THREE
There was something about the tone in P.C Williams’ voice on the radio that had set Pete Mulgraves’ nerves on edge. Yes, he had confirmed to the policeman, his generator was up and running and that although the internet and phones were in and out at best that yes their radio communication to the mainland was working just fine.
The short range radio Williams was using was as static as hell and his voice faded in and out due to the storm, but there was no escaping the fear in the copper’s voice. He was on his way up Williams had told him, with a woman he had found wandering around out in this weather. Not only that but W.P.C Munro was also on her way up here with doc’ Mayfield so he could check the woman over. Looked like shock, Williams had told him, or worse.
Well that served him right for going on at Mooney at just how bored he had been. That numbing monotony felt like bliss now.
Pete stood by the window looking out into the night with a growing sense of trepidation. “Bloody students,” he whispered. He tried to convince himself this was just some lovers tiff gone wrong. That the woman was just some drunken student who’d had a fight with her boyfriend over at the retreat and then stormed off dramatically into the night without fully realising how bad the weather was.
He was contemplating the best case scenario he could muster when a set of headlights flashed across the front of the prefab office and a police car came to a stop outside. Pete moved over to the door and opened it slightly. He was immediately assaulted by the wind and rain outside. “Jesus,” he had to put his shoulder against it to stop it blowing right off its hinges.
He could barely make out the two figures get out of the car and struggle through the deluge towards him. As they reached the door he opened it just slightly more.
“Christ Ian!” He shouted above the storm. “Get inside, mate.”
P.C Williams had his coat draped around the young woman as he ushered her inside. Pete was about to speak, when he saw that the woman didn’t react at all the wind and rain that was buffeting them from all sides as they struggled inside. She was soaked to the skin, with her hair plastered to her head but her expression was blank and she wasn’t even shivering. He instantly looked away from her and to the grimacing policeman, suddenly fearful that empty gaze might fall on him.
“Hell of a night!” Williams said as Pete forced the door shut and locked it.
“Yeah,” Pete replied resting his back against the door. “If this carries on for another forty days we are fucked.”
This won the slightest of smiles from Williams who was still holding on tightly to the woman. “Yeah, feels that way tonight, mate.” He said grimly and guided the woman over to a nearby chair. “Here you go, love. Sit here, you’re safe and warm now.” He stiffly sat her down.
“Christ,” Pete said. “What happened to her?”
Williams shrugged, Pete could hear the policeman’s teeth chattering from where he was standing. “Dunno, I was doing a quick sweep of the docks, y’know, just in case? She was standing right in the middle of the road. Jesus, if my car hadn’t have stalled I might well have hit her.” Williams shuddered at the thought.
He suddenly tore his gaze away from the woman and took in the room. “No sign of Suzy and the doc’ yet?”
“Nar,” Pete shook his head. “The doc’s place is at the far end of the island, they won’t be here for a while yet.” He gestured outside. “Especially in this shit. That track up here is treacherous at the best of times.”
Williams gave a snort. “Don’t have to tell me, Pete. Nearly killed us both at least twice getting up here.”
It was now that Pete noticed several patches of dark stains on the woman’s front. “Shit. Is she okay? I got a first aid kit out back.”
“I don’t think it’s her blood.” Williams said absently studying the forlorn figure seated in front of them. Then he seemed to snap out if it somewhat. “Here, Pete. Get her a blanket will you?”
“Sure,” Pete replied and darted out of the room.
Williams knelt down in front of the catatonic woman, he noticed Pete had a small portable heater by his desk and so turned it slightly so it was blowing warm air on her soaked legs. “Hey?” He said softly but she just looked off into the distance over his shoulder to God only knew what horrors.
She put him in mind of a photograph he had once seen of a traumatized soldier from the Vietnam war by the famous war photographer Don McCullin. He had seen the young man sitting on his own during the Tet offensive, just staring off into space and had taken several shots of the soldier and it wasn’t until he had developed them that he had notice that although he had used a single shot manual wind camera, each shot was exactly the same. The soldier hadn’t moved so much a muscle in the time it had taken him to click, wind, click, wind the film. The thousand yard stare they called it.
“What have you seen?” Williams whispered softly, more to himself really than the woman.
“Here we go,” Pete came back into the room with an armful of blankets. He dumped them on a table and then proceeded to wrap one, then another around the woman’s shoulders. “Soon have you as warm as toast.” Pete told her.
“Pete, I need to go back out there, back down to the docks.” It came out before Williams could think about what he was saying. He knew it was the only option but still he didn’t relish going back to that strange place down by the docks. He absently wondered if it would still be inexplicably dry.
”Oh,” Pete replied. Clearly not relishing being alone with the catatonic woman.
“Keep here warm, as best you can,” Williams told him. “Maybe see if she’ll drink something. Suzy should be here soon with the doctor.”
“Right then.” Pete said.
Williams moved back over to the door, he was about to say something to the woman but thought better of it, he knew it wouldn’t register with her in her current state. “Pete, if she does say anything, anything at all. Do me a favour and write it down, no matter how insignificant it seems. You never know, it might be important. I’ll call the mainland once I get back, let them know what, if I actually know what is going on.”
“Will do.”
“Thanks Pete. Hell of a night, eh?” Williams said.
“Hell of a night,” Pete echoed.