New Directions (17)

Tiny specks of light penetrated the darkness. Sitting on a dusty floor with my back against a rough wall, dust motes glittered in the narrow shafts of light coming from cracks between mud bricks. Somebody whispered to me in French. I recognised the voice, ‘Don’t worry I’ll soon have this patched up, then you can go in the ambulance,’ what he said made no sense, but not because it was in French – I understood that perfectly. Why would I be in the middle of Chad waiting for an ambulance? The door opposite burst open, blinding sunlight flooded in. I grabbed my rifle and tried to jump up, but a weight held me down. A black silhouette appeared, ‘reste oú tu es ou je te fais … blow your fucking head off,’ I was shouting when I opened my eyes and saw a blur of yellow hi-vis jackets and green trousers.

‘Easy – eeasy!’ a paramedic kneeling beside me said as he struggled to keep me from sitting upright in Celia’s other chair. I looked around – bright yellow everywhere. I seemed to be surrounded by ambulance personnel and police uniforms talking into mobile phones pinned to their jackets. I relaxed and let the guy finish sticking butterfly plasters over the now blood free hole over my eyebrow.

The mist cleared instantly when the mass of yellow merged into two ambulance guys carefully transferring Celia onto a gurney. ‘Is Celia ok?’

‘Who?’ the paramedic said.

‘The old lady, Miss Bowes.’ I tried to get up again.

Andy, as I found out he was called, let me sit up. ‘Don’t try to stand, mate. . . . Miss Bowes is very badly bruised and she’s taken quite a beating, she might have a cracked rib. She’ll need a lot of care, but she should be OK. Is she a relative?’

I shook my head, ‘I only met her yesterday. I visited her on business. She’s a really nice lady . . . fucking animals.’

‘Everyone here’s with you on that, pal. You’re next by the way.’

‘What?’

‘Hospital, there’s another ambulance on its way for you.’

‘I don’t need hospital, I only cracked my head on the floor. I’ll be alright.’

‘You were out for twenty minutes, that ain’t alright my friend. You need to be checked for concussion at the very least.’

‘Shit.’

Dev was standing by the hallway leading to the kitchen talking to a copper taking notes. When the cop saw I was awake he came over. How y’doing chum?’ he said.

‘Been better, mate. I’ll live.’

‘I won’t bother you now, you’ll be off to hospital in a minute, but we’ll need to take a statement. We’ll send an officer to come see you once the docs have given you the ok.’

A statement. That meant I’d have give up my address and probably a shitload of other stuff. It occurred to me a rest up in hospital would give me time to think up what to tell them. ‘Ok, thanks, I appreciate that. I don’t think I’m up to it at the mo.’ I added what I hoped was a wounded smile. ‘Oh, can I have a word with my colleague before they take me?

Dev came over. Andy went off to find the ambulance for me. ‘I have to stay here for the moment. I own the property. What a mess. I have to go to the police in Newbury and make a statement after they finish here.’

‘You better use my car, then you can come and get me from the hospital, I don’t think they’ll keep me in, they’ll just do some stupid tests I guess.’

‘Yes of course I will, Terence. I will try to see Miss Bowes as well. Do you have your phone?’ I looked around and realised they’d taken off my coat and was lying in shirtsleeves under one of the foil type blankets.

‘Check my coat pocket. I hope it’s not kaput.’ The phone was still in one piece, I slipped it into my trousers. ‘Be careful what you say to the law, Dev, I muttered.’

‘Don’t worry, they don’t need to know why we were here’

‘Good lad. One other thing. Did anybody find that truncheon?’ Dev shook his head.

‘I don’t think so. Why?’

I sighed, ‘I don’t think the law will be too pleased if they knew I entered here already armed. They might start asking awkward questions. If you find it before they do stick in your pocket. After that bloke knocked me flying it could be anywhere.’

‘I’ll do my best. I will be the last one out I expect.’

‘Yeah, but be careful, you won’t be the last out. The cops’ll tie this place up with incident tape and no doubt a bunch of rug-rats will come soon with their DNA swabs and fingerprint kits. They won’t like you touching stuff.’

The friendly copper came over with a couple of hi-vis ambulance guys. ‘Your limousine is outside, Mr. James.’ Sandwiched in bright yellow they escorted me out to the meat wagon.