DAYS LIKE THIS (PART 2/?)
by Melissa Rivers
(missy@lexicon.net)

Disclaimer: The characters that you recognise from Water Rats are the property of Southern Star and Hal McElroy and to the actors who so marvellously portray them. More than likely Channel 9 has some say in them too <g>

Many thanks to my patient and consistently supportive editor, Clotho, who edits my Rat stories for me even though she doesn't watch the show.

Previously on Days Like This.....

Finally, she located her. Abby wasn't sure how long she had searched, but she grabbed hold of Nicola's windcheater and dragged her limp body to the surface. Abby's breaths came in short, sharp gasps and she tried to control the anxiety that was threatening to overwhelm her.

And now on with Part 2......

Treading the water with Nicola lying on her back, Abby hooked her arm under her daughter's chin, as she had seen rescuers do. She struggled to keep her own head above the continual roll of swells which had her dipping up and down like a buoy. As she managed to finally regain a sense of direction, she found the ferry was continuing it's slow chug across the harbour, seemingly unaware of her predicament. Despair filled her. The weight of her wet clothing dragged against her efforts to stay afloat, the water's current moving them further out into the bay. Breathing was difficult, each intake of air, much harder than the one before.

Tears streamed down Abby's face. Tears of anger that she hadn't kept a closer eye on Nicola and frustration that while she had managed to find her daughter, it looked to be in vain. The distance to the Quay or any other point of land seemed enormous, impossible for her to swim that far. Nicola wasn't responding to her anxious pleas; her small body, a still dead weight on her arm. Abby's breathing was becoming more laboured, the cold water quickly sapping her strength and determination.

Nicola suddenly twisted in the crook of her arm, fighting against the restraint. Abby found herself going under from the wild writhing, swallowing mouthful after mouthful of the salty water. Her daughter coughed and spluttered, and Abby released her strong-hold on Nicola.

"Nicki,..... I ........ need ... you to..... lie still......" Abby struggled to calm her daughter, and keep them both afloat. "Nicki...... Mummy's got you..... but.....you......need.....to......stay..... still. Please, sweetie."

Nicki refused to lie on her back, grabbing hold of her mother with a vise-like grip, her legs curling around Abby's waist, making it virtually impossible for her to tread water properly. Abby found herself going under and losing the strength to keep her head above the waves rippling across the harbour.

**********************

"VKG Sydney Water Police to Police Launch Nemesis."

"Police Launch Nemesis, over." Senior Constable Matthew Quinn ran his hand through his cropped blonde hair as he answered the radio. A faint chill was in the autumn air, the first signs that the seasons were changing after an exhaustingly hot summer.

"Quinn, there are two people overboard from the Manly Ferry, north of Bennelong Point. They went over about five minutes ago."

"We're on the way, Helen. ETA two minutes, over."

Senior Constable Gavin Sykes was at the controls of the Nemesis and had already throttled the powerful boat in the direction of Bennelong Point as Matt put the receiver back in place. Matt picked up the powerful binoculars from the dash, ready to search the area ahead of them for any sign of the two people. He caught sight of a flash of movement to the west and he concentrated his attention on it.

"Gav, there they are. It looks like they're in trouble."

Throttling the Nemesis as quickly as he could towards the area where Matt indicated, Gavin slowed it down as they came close so as not to swamp the victims. Matt kept an eye on the spot where he had caught sight of the two victims, which was becoming all the more difficult as their heads were disappearing beneath the surface more times than they remained above.

Matt detached the removable section from the side of the Nemesis and attached the ladder in its place. The wash from the boat was more than the Abby could cope with and she swallowed a large mouthful of water. With help at hand, the fight to keep their heads above water eluded her. The world around her dipped and swayed before fading into gray. Her grip on Nicola slipped and a darkness engulfed her, sweeping her away.

