by Tina Clough
A man’s voice called out but she was too far away to hear the words. My god, it’s someone coming to rescue me, she thought excitedly, and he’s by the tank – he thinks I’m still in there! She opened her mouth to call out and attract the attention of whoever it was, but doubt and caution cut her shout off even as she was drawing breath to yell and she stood hesitating. Had she recognised the voice? The echo in the huge empty space made it hard to be certain and she decided not to risk it.
And then a shouted exchange erupted. A deep voice, angry, and another lighter one. The words ricocheted off the hard surfaces and it was impossible to hear what was said, but Mia took advantage of the racket and advanced slowly towards the tank. Walking cautiously across that treacherous floor in the dark with no light she thought that it would only take one stumble and she might fall or drop her metal staff – and then everything would be up. Cold sweat broke out on her face and back as she inched forward at a snail’s pace, not letting her staff touch the floor and feeling for obstacles with her bare toes, teeth clenched against the pain in her ankle. A few meters and she stopped again to listen.
She could identify Fish’s voice now and the other was probably Sam and she was just able to make out the words - they were arguing in raised voices now, but no longer shouting.
“What the fuck did you think you were doing? You stupid bastard! Don’t you dare open that hatch. You were going to let her out, weren’t you, you soft bugger!” Fish was furious and she could imagine how threatening his face would be.
Sam voice was quieter and he sounded flustered. “No, I bloody wasn’t! I’m not that stupid. I was just going give her another bottle of water and something to eat.”
“You’re a bloody idiot, mate! There’s no point giving her anything. She’s going to stay in that tank, I told you! We can’t let her out - she knows our faces. Even if the others pull off the perfect job tomorrow morning and get away without trouble she’s still dangerous to the lot of us. We can’t ever let her out.”
Sam was getting stroppy. “I don’t care what you say now - I’m not leaving her here to die. We agreed right at the start that there wouldn’t be any killing and this is just the same as shooting her.”
“Listen, you wimp – you’d better get this real fast! If there’s got to be killing, then that’s how it is. What do you think I have this for - to start the fucking running races? The only point of having a gun is so you can use it when you need it.”
There was a scuffle and some grunts and then Sam said clearly, on a high note of fear: “Don’t! Don’t you point that gun at me!”
Fish was unrepentant. “You’re going to keep your mouth shut, you dumb bastard. If you make things too hard I’ll shoot you right now.”
Mia was holding her breath and her heart was pounding with terror. I’ve got to try to get behind one of those steel pillars. There isn’t much here to hide behind – I wish I’d stayed in the office area. I don’t want to get shot now, after all the effort it took to get out of that damn tank.
There were sounds of a scuffle, swearing and then furious shouts of protest followed by a thud. Someone grunted with effort and a door slammed, then a long moment of silence. Had Fish knocked Sam out cold? Or had he been felled by Sam?
Suddenly Fish’s voice roared a final message to Sam, his voice reverberating through the dark space. “There you are, you bloody idiot - now you can keep her company and I don’t have to shoot either of you.”
Footsteps moved away and she expected him to shut the door and drive off, but instead there were more creaking and scraping sounds. He had opened both the big doors and now an engine started up and headlights swept across the opposite wall before the engine noise died and the lights were turned off. More footsteps and the big doors scraped shut again and the muffled sound of a vehicle faded as it drove away. It was now completely dark and with the doors shut Mia could see nothing.
Good grief, he’s thrown Sam into the tank and locked it again! They both thought I was in there. And poor Sam probably has no torch, so he’ll be feeling his way round and he won’t understand what’s happened to me - what a mad thing!
A hysterical urge to giggle came and went. She imaged Sam crawling round the perimeter of the tank – and right through her puddle of pee. He would have felt his way round the tank and realised that she had been spirited out somehow.
I didn’t hear the big doors being locked, perhaps Fish left them unlocked – he was so furious and in such a hurry to get away. I’ve got to get down to the tank end and see if I can get out before I make that call to John or Thomas.
