Counting Sunsets

by Paul Gait

  ‘Rupert. You’ll really have to be more vigilant. I could have been anybody laying in wait. I could be a murderer,’ she emphasised the word. His heart sank. The fear returned. ‘Careful now. Mind you don’t crash,’ she added, as he clipped the kerb at the shock of seeing her. ‘You didn’t think you could escape from me did you? I have to look after you. For better for worse. Remember? You need me because you are weak and pathetic. You’re not strong enough to live without me,’ she shouted.

  ‘I found that stuff you’d been feeding me for all those years. I’ve broken free of your chemical sedation,’ he said bravely.

  ‘Have you really? Well I think you’d better drive us home so you can resume the regime, don’t you? We’ll talk about your disobedience during one of our special talks.’ The menace, clear in her threat.

  Rupert’s newly regained self-confidence, suddenly evaporating, as he recalled the horrors of her ‘special talks.’

  ‘How did you get in to the car?’

  ‘When your boss came and got it. You forgot to tell him about the spare key. Silly boy,’ she mocked. ‘Where are you friends now, when you need them? Oh, don’t worry, I have plans for them too,’ she said malevolently. ‘They’ll soon find out that nobody messes with me. They’ll regret the day they ever interfered in our, ‘special’ marriage,’ she said, becoming animated.

  Rupert was frantically thinking of escape, his hand moving towards the door handle. Unfortunately, she had already anticipated that possibility.

  ‘Oh don’t think you can suddenly leap out of the car. This remote central locking is great, isn’t it?’ His hopes died as he heard the electrical clunking of all four door locks engaging.

  She grabbed his hair, yanking his head back, whispering into his ear. ‘I’m going to enjoy our reunion,’ she said vengefully. ‘I’ve brought some of our special toys with me.’ She let go of his hair and he heard the sound he dreaded, the ripping of Velcro.. He knew what was coming. As she tried to reach his head again, he leant forward until his chest was resting on the steering wheel.

  As he desperately fought off his nemesis, the cars ahead in the queue started moving. Cars behind them, annoyed at the additional delay beeped their horns. Momentarily distracted, Rupert lifted his head and was immediately grabbed by her. She stuck her long nails into the arm which he had broken, causing him to scream in pain. ‘Sit up and stop struggling,’ she shouted. ‘Come on, move the car forward. We don’t want to upset your fellow travellers or get your colleagues concerned about your welfare, do we?’ she added, easing the pressure on his arm

  He sat up reluctantly and moved the car forward, as instructed.

  ‘That’s a good boy,’ she said, pulling his head back, and encircling his neck with a collar.

  Rupert put his fingers under the collar as she was putting it around his throat, only to be screamed at and having his hair pulled violently.

  ‘Put your hand back on that steering wheel. It’s bad driving to only have one hand on the wheel.’

  He did as he was told, now totally subservient, his mind numb, his mouth dry with fear. She briefly let go of his hair and closed the Velcro strap at the back of his neck.

  ‘Now Rupert, I think you need to be reminded of what happens to a naughty boy, when he’s bad. Don’t you?’

  The traffic stopped again.

  A jolt of electricity went through his neck, making it feel as those his brain had exploded. His eyes bulged and he let out a scream. He had a funny, familiar, tinny taste in his mouth. Involuntarily he jumped up out of the seat, stalling the car.

  The electric shock dog collar used by some dog trainers had been outlawed in the canine world. But Sue had found that it met her macabre requirements very nicely.

  ‘Right Rupert, what pain threshold setting do you think I should use now? The high voltage setting ‘Very badly misbehaved dog’, the medium setting ‘Badly misbehaved dog’ or ‘the low setting Come to heel’? Not sure? Then I think this will do,’ she said resetting the small controller. ‘Badly misbehaved dog’ it is then,’ she said hitting the button again.

  Rupert’s reaction was the same, except this time he had bitten his lip. Blood and saliva dribbled on to his shirt front.

  ‘Come on you naughty boy. The queue has moved on again. We don’t want any road rage do we?’ she said, firing the charge again and laughing manically at his reaction.

