CHAPTER 3
As time wore on, Maggie was wishing that she had put coffee, rather than tea, in her Thermos. Keeping Blaketon awake was getting increasingly more difficult. She knew him professionally and had always been respectful of his air of authority and apparent lack of weakness. Seeing him now, weak and needing someone, being reliant on her to keep him alive, was a new thing. She made a vow to herself that she would not let him down.
"Don't leave me!" He said. "There are three armed men out there."
"They'll be miles away by now." She said.
About fourteen miles away in Whitby, Constable Phil Bellamy was helping out the local force with some surveillance on a bank. There had been a spate of robberies recently but no report that the men were armed.
Three men emerged at a run from the bank and made towards a black Hillman Minx. Phil pulled out and drove the patrol car so that it blocked their exit.
"They could be armed!" One of the Whitby coppers said.
The men tried to make a run for it but pretty soon they were in cuffs, being read their rights. They were taken to Whitby police station to be questioned, finger-printed and processed into the system.
The apparent leader of the gang; a stocky built character with lank greasy hair and a silver earring, leered at him.
"We got one of your lot, out on the moor. Probably dead now. Matthew here shot him in the leg. Arrogant cock tried to capture us single-handedly Deserved everything he got!"
Phil Bellamy felt sick to the stomach. He had to mean Blaketon as Phil knew he had gone across the moor. There was a blizzard out there. Sergeant Blaketon was tough but even he would not be able to survive in that cold especially not with a gunshot wound. If Blaketon was dead Bellamy vowed that he would get these bastards. As soon as he had handed over the prisoners to his Whitby counterparts Bellamy asked to use a phone. He dialled, praying for an answer, praying that it would turn out to be a bad dream and that Blaketon would answer the phone and demand his presence back in Ashfordly. However he knew that this would not happen.
Alf Ventress answered the phone, sounding out of breath.
"Ashfordly Police."
"Alf, it's Phil."
"Are you okay Phil?"
"Yeah, we got the bastards!"
"Well done lad. That'll please Blaketon no end."
Phil swallowed and took a deep breath.
"There's summat else Alf. They confessed to shooting Blaketon, out on the Moor. Flaming bragging about it they were. Managed to bite my tongue. Just! He'll freeze to death if he hasn't already bled out."
"Flaming heck!" Alf lit a cigarette. "At least that explains why he hasn't answered the radio."
"Alf, I need you to get hold of Nick. And Maggie. Tell them what's happened. I'll get a lift from Whitby and start looking for him."
"Jo Weston's been on the phone. Maggie went to visit a patient t'other side of moor this afternoon and she ain't come back."
"Oh Christ. And she's got a heavy duty vehicle an'all. All we can do is pray she finds Blaketon."
"What are you going to do Phil?"
"Get a lift back to you and take it from there."
"Okay Phil. See you soon." Alf hung up.
"Come on Oscar! Stay awake!" Maggie said. She had long ago stopped calling him Mr Blaketon.
"I'm so tired Maggie. It's getting more and more difficult."
"I know but try and hold on."
Maggie held him close, determined to keep him warm and awake. They shared the last cupful of tea.
In a car, borrowed from one of the Whitby coppers, Phil Bellamy skirted the edge of Colby Moor and spotted the half buried patrol car. He was relieved to find the door unlocked, Blaketon must have taken off in a hurry. He got straight on the radio.
"Delta Alpha Two one to control. Are you receiving? Over."
"Control to Delta Alpha two one receiving over!"
"Alf. I found the car but no sign of Blaketon. What now? Over."
"Keep looking Phil. He can't have gone far with a hole in his leg. Over"
"I feel bad for every time I ever wound him up. This is my fault Alf. Over."
"I feel bad too Phil. But Blaketon's a survivor. If anyone can get through this he can." Nick's on his way. Over."
"Thanks Alf, Over and out."
Phil got back into the borrowed car and struck out across the Moor.
