“I faintly heard one of them shouting something, something on the lines about someone getting away with murder.”
Pc Stevens starts coughing uncontrollably.
“Go and get a glass of water then we can continue the last part of Miss Nixon's statement.” Pc Franco states to Pc Stevens.
Whilst waiting Pc Franco looks at me.
“You're doing remarkably well.”
“I'd like to think so. I honestly do not know how I am holding up.”
“Would you like a hot drink?”
“Please.”
“I'll fetch it very quickly; you can call me Dane by the way considering I should not be on shift tonight.”
As he heads out he looks back and half smiles. I did not pay much attention but he sure does look older. I failed to notice he was fairly attractive too. Jet black hair, hazel eyes, fair complexion. I can see that Pc Franco was much better at being reassuring. I feel immensely tired that I put my head down. I feel beat. I close my eyes to hear both Pc Franco and Pc Stevens come back.
“Miss Nixon, Here’s a hot chocolate. I thought it would be best to keep you warm considering after the night you had.”
I take the cup from Dane. I drink the contents. It warms me up. It is exactly what I needed.
“Thank you.”
“Right lets resume where we left off.”
Pc Stevens goes back to writing whilst Dane starts with more questions.
“So you were saying that you heard voices?”
“Yes two voices, both were male. Then I heard a gunshot.”
Pc Stevens shifted in his seat. I looked at him just then and his jaw was ticking.
“So when you went to the scene, tell me what did you see?”
“Whilst I was running to Abbotsbury road, I heard footsteps running in the other direction and saw a silhouette of a man.”
“How can you be sure it was a man?”
“They were tall; the build was different compared to us women.”
“What else did you see?”
“That's when I noticed someone was lying in the road. I dialled 999 immediately and ran to the victim to notice he was losing a lot of blood.”
“Thank you for your time. I don't think we have any more questions to ask currently at this moment in time. Should there be any need we will contact you.”
Just then Pc Stevens hands me the witness statement with a pen that I need to sign. I notice then that his knuckles look bruised. I think my mind could be playing tricks on me but just then Dane notices the same thing.
“What happened there? That looks awful. Don't you think it’s best to get it looked at?” Pc Franco states.
“It's nothing, I may have it looked at when I do decide to take Miss Nixon back to hospital.”
“Pc Stevens will take you back to the hospital now. I thank you for your co operation. As you are aware you are the main witness to this case, so just be careful. If you notice anything, call me.”
Pc Franco hands me his card.
“Thank you Dane.”
As I head out with Pc Stevens to the vehicle, I do not feel comfortable. I sit in the back seat and wait for Pc Stevens to start up the car. The journey back is awkward to say the least. When I glance at his rear view mirror our eyes meet. I look away. I can sense something is not right. The behaviour he demonstrated was just strange to say the least. Once we had reached, I was so eager to get out the vehicle that I toppled over and landed in a heap on the pavement. Served me right. I heard his footsteps then but they were faint. I felt his hands on me. Ice cold that seared my flesh. He stood me up. He held my gaze.
“If I was you, I ought to be much careful and take precautions.”
Was that a threat? I could not even make out anything anymore. Nothing was making sense. “Thank you Pc Stevens, I shall take heed of your advice.”
I turned and walked back into the hospital feeling like I was being watched. The feeling of de ja vue all over again swept over me. It was just like how I remembered it be in my nightmares but much more intense.
Chapter 7
Once I am back in the hospital, I take a seat in the waiting room. I wait and wait until the doctor appears in front me.
“Miss Nixon?”
“Yes” I glance at who called me.
Our eyes meet and for the first time and I am looking at this young doctor. 5 feet 9 inches tall, bleach blonde hair, coffee brown eyes, thin lips, and his nose snug. He looks somewhat boyish.
He gives me his hand and I grasp it. We shake hands as he introduces himself.
“Call me Doctor Lawson, I have good news. The operation was a success in removing the bullet from Mr Saunders. He was extremely lucky that the bullet did not puncture any internal organs. We have relocated him to the Intensive Care Unit and will be keeping him for a few nights, just as a precautionary step, so that we can monitor his progress.”
“Thank you for informing me, if you could please keep me updated on his progress, I would be very much grateful. Could you please also inform me when he does wake up as I would like to have a few words with him?”
“Sure. You can give the nurse at the reception your number and do take down our number also.”
“I will be back tomorrow. Don't you worry, you look awfully tired Miss Nixon, and we wouldn't want you to be admitted too.” He says jokingly.
“I'll come tomorrow and visit Mr Saunders. Good night Doctor Lawson.”
I make my way to the nearest telephone booth to call a regular cab. After a few rings a women answers.
“Cab service, how may I help?”
“Can I please get a cab to go to Holland park mews from St Thomas hospital please?”
“Sure you can, the cab should be there within 10 minutes. Can I take your name?
“Miss Nixon, another question, how much will be it be?”
“£45, the driver will meet you in the accident and emergency department.”
“Thank you.”
