Snow Bond

by Ross Richdale

  Jocelyn sucked on her bottom lip, nodded, and glanced up at the camera and began to speak.

  SO FAR, JOCELYN'S PLANNED departure from the apartment where she had lived with Larry Brooks over the previous eighteen months had worked well. Larry was asleep as usual after returning home at midnight stinking of beer and stale scent. He had been too drunk to assault her but did manage to grumble about the Blake, her four-month-old son awaking and screaming the place down. They now slept in separate rooms with her excuse being that with the baby he wouldn't have his sleep disturbed when she awoke to feed the little fellow.

  Blake had remained asleep as she clipped his carrycot into her car's back seat, backed out down the drive and onto the road. It should be okay now for even at this early hour there were several cars on the move along the narrow road lined with character houses of a century before. She turned on the radio and relaxed as the announcer's familiar voice chatted away between the modern music that she liked.

  She turned onto College Hill that was quite a steep road that ran down from the inner city suburb of Ponsonby to Downtown Auckland with the city's tallest building Sky Tower ahead. Normally there was heavy traffic heading in both directions but at five thirty in the morning, the city was only just beginning to awaken for another day. Delivery vehicles, early buses and private cars were free flowing and the daily gridlock of the inner city had not yet begun.

  A slight thud made her jump in alarm. The car vibrated and began to increase speed. When she moved her foot from the accelerator to the brake she became aware that something was seriously wrong. The brake pedal just slammed into the floor with no resistance at all. Worse, was that the accelerator had not risen after she lifted her foot off it. In fact the car was accelerating!

  Now verging on a panic, she reached for the handbrake but like the footbrake it merely flopped around as if it wasn't joined to anything. She was now doing sixty kilometres and hour and accelerated so fast she had to swerve around a taxi ahead. The driver blasted his horn as she tried everything from placing both feet on the brake, attempting to move the shift control out of drive to swinging her steering wheel towards the kerb and a nearby fence and hedge in the frantic hope that it could help slow her down. She was now travelling beside Saint Mary's College, a Catholic girls school but was going too fast to attempt turning into the school driveway.

  Ahead was a small tree on the footpath, a bus shelter that appeared empty and roadside traffic signs. If she could side swipe the tree just before the bus shelter and use the fence with the hedge behind as a brake, perhaps...

  But it was not to be. Jocelyn heard a bang and the engine exploded in a ball of fire. She hit the kerb and had a fleeting view of the bus shelter to her left as the tyres screamed and she felt the vehicle tip. There was nothing that she could do. Black smoke poured around her and her ears rung with a screeching sound as she flopped sideways and realised that she was on her side with a her view hidden by two airbags that had burst out around her.

  In terror, she realised that the car had tipped over on the kerb side, which was the side she had clipped the baby and the carrycot in.

  "Blake!" she screamed. "Hang on, Sweetheart. Mummy will stop the car."

  There was no reply as her vehicle bumped and a vision of steel fence posts, twisting fence wire, branches from the hedge and more flames and smoke was followed by agonising pain in her legs and window glass falling around her. Worse though was the black smoke that burnt her eyes, filled her nose and she found she could not breathe.

  But why wasn't Blake screaming? Her baby would be hurt! Why wasn't he screaming? Jocelyn attempted to move around but the airbag, seat belt and bits of metal around her body prevented any movement.

  The only screams she could hear were her own as the smoke disappeared and a sheet of flames replaced it.

  "THE PASSENGER SIDE of the car was completely crushed and the baby killed," Ian said after he switched the iPad off. "In some ways, Jocelyn was lucky to be alive. The driver of the taxi she had passed a few moments earlier, stopped. He had a fire extinguisher and managed to put out most of fire. She had a broken leg and had to be cut from the wreckage."

  "So when did the police suspect it was more than an accident?" Renee asked.

  "As well as the taxi driver, a couple of early morning joggers witnessed everything. They said she was driving erratically and well over the speed limit almost as if she was drunk. However, there was no alcohol on her breath. Her account of brake failure and accelerator jamming were not, at first believed by the police. The fire destroyed most of the engine bay but later, forensic experts found a severed handbrake wire. This led to a more extensive examination of her vehicle including calling in army experts who had knowledge of vehicles in Afghanistan that had been bombed or had run over mines.

  Their report along with others concluded that a device and possibly two exploded in the engine and caused the so-called accident. That was when her husband became a suspect and we were asked to assist.

  We can prove there was some sort of mini explosive device placed in the vehicle but can only suspect it involved a timer from when she started the vehicle. This is where the circumstantial evidence comes in. Brooks knew she would drive the car downtown every day and the route she took. She was back at work in one of the downtown office blocks that had a crèche where she left her baby while she worked every day.

  We think she actually went further down the hill than Brooks anticipated for it was early morning and there were no traffic delays of a couple of hours later, her usual travelling time." Ian looked across at Renee. "Everything points to a deliberate plan to kill her and the baby but we need every piece of circumstantial evidence we can to prove Brooks had the personality and ability to plan and cause Jocelyn's car to blow up."

  "It sounds quite damning evidence to me," Tyler said. "What sort of defence does he have?"