"Gav! I need your help here. They've gone under!" Matt yelled as he dived into the cold depths of the harbour. In a split second, he had to make a decision on which one to save first. He didn't have the strength to get both of them up and took the chance, that the child would be easier to grab and bring to the surface.

"Police Launch Nemesis to VKG Sydney Water Police." As soon as Matt dived overboard, Gavin went up to the helm station to contact headquarters.

"Sydney Water Police, over."

"Helen, we are going to need an ambo ready to pick up these two - they're drowning."

"How are they?" Helen queried, a buzz of radio static sounding as she spoke. She turned around to Constable Donna Janevski and asked, "Donna, get in touch with the ambulance service and get them out to the Quay immediately. Tell them they've got two patients."

"I don't know yet, but it doesn't look good. They've both gone under. Matt's gone in after them."

"Okay, Gav. The ambulance is on its way."

Matt's strong arms forced him deeper below the surface, trailing after the rapidly sinking girl. He caught hold of her outstretched arm, grasping the thin brown limb tightly in his hand. Turning around, he swum to the harbour surface, bringing them both up beside the Nemesis.

"She's just a kid." Matt commented as he passed the unconscious girl up to Gavin, before he went underwater again, searching for the other person.

Gavin laid the small girl down on the deck, checking her pulse and breathing. Nicola had a strong pulse. He placed her on her side, opening her mouth and within moments, the little girl's body convulsed and coughed up a considerable amount of salt water from her lungs. She rolled sideways, continuing to cough and then began to kick and hit out at Gavin's hands holding her on her side.

She took him by surprise when her small brown hand reached up and raked her nails down his face. Fine bubbles of blood welled from her vicious attack which had left four defined scratch marks down his cheek. Gavin pulled his head back out of the way as the little girl attempted another strike. Grabbing her two wrists in his hand, he tried talking to her, to try to calm her writhing body as she fought like a tiger to be released from his grip.

Matt broke to the surface, pulling a woman in her early thirties up with him, distracting Gavin from the girl. In that small moment, the girl sunk her teeth into his wrist. As soon as he released her, she took off under the deck and hid in a corner, wrapping her body into a small parcel and hugging her legs tightly to her chest.

Glancing to see that the girl was safe in her chosen corner, Gavin went to help Matt drag the woman's body aboard. Matt followed quickly, hoisting himself up into the Nemesis on the ladder, water dripping from his sodden clothes. He quickly joined Gavin in assessing the woman.

"I can't find a pulse and she's not breathing," Gavin reported. "Get the first aid kit and resuscitation equipment."

Clearing her mouth of any debris and ensuring her tongue was not rolling back and blocking her airway, Gavin gave her five quick breaths. He leant over her to check for any sign of breathing. There was nothing.

Matt began cardiac compressions, counting under his breath, exerting a careful amount of force - enough to massage the heart without, hopefully, cracking the rib-cage beneath his hands. The two worked in tandem for a minute before Gavin realised that they needed to get to the Quay immediately, where there would be medical equipment available to assist with the woman's resuscitation.

************
FARM COVE
************

Senior Sergeant Lance Rorke skillfully guided the Police Launch Harpy up to the old, weatherbeaten dock. Senior Constable Emma Woods dropped the round foam protector over the side, before anchoring the boat to the heavy wooden pylon. Jumping easily to the dock, Emma finished securing the boat before offering her hand to Alex to help her up off the boat.

"Thanks, Emma," Alex smiled to her as she got her footing on the dock. Heels and boats, did not go hand in hand, and she was grateful for the assistance.

"Do I get a hand as well?" Jack asked, from behind dark glasses.

"You're big enough and ugly enough to do it on your own." Emma threw back at him with a laugh, breaking the harshness of the words.

"Oh, Woodsie, you break my heart." Jack easily made the distance between the boat and the dock. Mick grinned at the bantering, relieving the tension of the investigation and jumped up after Jack.

Emma shook her head, ignoring Jack, as he walked down the ramp towards the beach where Chopper and his cohorts were busy at the scene.

