by Karen King
“Hold on!” Jamie yelled, slamming the accelerator.
He was going to crash through them! He’d kill us! The yell to stop died on my lips as I realized that it was all he could do. Our only chance of getting away was to drive through the gates.
“Cover your faces!” Jamie screeched. “The windscreen might shatter!”
I turned to Josh and Emma who were both cowering on the back seat, the white coat half-off them now. Unclipping my seat belt, I swivelled around, leaned over and pulled the coat over both their heads to protect their faces. “Keep this over you, Emma, and don’t look up until I tell you!” I ordered.
“Morgan, sit down and fasten your flaming seat belt!” Jamie screamed, his voice ragged with fear.
I turned back to see the huge gates looming ahead of us. Jamie gripped the steering wheel with both hands, his blanched face determined, his eyes fixed on the gates just a couple of metres in front of us. I slid down in my seat and fastened my belt with shaking hands. As we hit the gates, I gasped and raised my arms to shield my eyes.
The car shuddered as Jamie smashed his way through.
We were all thrown forward in our seats, only the seatbelts preventing us from serious injury. I hunched my shoulders, covering my face with my hands as hailstones of shattered glass from the fractured windscreen rained down on me.
A blast of cold night air gushed into the car and wrapped its icy fingers around us. Frenzied thoughts chased each other around my mind. Was Jamie hurt? He hadn’t been able to protect his face because he was driving. What if some of the glass had gone into his eyes, blinded him? And what about Josh and Emma in the back? Had the coat slid off them? Had any of the fragments of glass cut them? I should have sat with them, I reproached myself. I should have protected them.
The car tilted on its side and my scream joined Emma’s as, for one petrifying moment, it seemed that we were going to topple over but somehow Jamie managed to straighten it up and we were away again.
I shook my head in an effort to get rid of the bits of glass then gingerly lowered my hands from my eyes and inspected them for cuts. They were scratched and bleeding but it didn’t seem like any serious damage was done. In front of me the windscreen was almost completely out and all around me. On the dashboard, on my legs, my seat, covering every visible space, were tiny cubes of broken glass.
I glanced at Jamie and saw that his blood-stained body was covered with a blanket of glass too. Blood dripped from his torn hands and down his face but he held tight onto the wheel as he steered the battered car along the dark road.
Taking a deep breath to brace myself, I turned around to check on Josh and Emma. They were both huddled forward, heads down, whimpering softly. The white coat was covered in a layer of glass but still draped over them, thank goodness. At least they were alive, and should have had only surface cuts.
“Keep down you two and keep the coat over you!” I shouted.
Then, blinding headlights dazzled me as the van caught up with us. I watched in horror as Crina leaned out of the passenger window, holding something shiny in her hand and aimed at the wheels. The gun!
“Get down! For Pete’s sake get down! She’s going to shoot us!” I yelled to Jamie. I looked over my shoulder to check that Emma and Josh were still hunched down out of her range, then turned back and sunk down as low in my seat as I could.
Jamie huddled over the steering wheel as he continued to drive the battered car. Oh God, please let us get away.
There was a loud hiss and the car juddered. Jamie swore as he fought to keep it under control. Then there was another loud hiss and a jolt.
“Oh crap! She’s blown out the back tires!” Jamie screamed. The car shuddered a few more metres then skidded to a halt.
Chapter Seventeen
It was over. We’d fought with ever fibre in our being, but we’d lost.
Death was so close I could feel it, smell it. My whole body trembled with the knowledge of it. We were minutes away from being murdered. Our bodies cut open and our organs plundered so they could give life to richer, prettier, more important people than us and there was nothing we could do about it.
I heard the van screech to a halt behind us and looked at Jamie, bruised and bleeding, beside me. “Well, it’s been nice knowing you,” I said. It was a stupid inane attempt to make light of the situation.
“You too, babe.” His voice was quiet, resigned.