Suddenly urgency overwhelmed her again, her heart was thudding and panic rose in her chest. Hard on the heels of nearly laughing about Sam’s predicament she was overcome by a desperate need to get out of the building before she was trapped again. What if Fish returns for some reason and I’m still inside? He wouldn’t hesitate to shoot me. I must get out now, fast!
With jerky movements she put the water bottle on the floor and lit the torch. With the help of the staff she could move quite fast, now that there was no need to be quiet. She limped quickly towards the doors. The dark shape of the tank loomed to one side - muffled sounds came from it. She was close enough now to shine the torch past the tank and realised that there was still a car parked in the open area inside the double doors. Her blood ran cold; was there still someone there? But no, it must be that Fish had driven Sam’s car inside before he left.
Her staff banged against the floor with each step she took, but her only thought was to get to the doors fast. She shone the light at the car as she approached it and wondered if the keys were still in the ignition. Sam was hammering his fists on the inside of the tank and yelling for help. He must have heard me, but I’m not letting him out. I have to get out of here - now! From outside came the sound of a car approaching fast and she could see light in the crack between the double doors. Quickly she turned the torch off and ducked down in front of Sam’s car and peeped over the bonnet and through the windscreen. The vehicle had stopped outside and one of the big doors was groaning open again. Against the background of the car’s headlights she saw the outline of a man approaching. She knelt down on one knee and bent her head right down. Adrenaline surged through her body urging her to flee, to run for her life – the one thing she could not do.
She stayed hunched, her mind nearly paralyzed with terror, holding her breath and waiting to be discovered. It must be Fish, come back for some reason. He was rummaging around inside Sam’s car and her skin prickled with fear at how close he was to her hiding place. Then he grunted in triumph and his footsteps walked round the back of the car towards the tank again. She lifted her head slightly and peered round the corner of the front wing.
Fish was standing in front of the tank, only a couple of metres from her. His silhouette was crisp in the light from the headlights shining through the door and his shadow fell in a long column across the floor past her hiding place. He had a gun in his hand and he was aiming it at the tank. He was triumphant. “I just came back for your mobile, you silly bastard! Lucky for you it was in your car or I would’ve had to open the tank and shoot the two of you. I might just put a few bullets into that tank anyway and make you dance, just for the fun of it!”
His voice was still echoing round the building when another voice called through a loud-hailer from outside and Fish swung round towards the door. “Put your gun down and raise your hands above your head. The building is surrounded by armed police. Your best bet is to come out quietly.”
Fish did not hesitate, his voice was a scream of fury. “No fucking way! If you come any closer I start shooting into that tank and they’ll both die.”
As he spoke he moved slightly to his right. He was edging closer to Mia and also closer to the shadow cast by the tank. Mia’s mind was in turmoil. He’ll get behind the tank and it will turn into a gun battle and nobody knows I’m here. Her mind processed options at lightning speed. I can’t shout to alert the police, because t
hen Fish might shoot me. He’ll be able to see me if he manages to get behind that tank but the police won’t be able to see him. I can’t make a run for it.
There was no conscious decision to act. Mia raised herself to a semi-crouched position. With her staff in her hand she launched herself forward, oblivious of her protesting ankle. She swung the staff horizontally from her right to her left and caught Fish hard behind the knees and he went down in a heap. Several things happened very fast and seemingly instantly. Fish’s gun flew through the air in an arc when his hand hit the floor, she heard shots, and something struck her and she crashed to the floor.
Mia lay stunned on the concrete floor while round her swirled shouts, rapid footsteps and shouted instructions. Her mind was detached from her physical surroundings and she looked up at the dark space above her and wondered what would happen now. She felt quite calm and peaceful. Her ankle no longer worried her and she was unaware of the lump forming on the side of her head where she had hit the floor. She thought vaguely of sitting up and moved her hand across the dusty floor. It seemed odd that she was lying on a wet patch; she wiggled her fingers, wondering what it was, but lost interest. And then someone was kneeling beside her. She looked up at the dark shape that seemed to have no face and her voice came out as a tiny croak “don’t’ forget to let poor Sam out of that tank” and then darkness claimed her.
