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| "Laura's Nightmare" Copyright Francis Blow, 1989. |
| CHAPTER 10 |
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| "Hi, Gran. I'll be home in about half an hour." |
| "Laura? Where are you? I'll pick you up." |
| The young woman assured Gran that a taxi from the airport would be faster, then said she would explain everything when she got to Gran's mansion. |
| Laura hung up the phone, and joined the queue waiting for taxis. She walked slowly, favouring her left side, and feeling miserable, from pain and lack of sleep, as much as from disappointment at her failure. |
| In the taxi, she only spoke to give her destination, and later to thank the driver as she paid the fair. Gran was waiting on the front steps to meet her, and gave Laura a hug, before Laura could explain about her ribs. |
| She gave a small cry of pain, then had to reassure Gran nothing serious was wrong. |
| "I've got a beautiful bruise, but that's all there is to see." |
| "Let me be the judge of that. Inside, child. Let me take that." Gran relieved Laura of her bag, and bustled her into the big house. |
| Gran led the way to Laura's room, then commanded her to take a shower, after which, Gran examined Laura's side. |
| "Nice colour. No irregularities in the bones. You're too skinny, girl. Hmm, does this hurt?" |
| "Oh! Stop, Gran!" Laura pulled away from the wrinkled fingers that pressed against a point between two of her ribs. |
| "Seems there's a few kinks and knots there. The intercostal cartilage is probably torn." |
| "Told you. Please, no more poking. Is it hot in here?" |
| "No. Then again, you've just come from an English winter to an Australian summer. I bet you didn't sleep on the flight? So. I'll make you a light dinner, then into bed." |
| She passed Laura a light robe, and led the way down to the kitchen, where she built a cheese salad for the young woman. While Laura ate, Gran watched her grand daughter's reddened eyes slowly start to close. |
| "Now into bed with you, and I don't want to see you up until eight o'clock in the morning. |
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| Laura lay on her side, knees drawn up; it was the least painful position to sleep in. Gran covered Laura with a sheet, and kissed her. Before Gran closed the door, Laura was fast asleep. |
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| With the Higher School Certificate examinations only weeks away, Laura curtailed all her other activities, and concentrated on study. |
| For the first couple of weeks after returning to Sydney, she did not jog, swim or attend karate classes. Four hours of study from six until ten in the morning, with breakfast if she remembered, or if Gran dragged her into the kitchen. From ten, Laura helped Gran in the office, made lunch, or relaxed in the garden, until two o'clock, when she went over old exam papers, until six. Most nights, she prepared dinner, watched TV or listened to music with Gran, then another few hours of study. |
| Three weeks before the tests, Gran persuaded Laura to spend time with her family. |
| "Have a break for two or three days, without study. You're starting to look like a text book. Go dancing, see a movie, whatever. I don't want you back before the weekend. And leave your computer here, too. Just get in your car and go." |
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| Laura had to admit Gran was right. |
| She had been home two days, and Laura felt as if someone had unwound every taut spring in her body. Her side still gave her trouble, if she breathed deeply, but not enough to stop her again taking part in a karate class. Experience taught Laura her knowledge of self defence was invaluable. She got home from the lesson, exhausted and soaked in perspiration, her side throbbing. |
| Carla was on the phone when Laura walked in the door. The older woman waved for Laura to come closer. |
| "She's just come in... Laura, it's for you." |
| "Thanks, Mum. Hello?" Laura took the phone. |
| "Someone's going to try and kill you. Meet me now, in front of the high school. Come alone and don't tell any one. Move quickly, or they might try and get to your family." |
| "But, what..." she began, and was interrupted by the youthful voice, which she could almost identify. |
| "You're right out of time! People are going to die." There was a note of hysteria in his voice, then the line went dead. |
| "I've got to go out again, Mum. No time to explain, but I'll ring you from the car. 'Bye." |
| She ran to her car, and backed out, to head for the school. When she was caught behind a red light, Laura rang home, and told her mother what was going on. |
| "Come back home, now, Laura. It's too dangerous. I'll ring the police." |
| "Don't, Mum. I can handle this. Got to go. The light's green." |
| Two minutes later, Laura was parked in the school grounds. The gate to the car park was unlocked, which was unusual. |
| Laura stepped out of the coupe, remembering, too late, to switch off the interior light. Dressed in her white karate uniform, she stood out like a beacon. All she took with her were her phone and wallet, which she pushed into the front of her jacket. The darkened grounds were filled with irregular, totally black shadows. |
| "Hello. Are you there?" Though she spoke at a conversational level, her voice was loud in Laura's ears. |
| Silence answered her. |
| Feeling ridiculous, trying to search the car park inconspicuously in her white canvas clothes, Laura trod warily around the grounds, keeping to shadow as much as she could; occasionally she stumbled in the dark, or bruised her shins against bench seats. |
