In the village not a soul was around apart from the small gathering outside the pharmacy. The security guards had turned the alarm off and were standing to the side, completing paperwork. Niko, who was first on scene, had already been down to the station and got the basic kit and the camera and was photographing the mess in the shop. Harry had been told to keep out and was pacing on the pavement. After talking to Harry and the security, there really wasn’t much for Bill to write in his notebook, neither of them had seen anyone leaving the shop. By the time the alarm had gone off and Niko got there, no one was there.
“Niko will finish soon,” Bill told the security guards, “but in the meantime we need to find something to board up the shop. Or are you able to stay?” The two burly men looked like body-builders with gang connections, tattoos covering their bulging arms and up their necks.
The taller one said, “We’re happy to stay here until the morning, when someone can come and repair the glass door.”
“Thanks, that’s great. Are you happy with that, Harry? I know you have a lot of medication in there.” Even at this ungodly hour, the older man was immaculately turned out with a crisp blue-and-white checked shirt and high-waisted beige trousers with sharp creases at the front; his shoes were polished to perfection and shone in the light of the street lamp.
“Sure, I may keep the boys company. I sleep little nowadays anyway. I might go home and make a few sandwiches and a Thermos of strong coffee. It will make the time pass quicker.” If he didn’t trust the guards, he didn’t let on.
“That’s very kind,” the shorter man — shaven head, hay-coloured beard — said. They were both well-spoken. Perhaps he shouldn’t be so quick to judge a book by its cover, Bill thought. He slipped his business card into Harry’s hand, with Niko’s mobile number on it. “In case you need it,” he said quietly.
“On the face of things, not much damage,” Niko said as he came back outside. “The mess is in the back where the prescription medications are. Most of it’s been ripped off the shelves.”
“Just about done?” Bill asked.
“Just about, then I’ll pack the equipment up.”
“We might as well head home and try to get some sleep,” Bill said. Niko was looking worse for wear and, he knew, it would take ages to get back to sleep.
44
After abandoning the pile of papers and photographs, Avery and Lexi called it a night. Avery had just settled in to bed when Beau started barking ferociously. “Who would this be at half-past midnight?” Lexi said.
Avery leapt out of bed, pulled on a pair of shorts and raced downstairs into the kitchen. Gary Trenton came running out of the spare room, weapon drawn. Laura Rose was already outside, her Glock glinting in the moonlight. Beau had followed Laura outside.
“Stay inside,” Trenton shouted as Avery and Lexi appeared in the kitchen. A guttural howl echoed through the night followed by two loud shots. Then all was still. Ignoring Trenton’s instructions, Avery grabbed the largest kitchen knife from the block and went outside. The moon highlighted the shape of someone on the ground, motionless.
“Call an ambulance! Laura’s been stabbed!” Gary yelled, trying frantically to stem her blood loss.
Avery ran inside and shouted at Lexi to call for the ambulance then went back outside to see if he could help. Gary was administering pressure to the gaping wound on Laura’s neck, the rhythmic spray of the major artery squirting warm blood between his fingers, soaking the T-shirt he had pulled off to plug the wound.
“Please, I need something else,” Gary shouted. Avery ran inside and got hold of an armful of towels.
Gary rolled them up and wrapped them around Laura’s neck, speaking softly to his partner, trying to reassure her but there was so much blood. The stab-proof vest had provided little protection, and an ominous red stain was soaking the top of it.
Sirens sounded in the distance, then the Warkworth police and first responders arrived just before the ambulance. The medics ran over followed by two police officers. Gary told them he had fired two shots and was sure one had hit the offender. They set off in the direction he pointed.
The ambulance officer said to Avery, “The rescue helicopter is on approach. We need to clear a landing area and get some lights rigged up.”
“The safest spot to put the chopper down would be in front of the barn. And I’ve got some spotlights we can use,” Avery said.
Gary nodded and reluctantly left Laura with the ambulance officers.
