SIX
‘He’s gone, I’ll be there soon.’ Williams’ final words hung heavy in the increasingly claustrophobic atmosphere of the lifeboat office. You could hear the desolation in his voice even through the tinny speaker. The simple message had stopped them all in their tracks, mid-panic. Pete the volunteer lifeboat man had been running around collecting blankets ready for the arrival, W.P.C Suzy Munro had gone through into the other room to collect the camp bed and Rachel Patten had been preparing her meagre medical supplies and had already procured everything Pete had at his limited disposal here. At least it did include a decent supply of bandages and a specially insulated blanket used to ward off hypothermia after you pulled some poor unfortunate out of the sea.
All of this useless now, too little too late.
Rachel stood in the middle of the small office just staring at the insulated blanket in her hands. It remaindered her of the type you would see flung over the shoulders of runners after they finished a marathon. And she couldn’t help but feel a little shame. The moment she heard the victim was dead the first emotion that came unbidden, even though it was for barely a split second, had been relief. She had been going over the various scenarios she would be faced with once Williams got back with the injured man. What would someone who had been struck by lightning look like? What would they need from her? And as she did so she felt her nerve slowly giving way as she realised just out of her depth she felt.
She had found herself silently cursing Doctor Mayfield for getting himself caught on the mainland and unable to get back until this God forsaken storm had let up. She even cursed her father for suggesting Widow’s Bay as an ideal place to start her medical career. Sleepy little Widow’s Bay where nothing ever happens.
“Headlights,” Munro said pulling Rachel back into the here and now. The policewoman had been waiting by the window ever since the call from Williams had come through. She moved over to the door but she hesitated and turned to the others.
Pete jumped up from behind his desk. “Maybe we should wait until he comes in, don’t think we want to be wandering around out there in this shite until we have to,” he looked from Suzy to Rachel and gave a weak smile which froze on his face. “Christ,” he said. “What are we going to do with the body?”
The body
Suzy looked around the small prefabricated office. “Well I don’t suppose we can bring it in here,” she said. Not with the girl in the next room.”
The door opened and all hell came blowing into the room. They all turned to see P.C Williams standing ashen faced in the doorway. Rachel let out an involuntary gasp. The policeman was drenched to the skin and covered in watery blood. For a long moment no one moved, he looked like an extra from the apocalypse. Finally Williams closed the door behind him shutting out the storm.
“Christ, Ian,” Munro uttered.
Williams looked down at himself as if just noticing the state he was in for the first time. He gave a slight shake of the head. “Yeah,” was all he could say in response.
“Christ old man, take a seat,” said Pete and he grabbed a towel off the back of his chair and threw it to Williams.
“Cheers Pete,” he said but tossed it back onto the desk. “But first we need to get the body out of the back of my car.”
Suzy moved to grab her coat but Williams held a hand up to the young woman. “No, Suzy. Pete can give me a hand.”
“Eh?” Said Pete.
“What do you mean, no?” Suzy asked indignantly. But Williams ignored her.
“Pete, get your coat. We can’t bring it in here. Is there anywhere else?”
“Boatshed,” Pete replied. “It’s got the new lifeboat in it, but there’s a long work bench in there to. Will that do?”
“Ian?” Suzy said.
“That’ll be fine, it’s only temporary until the storm clears then we can get the coroner out here.” Williams replied ignoring Munro. “Besides,” he added grimly. “I don’t think the poor bloke’s going to care much.”
Rachel watched as Suzy fumed. She remembered Suzy once telling her when the two women had gone out drinking together on the mainland one night, that although they weren’t flat out sexist, the other officers felt they had to protect her as she was only in her early twenties.
Munro stepped forwards her face matching anything the storm outside could muster. “Pete. You open the boatshed, P.C Williams and I will bring the body to you.” Before anyone could reply, Suzy pulled on her coat. She fixed Williams with a stare that could strip paint.
Good for you, Rachel thought. Pete for one looked visibly relieved and went scrambling for his keys.
Williams looked for a moment like he was going to say something, but his face softened into a look of pride. But still he said. “He’s a right mess Suzy.”
“I’m sure he is,” Suzy answered firmly. “But I doubt he’s going to get any prettier the more we stand around all night debating. Do you?”
“Fair enough,” he replied. Williams turned to the others. “Pete, meet us at the boatshed. Doctor, could you please stay with the girl? By the way has she said anything yet?”
“Nothing yet,” Patten replied. “She seems calm enough but I think she’s deep in shock. Do I need to take a look at the body?”
“Nothing you can do, I’m afraid. Once we’ve got him in the boatshed, we’ll take some pictures for evidence. Who knows when the storm lets up a bit maybe we can show them around, see if we can get an ID from the students.”
“Do you think we should show a picture to the girl?” Suzy asked.
Rachel shook her head. “I wouldn’t, not just yet. She’s traumatized enough as it is.”
“Fair enough,” Suzy replied. “Oh and Pete? We’ll need a sheet or something to wrap the body in.”
“Good point,” Williams agreed.
Pete grimaced. “Right.” He took a folded up bed sheet off the camping bed Munro had put in the corner. Munro took it and gave him as best a reassuring smile as she could.
Williams moved over to the door and waited for Munro to join him. He could feel the door handle rattling in his hand as the wind battered the door from the other side. “You ready?”
“Ready,” Munro replied firmly clutching the bedsheet to her chest.