Текст книги "The Lake House"
Автор книги: Helen Phifer
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Текущая страница: 18 (всего у книги 20 страниц)
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Henry knocked on the door of Beckett House and waited to see if the old woman would answer. He was pretty sure that she would. Megan was waiting in the van for him. He’d told her he wanted to check something out next door. He didn’t tell her it was the cellar and she didn’t question him. When he had Annie, he wanted it to be like the first time around. He needed Annie to know that she may have won once, but it was still going to end in the same way. She had only managed to prolong the inevitable.
The vestibule door opened and she shuffled into sight. He smiled and waved at her and, once she realised who he was, she smiled back and opened the front door.
‘Morning, Miss Beckett, and what a frosty one it is. How are you today?’
‘I’m fine, thank you, Henry. How are you? Has your car broken down again?’
He smiled. She’d even thought of his excuse for him.
‘Yes it has. I’m really sorry to bother you.’
‘Come in. Don’t worry, it’s not a bother. You know where the telephone is. Help yourself.’
She turned and walked into the house and he followed her, smiling to himself. He paused at the telephone and she carried on into the kitchen. He looked at the cellar door and the number of padlocks and bolts on it and wondered what secrets that cellar held to be so well secured. Once more he rang his own mobile, which was on silent, and left himself a voicemail, then he walked to the kitchen.
For a moment he wondered if he should leave the cellar, leave the woman and just use the boathouse, but it just wouldn’t be the same. She was pouring hot tea into a cup, so he sat down and took it from her. They talked about the weather and how expensive cars were. Martha was obviously glad of the company. She clearly found it refreshing after all this time to be able to sit and have a proper conversation with such a polite man, while Henry was in turmoil about what he should do with the old woman whom he had a bit of a soft spot for.
When Henry jogged back to the van, his normally white face was flushed red. Megan, who was drumming her fingers on the dashboard, took one look at him and frowned. He opened the door and got into the driver’s seat. ‘What’s the matter, my flower? You look unhappy.’
‘Nothing. I was worrying. You’ve been such a long time.’
‘You shouldn’t worry about me, Megan. I’m capable of looking after myself. You don’t think a frail old woman is a match for me, do you?’
He drove off. ‘Let’s see if we can find somewhere to park near the café and see if she drives past on her way to work. You never know, she might even call in for her coffee. If my planning is right she will be on the same shift. Once she’s gone into the station we can find somewhere to hide nearby, ready to follow her, and then take her at the most convenient time.’
He parked next to a monster of a Range Rover in the small side street near the café and turned the engine off. As long as it didn’t move, this was perfect. He could just see the cars that went past, but he was hidden from their view. He had no idea whether or not they would be on to him or know what vehicle he drove, but there was no point risking it. Far better to be cautious than take it all for granted.
‘Megan, why don’t you go and get us something to drink? I could do with some caffeine flowing through my veins. It might calm down the adrenaline that’s already filling them.’
She didn’t speak but got out of the car like a good girl, slamming the door shut behind her. He flinched. She knew he hated that, but it was okay. He would remind her about it later. She was definitely a different girl from the one who had so eagerly wanted to fuck him and help him kill those two women. That was why he was glad he had never married. Women. They couldn’t make up their minds from one day to the next what it was they were going to be happy with.
About the same time as she came out of the coffee shop with two large coffees, Henry saw the shiny, brand-new Mercedes come to a stop outside and put its hazard lights on. He felt the blood rush to his head when he saw who it was getting out of the driver’s door. So it was Annie who had that big, flash car – not her boss, whoever that was.
He watched, frozen to the core, as Megan came out of the door and Annie held it open for her. Megan looked at Annie and smiled. There was a brief conversation between the pair of them and then she went inside and Megan carried on walking towards the van. He didn’t see the much older BMW that had stopped further down the street with Will and Jake inside. He was too busy trying to see Annie through the steamed-up window of the café. ‘Do you think we should drive around and grab her when she comes out of the café, or is that too risky? Is it very busy inside?’
‘Not too busy, but I think you’d be very foolish to try and get her right now. You would be stopped before you even got out of the town. For one thing, the manager in there has a massive crush on her and would run after you, and he’s a very good runner. Plus it’s too open and we stand out too much.’
‘I suppose you’re right. What did she say to you, Megan? I can’t believe that she talks to you and hasn’t realised who you are. She’s obviously not as clever as I gave her credit for. We’ll wait for her to go to the station, but at least I know which car is hers now.’
