"We tried to get up but it's too slippery," Aza called up. "We are on a sort of ledge behind a rock and are scared that we'd slip further down if we attempted a climb."
"The guy taking pot shots at us didn't help either," Ian added.
"Either of you hurt?" Renee called down.
"Only freezing and a few scratches," Aza replied.
"Tyler's watching out for that gunman. We've got a rope so I'll swap places with him and get him to help you out. Okay?"
"Just be careful," warned Ian. "It was the bank that crumbled under us."
TYLER WAS WORRIED ABOUT leaving Renee down the track but knew she was quite accurate with the rifle and his strength was needed to help haul the pair up.
"It's pitch black so use your ears. If someone approaches you may hear the snow crunching. Don't turn on your torch," he suggested.
"Just go," Renee whispered.
Tyler found Sam had followed Renee back but now accompanied him as he moved forward in a low crouch. He doubted if he could be seen from below but it was not worth taking the risk of turning the torch on. He reached the place closest to the spot above where Aza and Ian were. After a brief discussion about the best tactics to use, he tied the rope around his stomach and threw the other end down. Soon he took the strain of Aza climbing up. She was the lightest of the pair and it was reasoned that their combined weights at his end would help when Ian followed.
Tyler placed his torch on the ground and used both hands to help haul Aza up. It worked and, after one brief moment of anxiety when she almost slipped, she appeared below him and he reached for her hand.
"Thanks," she gasped as she stood and brushed snow off her jacket and pants.
"If your hands aren't too frozen, can you help hold the rope?"
"Yes."
"If it begins to slip be careful you aren't pulled back down..." Tyler issued more instructions and sat with his legs wide and Aza in front of him so she could also grip the rope.
Ian was definitely heavier and appeared to be more of a dead weight as he floundered around below trying to find places to place his feet. At one point he slipped back a little and the strain on the rope was all that prevented him from falling all the way down.
"Sorry," he shouted out from the darkness below. "Damn piece of tussock gave way."
"Take it slowly," Aza called back. "Tyler's like a rock behind me."
"Sort of," Tyler muttered for he felt his bottom slide slightly forward but managed to dig his boots into the snow and stop the movement. Aza was doing a sterling job before him and he could see her straining to hold the rope. She twisted one section around her arm and pulled with all her strength. However, they still made no progress.
"Renee!" he shouted. "We need your help!"
"Right," came her reply. A moment later she appeared and shone her torch over the bank. "Ian's over halfway up," she said and moved in beside Aza to grip the rope.
"We're pulling on the count of three," Tyler shouted down.
"Okay," called back Ian.
It was a struggle but between the three and Ian's own efforts they managed to haul him close enough until his head hands appeared. Renee grabbed one and held on until he managed to get one knee up over the edge,
Aza grabbed his arm and Ian flopped onto the ground before them.
"Not bad for a city slicker," Tyler said with a chuckle.
"And I thought I was comparatively fit," Ian muttered. "Those city gym ropes are child's play compared with this." He also stood, brushed himself down and patted Sam before turning serious. "Where's the gunman?"
"No sign of him," Tyler said. "Perhaps I was lucky with my earlier shots." He explained what had happened earlier.
"But he could be down there waiting?" Aza asked.
"True, that's why I suggest we go up to the tank and not back to the house."
"And use our mobiles to contact authorities?" Renee added.
"That's about it," Tyler said. "Now, how about some of that coffee from the thermos before we get going?"
They leaned against the far bank with their torches turned off and sipped mugs of coffee. Renee also took two towels from her pack for Aza and Ian to wrap around their shoulders.
"Okay Sam," Tyler said. "We're going uphill to the tank. You have to make sure none of us slip. Okay?"
He could see the dog's eyes almost glowing in the dark as he acknowledged his comment with a tiny bark.
