The Longest Winter (15 page)

“I’m okay, mom. I’m going, I’m going to be okay. Did the kids see?”

“No, they were in the other room playing. I still can’t believe it, Katarzyna. We thought we’d lost you.”

“But you never lost faith, did you?”

“We didn’t. We prayed every day for you.”

Kat was crying. “I know you did, mom. I swear I could feel it.”

Agnes started to sob and she passed the phone to Kris.

“Dad,” Kat said. “I’ve missed you so much.”

“You have no idea, my dear.” He didn’t say anything for a moment. “The kids just came in. I’m going to put you on speakerphone.”

It didn’t take long before I heard their little voices in the background.

“Is it daddy?” Kasia said. “Daddy? Did you find mommy?”

Link chimed in before Kasia had even finished. “Yeah, did you? Are you coming home soon?”

“It’s mommy. Daddy found me.”

It was as if I could hear the rush of emotions pouring through them, a flood of broken bits finally filling the holes that had been left in their hearts so long ago.

“Mommy!” they screamed in unison.

Neither of them knew what to say, neither knew how to handle the information that their mother was alive. I envied Agnes and Kris for being able to be with them in that moment, for being able to hold them tight and tell them everything was going to be fine now. We were a family again; the missing piece and been found and the puzzle had been restored.

They spoke for a few minutes but I could only hear Kat’s side of the conversation; the kids didn’t have the same lack of volume control that Agnes and Kris had. It seemed that a lot of it was Kat reassuring them that it was real. The rest was spent telling them how much she loved them and how much she had missed them.

It wasn’t long before we arrived at the hospital and Kat and I were separated once more. She had been forced to say goodbye to the kids, both so that she could continue with her medical examination and so that Agnes, Kris and the kids could get on the next flight to Lyon. Minutes passed like hours as I waited in an uncomfortable chair, shifting left and right but never finding any solace. Chen arrived a few minutes later and sat down beside me.

“You must be in shock,” he said. “I’d lost hope, Link. A long time ago.”

“So did I. I always held onto that last strand, but it was so hard to convince myself it could be real. It had been too long.”

Chen nodded. “But she’s here,” he said. “That’s all that matters.”

“I know,” I said.

“What’s wrong?” It wouldn’t have been a hard read for anyone, let alone someone who knew me so well.

“I’m just worried about her… about how this is going to affect her. I can see it in her eyes. As happy as she is to be free, there’s terror in there or something. I mean, it makes sense I guess. But when she’s talking, she’s repeating words. Almost like a stutter, but with full words… even a couple of words.”

“She’s been alone and in near total silence for almost a year, Link.” I nodded. My thoughts exactly. “This much noise, this many people… even though she wants to be here, it has to be hard as hell. She would’ve been adjusting to life in the bunker and now, all that is gone and she has to readjust to this.”

“So, just some time?”

Chen shrugged. “I don’t know, Link. You know how things can affect a person down the road. I think she’s going to need more than just time.”

He was right, and I knew it. Even something that had been buried in the past could rise up to try to ruin your life later on. I was proof of that. This was fresh for Kat, but it still had the same power. And if she didn’t deal with it now, I shuddered to think of what it could mean.

We hadn’t had a chance to talk since he arrived so we used the time to catch up. We shared stories of our kids, he told me what his wife, Julie, had been up to, and he filled me in on a couple of cases he’d been working on.

It almost seemed normal. The hospital was becoming a second home for me - whether I had suffered the injury or someone else had - and part of this seemed no different. The change was that before I had always had a plan. I had known where I was going as soon as I left the hospital and I had known what needed to be done. Right now, I didn’t have a clue.

My phone rang. I took it out of my pocket and saw that it was Kara calling.

“I was just about to call you,” I said when I answered. It was, of course, a lie. I had forgotten all about her despite how much I knew she would have wanted to know the instant I found Kat.

“I saw it on the news, Link. I don’t know what to say. You did it. You finally found her.”

“Don’t worry, I don’t know what to say either. I’m sorry I didn’t call sooner, but it’s been crazy since we found the door to the bunker.”

“Where are you now?”

“The hospital in Lyon. She’s being checked out.”

“How is she?”

I took a deep breath. “I don’t know. Physically she’s wasted away. She’s lost a lot of weight and she’s dehydrated. There was more than enough food and water in there, but she didn’t trust him when he told her that. She rationed it herself but it was too little.”