***
Annie watched the girl walk off with the two coffees and wondered why she thought she knew her. She seemed so familiar. It was probably because she had spoken to her a couple of times on her last visits. She knew Will would go mad with her. They hadn’t agreed that she should stop here on the way, but call it her sixth sense or whatever it was – something had told her she needed to call here. She ordered five coffees. This time Gustav didn’t insist on giving them to her for free, which was fine by her. The man had to make a profit sometime. He did come around to talk to her, though.
‘Gustav, how long has Meg worked here for?’
‘Not long – a couple of weeks. Why do you ask that? Don’t you like her?’
‘No, I mean yes, I like her. It’s not that. There’s something about her that makes me feel as if I should know her. Do you know her surname?’
‘Blah, I don’t remember the details. I only know most of my staff by name because of those name tags they have to wear. I have a memory that is entirely not fit for purpose, my lovely Annie.’
‘I think I need to know what it is. Can you ask one of the others or check her details for me? You will have them on file somewhere, won’t you?’
He turned to the man who was in charge of the menu today. ‘Stan, what’s Megan’s last name? Can you remember off the tip of your tongue?’
As Gustav repeated the name Meg Tyler, Annie felt her blood freeze and the room begin to swim. She turned to run towards the door of the shop and out into the front street, which was beginning to get busy. She pulled out her phone and rang Will. ‘Where are you? Did you see that girl I was talking to less than five minutes ago? I think that’s her. It’s Megan. She’s been working here right under our noses. I talk to her, for Christ’s sake. We need to find her because she had two cups of coffee in her holder, and if she’s nearby I can guarantee that so is he.’
Annie spotted Will’s BMW parked further down the street on the opposite side. He and Jake jumped out and came running across the road to where she was standing.
‘Can you see her?’
All three of them scoured the street and the cars that were parked nearby, but none of them looked familiar and there was no sign of the girl.
‘Fucking hell, we had our chance then. Right, can we get to the station, because not all of us have equipment with us? But I’ll tell you something: they must be around here somewhere waiting. So that means he’s watching.’
Will walked back into the café with Annie where she was met by a puzzled Gustav holding two carriers full of coffee. She took them from him and thanked him. Taking a moment to look Will up and down he leant and whispered into her ear.
‘Ah, serious competition.’
Then he winked at her and was gone, back to the kitchen where an almighty crash had just echoed through the shop.
Will opened her car door for her, checking that no one had climbed into the back seat while they hadn’t been looking. It was empty. He took the drinks with him. ‘Jake can hold them. Save them spilling on your leather seats.’ He winked at her and she smiled. Her face didn’t betray the turmoil she felt inside. She was so angry that she hadn’t realised who Meg was sooner. There had been something about her that had made her feel uneasy, and now she realised what it had been. The girl was almost as evil as Henry and she’d been able to sense it on her psychic radar. It was just a shame that inbuilt radar hadn’t made the connection much sooner. Things would have been a lot simpler. They could have arrested her at work and made her show them where he was hiding before he’d realised what was happening. She got back out of her car and ran into the café.
Will threw his arms in the air. ‘What the fucking hell is she doing now? Jesus, if she carries on like this I’ll have a heart attack.’
He drove up and parked on the double yellow lines behind her car. ‘Go and see what she is doing, Jake. If she’s gone back in for sugar, drag her out.’
Jake jumped out of the car and went inside. He couldn’t see her, but then he looked into the kitchen and saw her talking to the manager. He had a filing cabinet open and was passing Annie a brown file. ‘Gustav, if she turns up for work, don’t say anything to her, but make sure you ring me. Don’t let her hear you do it either. She’s very dangerous.’
He nodded his head. ‘Lovely Annie, how could this be? How could she work in my café, with all my lovely customers?’
Annie patted his arm. ‘It’s okay. You weren’t to know. We’ll catch her soon.’
She turned and saw Jake who was standing with his arms crossed. She walked towards him and he lowered his voice. ‘Your husband is in the car on the verge of a coronary because you keep changing the plan without any notice.’
She waved the file at him. ‘Megan’s personal records, phone number, address, etc. It might just make our job of finding them slightly easier, don’t you think?’
