Scimitar

by Terry Wheeler

  ‘What has got into you?’

  ‘I know she’s here.’

  ‘You sound like some private dick.’ Dr Porter laughed. ‘You really are something. She deserves better than you.’

  ‘Like you?'

  Daniel recoiled the moment he said that. Dr Porter remained silent.

  'I just need to know that she’s all right. That she’s come to no harm.’

  ‘I really don’t know what you’re talking about.’ Dr Porter chuckled; he was beginning to enjoy himself. ‘Just because you’re Sophie’s boyfriend it doesn’t mean that the whole world fancies her.’

  The whole world fancies her? The wheels in Daniel’s brain were turning fast. Why would he talk about her that way?

  ‘You can change the subject and talk as much as you like but I won’t go until I know she’s all right.’

  Dr Porter sat back in his armchair and grinned. The annoyance he’d felt at being disturbed was easing and he was beginning to have fun baiting this young man.

  ‘I’m sure she’s all right,’ he said. ‘If you’re worried that she’s come to harm you could always telephone the hospitals or try the police.’

  ‘I know she was coming to see you here,’ Daniel said. ‘She told me yesterday.’

  ‘Young girls are fickle,’ Dr Porter said, ‘they change their minds at the drop of a hat. Perhaps she was going out and didn’t want you to know where she was going. Maybe she’s got another friend, a secret boyfriend.’

  Dr Porter was too relaxed, Daniel thought. If Sophie wasn’t here Dr Porter would have shown more concern. Hadn’t Sophie told Daniel that Dr Porter was an intelligent and caring man, of the old school, courteous and kindly? And yet here he was, clearly taunting Daniel, teasing him as if he were a fish on the end of a line.

  ‘I just need to speak to her,’ Daniel said, obstinately sticking to his request, perplexed by Dr Porter’s behaviour.

  Dr Porter’s demeanour suddenly changed and he sat forward in his armchair, leaning in towards Daniel as if he were about to share a friendly confidence.

  ‘Well, if you are Sophie’s boyfriend you’ll know that she’s an independent girl. Someone who likes to think for herself.’ The silky tone that Dr Porter had assumed instantly put Daniel on his guard. ‘She’s a girl who does her own thing. And if she decided to give you the slip, well, there’s not much I can do about that.’

  He sat back, a sardonic smile hovering on his lips as he looked at Daniel. He’s so young, he thought. It’s almost a pity to put him through this but what can I do? I didn’t ask for him to interfere. He leant forward to deliver his coup de grâce.

  ‘So yes, I give in, she is here. She’s been coming on to me over the last few weeks, shadowing me, stalking me. She came here this morning begging me to have sex with her. She told me it’s all she wanted. She dreamt about it, about having sex with a mature man and not a mere boy. What could I do?’

  He paused, watching Daniel closely.

  ‘She’s in my bed right now. I didn’t want to embarrass you. I’ve been trying to spare your feelings; you see, she’s just another randy little student and she’s cheating on you. With me. There. Now you have it. Do you want to make it even worse for her? She can probably hear you making a fuss.’

  ‘Too many words,’ Daniel said enigmatically. ‘She always said you were given to talking too much.’

  They have talked about me, Dr Jonathan thought, and he wondered what else Sophie had told Daniel.

  When he'd said that Sophie was just another randy little student, it was all the proof that Daniel needed to know that he was making the story up. The conviction that Dr Porter was hiding something and that Sophie was in danger became even stronger.

  ‘I don’t believe you,’ Daniel said. ‘I need to speak to her, to hear her tell me what’s going on.’

  Dr Porter sat up, his face suddenly still. The mask of his composure slipped away and his mouth twisted into a hint of a grin.

  ‘You are quite the dashing young hero,’ he said. ‘What do you expect to do? Carry her off over your shoulder? She won’t want to come with you. Not now.’

  ‘She can tell me that herself,’ Daniel replied, amazed at his effrontery.

  ‘I don’t think so,’ Dr Porter replied.

