Page 31 of The Lost Zone (Dark Water #3)

Her medical training kicked in, and, with a curt nod, she bent to her task.

Josiah found a torch in the emergency rescue kit and held it up so she could see more clearly.

The wound was bad – that much was obvious – and all Sofie could really do was stem the bleeding until they reached the safety of home.

Every so often, she shot shocked little glances at Josiah that showed how much trouble she was having processing the fact that he, of all people, was their unlikely saviour tonight.

Alex drove superbly, with the same skill that Peter had possessed, and they were soon home. Josiah carried Hendrik inside and took him to the dining room. Alex quickly cleared the table and laid down blankets, and Josiah gently placed Hendrik on it.

“It’s not a hospital, but it’s all we’ve got,” Josiah told Sofie.

“I have all the supplies you’ll need, but you have to operate; you’re the doctor.

” She stared at him, looking dazed. “Sofie,” he began softly, but then, seeing the events of the evening had taken their toll, he spoke in a sterner tone.

“Dr Baumann! You have a job to do – now, damn well get on and do it.”

It worked, snapping her out of her confusion. She looked at the medical supplies Alex had retrieved and nodded, her jaw set in a determined line.

Josiah stripped off his coat and rolled up his sleeves. He helped Sofie scrub up and prepared a surgical area with all the instruments she’d need, sterilised and set out on a tray.

“You have all the right stuff,” she said, checking everything over.

“It’s not my first time helping out with this kind of operation.” He shot her a little smile. “We have sympathetic doctors we can call – I asked one of them to provide a complete pack of supplies to cover most of the eventualities we might encounter.”

Sofie set to work, with Josiah as her assistant, while Alex hovered nearby, in case they needed anything.

Sofie cleaned and stitched Hendrik’s stomach wound, as well as a couple of other, less serious injuries.

Her work was neat and precise – despite the fact she mostly worked on the dead, she clearly knew how to tend to the living, too.

Hendrik was heavily sedated throughout, and when she’d finished, Josiah carried him upstairs to the spare room and put him to bed, under Sofie’s watchful eye.

“What happens next?” she asked, sitting beside him and smoothing her blood-stained hair away from her face.

“Next, we all have a stiff drink.” He held out his hand, and she took it with a wan smile.

Then he led her back down the stairs, still holding her hand, and into the living room, where Alex had prepared drinks and some food.

Josiah suddenly realised he was starving – it had been hours since they’d eaten those chips, and a lot had happened since then.

He felt a moment’s wooziness and sat down fast – but not before Alex noticed.

“Dr Baumann, I know you must be exhausted, but please, will you look at Joe’s head,” he said. “I did my best to patch it up, but he’s bleeding again.”

“What happened to you?” she asked, frowning as she peeled off the dressing to look at the wound.

“I had an uninvited visitor.” Josiah grimaced. “It’s been a very long night.”

“This needs fixing, too,” she said. She turned to fetch her equipment, only to find Alex already holding it.

She made short work of the few stitches his head required, covered the wound with a clean dressing, and then sat down and took a long sip of the tea Alex had made for her.

Her hands shook as she held the cup to her mouth, and she spilled some on the carpet.

“I’m sorry. I’m not used to this kind of drama,” she muttered, shaking uncontrollably now. Josiah removed the cup from her hand, while Alex placed a blanket around her shoulders.

“It’s okay. It’s been a long night for you, too. Want to talk about it?”

She stared into space, looking shattered.

“I thought he was dead. He’s my little brother – I’ve always looked out for him.

I’m a doctor, for God’s sake, but there was so little I could do for him out there in that bus shelter.

I couldn’t draw attention to where we were hiding, and I couldn’t see anything as it was so dark.

I did my best, but I was sure he was going to die. ”

“You did well. He’s still alive, and there’s every chance he’ll stay that way.”

“I thought I should call an ambulance, take him to a hospital, but he told me he’d rather die than go back to his houder.”

“He’d have been arrested and charged with absconding and breaking his contract,” Josiah said. “If he’d survived, he’d have had the medical bills to pay, too – which would have added years to his contract. I can see why he didn’t want you to take him to a hospital.”

“But for him to be so desperate!”

“Why don’t you fill us in on what happened – from the beginning,” Josiah prompted.

Alex knelt beside Sofie and offered her a plate of sandwiches.

She took one gratefully and managed a few bites, which helped restore some colour to her pale cheeks.

Josiah sat back in his chair. It was only now the drama was over that he realised he ached all over and he was exhausted.

It was 4a.m., and in a few hours, he’d have to face George Tyler and Esther Lomax at their worst. Thinking about that for a moment, he grinned.

They’d have to face him at his worst, too.

Good luck to them. He was at his most dangerous when fighting for someone he loved.

After a few minutes, Sofie began to talk.

“Sem – that’s his real name – I told Elsie he was called Hendrik in case she was working for a bounty hunter.

Anyway, Sem called me earlier this evening.

He was allowed to call me every month from the factory where he worked, and at first, he seemed to be doing fine – he was just pleased to be out of the work camp, I think, but he did enjoy the work he was doing to start with, anyway.

Lately, he’d sounded unhappy, though, and he mentioned his supervisor was bullying him.

Sem's lovely, but he's autistic and sometimes gets overwhelmed when he's tired or upset. He can't help it, but his supervisor thinks he's being difficult on purpose. I put in a request to visit him, but it was denied. He missed our last call, and I’ve been so worried about him. Then, tonight, he called and told me he’d tried to run away… but the supervisor stopped him and he had a knife. There was a fight. Sem’s no good at fighting. You’ve seen him – he’s not big or strong.

He’s a gentle soul at heart.” She broke off, her voice croaking.

Alex pressed the mug of tea into her hand again, and she took a sip.