‘Not bad, not bad at all. That, my friend, is almost worth the foul language my delicate ears have just had to listen to coming from Will’s mouth. I had no idea he knew some of those words. I’ve never heard him use them before.’
They got outside and she mouthed ‘sorry’ to Will. He didn’t smile, but nodded his head. Bugger. He might have calmed down by the time they got to the station.
This time she got into her car and drove off, followed by Will, who watched Annie park outside the station. He carried on driving until he reached the next turn-off where he parked, out of the way. Then he and Jake got out of the car and made their way to the side door, which wasn’t used as much. Jake passed him the drinks while he typed in the code to get in. They walked to Cathy’s office, where Kav, Cathy and Annie were already sitting. Annie was in the middle of telling them about Megan’s job right in the middle of the town and Kav was shaking his head in disbelief. Cathy took the file from her and skimmed through it. ‘Cheeky little bitch. Who does she think she is? I mean, what a brazen little hussy.’
Will sat down on the chair furthest away from Annie. He was annoyed at her, but slowly beginning to calm down, and he found that he could actually think much more clearly when he was angry.
‘What does that file say? Please tell me it has an address we can go and pay a visit to.’
‘It does, but it’s that bloody caravan park down in Barrow. It does have her phone number and I don’t see why she would give him a false one. How else would he have contacted her to tell her about the job? It’s not much, but it’s something.’
Jake passed the coffees around. Annie shook her head and he raised an eyebrow at her.
‘You give us a bloody heart attack with your detour for a latte, and now you don’t want it? Are you ill? You love coffee.’
‘I know. Sorry about that. I just wasn’t thinking. No, I’m not ill but my stomach feels really off. Anyway, it was meant to be. If I hadn’t stopped, we wouldn’t have found out about Megan, would we?’
She stood up and went to the ladies’ locker room. She didn’t want them to see how much her hands were trembling or for them to hear her throwing up. There was no one else inside but her and she tried her best to be sick, but couldn’t. This was all she needed – to turn into a wimpy wreck. She was standing pressing her hot head against the cool tiles by the sink when Cathy walked in.
‘You look like shit, kid. Maybe we should call this whole thing off. Bring in task force and let them get on with it.’
‘No, I mean, I feel like shit, but I don’t want to put it off. I need it to be over with today and you have to admit it, we’re so close. What were the chances of my going to the coffee shop the same time as her for a takeaway? He’s close by, Cathy. I can feel him. I’m not bothered about her. She’s just a kid. I feel pretty confident I can take her out on my own, but he’s a different game altogether.’
‘I agree with you, but I’m worried about you.’ She walked over and pressed the back of her hand against Annie’s forehead. ‘You have a temperature. Let’s get some paracetamol down you and see how you feel in thirty minutes before we decide to send you out like a sitting duck.’
‘I don’t want to take anything, but thanks. They might make my stomach feel worse than it is.’
‘Will’s pretty pissed off with you, but I think that might be a good thing for now. If he’s too busy fawning over you, there’s a good chance he’ll fuck it all up anyway. He’s in there calling out the shots like the professional he is, so keep away from him. Don’t tell him you feel like shit and keep your mouth shut. I’ll do the talking. You are just going to agree with whatever they have decided to do. Is that okay with you?’
Annie nodded, hating that Will was still angry with her, but if it made him focus and kept him and everyone else safe she would keep making him angry. Then Cathy did something that almost made Annie faint. She walked over and hugged her.
‘I’m relying on you to keep yourself and the rest of us alive. Today is not the day any of us is going to die. Kav would be destroyed if anything happened to you. He thinks the world of you and, if that were to happen, I’d be devastated, because he is the best shag I’ve ever had. But don’t you go telling anyone that; it’s our secret.’ She winked at Annie who began to laugh. All the tension from the room had gone.
Annie squeezed her back. ‘I know. He’s been like a dad to me and I’m so glad the pair of you are so, erm, compatible. You actually make a really good couple. I can’t believe it’s taken you both so long to get it together.’
Cathy pushed her arm through Annie’s. ‘Come on, when this is all over I might need you to help me plan a wedding. You know, Kav once asked me to marry him a long time ago and, like the fool I was, I turned him down. Then I ended up with the cock of the North who treated me like shit and left me anyway. I’m not waiting around for years, so that’s another reason you can’t go and get yourself killed today.’
Annie stopped at her locker. ‘I’ll be out in a minute. I need to put my kit on; and Cathy, if you so much as leave this station, make sure you put yours on too.’
