Terminus, p.14
Terminus, page 14
Annie blew out and laughed manically. “This is beyond crazy. I think we’ve all suffered enough. Gary, I don’t know about Mum, but I never want to see your stupid face ever again. Please, for the love of God, just let us go and suffer this crap alone. Me and Mum need to talk about it.”
Gary cried, letting the salty tears roll through the blood and moisten his lips.
“Gary? I’ve never seen you cry before in all the years I’ve known you. Not even after Susanna passed away.” Alyson stared at him, shivering slightly, goose-pimples covering her arms and the nape of her neck. “What’s going on? Are you alright? Perhaps I should have told you in secret, but I could never trust you enough.”
“Look after Pushkin, please. Or hand her to a friend. Just don’t send her to the rescue centre. The spare key to the house is under the pot that I grow sunflowers in.” Gary stared at the floor, his arms crossed across his body, holding his elbows. “I’m sorry, Annie. Please try to find forgiveness in your heart one day.”
Annie’s feet pushed against the floor as if she was trying to push her chair away to stand up. “Gary, please, no, don’t do that! I understand why you feel like this, but it doesn’t have to end right now. Maybe we can get to know each other…”
“Sorry. Kiss Pushkin goodnight from me.”
Gary walked trance-like to the tall ladders.
“What’s happening, Annie?” Alyson whispered frenetically. “What’s he talking about his cat for?”
“Look at the top of the ladders, Mum.”
Alyson gasped in horror at the sight of Gary slipping his head into the noose. “No!” she shouted, “Don’t do that! I forgive you, Gary. Please, just come down from there and we can talk about it.”
Gary closed his eyes, placed his arms around himself in a tight embrace, and stepped off the ladder.
Chapter Twenty
The rope extended to its full length, only a couple of feet further than where Gary had left the noose dangling. It groaned and creaked. Alyson, Annie and even the pigeon stared at the man, mesmerised. For a moment he grasped up at the rope, eyes on stalks, a guttural noise escaping his throat.
Snap!
Gary’s roping skills hadn’t considered how much slack he should have left, and the sharpness of the aged steel painted beams.
He didn’t have time to scream.
As he tumbled, he smacked the back of his head on the step ladders with a sickening dull thud. A second thud whacked all the air out of him as he struck the concrete floor. His body lay with all four limbs at unnatural angles from his body, his face looking wide-eyed but lifeless at his victims. Dark viscous blood seeped from the back of his head, a ghastly addition of colour to the floor. Gary had landed on his feet. Unlike a cat, his ankles broke and his left shin bone had thrust through the skin and out of his trousers.
Chapter Twenty-One
“Oh,” said Alyson. “Am I dreaming, Annie, or is this real?”
Annie swallowed rapidly, blinking at her mum. “No, Mum. It’s real. It’s fucking real!” Her voice raised in volume and pitch. “He tied us to our chairs, with no escape, no food, no water, and now we have to look at the fucking psycho’s corpse until the day we die!” Her voice cracked into a hysterical laugh, “But on the bright side, he can’t hurt us now.”
“What can we do, Annie? We simply can’t sit here and wait to die.” Alyson squeezed her eyes tight shut, and grunted out a breath. “I’m sorry that you had to find out this way about him being your dad. Now you know why I didn’t want you to get a DNA kit for your birthday a couple of years back.”
She shook her head sadly, “What a sorry mess –”
“Mum, we need to do something. What if he isn’t dead and needs a paramedic?”
“I’d say he needs a miracle more than a doctor…” Alyson frowned. Then her eyes lit up as she gazed at her daughter.
“What is it? I can see that you have an idea. Come on, we need to move quick but I can’t imagine what you have in mind.” Annie shrugged.
“Watch this. You’ll see that it’s actually a positive that Gary is a technology freak.” Alyson swallowed and coughed to clear her throat.
“HEY SIRI!” A beep sounded from Gary’s pocket. “Call nine nine nine.”
Alyson held her breath, ears strained, hoping this would work.
