Chapter 14
Fourteen
Gina
Mindy rubbed her eyes as Gina led her out of the van.
A paramedic hurried over and took over with his colleague. They led her to a gurney, ready to wheel her along the bumpy road and into the main car park.
‘I don’t need you. I don’t need an ambulance.’ She started hitting out at the paramedics and nearly fell as she stepped away from them. ‘Where’s Carmen? Where is she?’ Her hair still stuck to her face, making her look ghostly with the lake behind her.
‘It’s okay. We have her at the station. Like I said, Mindy. You’re safe. The paramedics are here to help.’ Gina tried to look for blood. There had been a struggle when she was attacked at the Ferndale shopping strip but she couldn’t see anything. Maybe it was too dark.
Gina flashed her torch directly at Mindy and Mindy squinted, using her hands to shield her eyes from the brightness. There was no birthmark on her hand. It wasn’t Mindy.
‘Carmen said I could sleep in her van to be safer.’
Gina frowned.
‘I’m homeless but I sleep out here, by the lake.
The woman who owns the van… we were drinking all afternoon in the Slippery Fox.
She bought me dinner and drinks but she did go on and on about missing her ex – said I looked like her.
I listened to her non-stop yakking and misery, but I can’t complain.
Actually, I felt sorry for her.’ The woman shook her head and hiccupped.
‘I didn’t break in, honestly. She said where she was parked and told me that I could come back here to sleep if I wanted and when I got here, the van was empty so I let myself in.
It’s cold out there so I was grateful. Sorry.
You can arrest me if you want, at least I’ll get somewhere warm to stay.
’ She squinted. ‘Why are you here? Is she some kind of serial killer or something?’
They were no closer to finding Mindy. If what their homeless woman said was true, Carmen was in the pub at the time Mindy was taken. She wanted to kick the panel of the van. Time was running out and Mindy was still out there, bleeding, and they had no idea where she was.