‘But I can at least be a decent friend,’ Charlie insisted, guiding her towards the exit.‘Which is why I’m ordering you to go home and put your feet up.I’ll call you later, OK?, and when I’ve got a spare second, I’ll pop round, so we can have a proper chat.’
Helen paused on the threshold, ignoring the custody sergeant’s curiosity, staring at Charlie with real emotion.She’d hated this feeling of distance between them, the sense that she had angered and disappointed her by the stance she’d made, somehow sacrificing the only real friend she’d ever had in the process.She longed for reconciliation and now, for the first time in ages, she saw a softening in her old friend’s expression, hints of the former warmth they’d shared.Relieved, she leaned in for a hug, pulling her colleague to her.
‘You are a good pal,’ Helen whispered fiercely.‘I do know that and I’m sorry.’
‘Nothing to be sorry for,’ Charlie responded, slowly disengaging.‘Now, you get yourself straight home, right?I’ll deal with the paperwork.’
She gave Helen a mock stern look, earning a smile.Turning, Helen patted her on the arm once more, heading out of the building and down the steps towards the car park, adrenaline and sheer relief driving her forward.Her arresting officers had at least allowed her the courtesy of driving herself to the station, once she’d promised to comply with all their instructions, and she made her way to her Kawasaki now.Mounting it, she fired up the ignition and pulled smartly away, keen to put her embarrassment behind her.
Cruising through the city centre, Helen’s mind pulsed with contradictory thoughts, her heart with competing instincts.Charlie was right of course, she was foolhardy to put herself in danger, for her own sake as much as for the baby she was carrying.But the logical extension of this line of thought was that Helen would soon be pottering around at home, taking care of herself and her offspring, whilst outside the world continued to turn with its predictable parade of selfishness, wrongdoing and criminality.Could Helen just sit back and pretend that none of that existed?That the suffering she’d glimpsed first-hand in the last few days was some kind of illusion?She already knew the answer to that.
It was late now, the city lights sparkling in the darkness, so Helen made swift progress through the quiet streets, arriving at South Hants hospital in under ten minutes.Parking up, she padded down the western fringe of the main building, making her way to her hiding place behind the parked ambulances.Her plan was a simple one, possibly a forlorn hope, but it was her only play now.She had done as much as she could with Rachel Firth, who would no doubt be scrupulous now to keepany connection to the illegal workers concealed.Business was business, however, and contracts had to be honoured.Medical waste still had to be bagged up and spirited away, hence why she’d returned to the hospital tonight.
Minutes became hours and still there was no sign of the van, then suddenly two beams of white light illuminated her hiding place.Ducking behind the parked vehicles, Helen clung to the shadows, watching as the dented white van pulled up in the hatched loading bay.Moments later, the back doors were flung open and the disenfranchised workers piled out, the masked women trooping into the hospital through the staff entrance.One of the workers was markedly slower than the others, hobbling towards the hospital as though barely able to stand.Taking a step forward, Helen ran her eye over the poor woman.Was it her imagination or was this the same woman who’d thrust the note into Helen’s hand?She looked about the same height, had the same build and similar shoulder-length hair.Was this her?If so, what onearthhad happened to her?
Consumed by anger, Helen watched the woman disappear inside, waiting patiently for the remaining minder to wander off, phone clamped to his ear.Then, spying a porter approaching the rear doors, Helen made her move, waiting until he’d buzzed the doors open, before slipping inside the building behind him.Up until now, she’d sat back, been circumspect, but the time for caution was over.These women were clearly in grave danger and she was no longer prepared to sit back and ignore their plight.
It was time to act.
Chapter 73
The moment of truth was approaching, but still Viyan wondered if she would have the nerve to go through with it.Following Leyla’s bitter denunciation of her indolence and disobedience earlier, her minder had been told to stick to Viyan like glue, an order he was clearly determined to fulfil.The heartless thug followed his orders to the letter, whispering dire threats whenever a hospital porter or nurse came into view, reminding Viyan that, if necessary, her life could be snuffed out in an instant.How she loathed him and his accomplices, how she despised the Dutch low-life who’d brought her here, how she hated Leyla, the malevolent, beating heart of this awful nightmare.They seemed to enjoy her humiliation, her pain, and would no doubt continue to do so until her beleaguered body finally gave up the ghost.She was resolved, however, not to give them the chance.
Quiet determination was one thing, however, taking action quite another.She knew this was her moment, but her whole body was shaking, her nerves jangling wildly.Approaching the surgery block, Viyan felt in her hoodie pocket for her latex gloves, trying her best to act as if it was business as usual.Retrieving them, she tried to put the gloves on, but the latex stuck to her fingers and she found it impossible to tease them open.
‘Come on, come on,’ her minder breathed angrily.‘We haven’t got all day.’
Viyan could feel his eyes upon her, struggling desperately to conceal her anxiety, the tension which gripped her body.
‘I’m trying,’ she whispered fiercely.
‘Well, try harder.Because I ain’t going to do this shit for you.’
Irked, he gestured at the bins, which contained the detritus of a day’s surgical work.Stained swabs, discarded clips, blood, bone, tissue and mucus, the contents always turned Viyan’s stomach and it was no different today, the young woman swaying slightly as she approached the forbidding containers.Liberation was close at hand, but she suddenly felt faint and breathless.
‘I said get on with it, bitch.’
A fist connected with her spine, sending her stumbling into the bins, her hip connecting sharply with the metal edge.
‘We’ve got two more jobs after this one, so get a move on …’
Angry, hurting, Viyan tugged on the gloves and opened the nearest bin, heaving the bulging sack out of the container and laying it carefully on the floor.This one was even heavier than usual, Viyan unsure whether she’d be able to carry it in her current state and she paused to gather her breath, energy leaching from her delicate frame.
‘Don’t you dare dawdle, because I will hurt you …’ her minder breathed.
Wasn’t that the truth?Hadn’t he and his fellow thugs been hurting her every day since she first stumbled out of the shipping container?As her captor advanced upon her, Viyan felt a righteous fury rise in her heart, suddenly overcome by the desire to throw his anger, his disgust, his vitriol back in his face.He was nearly upon her now, so channelling her fury, Viyan tugged at the adhesive strip that sealed the top of the bag, ripping furiously at the heavy plastic.
‘What the hell are you doing?’her minder cried out, alarmed.
But it was too late.With a roar of pure rage, Viyan tore the heavy bag open, its gory contents erupting onto the floor, splashing up off the tired lino and cascading onto her tormentor’s shoes.
‘Oh God,’ he howled, gagging.‘What the hell have you done?’
Desperately, he extricated his feet and searched for something to get the offending waste off his clothes, wrenching open a nearby cupboard.For a moment, all thoughts of his charge were forgotten, his attention consumed by his dripping trousers and sodden shoes.And in that instant, Viyan made her move.
Dropping the filthy bag, she turned on her heel and started to run.
Chapter 74