  Eventually, they got on to the M5 motorway and headed north. Rupert desperately trying to think of some way to get out of the dreadful situation, which, unless he did, he knew would end in a beating.

  As if she could read his thoughts, she told him to, ‘Forget any ideas of escape.’

  Farther up the motorway they caught up with a queue of traffic all doing less than the national speed limit of 70 mph. He correctly guessed that the motorists were uncertain whether to overtake each other, fearing they might get a speeding ticket, if, at the head, there was a Police car. Confusingly, at a distance Police cars and Highways Agency Traffic Officer vehicles looked similar.

  He started overtaking the queue, until ahead he could see the familiar 4 by 4. Indeed, the procession was following a liveried vehicle, emblazoned with large yellow and blue squares and high visibility hatching on the rear. Rupert decided that, if it was a Police vehicle, this might offer him the chance for which he’d been hoping. As he got closer he could see the word ‘Police’ signwritten on the bumper. He felt elated.

  ‘Steady now Rupert,’ she instructed. ‘We don’t want you to get points on your licence do we? Now, that would be a cruel punishment,’ she laughed, briefly hitting the charge button again. Recovering from the shock, he found the courage to shout. ‘Don’t be stupid. Do you want to kill us?’

  ‘Just be careful,’ she said.

  Rupert continued slowly overtaking the queue of vehicles until he drew level with the Police Car and started matching their speed. Desperately looking across at them, hoping to attract their attention.

  Sue immediately saw through his plan and warned him. ‘Don’t even think about it,’ she said malevolently. Otherwise the next reminder will be ‘Very Badly behaved’.’

  Annoyed that she had guessed his intentions and in a fit of pique, a mixture of fear and foolhardiness, he decided he needed to end the situation one way or another. Pushing the accelerator down hard, he sped away from the Police Car, quickly reaching ninety miles per hour.

  CHAPTER FIFTY

  ‘What the hell are you doing you stupid idiot? she screamed, blasting his neck with another charge. At that speed his involuntary reaction caused the car to veer across all three lanes, narrowly avoiding crashing into the central barrier.

  The response from the Police Car was immediate. The blue lights came on with the two tone siren blaring. Within a short distance the patrol car had quickly caught up with them, flashing it’s headlights, gesticulating for them to stop.

  ‘You stupid bastard,’ she shouted, quickly removing the dog collar from his neck and stuffing it into the seat pocket. ‘You’ll regret doing that.’

  ‘No I won’t,’ Rupert shouted back. It’s something I should have done a long time ago. Standing up to you, and your bullying. You bitch.’

  ‘Oh, a moment of bravery, eh?. Don’t worry. You might think you’ve won today. But never underestimate me. You’ll never be able to relax. You’ll never be free of me.’

  ‘We’ll see,’ he said. ‘You’ve gone too far this time.’

  ‘I’m warning you! Don’t say anything.’

  He pulled the car on to the hard shoulder and shortly the passenger from the Police vehicle was at their car.

  ‘Hello Sir, would you mind opening the door and join me in the back seat of the Patrol Car. I need to ask you some questions.’

  Rupert tried to open the door which was still locked.

  Sue wound down her window and moved over to the passenger side.

  ‘It’s OK officer. We have a car problem. The garage said it’s a fault on the accelerator. It suddenly giv
es the turbo an unexpected boost. Whatever that means,’ she said, feigning mechanical ignorance to give credence to her story.

  ‘In that case, if you know that happens, you shouldn’t be driving it. Sir, if you wouldn’t mind I need to take some details.’

  Sue unlocked the car doors with the spare key. As Rupert stepped out, he felt as though he’d won the lottery. She was going to go to jail. At last he’d beaten her. She glared at him as he walked past her, the threat obvious.

  In the back of the Police Car, Rupert told the amazed Policemen that he had been kidnapped by his wife. During their journey, she had been torturing him with electric shocks. And because he was a victim of domestic violence, there was a court injunction out to prevent her seeing him.

  ‘Well clearly, that’s serious allegations you’re making there. While my colleague checks out your story with control, I’ll go and have words with your wife.’