I turned around to Josh and Emma, both cowering on the back seat. The white coat had slid to their shoulders now, revealing their terrified but, uncut faces. What could I say to them? ‘Sorry kids, we tried our best’?
I undid my seatbelt and leaned over to take the coat off them, being careful to fold it in an effort to keep the pieces of glass inside. I dropped it on the floor by their feet and looked at them. I was relieved to see that they were unscathed, just a few grazes to their arms and legs. “You two okay?” I asked softly.
Emma nodded. Josh seemed too terrified to reply.
The kidnappers were at the car now, yanking open the doors. Crina held the gun at Jamie’s head. “Okay, out all of you!” she ordered. “Line up at the front of the car.”
We scrambled out, spilling glass particles over the ground as we moved. I turned to Josh as Sergiu yanked him out of the back and held my arms out to him.
He sobbed then stumbled to me. I knelt down and wrapped my arms around him, glaring at Sergiu, daring him to snatch my little brother away from me. He didn’t.
I stood up, held Josh’s podgy little hand firmly in mine, and walked to the front of the car. Jamie was already there, his arm protectively around Emma’s shoulder. Crina stood in front of us, her lips curled into a sneer, brandishing the gun.
“So you brats thought you could outwit us.” She snarled. “Well, this is the end of the road for you.”
She raised the gun. Jamie took my right hand and wrapped it in his. We didn’t look at each other, just stood side-by-side holding hands, staring ahead.
I quickly put my left hand on Josh’s head, turning him to me, burying his face in my side in a futile attempt to protect him. Then I closed my eyes and said a silent prayer, bracing myself for death. I tried not to wonder if it would hurt. Whether it was final or if we’d go to some other place.
A shot rang out. Then another.
I waited for the burst of pain letting me know the bullet had found its target.
It never came.
Then I heard the screech of tyres, a car door slam and shouting.
“It’s the law.” Jamie sounded incredulous.
I opened my eyes and gaped at the scene in front of me. Crina and Sergiu lay sprawled on the ground, nursing bullet wounds. Marku was running off down the drive. An officer sprinted after him, rugby-tackled him, and brought him down with a crash.
Summer must have done it! She’d alerted the LEF and they got here just in time. I wished she were there so I could throw my arms around her and hug her.
Another two law cars pulled up, the flood of their headlights lighting up the night darkness around us. Officers scrambled out of the cars, shouting and running. Somewhere, among all the chaos, Jamie had let go of my hand, but he was still standing beside me. I turned to him, smiling. “It’s okay. We’re okay.”
He nodded, his eyes raw with anguish. I could have kicked myself because for him, it wasn’t okay and never would be. Holly was dead. We’d been too late to save his beloved little sister.
I bent down to Josh, who still had his head buried in my side and tenderly kissed him on the cheek. “It’s okay, Joshie. We’re going home soon.”
“’Ome,” he repeated. Then he smiled his big, lopsided grin. “’Ome, Maw.”
A car door opened and a man got out. He talked briefly to a female officer, then started walking slowly towards us. There was something about his build, the way he held himself that seemed familiar. As he stepped out of the shadows into the car headlights, I saw that it was Summer’s dad. He must have contacted his Chief Superin
tendent friend, as I’d hoped. How could I have thought he was involved in the kidnappings?
I went to step forward to greet him then stopped in my tracks as Emma shouted. “Daddy!”
She started hobbling towards Leo.
Daddy?
I watched incredulously as Leo ran towards Emma and scooped her up in his arms, hugging her, kissing her.
Daddy!
Emma was his daughter? I couldn’t get my head around it. Emma was Summer’s sister? Summer had a little sister? A little sister that was a RAD? Why hadn’t she ever told me? Were they all too ashamed, too scared of ruining their perfect family image? Emma had said she lived with her mum but not her dad. Had they paid someone to foster her so their secret would be safe?
I remembered all the times Summer had told me she admired me for how I accepted Josh, how she could never cope with a disabled brother or sister. She couldn’t have known about Emma. I swore she didn’t. She would never have kept that from me.
