Firestarter (18 page)

'Maybe we'll be able to get our kitchen sorted now,' Kath said. 'The units were getting ropey when we bought the place and that was so long ago I was skinny then!'

'I'll be able to pay off my credit card bill,' Emma said. 'And get some decent shoes.'

Lucy said she hoped to save most of her increase. 'What about you, Alice?'

'I think I'll get some binoculars.'

'Oh yeah? For the birds or the fire station?' Emma asked.

'From the smile on her face this morning, no binoculars are needed when it comes to firemen,' Kath said.
'She's not having any trouble getting up close and very personal, if you catch my drift.'

'I couldn't possibly comment,' Alice said.

Alice's phone beeped to tell her she had a text. It was from Tony asking to speak to her. She deleted it. For the rest of the day Alice found it hard to concentrate on work. None of the figures added up. Well they did; her maths didn't let her down but accurate as the results were they just didn't make sense.

Tony called her mobile at lunchtime and sent two more texts. She half expected to see him waiting when she got home, but there was no sign of him. He did try to call her again before she went out though. When Hamish picked her up she told him the hoaxes hadn't stopped and that Tony kept trying to speak to her.

'I knew about the hoaxes. Devon said so far there's nothing to prove who made any of them except that first one from Tony. The rest have all been made from public phones.'

'The same one?'

'No, different ones but all in this general area. The police are involved now too and they've even looked at CCTV footage from the times calls were made, but it's not been much help. They're not even positive they were all made by the same person, apparently in one the caller seems quite short.'

'Tony keeps ringing me. Trying to anyway, I haven't answered.'

'I thought he'd stopped that nonsense.'

'So did I. Actually this seems different. He was sending flowers and asking me to take him back. Now he just says he needs to talk to me.'

'What are you thinking?'

'I'm just not sure he's behind this. I know it looks like he must be, but it just doesn't seem like him. Not to keep on with it.'

'Were you surprised he made the first call?'

'I wouldn't have expected it, but he was upset and he'd been drinking, then to see us together... I'm not excusing him, obviously that's no excuse but I can sort of understand. He likes to get his own way, but he's logical. He'd have worked out by now I wasn't going to change my mind and this wasn't helping, wouldn't he?'

'You'd think so.'

'And that thing at work... that was really scary. You wouldn't frighten someone you cared about like that, would you?'

'I wouldn't and I don't think any sane person would.'

'And that call from the short person? He's not as tall as you, but I don't think he qualifies as short.'

'No.'

'If that was connected it couldn't be him and I just can't see him asking anyone to make a hoax call for him.'

'That bit is odd. You'd have to be really close to ask someone to do that, and for them to agree.'

'His friends are really colleagues and people he knows from the gym. Not the sort of person who'd commit a crime for him.' Rachel was the most likely, but it was impossible to imagine her getting involved and anyway, she wasn't short.

'A decent friend would try to stop him getting himself into trouble, not make it worse,' Hamish said.

Yes, that's what Rachel would do. 'Forget about her, Tony, ask me out instead,' was likely to be her line.

'Try not to worry, Alice. Proper investigations are going on, probably they're a lot further forward than what I've heard about.'

True, he'd only been back on duty for one shift. 'Perhaps you can take my mind off it?'

'I'll see what I can do.'

He didn't stay the night as he was on earlies the following day and didn't want to disturb her when he got up, but he managed to ensure she had an untroubled night's sleep.

The next day she thought about their discussion of Tony. If he'd not made the hoax calls and he wasn't still trying to get her back, then why was he so anxious to talk to her? Perhaps he thought he'd left something important at her place, or maybe he needed to get his name taken off the phone contract or something else he'd set up for her? There were several perfectly good reasons for him wanting to get in touch and one simple way to find out. The next time he texted to ask to speak to her she replied to say he could come round that evening.

If Tony was surprised to see Kate when he came, it was nothing to Alice's reaction at seeing Rachel with him.

'We'd better all sit down,' Alice said. She didn't offer tea.

'It's about all these hoaxes, Alice,' Tony said. 'The police are involved now and they think I'm responsible.'

'I'm not surprised,' Kate said.

Tony ignored her and spoke directly to Alice. 'I know the one I made looks bad, but I swear it's the only one. It was a dangerous, reckless thing to do as well as the worst possible way to try to get you back. Having a fireman in here in the middle of the night was exactly what I didn't want.' There was no humour in his voice or face.

'Alice,' Rachel said, 'This could cause serious trouble for Tony at work.'

'It's hardly my fault! You don't think I enjoy being scared by some crazed stalker, do you?'

Kate put an arm round Alice's shoulder.

When she was calmer Alice asked why he'd been going to her place of work.

'It was another mistake to go there, I realise that.'

