by Gait, Paul;
Sue then spotted the hairdryer. ‘Where has that come from? I don’t remember seeing that in here before.’ She went over and examined it.
‘Was that woman in here?’ she asked, suspiciously.
‘What woman?’
‘You know what woman,’ she said, advancing on him again. ‘She was, wasn’t she?’
Rupert wasn’t quick enough backing away from her, for in spite of trying to catch her foot in mid kick, it still connected with his manhood.
He went down in agony, rolling over on his front, clutching himself. Sue had learnt as a precocious brat about the ‘Achilles heel’ on the male anatomy and had used it frequently to bully her way through life.
‘You don’t learn do you,’ she shouted, kneeling on his prostrate form. ‘I am beginning to think you like being hurt. Well, as you know, you’ve come to the right person,’ and punched him hard in the back of the head. ‘We’ll try not to mark you. We don’t want the others to suspect you enjoy being a masochist do we?’ she said, angrily, repeating the blow. Vainly Rupert put his hands up to shield his head from her fists.
Meanwhile, still in the corridor near to Rupert’s room, Carrie had called Tim to update him.
‘Sorry Tim, tell Andy we failed. They came back early. Apparently her neck was playing up.’
‘Damn. Are you alright? Did you get into her room though?’ Tim said, anxiously
‘Yes nearly got caught, but I did the safe with Rupert’s help.’
‘Rupert’s help?’
‘Yes, she had gone to the loo, so he was able to help me. Unfortunately the phone wasn’t there or in her handbag. So it’s either in the hotel safe or somewhere else.’
‘Perhaps she had it on her?’
‘What, in the loo?’
‘Who knows! Anyway, we’re on our way back now so we’ll see you shortly OK?’
‘Yeah, see you.’ Carrie was already thinking about her next move as she heard Sue shouting followed by Rupert’s groan.
‘Christ, she’s at it again. The poor sod. Well she ain’t getting away with it again.
Carrie ran back to their room and hammered on the door. ‘Open this frigging door you bitch,’ she shouted.
‘Eff off,’ Sue said, momentarily stopping her assault on Rupert.
The distraction was enough for Rupert to throw her off his back and race to the door.
Sue recovered and chased after him, kicking his legs from under him. However, as he fell he was able to ‘flick’ the door handle allowing Carrie to force it open.
Pushing Rupert and the door aside, Carrie forced her way into the room.
Sue was ready for a fight as Carrie advanced towards her.
‘Get out of my room,’ she screamed.
‘Quick, oot into the corridor,’ Carrie instructed Rupert, lifting him by one elbow, whilst maintaining eye contact with Sue.
They stared at each other like gladiators, psyching each other out, ready to leap at each other’s throats at any sign of weakness.
As Rupert quickly scrambled into the corridor, he shouted, ‘she’s got the phone in her pocket.’
‘OK you. Give it to me and you won’t get hurt.’ Carrie ordered.
‘Get stuffed. You don’t frighten me,’ Sue said, her quivering voice telling a different tale.
‘Ah said, give me the phone,’ Carrie demanded, advancing towards her, the adrenaline of a trained warrior coursing through her.
Sue backed away. For the second time in her life, she felt frightened, her spittle drying. Subconsciously she put her right hand to her pocket to protect the phone. Her hand movement telegraphed its location to Carrie.
‘Ah said give it to me.’
Sue turned to run, but Carrie grabbed her shoulder as she did so and locked her arm round her neck. Sue screamed in pain as her damaged neck muscles protested at the assault.
Carrie forced her free hand into Sue’s pocket and seized the mobile.
‘Don’t like it when somebody has a go at you, do you? If you even think about touching Rupert or anyone else again, next time Ah’ll screw your effing head off your shoulders. Understand?’ Carrie said, shaking her, to reinforce her threat.
Sue screamed again, as a lightning bolt of pain shot up her neck.
‘Ah’m glad we agree.’ With that she took her arm from around Sue’s neck and kicked her in the back of the knee sending her sprawling.