“I can’t blame her for not trusting the guy who locked her up.”

“Yeah, same. I’m worried she wouldn’t have lasted much longer at that rate, unless she realized how weak she was getting.”

“You don’t have to worry about that now,” Kara said. “How does she seem… you know?”

“She seems okay, but I think it’s the euphoria right now. Shock and everything. I’m worried about her obviously. She’s been through so much.”

“Just keep an eye on her. She’ll be fine. I can’t even imagine how happy she must be right now. When will she get to see the kids?”

“A few hours with any luck. Her parents were heading here on the earliest flight they could get. How are you feeling?”

“Sore. These damned ribs are making it tough to move around. And I did a number on the wrist, but no pins, which is nice. I’m going to have to wear this cast for six weeks though. And I’m not sure what will happen with this investigation now.”

“They pulled you off the field I’m guessing?”

“Not officially yet, but I’m sure they will once the hospital kicks me out which should be any minute now.”

“I’m sure Yuri can handle the field work. Frees up more time for you to solve the case from inside.”

“I’d rather be out there knocking on doors than inside reading reports.”

“I know the feeling.”

“Oh, was that Chen I saw on the news as well?”

“Yeah, he flew in and surprised me when I was waiting on the results from the body in the storage locker.”

“Shit. The doctor just walked in. I have to go, Link. Say ‘hi’ to Chen for me.”

“Will do. Good luck, Kara.”

“Thanks,” she said and hung up the phone.

I put the phone away and looked at Chen. “She says ‘hi’.”

“What happened to her?”

“I suck at filling people in apparently. You hear about the snowstorms they’ve been having in the north of France? It’s been crazy. She was driving to a small town after another abduction and went off the road. Rolled the car a few times, but she’s alright. Got off easy.”

Chen nodded then looked me right in the eyes. “You’re not telling me all of it.”

“You have to stop doing that,” I said. I paused and wondered if I should even say a word. “I’m worried about her drinking. Ever since Kat’s abduction she started drinking more and more. She didn’t think I knew, might not even be aware that I do, but I could tell when she’d call or text. And Yuri, her new partner, he somewhat confirmed it.”

“You think she was drunk?”

“I hope not. I know she was drinking the night before. I’d called her after finding the body. We argued a bit and I could tell she was having a few. If anything, she might have still been feeling it when she left the next morning. Or she was just exhausted. Their case has been brutal.”

Chen nodded. “Always is when it involves kids. I hate those cases.”

“I’ve been pretty lucky to avoid them so far. I’m not sure I could handle it.”

“You could. It’s not easy, but the importance of it helps you to get past the doubts and fears.”

“I guess it would,” I said. The door across the hall opened and a doctor and a nurse stepped out. I stood up and walked toward them.

“How is she?”

“We’ve got her on an IV to get some more fluids and nutrients into her. She’s quite malnourished and dehydrated. Other than that, physically she’s okay. I want to keep her for a few days to make sure she recovers and to check on her mental state.”

I nodded.

“We’ll know better in a couple of days, but I think she will be. Once I feel she’s ready to leave, I’ll help you get set up with some psychiatric care back home. She said you’re from Canada?”

“Yes,” I said, “originally anyway. We were living here in Lyon before her abduction and now I’m in Warsaw with the kids and my in-laws. I’m not sure where we’ll be going.”

“She seemed to speak fondly of Canada. I think she wants to go back.”

I shook my head. “It’s easier said than done though. We don’t have anywhere to live in Canada. We lost our house to an arson a couple of years ago and hadn’t rebuilt it by the time I got pulled in by INTERPOL.”

“Okay,” he said. “The main thing is to keep her close to family and friends and somewhere that she feels safe. She is showing signs of post-traumatic stress disorder. There will be anxiety issues with going outside of safe environments and probably when she’s in a new or crowded place. This could last for a while, so it’s important to recognize the signs. We can talk more though later.”

“Thanks,” I said. We shook hands and I thanked him again. “I’ll keep an eye on her, don’t worry about that. And I know what to look for to some extent, I’ve dealt with PTSD myself.”

The doctor didn’t say anything; he only nodded as though he already knew. I wasn’t sure if he recognized me from the papers and the news reports or if Kat had told him. Either way, it wasn’t important.

