Heather's Hectic Weekend Pt. 04

Rats, it wouldn't open. The pin thingy seemed to be fixed down.

She was still wondering if she'd been beaten by a child lock when he got in and started the engine.

'We're going for a drive,' he told her. 'You just sit there and don't do anything stupid. One false move and it'll be bang, bang. Get my drift?'

He had put the gun in the open-top door storage compartment to his right. No way could she reach it belted up. And no way could she remove the belt and dive across his body before he could retrieve it. Heroics along those lines would end up with her being shot . . . unless they crashed into something first.

She nodded and said nothing

*****

Dazzler drove them uphill, away from the university and away from town. In a matter of minutes they were beyond terraces and housing estates, heading for open countryside.

Heather couldn't help wondering if they were going to the Forest of Bowland; and if there was a spade in the BMW's boot.

I'll brain him with it, she decided. I'll do a Roger Brook and brain him with it.

Her knowledge of the locality was limited. She could drive but, determined to wring every ounce out of student life, hadn't bothered getting a vehicle. In her opinion drink-driving wasn't an option and neither was forgoing gallons of beer and vats of wine. Consequently she knew the town centre like the back of her hand and its outskirts hardly at all.

It was, she realized, very much uphill and down dale out there. And, leaving the main Preston road, it only got more mountainous.

That is to say, relatively mountainous. The Alps wouldn't have lost sleep over the competition.

After perhaps twenty minutes Dazzler turned off the latest minor road onto what was little more than a track. Heather noticed a KEEP OUT sign headed by "North West Water Authority" and frowned. When she paid her water rates it was to United Utilities. There again, the sign was old and looked as if it had had a shotgun emptied into it somewhere in the distant past. Maybe names had changed.

Dazzler obviously wasn't a great respecter of signs. He kept going up and up, trees and undergrowth closing around them until it seemed as if they were driving through the throat of a leafy monster. Then the foliage retreated and they were out in the open again, drawing to a halt where the track ended on a small gravel parking area.

Under other circumstances Heather would have been impressed by the location. They had stopped a few yards short of plunging into a good-looking pond which filled the thin valley ahead of them. The water reflected the sky and clouds in some places and was a pleasant green in others. The green bits went well with the surroundings, which were verdant indeed. Small bushes and trees flourished and completely encircled the baby lake.

Perfect for a picnic, she thought, recalling the KEEP OUT sign and supposing that this was private land.

'It's a lovely place to be fucked, isn't it?' Dazzler leered at her. 'This is the most popular spot for miles when it comes to knobbing someone you shouldn't.'

'How romantic of you to point that out,' Heather observed flatly.

She was trying to appear resigned and compliant but inside her brain was whirring. This place wasn't as remote as the Forest of Bowland. It also belonged to some water authority or other, so it probably didn't count as a decent burial ground. It was good for seclusion, though. Other folk seemed to obey the sign and keep away.

And where was there to run to? Nowhere, that was where. The undergrowth was thick; the only quick way through it was back down the track. Apart from swimming for it across the lake there simply was no alternative. And even she couldn't outrun a BMW.

Heather had another look at the water. The surface was about twenty feet below them and therefore presented a problem in itself. Without knowing how deep it was, how would she get in? Diving might easily result in a broken neck. And jumping might result in a broken leg. She'd have to scramble down the steep banking and wade.

And Dazzler wasn't likely to stand by and watch her, was he?

Come to that, how cold was it in there? The sun was pleasant enough today, but it hadn't been out a lot lately. And it was April, not July or August . . .

There was only one conclusion to arrive at and Heather accepted it.

If she was going to escape she was going to have to fight a man with a gun.

Somehow.

Chapter Thirty-Three

(Monday 29th April 2002)

'I suppose you're wondering how you ended up in this mess.'

Heather glanced at Dazzler. He'd unfastened his seatbelt and was pointing the weapon in her general direction, holding it in his right hand, just out of reach. Even if she'd been allowed to unfasten her own seatbelt she couldn't have attacked him. Out of reach or not, that gun couldn't miss; she would be full of lead before she got over the gearstick.

'It did cross my mind,' she admitted, keen to get him talking; keen to get him to make a mistake.

'Spider was royally pissed off with you and your mate on Friday,' Dazzler obliged. 'He reckoned Miss Big Tits hadn't settled her dues and it was your fault.'

