* * *

CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE - The Old Railway Tunnel

The following day… Monday 17th April…

8:00 am

Dr. Gabriel Lang set off early for Carrowton. He was a man with a mission and had about one hour to spare. His first patient’s appointment at the hospital was for nine o’clock that morning. He had considered Mimi’s suggestion of entering the old railway tunnel from the other side, but due to lack of time had chosen his own method of entry as the quickest and most direct. In the back of his old battered Land Rover he carried the necessary equipment with him. It was his intention to force his way into the tunnel.
After taking the road north out of the little sleepy village of Carrowton, the doctor parked his Land Rover next to the old railway line and scrambled up the embankment. On this occasion he had come equipped. With him he carried a crowbar and a powerful torch. Once at the top he walked swiftly along the overgrown embankment until he came to the sealed off entrance to the tunnel. He took one last look about him. No one was around and watching, and, as far as he could tell, nothing had changed since the day before. Quickly he placed the crowbar beneath the latch that held the padlock, then twisted and pulled. For a while everything remained stubborn, then with a sudden snap, the heavy padlock came away and fell to the ground with a thud.
The doctor pushed the small door inwards. It creaked open on its rusty hinges and needed an extra shove to open fully. Standing in the doorway he switched on his torch and peered in through the opening. The beam flashed around the void inside, then up the walls and circled the high, arching roof before returning to the floor. For a while he remained in the doorway and stared into the blackness. His eyes followed the beam of the torch. To be truthful there was not a lot to see. Water dripped from the tunnel’s roof and formed puddles near the entrance. To his right, and tucked away in the corner, was a small electrical generator. There were a couple of petrol cans stacked alongside, and a thick electrical cable traced its way along the base of the wall and into the darkness beyond. But that was all. The rest of the tunnel was bare, and the only sound that could be heard was the constant dripping of water from the roof.
After several more arcing searches, the beam from the doctor’s torch finally locked on to the electrical cable at the base of the wall and followed it away from the generator and into the blackness.
The doctor stepped through the door, then, avoiding the puddles the best he could, began to make his way along the tunnel. As he progressed he shone his torch about the echoing walls. The sides were steep and the roof arched, and everywhere was constructed in a black engineering brick. The ground beneath had once held sleepers and railway lines, but they were all gone now, and all that remained was a compacted base of large granite chippings.
Soon the puddles disappeared and the tunnel became much drier. The doctor walked on with the beam of his torch concentrating on the electrical cable that followed the base of the wall to his right. After about two hundred paces the cable came to an end. There was a large electrical junction box and from it smaller cables lead off to a series of spotlights stood on tripod stands. All the lamps were covered in dust and most of the metalwork was turning brown with rust.
The doctor stopped and shone his torch around. To be truthful, there was not a great deal to be seen. There were a couple of chains hanging down from the high roof and a few eyebolts attached to one of the walls, and that was all. He shone his torch around some more. All along one side of the tunnel there were a number of small holes in the wall, some just above head height, others near the base.
The doctor rubbed his chin thoughtfully. The holes in the brickwork suggested that further eyebolts were once present at the site but had since been taken away. He shone his torch upwards. The beam traced its way slowly up a chain to the roof high above his head. Two dangling chains were attached to two eyebolts at the top of the arch. Further along there was evidence that at least two more eyebolts once existed. There were two holes in the brickwork at equal distances away from the two that remained.
The doctor pondered for a while. He had hoped to find more. There was even a faint possibility that the two missing girls would be found here. But it was evident that this place had not been visited for quite some time now, and most probably not since the last photo-shoot which involved Mimi. He calculated what that time span should be. He knew for a fact Mimi had been in hospital seven weeks. He was not sure when the last photo-shoot took place, but he guessed it must have taken place at least three more weeks prior to that date. This all added up to a total of ten weeks since the tunnel was last visited.