We had Kat back. Nothing else mattered.

Chapter Twenty-Six

M
ax finished loading the grocery bags into his car. He shut the trunk lid and walked to the driver’s side as a police cruiser rounded the corner just ahead of him. He tried to get in to the car in time but it was too late. The officer’s double take was enough for Max to realize he had been spotted.

He had been careful, shopping only at twenty-four hour convenience stores where he would be the only one inside. Just him and a young, exhausted and apathetic teenaged employee. Even before his face was broadcast to all of Europe he’d been taking precautions; now it was even harder. But the boys needed food; he needed food. It was a risk he had no choice but to take.

He started the car the moment he got inside and within seconds was heading down the road at a fast, but not unreasonable speed. There was still the chance the officer wouldn’t turn around; it wasn’t worth it for Max to draw further attention to himself by squealing the tires and screeching into the night.

It didn’t matter. The cruiser came up right behind him, running just a car length from his rear bumper. Max checked the mirror. There were two cops in the car. He hadn’t seen the officer in the passenger seat when they drove past.
Two against one, can’t let them stop me.

Max waited until it was obvious they weren’t letting him go. Once the lights and sirens came on he hit the gas and accelerated hard, leaving the surprised cops behind for a moment. It didn’t take them long to catch back up to him. He could hear a muffled voice over the megaphone, lost to the winds and the sirens.

Max veered left at a side street and sped up, the engine revving past the red line. The roads had been cleared and salted since the last snowfall and traction was better than he could have hoped for, even on the lesser-traveled roads. He blasted through the stop sign at the end of the street and turned right onto the main road; the back end of his car fishtailed from the speed of the turn. Max regained control and took off once more, the police not far behind.

Another cruiser appeared in the rearview and Max began to panic. He wouldn’t be able to outrun them both, he knew that. There was only one way to lose them: he had to make them call the pursuit off. There was an intersection ahead, just a couple of traffic lights away; Max knew it would be busy, even in the early hours of the morning. There were two pubs and a nightclub in the vicinity and it always led to people milling about, smoking on the street corners and waiting for cabs.

Max floored it once more, and watched as two red lights sailed past above his head. He saw the corner he was looking for and steered toward it. Someone saw him coming and screamed to warn the rest but it was too late. Two young men, feeling the effects of a night’s drinking and chatting over a smoke saw Max’s car at the last second. Max braced himself as the car struck the two men, launching them over the hood and into the air behind him. He could hear people screaming, had seen the face of one of the men he hit, but he couldn’t stop, he couldn’t think about it. He had to get away.

The officers behind him saw the carnage and radioed it in.

“He’s hit pedestrians. There are two down. We’ll stop, you keep going.”

“Roger.”

The officers that had first seen Max stopped at the scene and ran to the injured males. It only took moments to realize that there was no way either could have survived their injuries. They checked the wrists and necks of the victims but felt nothing.

“Keep ambulance coming, just in case. But I think they’re both dead.”

Dispatch came over the air. “Call it off. Let him go.”

The passenger in the second cruiser spoke up. “We’re right behind him. We can’t let him go. He’s still got those two boys.”

“And he just killed two people. It’s obvious he’ll do anything to avoid capture. Call it off now. That’s an order.”

She looked at the driver, the mike in her hand. “We can’t let him go. I don’t care if he’s killed two other people, what about those boys?”

His hands clenched the wheel tighter as he stared ahead of him, his eyes fixed on Max’s taillights. “Fuck,” he yelled, smashing his fist off of the dashboard. “We don’t have a choice.”

He shut off the lights and sirens and pulled to the curb. “Tell them we’re done.”

“Pursuit terminated. Last seen southbound on Route de Thionville at a high rate of speed. Estimated at one-hundred-and-fifty kilometres per hour. Likely damage to the front end passenger side.”

“Copy. Return to the scene of the collision and assist as required.”

“Ten-Four.”

She put the mike back in its holder on the dashboard and cursed under her breath. “We could’ve had him.”

“We’ll find him. Someone will.”

Twenty seconds later a new voice came over the radio. “Car with one headlight coming toward us on Thionville, high rate of speed. Road is empty, permission to spike?”

“Granted,” came the reply.

The officers all stopped, waiting, listening to their radios. They waited for what seemed like minutes before a triumphant yell echoed in their earpieces.

