Chapter 21
Chapter Twenty-One
Sam took the stairs two at a time, flying down them with Jen hard on his heels, her wails primitive and heartrending.
Unlocking the front door, he burst out onto the footpath and only then turned to her, as his brain caught up with his impulses. But she fell to her knees, still disoriented from the blow Alistair had given her.
‘Go!’ she said in a sob. ‘Please find Liam!’
He was torn. The biggest part of him wanted to return to Jen and carry her back inside the house, out of the wild weather and even wilder events, and make sure she was all right.
‘Go!’ she repeated, the hoarseness in her voice straining to make itself heard.
He didn’t need telling a third time. Jen would survive, but God knows it was Liam who needed him now.
He jumped into his car and roared off in the direction Alistair had taken.
Jen quickly rang her mother, who said she’d been delayed by the bad weather but was nearing home. It was all she needed to know, and she finished the call without further explanation. At least Alistair hadn’t got to her.
She stumbled outside to the road, and looked in the direction of the village, but there was no sign of life — no cars, no people, only unrelenting rain and low clouds.
She couldn’t see anything in the rain. Nor could she run after them into the village.
She wished she’d got into the car with Sam, but she knew he wouldn’t have let her go with him.
She would have been a liability. He needed to be free to act.
She lifted her head to the black sky and let out a scream, giving vent to the pain and frustration and fear that filled her.
Fighting the irrational urge to follow Sam, she ran back to the house, her bare feet slapping through the river of water which ran along the footpath.
Once in the garden she closed the gate, and gripped it hard.
She needed to feel the pain of the wood pressing into her hands, so she knew all of this was really happening.
A bone-deep shiver ran through her, and she fell against the gate, as headlights flooded the road.
She opened the gate, and the car braked hard in front of her.
She had a sudden thought. What if it were Alistair?
But as scared of him as she was, she was more scared she’d lose Liam.
She went to the driver’s side and slapped both hands on the window.
The door opened, pushing her aside, and Kate appeared.
‘Jenny! What on earth are you doing?’
Kate slammed the car door shut behind her and put her arm around Jen to support her.
‘Have you seen Liam and Sam?’ Jen demanded.
‘No, why? What on earth is going on? You made little sense on the phone. And why are you standing outside in the pouring rain in the early hours of the morning?’
‘It’s Alistair. He’s back, and he’s taken Liam. Sam’s gone after him. Have you seen them?’
‘No!’ Kate cried, leading Jen back into the house. She closed the door and looked her up and down. ‘You’re soaked to the skin!’ She headed for the airing cupboard. ‘I’ll get some towels.’
‘I don’t need towels, Mum! I need Liam!’
Ignoring her, Kate grabbed some towels and put one around Jen’s shoulders while she rubbed her hair with the other one. Jen tore it from her mother’s hands and threw it to the floor, unable to stop the tears from flowing.
‘Mum! Don’t you understand?’
‘I understand that there’s nothing you can do. The police have been informed?’
Jen nodded.
‘And Sam’s gone after Alistair. So, leave it to them.’
Jen moaned and leaned against the wall, her shoulders heaving as the sobs racked her. She could feel her mother’s arms around her and her cheek pressed against her head. ‘It’ll be OK, Jenny. It’ll be OK.’
But Jen pushed Kate off and walked back to the phone. ‘We don’t know that, Mum!’ she said, brushing away her tears. ‘I’ll ring the police, find out what’s going on.’
But she couldn’t see through her tears to dial, so Kate took the phone off her and rang instead. Jen sat on the bottom stair and listened to Kate’s end of the conversation.
Kate finished the call. ‘She told us to wait. There’s a police presence at the main road junction because of the slips. We just have to let them do their job.’ She picked up the towel again. ‘Now let me dry your hair while you tell me what happened.’
Jen sucked in a deep breath, trying to push back her fears and recall the night’s events. She shook her head as the images jumbled. ‘Alistair was here. I went downstairs, and he was…’ She broke off in a sob.
‘There. And then what happened?’
‘Sam happened. There was a scuffle, and Alistair got away. He must have used next-door’s car.
I thought he was alone, but when I came back inside…
’ Her voice broke. ‘Liam was gone. Alistair had him in the car. And he drove off. Earlier he’d said that it was the only way he knew I’d come with him for sure. ’
‘And Sam?’
‘Followed him.’ Jen rose, flung the door open again, and stood on the front porch, sheltered from the hammering rain.