With a shrug to the shoulders the doctor concluded that this investigation was getting him nowhere. Unfortunately it was back to square one. He consoled himself to the fact that at least the tunnel, and all that went with it, could now be eliminated from his investigations.
Feeling somewhat dejected the doctor turned and began to walk back down the tunnel. As he stepped away something next to the base of the wall, and over on the other side of the tunnel to the cable, caught his eye. Being curious he walked over and shone his torch down upon the floor. The beam was lighting up a partially folded newspaper. He could see that it was a copy of a local newspaper called the ‘Littlesea Evening Gazette’. He picked it up and read the headlines. Splashed across the top were the words: ‘Hailstorms Hit Town’. He rubbed his chin thoughtfully. Hailstorms remained fresh in his memory. Just two days ago he was running for cover from them. He looked to the date at the top of the page. The date read; ‘Saturday 15th April’. Now this was something quite revealing. This newspaper was only two days old and had come out on the evening of the storms.
Dr. Lang realised immediately that he had a dilemma on his hands. It was obvious to him now that someone had been in the tunnel quite recently; in fact within the last two days. He considered the matter further and pondered on exactly how that person had managed to get in here. One end of the tunnel was sealed, that was a fact, so the intruder either had a key, or gained access from the opposite end.
The doctor shone his torch down the tunnel. It ended in blackness. There was nothing to be seen. Then suddenly he heard a noise issuing from the darkness and he cocked an ear. He could not be certain, but it sounded like the patter of padding feet. He listened hard, but could not be certain. Perhaps it was just the constant drip-drip of water coming from the roof. He could not be certain.
After a while the doctor turned his torch to his watch. He reckoned something like forty-five minutes remained before having to rush back to the hospital. He shook his head in despair. Work always seemed to be getting in the way. He desperately wanted to investigate the source of the noise, but the tunnel was far too long. He calculated that even at a brisk pace it would take thirty minutes to reach the other end. That was far too long. He just had not got enough time to complete the journey on foot.
He quickly came to a decision. He would drive to the other side of the hill, park up somewhere next to the woods and see if he could locate the far end of tunnel. He had not got a map and had never been there. He therefore knew it would be a difficult place to find, but all the same, find it he must. Quickly he turned and sped off down the tunnel.
The doctor wasted no time and soon he was speeding along in his Land Rover. He followed the road up the winding hill, through the steep sided valley cut by the River Carrow, then down the other side. With dense woods to either side of the road he slowed down his Land Rover and turned into an overgrown dirt track. Here he stopped, got out and started to walk the track. Soon any sign of the track was gone and it became obvious that no vehicle had passed this way in years.
Some twenty-five minutes later, after a blind scramble through a great thicket of trees and undergrowth; and by more luck than judgement; the doctor came upon the far entrance of the tunnel. He found himself standing high above the tunnel and looking down. Beneath him, the old railway track was overgrown, but, unlike the opposite end, here the embankment followed the side of a hill. From where he stood there was a steep drop down to the track, then, after a level manmade platform, there was further steep drop to the woods and valley below.
The doctor’s elevated position commanded good views over the woods and to the distance River Carrow beyond. The sun was shining and the leaves on the trees fresh and green from the onset of Spring. The doctor stood for a while, taking in the view: The English countryside could be most charming at this time of the year.
He looked down to the tunnel entrance. It was boarded up with corrugated sheeting. Unlike the opposite end most of the panels were either gone or hanging on by a single bolt. Furthermore the wooden frame that held the panels appeared to be damp and rotting. It was evident that very soon there would be nothing at all left standing to guard the entrance.
The doctor returned his gaze to the view across the valley. As his eyes scanned the tops of the trees he noticed a wisp of white smoke drifting upwards from a clearing not very far away. He rubbed his chin thoughtfully. Could this be the source of the newspaper and the distant padding footsteps? He looked to his watch and shook his head. There was just not enough time available to descend into the woods and investigate the source of the smoke.
Reluctantly the doctor turned and set off back to his Land Rover. Unfortunately, further investigation would just have to wait until another day.

