Wednesday, April 21st
Rosary Police Station, 9:30 am
Neil answered the phone and put it on speaker. In front of him John Steele was coming into the room with a folder in his hands.
“Hi, Billy.”
“Hello, Neil. We have finally been able to talk to Mrs. Garrison. She recognized Olivia Murray from the photo we showed, and she said that she remembers her, because last Sunday the park was deserted, and Olivia was visibly agitated, especially when she ran back to her car and drove away in a hurry. Mrs. Garrison remembers thinking that she must have been drunk, and that she would get killed if she drove like that.”
“Thanks, Billy. Are you going to the training center now?”
“Yes, Bob and I are going there. Do you need us?”
“No, I will call you if there is something you can do… see you this afternoon!”
He turned to John after ending the phone call, and he explained:
“Yesterday Bob and Billy went to talk to the people who live behind Murray's apartment building, but no one had been at home last Sunday, since it was Easter, or, if they were at home, they were busy with their families. An old lady told them that a young woman always spent her free time in the little park, but she is a nurse in St. John and yesterday night she was at the hospital. They went back this morning, and she said what you have just heard.”
“I think it’s time to talk to Olivia Murray, Neil.” John commented.
Neil called the hospital, and the nurse told them that Olivia and her father were both there, because they were waiting for Rachel's test results.
Neil took his jacket, and they left. While they were driving to the hospital in John’s car, John asked Neil:
“Has Mr Clancy told you something about the money?”
“Not yet, but, since he is at the hospital as well, I will ask him.”
***
Rosary Hospital, 9:45 am
Olivia was sitting on a chair in the corridor in front of her daughter's room, when she heard the nurse answer the phone. She looked in the direction of Olivia, and she told whoever was calling that she was there with her father. She was sure the police were calling. That handsome policeman with penetrating blue eyes looked like an officer who liked to go to the bottom of things, and he was bound to discover something, but she had hoped she would have more time to complete her plan. She had to vanish, to disappear, she had to step up her timetable.
She saw that her father was turning his back to her, and that he was intent on having a conversation with a doctor and a nurse. She stood up from the chair, and she walked to the elevator. She turned once again to check if her father had seen her, but he was still talking…
***
Rosary Hospital, 10:15 am
Neil and John walked down the corridor, and they immediately saw Mr. Clancy, who turned and walked towards them with a worried expression on his face.
“Inspector, is my daughter with you?”
Neil saw the anguished look of the old man, and he told him:
“Take a seat, Mr. Clancy, and calm down. I am afraid you are not well.”
The man plopped onto a plastic chair, and took a deep breath, before saying:
“I was talking to a doctor, and, when they called me and Olivia to tell us the results of Rachel's blood tests, I realized that my daughter was no more here. Where has she gone? I have tried to call her, but she doesn't answer.”
Neil could see that the poor man couldn't stand this anxiety much longer. He would have a breakdown if they couldn't find his daughter soon.
He took his cell phone, and he dialed a number:
“Hi, Steve, can you check where Olivia Murray’s car is at the moment?”
“Of course. Wait a minute… It is in the car park of the hospital.”
John left immediately to check the car park.
Neil sat down next to Clancy.
“First of all,” he started, “how is Rachel?”
Clancy tried to smile, and he answered:
“They told me that she can go home now, but … how can I tell her that I don’t find her mum? She has perceived that something is wrong, and she is worried.”
Neil said:
“Please, Mr. Clancy, stay here until we have found your daughter.”
“Inspector, I have checked what you asked me. Last Friday Olivia withdrew a large amount of money, and last Monday she went to take it back to the bank. She told the bank clerk that it was an investment, but she had reconsidered it. She has never done anything like that… What is going on?”
Neil decided not to tell Mr. Clancy about the witness. He was really worried about the old man’s health, and he was sure he would have to face hard times, that this was just the beginning.
John came back from the car park at that moment, and he told Neil:
“The car is empty, there is no sign of Olivia Murray.”
Neil called Steve once again:
“Steve, please check all the car rentals around here, and ask if Olivia Murray or Clancy has rented a car today or even yesterday.”
Vincent Clancy was listening with wide eyes to Neil’s part of the conversation.
