Page 21 of Captive Hearts
‘You have to tap the “live” button,’ the hostage called. ‘See, I’m not old, I know Facebook better than that young woman!’
‘That’s exactly whatmakesyou old, only pensioners are on it now,’ the gunman told her. The hostage tutted. The gunman turned his attention back to Ashley, still trying to find the live feature. ‘Oi, forget Facebook! I want both of you. Are you coming up or am I gonna put this woman out of her misery?’ He jabbed the gun into the woman’s hair, and she said, ‘Ow, that’s hard.’
‘Right!’ Gina suddenly yelled from beside her. ‘We’re coming! Don’t do anything! We’re coming, alright?!’
Ashley turned to Gina. ‘Are you sure?’
‘Of course I’mnot,’ Gina said. ‘But what choice have we got?’
Ashley nodded. ‘I didn’t... I didn’t know this would happen.’
Gina shook her head. ‘Let’s just get this over with.’
Ashley nodded, and she and Gina began to walk through the gap in the police vehicles, all cop eyes on her. DI Conway called over. ‘Just… just be careful.’
Ashley shot her a withering look. She’d utterly bungled this. ‘Remind me to eviscerate you when we do that interview,’ she hissed at the woman. DI Conway tutted. ‘I’m doing my best,’ she protested.
Ashley shook her head at her and kept walking across the car park, toward a set of about ten steps that led up to the entrance of Jimmy’s Pizza, passing uniformed officers. Gina was right at her side, camera on her shoulder, still shooting, the camera sitting steady as a rock. Ashley had to admire it, even now.
Up the steps they went, creeping ever closer in the direction of the gunman. Too soon, they reached the summit. They were right in front of the woman. Up close, Ashley was pretty sure she was lying about being fifty. She was sixty-five if she was a day. Still, she had a lot of years left, and maybe a family. The man, making sure that Gina was standing in between him and the armed unit, popped his head out from behind his hostage. Up close, he seemed kind of, well, just like a man. Not quite so terrifying. But he still had the gun, and that was pretty scary. ‘Right. Let’s get this show on the road,’ the gunman said.
‘We’re here. So are you letting this lady go?’ Ashley asked. Summoning all the courage she could find, she added, ‘Because I’m not doing an interview until you do.’
‘You’ve got a brass pair, I’ll give you that, love,’ the man said. ‘But fair do’s. I’ll let her go.’ And he gave the woman a little shove. ‘Off you get, then, Mary Berry,’ he told her. The woman glared at him, opening her mouth like she might say something. But then she thought better of it and took off at a brisk pace down the steps. ‘Don’t break a hip!’ the gunman called after her. A loud tut was heard.
Now the hostage was gone, Ashley wasn’t quite sure what would happen next. So she put her professional hat on and started the interview. ‘So, Mr… What should I call you?’ she asked the man.
‘You can call me Rick,’ he said. And then he pointed his gun in Ashley’s face. ‘Now, get in the restaurant.’