1:15 pm

As lunch time came around, Dr. Lang was ready for a much needed break. He left his surgery and crossed the sprawling hospital complex to the ward were Mimi was recovering. He arrived to find her out of bed. She was stood at the bottom of the bed, holding on to the base with one hand, and doing knee-bending exercises. She had her back to the door, and, at first, was not aware of the doctor’s presence. He coughed gently in order to attract her attention.
Mimi straightened her legs and turned to face the door. She smiled and moved to sit on the edge of the bed.
“Come on in Dr. Lang,” she said, and patting the bed alongside added; “come and sit by me.”
The doctor sat down next to Mimi on the bed.
“It’s good to see you up and about Mimi,” he told her.
She leant back on the bed, raised up her legs and did a few more knee-bending movements in the air.
“Look doctor, my legs are coming back,” she said, “I’ve been walking up and down the corridor… the nurse says I can go out into the gardens this afternoon if the weather stays fine.”
Dr. Lang took hold of Mimi’s hand.
“You’re doing very well Mimi,” he assured her.
Mimi turned serious. She knew that the only reason for Dr. Lang’s visits were to discuss Roger.
“How’s Roger?” she asked.
The doctor shook his head. He had spoken to Inspector Hawkins on the phone just before coming over here. Basically the situation had not altered. Roger Downton was still the chief suspect and was being detained for further questioning.
“Roger’s still being held in London for questioning,” he told her, “that’s about all there is to tell.”
Mimi bit her bottom lip.
“Can I see him?” she asked.
The doctor considered this to be a possibility.
“Mimi, if you keep improving the way you are, then I reckon a visit will be a possibility very shortly,” he told her.
Mimi gave a little worried smile and nodded her head. She would keep her exercises going and do as much walking as possible. She was determined to get fit and strong again.
Dr. Lang patted her on the back of the hand. He had things to ask about the tunnel.
“Mimi,” he started, “I visited the old railway tunnel this morning… I broke the padlock and got in that way… I had a hunch that I might find something there, but the place didn’t look like it had been used for months.”
Mimi nodded her head.
“The tunnel was our little secret,” she told him, “so I don’t suppose anyone else would have been there.”
The doctor rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
“But what if I tell you someone had visited the tunnel? And quite recently too,” he revealed.
Mimi shrugged her shoulders.
“I can’t imagine who that would be then,” she said and looking slightly bemused.
The doctor remained pensive for a while before continuing.
“Mimi?” he asked. “Do you know anyone that might be living in the woods at the other end of the tunnel?”
Mimi cast her mind back to a walk in the bluebell woods with Roger and Chloe. She recalled coming across a campervan in a clearing, then afterwards, as they were photographing in the woods, there was that mysterious figure that had been watching them. She remembered being spooked by the incident and wanting to leave the woods as quickly as possible.
“The three of us… Roger, Chloe and myself… we took a walk up the valley,” she told him, “we followed the river… and we came across a campsite… there was a canopy and a log fire going… and a campervan with religious writing on the side… but there was no one around,… so we moved on.”
It was the doctor’s turn to nod his head. What Mimi was saying agreed with something he had seen that very morning. He began to explain his own experiences.
“Mimi, I visited both ends of the tunnel this morning,” he explained, “over on the other side I saw smoke rising above the trees… I think whoever lives in the woods is a regular visitor to the tunnel.”
Mimi recalled standing on the railway embankment not far from the tunnel entrance and seeing the same smoke curling above the trees.
“That’s how we found the campsite… that’s exactly what we saw… smoke rising above the trees… we were curious and went down to investigate,” she told him.
