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Chapter 20

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James was unable to open his eyes, the eyelids would not move. He felt no pain, the pain in his hand was gone. His head no longer hurt. He tried to move, once again he felt tied down. Unable to move his legs nor his arms he now was unable to move his head. He could not scream for help.

Feeling trapped, James started to panic. The harder he tried to move the harder breathing got for him. He felt a heavy weight crushing his chest. The more he fought to free himself the heavier the weight sat on his chest.

James forced himself to calm down, he focused on taking shallow breaths. Anything deeper caused pain. Slowly he could feel himself relax, but he still could not move.

He became alarmed and start to breath faster when he felt blood seeping from his head, gradually moving down his face. Once again he tried to move but only causing more panic. Breathing became harder as the weight on his chest increased, slowly squishing the life out of him.

Then something strange happened, James could hear something moving, but he could not see. He could hear clicking noises scurrying around him. Then he felt something moist and warm move his hand. Whatever was touching his hand calmed him.

He could feel soft hair gently tickling his hand. James' breathing returned to the shallow breaths and the pressure on his chest did not increase. His trapped body slowly relaxed and only then was he able to sleep. James actually felt safe and no longer alone.

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Chief Innocent, Inspector Lewis and PC Bell hurried toward the front entrance of Wycombe Hills Sanatorium. They wanted to see the tape recordings of patient Smith's room. They wanted to prove to themselves, James was not Mr. Smith.

Suddenly feeling something tug at the back of his mind and hearing his more experienced inner voice, Lewis halted in his tracks. Innocent also stopped. PC Bell had to quickly move to the side, to keep from bumping into the senior officers.

"I'm sorry, Jean, but..." Lewis tried to explain, but there is never any way to explain your inner voice.

"I know. Take my car," she handed him the keys. "Bell, go with him. And Robbie, call me when you find James." She too felt something.

Lewis took the keys, "I don't know where to.." He had no idea where James found PC Kindly.

"I do," PC Rowan Bell piped up. "My grandfather took me the old airfield there several times. And I remember that Quonset hut." Rowan was thrilled to be involved.

The two jogged to Innocent's loaner car and drove to the former WWll airfield. The 50 mile drive took less time than normal, Lewis drove with full emergency lights and sirens and his foot to the floor. The traffic obediently moved out of their way.

The long morning had past noon when Lewis and Bell arrived at the airfield between Faringdon and Shellingford. The tall hedges hid the old rusty Quonset hut. Lewis turned onto an old grass road off A417 slowly driving his car close to an abandon building.

"James found Kindly there," questioned Lewis pointed toward a derelict Quonset hut.

"Yes Sir. Most of the old airfield is now that quarry," Rowan pointed to the cloud of white dust floating above a pit several yards away from the hut. "Only a few Quonset huts remain. This building was larger a few years back, but now most of it has been knocked or torn down." He continued to update Lewis on the history of former Shellingford airfield.

They cautiously walked toward the Quonset hut hoping to begin their search. Lewis could hear a dog barking in the distance. They shined their torches into the dark building chasing the shadows away in search for any clues to James' whereabouts.

Vines grew inside and on top of the old hut that once housed pilots training for the war. Now the place only housed ghosts, dust, rust and wild animals. Lewis ventured deeper into the building, his heart began to sink he could see no signs of anyone being in the building for years.

They could hear the dog barking closer to them now, but the sound was muffled. PC Bell closed his eyes turning his head in hopes to hear which direction the barking was coming from. "I think the dog is over there behind that wall, Sir," Bell illuminated a collapsed wall.

"I'm looking for James, Bell, not a bloody dog," Lewis scolded. He moved some debris around looking underneath everything.

'Thankfully the dog has stopped barking,' thought Lewis. But, he spoke too soon. The barking was loud and in the same room as him and Bell.

"Come on, boy. Here boy," Bell attempted to coax the dog to him. The mangy dog ignored Bell and raced toward Lewis. The dog barked and twirled around trying to get Lewis' attention. "Here boy," continued Bell's coaxing.

Lewis looked at the dog and noticed it was a girl. "Better check again, Bell. That boy is a girl," Lewis teased. He looked into her eyes and felt something or someone calling to him. "Okay girl, show me where to go."

The dog jumped and barked with joy then ran out an opening. Lewis and Bell climbed through a larger opening to the back of the old Quonset hut. They could see the dirty brown dog crawling into an opening on the other end of the hut. She barked begging the men to follow her but they were too large.

"Look around to see if you can find a way in," Lewis instructed Bell. He poked his head to the opening to look, all Lewis could see was acollapsed wall. He assumed the other side of the wall was where they had been. He swung the torch into every corner, to the broken ceiling and scanned the floor. Nothing.

"I can't find a way in, Sir," Bell came back winded.