When she opened her eyes she looked straight up at a low white ceiling. There was something hard on her face, round her mouth and she tried to raise a hand to remove it. Her arm would not move and a face appeared directly above hers. “Just stay still, everything’s OK. You’re in an ambulance. We’ve strapped you down and you have an oxygen mask over your face to help you breathe. We’ll be at the hospital in a few minutes now.”
Mia blinked. Her voice seemed to have disappeared or she had forgotten how to use it. She studied the face above her – a middle-aged man with glasses and a luminous vest. OK, I can figure that out, he’s an ambulance man. Wonder where I’m hurt? My ankle feels so heavy and I’m exhausted. But I’m not in pain.
The face disappeared and now Thomas looked down at her. His hand reached out and touched her forehead. “Take it easy Mia, we’ll be there soon.”
She tried to smile, but she was too tired. She blinked her eyes to try and keep them open, but darkness swamped her again.
CHAPTER 20
Mia opened her eyes and saw blue sky through a large window. It was broad daylight and very quiet. Every part of her body ached and when she tried to move the effort made her groan. She heard a chair move and then Thomas’s face came into view. He smiled and bent down and put his cheek against hers. “Welcome back to the world, my darling!”
She found her voice, but it came out like someone else’s, hoarse and faint. “What’s the matter with me? Everything hurts.”
“I’ll ring the bell and get them to give you some pain relief. They took your drip out an hour ago. They said you’d start coming round soon.”
He held her hand and looked carefully at her. “You seem wide awake all of a sudden I must say. They’ve had you sedated to stop you moving around too much. I thought you’d take a while to be properly awake.”
The door opened and a nurse appeared. “Hi there, nice to see you with your eyes open again. I’ll just check a few things and then I’ll let the doctor know you’ve woken up.” Mia turned her head and saw that she was hooked up to some sort of monitor. The nurse pressed a couple of buttons and smiled. “All good! I’ll be back later.”
Thomas was still holding her hand. “Do you remember what happened?”
“I remember the factory. And being in the tank. And Fish. I hurt my ankle in the van.” She tried to move her legs, but decided it was not worth the pain.
The nurse returned and gave her an injection. Thomas was on the phone telling someone that Mia was awake and they could come and visit. He turned back and said: “I’ve told Lorraine to let John know you’re awake now so they’ll be here soon. And later on the police need a statement, but it’s no hurry.” Mia fell asleep as he spoke.
When she woke up the second time Lorraine, John and Thomas were sitting by the window drinking coffee and talking quietly. There were flowers and cards everywhere.
“I’m sorry I caused so much trouble. Thomas, my throat hurts like anything.” Her voice was still gravelly and talking was an effort.
They all got up and came over to stand round the bed. “You poor little wrecked thing! Let’s give you a drink.” Lorraine patted her cheek and motioned to Thomas. “I’ll raise the bed a bit if you grab that mug with the straw.”
Mia sucked water through the bent straw and Lorraine lowered the bed again. “It’s from the tubes you had down your throat during surgery and afterwards. You’ll feel better soon.”
Mia smiled. “That’s better. I feel as if I’ve run a marathon, totally wiped out. Why is it so hard to move?”
Lorraine held her wrist in a gentle grasp. “Well, you nearly did get wiped out. I’ll let John tell you what happened, because he was right there when you were shot.”
“Shot? Someone shot me?” She tried to think, but only vague impressions surfaced.
Thomas drew a chair up and sat beside the bed holding her hand and Lorraine and John sat back down, but facing the bed now.