Dr. Lang remained pensive for a moment. The campsite in the woods had now become a significant factor in his investigations. However, he did not dwell on the point. There was another burning question he needed an answer for. It concerned the tunnel and the things he had seen in there.
“Mimi?” he asked, “describe the mock dungeon to me… the one you set up in the tunnel.”
Mimi pondered for a while in an attempt to picture the scene in her mind.
“Roger did a good job setting everything up,” she started. “He hung chains from the roof and set chains against the walls. There was also a generator at the tunnel entrance and bright spotlights to illuminate the scene.”
The doctor nodded his head. The statement agreed basically with what he had found, but he was more concerned with the holes in the wall and the missing eyebolts.
“Would Roger have taken anything away since your last photo-shoot?” he asked.
Mimi gave the question some thought, then shook her head.
“No, I don’t think so doctor,… he said nothing to me,” she said slowly and deliberately. “and I’m sure if he had, then he would have said something.”
This was the answer the doctor expected and he nodded his head.
“Mimi,… how many chains were hanging from the roof?… can you remember?” he asked after a little more thought.
Mimi did a mental count before answering.
“There were three chains that came right down to the floor, and there was also a pulley and chain system on the end,” she told him.
The doctor nodded his head. A third chain and a pulley system accounted for the other two holes.
“And what about the chains against the walls?” he asked.
Mimi thought once more.
“There were lots… there was a row along the wall just above head height, and another row along the bottom,” she explained.
The doctor returned to an earlier question. He needed to be certain.
“And you say nothing would have been taken away by Roger?” he asked.
Mimi shook her head.
“I don’t think so,” she replied, then added: “Why doctor?… What’s missing?”
The doctor pondered for a while before giving an answer.
“A few chains, some eyebolts, and a pulley system,” he told Mimi.
Mimi was surprised to hear that their secret hideaway had been raided, and this gave concern to some of the other equipment stored in the tunnel. Of most importance was the chest of clothes and bondage equipment loaned to them by Lenny Blackmore of FotoPix Studios.
“Doctor, was the chest still there?” she asked. “The one with all the bondage equipment in?”
Mimi’s revelation took the doctor by surprise. He shook his head.
“No Mimi, I did not see a chest,” he told her.
Mimi put a hand to her mouth.
“Oh dear!” she exclaimed. “It was not ours… it was on loan to us.”
After Mimi’s revelations the doctor was of an opinion that he needed a full inventory of everything that was in the tunnel.
He explained: “Mimi, apart from the spotlights, all I saw were a couple of chains coming down from the roof and a few eyebolts in one wall. So what else should I have seen?”
Mimi’s eyes opened wide. The doctor was describing an empty shell.
“But doctor,… the place was stacked out with equipment… apart from the chest, there were a whole pile of planks and scaffolding… Roger used them to reach the roof… and he build us a bench… and other equipment… I wonder where all that lot got to?” she told him.
The doctor shook his head slowly from side to side. He was now a very puzzled man. Planks and scaffolding would take a lot of moving, and why should someone want them in the first place?
“I’ve no idea where its all gone,” he admitted, “but one thing’s for certain… tomorrow I’m going back to the woods… I’m going to investigate that campsite… I think if there is an answer, then I’ll find it there.”
Mimi squeezed the doctor’s hand.
“Be careful doctor,” she told him, “whoever lives out there stalked us through the woods… we spotted him hiding amongst the trees… and when he saw us he ran off.”
Dr. Lang returned the squeeze to Mimi’s hand.
“I’ll be careful Mimi,” he assured her.