'I take it you mean Carrie; the girl you all raped.'

'Don't give me that; she was gagging for it. It was more like her raping us than the other way round.'

Heather could actually believe him but didn't let it show. 'She was out of her head,' she said. 'She was in no fit state to consent to anything. Therefore it was rape.'

'That's fucking feminist bullshit crap!' Dazzler exploded.

'No it isn't,' Heather contradicted, 'I bet her levels were off the scale. When you get to court everyone will think she wasn't even conscious.'

'Of course she was fucking conscious.'

'Well you would say that, wouldn't you?'

Dazzler glared at her then started to laugh. 'You don't get me going that easy,' he said. 'And Spider's not the sort to go to court. The case will never happen.'

'Maybe it won't, but only because he'll be banged up on a drugs rap.'

Now Dazzler's laughter was out of control; or so she hoped. Heather's right hand inched towards her seatbelt release . . . only to stop when the gun moved menacingly.

'You're too much,' he told her. 'I'd hate to have to shoot you at this early stage in proceedings.'

She forced herself to sink back into the plush leather upholstery.

'You were going to tell me a story,' she prompted.

'Yeah, so I was.' Dazzler clearly wanted to let her know how clever he was. He launched into his tale without further ado.

'Saturday morning, right, when you were doing student things,' he laughed again, 'that's when we got busy. You'll have been sleeping off your magic mushrooms or whatever, as far away from "school" as possible. Not me and Spider. We were in there on your case.'

'You went into uni?' asked Heather, feigning surprise.

'Yeah, we knew Miss Big Tits was a football star with her own team and reckoned her bosom buddies might be on the squad.'

His laugh was beginning to bug Heather. She did her best not to let it show.

'How helpful is your university,' he went on. 'They even have maps with "you are here" arrows. And the security is non-existent. Mind you, we were dressed for the part, in our shittiest old clothes. We fit right in and nobody said a word.'

'Ha, ha,' Heather volunteered.

'It must have taken us five minutes to find the football notice board. And then another two seconds to find this.'

He passed over a photo and Heather winced. She'd been expecting one of the whole team, all lined up and saying "cheese". Instead Dazzler had got the only snap ever taken of the three amigos arm-in-arm together.

She closed her eyes and wondered why she hadn't remembered that image was there on prominent public display. She should have snaffled it long before the likes of Spider came prowling.

The picture had been taken shortly after the most recent cup final. They were in the dressing room but still in their grass-stained kit. Carrie, the triumphant captain, was in the middle holding the trophy. The hat-trick scorer Naz was to her left with the trophy's lid on her head, looking as if she'd won the actual FA Cup itself. And Heather, scorer of the winning goal, was holding a bottle of best bitter up in salute.

'Spider recognized you straightaway,' said Dazzler. 'And we got your names easy enough from the report pinned under the photo. Okay, I had to confirm them today, but that didn't take long.'

'Why bother?' asked Heather. 'Who are you trying to impress? Spider's going down for years.'

'You're not listening properly. Spider won't make it past Magistrates' Court. Those magistrates have husbands and wives, sons and daughters. And there's a black sheep in every family, isn't there? He has something on every one of them. Hell, some of them are users themselves.'

'Maybe he can get away with it for small charges,' Heather said, a tad hopefully, 'but this is too big.'

'Bollocks. He'll be out in a day or two. And I'm going to give him you as a welcome home present; you and your fit little mate.'

Chapter Thirty-Four

(Monday 29th April 2002)

Heather looked at the handful of tablets with disgust.

'In your dreams,' she said.

Dazzler shrugged and tipped the pills into a plastic packet. 'Suit yourself,' he said, putting the packet back inside his jacket. 'I was only thinking of you. You'd enjoy your fucking a lot more if you had a couple of them.'

She glared at him. 'In your dreams,' she said again.

'Here's how it is,' he told her, laughing his annoying laugh, 'I need addresses for you and Naz. I need them for Spider, you see. He'll be collecting Carrie's debt from both of you . . . with interest at an APR that'll make your eyes water. Ideally I'd have you both there, hot and ready for him, but that ain't likely to happen.'

'Too bloody right it's not!'

'So what I'm going to do is this,' the dealer continued. 'I'm going to fuck you until I've broken your will. That might take a while, I know, but I've got all afternoon. Then, when you've given me those two addresses and I'm sure you're too scared to run, I'm going to set you free. You can go home and wait for Spider to come calling.'