John cleared his voice. “I’m very sorry, Mia – one of the guys in the armed offenders squad shot you, but not on purpose. We didn’t even know you were there. We thought you were in the tank. And then you erupted out from behind that car like a cartoon warrior and whacked Fish behind the knees with a length of pipe. The guy who shot you saw Fish turning to shoot at us, but suddenly he went down in a heap and his gun flew in the air, hit the deck and went off. Our chap fired at Fish, not realising that Fish wasn’t still holding the gun – all within a split second you understand – and hit you in the side.”
He reached out to pat her leg, but drew his hand back. “God, I don’t know which part of you I can touch, you seem to have so many injuries!”
“Oh, all right. That’s what makes me feel so tired then.” She was gradually recalling more detail and the loud and chaotic scene in the factory was taking shape in her mind. “It’s coming back to me now. I remember hitting Fish but that’s the last thing I know.”
Lorraine took over and provided the details. “The bullet hit you in the side, from a front angle, just under the ribs. It went right through you on a diagonal track and exited very close to your spine. The surgeon said it’s the most miraculous escape he’s ever seen – no vital organs destroyed, though one of your ribs was pretty shattered. But your spine is untouched!”
“But”, said Thomas, “that means that your flawless body is slightly the worse for wear. You’ve got train tracks of stitches front and back, a twisted ankle with a couple of ligaments torn, a lump the size of an egg on one side of your head and a badly ripped finger with some more stitches and a collection of bruises.”
Lorraine laughed. “Sorry, I’m not being callous, but when you list her injuries like that it makes my body hurt and I’m just a spectator!”
Thomas smiled at Mia and gave her hand a squeeze. “But on the other hand you are a nationwide heroine and the media are clamouring to interview you. Every TV network has promoted you to Girl Hero, Fearless Girl Fighter and Resourceful and Dangerous. I hope you can hear the capital letters!”
John smiled broadly. “Lorraine has all the newspaper cuttings, so you can read them when you feel a bit better. You’re the most famous person she’s ever known. Thomas has been welded to your bedside for two days and I’ve been busy arresting and interviewing people.”
“Two days? What day is it now?” Mia’s voice was barely louder than a whisper.
“It’s Thursday afternoon – you were snatched on Tuesday at lunchtime and we got to you, hot on the heels of Fish, at half past seven that evening. We’ve got him and Sam and another chap on kidnapping and assault charges and a few other things, and some of their gang on
a conspiracy charge for now. Plenty of search warrants and the more we dig the more we find.”
He chuckled, delighted with the outcome, but he still had more to tell.
“I don’t remember if I told you, Thomas. I managed to get our mate Miles and that woman Kelly in for a chat this morning. They didn’t want to come, Miles was particularly reluctant, so I said we had grounds to suspect that they had links to Fish and his gang and were involved in the kidnap conspiracy. That got them in there really fast.”
“Bet they brought the big legal guns along,” said Thomas. “This could ruin both their careers.”
“No, they didn’t and I must admit I was surprised. We were expecting the whole thing to be hampered by high-powered legal eagles scrutinising every question, but they came alone.”
“But why?” Thomas was intrigued. “They must have realised it was a really serious thing to be suspected of.”
Mia shut her eyes and listened.
“I’m sure they did. But I think they’d decided that if they could convince us they weren’t linked to Fish and his gang, then nobody else need ever find out - or something along those lines. Miles said he represented both of them and that they were going to cooperate completely with the inquiry.”
“Really? And did they tell all? Or did you have bring out the thumb screws?” Thomas sounded as if he wished he’d been there and in charge of equipment.
“You wait till you hear it – it’s a master stroke of deviousness and manipulation!” Lorraine looked proudly at John.
“Well, I must be modest, of course, but it was pretty damn clever. I had a list of things that I said I could use to back up a charge of conspiracy, most of it impossible to prove, but they didn’t know that. They were too keen to save their hides and get off without any formal charges being laid. So everything just fell into place. First I said that we’d have half an hour of unofficial chat and then I’d start a formal interview and everything would be on record. And believe it or not, after five minutes we made a deal.”