  "Their main case will be that the was no bomb at all, that Jocelyn was suffering from severe depression before and after the birth of her child and though Brooks had supported her she was irrational at times, hence the reason for her early morning departure."

  Renee glowered and clenched her fist in anger. "'That sounds like him. He is not only a violent man but a coward and one who can lie without even blinking an eye." She hesitated for a moment. "Is it true that any trial would be several months away if he was arrested?"

  "That's right. A high court trial could be well into next year before it is held. If we recommend murder and attempted murder charges it may even be longer."

  Renee gulped and turned to Tyler. "I'm going to help Ian and will testify."

  "Take time to think about it," Tyler suggested.

  "No," Renee replied. "That Jocelyn could have very well been me, you know. If Larry Brooks gets away with it who will he kill next, another baby, another young woman? He's a pathological liar and killer who has no remorse what-so-ever about his victims. He deserves nothing less than being punished for this horrendous crime."

  "Thank you," Ian said. "There's still much to do before he is even arrested but I assure you that everything possible will be done to protect you as a witness."

  CHAPTER 5

  On the second day at East Ridge, Sofia woke up and found that the power had not been restored. However, a small lantern flickered on the other side of the room. Aza appeared with her hair wrapped in a towel and grinned at her.

  "There's plenty of hot water so you can have a shower," she said. "The hot pipes from the wet-back behind the wood-range work well."

  After a brief shower, Sofia walked into the kitchen to find only Renee and Aza there.

  "The men have gone out to the big shed," Renee said. "There's an old generator there and Tyler thinks he can get it going. We're connected to it so hopefully we'll be able to recharge our iPads and watch TV tonight." She grinned. "One of our long term plans is to install solar panels and a bank of batteries. The new ones are quite efficient."

  Sofia glanced out the kitchen window where dawn
was arriving. "Is it still snowing?" she asked.

  "It did during the night but has stopped now. The forecast is for more later in the day," Renee replied. "I doubt if you'll get out today. With luck, the landline will come online and you can phone your car rental firm about your accident."

  Sofa nodded and glanced at Aza who just shrugged as if it wasn't high on their priority list. Another deliciously cooked breakfast was served and afterwards she decided to head out to see what the men were doing. The idea of helping to feed the animals seemed more attractive than just lazing around inside or helping Renee with some cooking.

  It was cold but the sun shone through a pale sky to the east as Sofia stepped out and began to follow the footprints left in the snow by Tyler and Ian. The snow was almost knee deep but quite fun to walk through in the borrowed gumboots that came up to her knees. It was so quiet and peaceful with the only sound being her boots crunching through the snow. She rubbed her freezing cheeks with gloved hands and pulled the woollen hat closer around her ears.

  About half way to the shed she stopped for something caught the corner of her eyes. Something moved behind a nearby hedge.

  In that direction the morning sun was in her eyes so she shaded them with her hand. At first she saw nothing except the bright snow across the landscape. She squinted and turned her head slightly. She was sure there was movement behind the hedge but perhaps it was just snow falling off branches. An old wooden farm gate filled a gap in the hedge. Of more interest though, was the snow around it. There were footprints in the snow and a track along the edge of the hedge coming in from the nearby road.

  Somebody had walked in from the road and gone though the gate. She stepped closer and noticed that the snow on the gate itself had been disturbed with bare wood showing. The person had also climbed over the gate and was now probably on the other side.

  "Hello!" she called. "Is anyone there?"

  She saw a flash of orange, heard a loud report of a gun being fired and sudden excruciating pain in her left arm. She was flung sideways, crashed in the snow and slipped sideways down a small slope, just as two more shots were fired. She heard one whistle past her face but no more pain. Both the shots had missed her!

  Her mind whirled as she realised what had happened. She had been shot in the arm but was now in what could be a ditch. Perhaps this was why the subsequent shots had missed. Her left arm hung down and any attempt to move it sent pain screaming through her body. She glanced down to see her jersey on that side was covered in a dark stain and even as she watched more blood flowed out.

  Everything around began to spin but she shook her head and became determined not to lose consciousness. Rational thoughts returned as she lay there, luckily with her wounded arm above her. Using her right arm for support she managed to manoeuvre herself slightly so she could see the hedge.

  The view had not changed. In those few agonising moments nothing out there had changed! But it had, a loaded gun was aimed at her from somewhere in the hedge. If she stood up, the shooter would fire again. It was best to just lie there and hope the person didn't come closer.

  Trembling from both fear and the cold she slumped back and suppressed the scream on her lips, just as the snow began to fall.

  "WHAT WAS THAT?" TYLER gasped when he looked up from where he was reassembling the old generator after he had cleaned all the components and renewed a section of frayed wires.

  Ian frowned. "Sounded like gunshots to me."

  "Damn hunters but why would any be out in this weather?" Tyler stood up and closely followed by his companion, rushed to the door. Everything outside looked empty and silent. He could see their tracks in the snow, the house with smoke rising from the kitchen chimney but nothing else.

  "Somebody's there," Ian pointed out. "Half way across."

  Tyler shaded his eyes from the morning sun and stared in the direction Ian had indicated. A faded pink arm poked out beyond a pile of snow. Oh my God, Renee always wore that old jersey!