“Inspector, what do you think Olivia wants to do?”
“I would like to know, but I want to find her as soon as possible, before she hurts herself or somebody else.”
He told John:
“Let’s go to Olivia’s home, and see if she has gone there by chance.” He turned to the old man, and he asked him:
“Can I have your home keys?”
Mr Clancy rummaged in the pockets of his trousers with trembling hands, and he gave Neil a bunch of keys, saying:
“Beatrice has her day off today.” He dictated the alarm code to Neil, and the two policemen left.
***
Anna’s Trattoria, 11:15 am
Daisy was setting the tables in the dining room before lunch service. Louise and Anna had gone for a short walk, and Bruno was in the kitchen. She could hear him humming happily.
Daisy’s mobile phone rang, and she looked at the caller ID. She didn't recognize the number, and she answered:
“Hello!”
“Hello, Daisy, I am Rachel's mother.” The voice was certainly kinder than the previous Monday, but Daisy perceived nervousness in her tone.
“How is Rachel?”
“Oh, she is much better, she will come out of the hospital today.”
“I am happy to hear that.”
“Listen, Daisy. Rachel has asked to meet you, before we go home. Can you come to the hospital now?”
“I am sorry, but in less than an hour the lunch service will start, and I have to work. We will meet in a few days, when Rachel is at home.”
“No, Daisy. Rachel wants to meet you today. Can you come in the afternoon? I think the doctors will give me all the papers after lunch.” The nervousness Daisy had detected was increasing. There was something wrong with that woman, but the girl reflected that she had just lost her husband and discovered he had cheated on her.
“Ok, in the afternoon I am free. I can come with my grandmother…”
“No, Rachel wants to see you, and there is something I have to tell both of you. Please, don't tell anyone that you are meeting Rachel today, because I have to talk to you about something important regarding your father, something that I will have to tell the police, but I would like you and Rachel to learn about it before…”
Daisy said:
“Ok, I will not tell anyone.”
“I can pick you up in front of the diner at two. Is it ok with you?”
“I think I can be there at 2:15, otherwise I will have to tell Anna I must leave early!”
“Ok, at 2:15, then!”
“See you later, Madam.” But while she was talking, she realized that the call had already been disconnected. She felt strangely agitated. What did that woman know about her father? Why did she have to tell the police?
Daisy pressed redial on her mobile phone, because she thought it would be better not to meet that woman. The call went to voicemail. Daisy went to the kitchen, where Bruno started to show her what she had to do. She tried to concentrate on her job.
***
In front of Anna's Trattoria, 11, 25 am
Luckily she had seen the two women leave, so that she could talk to the girl alone. In the background she hadn’t heard any noise or voice, so she was fairly certain nobody had heard her conversation with Daisy.
She would have preferred to do what she had planned at that moment, but the girl had to work, so she would have to wait until the afternoon. Now she had to hide for a few hours, and then … finally her plan could be completed. She wanted to get rid of everything and everyone that reminded her of that man, apart from Rachel, of course. She couldn’t get rid of her daughter….
She just hoped Daisy would keep her promise and wouldn't talk to her grandmother about their meeting…
***
Vincent Clancy ‘s villa, 11:45 am
Neil and John followed the man’s instructions. They parked their car just outside the tall gates to the enormous garden in front of the house, they opened the gate with the code, and they entered on foot. When they were in front of the huge villa, they split, and they explored the ground around the house. Then they opened the door with the same code, and they entered. It took them some time to inspect every room of the house, downstairs and upstairs, but finally they met in the living room.
“The house is deserted.” Neil said, “I have looked into the wardrobe, but it seems Olivia hasn’t taken clothes, so she doesn't plan to escape. There are no man’s clothes, so I think she has packed them or given them away… Where is she hiding?”
John gave two mobile phones to Neil:
“I have found these two mobile phones, hidden on the bottom of a drawer.”
Neil turned on the one with the broken screen and read the messages:
" This pins the murder on Randy.”
John was looking at the bottle of headache pills on the kitchen table. He emptied the content on a napkin and both policemen bent to have a look at them. Neil put on latex gloves and took two of the pills.
