by Tony McHale
Devika watched intently from inside the car. He wasn’t going to do it. It was taking too long. They should go … leave it.
There was a click and the lock opened. He was in.
He pushed the door, it was only just ajar … then the alarm went off.
Devika across the road heard it instantly and looked in horror.
There was no alarm … there was no alarm!
What Charlie and she had failed to think about was that when the locksmiths had arrived on the Monday to fix the broken locks, so did the alarm company. After a break-in it was time Shaw and Sherman fixed their alarm… which they did and the result was a shrill repetitious electronic sound announcing to the world that something was afoot at the local solicitors.
Devika expected Justin to abandon ship, throw himself into the back of the car and for the two of them to vanish into the night. He didn’t. He didn’t even seem to break stride. He ran up the stairs and without hesitation he smashed the sole of his trainers at the inner office door. The door splintered open.
The alarm was still blaring out.
Devika wasn’t sure what to do.
Shit … shit … shit!
Justin immediately picked out the desk that had the safe hidden underneath. He pushed Wendy’s chair out of the way and placed the key into the safe. The safe opened to reveal a number of papers and files. He rapidly started to look through them. An envelope … an envelope …
Devika was looking round … looking in every direction. She was expecting the police round the corner any second. Further down the street a light went on and a face appeared at a window.
The alarm was still going and Justin was still looking through the contents of the safe. It was full of files, envelopes, pieces of paper … where was the one he wanted? He knew he was pushing his luck.
Then there it was … an envelope. The writing was clear:
The Property of Caroline Ashton to be handed to the police on the death of her husband Jed Ashton.
Justin held onto the envelope tight and ran out of the office and down the stairs. As he came running out of the door Devika started the car. Justin flung open the backdoor, threw himself in and Devika accelerated away.
“I guess they had the alarm fixed.”
Devika couldn’t even nod.
* * * * *
At the Pavilion car park, Justin placed his holdall into the boot of his unremarkable Ford Focus and handed Devika the envelope. Things hadn’t gone exactly to plan, but they had got what they wanted.
“Thanks,” said Devika and she meant it.
“My pleasure,” said Justin and he meant it. His wait was over. Next stop Genesis Brown. He then kissed Devika on the cheek, the only tactile moment between them, jumped in his car and left.
Devika placed the envelope still unopened on the front seat of her car and set off towards Beck le Street. She wanted to get well clear of Whitby before she phoned Charlie. She wanted to know she was totally safe.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
Devika was just five miles out of Whitby when the rain started again. She switched on the Nissan’s wipers.
As she glanced at the envelope on the front seat she experienced a massive feeling of exhilaration. When she had persuaded Charlie that she would be the driver, she hadn’t realised what it would entail. She hadn’t considered the fear, the panic or the adrenalin rush. They’d done it and the proof was there next to her.
She managed to get her phone out of her bag, if the Nissan had a hands-free she didn’t know how to work it, and whilst keeping one eye on the road, she hit a speed dial number. As she waited for the line to connect she looked at the road ahead. The rain was coming fast and hard, but there were no other cars in sight. A steady drive back to Beck le Street where she would pick up Charlie and put everything to bed. The answer to what happened to Caroline was surely in the envelope.
Charlie now in his room at The Black Dog answered his phone on the first ring.
“Hello.”
“Hi - it’s me.”
Charlie’s relief was tangible.
“You okay?” he asked, still wanting proof it all went well.
“I’m fine.”
“And the ... night?”
“We got it. I have what we went for right here. Justin is half way to Genesis. All is good.”
Devika glanced in her mirror; the road was still all hers.
“Have you read it?”
“No … course not. I wouldn’t open it without you.”
“But you know it’s the right envelope?”
“On the front it says - The Property of Caroline Ashton to be handed to the police on the death of her husband Jed Ashton.
Charlie wondered what was so important that it couldn’t be given to the police until his father had died. He had to know.
“Open it.”
“Now?”
“Yeah … I want to know. Pull over and open it.”
“It’s okay, the road’s deserted.”
“Best pull over.”
“No. I want to get to you. Tell you all about it,” the adrenalin was still pumping.
“Leave the envelope then.”
“It’s alright. I can open it while I drive. You know what they say about multi-tasking and women.”
Charlie shook his head, but of course she didn’t see it.
Devika picked up the envelope from the seat and managed to grip the steering wheel and the envelope with one hand, whilst once again checking the road was clear.
“I’m just about to open it,” she informed Charlie hanging on the other end of the phone.
“Be careful.”
She used her thumb on her right hand to tear open the envelope, her long manicured nail getting into the slight gap and tearing open the flap.
“I’ve opened it. I’m just about to take it out.”