‘I will. Now come on, let’s go catch our killer.’
She left Annie to get dressed and walked back into her office to see Will writing out his plan on her whiteboard. Kav looked at her and she smiled, then mouthed, ‘She’s okay.’ He nodded then looked back at Will, taking in every word that he had written down.
***
Henry drove past and saw the Mercedes. ‘Good. She’s there. Now where do you think we should go?’ He turned into the same street where Will had parked, then turned the engine off and got out of the car. ‘I’m going to find somewhere to loiter for a while and watch to see who she comes out with and what car they go off in. Then I think I know exactly what to do to get her to come to us without any risky botched jobs in the middle of a busy street in broad daylight.’
‘What are you going to do, Henry?’
‘All in good time. I’ll tell you when I’m definitely sure that will be our plan. There’s no point in confusing you, is there?’
She watched him stroll off, his black jacket zipped up. He had a big scarf wrapped around the lower part of his face and a black woollen hat pulled down low on his head. He looked like every other middle-aged tourist and blended in seamlessly. His scars were barely visible. He stopped for a moment to pull on a pair of thick, woollen gloves and then he walked off towards the station.
She looked at the cheap, black phone on the car seat. Now was her chance. She could phone 101 and tell the police that England’s most wanted man was outside one of their stations waiting to kidnap a police officer, but she didn’t know if they would take her seriously. Probably not, knowing her luck, and by the time officers had come out Henry would have realised what she’d done and killed her anyway. She tugged her own hat out of her pocket and pulled it over her head, trying to disguise herself a little. If Annie came out and saw her sitting in the van, it might make her realise something was wrong.
After twenty minutes he came back grinning. ‘We’re on. Our lovely Annie just came out of the station and got into a police car all on her own. They must be short-staffed today because she’s normally with that giant beast of a man. Which means this is wonderful news for us, Megan, just wonderful.’
‘Are we going to follow her, then?’
‘No, it’s too obvious. I think we should go to the caravan park and you can phone up to say you’ve been in a car accident on the opposite side of town. Just before she came out, two policemen came out and got into a van. Hopefully, they will send them to the accident that isn’t, and then I’ll phone again and ask for help at that big old house. If she’s on her own, they might send her, if it’s nothing that one person can’t handle. We’ll lure her in and take it from there.’
Megan thought it all sounded pretty good. Where on earth he got his ideas from she didn’t know, but if it meant that this would all be over with soon, then good.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Annie drove around aimlessly for the next forty minutes, backwards and forwards through the streets of Bowness and Windermere, hoping that Henry was watching. When there wasn’t much happening she pulled over near the café and waited to see if she could see either Megan or Henry lurking around.
Will had looked so different in his full uniform. She’d never seen him in black combats and fluorescent yellow body armour, and she hadn’t been able to stop staring. Will and Jake had gone out in the van, scouring the streets as well. A call came in for an accident, and control shouted Jake’s collar number to go to it. They couldn’t say no because, technically, Jake and Annie were the only uniformed officers on duty until the next shift started in an hour. She stayed where she was, making sure the locks were on so no one could jump in the car with her.
Her phone began to ring and she answered it. ‘Yes, Kav, I know. I’ve just parked and I’ve locked myself in. I won’t get out of the car, I promise. You don’t need to come down. I’m fine. I don’t need a babysitter just yet.’
The control room shouted her number, but she didn’t catch it until they shouted again. ‘Annie, we have a Martha Beckett on the phone from Beckett House. She’s asking if there’s any chance you could pop over and see her. She said it won’t take long.’
‘Yes, I will. Can you tell her I’ll be there in five minutes and she’s to let me in?’
‘Will do.’
Annie’s radio began to ring in her ear and this time it was Cathy’s voice on the other end. ‘Wait until Jake’s finished with this minor accident before you go there.’
‘It’s fine. I don’t think a ninety-year-old reclusive woman will be much of a threat. She doesn’t go anywhere or talk to anyone. She won’t exactly have Henry Smith hiding in her house, will she?’
‘I suppose not. Look, if you get there and anything isn’t right, get the fuck out. She can wait.’
‘Yes, boss, I will.’
‘Good, Kav’s having a shit fit. He said he’ll go with you.’
‘Tell him to calm down. It’s fine. She’s a lovely old dear. I’ll let you know when I’m clear from there, and we can regroup and try something else.’
