The darkness of the night is emphasized by the flashing lights of the police car angled across the parking lot behind Fyfield House. Jake’s stomach drops as the worst case scenario catches his throat and he hurries over.
But wait. This isn’t it. This is something else. Quentin spread eagled against the car in the time honored tradition of TV cop shows. Why is the cop frisking Q like they do on TV? This is bad too. Just a different bad.
As Jake approaches he realizes it isn’t a real police car, it’s campus security. “Hey, what’s the problem?” he asks.
The burly guard dismisses Jake with, “Move along son.”
Jake moves in closer, ignoring Q’s warning head shake. “You’re making a mistake here.” says Jake firmly. Facing up to this beefy guard is nothing compared to dealing with Elsie.
Planting his hands on his hips to maximize his chest inflation, the guard glares down at Jake, irritated at the skinny kid’s challenge. “I caught this guy lurking around down here, but that isn’t any of your concern kid. So just move along.”
Jake crosses his arms. “Q wasn’t “lurking”, he was waiting for me. Now just let him go.”
“Just piss off kid.”
Righteously indignant, Jake says, “Didn’t you hear what I said? You have no call to harass him.”
“Oooh, are you a lawyer, boy?”
Quentin is shaking his head more emphatically, trying to get Jake to stand down, eyes wide, trying to will Jake into silence.
“I live in Fyfield House, he lives in the cottages. We’re both Christie students, boy, so that means we pay your salary. Now are you gonna let him go or do I call a real cop?”
Quentin is aghast, now worried that young Jake’s heroics are gonna get them both killed.
Quentin says, “It’s OK, Jake, really,” when the guard rounds on him with raised fist.
“You. SHUT UP,” shouts the guard as Elsie comes out of the building and barges into the tableau lit by strobing cruiser lights.
Elsie says, “Just get into the car, I’ll tell you where to go.”
“What the hell are you talking about girl?” The guard is not about to take any more crap from these snotty rich kids.
Elsie shifts the large cloth bag she has over her shoulder so she can whip out her cell phone. She punches a single digit then says, “We’re having a problem, can you come out to the lot?”
Elsie snaps the phone shut and tucks it in her coat, folding her arms and glowering up at him. “I’m sorry, I mistook you for someone with a brain.”
“You aren’t making it any better for yourself, bitch,” bellows the guard, “I don’t know what you smart ass kids think you are up to but I’m going to take you all in, and then we will get it straightened out.”
The guard is startled by a very large hand clamping itself on his shoulder. “I don’t think so,” says the owner of the hand, who wears the same uniform but with a bit of gold braid on the shoulder boards. Val Thompson, the campus security chief, has a physique roughly equivalent to the Incredible Hulk’s. “I think you’re about done here, Connor.”
“Uh, sir, but I was on my rounds and these people were behaving suspiciously.” Val fixes him with a look; Connor pales and shuts up.
“This is what we’re gonna do. You are going to give me the keys to this car and then you will go inside and cover the main desk until I get back. You will be polite. And deferential. Think you can handle that Connor?”
Connor swallows, “Uh, sir,” carefully avoiding looking at anyone but Val, “I’m not sure what deferential means.”
Val pins him with a laser glare. “Deferential means you kiss ass. Do you think you can handle that Connor?”
Wearing a poker face Connor executes a military precision salute. “Yes sir.”
Val holds out his palm and Connor digs the car keys out of his pocket and hands them over before marching back to the building, head held high.
Disgusted, Val gets into the driver’s seat. “Guys, if you’ll get in back, please, Elsie will ride shotgun.”
Quentin and Jake pile in although they have no idea what is happening. After belting up, Elsie twists around in her seat to tell them, “Liz found Natasha and she’s hurt. When we get there you’ll need to stay on the path to flag down the ambulance.”
Elsie says, “Val, this is my roommate Jake, and his friend …”
“Quentin Bradbury. I live in the cottages.”