She glanced in her mirror again and for the first time there was a pair of headlights some distance behind.
“There’s another car.”
“Put down the phone, it might be a cop car, you don’t want pulling over.”
“I’m going to put it on my lap, I’ll keep talking to you.”
She pressed a button and switched the phone onto speaker before placing it on her lap.
“Can you still hear me?”
“Yeah … I can hear you fine.”
Now what’s this car doing?
This time when she looked in her mirror, the other car was much closer to her.
“He’s going at quite a lick … I’ll let him pass.”
“Yeah … don’t get in a race with him.”
“Don’t worry. Next straight bit of road ….”
Then crunch!
The car crashed into the back of the hire car making it jolt forward and at the same time throwing Devika towards the windscreen, with only her seat belt preventing her from hitting the steering wheel.
“What the fuck …?!”
Charlie had heard some noise, but wasn’t sure what was going on. Devika’s sudden exclamation made him realise things weren’t right.
“What’s happening …?” he called down the phone.
“Some fucker’s just …”
Crunch … this time the impact was harder and Devika had to fight to keep the car going in a straight line.
“Devika …!” Charlie was starting to get frantic.
“Someone’s ramming me,” she managed to spit out before the car was hit again.
“Just stop … just stop the car.”
“I can’t.”
Then another crunch … even more vicious.
Devika fought with the steering wheel. The car wanting to veer off the road. The impact coupled with the rain was making driving impossi
ble. She glanced in her mirror, trying to see the maniac who was trying to run her off the road. The rain was lashing down making visibility difficult back and front.
Then nothing. No lights nothing. She was back in control.
“He’s gone,” said a shocked Devika speaking to the phone that had somehow stayed on her lap. The envelope however had dropped from her hand and was now on the floor below her legs.
“What the hell was it?”
“No idea. Some nut job.”
“Just get back here.”
“That’s what I’m trying to do. Don’t hang up will you?”
“Course not,” Charlie reassured her.
“Let’s keep talking.”
“We will.”
Then there was the car again, this time headlights out, but right beside her. She couldn’t tell what sort or what type, she just saw a dark, sinister shape, running parallel with her, but there was something on its roof … but she couldn’t make out what.
“He’s back.”
“Just get off the road.”
“There’s nowhere to go.”
“Do something …”
“There’s nothing I can do.”
And in that moment Devika realised there really was nothing she could do. As if in slow motion the vehicle swerved across and crashed into the front end of her car.
Metal grinding with metal, screeching out into the night.
“I love you,” she just managed to say, as the vehicle hit her again.
Metal scraping on metal.
Devika’s car slewing this way and that. She could no longer hold the road. The car skidded out of control and turned three-sixty degrees in the road.
Devika screamed.
Charlie heard the scream.
“No!” he yelled.
The vehicle hit her again and her car ran off the edge of the road careering at speed directly into a large oak tree.
Charlie could hear the cacophony of sound. Then silence.
The front end of the car caved in on impact, crushing Devika with the steering wheel. Devika covered in blood, her body twisted and mangled remained motionless.
The other vehicle came to a halt and the driver climbed out and approached the heap of gnarled metal that once was a car.
Devika was aware of someone trying to open the driver’s door, but it wouldn’t move.
More silence.
Then there was the sound of breaking glass as what remained of the passenger window was smashed in and the passenger door pulled open. A figure leaned in. They were looking for something.
Even in her semi-conscious state Devika knew what they were looking for. Eventually they found it. It was still on the floor underneath the inert body of Devika. The figure pushed Devika’s bleeding legs out of the way and retrieved the envelope.
Then more silence.
There was something about the person … a smell … she knew the smell. What was that smell? But she was never going to be able to tell anyone, because as her eyes slowly closed, her heart stopped beating and she died.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
“Dev ... just ring me back ... Just let me know you’re okay. Stop fucking around will you. Just ring me back!” This was the fifth call Charlie had made to Devika’s mobile since leaving The Black Dog. Each time her voicemail had clicked in and each time he’d left a message, each of which had grown more frantic.Charlie knew whatever he’d heard wasn’t good. But he wouldn’t allow his brain to go to the worse case scenario. He wouldn’t allow himself to think that this was anything more than a scrape. Some drunken kids out in their mum’s car, or maybe a bunch of joyriders out of control, that’s all this was.
He drove as fast as the rain was falling, his wipers seemed to have trouble clearing the windscreen . He was about six or seven miles from Whitby when he saw the flashing blue lights way in the distance. This had to be for Devika.
As he drew close he could see an ambulance and two police cars. A police officer in a day-glo jacket was standing in the road waving a torch indicating for Charlie to slow down and pass with caution.The rain lashed down as Charlie halted the Range Rover and got out.
