by Bill Ward
“We may have to jump,” Afina suggested.
Mara looked over the side, then back at Afina. “You have to be fucking joking. I’m not jumping down there. I can hardly even swim.”
“It will be okay. The waves are not too strong today and I am a good swimmer. Anyway, it is only a last resort.”
“Please don’t make me jump.”
“Honestly, it will be okay. I remember Powell telling me people do it all the time.”
“We come from Bucharest not Brighton. You know there is no sea in Bucharest. I was never taken swimming when I was growing up and I’m not an athlete like you. I come from a family of gangsters not swimmers.”
“Just trust me. It’s better than getting shot.”
There was the sound of further shots and they were definitely getting closer. Suddenly a group of people came running towards them from the direction of the shots. People were screaming and there was no doubt they were trying to get away from whoever was doing the shooting.
In the distance Afina could see a man in Arab clothing walking slowly towards where she was standing. He had a gun and was casually shooting at anyone he saw but most people were now crowded at the end of the pier. He was advancing and Afina knew many people would end up dead if they stayed where they were.
“Anyone who knows how to swim must jump in to the sea,” she shouted at everyone. “We must jump now or he’ll kill us all.”
A couple of people looked over the side of the pier as if considering the prospect. Most people were crouching behind the various fun fair rides.
“Mara, we need to jump now.” Then seeing her reluctance, Afina added, “Unless you have a better idea?”
“I can’t. You jump, Afina. He can’t shoot all of us.”
“We’ll do it together.” Afina held out her hand.
The terrorist was now clearly within sight. Afina looked at him and he smiled. She shivered and half dragged Mara away from his view.
“Quickly, come with me,” Afina demanded, still pulling on Mara’s hand.
Afina led the way to the other side of the pier. She spotted a lifesaving ring attached to the wall and yanked it away. She was about to put it over Mara’s head when she noticed a mother and young child approach.
“Are you going to jump?” the woman asked.
“We must all jump or be shot,” Afina answered.
“Please take my child,” the mother implored.
Afina knew she had only thirty seconds to escape. “Here take this ring,” she said, thrusting it at the woman. “Put it over your head, climb over the side and I’ll pass you your daughter.” Afina thought the little girl was about three years old.
“Thank you,” the woman replied and started climbing over the side.
When the woman was ready Afina took the daughter from her pushchair. “We’re all going to have some great fun now,” Afina said to the girl, as she handed her to the mother.
“I don’t know if I can,” the woman said, gripping tightly to her child and looking down to the sea.
“Hold on to your daughter,” Afina said and gave the woman a strong push on her shoulder. She disappeared from sight with a scream.
“Our turn,” Afina said, turning to Mara.
“I’m not sure…”
Two further shots boomed out and it was evident the gunman was close. Afina climbed the fence and Mara quickly followed.
“In ten minutes we’ll be drinking a brandy,” Afina promised. “Make sure you hold your breath as you hit the water.”
She held out her hand and Mara gripped it tightly. The option for any last second change of mind on Mara’s part was removed as Afina jumped off the edge, ensuring she was still holding firmly on to Mara.
“Fuuuuck!” Mara screamed as she dropped.
Afina couldn’t hold on to Mara’s hand as they fell. As she hit the water, she was covered by the waves and when she surfaced, she immediately looked for Mara. The drop had not been as bad as she had anticipated. She had felt almost as scared as Mara but the feeling was no different to the first time she tried a double somersault.
Afina quickly spotted Mara, frantically splashing her arms around in an attempt to keep her head above water. Afina swam the short distance towards her and as she came near, Mara grabbed for her arm with the result that Afina was temporarily dragged under the waves. She broke free of Mara’s grip and shouted at her to stop trying to drown them. Afina held Mara under her arms and forced her onto her back, telling her to keep calm and kick with her legs.
Afina eventually managed to manoeuvre Mara under the pier where there were metal girders to hold. A more relaxed Mara smiled with relief and held on tightly.
“We’re safe here,” Afina smiled. “We can’t be seen from the pier.”
“That was the scariest thing I’ve ever done,” Mara replied, excitedly.
“We can try it again another day, just for fun,” Afina suggested.
“No fucking chance.”
Afina was looking around, trying to spot the mother with the young girl. She saw them a few metres away from the side of the pier. In the same moment she was relieved to see them safe, she heard another gunshot and saw the water splash close to the rubber ring. The woman screamed out and tried to shield her child.
Afina swam a couple of metres to the side of the pier and saw the terrorist leaning over the side, pointing his gun at the woman and child.
“Leave them alone you bastard,” she shouted, trying to attract the terrorist’s attention.
He saw Afina waving her arms and immediately fired in her direction. Afina took a deep breath and dived underwater. She swam towards the woman, remaining underwater. She surfaced about a metre from the ring and took hold of the towing rope. She held it firmly and began swimming back to the pier. The terrorist fired a further shot which missed and Afina breathed a huge sigh of relief once she was safely back under the protection of the pier.
“Thank you so much,” the mother said. “That was very brave of you.”
