by Anna Jacobs
She shut the front door and locked it, her thoughts going back to her friend. She and Emily hadn’t had time to plan the escape in detail before they’d been cut off. She could only hope she’d heard enough to know she was supposed to pick Emily up from the northern car park of the hospital at one o’clock on Saturday morning.
When Rachel went outside the following afternoon, intending to go to the shops, she found that all four of her tyres had been slashed. She’d heard nothing, seen nothing.
She felt so threatened by this, she went inside and locked all the doors and windows. She was quite sure who’d done it, not at all sure how best to deal with it.
In fact, she felt out of her depth about the whole business of getting Emily free.
George’s car had gone, and she didn’t know when he’d be coming back, but that didn’t stop her feeling nervous.
If she got the tyres repaired before closing time, he might slash them again during the night. She didn’t have a garage to keep her car in, so it stood on the drive. And the drive was sheltered by bushes and trees, so anyone could creep up to the car without the neighbours seeing.
How was she going to help Emily now? They’d only have one chance for this escape, Rachel was sure.
After some consideration of the problem over a cup of strong coffee, she came to the conclusion that she had to find help. She simply couldn’t do this on her own.
As she prepared to escape, the most difficult thing for Emily was staying awake until after the late shift came on duty. Several times she found herself nodding off.
By midnight the bustle of changeover had died down. She waited until the night nurse had finished her first ward round, then got up and dressed quickly, shaping what she hoped looked like a sleeping figure under the bedding.
She put her dressing gown on over her outdoor clothing, in case anyone was monitoring the CCTV system. Maybe if someone saw her, they’d think she was just walking round the floor.
She saw a shadow on the floor of the corridor, approaching her room slowly, and stiffened. Please let it be Chad! She couldn’t bear to fail before she even started.
The shadow jerked and moved along the floor, coming closer and closer.
Not until the figure stopped outside her door could she tell that it was him. She let out a sigh of relief and went to join him, holding out her hand.
He took hers and gave it a slight squeeze. She felt better for the touch, so very much better knowing she wasn’t trying to escape on her own.
‘All right?’ he mouthed.
She could only nod, because her throat was suddenly dry.
They got outside the unit without any hassles, taking the stairs and using the code she’d memorized for the lock. To her huge relief the same code opened the outer door as well.
Suddenly Chad tugged her back into the shadows behind some bushes and put his forefinger across her lips. She didn’t know why, but stayed silent.
A security guard appeared, checking the outer doors and flashing his torch around.
When the man had moved past, Chad grinned, his teeth shining white in the moonlight. ‘I always did have excellent hearing.’
‘Thank goodness!’
Moving as quickly as they could, they made their way across the first car park, meeting no one.
‘I can’t see any security cameras,’ she whispered.
‘Neither can I. There must be some, though. I wish I knew where, so that we could avoid them.’
As they turned the corner into the small overflow parking area where they were to meet Rachel, Emily looked round eagerly. But to her dismay, her friend’s car wasn’t there.
‘What shall we do if Rachel doesn’t come?’ she whispered.
‘We press on regardless. You have enough money to get a taxi to her house.’
They found a sheltered spot against the wall of an outbuilding and waited, because it was a little before the agreed time still.
‘How are you feeling?’ she asked.
‘I’m fine. And you?’
‘Nervous.’ She reached for his hand.
Once she thought she heard the sound of footsteps in the distance, and glanced at Chad. He was listening, but after a minute or two, he relaxed and smiled at her, so whoever it was must have passed by.
She figured about ten minutes had passed. It felt like ten hundred!
Chad spoke quietly. ‘If your friend doesn’t come in a few minutes, we should set off walking. If we can find a phone box, maybe we can call a taxi. They often have a free call service.’
It might be late May, but it was a cold night and Emily shivered. She didn’t have anything warm to wear.
Chad was shivering, too. He put an arm round her shoulders and leaned against her. ‘Who’s supporting who?’ he muttered.
‘Whom.’