Avery got the lights and Gary had some powerful torches in the back of the patrol car. It took less than two minutes to set up the landing area. They could hear the rotor blades in the distance, but Laura was only just hanging on and, due to the massive blood loss, no longer conscious.
Lexi had covered her in warm blankets, but didn’t know if Laura was still breathing. The medics kept working on her, administering fluids and pain relief. Lexi guessed that it was the pain medication that made her unresponsive, but knew in her heart that she was grasping at straws.
The officers from Warkworth searched the immediate area, but reported that the offender had vanished: “The dog unit is on their way. Hopefully they can get a scent and track the prick.”
The engine noise of the rapidly approaching rescue helicopter filled the night air, its strong lights sweeping the valley as it prepared to land. Dropping straight down, the pilot set the BK117 twin-engine down in front of the winery, the draught of the rotors whipping up dirt and debris. Lexi covered her ears and closed her eyes until she heard a slight slowing of the blades and the declining whine of the jet engines. The crewman and the paramedic jumped out and took over from the ambulance personnel.
Lexi turned away and saw the unmistakable shape of Beau lying perfectly still a short distance away.
“Beau! What’s wrong, boy?” she called. She went over and knelt next to him. His breathing was merely a rustle and a large wound on his stomach had parts of his intestines spilling out of his body. With every desperate breath his body shook as he struggled with the pain.
“No!” Lexi’s scream was drowned out by the rotor blades as they loaded Laura into the helicopter. She raced over and grabbed a spare towel, wrapping Beau up tight around the middle, stopping the blood loss and comforting him. “Come on, boy, don’t give up on me now.” Beau calmly stared at her, his brown eyes trusting her. This would not be the end.
A large pool of blood had seeped out of his wound. She called out for Avery, who with one swift motion picked him up and carried him to the car as the helicopter lifted off, covering them in exhaust-laden rotor wash. Driving off, she realised they hadn’t told Gary that they were going. That would have to wait. The priority was to get Beau looked after.
Lexi had the phone number for the veterinary clinic in her phone. As it was after hours, the call was diverted to the vet’s home. Beau had his eyes closed and was barely breathing, lying on the back seat with his head in Lexi’s lap. Avery sped through the traffic light at the Hill Street intersection and pulled up outside the clinic. Ronald and his wife were waiting for them outside. Beau made no sound as they put him on the stainless-steel operating table in the back room and sedated him . The door to the operating theatre was closed and all Lexi and Avery could do was wait.
The compact waiting room doubled as the reception area and shop. They sat down in the corner on padded seats surrounded by a variety of dog food and a myriad of toys and accessories; a small table offered some out-of-date magazines. In the background was the rhythmical sound of the ventilator controlling Beau’s breathing. The smell of burning flesh was mixed with disinfectant.
Avery put his arm around Lexi. “He’ll be all right.”
45
When Bill got home, the house was quiet and he boiled the jug to make himself a cup of tea. Getting a head start on the paperwork, he sat down in the old chair in the lounge and put his feet up while he scribbled some notes. Maggie and Finn settled by his feet and were soon snoring away. Bill was wide awake. It
would be hours until he could go back to bed and fall asleep, so he thought he might as well use the time productively.
The shrill ringtone from his mobile made him jump, making him knock the cup of tea over in his rush to answer before it woke the whole house up. “Bill, we have an officer down at Matakana Valley Wines,” the duty officer at Warkworth station said. “Can you make your way? A car has already been dispatched along with ambulance and dog unit.”
“I’m on my way,” Bill responded. Adrenalin pumped through his body as he threw his vest on and got the two Glocks out of the lockbox, putting one in the holster and the other on the passenger seat. All his fatigue blown away, he rang Niko from the car. Not strictly by the book, but there was no way they would arrive and fumble around for their weapons like idiots. Niko met Bill at the roundabout, saving them time.
“Officer down at Matakana Valley Wines. No details as yet,” Bill said, trying to control his breathing. “Odd, it can be months between armed responses. This is the fucking second one today.”
