Adam clutched Kate's hand; she had sunk up to her shoulders.
"Wait!" Amanda looked up.
"What?"
"I thought I heard something?"
"Like what?"
"I don't know?" Amanda paused. "It sounds like a. . . Look!" Amanda pointed up; a yellow RAF helicopter came into view. She waved her arms. The helicopter paused overhead and a person started coming down on a hoist. "Oh thank God! We're saved. . . Kate?" Amanda looked round. "Adam! Kate's gone!" She screamed. Adam ducked under the surface and tried to feel for Kate; grabbing hold of some of her clothing, he pulled her back above the surface. The man on the hoist hung just above the ground.
"Grab her for God's sake!" Adam forced one of Kate's hands into the arms of the RAF man. He grabbed her and hoisted Kate towards the helicopter.
"She's safe now. . ." Amanda sighed. "At least I saved her."
"What? No Amanda...! Grab hold of me. . ."
"Let go of me! Save yourself." Amanda cried out. "Please Adam! You still have a chance!"
"No! If you go so do I!" Adam clutched hold of her arms.
"Adam no!" Amanda screamed. "I deserve this!"
"Shut up!" Adam slapped her across the face. "Please!" The man came back down on the hoist. "Take her! I'll be okay, but please hurry!"
"Adam!" Amanda screamed. "Please!" She yelled as she was hoisted towards the hovering helicopter.
Adam felt the mud seep across his chin and towards his mouth. He held his arms in the air as the mud crept up, feeling its coldness against his teeth and seeping into his nose. Everything went dark.
"You'll be okay now mate!" Adam found himself flying thirty feet above the moor.
"Oh! What's going on?" Adam groaned. Amanda hugged him as he stepped onto the metal floor of the helicopter.
"Adam! I'm sorry! I'm so glad that you're alive. . ."
"What about Kate?"
"I'm here!" Kate lay in the corner of the helicopter. Adam embraced her. "I thought that I was a goner. . ."
"How did they get to us? How did they know that we were there?" Adam looked around the cockpit.
"I would thank your staff for that. . ." Sergeant Lucas removed his head set and shouted across the cockpit. "and you Adam, they found the note you left Caroline."
"What have you found there?" The man walked briskly after his dog, who was barking vigorously. "Oh my God!" He looked down at the silent body lying in front of him. He ran back towards his cottage.
The Land Rover pulled up and the paramedics stepped out.
The first man knelt beside her and felt for a pulse. "Good grief she's still alive. Let’s get a drip in here." Caroline knew nothing about those who were trying to save her as her life slipped away at the base of the cliff.
"We don't have to stay." Adam and Kate walked arm in arm down the ward. Amanda frowned.
"It's okay for you. . ." She sighed.
"How long do you have to stay in for?" Adam sat down beside the bed.
"A couple of days!" Amanda snorted. "I'm okay. . . Anyway I want to get back to the yard."
"Look, you need some rest. Think of this as a holiday. The yard will be okay." Adam smiled. "You heard about Caroline? She's in a bad way but they say she'll survive. We haven't been able to see her yet; she's still in intensive care."
"She didn't deserve what happened to her."
"She'll be okay in the end." Adam paused, he looked down the ward. "Who's this?"
"Hello Amanda. . . Adam, Kate." Sergeant Lucas handed the bouquet of flowers to Amanda. "How are you feeling?"
"We'll leave you to it." Adam walked back down the ward.
"Who is he?"
"A police officer. A police officer I think we will be seeing a quite a lot more of!" Adam laughed; he walked up the ward with Kate in tow. As they reached the end of the ward, two uniformed police officers stopped them.
"Excuse me. . . Are you Mr Adam Bishop?" The first officer consulted his notebook.
"Yes that's me. . . Is there a problem?" Adam frowned.
"Do you know a Miss Caroline Jones?"
"Yes. . ." Adam paused. "Is she all right?"
"Please come with me. . ." The officer walked briskly towards one of the lifts and pressed the call button. The doors opened with a metallic grate and they all stepped inside. The police officer pressed the button marked 'B', the lift whirred to life.
"I wonder what they wanted?" Amanda watched as Adam and Kate walked off with the police officers.
"I don't recognise those Police officers. . ." Lucas frowned.
"Are you sure? They must be from another station. . ."
"They had ID numbers from our section...” Lucas stood up. "I'm just going to make a quick phone call."
The lift lurched and the doors opened. The police officer stepped out into a dim corridor, there was the noise of heavy machinery running. They walked past ceilings lined with hissing pipes and dripping valves. The police officer stepped through a door to the side of the corridor. Adam and Kate were ushered through into a large room with a stainless steel operating table standing in the centre. There was a putrid stench in the air; Kate put her hand over her mouth. Adam turned; the second policeman stood blocking the exit.
"What is this place?" Adam looked around.
"This?" The policeman pulled out a pistol. Kate gasped. He screwed a silencer onto the barrel. "This is the morgue. I think it will become rather fitting for you." He laughed.
