Mike Dixon

„I‟m all right!‟
„There‟s a big drop. You‟d be badly hurt if you fell.‟
213
„Stop worrying about me!‟
Kirstin continued to wave her arms. „It‟s my granddaugh-
ter. You‟ve got to get after those men. They‟ve taken her …‟
„Your granddaughter is safe now, Mrs. Hansen.‟
A shiver ran down Kirstin‟s spine.
„What do you mean safe now?‟
„She‟s being looked after.‟ The young man ignored the
question. „We‟ll take you back to the station. Your son will be
there by now. He‟ll tell you what‟s happened. I‟ll come up
and help you down.‟
amantha Fischer pulled
S on her jacket and hurried
out of the office. She
was needed on the ground
floor where a severely trau-
matized young person had
just arrived. The scene was much as she expected: hysteri-
cal teenager and distraught relatives.
As a police cadet, Samantha had been greatly distressed
by such incidents. Now, she‟d grown used to them. A girl of
about sixteen was being consoled by a grey-haired woman.
A red-faced man sat nearby – totally devastated.
Then, she saw Janet. Her friend was slumped on a bench,
in a far corner, covered in blood. If Samantha hadn‟t known
her, she‟d have thought that Janet Pulnitz was a junkie who
had got into a fight and ended up on the losing side. Her
right shoulder hung down and her left hand was swollen. On
the other side of the police desk, a young woman was shout-
ing and pointing at her.
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