‘I should have been here,’ said Kate. ‘I should never have let Lucy persuade me to go to the concert.’
‘I’m glad you weren’t here, Mum. Alistair doesn’t care what he does to anybody. And he could have hurt you.’
‘Rather me than you and Liam. We got stuck on the wrong side of the slip, and it’s only just opened. That’s why I couldn’t get here any sooner. But both roads into Wellington are still blocked, so he won’t have got far. Assuming he’s making for Wellington.’
‘He will be. He’ll be heading to the airport.’
Panic again filled her at the thought. ‘I have to find them.’
‘Jen, please,’ remonstrated Kate. ‘You’re soaked to the skin.’
‘Liam is in danger, Mum!’ She went back into the hall and pulled on her coat. ‘I have to go. I can’t stand around and wait here.’ As she opened the front door again, a gust of wind drenched her in rain.
‘Jenny,’ said Kate, running up behind her and holding on to her with a firm embrace. ‘Please stay here. There’s nothing you can do. Leave it to Sam. If I know Sam, he’ll do everything he can to get Liam back. He won’t stop until he does. You can trust him. You know you can.’
And there was one thing that the last weeks back in New Zealand had taught her, that was that she most definitely could trust Sam. Even with the most precious person in her life — Liam.
The four-wheel drive’s windscreen wipers slapped aside the deluge from the misty windscreen.
The visibility was terrible, but when Sam reached the centre of the village, he saw the red lights of the level crossing flashing.
There were no bells ringing as it was night time.
But the barrier arms had fallen, preventing the car ahead of him from continuing across the rail tracks and onto the road.
Sam screeched up behind the car, recognising it instantly. It was Alistair. Thank God he’d got lost in the unfamiliar village streets. Before Alistair could react, Sam had leapt out and opened the rear door where Liam was trying groggily to sit up on the seat.
Sam tried to grab Liam as Alistair swung around, his face like thunder. He looked like the very devil in the red level-crossing lights.
‘Stay where you are, Liam!’ thundered Alistair, his whisky-breath filling the car.
Liam whimpered and wriggled away from Sam. He looked half-dazed, and Sam suddenly realised how Alistair had managed to get him away. He’d drugged him.
It was a long goods train, and it thundered across the road in front of them, sending the vibrations coursing through his body.
The rain continued to descend in torrents, and Sam had to raise his voice.
He knew he only had seconds before the train disappeared and Alistair could drive on and head north — the only route now open.
At least that was the opposite direction from the airport.
‘Liam,’ shouted Sam, trying to keep his voice calm when all he wanted to do was to drag the boy away from Alistair. But he couldn’t. To do that, Sam would have to crawl into the car after him, and he’d be a sitting duck for a punch from Alistair.
‘It’s me, Sam,’ he continued. ‘Come with me and I’ll take you home to your mum.’ He reached out and took hold of Liam’s hand. Please God, the drugs had worn off a little, the boy’s counselling had worked, and he’d learned to trust Sam enough to go with him.
Alistair swore at Sam, and Liam flinched and whimpered under the torrent of abuse, which Alistair also aimed at him.
Empty container cars rattled along in front of them, signalling the end of the goods train. Sam had only moments left.
Alistair revved the car.
‘Alistair, the road’s closed into Wellington because of flooding and slips. You’ve got nowhere to go.’
‘Save it for her, mate. You won’t have her for long because the boy is coming with me, and she’ll follow.’ He revved the car again while leaning over to shove Liam back into the corner. He didn’t seem worried about setting off with an open car door.
Time had just run out. Sam knew he had to act.
The last heavy container thundered past in front of them, and just as the flashing red lights stopped Sam made his move. And so did Alistair.
The moment the fire siren sounded, Jen knew she could no longer sit around and wait.
‘OK,’ she said, grabbing her mother’s car keys. ‘I’m going. That’s the fire engine siren. There must have been an accident. And I can’t sit around here and wait to find out what’s happening. Liam might need me.’
‘Don’t go rushing off. I’ll check online. There’s usually something on the community Facebook group if there’s been a call-out.’
Jen opened the front door again, and waves of nausea swept over her as the siren wailed on, filling her head with horrific scenes. She reached behind for her mother, holding on to her as if she were the one sane thing in this nightmarish world.
Kate refreshed the page on her phone. ‘Nothing yet. Wait here,’ said Kate, reaching for her wet weather gear and dragging it on.