  The Policeman left Rupert and his colleague and went and sat in the front passenger seat of Rupert’s car. He told Sue of Rupert’s allegation’s.

  ‘That doesn’t surprise me,’ she said calmly. ‘My husband suffers from a Bi-polar condition. He keeps getting episodes where he believes I am kidnapping him. It happens almost every time we go somewhere together. Sometimes happens even when we’re shopping. It’s most embarrassing,’ she lied. ‘Unfortunately we’ve left his medication at home.’

  ‘I see. But he was also telling us that you have tortured him with some sort of collar around his neck.’

  Sue laughed. ‘Oh, that old chestnut again. He’s part of a trial using electric shock therapy. When he’s having an episode, and as much as I hate doing it, I have to give him an electric shock. Which is why I was sitting behind him.’

  ‘Yes we did notice.’

  ‘We don’t normally use it while he’s driving, but because we forgot his medicine. It was the only way of getting him home.’

  ‘It’s an extremely dangerous thing to do. You could have caused a serious accident. Do you not drive Madam?’

  ‘Yes, but he needs to be doing something to keep him active. Otherwise he is liable to self-harm. That’s how he got those injuries to his face. He did that to himself. If he wasn’t driving, he might leap out of the car. Which is why I always take the precaution of locking us in.

  The Police driver came up to the car and gestured for the other one to get out for a chat.

  ‘There is no record of domestic violence between these two,’ The driver said. ‘There are no complaints lodged by neighbours or anybody else.’

  ‘Well that seems to bear out her story. She reckons that he’s suffering from some Bi-polar disorder. What about the Court injunction?’

  ‘This time of night, there’s no way of checking. Everybody has gone home from that department. What about his injuries?’

  ‘She reckons he’s self-harming.’

  ‘OK let’s have words with him again.’

  The two Policemen returned back to their car.

  ‘Right Sir. We’re in a bit of a quandary. There are no reports of domestic violence on record for you or your wife.’

  ‘But I can assure you. She did this to me,’ Rupert said, pointing at his bruised face.

  ‘Are you sure you didn’t do this to yourself Sir?’

  ‘No, of course not. What about the Court injunction? That will confirm what I’m saying.’

  ‘I’m afraid we can’t verify that either. Is there anybody you can call who will support your claims?’

  ‘No. Umm. Let me think. Yes of course. It was my Godfather who has taken out the Court injunction on my behalf.’

  ‘Your Godfather? Why would he do that, rather than you?’ The Policeman said sceptically.

  ‘He rescued me after she beat me up. He’s got a team of lawyers that did it for him.’

  ‘OK. Do you think we could talk to this, Godfather?’ The other Policeman said patronisingly. Now starting to believe Sue’s account.

  ‘Yes, his numbers in my mobile,’ he said, getting his phone out of his pocket.

  Selecting Geoffery’s number he pressed the call icon on the screen and listened. ‘There, its ringing,’ Rupert said, handing the phone over to the Policeman. After a few moments, the Policeman handed the phone back to Rupert. ‘No reply,’ the other said.

  ‘Anybody else you could call?’

  Before he could answer, both Policeman suddenly became intent on listening to a message on their radio earpieces. After a few moments, the Driver said. ‘Look, we’ve got a call. There’s a major RTC, Road Traffic Collision, we need to attend. We’re going to give you a caution and count yourself lucky that you won’t get any points. In the meantime we’ll take you back to your car.’

  ‘No. I don’t want to get back in the car with her. Please believe me she’s kidnapped me. I didn’t do this to myself. Please I need help.’

  ‘I’m sure you do. But it’s not the help we can give you. I suggest you get back into your car and go home and take your medicine.’ The Policeman unaware of the irony of what he was saying.

  ‘Come on Sir, let me escourt you back to your car. We need to be off.’

  Rupert’s euphoria at escaping her vanished. Depressed at the turn of events, he became morose, doubting that he would ever be able to convince them of the truth.

  Arriving at their car, the Policeman suggested that Sue drove them home while Rupert sat in the front passenger seat, with the doors locked.

  Sue couldn’t believe her luck that they had believed her story. And smirked as the Policeman was closing the car door.