“Got him! Blew out the tires and he’s hit a lamppost.” There was a pause then the sounds of heavy footsteps and rushed breathing. “He’s out of the car and taking off on foot. We need every car we can get, and bring in the dogs.”

It was too late by the time Max had seen the spike strip stretched across the road. There was no way he could have stopped in time and no way to get around it. He braced when he heard the first tire blow, then tried to hold the car steady when one of the rear tires was hit as well. The spike strips didn’t always work - and they didn’t always get every tire - but two out of four was more than enough to cause him to lose control and veer toward the empty sidewalk.

He knew there was no way to avoid the streetlight, all he could do was prepare for it. Max gripped the steering wheel and tensed his arms, pushing himself back against the seat. The impact was harder than he had expected and the airbag going off in his face stunned him for a moment. The sound of sirens was enough to bring him back to reality; he undid his seatbelt, opened the door and fled into the night. His hand reached behind his back as he ran – it was still there.

Two officers gave chase right behind him. Max ran as fast as he could, pure adrenaline fuelling his escape. He sprinted ahead and ducked into an alleyway between two buildings. He could hear them yelling as he ran, screaming for him to stop and threatening to shoot. Max kept running, forcing himself ahead despite the burning in his lungs and limbs. He looked back as he rounded the next corner and saw the officers closing in.

There was only one option left, but Max needed to make sure it worked. He pulled the gun from behind his back, turned around and put the barrel to his temple.

“Stop,” he yelled, as the officers rounded the corner. They processed the scene in a split second and both reached for their guns.

“Don’t. I’ll shoot myself and you’ll never find the boys.”

They hesitated, their hands hovering over their holsters.

“Put the gun down, Max.” The female officer spoke first, softly and carefully. “We don’t want to hurt you, we just want to make sure the boys are okay. Put the gun down and come with us.”

Max shook his head. “I can’t. I’m not going to.”

“We have other cars coming. You won’t be able to get away.”

“Call them off. If I hear another siren, I pull the trigger and those boys die.”

The other officer keyed his mike and spoke into the radio at just above a whisper. “He has a gun to his head, threatening to kill himself if he hears sirens. Come in quiet.”

Max knew he was running out of time. Other units would be arriving in minutes.

There was no other choice.

Max turned the gun on the officers and fired round after round, striking them both repeatedly. They reached for their firearms but it was too late. The female officer was killed instantly when one bullet struck her in the forehead causing fatal brain damage. The male had taken three rounds to the chest; his vest had stopped the rounds but the force was enough to take him to the ground. A fourth round had snuck past the edge of the vest, striking him in the left shoulder. He brought his right hand to the wound as he fell and put pressure on the bullet hole. The trickle of warm blood down his back made him realize it was pointless – the bullet had gone straight through.

He grabbed his radio and pressed the emergency pin. “We’ve been shot, I need ambulance here right away.” He looked over at his partner, Jeanne Mercier, and saw the bullet wound just above her left eye. “Oh God, I think Mercier is dead. He got away. I didn’t see which way he ran.”

“Ten-Four, we have units in your area. We’ll set up a perimeter and get a unit to you. Stay calm, Rémy, paramedics are on their way.”

Rémy St Martin took a deep breath and felt the pain in his chest as it expanded. He slid his hand under the vest and felt the misshapen bulges where the Kevlar had caught the bullets. He remembered his training; he had been told what would happen if the vest stopped the bullet. The force of the impacts had been spread out, like taking three line drives to the chest. He would be sore for a while with bruises that would last for weeks, but he was alive.

He moved over toward Jeanne and saw the holes in her shirt. She had taken rounds to the chest as well, but it was the one to her head that had killed her. Rémy tried to remember what had happened, tried to count the bullets that had been fired. He counted eight but couldn’t trust himself. Three to his chest and one to his shoulder, three to her chest and one to the head.

“I don’t think he really wanted to kill us. He was a good shot, that last round, maybe it was when he turned to leave.” He put his hand on Jeanne’s face and another to her neck. He knew she was dead, there was no chance she could survive that injury, but he had to check.

There was no pulse, no signs of life and only the slightest bit of blood from the head wound. She had been killed instantly.

“I should’ve shot him right away,” he said, looking into her lifeless eyes. “We could have found the boys. And you’d still be alive.”

He reached up and ran his fingers down her eyelids, closing her eyes forever.