Police tape cordoned off a large area to ensure that any possible evidence wouldn't be lost. Only a couple of people stood watching them, ignoring requests to leave the area. They moved back a few feet before stopping, curiosity keeping their gazes firmly fixed on the body which now lay on the fine yellow sand.

"What is it about a dead body that attracts onlookers in much the same way that it attracts flies?" Alex asked rhetorically, dismayed by even the small group watching the investigation with morbid curiosity.

"There wouldn't be the chance that one of them might have actually witnessed anything, do you think?" Jack commented, off-handedly as they reached the edge of the police tape. "Mick, can you go find out?"

"Right-O, Jack." Mick strode purposefully up the hill towards the small group. Those in the group began to look away and avoid meeting his eyes as he approached.

"Chopper, can we come down and have a look?"

"As long as you don't come straight down. Follow the path to the left where we've come through so you don't destroy any evidence."

"What evidence is that?" Jack asked as they came up beside Chopper. He peered curiously over Chopper's shoulder for a closer look at the victim.

Chopper's greying hair fell forward over his rounded face as he removed the thermometer from the victim. "Either the way the attacker left or brought her down, or both. He's tried to cover up his tracks, but was sloppy. There's a couple of prints that they missed."

"Same MO as the Winter girl?"

"Could be." Chopper was non-committal until he had completed a thorough examination of the body. " The methodology is the same. Plastic bag, hands and legs bound so that if she struggled, she'd strangle herself. Same type of knots used to bind the rope."

"Assaulted?" Alex asked, as she looked around at the area. It was a beautiful setting, the lush green of the Botanical Gardens set against the soft tones of the inner cove. Against all this was the darkness of this investigation.

They had been hoping that the Winter case would not be repeated, that the killer would not strike another victim, that it would be a once off, that they would catch the perp before he had a chance to claim another victim. Their hopes had been dashed with the discovery of this crudely dumped body.

The victim looked to be in her early twenties. Her blue eyes bulged and were magnified through the plastic bag still covering her head. Chopper wouldn't remove it until he had her in the morgue to ensure that no possible evidence was lost. A single strand of hair from the killer would be a plus in their corner, when they finally caught the perp.

"Appears to have been. The contusions on the inner thighs would seem to indicate it. Like the Winter girl, he dumped her in water, so any evidence may be compromised.."

"How long's she been dead?"

"That's the difference between the two deaths. With the Winter girl, she'd been dead for approximately two weeks when we found her. This one's been dead no more than two hours even taking into account the time in the water."

"And you reckon she was dragged in from up there?"

"Possibly," Chopper answered non-committedly. "Until I can examine the body more closely I can't be sure how she was dumped. For all I know a boat could have dropped her off and someone pulled her up onto the shore."

"You'll keep us informed, Chop?"

"When don't I, Jack?" Chopper didn't look up from

Alex and Jack made their way back up the beach, following the tracks they had made on their way down.

"That means that he would have to have killed her relatively close to here" Alex looked up at where Mick was interviewing a young couple, taking note of the foot traffic in the distance. The media had caught a whiff of the scent of a story and were beginning to arrive like a stampede of cows. "Why would you use Farm Cove as a dumping ground? It's a very public area. Why would he risk it?"

"Maybe he's taunting us? Maybe for the challenge - killing her sadistically just wasn't setting his rocks on fire," Jack answered, unsure if he liked the reasons he was coming up with.

****************
CIRCULAR QUAY
****************

Mooring the Nemesis, Gavin jumped back down to assist Matt. "Is she breathing yet?"

"No." Matt concentrated on maintaining his cardiac compression rhythm. He was relieved when he heard the sounds of sirens heralding the arrival of the ambulance as it slowly made its way down the quay, careful not to hit any pedestrians that were too slow or too ignorant to get out of its way immediately.