" Are you thinking the same thing, John? They look the same, but… and smell them… One of them has a strange odour…”
He put the pills back into the bottle and shoved it into the pocket of his jacket.
“Let's give this to the lab.”
His mobile phone vibrated in his pocket, he answered:
“Steve… news?”
He listened for a few moments, and then he said:
“Keep searching, Steve. Maybe…” she exchanged a glance with John, and he went on:
“I know it's a crazy idea, but check with the name Brown, please.”
He closed the phone call, and he said:
“Please, John, call the police station and ask for a unit to come here and keep an eye on the villa, in case Olivia comes back…”
***
Rosary Police Station, 1:45 pm
Neil was restless. There was no trace of Olivia, and he felt that she had a crazy plan in mind.
Bob and Billy arrived from the training center, and Neil put them up to date with the developments. Steve said:
“Neil, I have checked car rentals with the name Brown, but I have found nothing.”
Neil thought for a few minutes, then he asked his colleague:
“How far back have you checked?”
“Today and yesterday.”
“Can you ask for Monday as well?”
Bob asked:
“So far back, Neil? Do you think she has such a clear and organized plan?”
“I think she has just one thing on her mind. She wants to destroy everything that is connected to her husband. I don't understand why she brought money to him. Maybe she didn't intend to kill him, I don’t know. What I know for certain is that she is dangerous.”
Steve exclaimed:
“Here it is!” All the officers turned to him, and he said:
“The car rental on the road from Rosary to Fredericton, called ‘Rent your car’ has rented a car to a woman who signed as ‘Daisy Brown'. I don’t think that Daisy rented a car last Monday, and the description the employee has just made matches Olivia.”
Billy said:
“Why use Daisy’s name?”
Neil said:
“Because she is obsessed with Daisy, or she just wants to blame someone for her husband's behavior. I want to check on the girl.”
He was dialing the number of the Trattoria, when his mobile phone vibrated.
He answered:
“Hello, Mr. Clancy, what's up?”
The voice at the other end of the line was so anguished that it was almost unrecognizable.
“Inspector, tell me you have found my daughter!”
“Unfortunately not, sir. Can you think of a place where Olivia could go? A house, friends she can turn to? Anything could be useful.”
“I have already contacted some of her friends and colleagues, but nobody has seen her. The phone is always out of reach, and Rachel is ready to go home. We are both so worried. Please, try to find her… She has never behaved like that…”
“We are doing our best. We have just found out that she rented a car last Monday under the name of Daisy Brown. Now we are going to trace that car. Stay there, please, and call me if you think of something that may be useful.”
When the call ended, Steve said:
“I have the make, the color and the license plate of the car, but the employee said that Olivia insisted on renting an old model, and there is no GPS.”
“Ok, alert all the police stations and try to have access to all the security cameras around. We must find that woman.”
His mobile phone vibrated. It was Anna's mobile phone number, and Neil knew instinctively that something was wrong.
“Hi, Anna.”
“Hi, Neil. I am worried, because, after lunch service, I was cleaning and tidying the dining room. Daisy told me that she wanted to take a short walk. She was nervous, and she kept looking at her mobile phone. She has been gone for almost half an hour. I know that it is not an incredibly long time, but I have tried to call her, and her phone is off.”
“Anna, calm down, please. Thanks for calling me. Did she say anything about where she wanted to go?”
“No, Louise was upstairs to have a nap, and I told her that I could go with her, if she waited for a few minutes. She didn't answer, and she left in a hurry. She has never behaved like this.”
“Ok, Anna. If she comes back, call me immediately. Don't worry, we will find her.”
He looked at his colleagues, and now they were really worried.
***
Rosary, in front of the diner, 2:15 pm
Daisy had made up her mind. She wanted to tell Olivia that she could meet Rachel later, but she didn't intend to go with her.
When she arrived in front of the diner, she saw an old car. She thought that the daughter of the manager of a large Company would certainly have a big modern car, but at that moment the woman behind the steering wheel waved at her and smiled. Daisy recognized Olivia, and she went towards the car. Olivia opened the passenger door, and she shouted:
“Get into the car. Rachel is at the hospital ready to go home. She is waiting for you.”
Daisy went to the driver’s side, and she said:
“I am sorry, but I would prefer to wait for a few days to talk to you and your daughter.”