'You're bananas.' Heather shook her head. 'You're absolutely crazy.'

Dazzler made the gun click and raised the barrel, moving aim from her tummy to between her eyes.

'Fucked or dead,' he said, 'makes no difference to me.'

Heather said nothing. He obviously took that as consent.

'Okay,' he said, 'we'll do it al fresco. And if you're really good I'll do you with the gun. You'd like that, wouldn't you, having a loaded pistol up your pussy? I bet you're wet just thinking about it.'

While he got out of the car Heather did her utmost to clear her mind. Running or swimming for it were both still out of the question. She was going to have to fight. And to do that she had to find that calm place she went to before a big competition, that inner tranquillity.

That wasn't so easy, though. Dazzler's lunacy had frightened her deep down.

Does he know I can fight, she wondered. How much did he see between me and his sidekick; just a lucky elbow or enough to make him wary?

Dazzler opened the passenger door. 'Take off your seatbelt and step outside,' he ordered.

Heather did as he said, eying him closely. He'd detoured to the boot as he rounded the BMW and now had several short bits of rope over his shoulder and a blanket in his free hand.

'See,' he said, 'I'm nothing if not considerate. And I'm not bothering with a gag. You can scream as loud as you like up here. Nobody will hear you.'

She glanced at the lake and this time his laugh jarred every nerve in her body.

'Don't even think about it,' said he. 'That res has got a high lead content. That's why it's not used for drinking water anymore. It does have fish in it, but they've all got two heads. That's why-'

As he spoke a zephyr of wind lifted one of the pieces of rope, threatening to blow it away. It caught his attention for a fraction of a second . . .

And that was the mistake Heather had been waiting for. Moving faster than lightning, she chopped at his wrist with the edge of her left hand, hitting him harder than she'd ever hit anything before.

Her yell was almost as loud as his. In her case it was mostly pent-up aggression but it was pain too. She could break wood, bricks or breeze blocks without hurting herself but not Dazzler's bones, or so it seemed.

Dazzler's yell was pure agony. The gun flew out of his hand, hitting the gravel and discharging a bullet that zinged away harmlessly into the trees. Acting instinctively, Heather kicked at it, catching it neatly, sending it spinning out of sight over the banking, hearing the splash as it entered the water.

'You fucking cunt,' Dazzler bawled, cradling his broken wrist to his chest. 'I'm gonna . . .'

Heather had heard enough. She'd been called a "cunt" one time to many. She feigned a punch with her right then, as her captor jerked away, drove a perfect palm heel strike in with her left. Dazzler's beak of a nose exploded under the impact. He reeled backwards, somehow staying on his feet and coming to rest right on the edge of the banking.

Heather grinned in spite of everything. Dazzler was at tipping point; the slightest movement would send him over. He made her think of Wile E Coyote, on the verge of falling off yet another cliff. Heck, he was even clawing at the air with his undamaged hand, as if as fistful of molecules of nitrogen and oxygen might be sufficient to haul him back from the brink.

And maybe it was because he didn't fall and lurched towards her instead. It was hard to tell what he was saying now, thanks to his nose being halfway across his cheek. Heather decided it probably was nothing she wanted to hear and moved to meet him.

'Sticks and stones,' she said defiantly. 'Now surrender or I really will hurt you.'

Dazzler must have outweighed her by at least five stones but he didn't seem to appreciate that bigger didn't necessarily mean better. Or perhaps he just classed her as a girl: fit to be raped but in no way an opponent to be feared. Whatever it was, he didn't back down.

Neither did Heather. She feigned a left then threw in a right-hand palm strike that caught Dazzler on the temple. He responded with a roundhouse thump that she couldn't entirely avoid. Taking it on her shoulder she nipped forward, into the position she'd been angling for.

Inside his guard.

Dazzler tried to grab her, sensing that a bear hug would turn the tide. He was too late though. Yelling louder than ever, she smashed her knee up into his balls, crushing them. Then, as he threw back his head in agony, she butted him smack on his ruined nose.

This time there was no cartoon cliff-hanging. This time Dazzler went straight over, crashing through undergrowth before hitting the lake with a might splosh!

'One hundred and EIGHTY,' Heather cried as she extravagantly fist-pumped, 'game over, player one!'

Then she heard the cries.