A phone ringing noise completed the surreal image. “Which service do you require?” A female voice spoke.
“Police and Ambulance.”
“Connecting you to Newdonshire Police. Hold the line.”
The line trilled for a fraction of a second.
“Newdonshire Police, can you tell me what’s happened?”
“It sounds crazy, but I’m with Annie Read, the kidnapped woman. We’re both tied to chairs in a warehouse and the man who is responsible has hanged himself, but the rope broke and he’s smashed into the floor. He’s not moving, he’s hit his head, and it’s bleeding and a leg bone is sticking out.”
The operator didn’t skip a beat, as if this were a normal call. “Do you know the address? I’m organising help as we speak.”
“I don’t have a clue, so sorry. I think he’s dead, but I can’t see if he’s breathing or not, so he might be unconscious.”
“Don’t worry. Because you’ve called via the internet, it’s tagged the location on my screen. Are you or Miss Read injured?”
“I don’t know. I’m completely numb inside and I don’t have a clue if I’m injured. Annie’s toe has been crushed with a vice or something and her finger has been chopped off.”
“I’ve informed ambulance and they are coming too, on blue lights and sirens. What’s your name, please?”
“Alyson Read, Alyson with a Y. I’m Annie’s mother.”
“Are there any other people there? Have you seen or heard anyone?”
“I’m Annie. There’s no-one else here. Gary Honeyman is his name, and he is solely responsible. Is that Jade?”
“Yes, Annie. It’s so good to hear your voice. You’ll be in shock right now. I’ll come and see you when I can. Don’t worry about your job at all.”
The scream of a siren pierced the air from outside the warehouse. “That’ll be ambo. They won’t come in until the police arrive in the next few minutes. Annie, love, do you know if there’s an unlocked door? It’ll just assist if everyone knows how to get to you.”
“No. Gary always bolts the door from the inside. They won’t miss us when they come in. We’ve got some extremely bright industrial lights facing us.”
More sirens and blue lights flashing, casting erratic streaks of light around the space. The lights stopped and doors slammed shut.
“They’ll be in with you any minute now.”
Both women stared at the bolted door.
They jumped and screamed in fright when the sound of glass violently breaking assaulted their ears. Alyson stared at Annie wide eyed, “What?” she mouthed.
Annie shook her head. “Don’t know.”
Two men dressed from head to toe in black heavy uniform and helmets complete with thick looking goggles burst from the office, Heckler & Koch G-36 carbines brought to bear.
“Police!” they both bellowed. A moment later, a second pair of officers emerged from the office. The men set off in highly trained manoeuvres to search the warehouse, making sure there were no other bad guys.
“Clear!” Calls came from the men as they worked around the building and the various rooms attached to it. Now satisfied that they weren’t about to be ambushed, the men relaxed and put their guns across their bodies on straps.
As they came to the grisly sight of Gary, one man said, “I’m a medic. John, get that door unbolted and get the ambulance staff in here now.”
“Sir,” John replied, and jogged at speed to the bolted door. As he threw the bolt back, the copper giving the orders crouched and felt for a sign of life.
He glanced at the women. “He’s got a very weak pulse.”
“Alyson! What on earth’s happened here? That’s an interesting coffin.” The AFOs were joined by ambulance staff, and a senior officer with fancy epaulettes.
Alyson spun her head to see who had spoken. “Hi, Jemma. This is my daughter, Annie. Annie, meet PC Jemma Wallis, she’s my family liaison officer who’s been a godsend in keeping me calm and not going off my rocker.”
As the women conversed, the activity around Gary increased. Most of the chatter elsewhere in the building ceased as all eyes fell on the broken man and the paramedics tending to him. A distant sound of helicopter rotors increased in volume and proximity until it sounded as though the aircraft was about to land on top of the warehouse.
Jemma waved to a second ambulance crew that had just walked into the building. A man and woman, both dressed from top to toe in green. The male pushed a bed stretcher by the poles with black balls on the top. They walked straight across to Alyson and Annie with not so much as a glance at Gary and the organised chaos around him.