They were grateful when the ambulance officers arrived at their side, rolling her on her side and slipping a backboard underneath her. While they both had first aid training - a requisite in the Water Police Department - and they had resuscitation equipment on board, it was always a relief to hand the victim over to the professionals.

The ambulance officers quickly assessed her and fired questions at them both about her condition, gaining any details which could be pertinent to her treatment. Matt and Gavin looked on as one of the officers expertly inserted an endotracheal tube and connected an ambu-bag. The other officer checked the woman's temperature and vital signs. He found a vein in her arm and inserted a needle, connecting a bag of D5W saline.

"Let's move her," The senior ambulance officer instructed.

"Wait a moment. We've got a young kid who went overboard as well. She's in here." Gavin commented, leading the way to the corner that Nicola had squeezed herself into. Speaking to her in calm and even tones, trying not to agitate her, he gently asked, "Hey, I've got some people who want to make sure you are okay. Why don't you come out and see them?"

She looked past him blankly, her eyes devoid of any emotion or connection with what was going on around her. Her body shook with the cold from the water, the blue marine flooring sodden with the water coming out of her clothes. The edges of her dark lips were tinged blue and her hands jerked uncontrollably with the chill.

Gavin inched his way closer to her. He found that she had maneuvered herself into a tight corner where she could see what was going on, but nobody could get to her without her possibly putting up a pretty vicious fight first. His arm and face were still aching from the first round of attack.

The younger of the two ambulance officers approached the girl without the added precaution Gavin was taking and paid the price. As soon as he got too close in her estimation, she lashed out at him with an animal like scream, kicking out with her sneakered feet and connecting sharply with his shins. The officer backed away from her, not willing to suffer a further attack.

"Hey, kiddo, we need to let these people have a look at you to make sure you are okay. C'mon, there's nothing to be frightened of. They won't hurt you." Gavin spoke to her softly, but his patience only saw her sink deeper into the corner as far away from him as she could get.

"We can't wait around while you get her out. When you do, get her seen by a doctor You've got a warming blanket in your equipment, I take it? See if you can get that around her to keep her warm. We've got to get this woman to a hospital immediately."

Gavin watched, as the two officers packed up their equipment and transferred the woman from the Nemesis to the gurney standing on the dock.

"Where are you taking her?" Matt called after them.

"Sydney Hospital," was the reply before they wheeled her away to the waiting ambulance.

"What are we going to do about 'Tiger' here?" Matt asked, referring to the small girl.

"I think Tiger is too mild a term for her. Hellcat is more appropriate. We'll go back to headquarters and leave her in Helen's capable hands. I'm sure she'll appreciate the challenge." Gavin gave Matt a wry grin. "Better keep an eye on her in case she decides to jump."

"Have you got a whip and a chair for me?" Matt laughed.

Moving to the helm station, Gavin started the Nemesis, heading back to Sydney Water Police Headquarters. "VKG Police Launch Nemesis to Sydney Water Police."

"Sydney Water Police." Donna answered the radio.

"Donna, we've fished that woman and child out of the water. The woman's on her way to hospital. Can you find out how good Helen's negotiating skills are?"

Helen looked up from the paperwork she was completing at the desk at the words, frowning as she tried to decipher their meaning. She didn't wait to find out, her long legs covering the distance between the desk and the radio in record time.

"What are you talking about, Sykes?"

"Ah, Helen, we've got a slight problem," Gavin berated himself under his breath that he'd made the last comment. It certainly wouldn't put him on Helen's A list that week. " The girl who went overboard won't budge from the Nemesis. We're on the way back to headquarters and thought you may be able to coax her off the boat."

"Can't you just pick her up and take her off?"

"It's not quite that easy. You'll see when we get there. ETA three minutes, over."

Helen handed back the radio and tried to get back to her paperwork, unsuccessfully. The unusual way Gavin had talked about the girl made her wonder what was going on. Giving up on concentrating, she walked out the front doors, into the sunshine, making her way down to the dock to meet the Nemesis when it arrived.

End Part 2/?