Chapter 9
Armed guards stood outside the gates as two armed officers brought out George Blake.
Daphne's heart stopped when she saw him. How he had changed in the months he had been imprisoned.
A beard had grown and he looked weathered. Maybe a little bit skinnier too, but he had grown some muscle.
Daphne gulped. Fred stood close to her.
The police van behind them.
'Daphne.' George Blake smiled.
'Get in.' Daphne said bitterly, the two officers helped George into the van.
'So, you're taking me on a day trip?' He smiled as the van pulled away from the prison.
He was sat in between two armed officers and Daphne and Fred sat opposite them.
Daphne rolled her eyes, 'No, be quiet.' She didn't look at him throughout the whole journey back to the city.
George had questioned Fred about his and Daphne's relationship, and Daphne snapped and told her father to shut up.
Daphne was shaking. Fred noticed
He wondered if she was having second thoughts about this plan now that her father was sat opposite her.
George narrowed his eyes at his daughter, then he looked out of the window. 'Ah, it's nice to be out.'
Daphne closed her eyes and she took a deep breath. She tried to think that they were getting closer to her father's office building and she wouldn't have to deal with this for much longer.
When they finally arrived, there were floods of camera crews, reporters, and curious on lookers.
Daphne had made various calls to television stations, and their arrival at the building had sparked the interest of civilians.
'Ah, there she is.' George smiled as he looked up at his building.
He seemed more excited to see his building more than he was to see his daughter.
The reporters were shouting questions at him, Daphne, and Fred, whilst the civilians were shouting abuse at him.
'Ignore them.' Daphne said as the armed officers dragged her father into his building.
Another two officers closed and locked the doors when they were inside.
The cameramen tried to snap photographs of Mr Blake inside the building, but he was pulled inside the elevators, before they could get a good one.
'So, what do we do now?' Mr Blake asked.
The elevator was going up, and Daphne ignored her father. Fred didn't say anything either, but he glanced at Daphne. Her eyes focussed on the elevator door, and Fred knew she was having second thoughts about this, but it was too late to go back now.
The elevator dinged and the doors opened.
They walked along the corridor until they reached Mr Blake's office.
'Ah, it's good to be back.' He sighed as he slouched into his armchair. Daphne rolled her eyes.
The armed officers guarded the door.
'So, what do we do now?' George asked, he was swivelling in his chair.
'We wait.' Daphne replied.
'How have you been, darling?' George asked.
Daphne ignored his question, but turned to Fred, 'Do you think he'll come?'
Fred was looking out of the window, down at the crowd of people below, 'I dunno, Daph.'
A little while had past and nothing had happened. The crowd of on-lookers has dispersed but the reporters were still outside the building.
'Daph?' George Blake asked, 'You corrected me all the time when I called you that.'
Daphne tired to ignore him.
'"Its Daphne" you'd always correct me.'
Daphne had turned on the TV, blocking out her father's voice.
He sat back in his chair.
She flicked through the local news channels which were all reporting on George Blake's release from prison and all the reporters asking why he was released.
Daphne sighed, she looked down at her watch then across at Fred who was looking out the window down at the city below.
He wondered why George Blake had done what he did, why he had been stupid enough to do it. He had a great life and a great job and look at this view! Why would he be so stupid and give it all up?
Maybe it wasn't enough for him?
Fred hadn't really liked Daphne's father. He was arrogant and Fred always felt that George Blake thought Daphne could find a better friend - and boyfriend - than himself.
He looked over at Daphne who was stood by her father's desk – he sat in the office chair at the desk.
Fred looked at them and he thought how different the father and daughter were.
They had been close for years, but in the recent year, Daphne had come to despise him.
Fred had to wonder if she hated her father so much, she would use him as bait for a serial killer.
What if it went wrong and George died? Daphne would never forgive herself and Fred dreaded to think what she might do.
Sure, he had caused her family a lot of trouble in the last year, but he was still her father.
'Detective, this is a waste of time.' One of the guards spoke.
Daphne sighed, 'Let's just give it another hour.'
The guard nodded.
One by one, the reporters began to leave and very soon there were no reporters.
Fred sighed, 'Daph.'
She looked at him. They were both thinking the same thing – the plan hadn't worked.
'Better luck next time.' George commented. Sitting back in his armchair and swivelling in it.
Daphne felt her blood boil.
She turned to her father, about to lose her temper with him but something stopped her.
It was the guards, something had caught their attention and they stepped away from the door.
The doorknob was turning.
Daphne pulled her gun from its holster, as did Fred, and they pointed them at the door.
The guards pointed their guns at the door.
George sat up nervously in his chair.
The door opened, there was a sigh of relief when they saw that it was only the former receptionist.
'Stacey?' George asked.
'George! I couldn't believe it when they said you were here.'
'How did you get in? The doors were locked.' Daphne said.
Fred and the guards looked at her and they realised that the two officers downstairs had locked the door when they entered the building.
'How did you get in?' Daphne asked again.
'Some guy let me in.' Stacey replied.
Daphne and Fred exchanged looks.
One of the guards pulled out a pair of handcuffs. He handcuffed himself to George and pulled him off the chair, his gun still held tightly in his hand.
'Did he come into the building?' Fred asked.
'Yeah, I think so. He was a security guard.' Stacey replied.
'Everyone was laid off when he was arrested. And the building hasn't been sold yet.' Daphne spoke.
'He's here.' Fred said.
'I don't think we should go looking for him.' A guard said.
Daphne shook her head, 'Agreed. We should wait here until he's close.'
'How do we even know where he is?' Another guard asked.
'We don't. But this guy is smart so he's probably figured out we have him in the office.' Daphne spoke.
'But wouldn't he have followed Stacey up? If he was pretending to be a security guard, wouldn't he have come up with her? Or followed her?' Fred asked.
'Sshhh…hear that?' Daphne asked.
They all heard it. A creak came from somewhere inside the room.
They all looked around.
The guard who was not handcuffed to George, stepped towards a closet at the back of the room.
'It's my supply closet.' George spoke quietly.
Daphne glanced at him before her eyes went back to the closet door, where the guard was reaching for the door handle.
He pulled the door open.
And it happened so quickly.
The guard wasn't quick enough to pull the trigger and was stabbed by the hooded figure who was hiding inside the closet.
The guard dropped to the floor.
The hooded figure stepped out of the closet – a blood knife held in his hand – and he stepped towards the others.
Stacey screamed before she turned and ran back through the halls, the figure was not after in her.
Fred – with his gun aimed at the hooded figure – stepped in front of George and the other guard who was handcuffed together. Daphne came next to him, but Fred took a step forward and warned the hooded figure not to come closer and to drop the knife.
But did he follow orders? Of course not.
The hooded figure swung at Fred with his knife, missing a few times before he slashed the skin of his left arm, but Fred managed to hold onto his gun.
Daphne kept hers pointed at the figure, she pulled the trigger shooting his leg.
He screamed.
Blood was dripping down Fred's arm, but the resilient killer crawled across the floor – as best he could – towards Daphne with his knife in his hand.
Fred kicked him, knocking him over. The figure laid on his back, his face was covered by a black mask.
Fred wrestled the knife from his hands and when he had it, Daphne fought with him before handcuffing him.
His grunts were muffled by the face-covering – which Fred ripped off his face as Daphne held him down.
The guard was calling for backup on his walkie-talkie.
Fred and Daphne gasped.
'Officer Danvers?'