Dead of Winter

Chapter 77

With his rifle on his back, Carmichael kicked his bike off its stand and into life. He was near to the Mansfield hospital now; he looked into the sky and saw the helicopter hovering over. He spun his bike around and kept the helicopter in his sights as he headed past the roundabouts and joined the M25; caught up with the ambulance speeding along the outside lane.

Ebony ran around to the back of the hospital towards the ambulances. She found Jeanie on the ground. ‘It’s alright, Jeanie. .’

She grabbed Ebony’s arm. ‘Don’t let me die here. . I want to hold my baby. . please, Ebb, don’t let me die here.’ Ebony looked up at the sound of a helicopter in the sky above. She looked around; there was no one about.

‘I’ll go and get help, Jeanie.’

‘No, Ebb. Don’t leave me alone here. I don’t want to die alone.’

Ebony took out her phone and phoned Robbo:

‘Ring the reception here. Tell them to get a paramedic out to the back of the hospital fast. Jeanie’s been stabbed.’

Carmichael followed the ambulance as it swerved erratically and turned off at an exit. The police helicopter was circling. He knew they would have spotted him. He knew he only had to see this through. He followed from the end of the lane as the ambulance drove up towards an intersection and took a left turn as it continued to climb up over the brow of the hill. Carmichael could see a few small planes to his left, a flattened field, a landing strip. He watched the ambulance park haphazardly and saw Nicola get out and run towards a small six-seater aircraft whose pilot was waiting. Carmichael drove his bike onto the runway and stopped between Nicola and the plane. For a few seconds his heart stopped.

‘Linda?’

Nikki de Lange stood watching him walk towards her. His rifle in his hands.