‘Roger.’
Annie started the car, pleased to be doing something to break the boredom that was settling over her. She hated being cooped up in a car on her own. It was crap not having anyone to talk to. As long as Martha Beckett didn’t expect her to go down into that cellar and fight that monster on her own, what could possibly go wrong?
Annie drove into the now familiar drive of Beckett House and parked in front of the door. She looked around the gardens just to be sure there was no one around, but they were empty. It was so sad that such a beautiful house and gardens had been left so unloved. She got out of the car and walked up to the front door and rang the bell. Then she waited. It was a big house for one old woman to live in. Surely she’d be much better in a retirement flat.
There was no sign of Martha, and Annie began to worry. What if she’d fallen over or had a heart attack? She tried the door but it was locked, so she walked to the big picture windows that looked onto the lake and tried to peer through the gap in the curtains. It was dark inside and she couldn’t really see anything except the outline of the dark furniture that filled the room. Making her way round to the back of the house where the kitchen was, she thought she would see if that door was open. Martha might be in there with the kettle boiling and unable to hear her knocking.
She walked up to the glass door and took hold of the handle to push it down. As she did, she felt the familiar small, freezing hand that belonged to Sophie pull her own. ‘Annie, you have to run. He’s coming.’ Annie felt every hair on the back of her head stand on end as a dark shadow fell over her. Not even looking behind her, she stepped sideways and did what Sophie told her. She began to run. As she lifted her hand to press the bright orange emergency button on her radio she saw Megan step in front of her, swinging a large piece of wood. It hit her on the temple and she felt her knees give way as she started to fall towards the hard gravel. She lost consciousness before she hit the ground with a loud thud.
***
Jake drove up and down the street where the accident had been reported, but didn’t see anything. He slowed down and Will put his window down to ask a couple sitting outside one of the cafés if they’d seen anything. Both of them shook their heads and Will felt his stomach flip. ‘Where’s Annie? Where did they send her when they gave her a job ten minutes ago?’
‘Beckett House, but Martha’s a sweet old woman who lives there on her…’ Jake didn’t finish the sentence because Will was shouting ‘Annie’ over the radio and getting no reply. Jake took out his phone and rang her, but it just rang out.
His radio began to ring and a breathless Kav gasped, ‘I don’t know where the fuck this house is, Jake. Come and get us now.’
Will looked across at Jake. ‘Don’t you dare. Get your lights on and get us there now. They can find their own way to it. I’m not wasting any time.’
Will felt his hands shaking, and his head began to feel as if it was full of cotton wool. Jake put his foot down. Turning on the lights and sirens, he began to drive way too fast to the house by the lake. The whole time he kept shouting for Annie on the radio with no response. He heard the control room asking Cathy if they wanted reinforcements to help search for Annie and she screamed, ‘Hell, fucking yes,’ back at them, making Jake wince.
‘There was no accident. It was a decoy. The crafty bastard knew you’d have to go to it.’ Will slammed his hand against the dashboard.
Jake couldn’t think of a worse road to travel along at break-neck speed and hoped to God they made it in one piece without taking any pedestrians or other motorists out.
***
Cathy was zipping up her body armour as she was running for the door. ‘He won’t pick us up. They’re not going to waste any time. Come on, Kav, I’ll drive.’ She plucked a set of keys off the board in the small office and they ran out to the van.
‘Fuck, fuck, fuck. You told her I’d go with her. Why didn’t she wait for me?’
‘We might be panicking over nothing yet, Kav. For all we know she could be sitting having a cup of tea with this old bird and might not be able to get a radio signal. You know how these mountains and hills make the signals drop out all the time, don’t you?’
‘Let’s hope so.’
***
Henry and Megan half carried, half dragged Annie into the kitchen of Beckett House. He was fuming with Megan for hurting Annie like that, but she would have hit her emergency button if she hadn’t, so he understood why she’d done it. But still, he didn’t like that she’d grinned when Annie had dropped to the ground.
‘As soon as we get her into the cellar I want you to go, get away from here. You’ve served your purpose. This is personal. Do you understand what I’m saying, Megan?’
She nodded. ‘What about her?’ She pointed to the old woman who was semi-conscious on the floor and tied up. ‘I’ll take care of her as well. Take the van and go. Thank you for all your help.’