Carrie backed out of the room and joined Rupert in the corridor, quickly trying to second guess what Sue would do next.
Would Sue report her to the Police? No. She’d be too frightened about being put behind bars for assaulting Rupert.
‘Come on man, let’s quit while we’re ahead.’ Together they jogged down the corridor and headed back to Carrie’s suite, Rupert nervously looking over his shoulder. - Mission completed.
CHAPTER FIFTY
24th January
Carrie and Rupert went straight back to the suite. Carrie was pumped up ready for any escalation that Sue was likely to initiate.
Rupert was in despair. He was visibly trembling, hurt by Sue’s attack on him and frightened as the ongoing recipient of her temper. In spite of being rescued by Carrie, he was upset by the violence of her intervention.
‘I’m going to get myself a trumpet just like the Cavalry,’ Carrie joked, trying to cheer him up, ‘because I’m always coming to your rescue.’
‘Thanks, but do you realise what you’ve done?’ he said, miserably, barely able to get the words out.
‘What do you mean?’
‘She will kill Joanne now,’ he said, starting to cry, ‘…and my little baby. We must tell the Police. Oh my god, this is awful. I don’t know what to do. I don’t know what to do.’ He sobbed, burying his face in his hands.
‘Don’t worry, I’ve already got that sorted. Ah got some of my former army mates to keep an eye on her.’
‘What do you mean?’ he said, looking up. ‘Keeping an eye on her?’
She avoided looking at him, his tear streaked face and puffy eyes eroding her toughness. She had to remain hard. This was no time for emotions.
‘Covert protection. Nobody will get to her, don’t worry.’
‘Are you sure? Sue usually gets her own way, somehow.’
‘Not when I’m around, she doesn’t.’
Outside in the corridor they heard voices. Someone was trying unsuccessfully to open the door. Carrie had already taken the precaution of putting the internal lock on.
‘Carrie. Carrie, are you in there? It’s me.’ Tim shouted. ‘Carrie, open the door.’
‘Are you alone?’ she asked, anxiously.
‘No, I’ve got Mum and Andy with me.’
‘That’s OK then. Just a minute.’ Carrie opened the door and the trio entered.
‘Why the locked door?’ Tim quizzed.
‘Ah’ve just had to rescue Rupert from the jaws of hell again. We thought she might be along here with the Hotel Manager or Security people.
‘You OK Rupert?’ Andy said, concerned, going over to him.
‘Give me a minute,’ he sobbed.
‘Can I get you anything? I expect you’d like a nice cup of tea,’ Kay said, upset at seeing Rupert crying. She bustled off into her bedroom, trying to busy herself.
‘Thanks.’
‘What happened?’ Tim asked, concerned, holding Carrie’s hand.
‘After I spoke to you, I heard Rupert at the wrong end of a beating. I just had to go and help. Sorry.’
‘That’s OK, I’m glad you did.’
‘Oh I nearly forgot. Good news. We got her phone, Andy.’ Carrie said, retrieving the phone from her pocket and holding it out to him.
‘The phone! Brilliant. I’d just about given up hope on that. Thank you so much. Have you looked at it yet?’
‘No, we’ve only been back here a few minutes ourselves.’
‘Well let’s see what she’s got on there, if she got anything at all, that is.’
‘Yes, she videoed you. She told me,�
� Rupert chirped in.
Andy took the phone and taking a seat by the window, switched it on.
Meanwhile Kay had busied herself making tea from the kit she always carried when going away. ‘You can’t beat a nice, proper cup of tea from home.’
After a few minutes negotiating various screens, Andy found the video and played it on the phone.
It had captured the moment just after he’d exited Nadine’s room. She was standing there in her silk dressing gown and he watched as he kissed her, almost too long, he thought, to be a ‘quick peck.’ The time stamp showed 0535 hrs.
‘Found it?’ Tim said, walking over, keen to see what all the fuss had been about.
‘Yes, and now to delete it.’ Andy said, with great relish, relieved at least that his minor indiscretion would never be seen.
