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Police cars and ambulances screamed through Canterbury. The first call had come through from pedestrians on the level crossing, who had spotted two women walk along the railway line, the second, from someone whose house backed on to the railway line and had seen some shadows in the light from a torch.
The first responding officers were now making their way alongside the track, using torches to guide their way.
‘Stand back, please,’ instructed the first officer at the scene. ‘We need more manning here to control onlookers,’ he said into his radio. ‘Making our way along the track now.’
‘I think I can see two people ahead!’ said PC Carl Mees, to his colleague.
‘Two people alongside the tracks, we need to get the power turned off,’ said Sergeant Darren Hilton, into his radio.
**
‘Finally, I’ve heard you say sorry! I’ve waited so long for this moment. I’ve dreamt about it.’
The pair were locked together, struggling, neither able to free themselves from each other’s grasp.
‘Stop it!’ cried Gina.
‘It’s too late!’
There was a noise. The ground vibrated slightly as a train rounded the corner. It wasn’t travelling particularly quickly as it was approaching the station. Had they not been so caught up in their own intense drama, they would have heard the bells from the level crossing sounding a couple of minutes beforehand.
The duo at the side of the tracks was caught in the beam of the train’s headlights, and the horrified driver sounded his horn. The noise was deafening, but Patsy didn’t care. This was it. The moment she’d planned for over the last few weeks since her episode of amnesia.
‘This is where it ends!’ shouted Patsy.
**
‘Contacting the railway,’ replied control. ‘Transport Police alerted, on their way.’
‘Shit!’ shouted Carl.
‘Woman hit by a train!’ shouted Sergeant Hilton into his radio. The police officers saw the impact, and the train slowed to a halt. The driver alighted from his cab, clearly in a state of agitation. The officers jogged along by the track, taking care to keep away from the rails which were still live. As the police approached, the driver squatted down and put his head in his hands.
‘Jesus, fuck!’ said the first policeman. ‘Confirming woman hit by train. Serious injuries,’ he said into his radio.
‘Oh, God, oh God,’ was all the other officer could manage to utter as he looked down at the sight before him.
‘Carl, go and deal with the driver!’ said his colleague. ‘Christ!’ He knelt down by the prostrate woman, unsure whether to check for signs of life as he could get electrocuted.
‘Can you hear me, love?’ he could be heard saying.
‘I couldn’t stop in time!’ said the driver. ‘They were fighting, and I blew my horn, but they were still struggling. I hit one of them, I don’t think I hit the other woman!’
Soon they were joined by paramedics and more colleagues from the Canterbury force. The air was live with the crackle of short-wave radios. Torchlight danced across the frightful scene as a well-practised emergency procedure swung into action.
**
Will returned home just before 10 p.m. after a visit to the gym. He keyed in the code on the burglar alarm and flicked on several lights to make the house more welcoming. Their rented house was rather large for two people but all the same, it was nice to have ample space. He emptied his gym bag and placed his sweaty gear in the washing machine before pouring himself a large glass of sparkling water from the fridge.
Gina hadn't sent any messages since her arrival at the school, when she had admitted being nervous and anxious for the talk to be over. He texted another short message to tell her he was back home. There were a few items of post, including a letter from their estate agent in Manchester confirming the offer from Mr and Mrs McKillop, subject to contract. Things were moving along, but as ever there would doubtless be hitches along the way.
Will flicked through his diary for the following day and saw he had a full morning of consultations. To his relief, he saw that no procedures were scheduled until the following week. He put his hospital paperwork back in his briefcase and rubbed his hands over his face. He felt shattered but didn’t want to go to bed without seeing Gina. He was desperate to hear how the evening had gone, in particular, her talk. Suddenly he felt peckish and went to look in the fridge. As he surveyed the contents, he realised that he fancied toast and jam as a bedtime snack, so Will took out some thick slices of bread from the freezer.
**
Tom must have dozed off and woke with a start as his mobile vibrated, then rang. He peered at the screen which showed an unknown caller, so reluctantly, he swiped across to answer it.
‘Mr Webster? Thomas Webster?’
‘Yes,’ he answered, his heart racing after waking suddenly.
‘This is PC Finch, Canterbury Police.’
‘Oh, God, is it Trish? Has she had an accident?’
‘Please listen carefully,’ said the policewoman.
Tom was jolted into reality and now completely awake as he listened in horror to the information being relayed to him.
**
Will had changed into some pyjama bottoms and a T-shirt when his mobile rang at 11.15 p.m. He was desperate for news from Gina and for the comfort of his bed.
‘Ah, at last,’ he murmured, picking up the phone, his relief being replaced by annoyance as he saw it was an unknown caller. He sighed and rejected the call. After about twenty seconds, the phone rang, again showing an unknown caller. Sighing with exasperation, he answered aggressively, ‘Yes?’
‘Mr William Overton?’
‘Look, I don’t take unsolicited calls, please don’t call again!’ he snapped.
‘Mr Overton, it’s the police. This is Sergeant Howells, Canterbury Police.’
‘The police? Oh, God, it’s Gina, isn’t it? She’s had an accident?’
The police sergeant gave Will a brief account of the evening’s events causing him to slump down heavily in a chair. His world had just been shattered.