The lady has a kind face. I bet she’s the boss. He could be young enough to be her son, Alyson thought to herself.
“Hello, I’m Ian. Today I’m crew leader, and this is Jenny. Now then; have you both been here a long time?”
Alyson grinned, “I’m Alyson Read. Sorry, I thought you were the trainee, Ian. I’ve only been here today and no injuries or nothing. Annie has been here for days and days. That bastard crushed her toes and other things.”
“First things first,” Jemma interjected, “Let me get these zip ties off you both.”
She took a penknife from a pocket in her black police issue fleece and made quick work of freeing the pair of captives.
“Thanks, young lady.” Ian smiled.” We need to get you both to hospital for a check-up. Being restrained for any period of time isn’t natural and can lead to injuries that need treatment. Alyson, are you ok to walk? Annie, we’ll pop you onto the stretcher, my love. You might not be able to bear weight on your feet.”
Annie shook her head sadly. “What a mess. Do we have to go right now? They’re still working on Gary over there. Will he live or die? Can we stay and find out? Please.”
Jemma placed her hand on Annie’s sleeve and spoke quietly. “It’s best that we go now, away from here. We need to concentrate on you and your mum; and ascertain what investigations and treatment you need. I’m coming with you both. You’ll be allowed to be together with your mum, but you both need checking out. I’ll need to take a statement from you both too. Try not to worry about the paperwork. I promise I’ll make it as straightforward as I can.”
Annie placed her hands on the arms of the chair and tried to push herself to a standing position. She gasped, pain shooting through her limbs and into her abdomen. “It’s ok, we’ve got you,” Ian said. He and Jenny propped her up between them. With ease of practice, they turned her, so she sat onto the stretcher and Jenny lifted her legs onto the bed.
“Let’s go,” Ian said and started pushing Annie in the same breath. The rest of the small group followed, almost at a trot to keep up.
Annie looked away from Gary, hoping that the gruesome scene wouldn’t be burned into her mind to torture her further.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Later that day.
A blue curtain wrapped around the bay, dampening the hubbub from the ward. Annie lay on the bed, propped up into a semi-reclined position. A drip on a stand wedged into the corner, a clear bag of fluid dripped down into a cannula in the back of her left hand. She wore an NHS hospital gown. Alyson sat by her side next to the window on a hard plastic chair. PC Jemma Wallis sat on the opposite side of the bed with her laptop open, typing furiously to keep up with Annie’s account.
Alyson sobbed to herself, listening to the pain that Gary had subjected her baby to. “Jemma, can I ask you something? Are you able to refer Annie to counselling through the police or anything? She does work for you after all.”
Wrinkling her nose, Jemma stared into space, clearly thinking for a moment. She looked across to Alyson. “Actually, Annie will need to speak to Jade, her boss, but I’m not sure what there is.” Turning to Annie, she said, “Actually, speaking to your GP is probably the quickest way to go about it; I agree with your mum that it’d probably help.”
The curtain rustled. A doctor and nurse appeared into the small space. The nurse pushed a laptop on a trolley.
“Hi, how are you? I’m Sam, one of the doctors here at Peterborough hospital,” He smiled, even though a blue face mask covered his nose, mouth and chin. Freckles peppering his kind face under a short crop of ginger hair, brilliant blue eyes sparkling behind his glasses and visor.
Alyson smirked. “You look a bit young, Sam. Are you on work experience?”
“Mum! That’s so rude! Sorry Sam.” Annie’s cheeks reddened. She looked away from her mum and shook her head at the doctor.
“Sam’s used to the comments, don’t worry,” the nurse winked at Alyson with a chuckle.
Jemma closed the lid of her laptop, to avoid the risk of anyone seeing Annie’s harrowing statement.