Which meant only one thing. Leo must have had an affair. Emma’s mum wasn’t Summer’s mum.
“What’s up?” Jamie asked. “You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”
I’d forgotten he was still standing by my side. “Emma’s dad… ” I could hardly bring myself to say the words. “It’s Leo. He’s Summer’s dad.”
“You’re kidding,” Jamie exclaimed. He shrugged. “Well, at least he isn’t involved in the kidnappings.”
Summer’s dad walked over to me, holding Emma’s hand. Officers mulled around us. I looked at Jamie, knowing we probably wouldn’t get the chance to speak again for some time. “You were incredible. You saved our lives,” I told him.
“You and me both, babe. I couldn’t have done it without you,” he said.
“I’m so sorry about Holly.”
He nodded.
“Maybe we can still keep in touch?” I ventured.
He smiled, but it didn’t quite reach his empty eyes. “I’d like that.”
“Morgan.” Summer’s dad was standing in front of me. I turned to face him.
****
The next few hours passed in a blur of activity. A medic van soon arrived. Jamie, Josh, Emma and I were all bundled into it and taken to hospital where our wounds were treated, and we were given a thorough check up. The nurses allowed me to be in the same ward as Josh so I could look after him. Mum and Dad came to the hospital wanting to take us home there and then, but the doctors insisted on keeping us in overnight. Mum kept crying and hugging Josh, then hugging me. Dad scolded me for disobeying them then hugged me for being so brave.
“It was Jamie who saved us,” I told them. “We’d never have got away without him.”
They listened in silence as I told them all about it, how the kidnappers had locked us up, how they’d killed all the other children so they could sell their organs, how we’d sneaked away and Jamie had got the car going, driven through the iron gates, carried on driving even though he was cut and bleeding from the shattered windscreen.
“His little sister is dead,” I said, my voice breaking. “He went through all that to save her and she’s dead.”
Mum hugged me tight. “He’s a brave lad. His parents must be proud of him.”
I shook my head. “His mum’s dead and he doesn’t get on with his dad.”
“Perhaps this will bring them closer together,” Dad suggested.
Maybe it would. Surely Jamie’s dad would be heartbroken about Holly but relieved that Jamie was safe. Would the knowledge that he’d almost lost his son as well as his daughter make him appreciate Jamie more? Make him realize how much he loved him?
“Where is Jamie?” I asked. “Have you seen him? Is he okay?”
“We came straight to see you two,” Dad replied. “But I’ll go and find out.”
As soon as he left the room I looked at Mum. “Summer’s dad…”
She nodded. “I know. He’s that little girl’s father. Her mother’s at the hospital and I’ve just spoken to her. Apparently, she had an affair with Leo some years ago. He’s been supporting her and the little girl ever since. Tamara knew nothing about it, of course. That was part of the agreement. Leo would support them if Zeta, Emma’s mum, didn’t go public about the affair.”
I wondered if Summer and her mum knew yet. Poor Summer would be devastated. Would her parents split up? I remembered how I’d been jealous of the fact that they weren’t married like my parents, that they had a trendy relationship and stayed together solely through love. How stupid I’d been.
Dad came back in. “Jamie’s fine. He’s covered in cuts and bruises, and devastated about his little sister, of course. But he’s okay. They’re keeping him in overnight and releasing him tomorrow. His dad has just arrived. He was on a business trip in the Far East. Apparently he didn’t even know what was going on.”
I felt so sorry for Jamie. He had no one to turn to. “What kind of man goes on a business trip when his five-year-old daughter has been kidnapped?” I demanded, furious. “And doesn’t even bother to phone home and check how his son is?”
“Don’t judge him too harshly. People react to grief in different ways,” Dad said. “He only lost his wife eighteen months ago, didn’t he?”
“Yes, and Jamie and Holly lost their mother too,” I retorted.
