Page 106 of No Safe Place

Sunday | Evening

Field

Riley was through the living room window, and she watched through the crack in the door as he tackled Ruby, pinning her arms and snapping the handcuffs on.

Field followed him, cutting her shin on the shards of glass still in the window frame.

It was mayhem. There was no light in the hallway, but light from the dining room illuminated the two figures.

Riley had subdued Ruby, who looked unhurt, lying face down on the hallway floor, hands underneath her, sobbing into the carpet. Field kicked the knife away, and it went skittering into the dining room.

Riley was shouting into Callum’s face, pressing down on his stomach.

Field shouted into her radio. ‘Control, Hotel Charlie Six-Four. Request LAS and emergency backup to 56 Conway Road. IC1 male with stab wound to the abdomen. Suspect apprehended.’

A crackling voice said the paramedics were two minutes away as Field pushed into the dining room. She pulled a towel from the drying rack and threw it to Riley, to press onto Callum’s wound.

‘Lily?’ Field called.

She’d heard Callum shouting Lily’s name – she must be in the house.

The narrow galley kitchen was clear, the fridge pushed against the back door. Field checked the downstairs toilet and found nothing.

‘He’s not responsive,’ Riley said, desperately, as she got back to the hallway.

Field sank to her knees and pressed her fingers to Callum’s neck. A weak pulse fluttered.

‘He’s got a pulse, Riley. Stay calm, keep talking to him—’

She was cut off by Ruby, who had pushed herself to her knees and had thrown her body into Riley, knocking him off balance.

Riley righted himself, scrabbling to apply pressure to the wound again. Callum groaned and coughed, and Field stepped over them, hauling Ruby up by the handcuffs.

Ruby was screaming, thrashing as Field pulled her backwards into the living room. By wrenching the girl’s arms, Field managed to use a second set of cuffs to connect the first pair to a radiator. As she clicked them into place Ruby threw her head back and caught Field in the face.

‘Fuck—’ She felt her nose break.

She pulled her shirt up to stem the blood, as blue lights filled the room from outside.

Field backed away. Ruby’s baggy T-shirt had slipped down over her left shoulder, and Field could see the edge of a large plaster.

‘Ambulance is here,’ she shouted to Riley, her words muffled through the broken nose and her shirt, pressed into her face. He was still dealing with Callum’s wound. She edged past them, up the stairs.

‘Lily?’ Field called. ‘Lily?’

Field could remember the layout of the house and she tried Lily’s room first, throwing the door open. The curtains weren’t drawn, so flashing blue lights bounced off the wall, like crude nightclub lighting.

There was a slim figure on the bed, face up, hands bound. Her skin was grey.

Lily Stewart was lying in a red-black pool of blood. Field crossed to a window and threw it open. Paramedics were spilling out of two ambulances, and she called down to them.

‘Second victim, upstairs. I need help – now .’ In two steps she was back by the bed. ‘Lily? Lily – can you hear me?’

Lily’s clothes were so blood-soaked Field had to tear Lily’s shirt away to find the wound. A single deep gash to her abdomen.

With one hand, Field pushed a pillow down onto the wound. She felt for a pulse with the other hand. It was barely there.

Field gently slapped Lily’s cheek, and the girl shrank away from her hand, but didn’t regain consciousness.

Field could hear heavy boots on the stairs.

‘Help is coming, Lily, okay? Hold on for me, darling.’

Field waited for the paramedic to take over, and then backed away.

Another medic pushed the bedding out of the way, and as it fell to the floor, Field noticed the swipes of blood on the duvet, where Ruby must have cleaned the knife.