“Just like South Auckland, mate,” Niko said, slotting the weapon in his holster.
The rescue helicopter had already left as they pulled in.
Gary met them as they got out of the car. “The offender is still on the loose,” he said. “We’ve searched the immediate area. He took off behind the barn and I assume through the paddock to the north-east. The dog unit should be here shortly.” He paused to catch his breath. “Laura is critical. I’m not sure if she’ll pull through. Her injuries are bad and she was unresponsive,” he continued.
“All we can do is hope,” Bill said.
Gary looked down at his bare chest and hands, stained with Laura’s blood. Niko took him by the shoulder and sat him on a chair in the garden. Gary shook his head and stared aimlessly into the night.
“Where are Lexi and Avery?” Bill asked.
“Not sure. I told them to stay inside, but Avery came and assisted with Laura. There was so much blood. It was a deep wound.” Gary shivered in the cool air. The temperature had dropped and shock was setting in. Niko went over to the medics who were packing up and got a blanket to put over Gary, whose teeth were now chattering. “I’m fine, really. It’s Laura who needs the help, not me.” Bill asked Niko to check in the house for Avery and Lexi, then asked Gary, “Are you sure it was a male offender?”
“Yes, absolutely it was a bloke. In all the commotion I didn’t get a good look at his face, but he wore dark pants and a hoodie. Average height and athletic build, I’m guessing mid-thirties or around. I fired two shots. I’m sure one hit, at least grazed him.” Gary paused. “Perhaps this wouldn’t have happened if I’d taken the first shift, but Laura was stubborn and insisted she’d take it.”
Bill patted him on the shoulder. “No one could have predicted what would happen.”
Niko returned. “I’ve searched the entire house. There’s no sign of either of them.”
What if the attacker had taken them at knifepoint?
A phone rang. The sound came from Gary’s back pocket. He snapped out of his trance and answered. “Thanks for letting me know,” he said. “I’m glad you’re safe. Keep us posted.” He looked up at Bill and Niko. “That was Avery. They’re in Warkworth at the vet’s. Apparently the dog got cut badly trying to protect Laura and is being operated on now.”
Bill knew how much Lexi loved that dog. “Thank Christ they’re safe. Hopefully Beau will be okay too.”
Niko returned with a cup of heavily sugared tea for Gary who was still very pale. “Drink up, it will make you feel better,” he said.
Before long the dog unit turned up with three armed officers and Bismarck, a giant German Shepherd. “If the attacker’s around, Bis will flush him out for sure,” the lead handler said.
“I’m not sure we’ll be that lucky,” Gary said. “I don’t think it was more than a flesh wound. He was still able to run.”
“Do you know where you hit him?” Bill asked.
“I think his upper right arm.”
“Okay, we’ll alert local medical centres and Emergency Departments to look out for a gunshot wound.”
Half an hour later there was a radio call from the dog unit. The scent Bismarck had picked up led to Sharp Road. The offender must have had a vehicle parked there as the trail then went cold.
46
The waiting room was dimly lit and quiet, just the odd clinking of stainless-steel instruments. Poor, fun-loving old Beau, Lexi thought. The gaping wound with the spilling guts, the rank offal odour, the faint whimpering as they lifted him into the car. She had been frantic; he had been the calm one. Avery had taken charge; it was all a blur how they had got to this point. The stress from the last few hours was manifesting itself in a nasty headache that had started at the base of her neck and gone up to squeeze her skull. Lexi massaged the back of her neck to loosen her muscles. “Thank God the children didn’t get to see this,” she said shakily.
Avery — rumpled, dark circles under his eyes — nodded. Lexi wished he would put his arms around her, the way he used to. She needed him and wanted everything to return to normal. The glimmer of care and tenderness, the togetherness they’d had when they scooped Beau up, was now gone, overtaken by exhaustion.