'Help me! I can't swim!!'

Chapter Thirty-Five

(Monday 29th April 2002)

It turned out that the water would have been deep enough to dive in after all. And it certainly looked as if Dazzler was telling the truth about being a non-swimmer. He was panicking and floundering big-time.

Heather had done life-saving years ago at her fancy school. Even so she hesitated to take the plunge. This wasn't a test in a nice warm swimming pool with an instructor to hand; this was the real thing in a remote place with nobody to hand. If she screwed up they would both die. And she didn't really fancy spending all eternity with Dazzler in a bed of lake-bottom mud.

Grabbing three pieces of rope she scrambled down the banking, stopping against a decent-sized sapling. The first yard or so of the baby tree grew out over the lake, at a right angle to the slope, as did several of its neighbours. Then, like all the others, there was a sharp turn in its trunk and the rest of it reached vertically for the sun.

Heather tested it for strength before hooking her right arm around it and leaning out as far as she was able over the water. Dazzler was perhaps a yard away, floundering and yelling more weakly now. He had probably been under the statutory three times and didn't look as if he'd survive a fourth ducking.

'Catch,' she urged, gripping one end of a rope and tossing the other end towards him.

Dazzler didn't need telling twice. He snatched at the lifeline like . . . well, like a drowning man.

'Keep hold,' Heather advised, pulling herself tight against the sapling, at the same time pulling on the rope and towing the drug dealer to the shore. As rescues go it wasn't very complicated. Dazzler did, however, make a meal out of it. Still panicking, he couldn't seem to sus how to get out of the last few feet of water, even with something solid (if sludgy) under him.

In the end Heather grabbed him under the arms and used brute strength to heave him ashore.

Flat on his back, frequently spewing dirty water he was, she had to admit, a pitiful sight. Deathly pale with blue lips and chattering teeth, he clearly wasn't going to renew hostilities anytime soon. Covering him with the blanket, she shook her head.

'It looks like your romantic afternoon is off,' she said. 'And you're the one who got wet over it, not me.'

*****

To Heather's surprise the fire brigade were first responders to her 999 call. She hadn't even asked for them but didn't object when two hunky fire-fighters offered to "check her over" while their buddies went to check out Dazzler down by the water's edge.

The emergency ambulance arrived next, closely followed by two police cars. No she advised them, she didn't need a trip to Casualty and yes, she was prepared to tell the sergeant in charge what had happened.

Stuffypants showed up shortly before her tale was completely told.

'I told you to keep away from him,' she began.

'I did,' Heather protested. 'His mate grabbed me. And I didn't know he had any mates.'

'She means Willy-Boy Jones,' the sergeant put in. 'He's in Casualty with concussion and a broken jaw. Roy was in the university car park, looking for this BMW when we got the call from a student who had just found him. Roy's claiming fastest response time of the month, by the way.'

'Was that you?' said Stuffypants, glaring at Heather.

'I suppose so.' She shrugged. 'I was acting in self-defence.'

'You gave him concussion and a broken jaw?'

'I guess I did. 'Heather shrugged again. 'It was me or him.'

'What about Dazzler? Why did you save your self-defence until he'd brought you up here?'

'He had a gun. I had to bide my time a bit with him.'

'He had a gun!' Stuffypants' eyes gleamed. 'Then we're talking a minimum of five years before we even get started on the abduction. Where is it?'

Heather stood behind a scuff mark in the gravel and pointed straight out over the water. 'It's about ten yards thataway. And Dazzler's got drugs on him, by the way. Some sort of pills.'

Aided by two firemen, the ambulance team had just brought the dealer up on a stretcher, trussed like a chicken to keep him from falling off. The uniformed sergeant told one of his officers to get in the ambulance and commandeer his clothes and all his possessions as soon as they got to the hospital.

'I'll get the divers up,' he said, addressing Stuffypants. 'And we'll secure the vehicle until Forensics has done with it.'

'The gun went off,' Heather told them, 'when I knocked it out of his hand, I mean. He didn't try to shoot me or anything. The bullet went into those trees over there.' Then, noticing everybody staring at her: 'What?'

'I'm going to get you off the streets,' said Stuffypants, 'you're more dangerous than anyone else out of captivity.'

Epilogue

(Monday 29th April 2002)

'Am I under arrest?' Heather asked as Stuffypants drove them down the track, past the KEEP OUT sign.