“Hot, sweet tea – just what the doctor ordered.” She shot him a grateful smile then continued.

“Sem managed to get away, but he knew he was badly hurt. He didn’t know what to do, so he called me.

I was at home at the time, but I ran back to my office to grab some medical supplies. ”

“Ah.” Josiah winced. “And then you were about to go to him when I called you into the rec room and made you answer my questions. I’m so sorry, Sofie. I had no idea.”

“Well, you were the last person I’d have told, frankly.” She gave a little laugh. “I had no idea you are… whatever it is you are.” She waved her hand around vaguely. “I mean, you are so very much, so very decidedly, the indiehunter.”

“I loathe that name, although I have to admit it’s been a good cover over the years.” Josiah shrugged.

“I thought you hated us.”

“No, I hate the system, not the people forced to work in it,” he told her firmly.

“I misread everything you said. I saw it only through the prism of what I thought I knew about you. How you chased that poor young man – Bram something – around the country, giving all those daily bulletins… You seemed so determined that he was guilty, just because he was an IS.”

“It was a useful diversion while I gathered the evidence I needed to trap the real killer.” He showed her a picture of a smiling and sunburned Bram. “This is him now in Italy. I got him out of the country after the fuss had died down.”

She gazed at the picture for a long time, smiling. “I’m glad. I worried about him so much.”

“What happened after you left Inquisitus?” Alex asked.

“I had to take a few buses to reach Sem, and I wasn’t entirely sure where he was - his call to me was so garbled.

It all took such a long time. I don’t have access to an Inquisitus vehicle outside of work hours, so I had no choice but to use the buses and they were so slow.

I found him eventually, in that bus shelter.

It was dark and wet, and nobody had seen him, but I couldn’t lift him to take him anywhere, and he was too badly injured to stand.

I did my best with my limited medical supplies, but I could tell it was no use.

I begged him to let me get him to a hospital, but he gave me a piece of paper with Elsie’s name and nym on it.

I wondered why he hadn’t called her himself, but he’d only had enough money to call one person, and he’d called me.

I’m his big sister, you see. He always did turn to me when he was in trouble.

” She gave the smallest of smiles, then continued.

“I thought he’d die out there, and I wondered what I’d do with his body – how I’d explain it to Director Lomax.

I promised her I’d always behave properly, that I wouldn’t bring Inquisitus into disrepute.

She took such a chance on me. She’s sponsored me for years, and she paid for my medical degree – I owe her so much. ”

Josiah sat back, mulling that over. He’d been so busy fighting his own crusade that he hadn’t stopped to think that others were also doing their bit in very different ways.

“I can’t tell you how grateful I am to you for helping me – us – tonight, Investigator Raine,” she said humbly. “And please accept my apologies for my former hostility.”

“Call me Joe – and no apologies are necessary.” They exchanged warm smiles.

“What now, though?” she asked anxiously. “What happens to Sem now?”

“I’ll get him out of the country somehow,” Josiah assured her. “He can stay here until he’s well enough to travel, but I should warn you… I shut down the escape network earlier today as I’m expecting to be investigated by someone with very deep pockets. So, it won’t be easy.”

“I understand.” She glanced at his forehead. “Is that where the very long story comes in?”

“It is.” He grimaced. “Alex – why don’t you tell her – it’s your story more than mine. You can be honest with her. I think, given the circumstances, we must all agree to trust each other.”

Sofie listened silently as Alex told her about Solange and his mission to bring Tyler to justice. He told her everything, right up to Tyler showing up at the house with his goons earlier in the evening.

“I’m sorry,” she said, resting her hand on his arm when he’d finished. “I know Joe thinks I’m hopelessly na?ve about the IS system, but I’m really not. I know it’s not ideal, but I also know it was my only way out of the work camp, and it worked for me.”

“But not for Sem,” Josiah pointed out.

“No – nor for Alex,” she agreed.

“Or Solange,” Alex said quietly.

“Alex – I promise I will do everything in my power to help bring Tyler to justice,” she told him firmly. “If you can find Solange’s body, Joe, then I’ll do my absolute best to uncover whatever evidence might still be on it that will help us to convict him.”

“I know that – and thank you.” Josiah nodded at her. “Now, I have to face the music in only a few hours, and I’d like to snatch at least some sleep before then, so I suggest we turn in. Sofie, is the sofa okay for you?”

“I’ll sleep on the floor in Sem’s room,” she said. “I want to be near him to check on him.”

“Fair enough. I have an air mattress you can sleep on.”

They trooped wearily into the hallway, and it was only then that Sofie saw their abandoned rucksacks on the floor.

“Were you going somewhere?” she asked.

“Yes.” Josiah sighed. “We were. Then Elsie called, and we knew we couldn’t.”

She put her hand over her mouth in shock. “You were going to get Alex out, weren’t you? And now it’s too late. Oh God. Alex, I’m so sorry.” She wrapped her arms around him and hugged him tight.

“It doesn’t matter,” Alex mumbled into her neck. “I’m glad I’ve done something good for a change. Something I can be proud of.”

“Where will Alex sleep if we’re in his room?” she asked as they walked up the stairs. “Do you have another bedroom?”

“No.” Josiah shot her a strained smile.

“Oh.” Realisation flashed through her eyes, and she blushed.

“I wouldn’t… I mean, I haven’t…” Josiah stumbled over the words. It was late and he was too tired to be having this conversation.

“He didn’t coerce me,” Alex said. “If anything, it was the other way around. I know it doesn’t look good, but he’d never do that to an indie.”

“No, of course not.” She smiled at him. “I absolutely understand that now. He’s a good man.” Standing on tiptoe, she pressed a kiss to Josiah’s cheek. “A very good man.”