Megan looked at him in disgust, clearly annoyed that he was just dismissing her like a naughty child after everything she had done for him, everything she’d given up. They picked up Annie again, who was a dead weight, and began carrying her towards the cellar. He’d taken the key chain from around the old woman’s neck and had already unlocked the bolts and padlocks while waiting for Annie to arrive. He swung the door open and tugged on the cord, illuminating the stone steps. The smell of earth and a much stronger one of decay, which he recognised, hit his nostrils and he wondered what the old woman had been keeping down here. They struggled to get Annie down the steps – they were so steep – without dropping her, but they managed it and set her down on the damp, cold floor at the bottom.
‘Thank you, Megan, now go and leave me to do what I have to do.’
She stood up, her face a mask of anger and whispered, ‘Fuck you, Henry,’ between clenched teeth. But she turned and walked up the steps. As she got to the kitchen she saw the flashing blue lights illuminating the drive and heard the police van skid to a halt on the gravel outside. She heard two voices as one shouted at the other to go around the back.
Picking up one of the large carving knives from the draining board, she wondered at how heavy it felt in her hands. Then she wondered what it would be like to actually stab it straight through someone’s flesh. She fell to her knees by the sink seconds before one of the coppers pushed the back door open and walked inside the house. A man’s voice shouted ‘Annie’. There was no reply because she was out for the count, about to be slaughtered like a pig in an abattoir.
Megan smiled to herself. The copper stepped in just past her and stood still to listen. At the same time he sensed there was someone behind him she lifted her hand and thrust the knife straight into his side, under his body armour at an angle. He let out a gasp and fell to his knees. Megan stood up, wiping the blood that had seeped from the wound onto her leggings, and watched as he fell forward. His hand clutched at the knife that was now protruding from his side and he gasped for breath. She stood over him and smiled.
‘You fucking bitch. Where’s Annie?’
***
Annie blinked then tried to open her eyes. If she’d felt queasy before it was nothing compared to how she felt now. She had no idea where she was, and then the smell of damp, rotting earth assaulted her nostrils and her lungs, making it hard to breathe. The tightness in her chest, as cold fear lodged inside it, was overwhelming when she realised what had happened. She didn’t speak, too afraid to let him know she was conscious, but she could sense that he was close by. Her head was lifted and she felt him pull her close. Annie wanted to scream, but who was going to hear her? He’d done it, tricked her, and this was where it was all going to end, back in a cold damp cellar like the one where it had all begun. She tried not to cry out with revulsion when Henry started to stroke her hair.
‘After all this time we finally made it, my beautiful Annie. I have to admit I never thought I’d see the day that I’d hold you in my arms once more, but look at us. Here we are. We were meant to be together, you and I. It was our destiny. How could you deny fate? Last time you were too scared and I understand that. I truly do. But I promise it won’t take long.’
She choked back a sob as he pressed the cold, sharp blade against her neck. He lifted her head closer to his face.
‘Are you awake now? I need you to wake up so you can see me, Annie, see the joy in my eyes at being reunited with you.’
Henry didn’t notice the monster that was pulling itself out of the drain in the corner of the cellar. It cautiously put one clawed hand out of the hole and sniffed the air. It could smell blood and fear. Silently now, it pulled its whole body from the drain and stood on its two long, spindly legs. Wary of the noise its clawed feet would make on the hard, stone floor, it moved closer to the man who was holding the woman on the floor.
***
Jake hammered on the front door one last time then ran around to the back where the kitchen door was wide open. He ran in and saw Megan standing over Will. Why was Will on the floor? He looked at her blood-stained hands, then realised something was seriously wrong. Forcing himself to look away from her and at his friend, he pressed his radio. ‘Control, boss, Kav? Urgent assistance at Beckett House. Will’s bleeding, everywhere.’
Jake pulled out his taser and shouted his warning to her, but she turned and ran, knowing that he wouldn’t be able to leave Will like that. ‘Fuck.’ He bent down to press his fingers against Will’s neck, thanking God that there was a pulse, even though it was faint. It was only when he knelt down that he noticed the old woman on the floor, tied and gagged. She blinked her eyes and he nodded. Pulling every tea towel off the draining rack he pressed them against Will’s side where the blood was seeping from. He picked up Will’s limp hand and put it on top of the wound. ‘You have to hold this on as best as you can and hang on. Help is on the way. Please don’t die on me, Will.’