“I just hope Laura pulls through. She’s still so young,” Lexi said. Tears flowed down her cheeks. Avery inched closer and put his hand on hers. The slight gesture made her emotional floodgates open and she started sobbing loudly. Avery pulled her towards him and she leaned on his shoulder. Lexi took a deep breath, savouring the familiar scent. How she had missed their closeness.
She knew Avery was putting on a brave face, that he was worried too. Someone had come to their house intending to hurt them. The thought made her shudder.
“I’m sure Laura will pull through,” Avery said, letting go of Lexi and running his hands down his legs nervously. In an instant the magic was gone.
A text message lit up her screen. It was from Bill:
Glad you and Avery are ok, sorry to hear my mate Beau got hurt. Hoping he makes a speedy recovery. I’ll come past tomorrow.
Lexi quickly replied:
Thanks, he is still in surgery. See you tomorrow.
It was another hour before the vet came through the double doors. His scrubs were bloodstained and his grey hair was standing on end. Ronald wiped his brow. “It’s fortunate that Beau is a healthy dog,” he said. “He might not have survived the blood loss otherwise. The cut was deep, his stomach perforated and the blade severed his small intestine. Thankfully I was able to save most of it. He’s got a drain in, and we’ll monitor him for the next few days before you can bring him home again. Providing infection doesn’t set in, he should make a full recovery. But he’s not out of the woods yet. He is comfortable and we have him hooked up getting a blood transfusion at the moment, but the prognosis is good.”
“We can’t thank you enough,” Lexi said.
“You are very welcome. It’s rare that I get a call in the middle of the night, but I’m always happy to help,” Ronald said. “He’s still asleep, but you can see him. A pat and a few words whispered in his ear would do him good.”
As Lexi walked through the operating theatre and into the back of the surgery the smell of disinfectant tickled her nose. Beau looked comfortable in a padded cage, IV fluids and a bag of blood slowly dripping into his veins, tucked up with a blanket mostly covering his bandaged stomach. “Hang in there, boy,” she said. “You’ll be home before you know it.”
Avery put his hand on her shoulder, signalling it was time to go. They all needed rest, not least Ronald who was leaning on the doorframe, struggling to keep his eyes open.
Driving home in silence, neither of them had the energy to talk. As they pulled into their driveway, two uniformed officers greeted them. The older one introduced himself as Constable Dave Green, the other one as Constable Justin Biggs. Light was blazing across the lawn, crime-scene tape flapping against the tree trunks.
“Any word on Laura?”
Avery asked.
“The last we heard, she was still in surgery,” Biggs said.
As Lexi walked past the cordoned-off area, chills went down her back when she saw Gary’s blood-soaked T-shirt crumpled where Laura had fallen.
47
The heavy door slammed behind him, the windows on either side vibrating, making the wooden frames creak and complain. He winced. The adrenalin had all but worn off and he was exhausted and furious with himself. The evening hadn’t gone to plan. The top of his shirtsleeve was blood-soaked and he was in agony. That stupid cop had shot him!
He had felt the bullet go in. It wasn’t at all what he had imagined it would feel like when a metal projectile was ripping through your flesh, just an initial burning sensation. The pain had come later. Not knowing how badly hurt he was, he had run for it, escaped through the vines and the paddock heading north. The backpack slammed against his body as he traversed the hilly landscape. The moon obscured behind thick clouds, his hands sweaty, he stumbled on the uneven ground, falling face-first, dropping his knife. It was impossible to find it in the dark.
He knew the cops would be on his trail soon, he had to keep going. He could feel the blood trickling down his arm and grimaced as he made his way up the steep incline to where he had parked the car.
As he pulled the blood-soaked sweatshirt over his head, the pain ripped through him, so intense and searing. He needed to stop the bleeding. Reaching into his backpack he grabbed a bandanna, flinching as he had to contort his injured right arm to hold onto one of the ends, tying it as best he could with his other hand, nearly passing out as pressure was applied. He then slipped a jacket on, covering the blood-stained sleeve of his t-shirt. He needed to get home.
Blood On Vines Page 17