He chuckled. ‘Good at grammar, are you?’
‘Very.’
‘More than ten minutes have passed, surely?’
‘Yes.’
‘The map showed an exit at that corner.’ He pointed. ‘Let’s use it.’
When they got there, they found a barrier in place, with a strong metal pole shutting off the entrance.
‘No wonder Rachel wasn’t waiting in the car park. Maybe she’s parked down the road.’ Emily didn’t really believe that. If Rachel were here, she’d have come looking for her.
As Emily squeezed past the barrier, a man stepped out from the shadows. ‘May I ask what you’re doing here, madam, sir? You were seen on CCTV wandering round the car parks.’
She gasped in shock and for a moment couldn’t form any words. The guard was standing between her and Chad. ‘None of your business what I’m doing here. This is a public area.’
‘Oh, I think it is my business. Two people answering your descriptions have been reported missing from a locked ward.’ His voice took on a patronizing tone, as if he were speaking to an idiot. ‘You shouldn’t be wandering about like this, madam. The hospital won’t want you getting hurt while you’re in their care.’
‘We’ve removed ourselves from their care.’ Chad pushed past the guard to join her.
She knew they couldn’t run away from this man. Neither of them was in any condition to outdistance anyone, and he was much younger and fitter than they were. But when Chad’s arm round her back urged her on, she moved forward again.
They had to try.
The guard was already speaking on the phone. ‘Frank? I’ve got them. The woman sounds perfectly normal, I must admit, and he’s walking pretty well. I thought he was supposed to have difficulty moving around.’
‘I don’t have dementia!’ she exclaimed indignantly.
‘No, of course not,’ he said soothingly. ‘But you’re not well and you shouldn’t be out here alone at night. Nor should you, sir. You still need caring for. Let’s be sensible and go back. It’s a cold night and it looks like rain.’
He moved to bar the way again, and when they tried to go round him, he shoved them back, not bothering to be so polite now. ‘I said: we’re going back to the hospital.’
Chad stumbled and as she steadied him, despair filled her. George had won, damn him.
At that moment she heard footsteps, more than one person running towards them along the road outside the hospital. Her captor turned round, grabbing each of them by the arm.
‘Let my client go immediately!’ A man’s crisp, educated voice rang out loudly.
She didn’t recognize the voice. Who was this?
She didn’t care. Whoever he was, she’d go along with being his client.
The security guard’s grasp tightened, if anything. ‘This lady is a patient at the hospital, sir, and a power of attorney has been applied for by her nephew, because she’s not fit to take care of herself.’
‘In that case, I can save the hospital a lot of trouble. I’m Oliver Tapton, Ms Mattison’s lawyer, and I shall be taking care of her from now on.’
Oliver Tapton, not Jeremy? Emily wondered.
‘I�
��m afraid I can’t release her without authorization, sir.’
‘Didn’t I hear you say a power of attorney hadn’t yet been granted? If that’s true, she has every right to leave the hospital whenever she chooses. She doesn’t need any authorization.’
Emily could feel tears of relief welling in her eyes. She tried to pull away but the guard kept hold of her arm.
‘People in their right senses don’t run away in the middle of the night, sir. They walk out of the front door in the daytime.’
‘Not if it’s locked,’ Emily said bitterly. She watched the guard turn his head, as if listening for someone coming to join him.
‘They have a right to get out any way they can if their freedom has been taken away.’ Mr Tapton turned to Emily. ‘I do apologize for not getting in touch sooner, Ms Mattison. My son and I hadn’t realized how badly you were being treated. I think I got here in time tonight to help you, though.’
‘I’d given you up.’ She couldn’t stop her voice wobbling. ‘And can you please tell this man to let my friend go, too? They’ve been keeping Chad here against his will as well.’
‘Certainly.’ The lawyer’s tone was sharp and icy. ‘Will you let go of my clients now.’
The security guard hesitated. Emily was puzzled by this. Surely it couldn’t matter to him whether she stayed or left? She recognized him now. He’d visited the unit a few times. Another person who seemed on excellent terms with Pauline.