'Why keep doing it then?'

Tony denied being there other than when he'd spoken to her in the car park.

'I don't know what you want from me, Tony. I couldn't stop the investigation even if I wanted to and I don't, because I want whoever is responsible caught and stopped.'

'Me too, and not just because it will clear my name. I see this is horrible for you. I just wanted you to know it's not me. Maybe it will help you think of who else it could be.'

'I believe him,' Kate said after he'd gone.

'I don't know. There was no point to all that, unless I was supposed to suddenly get jealous of Rachel. If I had any information I'd have reported it already and he was lying about coming to work. Miles saw him at least twice.'

'You don't know that. He said he saw an Audi, but Tony isn't the only person who owns one. Besides I don't trust your boss.'

'What? He's been brilliant over this.'

'Hmm, well if he has it's the only thing. What about the pay rises he promised?'

'I forgot to tell you, we're all getting fifteen per cent.'

'That just makes me more suspicious.'

'What's got into you? You used to like him and hate Tony, now it's the other way round.'

'I never hated Tony. He was always good to you in his way and he's obviously really upset now.'

'Yes you did! You were always trying to wind him up and make him jealous.'

'OK maybe I was a bit hard on him, but I don't want him getting in trouble for something he didn't do. Rachel's right, this could be serious.'

'That's right, poor little Tony. Everyone feels sorry for him and it's all my fault.'

'I never said it was your fault.'

Kate tried to put her arm around Alice, but she shrugged her off. 'You were thinking it.'

'I'm going,' Kate said. 'Call me when you're in a better mood.'

Alice sat with her head in her hands when Kate had gone. Her sister had a point, she had got herself into a bad mood and snapped and she knew why. Although she'd thought all along that this wasn't something Tony would do, she'd been half hoping it was because if it wasn't him it was someone else. She didn't know what they wanted or what they might do next. Until they were caught, she was going to be permanently frightened.

Alice went to bed, but wasn't asleep when Tony rang at three in the morning.

'Should there be anyone at your work?'

'No and you shouldn't be either.'

'I was hoping to see whoever it was your boss saw hanging about and get the registration to prove it wasn't me. As I drove down the track I'm sure there were lights on and a car passed me.'

'If you think there's something wrong call the police.'

'But if there's not it'll look like another hoax. Alice, I know it's not your problem, but I've made a few mistakes at work through not concentrating and what with the warnings about the hoaxes I could lose my job. Please help me.' He sounded desperate.

She had the key to work and wouldn't sleep anyway. 'OK.'

'Perhaps you'd better bring your boyfriend.'

She couldn't as Hamish was on shift. She really should let someone know where she was going though. Her parents would worry and she didn't want to call Kate after their row and be accused of waking her up just because she distrusted Tony. She compromised by sending Kate a text and slipping a note under her neighbour Doris's door.

When Alice drove her mum's car into the car park just minutes later, she saw another car next to Tony's and the building open with all the lights on. One of her colleagues must have come by as Miles had asked. Wondering why they'd gone inside, Alice headed for the entrance.

As she stepped through the doorway Tony said, 'I'm so sorry, Alice.'

Then something struck the back of her head, she felt her body sink to the floor and everything went dark.

Chapter 18

When she came round, Alice was soaking wet and in pain. She could hear a scratching noise and feel hot breath on her face. She fought to control her shivering and terror. They'd be OK, Devon would come soon to rescue them. She drifted away again.

When she came to for the second time she was still wet, frightened and hurt, but she remembered she was at Tatisuz, not back in the past, trapped with Frodo on a building site. She wasn't cold this time, but she was trapped and she didn't have the comfort of her dog with her. Alice attempted to wriggle herself free.

'Don't struggle. I'm trying to help you.' It was Tony.

Alice tried to scream, but no sound came. She felt sick and her throat was as raw as if she already had been. Her eyes stung. Her head hurt so much. What had Tony done to her?

'Alice? Alice can you hear me? There's a fire. We need to move.'

A fire? Like she'd believe that. How many hoaxes had he made now? It was so hot and her head hurt. Alice could see flames, just like at the cottage with Hamish. She tried to drift back to sleep, but Tony threw water over her.

'Alice, come on. I can't carry you. You've got to help me get you somewhere safe.'

It wasn't Tony who hit her, she remembered. He was inside the building. Whoever hit her must have been waiting behind the door. The building was on fire!

'We need to get out,' she croaked.

'The doors are locked. We have to go up, it's our best chance.'

She looked at him properly, her head swimming as she moved it. Even in the red smokey light she could see he was hurt; one arm dangled uselessly at his side and his head was bleeding. He staggered away from her. When he returned he had a washing up bowl which he emptied over her.

'Stop doing that.'

