First Strike

The vase struck the woman on the chest. She staggered back, knocking into the heart monitor. The vase shattered on the floor and the flowers were strewn across the bed.

Colonel Shu advanced towards them, holding a scalpel. Jade and Rich backed away. Rich’s foot caught on something lying behind him. He looked down quickly to see what it was and saw the plain-clothes police guard—unconscious.

Colonel Shu turned away, just long enough to slice through the tubes and wires keeping Ralph alive. Then she advanced on the twins again.

Rich stepped over the policeman and edged round the far side of the bed. Ralph’s breathing was already becoming ragged and laboured. Without taking his eyes off Colonel Shu, Rich lunged for the emergency pull-cord at the head of the bed.

In the distance, a buzzer sounded.

Shu gave a grunt of anger and ran for the door. She swiped the scalpel at Jade as she passed, but Jade easily avoided it—and as she stepped back, Jade kicked out. Her foot connected with Shu’s wrist and the scalpel spun away, clattering to the floor.

With another shout of anger, Shu turned and ran.

“Get help,” Jade yelled at Rich. “Tell them what happened.”

“Where are you going?”

“After her.”

Rich opened his mouth to protest, but Jade was gone.

Then a hand seized Rich’s arm.

2 (#ulink_647f6cb3-70a2-5c09-8cc3-7c746655f332)

Jade was in time to see Colonel Shu disappear round the corner at the end of the corridor, her white coat billowing behind her as she ran. Jade set off in pursuit.

Round the corner, the corridor continued past several wards and store rooms. A white coat lay discarded on the floor, but Jade could see the woman’s distinctive black pigtail swinging behind her as she ran. There were signs hanging from the ceiling. Colonel Shu was heading for X-Ray, A&E, and the Main Exit.

There was a man mopping the floor. Colonel Shu didn’t even slow down; she shoved the man aside and kept running. The mop bucket went flying, spilling grey water across the floor.

“Sorry,” said Jade to the man, as she ran past without helping him up. Her feet were skidding on the slippery wet floor. She slid, and almost fell, but managed to keep going. As soon as she was sure of her balance, she pulled her mobile out of her pocket.

It was switched off. She’d done that when she came into the hospital. It seemed to take forever to turn back on again. As soon as she’d entered her PIN and the handset unlocked, the phone rang.

“Dad?”

“Rich told me,” her father’s voice said at once. “Where’s Shu headed?”

“Trying to get out through Accident and Emergency.”

“I’m on it.” The phone went dead.

“Yeah,” said Jade, stuffing it back in her pocket. “So am I.”

There were double doors made of heavy plastic hanging across the end of the corridor. They swung shut behind Shu, their weight almost knocking Jade over as she pushed through.

Shu was already on the other side of the Accident and Emergency waiting area. An elderly woman on crutches was coming through the door. She lurched to one side, somehow remaining upright, as Shu charged past. Then she lost her balance and began to fall. A crutch clattered to the floor.

Jade caught the woman as she fell. She helped her get her balance and picked up her crutch.

“Thank you,” the old woman spluttered nervously.

“No problem,” Jade told her. “Got to dash.”

Through the main doors. Jade skidded to a halt in the glare of the floodlights that illuminated the front of the hospital. A car park stretched away into shadows. Two paramedics were lifting a wheeled stretcher out of the back of an ambulance; its blue lights still flashing. There was no sign of Colonel Shu.

Then the ambulance began to pull away, its back doors flapping. One caught a paramedic on the shoulder as the ambulance moved. He gave a startled yell.

“Who’s driving?” the other paramedic shouted in surprise.

Then both were leaping aside, pulling the stretcher out of the way as a car screeched up where the ambulance had just been. It was a silver-grey BMW. The passenger window was open. Through it, Jade could see her dad at the wheel.

Jade wrenched open the door and threw herself into the car.

“Which way?” Chance asked.

Jade pointed. “Follow that ambulance!”

Ralph seemed to be unconscious again. He’d given Rich the fright of his life when he sat up and grabbed Rich’s arm.

Then the nurses had arrived and sorted out the drips and equipment with an urgent efficiency. Rich left them to it, turning on his mobile phone and calling Chance to warn him about Colonel Shu and tell him Jade was in pursuit.

When he returned to the room, the nurses had finished and a doctor was checking Ralph’s vital signs.

“No serious harm done,” he assured Rich. “Lucky we weren’t a few minutes later, though.”

The plain-clothes policeman was slumped in a chair while a nurse dabbed at his bruised head.

Rich cleared up the flowers scattered across the bed, and a nurse gave him a dustpan so he could sweep up the glass. No one said anything, but he got the impression they were more annoyed with him and Jade for making a mess than the woman who had tried to murder their patient.

When he was done, and the policeman had staggered off to make his report, Rich sat down in the visitor’s chair beside the bed.

It took him several moments to realise that Ralph’s eyes were wide open, and he was looking straight at Rich.

“You’re awake,” said Rich, startled. “You’re OK. I’ll get someone.”

Ralph’s expression didn’t change. His eyes were wide and unfocused.

“You are OK?” said Rich. He waved his hand in front of Ralph’s face. There was no change. Nothing to indicate that Ralph even knew he was there. Until Ralph spoke.

“Flown…” His voice was hoarse and quiet. Rich leaned closer to hear. “Sorry? What do you mean?”

Ralph blinked. His face creased into a frown. Suddenly he was staring right at Rich—really staring at him, focused and alert.

“Tell your father. Tell Ardman.” Every word seemed forced out of him.

“Tell them what? That you’re awake?”