3:00 pm

Sylvia Sparelli and Gayle Jackson both sat motionless on a cold stone floor with their backs to an equally stone cold wall. They were seated just a short distance apart and huddled in their blankets. Both were naked and chained by a collar about the neck to an eyebolt in the wall. The chains were short and very little movement was possible. Their hands were manacled at the front with just short chains between the wrists, and their eyes and mouths were bound with wide strips of medical tape so that neither girl could see nor speak.
Body-clocks told them that this was not feeding time. Their captor was at least two hours early, maybe more, but being blindfolded and without a timepiece it was difficult to make any accurate judgement on the matter. All the same both girls knew things to be not quite as they should be, and Gayle, who had been captive the longest, knew this premature visit could only mean one thing: The man was plotting something afresh. But what exactly? That was the question that haunted her.
With their hands manacled to the front it was possible for either of the girls to remove the tape about their eyes and mouth, but neither dared to do so. Both knew their captor to be ruthless, and if he was to return and find the tape about their eyes and mouth tampered with, then there was no telling what terrible things he might do to them. Sylvia did not want to be stretched out on the rack again, and Gayle was in dread of having her arms tied behind her back and then raised by pulley until her feet were off the ground.
 Away in the distance the first sounds of approaching footsteps could be heard. Sylvia and Gayle simultaneously crouched in fear against the wall and cowered beneath their blankets. There was always the possibility that this was feeding time and perhaps nothing was going to happen to them after all. But on the other hand, there remained the fear that they might be led away and have some dreadful torture inflicted upon them.
The man arrived and the footsteps stopped. A plate and bottle were placed before Gayle, then the same deposited at Sylvia’s feet. Then each in turn had their mouths freed from the tape and rags that gagged them from speaking.
Their captor stepped away. This was the girls’ signal to eat. Without a word being spoken both girls fumbled in the darkness and picked up their drinking bottles. Each took a few sips of water then got stuck into what was offered to them on the plates. The meal was meagre, just fish paste sandwiches, but all the same, after twenty-four hours they tasted good.
Halfway through a bite Gayle froze. Whilst eating and drinking the man had moved away. It was at this point she heard the rattle of chains and recognised their origin. These were the chains that could be raised by pulleys positioned high in the roof. For a few minutes Gayle listened without eating. It sounded very much like the pulley system was being raised and lowered as if testing out the mechanism. He could even be oiling it in readiness.
After a short while all went quiet and the footsteps returned. Gayle tried to act nonchalantly and resumed nibbling at the last of her sandwiches. But all the same she recognised that the signs for the future were not good.
Alongside Gayle, Sylvia had already finished off her offerings. The man collected her plate and bottle and moved them to one side. He then went through the ritual of replacing a rag in her mouth and rewinding fresh tape about her head.
Aware of what was happening alongside her, Gayle quickly gobbled down the last of her sandwiches, then drank her bottle of water dry. She then waited patiently as the man moved across to collect up her things, and as he did so, she held her breath in anticipation. Was he going to lead her away now? For a while she was terrified. Then those familiar hands gripped the sides of her face and she opened up her mouth wide in response. The rag returned and fresh tape sealed off her mouth and wound its way about her head. The man then collected up the bottles and plates, turned and walked away.
As the footsteps faded into the distance Gayle breathed a big sigh of relief. The man had chosen not to do anything on this occasion; but there was always a next time. He must have been testing the pulley system for a reason, and she guessed ultimately that reason would fall upon either her or the prisoner next to her: Or perhaps even the two of them. Unfortunately there was no telling what the man might do next.

4:00 pm

Trapped inside the mock dungeon deep below Cuckoo Cottage, Tim shared out some of the dwindling stock of food with Wendy. Both were pensive and quiet.
The day before Tim had dished out half of their picnic packed by Mrs. Trubshaw, the landlady at the local inn. Today he divided what remained into a further two. He considered the remaining rations. There was probably enough food left for another day, maybe two at the most, but that was all. After that things would start to get desperate. He shook a bottle of cider that had been packed with the sandwiches. There were just a few mouthfuls left and that would see the end to the drinks. He consoled himself with the fact that at least there was some running water available. A toilet inside a small cell still flushed and water could be scooped from the tank. He would refill the bottle with water once the last of the cider had gone.
“Tim… why hasn’t anyone found us?” asked Wendy and breaking the long silence.
She sounded weak and tired.
Tim shook his head from side to side.
“I don’t know Wendy,” he told her honestly, “but they will… I’m sure they will… they’ll be looking for us right this minute… they’re bound to find us.”
Wendy blinked her dark tired eyes at Tim and cuddle up in his arms.
“Are you sure they’ll find us Tim?” she asked.
Tim nodded his head and cuddled her in his arms.
“Yes, I’m sure they’ll find us Wendy,” he said trying to assure her.
Tim added a little silent prayer and prayed that he was right.
 

* * *

End of Chapter Thirty-one