No, she was seeing conspiracies everywhere. If she told anyone about such suspicions, they would have a very good excuse for locking her up again.
Perhaps the guard would be the one the authorities would blame if she escaped. Yes, that was more likely the reason for him keeping hold of her. Too bad. They’d had no right to detain her in the first place.
Mr Tapton took a step forward. ‘Ms Mattison, do you wish to leave now?’
‘I most certainly do.’
‘What about you, Mr – um, Chad?’
‘I wish to leave, too, and I’m very happy that you’ve agreed to act on my behalf.’ Chad tugged away from the guard.
The man let him go, but still kept hold of Emily, jerking her backwards. ‘I really can’t allow you to—’
‘Let go of her this minute or we’ll sue you for deprivation of liberty!’
All hung in the balance for a few seconds, then the hand on Emily’s arm slackened and she hurried across to stand beside Rachel – a few yards in distance, but a huge step towards freedom.
Her friend gave her a quick hug. ‘I’m so glad you got out of that place tonight.’
Tapton gestured in the direction from which he’d come. ‘We’ll return to my car now. You must both be chilled through.’
As Chad started moving, he stumbled. ‘Sorry. I haven’t walked this far for a while.’
The lawyer steadied him. ‘My car’s not far. Since we couldn’t get into this parking area, we had to leave the car where the verge widens. Didn’t want to cause an accident by blocking such a narrow, twisting road.’
The security guard continued to walk beside them. ‘I’ll need your name, sir. And your address.’
‘Oh, I can do better than that. Here’s my business card.’ He thrust it at the man. ‘Oliver Tapton at your service. Any further enquiries should be made to my rooms during working hours.’
He clicked a remote and ahead of them a car’s lights flashed twice. ‘Come and sit in the back with your friend, Ms Mattison. I’ll put the heater on and we’ll soon have you both warmed up.’
Chad got in slowly, then leaned back with a groan. ‘I thought I’d be able to walk better than this.’
‘You managed well enough. We got away, didn’t we?’ Emily said.
Oliver glanced in the rear view mirror. ‘Everyone strapped in? Right, let’s get out of here. Another fellow’s joined that guard and they’re on the phone again. Before we know it, they’ll be bringing in reinforcements.’
As he drove away, he added, ‘It was my son Jeremy who wrote to you in the first place about your inheritance, Ms Mattison. When Rachel phoned, it sounded urgent, so since he couldn’t get away because of another important case, he asked me to investigate. I’m retired, but I still help out now and then. I’m sorry we’re a bit late, but the traffic was heavy and I had to drive down from Lancashire.’
‘I’ve never been as glad to see someone in my whole life, Mr Tapton. Only I’m afraid they might try to get us back by legal means, given that my nephew wants to keep me locked away and is claiming I have dementia. Do you think they have any chance of succeeding?’
‘By the time I’ve phoned the hospital in the morning and told them I’m initiating a formal complaint on behalf of both of you, they’ll let the matter drop, I promise you. Or maybe I’ll get my son to do that. He can sound far more ferocious than me.’ He frowned. ‘What I don’t understand is why they were keeping you both locked up. Surely we’re trying to use beds efficiently in the hospitals, not clog them up with long-term patients – especially ones who don’t want to be there, and don’t need to be, either.’
‘The sister in charge seemed to be on extremely good terms with Emily’s nephew,’ Chad said. ‘I’ve seen him give her envelopes. I don’t know why they were keeping me there, though.’
Oliver let out a low whistle of surprise. ‘How is she getting away with it? And why is he doing it? The usual reason? Money?’
‘Yes. He already manages his mother’s affairs and he must be keeping her a bit short, because my sister said her investments aren’t paying as well because of the recession. It might be true, but she had such a generous income before, I can’t understand why she has to be so careful with money.’
‘We’ll make sure your case is looked into, believe me,’ Oliver said. ‘Oh, and I don’t know your full name, Chad.’