Afina just smiled and turned towards Mara. “I’m going to take these guys to the shore, then I’ll come back for you.”
“I’m not going anywhere.”
Afina pulled the ring as she swam, careful to keep within the cover of the pier. As she neared the end of the pier she could see people gathered on the beach.
CHAPTER TWENTY SIX
Powell was looking out towards the pier when he spotted someone he recognised.
“That man will vouch for me,” Powell said, pointing at the firearms officer, who a year earlier had been in charge of breaking into Stefan’s house, albeit Powell had ended up going in ahead of the police. It was the day Mara had been shot and almost killed. It wasn’t a day he would ever forget. What was his bloody name? “Hey,” he shouted and waved at the officer.
The police officer blocking his path turned to see the direction Powell was pointing. Powell used the opportunity of his being distracted to push past and managed to get a few metres before he felt his arm gripped from behind.
“Where do you think you’re going?” the policeman asked sternly. “I’ve just about had enough of you.”
Powell once again resisted the temptation to throw the policeman to the floor and settled for shouting again at the officer he recognised.
The officer finally realised someone was trying to get his attention and slowly his expression went from a lack of understanding to recognition. He walked briskly towards Powell.
“Powell isn’t it? What brings you here?”
“Afina and Mara are on the pier. They were the two girls you helped rescue last year.”
The officer turned towards his colleague. “I’ll handle it from here, thanks.”
The policeman walked away with a disgruntled look.
“Sorry, I don’t remember your name,” Powell apologised.
“DI Dan Simmons. Look, I’ve only got a second. We’re about to move down the pier and check the situation.”
“Are people still alive on the pier?
”
“Powell, I honestly have no idea. We don’t know how many gunmen there are or how many civilians may be dead or alive.”
“I don’t suppose you’d let me on the pier, Dan.”
“Sorry, not this time. I promise to let you know as soon as I know something.”
“Afina!” Powell suddenly shouted. He could see her emerge from under the pier, pulling a woman and child to safety. He immediately sprinted towards her, closely followed by Simmons.
Other officers were rushing to aid the woman and child as Afina turned back towards the sea.
“Afina, wait. It’s me,” Powell shouted as he came near to her.
She turned and smiled as she realised who was calling her name. “Powell, I have to go back for Mara. She can’t swim.” She was breathing heavily from her exertions.
Powell grabbed hold of Afina by the arm. “Where is she?”
“Underneath the pier, towards the end.”
“Simmons, you look after Afina. I’ll go get Mara.” Powell started to throw off his clothes.
Afina looked ready to argue but Simmons said, “Afina, you’ve done more than your bit. Let Powell get Mara and I need you to tell me everything you know about the situation on the pier. How many gunmen are there?”
“I saw just one.”
“Does he have explosives? I mean, is he wearing a suicide vest?”
“I don’t know. I didn’t see anything but I couldn’t be one hundred per cent certain.”
“How many people are there on the pier?”
“Maybe thirty or forty.”
“Come with me,” Simmons said. “You need to brief my men. And we need to get you out of those wet clothes.”
Afina was shaking from the extremely cold sea but didn’t move. “I promised Mara I’d go back for her.”
“Afina, I’m a stronger swimmer than you and you need to go help Simmons,” Powell said firmly.
He was down to his boxers and didn’t wait to debate the matter any further. He ran towards the sea and braced himself for what he knew was going to be freezing water. As he dived in
Other officers were taking care of the woman and child. They were wrapping them in blankets.
“She saved our lives,” the woman said, as she came level with Simmons.
“It was nothing,” Afina answered.
“What’s your name?” the woman asked.
“Afina.”
“Thank you, Afina. I can never repay you for what you’ve done.” She leaned towards Afina and gave her a large hug. “I’m Julie and this is Sara.”
“Let’s go get you some dry clothes and a hot drink,” one of the female officers accompanying Julie said. “We don’t want you dying of pneumonia after what you’ve been through.”
CHAPTER TWENTY SEVEN
Powell had returned with Mara without further incident. She was shivering and in danger of suffering from hypothermia as he helped her up the beach so he was pleased to see paramedics waiting with blankets. Several others were also emerging from the sea, having followed Afina’s lead and jumped from the pier.
Powell picked up his clothes from the beach and followed the paramedics to a nearby ambulance. The water had been freezing cold and he smiled at the thought it was the first time in over twenty years he’d been swimming in Brighton’s sea. He often swam for fitness in one of the local pools but swimming in the sea was saved for very warm climates.
Mara was taken inside the back of the ambulance but was protesting she didn’t need to go to hospital. She wanted a large brandy and to see Afina. Powell also declined the invitation to visit hospital for a check-up. He used the blanket as a makeshift towel and dressed, sitting in the front of the ambulance to remove his wet boxers and put on his jeans.
Then he informed the para medics he was going shopping for essentials and would be back as quickly as possible. He hurried to nearby East Street and went in the first female fashion shop. He grabbed the first young, assistant he saw and told her what he urgently needed. Fifteen minutes later he was back at the beach with two bags full of clothes. He found Afina talking to Mara and handed each of them a bag of clothes.
