Without a trace part 13....

Battle lines

Across the city from where the now complete investigation team was sitting drawing up their battle plan, Doctor Eva Delving sat watching the tapes from the close circuit television. She had seen her two minions take that recalcitrant boy dressing him as though he was a newborn and put him in the back of the centres and Mark White Van. She smiled as they had followed her instructions to the letter and now possibly with the hypnotic suggestions that she had implanted in their latest victim's mind reading the police a stray.

There was a way to looking at the door of her office and she waited a suitably imposing amount of time before allowing whoever was there to enter. In walked a rather imposing tall woman dressed in surgical scrubs, this woman bowed to Doctor Eva and waited for permission to sit. The doctor motioned with a vague wave of her hand on the woman sat facing her. The doctor continued her examination of the CCTV footage using the time to make visitors feel uncomfortable.

Sarah Jackson the woman in the surgical scrubs regretted the day that she met Eva delving. The woman had taken over her life and perverted her desire to assist those who through illness or other factors were not able to lead the life they wanted to. Eva delving held the fact that the Hall had paid for Sarah's medical training, even to the point of funding her surgical training also. After she had qualified Sarah had been forced to join the girls is Eva put it, there had been a steady progression of boys that had fallen victim to what Eva was doing.

Even watched her tame surgeon closely, she knew that the woman was having difficulty with what they were doing. In fact Sarah had refused to perform the last set of operations on one of their latest victims and been placed in solitary confinement. Eva thought after two weeks of being solitary confinement that Sarah spirit would be broken. And in fact to all outward appearances, this was the truth. Sarah had become compliant and submissive and even a raised voice was enough to make a once proud surgeon cower. Eva closed the files in front of her and looked up, her eyes and face were dispassionate and her smile was almost feral. Sarah thinking on saw her smile and knew her time was short, this group of people would not allow any witnesses, any credible witnesses to survive.

Eva sat looking at her tame surgeon, tapping the file that sat in front of her she considered her options. She could terminate terminate the doctor, regress her, have her tongue removed, hypnotise him into being a willing sex slave or try and convert her to the cause. She looked closely at Sarah and could see the final two options were not truly available, she was thinking along the lines of regressing her and throwing her onto the streets. Sarah could almost hear the wheels turning as this twisted woman was considering her options, there was the problem that she knew just too much and also knew the names of the primary behind this depraved practice. Before Eva could react, Sarah knew that she should act and without a word bolted the door. Eva looked up on hearing the bolt slide home, a look of surprise on her face.

Eva could not believe her tame little rabbit Sarah was going to stand up to her, she licked her lips in anticipation whatever she decided to do was going to be made more fun by this current action. There was just a few things missing from Eva's files on Sarah and that was done deliberately by Sarah herself. Without a second thought the doctor pulled a very small syringe and leaning across Eva inserted a very fine needle into the artery that point of the neck. Sarah was not out to kill Eva, she just needed her unconscious to give Sarah the time to escape. She counted the seconds and the woman that was the bane of her life slipped into unconsciousness. Sarah wasted no time she unlocked the door, and made her way towards the main entry level.

No one challenged her as she walked through the corridors and out towards freedom, she didn't even bother to collect her car. She continued walking towards the centre of the city all the time she was fully expecting pursuit or assault. Half an hour passed with her walking and was still no sign of anyone seeking her. She stopped in front of the Gen Hospital on looked at its modern facade and seated himself on the bench facing the building.

Back at headquarters in the task force offices things were beginning to quiet down slightly and Mrs Richards decided it was time that she headed back to the hospital to check on some of her patients. She drove through the city and parking in her usual spot looked up, settlement with interesting front of the main entrance was a woman dressed in surgical scrubs. Her appearance was dishevelled as if she'd been crying, being the good psychologist Mrs Richards decided that she must see what was causing this young doctor such distress. With a motherly instinct hunger by years of looking after both a teenage daughter and a newly acquired daughter she knew something was seriously wrong.

