‘What the hell do you think you’re doing?’ he yelled, catching the man by the collar of his jacket and throwing a punch at him.
Unfortunately David hadn’t got a strong enough grip on the man’s collar and he ducked the punch. Before David could catch hold of him again, he’d darted past him and out of the door.
David hit the bell push beside the bed. It was Lotte in the bed. She looked terrified and was rubbing at her throat, but there was no time to help her. ‘Tell the nurse what happened, I’m going after him,’ he said hurriedly.
*
By the time David got out of the room the double doors were swinging at the end of the corridor. He ran at full tilt after the man, nearly knocking down an elderly patient with a walking frame.
The reception area was full of people arriving for visiting and David could no longer see the man. But he made a mental note to tell the police he’d been of slim build and average height, with light brown hair and wearing a brown jacket.
He ran outside and along to the car park, but there were so many cars arriving and people getting out of them that it was impossible to tell who was just parking up, or about to leave. His heart was hammering, probably with shock at what he’d witnessed, but he realized that if the man had any sense he wouldn’t draw attention to himself by attempting to leave straight away.
David positioned himself at the car park exit, so he could at least note the registration number if he saw the man again, and getting out his mobile phone he dialled 999 for help.
‘You did well, sir,’ the middle-aged, rather portly uniformed sergeant said some three hours later when practically all the cars in the car park had gone. David was disappointed he hadn’t been able to identify Lotte’s assailant in any of them. ‘Of course there’s every possibility he left his car elsewhere, or even had an accomplice waiting in a getaway car. But thanks to you that poor girl came to no further harm.’
‘Could I just go and say goodnight to her?’ David asked. He felt oddly exhausted: he supposed it was the trauma and being forced to explain what he’d seen to the police and give the man’s description over and over again. He felt he’d done his bit helping to check each car leaving the car park, and he thought if he could just see Lotte smile, he might be able to wipe out the memory of the terror in her eyes earlier.
‘Just five minutes,’ the sergeant said with an understanding smile. ‘Tell Boyce I said it was OK. The nurses might have other ideas, but you’ll have to take your chances with them.’
PC Boyce was outside Lotte’s door. It seemed her attacker must have been watching earlier in the day, and seized the moment when the policeman went off to get a snack from the cafeteria.
Boyce looked sheepish when David told him the sergeant had said it was OK for him to see Lotte. Clearly he’d been severely reprimanded for leaving his post earlier.
‘Go on in,’ he said. ‘Thank heaven you came along when you did – my life wouldn’t have been worth living if he’d succeeded in killing her.’
David hesitated in the doorway. He hadn’t thought of Lotte as a crime victim when he found her on the beach. He’d imagined she was a drunk or a depressive who’d attempted to take her own life, and while he was sorry for her, he felt no involvement. But then reading today about the mystery surrounding her, and finally coming in here to see someone attempting to kill her, suddenly made him feel ridiculously protective of her, as though she was one of his sisters.
She was wearing one of the standard white hospital gowns, and her face was almost as white as the gown. Her lips were cracked, and she had flaking skin all over her face. He could see now that he’d been right to think someone had hacked off her hair, for it stood out all around her head in clumps. But even if she was a mess, her blue eyes were lovely, and when she smiled at him he saw the same
Unfortunately David hadn’t got a strong enough grip on the man’s collar and he ducked the punch. Before David could catch hold of him again, he’d darted past him and out of the door.
David hit the bell push beside the bed. It was Lotte in the bed. She looked terrified and was rubbing at her throat, but there was no time to help her. ‘Tell the nurse what happened, I’m going after him,’ he said hurriedly.
*
By the time David got out of the room the double doors were swinging at the end of the corridor. He ran at full tilt after the man, nearly knocking down an elderly patient with a walking frame.
The reception area was full of people arriving for visiting and David could no longer see the man. But he made a mental note to tell the police he’d been of slim build and average height, with light brown hair and wearing a brown jacket.
He ran outside and along to the car park, but there were so many cars arriving and people getting out of them that it was impossible to tell who was just parking up, or about to leave. His heart was hammering, probably with shock at what he’d witnessed, but he realized that if the man had any sense he wouldn’t draw attention to himself by attempting to leave straight away.
David positioned himself at the car park exit, so he could at least note the registration number if he saw the man again, and getting out his mobile phone he dialled 999 for help.
‘You did well, sir,’ the middle-aged, rather portly uniformed sergeant said some three hours later when practically all the cars in the car park had gone. David was disappointed he hadn’t been able to identify Lotte’s assailant in any of them. ‘Of course there’s every possibility he left his car elsewhere, or even had an accomplice waiting in a getaway car. But thanks to you that poor girl came to no further harm.’
‘Could I just go and say goodnight to her?’ David asked. He felt oddly exhausted: he supposed it was the trauma and being forced to explain what he’d seen to the police and give the man’s description over and over again. He felt he’d done his bit helping to check each car leaving the car park, and he thought if he could just see Lotte smile, he might be able to wipe out the memory of the terror in her eyes earlier.
‘Just five minutes,’ the sergeant said with an understanding smile. ‘Tell Boyce I said it was OK. The nurses might have other ideas, but you’ll have to take your chances with them.’
PC Boyce was outside Lotte’s door. It seemed her attacker must have been watching earlier in the day, and seized the moment when the policeman went off to get a snack from the cafeteria.
Boyce looked sheepish when David told him the sergeant had said it was OK for him to see Lotte. Clearly he’d been severely reprimanded for leaving his post earlier.
‘Go on in,’ he said. ‘Thank heaven you came along when you did – my life wouldn’t have been worth living if he’d succeeded in killing her.’
David hesitated in the doorway. He hadn’t thought of Lotte as a crime victim when he found her on the beach. He’d imagined she was a drunk or a depressive who’d attempted to take her own life, and while he was sorry for her, he felt no involvement. But then reading today about the mystery surrounding her, and finally coming in here to see someone attempting to kill her, suddenly made him feel ridiculously protective of her, as though she was one of his sisters.
She was wearing one of the standard white hospital gowns, and her face was almost as white as the gown. Her lips were cracked, and she had flaking skin all over her face. He could see now that he’d been right to think someone had hacked off her hair, for it stood out all around her head in clumps. But even if she was a mess, her blue eyes were lovely, and when she smiled at him he saw the same
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