  He grabbed his jacket from a nearby table and headed out. He had only gone a dozen or so metres when he heard the roar of an engine starting. It sounded like a motorbike but was more probably a snowmobile.

  "Come on!" yelled Ian. "Somebody is definitely there. I saw the arm move."

  Now behind Ian, Tyler rushed forward but made slow progress in the snow. He glanced towards the house and noticed two women coming towards them. He recognised Renee straight away so who was the person in the snow?

  Mere seconds later his question was answered when he moved up beside Ian who had stopped. Before them was Sofia who stared up from where she lay in the snow. Her left arm hung limply and the jersey, one borrowed from Renee, was saturated with blood that also splattered the snow around her.

  "I think I was shot in an arm," she whispered. "The bugger fired three times but missed me twice."

  With Ian's help she managed to stand but looked a ghastly white as she stood shivering with her left arm hanging limp. Renee and Aza arrived and with plenty of help now available, Tyler glanced at the hedge.

  "I'll get the tractor and rifle and go after him," he muttered, really just to himself.

  "You will not!" Renee gasped. "That gunman could be waiting. I don't want you shot, too."

  "Renee's right," Ian added. "Anyone taking a random pot-shot at Sofia is capable of anything."

  Tyler nodded. "I'll get the tractor anyway. We can't expect Sofia to walk back to the house in her condition."

  "I'll be okay," Sofia said but it was obvious that she could barely stand.

  Tyler slipped and sloshed his way as quickly as he could back to the shed. A moment later he had main door up and the tractor started. He turned the heater to full blast and headed out. It was now snowing quite heavily but the tractor was designed to cope with the conditions. Less than fifteen minutes after finding Sofia, Ian lifted her into the rear tractor seat and Tyler drove to the house.

  Again Ian was there to help Sofia out. She insisted on walking indoors but didn't object when he supported her and helped her lie down on a sofa close to the potbelly stove.

  "If there's a bullet in her arm it'll need to come out," Tyler said as he squatted beside the sofa and cut away the jersey sleeve. It was a nasty wound that was still bleeding but on closer inspection he found an exit wound. Sofia must have had her arm out when she was hit and the bullet passed right through the flesh under her upper arm. Renee was there with a bowl of warm water, antiseptic and a bandage. Between them they cleaned and bound the wound.

  Sofa sat up with pillows behind her for support and smiled slightly.

  "Thanks. This'll be something to put on my Facebook page when I get in range"

  Tyler grimaced but wasn't convinced. "I wouldn't, for I don't think it was random," he said.

  "Meaning?" Sofia whispered.

  "I think you were shot by mistake." He turned to Renee. "How long have you had that pink jersey?"

  Renee frowned. "Years I guess. Why?"

  'What if you were the target? From a distance Sophia looks a lot like you, same build and even hair style."

  Renee paled. "For a while I wore pink quite often. You think it might have been my ex?"

  Tyler nodded. "Why would anybody else be out there in this weather?"

  VILKO JOVANOVIC HAD spent the night in an abandoned farmhouse only a kilometre from East Ridge but was up in the five a.m. darkness, ready for his assignment. The snow and cold temperatures didn't worry him; in fact they brought back memories of fifteen years before when as really no more than a lad he served in the Serbian army. Those were at first good days with power thrust upon him in their government's brave attempt to free themselves from an enemy who had risen after the communists lost power.

  Being only an ordinary soldier, he had escaped any charges after the war and after a few weeks in an interment camp had been left to do as he wished. He drifted for a few years but finally managed to fake his identity and was granted refugee status in New Zealand.

  It was a reasona
bly interesting country with lax laws and ignorant police so it wasn't long before he became attached to Auckland's criminal underworld run mainly by Chinese but with local gangs most run by Maoris or Pacific Islanders also quite active in the southern suburbs of the city.

  That was where he got the contract to kill the bitch. Ten thousand cash and another ten after the job was done, was good money. He'd use it to go across to Australia where a much larger Serbian community lived. He even had a few old friends from army days who had offered him a job there.

  The snowstorm of the previous three days was welcomed for it was perfect weather with all communications out and roads closed. He shrugged as he pulled his jacket on, took a last swig from a can of beer that was his breakfast and headed out to the snowmobile he had stolen along with a pickup truck back in Christchurch.

  The truck had been abandoned not long after the snow arrived but the snowmobile, though a commercial one and not very powerful compared with the army ones back home, rode the quite thick snow well and was perfect for the job.

  Everything else played into his hand. He watched two men walk through the snow towards a large shed and grinned to himself as he peered out through the shrubbery and aimed at them through the rifle's telescopic sites. He would have preferred an automatic weapon but this hunting rifle was one of the best available in this god-forsaken country. Mind you, the telescopic lens was strong and designed to shoot deer, tahr and goats in the mountains.

  Jovanovic chuckled and lowered his rifle. All he had to do was to wait for the woman to come out of the house. He'd wait a while and if nobody appeared would look for her in the house itself. As far as he knew she would be the only one there, not that it mattered. If he had to eliminate two, it didn't matter.