Final Lap

by Malcolm Rose

  Of more concern to Jade was the noise that she could no longer hear. The ghostly humming had stopped.

  A few more rungs and Jade’s feet touched solid earth. She found herself in the gap between the wall of earth and the steel skeleton. She didn’t have time to think how creepy and cramped it was. She didn’t have time to be scared. A wedge of runny concrete was rumbling towards her like a mudslide.

  She knelt down. There was a tarpaulin over the lowest layer of horizontal rods. Underneath it, she could just make out Luke’s hands and feet fastened with plastic ties to the bars. Luke himself was covered with a thick blanket. Half of it was plastered with wet concrete.

  “Hang on,” she shouted.

  She yanked the tarpaulin out of the way to get the light that she needed. Then she leaned into the cage and grimaced at the red stains around Luke’s wrists. He’d been struggling. And losing a lot of blood. She snipped the plastic ties as quickly as her fumbling fingers allowed and dropped the cutters.

  Grasping his arms, she tugged with all her remaining strength, dragging the lump that was Luke towards the side of the hole. The blanket stayed where it was. For a few seconds, it formed a perfect mould of half of his body. Then the soft concrete crushed the shape, crawled over the blanket and towards them both. Having been denied its victim, it seemed to want to reclaim him.

  At Jade’s feet was a mangled version of her boyfriend. She thought he was unconscious but his eyes flickered open weakly. She picked at the edge of the sticky tape on his cheek and then ripped it away from his mouth. In a rasping voice that she barely recognized, he said, “Heard you arguing with Malc.”

  Jade almost laughed. Almost cried. “He deserved it. Stupid machine.”

  But Luke had sunk into oblivion again.

  The spreading concrete lapped around her shoes like an incoming tide, trying to encircle and swallow Luke once more. They were trapped in the corner.

  Jade looked up. There was no way she could carry him to safety. He was too big and she was spent. Besides, there was enough space only for one person at a time to squeeze through the gap. Totally stumped, she was powerless to stop the tears rolling down her cheeks. She’d got this far – she’d found Luke – but she was about to fail. She couldn’t rescue him. She could barely save herself. If it meant leaving Luke, she didn’t want to save herself.

  She bent down, grabbed his limp arm and shook him. “Wake up. Come on, Luke! You’ve got to wake up!”

  But there was no reaction. He didn’t even seem to be breathing. He was utterly lifeless.

  “Hey, there!” a builder called down to her. “Grab this. It’s a hoist. Wrap the end bit round him. We’ll do the rest.”

  Jade knew there was no such thing as the supernatural but, right now, exhausted and afraid, that voice sounded as if it had come from a guardian angel.

  Chapter Thirty

  The emergency medical team that Malc had summoned resuscitated Luke as soon as the crane lifted him out of the pit. Then the paramedics stopped his bleeding, but they were more concerned about the effects of a dose of tranquilliser that would have stopped a hippopotamus in its tracks. They gave him oxygen and yohimbine. They talked urgently between themselves about organ failure and overwhelming inflammation. They agreed that a local general hospital wasn’t up to the job and called for a helicopter to take him to a specialist poisoning unit in York Hospital. They also picked their most experienced member to travel with Luke to keep him alive during the airlift.

  With her hand over her mouth, Jade stood behind the paramedics and watched them deal with the crisis. Luke was a dreadful colour. His brown skin had paled. In patches, it was as grey as the concrete that had nearly engulfed him. The staining on his cheeks told her that he’d vomited on the way up. Now, he was utterly unresponsive. He was bloated and he looked like an old man. Jade felt useless. Sidelined.

  When the medical team strapped Luke to a board, picked him up and made for the helipad, she followed them. “I’m going with him,” she told them.

  “There’ll be a paramedic and his mobile on board. That’s it.”

  “No,” she replied. “There’ll be me as well.”

  “It is well known,” Malc said, “that comatose patients often respond better to the voices of people they love than they do to drugs, medical procedures and doctors. For that reason, Jade Vernon should accompany the patient.”

  Surprised, the chief paramedic stared at Malc. “You don’t have the power to make that decision.”

  At once, Jade recognized the female voice that came out of Malc. “Yes, it does. It has the absolute confidence of The Authorities. Jade Vernon will remain with our investigator at all times.”

  ****

  Jade watched Luke remove the headphones from his ears. He’d still got the impressive battle scar on his cheek and another on his neck but he was the right colour and his eyes were bright again. “What do you think, then?” she asked. “It’s only another minute or so but I’m going to throw in drums, bass and strings next. It’ll take me a bit longer.”

