An hour later the towpath was all but empty; all the armed response men were being withdrawn, the paramedics and onlookers had disappeared. The man looked across to the opposite bank, where a distinguished looking elderly gentleman stood in the shadows of a bridge talking on his mobile phone. The man looked directly at him; it was as if he knew instinctively where his hiding place was! Had he just called the police? Was this how it was all going to end?
The old man smiled briefly, then he spoke loudly, as if he was still talking on the phone to someone who was in a crowded room and was struggling to make out what he was saying:-
“Hold on for a few minutes more Mr Bailey; there’s a good chap. Our people will be along in a tick to get you out of there. You’ll be perfectly safe; I can assure you that where you are going you will be among friends.”
Still hidden on the opposite bank Colin Bailey had been almost afraid to breathe; he exhaled raggedly and allowed himself the briefest of smiles; he had no idea who the well dressed man was, but he oozed class both in the cut of his suit and the way he spoke. Colin wasn’t sure what lay ahead for him, but he was convinced the police weren’t involved and friends were always welcome.
Moments later an inflatable dinghy appeared from downstream and silently inched its way close into the bank; two pairs of strong arms hoisted Colin Bailey from the icy river. Without a word the men stripped him of his wet things and helped him don multiple layers of dry warm clothing; there was even a really warm skiing hat and socks too to help the warming process. He managed to get these on with some difficulty and then one of the men offered him a warming drink that he had poured from a thermos flask.
The other man had returned to the wheel and slowly he turned the craft around and sticking to the far side of the river away from the odd dog walker on the towpath, the dinghy carried the three men away from the centre of the city; away from Pulteney weir where Colin had cheated a watery grave.
They had travelled for no more than a minute when the driver turned the wheel quickly and they darted across the river to the opposite bank. Under the weeping willow trees, only yards from the water’s edge was an ambulance, its rear doors open, the engine idling.
His two companions grabbed an arm each and lifted him up onto the towpath where a man dressed in the uniform of a paramedic was waiting. Colin’s legs almost buckled as his feet touched dry land for the first time in several hours; the man took hold of him firmly as he stumbled and with surprising ease swept him up in his arms and carried him bodily up into the ambulance. He lay Colin down, covered him with a heavy blanket, and then closed the doors behind them. With that the ambulance drove away into the night.
In the Royal United Hospital, DCI Phil Hounsell was resting after his own ordeal in the water. His wife Erica had visited him and was now safely tucked up at home with their children. DS Zara Wheeler was enjoying a drink with her two male colleagues in a popular Bath hostelry; hers was non-alcoholic as usual, but the two young policemen were heading for a hangover.
Colin Bailey wasn’t heading for a hangover or an NHS hospital though; his ambulance was soon driving out of the city towards a large Georgian manor house about ten miles away. The only clue to where he was being taken was the unmistakeable sound of a cattle grid when they drove between the stone pillars at the entrance to the extensive grounds of the property.
Satisfied he was in safe hands, Colin closed his eyes and was sound asleep before the ambulance negotiated the long arc of the driveway to reach the main house.
CHAPTER 2
Colin sat up in bed; he was suddenly wide awake.
“Where am I?” he wondered briefly; then the events of the previous day came flooding back. He remembered the ride through the countryside in the ambulance and a gradual, very gradual degree of warmth returning to his body; he must have fallen asleep at some point because he couldn’t for the life of him recall being taken from the ambulance, into the building and eventually delivered to this magnificent bedroom.
The sun was shining brightly outside and from it’s height in the sky he deduced it was late morning; he had slept for almost twelve hours! The bedroom had two large sash windows and the sunlight allowed him to view his surroundings with a growing admiration.
The white painted solid timber bedstead and woollen or flax filled mattress had been ultra comfortable and he almost affectionately brushed the pristine white sheets with the palms of his hands. He gazed around the room and took an inventory; bedside cabinet, check; cheval mirror, check; a double wardrobe with drawers at the bottom, check. The sage green walls, intricate ceiling swags and moulded cornices complimented the idyllic scene perfectly.
“They appear to be going to an awful lot of trouble” he thought “considering that they know exactly who and what I am. I wonder if I’ve missed breakfast.”
He was no longer wearing the layers of clothing his rescuers had provided him with for the short dinghy trip; in fact, when he checked as he finally got out of his all too comfortable bed, he was wearing a night shirt that wouldn’t have been out of place around the time this house was built!
Colin tiptoed to the window and looked outside. Behind him the door opened and someone crossed the floor slowly to stand beside him. It was the elderly gentleman from the towpath.
“Good morning Mr. Bailey; I trust you slept well?”
“Like a log thanks; what is this place, who are you and what am I doing here?”
“All in good time old chap; all in good time” the old man chuckled “what’s the rush? Your en suite is through the door to the left of the mirror. Once you’ve completed your ablutions you’ll find some casual clothes in the wardrobe. Please don’t insult me by asking if they’ll fit. I’d like you to join us for a light luncheon on the ground floor and then I’ll give you the grand tour.”
Sensing that Colin was about to ask where the meeting was to take place, or who ‘us’ were, the elderly gentleman stopped briefly at the bedroom door, with his hand on the door handle and said “I fully appreciate you have questions Mr. Bailey. Sometimes we need to shelve our curiosity and take things on trust. Just follow your nose and the excellent food will bring you to the right door. If you’re found wandering around like a lost soul in an hour or so we’ll have selected the wrong man to join our enterprise. If I were a betting man I’d say you’ll be tucking into a plateful of excellent English fare inside twenty minutes.”
The bedroom door closed. Colin stood at the window a little longer; then he checked the second sash window and confirmed that both were securely locked, with no signs of a method of releasing them. As he gazed down onto the perfectly manicured garden and lawns he should have felt at his ease in these gracious surroundings; yet he couldn’t help thinking that he was going to be left with very little option other than to join this ‘enterprise’, whatever it was. To refuse might lead to a rather unpleasant outcome and Colin was clever enough to let things proceed at their own pace for now; anyway, apart from anything else, he was starving!
It came as no surprise to Colin that the en suite bathroom was as extremely well appointed as the rest of his new accommodation; he lingered in the refreshingly hot shower for a moment or two longer than usual and speculated on what might lie ahead for him in the days and weeks to come. He imagined he would discover what he had let himself in for in due course; what he did with that knowledge would take some serious thought and meticulous planning.
Colin Bailey had made a career out of doing just that. He towelled himself dry and walked back through to the bedroom; opening drawers and wardrobe doors to reveal a variety of shirts, tops and trousers, plus several pairs of shoes and socks and assorted styles of underwear. He made his selection and everything fitted him perfectly, as predicted by his host; minutes later he stood in front of the cheval mirror and nodded with satisfaction.