Lewis' heart sank and he slowly got up off the ground. He was about to give up when the dog started barking louder and more aggressively. This time Lewis laid flat on his belly placing his arms above his head the squeezed his head and shoulders through the small opening, but his hips stuck.

"Oh gawd I'm stuck. Bell, help me," Lewis huffed as he tried to pull the rest of his body through the opening. "Push on my arse, if you have to. I give you permission."

Bell, pushed with no luck. Lewis could feel the rusty metal scratching his hips.

"I got an idea, Sir. Take your pants off," Bell suggested. "I'll undo your belt and maybe you can crawl out of them. Taking your pants off will make a bit less to push through."

Lewis could feel his face turn red at the suggestion, but he would try anything. The dog lay on the ground in front of Lewis patiently waiting for him.

"Oh all right," Lewis conceded. "Anything to get out of this hole."

Bell unbuckled Lewis' belt and pulled the pants off his hips. This gave Lewis enough room to squeeze the rest of the way through the tight hole. The tin scratched his hips drawing blood, but Lewis didn't care.

Lewis pulled his legs and pants through and stood to his feet to dress. "Ouch!" Lewis yelped when he banged his head on a low hanging object. A cloud of dust fell around him, causing the building to moan threatening to collapse around Lewis and the dog.

"You all right, Sir" Bell poked his head and crawled through the opening effortlessly.

"Show off," Lewis glared at Bell standing beside him. "There was a time I could crawled through a small opening without having strip", he griped.

They stood still looking around the room. The building creaked and moaned with every step they made. "Okay, girl show me the way. Show me to James," Lewis encourage the dog.

She led the men to the collapsed wall where she laid down and whined. Lewis' heart cried as he looked at the mess of metal and trash. He feared if anyone was underneath that rubble they would not be alive.

The men inspected the rubble. Lewis knelt down to look at the bottom for any signs of life. "HELLO," he shouted. Nothing but the moaning building. He pointed the torch light around when caught a glimpse of something. Lewis held his breath as he moved the light back toward what he saw.

"JAMES," he shouted excitedly. Lewis started to dig at the debris with his bare hands when the pile started to shift. Bell pulled Lewis back away from the wall. "Wait! NO!" Lewis shouted to him.

"Sir, we can't. Look," Bell pointed to the top of the weak wall. "If move anything that wall will come down. We need experienced people to do this, Sir."

Realizing the young PC was right Lewis nodded his head in agreement "James, we'll get you out. I won't go anywhere," Lewis shouted encouragement. "Get outside and start calling in the locals and I'll call Innocent," he ordered Bell.

Lewis speed dialed Chief Innocent's mobile however …

"Chief Superintendent Innocent's mobile. DI Wyndham MacGim speaking," MacGim answered. He still had her phone.

"We found him, MacGim," Lewis shouted with joy. He did not care who answered. "Put Innocent on."

"Chief Innocent, it's Lewis. They found James," the Scotsman announced to everyone.

Confused Innocent did not completely understand his thick accent. Then a wide grin instantly grew on her face. "What! Give me that," she yank the mobile from his large hand. "Lewis, is he all right?" She held her breath waiting for the answer. MacGim was standing close to her trying to listen. His whiskers tickled her hand as he tried to move closer.

"Wait Robbie," she put the phone on speaker. "Go ahead. Where did you find him?"

"We found him in the old Quonset hut like Bell thought. However," Lewis paused to catch his breath and to swallow the growing lump in his throat.

"There always has to be a 'however'," Innocent mumbled and rolled her eyes. Her fingers ached from crossing them. "However, What?" She snapped.

Lewis swallowed and cleared his throat. "He's trapped under a fallen wall and other debris. I have Bell calling in a rescue team."

"Is he alive?" Laura shouted, standing beside Innocent listening.

"I'm not sure. I can't see him very good," Lewis explained.

"Then how do you know it's Hathaway," Innocent asked. Everyone was disappointed.

"I just know, Ma'am. It's James I know," he defended his reasons.

"Before I drive out there Robbie I want to know for sure," Innocent insisted. She could not leave one crime scene for another without a good reason.

"Ma'am I know it's James," he laid down to shine the light back on the bit of fabric that confirmed it was James. "I can see those crazy ducky boxers he got last Christmas at the station house party. I recognize them anywhere, Ma'am."

MacGim smiled at the memory of the gift exchange last Christmas. Everyone laughed at those ridiculously bright yellow ducky boxers. "I'm on my way," Laura said as she started to strip off the crime scene coveralls.

"We all are," Innocent added. "Finish up here for me, Russell."

PC Russell gulped in disbelief. He was being handed a major crime scene by the Chief Superintendent herself. "Yes Ma'am. I'll report directly to you, Ma'am," his voice sounded unsure of himself.

"You will be fine, PC Russell," Innocent reassured him. "I'll call in a DI to take over." She added as they drove away.

"Hey wait!" he shouted. "That's my car. She took my car."

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