It took over forty minutes but they finally reached the tank and squeezed in the tiny pump shed. Tyler lit a small propane heater he had brought and the temperature rose a little. He placed his arm around Renee and noticed that Ian was doing the same with Aza. Perhaps they were becoming more than just casual acquaintances. With those thoughts he dozed off and drifted into a strange dream of a leering gunman holding Renee by the throat and waving a revolver in her face.
He awoke, feeling stiff and cold and realised that it was dawn and Renee stood in the doorway with a small pot of canned stew bubbling away on the camp stove that they had also brought with them. Sam sat beside her.
"The other two are asleep," she whispered. "I thought something hot in our stomachs would help us all."
"Any luck with the mobile?"
She shook her head. "We need to be on the other side of the tank before it works."
"I'll go and try," Tyler said.
He walked outside and realised how much colder it was there. The day was crisp with snow in every direction but the sky was mainly cloud free and there was no wind. He pulled his collar up, grabbed his rifle and walked out to the edge of the track. Their footprints and Sam's paw marks were frozen in the snow while far below he could see the house and outbuildings. It appeared lonely and still with nothing to indicate that anybody was there. In fact, every direction appeared as a blanket of snow with nothing to indicate the presence of the gunman or anyone else.
It appeared safe but he was cautious as he stepped around the tank. Once on the other side, his mobile indicated there was a signal so he called the police to report everything that had happened.
"Detective Sergeant Brody Cleveland wishes to speak to you," the constable he was speaking to said. "He's in charge of everything to do with your case."
The sergeant came on and Tyler repeated everything to him.
"Is this exactly what happened?" Brody asked "You saw a red target light on your partner's jacket and knocked her out of the way just in time before a bullet whistled over her. You turned, saw gunfire flash and fired back several times."
"Yes. My rifle reloads automatically."
"And you saw the flash after the bullet just missed Renee?"
"I guess I did."
"So the rifleman fired a second time?"
"He must have for I aimed at the gun flash."
"And there has been no sign of the person since then."
"It was dark, Sergeant Cleveland. Since dawn I have only had time to have a quick look around. We are at the top of what we call Tank Hill and see the house and surrounding buildings below us."
"But not all the track up to your position?"
"That's correct."
"Okay, Tyler, except for firing back, you appear to have done everything right. Please stay where you are. Is there another way up to your position?"
"No. The hill's pretty steep and would be impossible to climb especially with all the snow."
"And you can see the top of the track you came up on."
"Not from here but from the pump house where the others are, yes."
"One moment please." The mobile went quiet for a moment before Brody came back on line. "I've been in contact with Search and Rescue. Just stay where you are. A helicopter is on its way. Perhaps you could keep an eye out in case that gunman appears but no shooting or other heroics. Is that clear?"
"Yes."
TWENTY MINUTES LATER a red and yellow search and rescue helicopter circled around the entire area before it flew in above them. There was no room to land but it came close enough for
a crewman to be lowered in a safety chair. He was very efficient and within moments both the girls were hoisted aboard, Ian followed and Tyler next with Sam on his lap. The crewman returned to the helicopter, hauled the rope up and shut the door.
"We'll take you to Christchurch Hospital," he said as the helicopter rose up above the hill. "You all look fine but after a night out in these conditions." He waved at the snow covered landscape below. "It pays to have you all checked out."
"Thanks but what about Sam, our dog?"
The crewman grinned. "Don't worry, we often have dogs brought in with wounded hunters or trampers. There are kennels at our base where he can stay while you're in hospital."
"Sam's part of our family," Renee added while Tyler patted their faithful friend.
CHAPTER 8
Sofia munched her Christchurch Hospital breakfast and found the egg on toast with two bacon slices appetising and as good as any one would get in a motel that Aza and herself usually stayed in. The general ward she was now in was near the top of the hospital and overlooked trees and parkland in Hagley Park and the Avon River. There was a little snow left in shady spots but the city had had far less than the high country. She tuned out from the woman in the adjacent bed who was mumbling about breakfast being too cold and wondered what she should do later that day, as she was due to be discharged after the doctor's rounds later in the morning.