  Suddenly Rupert’s mobile rang. Rupert opened the phone and saw the name. It was Geoffery. His face lit up. Sue also saw the name and attempted to grab the phone from him. But he was too quick for her.

  ‘Uncle Geoffery, thank you for calling back. Can you tell this Policeman about the Court Injunction. Sue has tried to kidnap me.’

  Rupert handed the phone to the Policeman, who listened to Geoffery confirming everything Rupert had told him.

  Meanwhile Sue was thinking of another ploy to escape Justice.

  CHAPTER FIFTY ONE

  Wednesday November 5th – Sunset count 66

  Kay stepped quietly into the hospice room at Geoffery’s invitation to her gentle knock.

  ‘Hello Kay,’ Geoffery said, electronically raising the back rest of the bed into an upright position. ‘Tell me. How did it go?’ he asked keenly.

  ‘As you’d expect! He was rude and very surprised,’ she said, sitting in the bedside chair.

  ‘But did you stick to the plan?” Geoffery asked, concerned that she’d reneged on their agreement. ‘Will he move out?’

  ‘Yes,’ she said softly.

  ‘Good girl,’ he said, holding her hand affectionately.

  ‘Oh Geoffery. I hope I’ve done the right thing,’ Kay said, still unsure about the hard line that Geoffery had advised her to take.

  ‘I’m sure you have. You will both look back at this moment, and see it was a turning point for you both, for the better,’ Geoffery said reassuring her. ‘Once he’s got his own independence, he will have to cope, and then he’ll appreciate how much you did for him,’ he continued.

  ‘Do you really think so?’ Kay said meekly.

  ‘I know so. Don’t worry,’ he said, seeking to reassure her.

  ‘OK. If you say so,’ she conceded.

  Geoffery cleared his throat and looked into her eyes. ‘I know you feel awkward talking about it. And I said I’d drop it. But I need to know. Why did George doubt that he was Tim’s father?’

  ‘Do we have to drag this up again? Why can’t you let it go? It’s all in the past,’ Kay said, irritably shaking Geoffery’s hand from hers.

  ‘This is important. I need to clarify things in my own mind,’ he repeated.

  ‘Oh, very well,’ Kay said crossly. ‘If it’s the only way that you’ll promise to drop it. George had a friend who was studying to become a doctor. He borrowed some medical books from him, so he could
understand more about meningitis, and the likely long term effects. You know, blood poisoning, brain damage etc.’

  ‘It’s an awful disease,’ Geoffery added unnecessarily.

  ‘He came across a chapter on combinations of parental blood types and concluded, that his and my blood type was incompatible with Tim’s. That’s when he decided, he wasn’t Tim’s father.’

  ‘On top of everything else with little Tim, this must have been awful for you,’ Geoffery said, holding her hand, again.

  ‘Yes it was! With Tim struggling for life, the blood poisoning still progressing up his little legs and nobody knowing where it would stop…and then George deciding to start talking about blood types! We had an almighty row. The Nurses had to usher him out of the room, in the end.’ Kay’s eyes brimmed with tears as she recalled the memory.

  ‘I’m sorry for raking it up,’ Geoffery said, uncomfortable at upsetting her in his quest for the truth.

  ‘He accused me of being a whore, sleeping around. I…I couldn’t say anything. I just had to take it. Because of us, our….’ Kay stopped short, tears rolling down her cheeks.

  ‘Of course. I’m sorry,’ Geoffery said, recalling his own guilt trip about the incident.

  ‘Anyway,’ Kay continued, gently wiping her tears with her fingers, ‘he stayed until Tim was out of hospital and then he left us. Everyone was shocked that he’d gone. But nobody knew why. We both kept it quiet for the baby’s sake.’

  Kay ‘dissolved’ again as the pain of that time washed over her again. Geoffery enfolded her in his arms, kissing her hair.

  ‘It’s OK Kay,’ he said, gently rocking her. ‘It’s OK. I’m sorry to drag it up. Please don’t cry.’

  ‘I thought this was all dead and buried, thought it was something that couldn’t hurt me anymore but…’