“Please sir. Could you get back in your car?”
“It’s my partner.”
“Your partner ..?” The officer hadn’t been prepared for this, he thought Charlie was just some inquisitive motorist.
“Yes ... I have to see her.”
“I’m sorry sir ... I can’t let you go near ...”
But it was as if Charlie hadn’t heard and he just kept walking.
“Sir ... you can’t ...”
The officer grabbed hold of Charlie’s arm, but Charlie just shrugged him off. The officer grabbed him again and this time Charlie turned on him and with both hands took hold of the day-glo jacket.
“Are you fucking stupid! She’s my ...!” The words just wouldn’t come out, but it didn’t matter. The intensity of Charlie’s statement was enough to cause the officer to back off long enough for Charlie to continue towards the car.
There were two paramedics and three police officers all looking strangely inanimate.
Why aren’t they doing anything?
The headlights of the police cars illuminated the mangled hire car and although the expressions the police and medics wore on their faces were new to Charlie, he understood them immediately. These expressions were saying there was nothing they could do. They were too late. Now it was a matter for the scenes of crime. This was now an exercise, could they piece together what happened on this wet, dark night? Was this a tragic accident or was someone at fault? But of course Charlie knew the answer.
As he got nearer to the car, the police officer managed to find his voice, “Sir ... please ...”
The other police and the paramedics turned and saw Charlie who had just reached the point where he could see into the car. There she was. Still. Too still to be alive.
Charlie just stared at her, not quite believing what he was seeing. The others realised this wasn’t just some passing motorist who had decided to stop and feast his eyes on what was the nearest he’d get to a real horror movie. There was something in Charlie’s stance, something in his look that said he knew this person whose life had just been snatched from them.
A police woman gently approached him.
“Do you want to come over here sir? Then we can talk …” said the police woman in a tone that made you want to do what she asked.
Charlie just nodded and moved away from the carnage, but he did take one glance back, his last look at Devika, before saying, “Can’t you cover her up?”
“We have to wait till the scenes of crime arrive. They need to see the accident … as it is.”
“Right.” Even in his shocked state, this made total sense to Charlie.
The police woman led him over to a police car and opened the door so he could sit in out of the rain.
“Can you tell us your name?”
“Charlie … Ashton.”
If the name meant anything to the officer she didn’t let it register.
“And the name of the woman?”
“Devika Bahl.”
“Can you spell that for me please?”
Charlie spelt out the whole name slowly and deliberately.
“How come you’re here … now?”
“She was coming to see me.”
“Where?”
“Beck le Street … she was picking me up.”
The police woman took out her notebook, but realised it was too wet to write anything. Then without another question, Charlie just said, “I heard it all … on the phone … I heard it all.”
“Could you explain that for me please?”
“She was on the phone … when it happened
.”
“On the phone … driving …?”
“Yes.”
“Look sir, I think we better stop there. I don’t want you to say anything that later you might regret.”
“Someone was trying to run her off the road …”
“Sir … I think we should get you to the station and then take a statement.”
“I heard it on the phone.”
The Police Woman was joined by one of the paramedics, a burly man who would have looked right with a lot of kids.
“You okay love … need some help?”
“This is Mr Ashton … he knows the young lady.”
“Charlie Ashton …?”
Charlie looked up at the mention of his name.
“I’m really sorry …”
Charlie didn’t know if he was talking about his mother or Devika. In reality he was talking about both.
“I think it would be advisable if we were to take you to the hospital, get you checked over.”
“No … no. I’m okay … really.” Charlie clambered out of the car. He seemed oblivious to the teaming rain. He looked back over to where he knew Devika’s body was still lying.
“I really don’t think you should drive.” The police woman was genuinely concerned. She was worried that Charlie might be the second major RTA that night.
As for Charlie, he was no doubt confused. Part of him wanted to stay with Devika and another part of him wanted to get as far away as possible. Seeing his mother’s body all neatly laid out was disturbing, but it was nothing like seeing the crushed, crumpled body of the girl he loved. Yeah – he did love her. It wasn’t just a moment of heightened emotion because of her death … he did love her. He’d love her forever … He’d loved her before he met her … He’d just never told her.
Another car was heard approaching, more blue lights. Another police car from Whitby.
“Excuse me,” said the police woman and went over to greet the arriving vehicle.
It came to a halt not far from Charlie and he saw a large man get out of the front passenger seat. Then he heard the police woman say, “Good evening sir.” The rest of the conversation she had with her superior was lost in the night rain, but because of the number of glances that were aimed in his direction, Charlie was in no doubt a sizeable portion of that conversation was about him. After a short time the tall figure, accompanied by the police woman came over to Charlie. The new arrival didn’t hesitate in introducing himself.