'There's petrol everywhere, Alice.'

As soon as he said it she recognised the smell. It was that, as well as the smoke, which was stinging her eyes.

'I've used all the extinguishers I could find and chucked water everywhere, but I couldn't put the fire out. If we get above the flames we might survive long enough for the fire brigade to rescue us.'

'When did you call them?' They must be nearly there. She didn't have to move.

'They took my mobile. Yours too, I checked. I couldn't find a phone.'

'They're upstairs, all except one over there,' she pointed to the red glow.

'Come on, then.'

'You go. I'm tired.'

'Alice, move, now!'

With his help, she crawled up the stairs to the offices and they pulled the door shut behind them before collapsing. The air was fresher inside and Alice gradually felt a little better.

'There's a fire escape up here.' She got herself over to the door and pushed the bar. It didn't budge. Alice grabbed it to help pull herself up, then threw her weight against it. Still nothing. She tried again without success. Tony had said the doors were locked. Whoever had knocked her out and started the fire must have blocked up the emergency escape too.

Now what? The phone line was dead, as was the electricity supply. It wasn't totally dark though. Light from the fire at the other end of the building showed at the windows. Alice located the extinguishers and pulled them over to where Tony was sprawled just inside the doorway.

'Tony? Tony are you awake?'

He opened his eyes. 'Alice? Are you OK?'

'I will be, we both will.' Good, he was conscious, but only just. Alice dragged him further into the room, then set all the extinguishers off, coating the walls and door with foam and soaking the floor with water in the hope of keeping the fire away.

Inch by inch she pulled Tony to the wall furthest away from the fire. She was gasping for breath. Just exhaustion or was the fire using up the available oxygen? Tony's breathing came in rapid little pants. Should she try to open a window? They had bars to keep thieves out, so doing that wouldn't allow them to jump clear and she knew fires needed oxygen. But so did they. After a struggle she forced open the nearest window and gulped in the fresh air.

'Is that better?' she asked Tony.

She couldn't make out his reply. His head was cut and arm damaged, maybe she should take a look? She tugged his jacket back and ripped his shirt to expose a gaping wound which was bleeding heavily. The cut on his head didn't seem too bad. Thankfully the first aid kit was nearby. She tipped everything onto the floor and tore open the packs of bandages. She covered his head injury, taping the dressing into place. She wadded up the triangular bandages into a pad and bound that over the deep gash in his shoulder. It wouldn't help much, there wasn't enough padding and she'd not managed to work the bandages round him well enough to keep them tight.

Pressure. You had to apply pressure to the wound and elevate it. Somehow she pulled Tony into what was almost a sitting position. This had to be hurting him, but he'd not so much as grunted. She could hear him breathing though, so placed the flat of her hand against the covering to his wound and allowed herself to slump forward so some of her weight was on it. Already she could feel blood soaking through.

There was nothing more she could do but wait and hope. She seemed to do that for a very long time. Someone would see the fire surely? They were a long way from the road, but at night the flames must be visible and the alarms might have triggered.

'Sirens,' Alice whispered. 'Tony, can you hear them?'

He didn't reply.

The sirens grew louder until she was certain they really were coming for them. The red light through the window was interspersed with flashes of blue. Alice hauled herself up to the window. She couldn't shout and waving wouldn't help, not yet as they were at the back of the building. She collapsed with one arm dangling out.

When she came to again Alice knew she was in hospital and remembered most of what had happened before the fire engine arrived. Her mum was there, holding her hand.

'Hi, Mum.'

'Alice.' She kissed her cheek with tears of relief running down her face. 'She's back with us, Peter.'

Her dad kissed her too and Kate squeezed her other hand.

'You're all right, love. Going to be at any rate,' he said.

'And Tony?'

'They're operating, love.'

A nurse shone lights in Alice's eyes, checked her blood pressure, asked her questions and told her to rest.

As soon as she was gone, Alice asked, 'What happened? Do you know?'

'Not much of it,' Kate said. 'I rang to complain your text woke me and didn't get any reply, so I tried Tony's number. Can't even remember why I had it, but I knew he used it for work so didn't think he'd have changed it. When he didn't answer either I suddenly felt like something bad had happened.'

'That's probably just when I got hit on the head.'

'Oh! Oh, that's spooky. Anyway, I came out to look for you, saw the fire and called 999.'

'Did Hamish rescue me?'

'No. He'd been called out to your flats. Another hoax.'

'Another one? That makes no sense.'

'No, it doesn't.'

'Hamish came to see you,' Alice's mum said. 'I told him to go home and sleep and we'd let him know when you came round.'

Kate went out to call him, then suggested her parents also go home and come back later with clothes and other things Alice would need. 'I'll stay with her.'