“Anyway. Annie, I’m here to talk to you about your injuries. Firstly, the crushed toe. The bad news is that the soft tissue and nail are damaged, but the good news is that there are no broken bones or any requirement for surgery. The fingertip is not salvageable, but plastics will come to see you. You’ve had extensive tests, and I’m sorry to say that there are question marks over your kidneys because of not being able to use the toilet as much as you needed to. On the bright side, there’s no lasting damage to your skin from human waste. Nephrology has been informed about you, and I’m told the consultant will see you soon.”
“While I’m here? Or do I need to wait for an appointment letter?” Annie gazed at Sam, perhaps lingering a little too long on eye contact.
The doctor’s cheeks reddened. “You won’t be going anywhere just yet. The plastics team is coming later too, to check where you’d been restrained and your finger. Without treatment, I think you’d run the risk of permanent scarring. You’ve had a very difficult time of it, and our team here is superb. I’m not just saying that to make you feel better, they are award winning within the NHS.”
Annie shuffled on her bed, numbness creeping into her bottom. She sneaked a sideways glance at Alyson and said, “Sam, I hope that you’ll be my main doctor. I don’t really want to be like an exhibit and have all different doctors seeing me and having to retell my story time after time.”
The nurse patted Sam gently on his back. “Don’t worry, Sam always goes the extra mile to look after his patients. I’m Samantha. No-one shortens my name to Sam though, which is a good job, really!”
“Thanks, Sam and Samantha. I’m just so bloody relieved to not be tied up anymore. I don’t suppose you know how Gary is?”
“Gary?” Sam frowned.
“The dickhead who took Annie captive and didn’t look after her properly. Gary Honeyman is his name.” Alyson glared out of the bay towards the corridor that ran the length of the ward.
Sam and Samantha exchanged a look that said more than words. The doctor raised his eyebrows a little and turned his attention to Jemma. He said, “I’m not so sure about what I can tell you, from a confidentiality point of view apart from –”
“Annie, Gary is here in this hospital. He’s in intensive care and waiting to see the consultants. He’s in a coma, although I’m not entirely sure if it’s medically induced or not.” Jemma sighed. “I won’t lie. It’s going to be a difficult road ahead for you all. The detectives can work the case, but obviously there can’t be any charges brought against him until he’s in a fit state to be interviewed, etcetera.”
The police officer stood. “Ladies, I have to return to Newdon now. Let me know if you need me, Alyson and you too, Annie. Someone from the headquarters will probably come to see you soon. Maybe even the chief.” She smiled affectionately at Annie. “Concentrate on recovering now. Work will still be there for when you’re ready. I know everyone is rooting for you.”
Jemma gave a half wave as she left.
“Rest now, Miss Read,” Samantha said. “You’re safe here. Mrs Read, perhaps it’s time to go home and rest too.”
Alyson took the hint.
Chapter Twenty-Three
The next day.
Tears rimmed Annie’s eyes. Unlike the ward she was staying in, HDU was a different world. Annie’s mum pushed her in a sturdy beige hospital wheelchair to see Mark.
Stark white lights made the outdoors look gloomier than it actually was, as it was January, and trees were bare through the large windows.
Adele Embrey admitted them through the doors. Her eyes lit up as she saw it was Alyson who had come. “Hey Alyson, darling. It’s lovely to see you again. They have no-one using the relative's flat in Intensive Care for staying in at the minute, though between you and me you can use it as a chill space if you like. No one else is allowed in there for now.”
She mock gasped as she turned her attention to Annie. “And who is this beautiful woman?”
Annie chuckled. “I’m Alyson’s favourite daughter.”
“My only daughter!” Alyson shook her head in mock despair. “Is Mark available for visitors?”
“He is.” Adele spoke directly to Annie. “Be prepared, though, it might be a shock to see Mr Read here. I can’t begin to imagine what it’s like on top of what’s happened to you.” She tutted. “Anyway, follow me.”
Alyson had to hurry to keep up with Adele. Mark was in the same bed as previously. Gary was next to him. Both men lay flat on their backs. Mark was off the ventilator but showed no signs of consciousness. Gary had a tube coming from his mouth to a machine by his bed.