He sighed. ‘I don’t know it, either. I have amnesia after being beaten up. But I’m pretty sure people used to call me Chad. Only I can’t remember anything specific about my identity.’
‘Haven’t your family reported you missing?’
‘That’s what’s puzzling me. If I have any family, they’ve definitely not reported me missing, let alone come to see me. Apparently a “Can you help?” notice was put out in the local newspapers and on regional TV, with my photo. Well, that’s what they told me had been done. But they said no one came forward. That still shouldn’t mean me being locked away, though. I don’t have dementia.’
‘No. It definitely shouldn’t.’
‘Perhaps someone is after my money too, Mr Tapton. If I have any. But how are they getting away with it? Surely I have friends and family?’ Chad shook his head helplessly.
‘Well, we can discuss what to do about your situation in more detail later. Let’s use first names, shall we? So much more friendly. I’m Oliver.’
‘Fine by me.’ Emily tapped her friend’s shoulder. ‘Where are we going, Rachel?’
‘Home.’
‘Is that safe?’
‘George is away at the moment,’ her friend said. ‘He left late yesterday afternoon.’
‘Oh yes, I overheard him telling Sister he’d be away for the weekend. I know it’s out of your way, Oliver, given that you’ve already driven down from Lancashire, but I do need clothes and other things. Only, I don’t want to stay there and confront George. I confess, he makes me nervous.’
Rachel made a sympathetic noise. ‘Me, too. He came round to warn me to stay away from you. Then someone slashed my tyres. I think it was your nephew. He probably did it during the night.’
‘George did that?’
‘I’ve no proof, but who else could it have been just after he’d threatened me?’
‘Then I definitely need somewhere else to go till this is all sorted out,’ Emily said.
‘You should report him to the police for what he’s done to you!’ Rachel said indignantly.
Emily sighed. ‘I’d like to report him, but the trouble is, I don’t want to make too much fuss about what he’
s been doing, however unlawful it is, because his mother is my only sister and Liz is quite frail. And anyway, how would I prove that he’s trying to take my money? He’d just say he was trying to look after me.’
‘I can’t prove Pauline was deliberately keeping me there, either,’ Chad said. ‘But I can’t see why I was locked up like that and told I’d never walk properly again. It doesn’t make sense.’
‘Why don’t you come up to Lancashire and live in Penelope’s house, Emily?’ Oliver suggested. ‘It’s a bit dilapidated but it’s habitable. She lived there until she died, and that was only a couple of months ago.’
‘I was thinking of doing that.’
‘And if you have to get back quickly, Oliver, I can bring Emily up to Lancashire after she’s packed,’ Rachel said.
‘I don’t have to get back,’ Oliver said. ‘There’s no one waiting for me because I lost my wife two years ago.’ He fell silent for a moment, then took a deep breath and continued in a more cheerful tone, ‘Besides, I must confess that I’m intrigued by this situation. I definitely want to see it through. My son’s far too busy to give you all the help you’re going to need.’ Oliver’s deep voice was calm and reassuring. ‘You can take your time at your home and sort out everything you’re likely to need. I’ll wait with you, if you can put me up.’
‘I definitely can.’
‘I’ll volunteer to feed you all,’ Rachel put in. ‘I’ve got plenty of food and I don’t want to be left out of the excitement. Heaven knows, my life’s been all too quiet lately.’
Emily leaned forward to clasp her friend’s shoulder for a moment in unspoken sympathy. ‘Chad will be staying with me, too. He doesn’t know who he is or where he lives, and he has no money. When they beat him up, they took everything that might identify him.’
Rachel whistled softly. ‘Wow! Sounds like a gangster movie. Who’s got it in for you, Chad?’
‘I only wish I knew.’
‘Must be hellishly difficult,’ Oliver said. ‘We’ll get you on social security payments once you’re settled in Lancashire. That’ll at least give you something to live on till you come into your own again.’
Emily glanced sideways and saw that Chad was looking at her.