The door opened and we all looked over at it, I expected to see a nurse or doctor. It was Leo. I was shocked how much he seemed to have aged. There were dark circles under his eyes and his face was devoid of colour.
“I wondered if I could have a word with Morgan,” he asked.
Dad nodded, but neither he nor Mum left the room.
Leo walked over to my bed. He sat down on the edge of it. “I want to thank you. You and that lad, Jamie, saved Emma’s life,” he said. “I don’t know what I’d have done if anything had happened to her.”
He loved Emma. I saw that. Okay, so he’d gone off with someone else and had a daughter. But he loved Emma and he’d helped look after her, which didn’t make him a bad man in my books.
“I thought you were involved in it,” I admitted. “I overheard the kidnappers say the organs were being delivered to Fernbrook Clinic.”
He sighed, and thrust his hand through his thick fair hair. “I was involved in it, Morgan, in as much that I accepted organs for transplants without thoroughly checking where they came from. I’ll never forgive myself for that. It almost cost Emma’s life. And Josh’s too. Not to mention yours and Jamie’s and all the other children who have been killed.”
“Do you know who’s behind it?” Dad asked. “Surely someone at the hospital must have known?”
“Yes, I’m afraid it was Dale Wyckham. He used the skin tissue and some organ tissues for cosmetic surgery. I trusted him, and accepted his assurance that the organs were shipped from abroad. That they came from children who’d died or been killed in accidents.”
Dale Wyckham? The top plastic surgeon, and Leo’s best friend? I shivered. The repercussions from that would be felt for months, maybe years to come. For once in my life I felt sorry for Summer, and was glad I wasn’t in her shoes.
Leo stood up. “Apparently, Dr. Francis, the doctor who performed the removal of the organs, killed herself when she saw the LEF officers outside. The rest of the gang have been rounded up. Thanks to you and Jamie, they’ll all be behind bars for a long, long time.”
“Why did that doctor get involved?” I asked. “I mean, I know the others did it for the money, but surely that isn’t why she did it?”
“Dr. Francis was involved in a huge research project to stem the ageing process and cure dementia. She was sure she was close to finding the cure,” Leo explained. “But she needed a continual supply of fresh body tissue for her research. She figured that the lives of a few disabled children was a small price to pay for her valued work.”
“She must have been insane!” I snapped.
Leo nodded. “I’m afraid brilliant scientists sometimes get so involved with their projects that they lose their sens
e of reality. Dr. Francis was one of them. She truly believed — falsely, of course — that the importance of her work justified the means by which she achieved success.”
The door opened again and an officer popped his head around the door. “If you could come down to the station with us, Mr. Maddison, we have some questions we’d like to ask you.”
Leo nodded. “Of course, Officer.”
He gave me a small smile. “You’re a brave girl, Morgan. Oh. And that ban about not seeing Summer? It’s lifted. I think she’s going to need a friend like you.”
Chapter Eighteen
Life went back to normal. Almost. At first the E-screen and newssheets were full of the story of our escape, making Jamie and I out to be some kind of heroes. But after a few days the fuss died down.
The public outcry about the illegal organ operations didn’t die down, though. The LEF found the dismembered bodies of thirty-five children buried in the grounds of the centre. People were outraged that so many children had been so callously killed just because they were disabled. E-stations, newssheets, radio servers were flooded with complaints. There was such a furore that the Ministry announced they were reviewing the way people with disabilities were treated in society and were working on a new bill to integrate them more fully. Fernbrook Clinic was quick to denounce the operation and deny any knowledge of the illicit organs trade.
Mum reckoned people felt guilty because they knew their attitude had contributed to the deaths of those children. She said maybe now people realized how stupid and dangerous it was to be obsessed with perfection and would have a bit more compassion for children like Josh. I hoped she was right.
Josh was a bit quiet and clingy; he didn’t want to let Mum or Dad out of his sight. They, in turn, were a bit over-protective with him. With both of us. Mum said you don’t realize how precious something is until you almost lose it and they’d almost lost both of us.