‘Oh come on, don’t be a spoil sport. Let’s have a look.’ Tim persisted.
‘Too late,’ Andy said, relieved.
‘Do you want to delete this video?’ the screen prompted.
‘Too right,’ Andy said, touching the screen.
‘You are about to delete the video. Do you wish to continue?’
‘Yes.’
‘Deleting.’
Andy was pleased to see the barometer running at the bottom of the screen as it was erased.
‘Video deleted. Press OK to continue.
‘Thank you Carrie, Rupert. You’ve probably saved my marriage. I’m sorry you got ‘beat up’ on my account Rupert,’ he said, going over to him and putting a sympathetic hand on his shoulder. ‘If there’s anything I can do for you…well I owe you one. Thanks.’
Rupert just nodded.
‘Nice phone, let me have a look Andy,’ Tim said, putting his hand out.
‘If you say so. I don’t know anything about mobiles. Here,’ he said, handing it over.
‘Shouldn’t think she’s had it long, ‘Tim said, examining it. ‘It’s 4G enabled. I gather it’s got all the whistles and bells including cordless charging.’
‘Cordless what?’
‘Charge the phone using an inductor rather than a cable.’
‘You’re talking gobbledegook now.’
Tim’s assessment continued. ‘Even got a memory card for photos. Somewhere here,’ he said, turning the phone over in his search. ‘Oh dear.’
‘What’s up?’ Andy asked, concerned.
‘It’s not here.’ Tim said, looking at Andy.
‘You might have deleted the video from the phone chip. But I wouldn’t be at all surprised to discover that she recorded it to the memory card too.’
‘Shit,’ said Andy, uncharacteristically crude. ‘I’m sorry Kay, I don’t usually swear.’
‘I’ve heard worse than that, haven’t I Tim?’
Tim ignored the question.
‘Damn,’ said Andy, his hopes suddenly dashed. ‘What if there was no card in the phone in the first place?’
‘Just a second.’ Tim flashed through several screens. ‘Sorry but the save options in here definitely had ‘to phone and memory card’ ticked. If I try to video anything now, it comes up with ‘Unable to shoot, Card missing.’
‘Well, let’s go and get it,’ said Carrie still hyper from her earlier encounter.
‘She won’t let you in.’
‘Well, I could grovel and tell her I’m returning her property. That way we could force our way in.’
‘It’s worth a try at least,’ Tim agreed.
‘No more violence, please,’ Rupert pleaded. ‘I can’t take anymore.’
‘You stay here. You’ll be safe here. She won’t touch you again, Ah promise,’ Carrie said, confidently.
‘I’m coming with you,’ Tim said, standing by her side.’
‘I’ll come too. It’s my mess that’s got you into this.’ Andy said.
Carrie, Tim and Andy left together.
Kay locked the door as they stepped into the corridor.
‘Don’t worry Rupert, everything will be OK,’ Kay said encouragingly, not at all confident that her words would be borne out.
The trio made their way to Sue’s room wondering how they were going to get in, but the door was already open.
Cautiously Carrie stepped in and looked around quickly. The room was empty. Sue had gone.
‘She must have run for it directly we left. Her suitcase is gone too.’
‘Damn, damn, damn,’ said Andy, thumping the back of a chair in his frustration. He was not ‘off the hook’ after all.
‘Don’t worry, we’ll get her at the airport.’
‘What if she makes her own way home?’
‘Shit. I hadn’t thought of that.’ Andy said, his world collapsing around him.
CHAPTER FIFTY ONE
24th January
Later, just as the sun was setting, the helicopter settled noisily on the hotel helipad. The group scrambled aboard into the luxurious cabin of the Agusta 109 and settled into the white leather bench seats. Tim, Carrie and Kay sat in the rear facing seats, while Ben, James and Andy sat in the forward facing ones. As expected, there was no sign of Sue.
As the doors closed, the pilot gestured for them to put on the headsets which were hanging on hooks above their heads.