A frown took the place of the smile on the woman's face. It was clear she was trying to control her emotions.
“Then I am sorry, but I will have to tell the police what I learned from your father. I talked to him last week, and he told me something about your mother and about you. I wanted to tell you and decide together if it is necessary to share that information with the officers, but, if you don't want to know…”
Daisy didn't like the menacing tone of the woman, but she wanted to know what her father had told her. She got into the car, and the woman sped off.
For a few minutes, Daisy watched the woman drive without speaking. She soon realized that they were not going in the direction of the hospital. She began to be afraid, because Olivia looked straight ahead with a determined expression. Daisy said:
“Where are you going? The hospital is not this way.”
“Oh, didn't I tell you?” Olivia answered, without looking at Daisy, “Rachel is going home with her grandfather. We will meet her there.”
Daisy said cautiously:
“Can’t you slow down a little? You are driving too fast!”
“No, I can't slow down, because I should be with my daughter now, if you hadn't postponed our appointment.”
Daisy didn't talk for a few minutes, because she realized that she only made the woman more nervous. They were speeding along the motorway that from Rosary led to St. John. She knew that Rachel and her family lived outside St. John, and she hoped that they were really going there.
When they arrived at the outskirts of the town, Olivia turned into a secondary street that led through the suburbs of St. John. Daisy understood that they were not going to Clancy's villa, because they were driving through the city. She looked sideways at the woman, who seemed absorbed in her thoughts. Daisy slowly put a hand into her handbag, and found her mobile phone. She turned it on, and she regretted not having followed Lisa’s advice to put Neil’s mobile number on speed dial. She had Denise’s number on the list of preferred numbers. She was able to press the key corresponding to the number of her friend, but, at that moment, the phone started vibrating with a message. Olivia turned abruptly. Daisy said:
“Since I can see that I will take more than I had anticipated, I must call my grandmother. I had told her that I wanted to take a walk. If she doesn’t see me come back, she will call the police.”
“You had promised not to tell anyone where you were going.” Olivia hadn’t noticed that a number had already been dialed. Daisy couldn't check if Denise had picked up, but she hoped so.
“I didn't tell anyone, and I invented an excuse.”
She took out the phone from the handbag, but Olivia, when she saw it in her hands, snatched it from her and threw it outside the window. Now Daisy was downright frightened.
Olivia was visibly agitated and angry. Now they were leaving St. John behind, and they were going towards the coast. They were driving along secondary roads, and it was evident that the woman had studied the route to avoid motorways where video cameras could catch her car.
***
Rosary Police Station, 2:45 pm
Neil and his colleagues were frantically looking at Steve’s laptop screen. He had been able to track the rented car on the motorway that led to St. John, but then Olivia had evidently taken secondary roads, the GPS of her and Daisy’s mobile phones was off. Neil was worried, and he didn't know what that woman intended to do.
Bob’s mobile phone vibrated in his pocket, he looked at the caller ID, and he said:
“It’s Denise.”
He put the mobile phone on speaker, and he answered:
“Hi, Denise. What’s up?”
“Bob, I have just received a phone call from Daisy. I heard she was talking to a woman, I think it was her father’s other wife. The woman seemed angry, and Daisy was telling her that she had to call her grandmother. Then I heard a loud noise, and I didn't hear their voices any longer. The call hasn’t been disconnected, and I can hear traffic noises, cars and horns, but nothing else. What’s going on, Bob?”
Bob answered carefully:
“Don’t worry, Denise. We are looking for Daisy. Thanks for calling us, this could be useful. I will explain everything later, ok?”
He didn't like to interrupt phone calls, but they had to find Daisy soon.
Steve tracked Daisy’s mobile phone.
“It is on a road that crosses St. John towards the west. Where are they going? It doesn't move, so Olivia has evidently thrown it away.”
Neil asked John:
“Send a unit there, and tell them to look around, even if I know it is useless, because they have gone further…”
***
Rosary Hospital, 2:55 pm
Rachel was pale, and Vincent was afraid she would feel sick, if they didn't find her mother.
“Where is she, Grandpa?”