  They were both quiet for a moment, sizing each other up. Daniel’s mind was racing; he was beginning to panic as he realised that there was little that he could do. As Dr Porter had pointed out, he had come to the house uninvited and gained entry through sheer bloody-mindedness. He was not in a strong position.

  But now that he knew Sophie was here he refused to believe what Dr Porter had said; Sophie was not just another randy little student and she certainly wouldn’t cheat on him. If she was here, and now Daniel was certain that she was, then there must be a reason why she didn’t come out to him. It certainly wouldn’t be the one Dr Porter suggested. There had to be another reason, a more sinister reason, and Daniel’s belief that she was in danger was growing by the second. There was something not right about all this. Dr Porter was trying to cover something up and Daniel needed to know.

  Dr Jonathan was becoming increasingly uncomfortable. Everything was going wrong. Sophie had made the link between him and the death of her mother and that had forced him to change his plan. What if she had already told Daniel about it? He couldn’t understand how that could have come about but he didn’t have time to work that out because now he was faced with the double problem of Sophie and Daniel. Reluctantly he came to the conclusion that he would have to take charge of the situation before it got out of hand.

  I have to do something, Daniel thought. I can’t just sit here and wait until Dr Porter decides what he’s going to do. He moved forward on the sofa, ready to stand up.

  ‘I think you should stay where you are,’ Dr Porter said. ‘I need time to decide what to do about you.’

  ‘Where’s Sophie?’

  ‘Like I said, she’s otherwise occupied for the moment; in my bed.’

  ‘I need to go to her.’

  ‘I don’t think so. Not yet. I may let you see her in a while.’

  Daniel stood up. What could Dr Porter do? Daniel was a young man, strong enough to tackle him. At the very least he might be able to push past him and get to Sophie.

  And then he saw the gun. Dr Porter had reached into the pile of papers on the coffee table beside his chair and was now pointing a gun at Daniel.

  ‘I think you should sit down,’ he said.

  Daniel had no choice. He sat down.

  ‘You have put me in a very difficult position,’ Dr Porter said, settling back into his chair but with the gun still in his hand and pointing at Daniel. ‘You see, it was all going to be a nice bit of fun, a Saturday diversion for your beloved Sophie, but then she ruined it. She’s too clever by half. If she had not seen scimitar none of this would have happened.’

  Daniel’s head nearly exploded at the word scimitar.

  ‘You see, the little scimitar was the blade that cut Sophie’s mother’s throat. It was an accident but Sophie didn’t see it that way and, well, I will have to take care of her because she might say something and I can’t let that happen. And now you’re here making even more problems for me.

  He saw Daniel look up and move forward on the sofa.

  ‘Don’t be silly,’ Dr Porter said, ‘I will use it if I have to. I’ve done it before.’

  Daniel sat back, scared for himself and for Sophie.

  ‘It was a long time ago,’ Dr Porter said, ‘when I was just about your age. I was out walking when I came upon a thief counting stolen money in a deserted warehouse. Something happened and he saw me. He reached for his gun but I got there first. The next thing I knew he was dead and the money was mine.’

  He paused.

  ‘It bought me this house. But it never brought me happiness.’

  A distant look came over Dr Porter’s face.

  ‘All my life I’ve been cursed with women. Sophie’s mother wasn’t the first. Wh
en I was a student I fell in love with a girl, someone who had brains as well as beauty, but she didn’t know about faithfulness. She betrayed me. And there were others. Sophie’s mother was just a distraction, someone to while away a hot afternoon.

  I saw her in the park, playing with her child. She was stunningly beautiful and I followed her. I didn’t mean to do anything but something snapped and I took her into the bushes. It would have been all right if she hadn’t moved. You see, I only used the knife to keep her still and quiet. But then she moved.’

  Daniel could scarcely believe what he was hearing. The man in front of him was no longer the charming Dr Porter but a totally different, haunted man. A dangerous man. A man on the edge of violence. A man with whom it would be impossible to reason.

  ‘And there were others; so many others,' Dr Porter continued. 'But none were honest with me; all they wanted was sex or money, so I decided to do it my way. If they were in it for what they could get, then why shouldn’t I take what I wanted? Here, and on my travels, I’ve had my fill.