| The luminous dial on her watch, indicated ten minutes had gone past, when Laura decided the whole thing was a hoax. |
| Part anger, part relief filled her, and she returned to her car. Laura almost had her hand on the door, when the scrape of a shoe on gravel came from behind her. |
| She turned. |
| The owner of the voice on the phone was there. |
| The Principal's son, Tony, was a year behind Laura at school. |
| Behind him, two other figures stood in deep shadows. Though she could not see their faces, Laura felt sure one of them was Johanna Long, the woman who eluded her in London. |
| The last time Laura was that close to her, guns had been in the hands of her accomplices. Looking down, Laura noted a metallic gleam from the unidentified male shape. |
| The boy was unarmed, and appeared ready to run in panic. Sweat gleamed on Tony's face, above wide and frightened eyes. |
| "Hello, Laura Shell," came the cold voice of Ms. Long. "Long time, no see. Let's move away from the car. Just so you're not tempted to leave too soon. Around that corner is far enough." |
| "What's this all about?" Laura asked, her mouth dry with fear, but determined not to show it. |
| "A friendly conversation. An exchange of information." The woman's calculating words were empty of humanity. A machine would have sounded more alive. |
| Laura waited for her to continue. |
| "Before we start, empty your pockets." |
| "I have no pockets," Laura replied, reaching into her gaping jacket . |
| The gunman raised his weapon, and Laura heard the hammer click back, ready to fire. |
| "I've got no weapons. All I'm carrying is my phone and wallet." |
| "Go stand under that light." The woman ordered, indicating a dirty, dim bulb on the side of another building. |
| When the four of them were in the light, Long said, "Take off the jacket, very carefully. My friend is nervous." |
| Laura saw a smile stretch the gunman's face into a mask. |
| Moving slowly, Laura undid the thick, brown belt, and let it fall; the wallet and phone clattering to the ground as their only support fell away. The two side ties of the jacket were next, revealing a white crop top. |
| "Now, Laura..." whatever the woman was about to say was cut off by the sound of sirens approaching. "Bitch! No! Come back, you idiot." |
| It was not Laura she screamed at, but the terrified Tony, who dashed around the corner. |
| For a few seconds, everything went still, then a thunderous, blinding explosion rocked the school, followed by the crash of falling glass, and clangs and thuds from heavier things. |
| Without thinking of reasons or consequences, Laura jumped, kicking the man in the nose with her right foot, then her left, in quick succession, and as she landed, drove several punches into his solar plexus, just below the heart. With a groan, the man went down, and Laura made sure he stayed down by stamping on his groin, twice. |
| The woman was gone, when Laura turned from the writhing man. |
| Shaking her head, to try and rid her ears of a loud ringing, Laura picked up her things, then ran to find her car. |
| Where her little coupe had been parked, was a hole in the bitumen, and several pieces of burning wreckage. Blue and red lights flashed from the roadway, but Laura did not see them, because not far from where she stood, was something moving, whimpering like a small animal. |
| Stiff legged with horror, Laura moved towards the hideously injured boy. |
| Mechanically, at first, she pushed her wadded jacket against Tony's stomach, then used the belt as a tourniquet, on the stumps of both his legs. |
| She was cradling the dying boy in her lap, when the police found them. She did not notice when a blanket was draped around her shoulders. |
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| "Laura! Are you all right, Baby?" Her father ran to the blood drenched girl in the hospital waiting room, and hugged her tightly. |
| All Laura's pent up emotions defeated her determination not to cry, and she buried her face in his chest. Carla put her arms around both or them. |
| An uniformed policewoman sat nearby, watching, until John led Laura to a seat. |
| "Mr. Shell, your daughter is not injured. Thanks to your wife calling us when she did." |
| "Oh, Daddy! The put another bomb in my car, and he tried to get away. It blew his legs off, and..." Laura's wail carried through the room, and other patients watched, seeing a pain greater than their own. |
| "Hush, Baby, hush. You're okay." |
| "Your daughter is a very brave young woman, and kept the victim alive until help arrived." The officer said. |
| "Tony's going to die, Daddy. I'm so scared. She got away. She'll find me again!" |
| "We have her, Laura," the constable interrupted. "A roadblock stopped her less than a hundred metres away from the school. You have nothing more to worry about from Johanna Long." |
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| A short time later, Laura was being examined by a doctor, while Carla and the policewoman looked on. |
| All she had to show for the blood that covered her, were a few bruises and skinned knuckles. Laura went home with her parents. The policewoman followed, and waited downstairs. |
| Jem, who had been babysitting Joey, said something to comfort Laura, who could not remember the words. |
| The rest of the night passed in a confused blur, while the next day, the usual media people were trying to get to see her. |
| Laura left the house by the back door, jumped a fence, and met her father's car in another street. From there, he drove her to Gran's place. |