“I don’t know, darling. Inspector McKinley has just called me. She has taken Daisy.” Rachel gasped at the thought of what her mother wanted to do to that poor girl. “The police have tracked the car she rented on the motorway to St. John. Daisy has just tried to call one of her friends, but the call was interrupted. They were going through St. John heading west.”
Rachel stared straight ahead for a few moments, and then she said abruptly:
“Grampa, I think I know where they are going.” Vincent Clancy turned to his granddaughter, and he looked at her.
“How do you know, Rachel?”
“When I was talking to mum one of the last days, I tried to calm her down by encouraging her to plan what we would do when I came out of hospital. I told her that we could go together to that little bungalow on the beach, the one where we spent a lot of time with dad when I was a child…” Clancy was already dialing Neil's mobile number on his phone. Rachel went on:
“She had a violent reaction, saying that she would never go back there, that she had to destroy everything that reminded her of dad. Then she started once again to lay the blame on Daisy, to say that she knew about us, because she spent a lot of time with dad. I tried to tell her that she had to calm down, that what she was saying was absurd…” Tears were rolling down Rachel's face. “Grandpa, what is going on with mum? She won't hurt Daisy, will she?” Vincent Clancy put a hand on Rachel's arm and drew her to him, while he was waiting for Neil to answer.
“Inspector McKinley, Rachel has just remembered a conversation she had with her mum a few days ago. I think we know where she is taking Daisy…”
***
A bungalow on the coast outside St. John, 3 pm
After a frantic drive, Olivia stopped her car in front of a solitary bungalow on the coast. It was a small one-storey home with a short drive in front. It was evident that nobody had been there for some time, because the grass was tall and the little porch was covered with leaves and dirt.
Daisy was thinking of a way to run away, even if it was far from the motorway or from any village. Before getting out of the car, Olivia took out of her bag a gun, which she pointed at the poor girl.
“Don’t try to run away or to do something stupid. Get out of the car and walk to the house.”
Daisy’s only hope was that Denise had heard her phone call, but even if she had, how could the police find her out there? Maybe Rachel or her grandfather knew about this place. ‘Please, God!’ she thought, ‘help me to run away!’
They walked to the house, and Olivia rummaged in her bag, until she found a bunch of keys. She opened the front door, and she pushed Daisy inside. They found themselves in a big room that was used as a living room, kitchen and dining room. It was fairly big, and Daisy could see a small corridor beneath a door, evidently leading to a bathroom and a bedroom. Olivia gestured to Daisy to sit on an armchair, then she took out a rope from her bag, and she tied the girl to the armchair. She left her, and she went back to her car. Daisy could see her from the window. Olivia opened the trunk and took out some gas tanks. ‘Oh, my God,’ Daisy thought, ‘what is she going to do? She is completely out of her mind!’
Olivia brought the tanks inside the house, and she put them in a corner of the large room. Then she sat down heavily on the sofa in front of Daisy with a wicked smirk on her face. Olivia's features, so beautiful in a normal situation, were contorted with rage and excitement.
“Now, my dear girl,” she finally turned to Daisy, “I just want a thing from you.”
Daisy was terrorized and her only thought was to try to buy as much time as she could.
The woman went on:
“You have to tell me what your father said about me.” Daisy looked at her in amazement. “Don’t try to say that you didn't know anything about me, that your father never talked about me and Rachel.” The girl was shaking her head. How could she convince that woman that her father had deceived her mother and her for all those years?
“You can tell whatever you like to your policemen friends, but you can't deceive me! You can’t cheat me!” Olivia's voice was rising, and she was gesticulating with her gun in her hand. Daisy was really scared. Was it better to admit to something that was not true? Maybe the woman would calm down, but then…
Daisy tried to answer as calmly as she could:
“Madam, I can assure you that I didn't know anything about you and Rachel. Do you think my mother would have married your husband if she had known that he had another family?”
For a moment, she thought Olivia was considering her answer, because she stared straight ahead. Then she turned to her once again, and she said:
“But I had the money, and for money people do everything.”
“Not my mum. I am sorry, but my mother was an honest woman, and you have no right to talk like that!” Daisy was scared, but she couldn't accept Olivia's attempt at discrediting her family. “And remember that I was kidnapped instead of your daughter!”