  Head resting on a mass of pillows, Luke beamed at her. “Stunning. And fantastic for humming.”

  “Well, that wasn’t exactly my top priority but, the way things turned out, it’s a good thing. Anyway, when are they going to let you out of here?”

  Luke shrugged. “Malc’s set up a supply of pomegranates. They’re what’s wiped out the last of the tranquilliser. The rest of the food’s really good. You visit and bring me your latest pieces. The Authorities haven’t given me my next job yet and everyone’s dashing around looking after me. Why should I want to leave?”

  “Because you’re getting soft, that’s why. And I might not be able to visit any more.”

  Alarmed, Luke asked, “Why not?”

  “I might be in prison. Malc reported me for impersonating a forensic investigator.”

  Luke could tell from her tone that she wasn’t taking the accusation seriously. With a wry smile and a sigh of relief, he nodded. “Yeah. That sounds like Malc.”

  Jade shook her head. “I don’t know how you cope with him.”

  “When the hospital realizes I’m not ill – just lying here having a holiday – I might be put on your case. I might have to investigate you.”

  “I was lying about prison. I’ve been let off. The Authorities sent me a message saying they wouldn’t be pursuing the charge against me. Nice of them, isn’t it?”

  A girl walked – almost skipped – through Luke’s open door. She was about ten years old. She had a small bag slung over one shoulder and she gripped a tall and shiny pyramid in both hands.

  “Hey! Look at you,” Luke said to her. “A lot better than when I first saw you. Are you going back to school?”

  Beaming, she nodded. “I’m better.”

  “You beat me,” Luke said with a smile. “I thought I’d be out before you.”

  Nyree looked down at the heavy ornament she was carrying. Its sides were very smooth, bright and a lush green. “If I gave you this, you’d get well, but...” She hugged it to her chest. “I can’t.”

  Luke smiled at her. “It’s okay. I’m nearly fit again anyway.” Humouring her, he added, “You keep it. If it’s a lucky charm, it’ll make sure you never have to come back.”

  “It’s made of jade,” Nyree told him, “and jade’s good for you.”

  Luke exchanged a smile with Jade and then looked back at Nyree. “That’s true. I’ll let you into a secret.” Almost whispering, he said, “I’ve got Jade as well. Saved my life.”

  From the doorway, an instructor called, “Come on, Nyree. That’s enough. Say your goodbyes to the nurses and we can go.”

  As soon as the little girl left, Jade pulled a face, thumped Luke’s arm and muttered, “Cringe. You are getting soft!”

  Making them both jump, another visitor flew into the room.

  “I have undergone a complete overhaul,” Malc announced. “All my systems are operating at optimum.”

  “Oh, great,” Jade m
uttered.

  “Glad to hear it,” said Luke.

  Malc wasted no time. “A search of the veterinary surgeon’s quarters revealed two pairs of sky-blue socks and a container of powder for treating athlete’s foot. His shoe size was thirty centimetres. Ian Pritchard has been charged with murder, malicious wounding, attempted murder of a forensic investigator and a rifle shooter, electromagnetic interference with a computer network, and seven counts of property damage. One of these caused the deaths of seventy-six people on Flight GGW17 and another resulted in the deaths of two workers in the main stadium.”

  “Hang on,” Jade said. “Aren’t you going to ask Luke if he’s feeling better?”

  “Unnecessary. I have access to FI Harding’s medical file. The patient has recovered sufficiently to be discharged within twenty-four hours.”

  Luke grinned and shook his head. “Well, it’s nice to see you back on your feet, Malc.”

  “I do not possess...”

  The remainder of Malc’s response was lost in their laughter.

  The Next Case

  Blood Brother

  Forensic Investigator Luke Harding is in York Hospital, recovering from the fallout of his last case. As soon as he’s fit, he’s told to look into the mysteriously high rate of fatalities in the hospital. Medical accidents, peculiar illnesses, or deliberate killings? Investigating the deaths, Luke meets his long-lost father, working as a doctor there. This is no happy family reunion, though, because his father’s DNA is found at several of the crime scenes, making him the major suspect. Will Luke prove his father’s innocence – or his guilt? Have the suspicious deaths got anything to do with the Department of Alternative Medicine run by Luke’s father, the Phobia Clinic, or the downright strange Institute of Biomechanical Research? What is the sinister secret of Nyree Max’s jade pyramid?

  And what’s the terrible truth behind Luke’s ferocious headaches?

  Read BLOOD BROTHER for more forensic crime-solving with Luke and Malc.