She didn’t hear the car, or the footsteps in the meadow. She didn’t feel the shadow cool her skin and when the terror hit her it came from out of a place of gentle peace and was all the more brutal for that.
Chapter 48
The bliss of sun and birdsong was, in an instant, a nightmare. There was pain in her cheeks and the world spun and tipped as the bench tumbled backwards. She was restricted, held, choking. Her head shook desperately from side to side.
She had to get it off. Whatever had her, she had to shake it loose.
In seconds the true horror hit her. She was gripped from behind. A hand across her face, over her mouth, squeezing the flesh and skin of her cheeks tightly, sparking water to her eyes. She flailed with her arms, kicked out with her legs but he pulled her sideways and backwards, away from the upended seat. She kicked over a pot of geraniums. Still he had her. She writhed and bucked and tried to scream. But he had her and was dragging her back into the house.
“Don’t go out,” Pete had said. He was going to be so angry. She was crying, snot running from her nose.
“Shit. That’s gross.” She was thrown to the floor. Her chin hit the hard flagstones and stars whirled in a world of grey and when her vision cleared she saw blood, spattered across the grey paving. She turned her head but he was sitting on her now. The weight of him would surely break her spine. She was trapped and terrified. The scream that issued from her throat came from a distance, unreal.
Her was hair dragged upwards and then a hand swiped across her mouth. Panic took her to yet another level of desperation. She couldn’t breathe now; he had taped her lips. He leaned down close to her ear. As he did the weight of him eased a little but still she couldn’t draw breath into her lungs.
“Quiet now. Breathe through your nose. Breathe through your nose. Slowly.” It was almost gentle, a whisper in her ear. She could feel the disturbance of air on her neck. “That’s better. Slowly, in through your nose. You’ll be okay if you do that. Worst thing you can do is panic. You panic and you’ll likely choke.”
She dragged tiny breaths in through her nostrils, little snorts.
He dragged her hands backwards and she felt the tape wrapped around her wrists. She squealed anew, consumed by anger, frustration and fear.
“Quiet. Lie still. He rolled away and there was a grunt as he pushed to his feet beside her.
Grabbing her legs he taped her ankles and then pulled her upright. A chair scraped across the floor and with a painful grip on her shoulders he pushed her onto the seat.
“Right. We are going to wait here. We are going to be quiet. We are not going to have any trouble. Do you understand me?” Again the searing pain as her head was pulled backwards. “I said do you understand me?” She tried to nod but he still held her hair.
“You are going to sit still in that chair. I am going to be right here and we are just going to wait.” She tried now to turn her head and the blow from his fist brought back the swirl of dizziness. “Don’t. Don’t even think about it.”
Long moments of silence followed and, though it was still uncomfortable, she gained control of her breathing. It was like the cave all over again. He was dead though, the man in the cave. Pete had told her he was gone, tossed in the sea. So, she had escaped that horror to find herself yet again tied and gagged and beaten. It was all too much.
She had taken all she could. She wanted to just drift away. She was finished. It seemed that there was to be no way out of this drama and it was all too hard. The sobbing made breathing impossible again. Tears tickled her cheeks and as phlegm gathered in her throat she felt the panic returning. Like a dog she shook her head and was rewarded with another drag on her hair.
“Quiet! For God’s sake, bitch, be quiet! You’re not doing yourself any favours here and you causing us trouble is just going to make things worse. Now keep still.” He moved behind and his feet slapped on the kitchen flags. Another chair dragged to where she was, just behind her and facing the door.
She remembered a poem, something from long ago. Something about a highwayman and a woman watching and waiting with no way of warning her lover but to die.
Pete had surely been her lover but for him she couldn’t even find a way to die.
Chapter 49
She heard a car. The low rumble grew and was joined by the spit of gravel under tyres. Next there was the whisper of grass as Pete drove to the hiding place among shrubs at the rear of the house.
The thug sitting behind her tensed and chair legs scraped across the floor. Pauline’s heart pounded, the pulse in her ears was near to pain. She shook her head back and forth and stamped her bound feet up and down. Anything that she could think of to make a row, to warn him. She was rewarded for the effort by a hard blow against the side of her head that sent her senses reeling again. The iron taste of warm blood and the liquid gathering in her throat told of more damage to the delicate lining of her mouth. Still she rocked back and forth, the wooden chair rattling in the quiet.
Would he hear? If he did would he understand and even then what could he do? He mustn’t come through the door. Now at last she had a glimpse of her attacker. The dark figure stepped forward. He was dressed in black with a hooded top. The fabric was pulled forward and down so that there was no way to see his face from where she was. Dark leather gloves covered his hands. As he moved forward he kicked out at her. “Quiet, bitch!” It was an aside, almost nonchalant. His voice was lowered now to a hiss.
Tears blinded her. She couldn’t let this happen. The monster waiting to blast Pete out of existence was calm, his hands steady as he raised the gun and aimed at the door. Again she rattled the chair. Now she tried to stand, shuffling forward and then pushing herself up using the strength in her thigh muscles. As she slid from the seat and straightened her legs he turned to her, lowering his hands and giving her a glimpse of the lethal weapon held before him. The bottom of his face was hidden behind a scarf or deep collar, all that was visible were his eyes peering at her.