Sarah looked up at hearing someone clearing their throat straight into the eyes of woman in a relaxed business suit. The face that looked down at her was gentle and open but also had a professional detachment, Sarah found herself warming to this woman even before words were spoken. Mrs Richards sat herself down next to the young surgeon and without asking permission break a gentle arm across her shoulders and pulled her into an embrace. Tears of frustration for Sarah came bubbling up to the surface and without a word of warning tears coursed down her face.

"What the devil is wrong with my dear?" Mrs Richards asked gently.
"Ma'am I don't know who you are or how you found me, but I'm sure to tell you the crimes they have committed you will come to hate me" Sarah replied her voice breaking.
"My dear I have hated only a few people in this world, and most of the time they have been for reasons that someone as young as you should or even could never wanted to understand"

With that sentence the floodgates opened, and Sarah without a thought to her dignity and even to her situation break down the sobs wracking her small frame. Mrs Richards waited the words tumbled out of this young woman in incoherent stream, there was one phrase that made her sit up and take notice. This young doctor who really could have overly cleared surgical and medical training less than three years ago was talking the Hall. Mrs Richards didn't want to take her to headquarters, she believed that this woman had some healing of have her own before she was subjected to a barrage questioning that was favoured by her eldest daughter.

Gently Mrs Richards led Sarah into the hospital proper, and quickly talking to the admissions desk found the vacant interns room and saw that she was settled properly. Standing outside of the room Mrs Richards opened up her cell and pulled Jan and Kylie’s numbers up and called them. She told the two of them to make sure that Joanie remained at headquarters and this was between the three of them. After receiving Sarah's promise that she would go nowhere Mrs Richards carried on to her ward and checked on her patients.

Kylie was a little concerned that her mother was keeping secrets from Joanie, and sitting in the passenger seat in the Crown Victoria Jan drove she could see that Jan was also concerned. The two of them said nothing in the drive across the city by concentrating on their own thoughts. They reached the hospital was greeted at the door by Mrs Richards and were led to Sarah’s room. She still did not explain why Joanie was to be kept out of the picture on this particular point in time but Kylie trusted her mother and so did Jan.

Sarah looked up at the door to her room open then in walked Mrs Richards followed by a young schoolgirl and someone who is obviously a police officer. Without waiting Sarah stood up and held by her wrists forward waiting for hand cuffs to be applied. Jan was little put out by this, and she shook her head and waited. Kylie seated herself on the bed placing her ever present teddy bear next to her and opening up her school bag and pulled out a police issue notebook. Jan laughed at the expression on Sarah's face, Kylie also did Saddam pointed to the police badge on her teddy bear's neck.
"Sarah, this is my daughter Kylie and my eldest daughter's partner Jan."
"Ma'am I understand you calling in the police and I will take whatever punishment the courts issue to me." Sarah replied
"Sarah I don't know what you've done, I guess we're here to find out. So we do need you to make a statement." Jan let the questioning gently.

Little could Jan and Kylie realise just what information this abused surgeon held about their target. Sarah started to talk and she went over every small detail that she could remember, about Eva, about clients, about the victim's and about the procedures that she had been forced to perform. Time in that room seemed to pass slowly but Kylie Field sheet upon sheet of her notebook with information, dates, times, money transfers and dates when clients had visited the facility. The two of them visibly blanched at some of the descriptions of what had been done to victims of the Hall. They both decided silently without consulting each other and with their final breaths they would see an end to this perversion.

Kylie looked up at the clock in the room, I was shocked to see that five hours passed and also that she had filled up over half her notebook with information. She snaps the book closed bringing an end to the session of questioning and stood and stretched. Without waiting for an invitation she walked up and hugged Sarah to her closely. She said no words, knowing no words that she had would be used this poor soul's torment. Jan had a hard steel look in her eyes, she pulled out her cell and dialled Joanie's number. She then went on to explain to her partner just what had occurred and how much information they now had. Mrs Richards looking at that time and looking at her daughter, could see that Kylie was emotionally exhausted and she told Jan to tell Joanie that she was taking Kylie home. Now was the time for rest, the time for planning was tomorrow.
To be continued in part 14