him upside the head. “Stop it, you little shit.” He dragged him to the door. Thomas turned and
looked at Mac. His eyes were wide with terror and his mouth open, desperately crying to her with a silent scream for help.

  Richard turned to Mac and offered her a last sneer. “See you in hell, bitch.” Holding a kicking Thomas in one hand and the shotgun in his other, he turned and was struggling to open the door.

  Mac saw her opportunity. She struggled to one knee and pushed off, hoping to God her leg would hold out for just a few steps. The pain was almost blinding. She focused on Richard. She signed to Thomas, “Move!”

  Thomas gave Richard one last big kick in the shins, which made his knees buckle. Richard turned to Thomas. “You little—”

  Thomas ducked as Mac leaped for Richard. She caught him straight on the chest, the momentum sending them both crashing through the glass window next to the door and out onto the steel balcony. As Mac landed heavily on top of Richard, the gun discharged, both of their bodies jolted by the force of the blast. Panicking, Richard pushed Mac off and tumbled out from under her, only to slip off the side of the balcony. He reached out and clung onto the edge, his body swinging underneath him in mid-air.

  Mac lay there, stunned, on her back. Her feet dangled over the edge. She was struggling to catch her breath.

  She could hear Richard just below her. “Help me!”

  She raised her head to see his fingertips on the edge.

  “Help me!”

  His hands were grabbing and reaching blindly for a hold. Groping wildly, he found the ankle of Mac’s broken leg. She yelled in pain. She could see Richard’s twisted smile as he laughed. “If I go, you’re coming with me, bitch.”

  Mac raised the knee of her good leg as she saw Richard beginning to raise himself up over the edge. “In your dreams, you arsehole.” With her last remaining strength, Mac kicked out at Richard’s head as hard as she could manage and caught him flush between the eyes with the heel of her boot, the force of the blow causing him to lose his grip on both Mac and the balcony edge.

  The look of horror on his face, as he lost his grip and realized his fate, was almost comical. As if in slow motion, his arms spread out, flailing. He had a few moments of free fall, before it ended abruptly moments later, with a sickening, wet thud.