Here Comes the Rainne Again (Invertary 6)

“Find my wife,” he ordered Rainne as he leaned over Mitch.

Rainne nodded and hurried from the room. She opened exam room one and rushed inside. The nurse was gagged and tied to the bed. She didn’t seem hurt. Rainne’s fingers trembled as she worked on the knot of her gag.

“He got free from his cuffs,” Janice said as soon as the gag was gone. “He grabbed me when I came into the room. He’s gone. We need to stop him.”

Rainne untied her legs. “He stabbed Mitch and took the snowmobile. Alastair is injured again. I think it’s his lung.”

“Where’s Hamish?”

It took a minute for Rainne to realise she was talking about Doctor Murray. “He’s with Mitch.”

“Hamish went to the pub to pick up lunch,” his wife said as she shook

off the bandages binding her wrists. “There should have been a police officer guarding that guy. I don’t know why there wasn’t. I met him earlier. He came from Fort William. I have no idea where he’s gone.” Her fury made it clear she planned to find out.

Rainne followed Janice as they ran into the other room. The look of relief on the doctor’s face was heart-melting.

“You hurt?” he asked his wife as she examined to Alastair.

“No. Just bloody angry. We’re missing a cop and now we’re missing a patient. I hope he bursts his stitches and gets an infection in his backside.”

Doctor Murray’s answering smile said it all. “We need an air ambulance,” he told his wife. “This is too much for me. Mitch needs surgery.”

Janice scrambled to her feet and reached for the phone. “They both need to be taken to the hospital.”

The doctor turned to Rainne. “Call Matt. The police need to get that guy and find out where the guard went.”

She nodded and pulled her phone out of her pocket. She fumbled as she dialled the castle.

“It’s Rainne,” she said to the person who answered. “We need Matt at the clinic. There’s been an escape and Mitch has been stabbed.”

31

* Kirsty *

Kirsty spent what should have been her wedding night checking up on the injured men in Fort William hospital. A visit to the hospital seemed a fitting end to the day. It was ten o’clock at night and her chance to get the wedding she’d dreamed of was over. At least everyone she cared about was in one piece. She was thankful for that.

Alastair’s chest drain had been replaced. His lung hadn’t been punctured again, but his wrist had needed to be recast. Mitch had needed surgery. The knife had penetrated his body low on his right side, missing everything major, but damaging his intestines. He’d been stitched up and put on antibiotics. He was going to be fine.

Kirsty sighed heavily as she watched the snow covered scenery pass in the darkness. They were part of a convoy of cars, filled with friends, heading back to the castle.

“I wish Rainne had come with us to see Alastair,” Kirsty said.

“She might go tomorrow,” Lake said, but Kirsty didn’t think so.

Rainne was preparing to leave. Kirsty recognised the signs. Unfortunately there was nothing she could do about it. Rainne and Alastair had to sort things out for themselves.

“I’ll make it up to you, you know.” Lake reached for her hand. “About the wedding. I’ll help plan the next one. We’ll make it wonderful.”

She glanced over to where he was driving and smiled. “Yes, we will.”

His answering smile was full of promise. Up ahead she could see the tail lights of Josh’s and Matt’s cars disappear as they turned into the castle driveway. The lights were on in the castle, although the boarded windows and circle of burned wreckage on the lawn made the place less welcoming than usual.

“Guess the power is back on,” Kirsty said. “Caroline is going to go insane fixing this mess.”

“Josh already spoke to me about increased security.”

“With a generator to keep it all running?”