Alice watched her sister fall asleep in a chair, then slept herself.

When she woke, Kate told her Hamish had been there for a couple of hours. 'I had to practically force him to go home and sleep. I thought you'd rather see him when you weren't both fighting to keep your eyes open.'

Although she wished he was still by her side, she could see Kate had acted for the best.

'Mum brought you loads of stuff. Hopefully you'll be out before you need half of it.'

'Is there any more news of Tony and what happened?'

'They've had to pin his shoulder and give him transfusions, but he's OK,' Kate said.

'Did you see him?'

'No. The police are questioning him. Asking him questions, I mean. They're not treating him as a suspect.'

'No, he saved me, Kate. He was badly hurt, but it was him who brought me round and got me up the stairs away from the fire. I think I'd have just given up, but he wouldn't let me and wouldn't leave me.'

A nurse came to test her responses again. 'You're doing fine,' she assured Alice.

'I am, but you must be exhausted, Kate. Go home and sleep.'

'I don't like to leave you.'

'I'm safe here and Hamish will be in later.'

Kate shrugged. 'All right. It's not as though you damaged anything important, just your head.'

That did more to reassure Alice she wasn't seriously hurt, than the nurse's words had. 'Go away, Kate.'

Hamish had been watching over her as she slept. He'd come back soon. Alice smiled and slipped into a dream of him carrying her somewhere safe. She woke to find Hamish leaning over her.

He kissed her cheek. 'Hello, sleeping beauty.'

'Hello.'

He sat on her bed. 'Jeff's going to be disappointed. He said if you were in one of those hospital gowns which don't do up he'd come and visit you.'

She shuddered.

'No brain damage then. If you'd taken that calmly I'd have been worried.'

'I'm going to be fine, apparently.'

'Good.' He kissed her. 'Don't give me another scare like that.'

'Now you know how I feel when you're on duty and I hear a siren or news report of a fire.'

'You're going to have to get used to that, my love.'

'Am I indeed?' She couldn't make herself sound indignant.

'Do you want to tell me about it, or would you rather not?'

'I'll tell you. It might help me make sense of it.'

When she had he said, 'You did brilliantly and it seems Tony's not so bad after all.'

'No. Just not right for me. I suppose he'll be cleared of any connection with the hoaxes now?'

'Did you know there was another one last night?'

'Yes, to the flats.'

'It was made from Tony's phone.'

'No! But...'

'The call was recorded. They'll be able to tell it wasn't him.'

'They'll find whoever is doing this, won't they?'

'Yes. Yes they will.' He tried to talk of more cheerful subjects, but the conversation drifted back to the fire and he told her how worried he'd been when Doris, evacuated again from the flats, had read the note Alice left. She'd wondered aloud why Alice had gone to work in the middle of the night. Just moments later he'd learned there was a fire there.

'If I didn't already know how I felt about you, that would have told me.'

'And how do you feel?'

'I... oh to hell with the taking it easy and not rushing you, I love you. I want to marry you and spend the rest of my life with you.'

'I love you too.' Alice reached up to pull him close for a proper kiss.

Another wretched nurse chose that moment to come in and do her stuff with the torch and blood pressure cuff. Alice almost forgave her though when she said, 'You'll most likely be able to go home in the morning.'

When she'd gone, Hamish said, 'You'd be welcome to come and stay at mine, but I know your parents want to look after you for a bit and I think that might be best.'

'I think so too.'

He told her about the way Kate had insisted on staying by her side.

'Proper big sister, bossy but looking out for you. She reminds me of my brother.'

'Ah yes. I'm looking forward to meeting Dastardly Donald.'

'I don't remember telling you he's dastardly.'

'He's your big brother, stands to reason.'

When her parents came to collect her, Alice asked to see Tony first. They found him propped up in bed with Rachel by his side.

'I've come to thank you. You saved my life,' Alice said.

'And you saved mine. Those thugs stopped beating me up when you arrived. When I saw them knock you out, I pretended I was unconscious too. I wasn't far off to be honest, but I was in a better state than if they'd hit me again. And then when I really did pass out you bandaged me up.'

'I'm not sure that did anything much.'

'It did. I was told that if I'd lost any more blood I wouldn't have made it and your first aid efforts made the difference.'

'Did you recognise them, the people who hit you?'

'No. I think I would now though. And I know... Oh! I'd forgotten. I saw their car. It was a Fiesta not an Audi, but I wrote down the registration. It's in my glove box. Rachel, will you get it and give it to the police?'

'No problem. Glad you're all right, Alice.'

When she'd gone, Alice kissed Tony's cheek. 'Thanks again. Are you going to be all right yourself?'

'They're letting me out tomorrow I think. Rachel's going to stay and help me.'