He raised the gun again and pointed it directly at her face. Her bladder failed her now as buzzing filled her ears. She thought that she would faint and in truth would welcome the oblivion but footfalls on the flagstones held her in the moment.
Desperate squeals from deep in her throat were of no use as a warning. She let her legs collapse, dropping herself back down to the chair, intent on knocking it to the floor. Her only thought now was to make as much noise as possible in her weak and hobbled state. Misjudging the distance between herself and the seat she toppled backwards and in the event accomplished her aim by accident. As the chair tipped she tumbled on to it and landed hard on the upended legs which poked agonisingly into her stomach. The pain was indescribable but the noise was satisfying.
Now the gunman swung his weapon down and she twisted her head to look into the evil of his eyes and believed that the moment of her death was upon her.
The rattle of the door handle had him swinging back, caught between the need for revenge and the execution of his plan. Pauline took the momentary diversion to roll from the broken frame of the chair and try and tuck herself under the table. She drew up her legs, intent on making herself as small as possible and protecting the most vulnerable areas of her body. She was sobbing and choking in a world of fear and hurt.
The intruder swung his head around and glared one more time before straightening. “I’ll save you for later bitch and you’ll regret what you just did.”
Now he turned back to the door, took a step, another and then raised the gun.
Pauline screwed her eyes shut. It was over. There was nothing she could do. Pete would open the door of his haven and be shot before he even registered that there was a problem. She couldn’t bear it.
The click of the door lock filled the quiet of the summer afternoon. A pale dagger of sunlight speared across the grey flagstone floor. Dust motes disturbed by the sudden breeze danced and twinkled merrily and then the air was riven by the shock of the gunshot echoing through the old h
ouse and sending screaming birds spiralling into the cloud freckled sky.
Chapter 50
Pete was calling to her in the darkness. Pauline needed to go to him, to help him. She had to find him and make him whole again.
The pain in head and stomach held her back. Though her heart tried to drive her forward her body was broken. She had to move. Something held her down. Strong arms restricted movement. She heard him calling and if she didn’t find him he would die.
She didn’t want him to die.
She didn’t want to die.
“Pauline, Pauline, lie still. It’s okay, you’re okay. Just try to relax. We need to take care of you.”
Now the light came, floating before her eyes, swooping and receding. “I hurt.”
“You’re alright Pauline. We’re going to take care of you. Just relax.”
The small, sharp pain in her arm became a soothing caress, sweeping through the discomfort and befuddling her mind. Nothing mattered now. She could drift away and it would all be over and she could find Pete.
“Pete?” She felt her lips move and the sound was close. Had she spoken?
“It’s okay Pauline. I’m here with you. It’s all fine. We’re okay.”
Against the weight of medication she forced open her eye lids and his face floated above hers. He smiled at her. She had found him.
Now she let the darkness sweep her away…
Even before she opened her eyes the sounds, smells and sensations told her where she was. She had been in a hospital before.
Her throat was dry. There was a dull ache at the back of her eyes so she stayed in the dark for a while longer. The whirl of dreams and confusion cleared slowly and nibbles of memory flicked in and out of her consciousness. Then it was time; she knew she must open her eyes and face reality.
He was sitting in a chair beside the bed. Though he had a magazine in his hand, his eyes flicked often towards where she was lying. Finally they made contact and he gave her a smile.
“Hi there.”
“Pete.” The sound was little more than a croak. He leaned towards her and took the plastic beaker from the bedside table. He helped her to drink.
“I thought you were dead. I thought he shot you.”
“I know, you made that clear when we were trying to help you. You were pretty upset.”
“What happened? Why am I here?”
“Okay, second question first I think. You hurt your stomach. You ruptured your spleen. It looked as though you fell on the chair leg. They don’t think you need to have an operation but it’s going to be sore for a while.”
“I tried to knock it over, the chair. I tried to make a noise. Did you hear?”
“I did, but I already knew that something was wrong. That brings us to the first question I suppose. I saw the bench and the plants.”
“Oh of course, I forgot about them. I broke the pot. I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be, that’s what gave the game away. If it hadn’t been for that I would have walked straight in and… well I guess we might not be having this conversation now.”
“Is he…?”
“He’s dead. He can’t hurt you anymore.”
“Oh Pete, your lovely home. I’m so sorry.” Now the tears began and he pulled a tissue from the box on her locker. “It’s all spoiled for you now. Your peaceful place. It’s all my fault.”
She was sobbing and he pressed the buzzer to call for a nurse. They had said that he mustn’t upset her and he was helpless in the face of her distress.
“Don’t be silly. It’s not your fault, what on earth do you mean?”
“If you hadn’t taken me there. It’s all my fault. Everything.”
He moved closer and reached down. He took her hand. “No, how can you say that, it’s ridiculous.”