“And you declared you had got lost, because otherwise your father would have been exposed, and you would have lost all MY money!”
“No, my father asked me not to say anything to the police, and I accepted because I loved my father, and I was sure he did everything for my sake. He deceived me, as much as he deceived you!”
“But at least he lived with you, and not with me and my daughter!”
“But that is not my fault!” Daisy saw that the woman was not easily convinced, but she couldn't let her defame her and her mother. It was so unfair…
“So you are not going to admit you knew about me!” Olivia came forward with a menacing look, and she aimed the gun at Daisy, as if she wanted to shoot her.
Daisy said desperately:
“And if I say that I knew, which is not true, what good will it do?”
“Then I will have the right to kill you!”
Daisy was shocked by the answer. That deranged woman just wanted an excuse for killing her.
“And if you kill me, do you think you will feel better?”
“I will never feel better, after what your father told me before I killed him!”
Olivia stopped, because she realized she had just confessed she had killed Brian. She said with sarcasm:
“Do you know what he told me? He told me he never loved me, that he only loved your mother.”
Daisy swallowed hard, trying to fight back tears. In a way, these last words of her father should have been comforting, but they were not, considering the conversation she had overheard just the day before her mother's death. She was tired, tired to fight, tired to worry, tired to try to convince this woman. She just laid back on her chair, and she closed her eyes.
Olivia went to the corner of the room, and she started to open the first gas tank. She poured the content around the perimeter of the room, then she opened another tank and she went to pour the content in the other rooms. Daisy couldn't see her, but she heard her heavy breath. Then Olivia came back into the room, and she looked at the girl for a few moments without saying a word . She poured the content of a small phial onto a handkerchief and pressed it onto the mouth and nose of the girl. In a few seconds, Daisy started to feel dizzy, and she saw everything blurred…
***
The ERT training center, 3:25 pm
As soon as Neil had received the directions for the bungalow given by Vincent Clancy, he had thought that Olivia had a consistent lead. He had studied the map with Steve, and he had discovered there was a good place to land with a helicopter not far from the bungalow. He had asked the director of the training center to prepare a helicopter for them.
Now Steve, Bob, Billy and Neil were boarding the helicopter, and Neil was preparing to fly as fast as he could to the place indicated by Rachel's grandfather. Neil was an experienced helicopter pilot, and he could maneuver it even in difficult conditions, but this time he knew that he had to hurry, if he wanted to prevent Olivia from doing whatever she had planned to do.
Before leaving he had alerted the police station in St. John, and he had asked them to send a unit and an ambulance but to wait until the helicopter had landed to intervene.
***
The bungalow on the coast, 3:45
Olivia knew that she had to hurry, but she took her time to go around the small house. She found a few photos of her with Brian and Rachel, or of Brian with Rachel, she took them out of the frames, and she destroyed them, scattering the fragments and the broken frames on the floor. She took out Brian’s few clothes from the wardrobe, and she went to the car to take a big suitcase with all of Brian’s clothes. She scattered them on the bed in the tiny bedroom.
When she thought she had done everything, she looked around one last time, she looked at the unconscious Daisy with her head bound on one side, and she took a deep breath. She took out a cigarette lighter, one of the last gifts to her husband, and she looked for a few moments at the flame in front of her, as if she was reflecting on what she was doing.
What was that noise? A helicopter? She was so concentrated on her plan that she had given it little attention… The noise had stopped. Maybe she had been mistaken. Who could find her out here?
She threw the lighter to the floor, but then she thought of a change of plans, a way to secure her escape .
***
Neil landed safely on a little clearing not far from the bungalow. While he was landing, he had seen the little building, and he had noticed the car parked not far from it. He had exchanged a meaningful glance with his colleagues. That meant that Olivia was still there.
They got off the helicopter, and they approached the bungalow. The chopper was not visible from the house, because they had landed in a clearing surrounded by tall trees. Neil hoped Olivia hadn't been alerted by the noise.
When they were just behind the house, they saw Olivia on the edge of a cliff. She was pointing a gun at Daisy, who had difficulty standing. Daisy had her hands tied.
Olivia said:
“Let me go away, and I will not kill Daisy.”