"So you're going to kill us. . ." Kate sighed loudly.
"You don't sound surprised. . ." The man raised his eyebrows.
"No. . ." Kate suddenly ran forward, ducking her head down, she hit the man solidly in the stomach. He fell to the ground gasping. "Come on Adam!" She yelled as the other officer ran towards him. He turned and kicked the man in the shin's. Kate ran and pulled the door. They ran down the corridor.
"Great move! I won't ask where you learnt that! Where now!"
"Here!" Kate ducked through a set of double doors and into the kitchen. She knocked a person and a pile of china plates flying, they clattered to the floor with a loud crash. Kate kept running, looking behind her she saw that the two police officers were coming through the doors. "Hurry up Adam! Here!" Kate pulled a large steel handle and pulled open the heavy door. They both dived into the room, the door slammed shut. Kate skidded along the floor and crashed behind a set of shelves.
"What is going on here officer?" A woman in a white chief's outfit approached the two officers.
"Nothing to worry about Madam. We are looking for a couple of suspects, we have reason to believe that they came through here."
"Yes. . . I think I saw them go into the freezer." The chief pointed towards the white steel door.
"Thank you. . ." The officers walked towards the freezer and opened the door, he stepped inside. Adam pushed himself against the wall. The man walked down the central aisle. "They aren't in there." He slammed the door and took a pair of handcuffs from his belt, which he threaded through the locking hasp on the catch. "I have to keep this door locked until my colleagues have checked for fingerprints and the like. . ."
"Oh!" The chief looked surprised. "Are you sure they aren't in there?"
"No there's nothing but frozen meat in there. . . They may have doubled back and left the kitchens. . . If you can keep this area clear. Just so that you don't lose any forensic evidence. . ."
"Okay. . .....” The chief watched as the two officers left the kitchen. She went back to work.
"What was that about?" The man pushed through the double doors.
"Shut up." The other man had a mobile phone in his hand. "Yes. . . I'm sure that the job will be completed. . . Yes, it will look like an accident. Thank you." He switched off the phone. "I saw the girl in there. . . They must be together."
"So why didn't you stop them there?" The other man frowned.
"Why bother? They aren't going anywhere!" He laughed.
"Very good!" The other man smiled and pulled his tunic off, he threw it in a dustbin in the corridor.
"What's up?"
"Bad news. . . Those two officers aren't who they say they are. . ." Lucas frowned.
"What do you mean?"
"The numbers they had on their shoulders, their ID numbers. They don't exist. . ."
"What?"
"I've called for backup. . ." Lucas took Amanda's hand. "I'm sorry but I think that Adam and Kate may be in some trouble."
"I'm cold. . . Let's get out of here!" Kate stood up and walked to the door, she pulled the handle. "It's stuck. . ."
"Come on!" Adam grabbed the handle and pulled as hard as he could. "Oh dear!"
"What do you mean? Oh dear?" Kate looked up at him.
"I mean Oh dear we can't get out" Adam walked back to the back of the freezer. "Stand back Kate!" Adam ran towards the door and rammed his shoulder against it. He bounced back and fell onto the floor.
"Are you okay?" Kate knelt down beside him. Adam grimaced. "We're in trouble aren't we?"
"Yes Kate. . . I really think that we are in a bit of trouble." Adam smiled. "Never mind. . ."
"What! Never mind!" Kate yelled. "How can you be so bloody cheerful?" Kate started sobbing. Adam put his arm round her.
"I'm sorry Kate. . . I don't know what else to do. . . I've been knocked out, tied up, shot at, nearly drowned in a bog and now I'm going to freeze to death. I really don't care anymore. I'm just trying to be realistic."
"Oh Adam what are we going to do?"
"I really don't know Kate? We can't get out. I think that we had better try and keep warm." Adam stood up and took his jacket off. "Here have this...”
"No Adam! I can't take your coat." Kate handed it back.
"Kate take it. . . Please. . ." Adam smiled. "It will give you a better chance." Adam helped Kate put the coat on. Her tears were freezing as they ran down her cheeks.
"I really hope we get out of here. . ." Kate hugged Adam. "Because I would really love to have a husband like you."
"I'm flattered. . ."
"No after all we've been through. . ." Kate sobbed.
"Come on Kate. No more tears. . ." Adam glanced up at the thermometer on the wall, minus twenty-five degrees centigrade, Adam shuddered.
". . . Here is a photograph of them both. We are presuming that they are somewhere in the hospital. I want this place searched from top to bottom. Look everywhere, even if it is their bodies we found, I want them found." Lucas watched as the officers split up and started looking through the hospital.
"What you said about their bodies. . ." Lucas span round and saw Amanda standing behind him.
"You should be in bed." He put his hands on her shoulders.
"I need to find him. . . He's my brother. I can't just lie in bed. . . Please Simon."
"Okay. . . I shouldn't do this but okay. . ." Lucas smiled. "I'll see if I can find you some proper clothes."
"Thanks!" Amanda hugged him warmly.
~~~