She watched as a second search and rescue helicopter flew by to land out of sight in Hagley Park. Audrey, the chatty morning nurse appeared to take her blood pressure and tend to her wound.
"Weren't you shot at a place called East Ridge?" Audrey said as she changed Sofia's bandage. "It's west of here and more like the wild west, I reckon."
Sofia frowned. "Why do you say that?"
"That helicopter that just came in is the second from East Ridge this morning."
Sofia's heart raced. "What happened?" she gasped.
"Not sure, something about a big shoot out between a landowner and a bikie gang leader. The cops are down there meeting that second helicopter."
"And the first helicopter?" Sofia whispered.
"Some tourists and a farmer, I heard. Seems they were lifted out after they slipped down a hillside in a mini-avalanche."
"Do you know their names?"
"No." Audrey stopped winding the bandage around Sofia's shoulder and stared at her. "Of course, you left a friend there, didn't you?"
Sofia nodded.
Audrey smiled. "Don't worry. None of them were badly hurt. Heard they aren't even going to be admitted. Look, when I've finished why don't you go along to Accident and Emergency. That's where those not being admitted are looked after. Be back here by ten, though. If the doctor doesn't discharge you, you'll need to stay another night."
"Thanks Audrey."
Sofia waited until the nurse had finished before she found her clothes and dressed. Someone, Aza probably, had packed a small bag for her that contained her clothes as well as toiletries and handbag that contained her money, credit cards and driver's licence.
The Accident and Emergency was quite busy but she was directed by a receptionist down a side corridor to where day patients were tended. She saw them, all of them! Not only Aza but also Renee, Tyler and Ian were sitting on seats with bored expressions on their faces, watching an overhead television.
"Hi there!" Sofia laughed as she almost ran up to them. "Heard there was a big shootout up at East Ridge. God, I don't know what the world's coming to."
EVERYONE, INCLUDING Sofia had been discharged from Christchurch Hospital and the three visitors to East Ridge all decided to return there with Renee and Tyler. The rental car firm Aza and Sofia had originally hired a car from was contacted and promised to replace their vehicle with a four wheel drive Toyota Land Cruiser but it would need to be picked up from their downtown depot.
Road reports confirmed that the highway was open for four-wheel drive vehicles with chains as far as the ski field beyond East Ridge so they would be able to drive home.
"We can take a city bus to the car hire place," Tyler said.
Renee had other ideas though. "Can you pick it up and return here?" she asked.
"Why?"
"That other guy who arrived. This is a one chance to find out more."
"Like what?"
"Just a hunch," she said. "If I can talk to him or even one of the police I might find out something. If it was a gunman who followed up the one who shot Sofia in an attempt to get me, I want to know about it."
"I doubt if you'll get near him," Ian said. "If the police are involved, you will not even be allowed in the ward where he is."
Renee shrugged. "I can try."
Aza glanced at Sofia. "Will you be okay with the rental car?"
"I can't drive but Tyler's suggestion that we hire it jointly means he can. Why?"
"I want to stay with Renee and attempt to see this guy."
It was agreed so a few moments later Renee and Aza headed back into the hospital. It was now late morning and patients, orderlies, nurses and doctors walked around everywhere. They were ignored as they made their way to the ward from where Sofia had been discharged.
The nurse who chatted to them when Sofia was having her final check by the doctor was still there at the Nurses Station.
"Hello Audrey," Renee said after glancing at her nametag. "Did Sofia leave her mobile here?"
"I don't think so but I can check." Audrey walked across to a drawer and placed three on the desk. "Is it one of these? The number of phones left behind by patients is amazing..."
Renee smiled. They were lucky to have such a talkative nurse and she soon turned the conversation to the gunman.