I hang up and take a seat again. I feel so exhausted. My clothes are ruined and thankfully have dried. I need to make sure I do decide to put this blouse in soaking warm water when I get home. I notice that I am the only one in the waiting area. The temperature in the hospital has gone cold. I glance at the clock and see that it is nearing on 4am in the morning. It feels like I have worked a double shift. Just then a male enters and calls out my name.
“Miss Nixon, your cab is here.”
“Thank you.”
I follow him to the vehicle and open the back door. As soon as I sit in the car, my body sags. The warmth has embraced me and I feel comforted by it considering after the events that has taken place.
“The address please Miss”
“Holland Park mews.”
The rest of the journey I end up having a nap. My eyes feel so tired; my body just wants to rest. The car abruptly stops which causes me to open my eyes. I can make out we have reached. I hand the driver the money and thank him. As I step out of the car, a shiver crawls up my spine. I quickly get out my keys to my house. Once I have grasped it I open the front door. Home sweet home I say to myself out loud. I kick my heels off, place my bag on the side table, lock the front door. I decide to take out Blake’s wallet and take it upstairs. I head to my bedroom and find a box where I keep my most prized possessions. I will look at it more intensely when I have fully rested and restored my energy. My body is craving for bed but before that I feel the need to have a long soak in the bath. I strip off my clothes whilst the bath tub is filling up with warm water. I ease myself slowly. I just want to close my eyes. It feels so good, that my entire body is relaxing. All the tension feels like it’s been put at bay. I remain in the bath until the water turns cold. I wrap my towel around me. I have to scrub off whatever was left of my makeup. I look at my reflection, my eyes look red and puffed up and instantly know that was from me crying. My hair is still curly from the rain. I quickly wash my face then go to my bedroom. I quickly get into my pyjamas and get into bed. I glance a
t the time and it’s nearing 5am. I drift off to sleep as soon as my head hits the pillow.
I am making my way home, the wind is rustling the trees and blowing the leafs across the pavement. It’s dark. There's no one in sight. As I am walking, I hear something in the distance. I strain to listen but there is nothing. I continue to walk in the direction of my home until I hear voices. I contemplate going where the sounds are coming from. I decide to walk back. The voices that I thought I had heard are much louder. I can tell the voices are both males. As I am nearing closer. I can make out what is being said.
“Why couldn't you just let things be? You had to put your nose into something that did not concern you?”
“She was my sister!”
“Oh that sister of yours was looking for it.”
“Don't you dare utter another word about her!”
I hear a scuffle. I can make out that this argument may have turned into a fight. I decide to run in the direction where they are. Nearing closer and closer.
The conversations are becoming stagnant.
“How could you let him get away with murder?”
As I have reached, I am panting for air and that is when I hear it. A loud gunfire. Not one but two shots. The adrenaline rush is something I have never felt before. I run as fast as I can despite panting. I still at the scene before my eyes. A man is lying on the floor in a pool of blood. I run to him. As I approach closer, he looks all too familiar. I bend down to him. I check if there is a pulse but I feel he is fading fast. I admire his face and it dawns on me, he looks at me with those green eyes, those eyes that have captivated me. The same profile as the guy on the train. I cradle him. I stroke his face. I need to get help immediately. My hands are trembling whilst I try to dial the emergency service. As I try to dial, my phone turns off. Only then do I realise that my battery has been drained. I have no other choice but to scream for help.
“Please help me!” I scream twice but no one comes to my aid. There's not much that I can do. I cannot leave him by himself whilst I seek for help. I glance down at this beautiful specimen of a man. I press my two fingers to try and feel his pulse. It’s slightly fading. I am beside myself. I continue to rock and forth, tears streaming down my face. His head is rested in my lap. His body is turning to lead. I look down and cannot fathom that I have finally met him. It should have never ended this way. Deep in my heart I know it. I can tell that his life is coming to an end. He raises his hand to my face and wipes my tears away. But it makes me cry so much harder. His eyes rest on my mine. I know then he's staring at me through to my soul but I know that his time has come. My hands are trembling terribly as I check one last time to feel his pulse. There's nothing.
“Oh god no!!!”
I look down and look at those green eyes. He was looking at me. My tears drop on his face. The pain is heart wrenching and I feel like my heart has been torn into a thousand shreds. I close his eyes. I am sobbing, rocking back and forth. The wind has picked up, a strong gust has circulated bringing the leafs around me. Covering me. My lap feels light all of sudden. As the leafs scatter away, there's no sign of his body. I am left feeling numb and confused. I rub my eyes with the hope that he should be in my lap where I last saw him. But he has vanished into thin air. I stand up and circle around where his body was. I can tell the sun is rising and dawn breaks out. It feels eerily surreal. I walk around in an endless circle. I cannot accept what has just happened. The one person who I would have done anything for to just see him again has disappeared. I walk away from the scene with my head down. I feel defeated. I walk back home in a state of confusion. I hear it then, in the wind. I hear a male voice being carried by the wind.
“Help me Nadine.”
Did I just imagine that? I remain quiet.
“Please help me Nadine.”
I glance around. Hoping that whoever wants me to help them will show their face. There it is again.
“Follow your heart Nadine, help me. Please do not give up on me.”
I listen again.