Neil approached slowly, while Billy and Bob were hiding behind bushes, and they were trying to get nearer to the woman from behind. Steve had noticed smoke coming from the little bungalow, and he was alerting the firemen.
Neil said:
“If I were you, I wouldn't do anything stupid. You are surrounded, and you will not run away, Mrs. Clancy. Put down that gun.”
“I don’t want to go to prison! I have …. I had to destroy everything that reminded me of Brian, I had to get free from his image, but I can’t … I can’t. Why did he do this to me?” The tone was now almost imploring and desperate.
Neil said cautiously, noticing that Billy had almost reached the woman without being seen:
“You will never erase the memory of your husband if you hurt other people. You are not thinking clearly, Olivia. Give me that gun, and we will find a way … If you harm Daisy, I will not be able to help you.” He was talking and approaching Olivia, so that she didn't turn and see Billy, who was just a few feet from the woman.
At that moment, Olivia started to shake uncontrollably with sobs, she dropped her gun, and she collapsed on the floor. She lost her grip on Daisy, and the girl lost her balance, and fell into the water.
Neil didn't think twice, he removed his gun and his badge from his belt, and he dove into the sea. He swam to where Daisy had sunk, and he was able to scoop her up. Daisy was almost unconscious and unable to react. She had banged her head on a rock, and a small rivulet of blood was coloring her temple and her cheek. He dragged her out of the water, and he laid her delicately on the little beach. Daisy’s breath was irregular. Neil called her softly:
“Daisy, please wake up.” He could smell chloroform, and he knew she had been drugged, but she had to spit out the water she had drunk.
He sat her up, holding an arm around her waist, while Steve was bringing a blanket he had found on the helicopter. Neil was shivering, because the water was cold, and Billy watched him worriedly.
Neil said:
“I am ok, don’t worry. Daisy…”
At that moment the girl started to cough, and she took some deep breaths.
Bob had taken Olivia to the police car which had just arrived. An ambulance operator came solicitously with a blanket for Neil. The worst was over.
***
Daisy knew, the moment Olivia pressed the handkerchief on her mouth and nose, that she had to hold her breath to avoid inhaling the drug. Luckily for her, Olivia wasn’t in complete control of her actions. Daisy slumped on her chair and felt dizzy. She was losing consciousness, and she prayed she could recover soon.
After a few minutes (she had no way of knowing how long she had been unconscious) she saw the woman scatter fragments of something on the floor. One fragment at her feet almost made her cry: the smile of her father, one of his rare moments of joy, was visible, even if she could see only his lips. She remained with her head bent, because she felt weak and sick, and because she didn't want Olivia to see that she had regained consciousness. Was she mistaken or she had heard the noise of a helicopter very near? Neil was a helicopter pilot, wasn’t he?
Then the woman untied the ropes, and she left just her hands tied. She dragged her outside. Daisy shuffled her feet, because she still felt dizzy. Olivia urged her to walk. Daisy had difficulties opening her eyes, she could smell the sea, and she could hear the waves crushing on the rocks just behind her. Then she heard the voice of Neil talking to Olivia, then… the woman was no longer holding her, but she lost her balance, and she felt herself falling. She plunged into cold water. Daisy liked swimming, but her hands were still tied, and she couldn't wake up… Then two strong arms and a deep voice telling her: “Don't worry, you are safe!” She felt her strength leave her completely, and she abandoned herself in the arms that were lifting her out of the water.
She felt a hard surface beneath her … She heard agitated voices around her… Were they calling her name? ‘Wake up, Daisy!’ She told herself, or was it someone else who was urging her to awake? She opened her eyes, even if she felt her eyelids heavy. She saw the blue eyes of Neil. Was she dreaming? She tried to move her head, and she saw three men bent over her. They were her new friends Billy, Bob and Neil. She could hear the voice of Steve talking on the phone. She heard the ambulance sirens coming nearer. Neil was holding an arm around her and talking to her softly.
“Breathe, Daisy. Take a deep breath!”
It was painful to breathe because her lungs were full of water. She started to cough, but little by little she felt her breath more regular and less troubled.
She saw Neil smile, and she knew she was going to be fine.
ns216.73.216.141da2
and then Add to home screen.