  I’ve tried to stop. I’ve tried to change my life but the truth is, I like it just the way it is. And now you’ve intruded and you’re forcing me to take action.’

  That quiet voice was nagging away in Daniel’s head again. Keep calm, it told him, don’t do anything sudden, take your time. Dr Porter, he realised, was not behaving rationally. It was as if he was two different people; the one urbane and intellectually brilliant but the other altogether darker and more sinister, a dangerous and disturbed man.

  You’re still here and Sophie’s safe. The voice was clear in his head; Daniel didn’t have time to think about whether it was just his common sense or if, indeed, it was Scimitar. Keep calm, he told himself. Wait.

  ‘So, what am I going to do with you two?’ Dr Porter said, as if he was back from another place. ‘Are you going to try to rescue your damsel in distress? That’s what you came here to do isn’t it?’

  ‘She’ll keep. She’s in no danger; not now that I’m here. If you were in bed with a beautiful girl like Sophie you wouldn’t have answered the front door. At least, not so quickly. And if you’d already had your fun you wouldn’t have answered your door bell at all. You’d still have been busy.’

  ‘What can you do? You’re still a callow youth, a mere boy.’

  ‘That’s true but don’t be misled by appearances.’

  Daniel’s mind was racing, urgently trying to find a way out of the situation.

  ‘Not so long ago you thought you knew what the future had in store for you but that’s changed now,’ Daniel said, ‘and this is a different situation.’

  ‘A more interesting one!’

  ‘You know that this has to end,’ Daniel said, his confidence growing. ‘Perhaps you haven’t much time left.’

  ‘I have all the time I need. You’re talking yourself into a situation from which you can’t hope to escape.’

  Daniel looked at Dr Porter. He could see indecision and confusion in his eyes. For a moment he almost felt sorry for him.

  ‘It won’t be like that at all,’ Daniel said. The conviction in his tone surprised him.

  He tried not to think about what might happen and to concentrate upon finding a way out of the situation. He was terrified. He knew he had to keep Dr Porter calm. And he had to hope that Sophie was all right. He guessed she was scared and, since she hadn’t come out to him, she must be locked into a room, possibly tied up and gagged if she wasn’t calling out. The image was too powerful to contemplate and he tried to think what to do next. Words were coming into his brain and they tumbled out before he could stop them.

  ‘You seem to be leading a double life,’ he said, ‘but you have to stop now before you do something you will regret even more. There’s no way out for you, not now.’

  But Dr Porter wasn’t listening. It was as if he already knew that he was beyond help. He paused. Daniel’s words had shaken his composure and it was true that he was no longer in charge of the situation.

  He was beginning to feel uncomfortable. If Daniel knew about Sophie’s mother, what else did he know? He began to try to rationalise; perhaps Sophie had seen it all when she was a tiny girl and had told Daniel about it. That was a possibility. He hadn’t considered it before and he began to feel defensive; a disturbingly new sensation for him. What had gone wrong? He needed to be careful. This wasn’t how it was supposed to be. He always made his plans first, checked and double checked them. He didn’t like improvising and this promised to be messy.

  ‘I don’t know what you’re talking about,’ Dr Porter said, struggling to regain his composure. ‘Perhaps you should have been reading literature and not mathematics,’ he said, his voice suddenly quiet and low. ‘You seem to have a natural flair for fiction.’

  ‘I prefer facts. I love the way they explain the past, illuminate the present and give us a hint of future possibilities.’

  ‘And what do you think that you know about the future?’ Dr Porter asked, almost casually.

  ‘More than you would believe. You’ve had a lifetime of experience but this is all very new to me. I have to do things properly. I don’t want to make a mistake. In some ways I’m just like you.’

  ‘You seem very sure of yourself.’

  ‘You’re missing the point. True, I now know about your past, but this is not about me, or Sophie, it’s about you. You have to help yourself, you have to do something before it’s too late.’

  ‘Just what do you think you’re going to do? Call the police and have me put in jail? Why don’t you try it?’