He left them to get changed in the back of the ambulance and when they emerged, he thought the shop assistant had done a pretty good job of choosing clothes. His instructions had been to buy two sets of clothes she would personally like to wear. He omitted to mention the help he’d received when the girls praised his choices.
“Has Simmons finished with you?” Powell asked Afina.
“Yes, he and his men are on the pier now. I hope they kill that bastard terrorist. I can’t believe how he was shooting at women and children. He seemed to be enjoying himself.”
“How many people were still on the pier when you jumped?”
“I’m not sure. Probably about thirty. I don’t understand why more of them didn’t jump.”
“I wouldn’t have jumped if I’d been by myself,” Mara answered. “You made me do it.”
Powell smiled at the thought of Afina forcing Mara to jump. “I suggest we retire to the bar for some refreshments and food. I need a drink. The pair of you scared me to death when you didn’t answer your phones.”
“We were a bit busy,” Afina smiled. “Can we stay around a bit longer and find out what happens to all of the people on the pier?”
“If it ends up as a hostage situation, it could go on for many hours. We can follow events on the news. It’s being broadcast live.”
“Sounds good to me,” Mara replied. “I’m starving but mostly I need a very large drink.”
“Okay, that makes sense,” Afina agreed.” And I must admit I’m hungry as well.”
Powell took his phone from his pocket. “I think I’ll give Jenkins a call and tell him to bring Lara to the bar. I think we deserve something of a celebration.”
“I hope they can get our bags back from the pier,” Afina said, turning to Mara. “It has all our money, our phones, keys, everything.”
“I need to get very drunk,” Mara said. “And as I don’t have any money or cards, right now I’m very happy that Powell owns a bar.”
Powell tried a couple of times to call both Jenkins and Lara without success. “That’s strange. Neither of them are answering. Let’s grab a taxi and make a detour by my place to see what they’re up to.”
“You don’t think they’re in trouble” Afina asked.
“I’m sure there’s an innocent explanation. I’ll keep trying them.” Powell could think of one explanation why both their phones might be unavailable. He knew Jenkins had always fancied Lara and wondered if perhaps they had taken their friendship to a new level.
CHAPTER TWENTY EIGHT
Powell left the girls in the taxi while he walked up the path to his house. He reasoned if there was a problem, the taxi driver could get them to safety. He knew there was trouble as he came close enough to see the front door was ajar. He hurried back down the path and opened the rear door of the taxi.
“I’ll see you back at the bar,” Powell informed the girls. “There’s a couple of things I need to do first. Get some drinks in and we’ll all be there soon.”
“Is there a problem?” Afina asked. “We can wait for you.”
“There’s no problem and anyway, we can’t all fit in one taxi.”
Powell gave the driver the name of the bar and handed Afina enough money to cover the fare. Then he closed the taxi door and watched it pull away.
He retraced his steps up the path. He listened at the front door but there was no sound from within the house, which was in itself surprising. Jenkins always had the radio and television on, wherever he was staying.
Powell slowly pushed the door open. “Jenkins... Lara,” he called out. “Anyone at home?”
He stepped inside the house but left the front door open in case he should need to make a speedy exit. He wished he was armed.
He stood at the bottom of the stairs and shouted, “Is anyone up there?” He didn’t want to walk in on them
having sex but that now seemed even more unlikely. They wouldn’t have left the front door open.
He opened the door to his right, which led to the lounge. No sign of anyone and no indication of anything out of place. He returned to the hallway and this time took the door to the left which led to the large kitchen and dining room. Again there was no sign of trouble.
The study at the end of the hallway was similarly undisturbed and he began to think his imagination was getting the better of his common sense. They had probably just got bored at home and gone out into town, forgetting to close the front door properly. That didn’t explain why neither of them was answering their phones.
At the bottom of the stairs, he thought he heard a sound coming from upstairs. He stayed still and the noise was repeated. A definite sound coming from the main bedroom. It was a squeaking noise like bed springs moving. Perhaps they were having sex after all and were so involved they hadn’t heard him call out. He took the stairs on the balls of his feet but they were old and still creaked.
On the upstairs landing he stood outside his bedroom for a few seconds and listened. He was very unsure what he was going to find within but decided the time for subtlety was past. He threw open the door and sprung inside, ready to engage any intruders.
Jenkins was lying on the bed with his hands tied behind his back and his legs tied together at the ankles. There was something stuffed in his mouth, making it impossible to speak but what held Powell’s attention was the rope tied around Jenkins neck and leading to the headboard. It was a noose and if he moved away from the headboard it tightened. Powell could see it was making inroads into Jenkins neck, caused probably by his attempts to move his body to attract attention.
Powell rushed back down the stairs and returned with a large and very sharp kitchen knife. He cut the various ropes holding Jenkins in place, who then removed a pair of Powell’s boxers from his mouth.
“Where’s Lara?” Powell asked.
“They took her. She’s alive. They could have killed us both if they wanted but they didn’t.”