Kay was thankful that the noise of the three rotating rotor blades was quietened by padded earpieces of the headset. Seeing everybody suitably attired, the pilot’s electronically clipped voice broke the static.
‘Welcome aboard. We will be flying along the coast to Nice and I will show you some of the wonderful views of Monte Carlo as we go.
Although the aircraft is capable of flying at up to 195 miles per hour, we will be going a lot slower to allow you to take in the scenery.
The flight would normally take about seven minutes. If you have any questions, your microphones are working, so please ask.
However I would ask you not to engage in any conversations between yourselves that might be distracting to me.
Please fasten your seatbelts.’
The noise from the rotors increased as the twin engine helicopter rose into the air, creating a small cloud of dust as it did so. Pitching forward, it soon gathered height and speed, quickly crossing over Monaco’s opulent skyline and meandering network of roads, to arrive over the ancient deep-water harbour of Hercules Port; reported to have been a trading port used by the Greeks and Romans.
Beneath them, the bay was populated by scores of multimillion pound super yachts and boats moored in ordered lines along the quay; a decadent display of the wealth of the French Riviera, their white hulls and superstructures standing out against the darkening sea.
From their overhead vantage point, the port seemed like an enormous crab where the protective walls of the quays looked like giant claws that had scooped the yachts together ready to devour them.
The clunk of the wheels retracting made Kay jump and nervously she grabbed Carrie’s hand. Carrie squeezed Kay’s hand to reassure her; however, she too was feeling strangely tense.
For in spite of the fact that she had done countless helicopter flights during her service days, today was different.
She had always enjoyed the unique sensations of rotary wing flight, whether it was parachuting from them, dropping into a combat zone or making a fast exit whilst retreating from enemy fire.
But her airborne adventures had been cruelly cut short when she became a victim of a Taliban mine.
The rescuing Medivac flight had been her last helicopter trip until today. At the time, she didn’t know much about it. She had sustained horrific injuries to both legs and was barely alive, drifting in and out of consciousness.
But deep down, she knew that the calm and efficient medics on board the Chinook would be her salvation, and so it proved. For without a shadow of doubt, they saved her life that day. Such was the severity of her injuries.
In spite of giving his passengers the promise of sightseeing en route, the short helicopter flight to Nice Airport and transfer to the chartered jet was all over and done within 30
minutes.
The chartered jet was quickly on its way and lifted off from the tarmac in a burst of noise
Ben looked out through window as the Mediterranean slipped away beneath them. The excitement of the weekend was over-shadowed by Sue’s threat of going to the Police and lying about his involvement of the events on Churchup Hill.
His trepidation was further exacerbated by the fact that she had left earlier and was likely to be back in England before them.
‘What if they were waiting at the airport to arrest me?’ he thought, anxiously.
Andy, too, was apprehensive about their return. For the excitement and anticipation of a ‘dream weekend’ had turned out to be a dreadful nightmare.
He kicked himself for being so stupid to have been caught on film by Sue. Worse still, was getting the others embroiled in his problem, trying to get his hands on the recording.
He desperately needed to think of a strategy for telling Helen about the ‘bedroom incident’. He couldn’t wait until Sue dropped the bombshell. ‘Oh God what a mess,’ he muttered, under his breath.
If he admitted he’d gone to Nadine’s room at all, she’d think the worse…especially after catching them in clinches at Geoffery’s funeral and then again at the wake.
If he didn’t say anything it would be worse when Sue did whatever she was going to do.
Normally so ‘in control’ of everything, he was beside himself for allowing a minor misjudgement to turn into a major problem. The thought of being exposed as an item of ridicule on the internet through ‘YouTube’ or ‘Facebook’, frightened him.
He had always thought of himself as a respected and responsible member of society…and now if the papers got hold of it. Oh God, he could imagine the headlines…‘Scout Leader in late night romp’…It didn’t bear thinking about.
Was it still too late to stop her? Could Rupert use his IT contacts to get it removed from the internet? Dare he even ask Rupert?