  ‘I’m not talking about the police or prison,’ Daniel said. ‘There are worse places than that. Places where there’ll be no need for bars or security.’

  ‘You are the most amazing young man,’ Dr Porter said with a chuckle. ‘I haven’t the faintest idea what you think you can do.’

  He paused, curling his fingers around the gun. Clearly Daniel was not going to do anything. He toyed with the idea of taking him in to see Sophie. It might be fun, he thought. Certainly it would be interesting to see Daniel’s reaction. He could put them side by side. It would add something to the piquancy of the moment.

  ‘I don’t know who you think you are but all you have done is to make this twice as much fun,’ he continued. ‘I hate to bring this to an end but sadly you leave me no choice. Shall I begin with you or with Sophie?’

  ‘It won’t be either of us; not today.’

  ‘And how are you going to stop me?’

  At last he had regained control and he was back in charge of the situation.

  Chapter 26

  ‘Try pointing the gun at me,’ Daniel said.

  He was appalled by what he’d just said. Was it a fit of bravado? Did he want it all to end? Words were coming into his head.

  ‘Try standing up or is it already too late?’

  Anger flared in Dr Porter’s face and he gripped the gun more firmly; the boy was beginning to unsettle him. Daniel sat impassively on the sofa opposite him. He didn’t even flinch when Dr Porter moved his arm. I don’t want to do this, Jonathan thought, not in my own house. If I can get Daniel out of the house it will be easier. He moved to raise the gun.

  His face contorted in pain and the colour drained from his cheeks. He imagined that he heard the report of the gun in his head and felt the pain as the bullet entered his brain. The gun clattered to the floor and his arm lay useless on his lap. He made an attempt to stand but his legs wouldn’t obey his commands. Panic set in.

  ‘What are you doing?’ he stuttered, barely able to speak and unable to prevent the rising panic in his voice.

  ‘I’m doing nothing,’ Daniel replied, struggling to keep his voice calm. ‘It’s all happening inside you. You’re having a stroke.’

  Ashen white, Dr Porter struggled for breath.

  ‘Help me,’ he stuttered.

  ‘It’s too late. There’s nothing I can do except call for an ambulance and the police. You’ve had your chances, more than you gave So
phie’s mother.’

  He took out his mobile and called the emergency services. Dr Porter slithered to the floor. Daniel stood up and rolled him over into the recovery position.

  ‘Sophie,’ he called out but there was no answer.

  He could scarcely stop himself from shaking; the shock of what had just happened was beginning to set in and now panic flooded into him. What if he was too late after all?

  He stumbled into the hall, looking for her. When he found her in the bedroom with her hands lashed to the bed head and with a strip of gaffer tape stuck over her mouth he was lost for words. He had never seen anything like it before. It was worse than a scene from a horror movie.

  The look in Sophie’s eyes told Daniel that she was relieved to see him even though she was embarrassed and in pain. Daniel’s eyes were drawn to the blade on the bedside table, a miniature scimitar shaped dagger.

  He gently lifted the corner of the gaffer tape and then eased it off Sophie’s mouths. She gasped for breath.

  ‘Where is he?’ she asked.

  ‘In the other room but he can’t hurt you now, or anyone else.’

  ‘Did you kill him?’ she asked, aghast.

  ‘No, he’s had some sort of attack; a stroke I think. He’s breathing but he’s unconscious. I’ve called for an ambulance. Are you all right?’

  It was a stupid question and Daniel felt foolish the second he’d asked, but Sophie understood.

  ‘He hasn’t touched me. He was going to but you came in time to stop him. I think he intended to kill me.’

  Jonathan had used the vicious blade of the scimitar to slice open her clothes and they lay in disarray around her on the bed. Daniel gathered them together, trying to cover her nakedness. He was about to untie her hands when he heard the wail of an ambulance siren closely followed by a police siren.

  ‘I’d better let them in,’ he said. ‘I’ll be right back.’

  He looked round for a sheet to cover her but there was nothing he could use. Tears began to trickle down Sophie’s cheeks.

  ‘Go and let them in,’ she said. ‘I can wait now I know you’re here.’