“Be careful, some people are not who they seem to be. I will wait for you to find me. Seek within your heart and you shall find me.”
The wind calms. I still waiting and anticipating whether I will hear that voice again. But there is nothing. Just footsteps from afar. I continue to walk back home. The footsteps have turned to someone running. I feel afraid to turn around. Surely no one could be chasing me. I continue to walk much more briskly. I still cannot fathom what I just had witnessed. The footsteps have stopped abruptly. I hear someone pulling on something. I freeze. I hear the barrel of a gun.
Bang! Bang! I feel my body shut down in an instant, tumbling to the ground. I feel a hot searing pain in my back. My face is facing the ground. I feel that whoever had taken a shot must have done it intentionally. I feel like they are trying to kick me to turn over. I feel a sense of dread. I do not know whether I can remain strong enough to see who the perpetrator was. As I feel myself turning over. I black out.
I hear the sounds of ringing close by. So loud that my eyes are wide open. I am blinking profoundly. I wake up from my bed. Glad that it was a dream. I know instantly that the ringing was coming from my phone. I look at the caller display and realise that it's none other than Christina.
I answer on the forth ring.
“Hey Chrissie.”
“Someone surely sounds rough, you been drinking?”
“Ha-ha very funny Chrissie. I have had a rough night believe me.”
“I was worried. Did you not see how many times I tried to call you?”
“Erm I did not. I crashed out.”
“You can say that again, more like dead to the world. I bet you did not realise that you have slept for 24 hours.”
“What? Surely you are mistaken!”
“It’s Sunday, unless you do not even know what time of the day it is. It happens to be midday.”
“I cannot believe that I have slept for 24 hours. When have you ever known me to do that before? “Well for what it’s worth I apologise for worrying you.”
“You must have been extremely shattered.”
“I was. So much happened on the night I was making my way home from work.”
“Please do tell.”
“Well I was making my way home but then I had heard voices on another road. Not that far from where I live.”
“Hmm, please do not tell me you ventured there out of curiosity.”
“I would not put it that way. I heard two male voices and well I just wanted to make sure that nothing got out of hand.”
“Nadine! What have I told you before? It does not pay to be a Good Samaritan.”
“Ok ok I get that mother dearest. Just listen will you?!”
“I am just trying to tell you that sometimes you could put yourself in danger. I know you do not take heed sometimes and you follow your heart. But seriously Nadine think before you do something.”
“Talk about giving advice, advice you should take yourself! You make the same mistake as well, per say going in a cab with a stranger. You would not have a clue whether they were a psychotic or a criminal.”
“Hey, I understand that. But trust me Nadz I was extremely worried not hearing from you.”
“Listen, I am sorry for making that remark and sorry to have gotten you worried. Trust me that was not my intention.”
“Any ways you were going to tell me what happened.”
“Well it was raining heavily and my whole outfit got ruined but that is beside the point. When I decided to head that way where the voices was coming from, I heard a loud gunshot.”
“What? Are you serious?”
“I did not know what to do whether to run in the opposite direction or what, but I could not just go back home, pretending I had not heard anything. I was in a major predicament. Had you been in my place what would you have done?”
“I honestly do not know whether I would have been brave as you and gone to see. But knowing you I am sure you went.”
&n
bsp; “I ran to the scene, I noticed someone was fleeing from the scene and that someone was lying on the pavement in a pool of blood. And when I got nearer, I recognised him.
“Wait let me get this straight; the person who got shot you knew them?”
“No. I recognised him. He was the same guy I had seen on the pier, on the tube. Surely you must know who I am talking about?”
“Oh. But why would anyone shoot him?”
“That is exactly what I had asked myself. It did not make any sense.”
“So when I got there, I called the emergency services instantly and tried to help him in any way I could. I finally found out his name after all this time. Blake Saunders. I could not believe my unfortunate luck.”
“I would not say that is unfortunate. You saved him Nadine. You do realise how big of a deal it is. Had you not bothered, you would not have known if he died or anything. You would have been hoping to meet again but never seeing him.”
“Now that you say it, I saved him from whoever tried to kill him. My night got much stranger. I met a police officer by the name of Pc Stevens. He gives me the creeps. The way he was looking at me and eyeing me up like a piece of meat made me very uncomfortable. As you can imagine my blouse was see through.”
“You probably gave him an eyeful.”
“I do not know but there is something about him that gives me the jitters. I escorted Blake to the hospital then realised that police officer was scanning the whole premises of the accident and emergency department. He was on the lookout for me and when he did finally found me, I had to go to the police station to give my witness statement.”
“I think he personally was doing his job but then again you can never tell.”
“Get this, when I was giving my statement and when questioned when I reached the crime scene, he was behaving very oddly. Even his colleague Pc Franco noticed it. I do not know but something just is not right. When he dropped me back to the hospital, I could have sworn that he threatened me to watch my back.”
“Now that you have told me everything, it does sound odd. I guess maybe because you are the main witness to the crime scene that is why he said that to you.”
Vanished: What Would You Do If The Love Of Your Life Disappeared Without A Trace? (Nadine's quest to unravel the truth Book 1) Page 6