“But if I hadn’t interfered, right at the start. Back in the Dales, if I hadn’t gone into the ditch and got involved.”
“No, no. You couldn’t help it. What else could you have done? Don’t be silly Pauline.”
A young nurse slid quietly into the room. “Hi there Pauline, I’m Carol. You need to try and keep calm. Doctor Miller will be along later and he won’t be very happy with me if he finds you all upset.
“I’m going to give you something to help you to calm down. Is that okay.”
She didn’t wait for an answer but added drugs to the infusion, checked the monitor readings and then offered a fleeting smile towards Pete, “You can have five more minutes and then I think Pauline should have a rest, okay?”
He nodded. “It’s all fine Pauline. We’ve sorted it all. The job’s over. It wasn’t quite as successful as we had hoped but we saved some women from hell. We can probably put some really bad guys behind bars and, hey, I’m still here.”
She felt herself begin to drift. “Will you come back?”
“Yes, of course. Someone will need to talk to you about what happened anyway. Nothing to worry about, but just to keep things in order. I’ll see you in the morning. Sleep now.” His lips brushed her forehead as she fell into a deep warm pit.
She was safe, he was safe. All was well.
Chapter 51
“Are you sure about this Pauline.” The concern in Pete’s eyes made her heart contract with affection.
“I am. It’s fine.”
The Dales were glorious in early autumn. A great sweep of sky brushed the horizon and high in the blue was the dark pinprick of a Merlin or maybe even the precious Falcon. It was magical and it was still home.
The agent in France had assured her that all was in order and the work on her holiday homes could begin in her absence and “Madam must not worry but must get well soon from her accident.” It had been too complicated to explain and so a vague story of a fall had sufficed.
“Go over the top will you Pete.”
“That’ll take us past the place where the accident happened.”
“Yes, that’s the point. I want to lay the ghost. It’s just a road and a ditch.”
“You astound me, you really do. You are so sensible and grounded. You’re tough as well. The doctors said at least ten days in hospital and it’s barely a week.”
“Well, it’s true what they say, though it’s a cliché and all. The things that didn’t kill me – well I don’t know that they made me stronger but they certainly made me realise that I can cope with stuff.”
“Bloody hell you certainly can. Does he know you’re coming today?”
“George? Yes, I called him to confirm yesterday.”
“Are you still sure you don’t want me to come in with you? If he was to hurt you after all you’ve been through…” Pete lifted a hand from the wheel and reached to squeeze hers where it lay in her lap.
“Oh he won’t. One thing that has never been surer is that. He will never hurt me again.”
They drove in silence for a while. Though she had insisted on her release from the hospital Pauline still felt fragile. The pain of careless movement would cause her to draw in a sharp breath.
“Afterwards, will you call me?”
“I will. Don’t worry. I’m okay now and I have to do this. Everything that went wrong, it all happened because I wasn’t doing this right.”
“Oh, that’s just mumbo jumbo. It would have happened no matter what. You did what you had to do and the rest of it was out of your hands.”
“I believe it was because what I was doing was wrong. I shouldn’t have been sneaking away like that.”
“I’m worried about you.”
She smiled at his words.“That’s nice Pete but, you know, I think that all the bad things that could happen to me have happened now eh.”
“God, I hope so. Listen, I’ve got my phone. Any problems, any hint of a problem, call me and I’ll be there.”
“I know, I know you will.” She pointed now out of the window to the place just ahead of them. He slowed the car.
“Look, there’s the ditch, the corner. See I told you, it’s just a road and a bend.”
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She smiled at him, but inside her heart leaped and her stomach coiled. Here was the start of it all. She made a sudden decision. “Stop, stop here. I’ll get out. I’ll walk from here.”
“Here? No, you can’t. Bloody hell Pauline! How much do you want to put yourself through?”
“I’ll walk from here Pete.”
“You amaze me, you really do.”
“Oh go on. You with what you do! But thank you; it’s nice to hear.
“Kiss me.” He drew into the side of the country road, bare yards from the scene of the accident.
A dark stain still bore witness to the sacrificed sheep. He turned off the engine. He leaned and drew her into his arms and kissed her deep and long and then drew back to gaze into her eyes.
“You truly do amaze me.” The only response she could give was a smile, for her heart was full and emotion choked her.
“I know we can’t be together Pete. Not really. Not in the normal way. But we can make it work can’t we?”
“I believe that you could make anything work, if you have decided to. Call me.”
“I will.” She stepped from the car and blew a kiss through the window as he drove past. She strode on in the reverse direction to that she had come only short weeks before.
The garden was already a little overgrown and the windows needed cleaning. She sighed looking around at the early neglect. How sad it all was, how very sad.
She would not ring the bell. George was not going to open the door to her standing on the step like a naughty child. She had her key and as the door swung inwards he was standing in the hall. It amused her that he was dressed formally, his shirt roughly ironed but his silk tie knotted precisely. The sight of him painted a smile on her lips despite all that had happened.
“Hello Pauline.”
“George.”
Leaving George Page 15