"He's along in the recovery ward," Audrey said. "They dug a bullet out of him that the cops immediately confiscated. They've sealed off the entire corridor. Rumour is that he's a wanted criminal."
"What now?" Aza asked as they walked out of the ward.
Renee grinned. "We become nurses. They're everywhere and nobody notices them. We need to find one of their blue tops from somewhere."
They found a supply room with a supply of white coats.
"So we get a promotion to being doctors," Renee said.
"But we've no identification?"
"We'll pin our driver's licences to our top pockets. It even has our photo and should pass a casual glance."
"More likely to get us arrested for impersonation," Aza muttered.
However with both wearing a white jacket, Renee holding a clipboard and seemingly deep in conversation with a listening Aza, they walked towards the recovery ward. A security guard stood along from a police constable behind a yellow tape held by a circle of cones with Police Cordon Do Not Pass repeated along it.
"Ready?" Renee whispered and Aza nodded. "We need to visit a patient," she continued to the sullen security guard who glanced up.
"Problems?" Renee asked in a casual voice as if she wasn't really interested.
"Damn cops," whispered the guard. "They come in and take over."
Renee laughed and squeezed the man's shoulder. "Sounds typical. Can we go in?"
"Sure," the guard said and handed them both a yellow sticker with Doctor printed on it. "You need to stick this on. Police must think we're thick as a board if we can't recognise our own doctors."
"Just security," Renee said as she placed the sticker across her driver's licence and glanced at Aza. "Come along Doctor Stephens?"
She noticed Aza give an assumed sympathetic grin at the security guard as they walked through the swing doors into the ward. So far, so good...
THE MAN THEY WERE LOOKING for was alone in a small room used for the acutely ill. There was little to see of him except a face covered in tubes connected to medical equipment and two monitors showing coloured graphs. Renee glanced at Aza and grimaced. The ward was also empty of staff but pulled back sheets on several beds showed that incoming patients could be arriving soon.
"Looks bad," Aza whispered. "Look as though he's
deeply sedated."
"So we've wasted our time," Renee replied. She stepped forward and noticed the man's eyes flutter but more surprising was a firm handgrip that clasped her own hand. She looked down and saw wide-open eyes staring at her.
"Have you come to gloat?" a voice croaked as the man removed his facemask.
Renee swallowed and fixed her eyes on him. "Why did you try to shoot me?" she asked in a hard voice. "Who paid you to kill me?"
The man frowned for a second before his lips twisted up into a smile. "You, Lady; now why would I want to do that to somebody I have never seen in my life before?"
"Not personally perhaps," Renee replied. "No doubt, though you have photographs and videos of your intended target."
"True." The man coughed and attempted to sit up.
Renee reached forward, swung her hand behind his back and moved a pillow down to help support him. "We just want to know who gave you the contract. You own him no loyalty."
The man grimaced as if in pain and wriggle further up into a sitting position. "I need a glass of water," he gasped.
"I'll get him one." Aza reached across to a jug, poured water into a mug and stepped across to hold it to the man's lips.
Renee noticed his eyes switched from herself to Aza and his lips twisted into a glower. "Congratulations, Doctor Perry. You survived, I see but be careful..." He coughed and sipped in some water. "Your luck won't last forever."
"How do you know my name?" Aza gasped.
The man frowned and shut his eyes for a moment. He opened them again and just stared at Aza. "You don't know, do you?" he whispered.
"Know what?" Aza gasped.
The man shrugged, grimaced in pain and sighed. "I guess it doesn't matter any more." He lay back and smiled. "You and not your friend here was the subject of my contract, Doctor Aza Perry. You must have become a liability at that university where you work."
"Who?" Renee cut in.
"Professor Joseph Hardy didn't like your friend's accusations about plagiarising her research, I gather. With her out of the way he could claim credit for whatever that major discovery was." He turned back to Aza. "He's a dangerous and ruthless man, Sweetheart. If we can find you, others also can."
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