Val nods, carefully backing out, doing a three point turn onto the footpath, then driving slowly. “Tomorrow I’m gonna want to talk to you about what was happening with Connor.”
“He was acting like a Nazi thug.” protests Jake.
Quentin nods, “No problem, I’d love to come by and give you a statement.”
“Sorry. Our budget doesn’t buy us the cream of the crop. I’ve had suspicions about him but suspicion isn’t grounds for termination. That’s why I’d like to talk to you both. Later.”
“Elsie, what happened to Natasha?” asks Jake.
“Liz said she was attacked. She’s probably been out there most of the day, and she’s hurt, so it’s really lucky Liz found her.”
Quentin mutters, “Luck, my ass.”
The campus security car arrives at the fork in the path. Val makes the tight turn and drives toward the parking lot.
“Please keep your eyes open for…”
“There!” yells Jake. As the car approaches they see Ethan standing at the side of the road, shivering in a T shirt. Val stops the car, and Elsie is first out, handing Ethan a large sweatshirt.
He starts “They’re in here.”
Elsie shakes her head. “Put it on, you’re freezing, then you can take me.” Ethan nods and pulls it over his head, while Jake climbs out and hands Elsie his brightest flash light, then one of the penlights to Ethan. Elsie flashes Jake a non-predatory smile and follows Ethan into the woods.
Quentin climbs out of the car and positions himself with Jake just off the path, and they watch Val take the campus car down the path to the parking lot. Sirens wail in the distance.
Elsie’s light bounces along the path, variously skidding off trees and shrubs until it lands on Liz kneeling at the side of the path, cradling Natasha’s head in her lap.
Elsie bites back an admonition; a lay person should never move a head injury. Blood encrusted in her hair clearly indicates Natasha has one. She has also been bundled in Ethan’s voluminous pea coat. Elsie fleetingly hopes the rescuers haven’t done more damage than good as she passes the big flash to Ethan and she opens her bag. Ethan fiddles with the flash light until it slides open, transforming into a lantern.
Elsie pulls out a gray felt blanket and kneels beside Natasha’s supine figure. Ethan goes around and crouches beside Liz, one hand holding up the lantern for Elsie, the other arm slipping protectively around Liz’s shoulder.
Elsie can see matted blood on Natasha’s head, quite a lot of it, clotted into her hair. Reaching out to gently touch Natasha’s neck, Elsie deftly takes her pulse. “Getting her warm was good, and her pulse is strong.” she tells Liz matter-of-factly. “May I have the light please?” Ethan hands it over silently, and Elsie lifts the corner of the coat and shines the light in.
Liz asks, “Is she going to be okay?”
Natasha’s clothes are ripped and bloody, the beginning of heavy bruising forming on her thighs. Looks like blood and semen. Elsie lightly probes her arms and legs.
“Nothing seems broken”.
“But there’s so much blood.”
“Scalp wounds bleed a lot. Doesn’t have to be serious. I can’t tell about the head injury, it could be bad or she might be fine. I’m just here for first aid. We are not even going to try to move her, we just keep her warm until the paramedics arrive. I’d say she’s in damn good shape for someone who’s been laying out here for hours.
She passes the light back to Ethan, and settles the heavy wool blanket over the unconscious girl. “I think they’re here.”
The thrum of the ambulance engine slows and stops out on the footpath. Doors open and close and lights strobe as Val leads the paramedics through the trees.
With practiced ease a portable gurney is set up, and Elsie gets up and steps out of the way. The paramedics squat on either side of Liz, expertly sliding a board under the unconscious Natasha smoothly transferring her to the gurney.
Ethan gets up, and Liz tries to as well, but she’s shaky from squatting so long. Ethan encircles her with his arms and pulls her to her feet. Liz rotates one ankle and flexes her knee, to restore circulation, then the other. She leans back into Ethan, and they watch the gurney being carried out.
