Joshua's Grace

Chapter 17 (3)

The traffic was slow. It inched toward the set of traffic lights two hundred metres ahead. Joshua drummed his fingers in agitation. They moved barely ten metres in two minutes. That was the trouble with having one main route into the city. State Highway one caused a bottle neck as it reached the city outskirts. They needed a ring road, at least a by pass or at the very least another main route into the city.

"Joshua." He barked into the mobile. "Sorry Sheena." He apologised as soon as he recognised the voice. "Sitting in this jam is driving me nuts. How can you guys call this a city with only one route in from Auckland?"

Momentarily sidetracked Sheena felt compelled to defend her home town, "There are other routes in, if you know the back roads."

Joshua snorted at that. "Yeah, whatever." He took a calming breath, "What have you found out?"

Sheena knew there was no easy way to tell him. "She's in her car. In the boot."

"What?" His bellow of rage was enough to have Sheena moving the ear piece several inches away from her ear. "Sheena? Sheena, are you there?"

She closed her eyes, took a moment to brace herself and then said "Yes."

"Tell me."

"They forced her into the boot, and one drove off in her car." She couldn't tell him they had hit Grace, thrown her to the ground, dragged her out.

Joshua was lucky that his car was stationary. He was unable to comprehend what was being said. "They?"

"Two men." Sheena told him quietly. "Security have contacted the police."

"I'll kill the bastard. If he touches one hair on her head I'll kill him."

"Security said it wasn't the same man." Sheen knew instinctively who Joshua was referring to. "They've been given photographs, and it wasn't him."

"Probably part of the gang. Whoever helped him break out." Joshua felt helpless. "I'll kill him."

"The police have put out a description of Grace and the car. Can you get to the station?"

"The bloody traffic isn't moving. I'm stuck in this moronic queue. I don't think I'm going anywhere, at least not for the next five or ten minutes." He glanced up at the traffic ahead with barely suppressed fury and frustration, and then he noticed her car coming toward him. It was hers. He was sure. He wasn't imagining things. He wasn't. That was her car. It went by.

The traffic in the opposite direction was moving, but not that fast. He glanced in his rear view mirror. Yes, it was her car. "Sheena." He yelled. "Her car just went past me." He kept his eyes on the rear view mirror, "Victoria and Raumati Road intersection." He unclipped his seat belt, "Get the police."

Sheena heard the seat belt. She knew he was leaving, "Joshua."

But Joshua had tossed the mobile onto the seat and swung his legs out of the Jag. He checked the line of cars.

Her car was twenty metres away. It was her car. Wild elation overtook panic, subsumed rationality, and chased away reality. The car behind Joshua hooted. Joshua ignored the man gesturing wildly.

He raced toward her car. The traffic surged. He got within a few feet of the car. Close enough to see two men sitting in the front and one in the back. No sign of Grace. The congestion ahead eased and the car pulled away. Joshua wondered whether to chase after it. Several cars had started hooting. Her car disappeared.

Joshua raced back to his car. The man behind had rolled down his window and was yelling obscenities at Joshua, loudly and clearly.

Joshua took no notice. He jumped into the Jag, didn't bother to clip his seatbelt, instead he checked the lights for oncoming traffic, seeing none, he spun the car around and took off in the opposite direction. He could hear voices on his mobile.

With one hand he reached for the hands free connections, as he used the other hand to steer the car through the traffic.

"Sheena?"
"Are you alright?"

"They're heading toward Auckland. There are three men in the car. I think one is him. But I didn't see Grace."

"Oh God." Sheena moaned. The phone was taken from her. 372

"Joshua, Ben here."

"I'm tailing them. But I may have lost them, unless they are still in this traffic. Where the hell are the police?"

"On the way."

"Tell them to alert Huntly and Thames, in case the car heads in either direction."

"Ok."

"Ask Sheena if they can turn off the dual carriage way at any point before the Thames-Huntly turnoff?." He heard Ben talking to Sheena.

"No."

"Well I haven't passed them yet. So they are heading out of Hamilton."

Ben relayed the information. Joshua could hear more voices in the background. "The police are here." The phone was passed on.

"Mr D'Souza? Sergeant Peters, we met at the station a few months back."

"I remember." Joshua kept a watchful eye on the traffic. "Pull over."
"What?"
"We are in the air. We will spot them."

"I can't just stop." Joshua heard the sirens approach. Two Police cars veered past him. The traffic stopped moving to allow the cars to pass. Joshua pulled in behind the Police cars. "I'm following the Police."

"I don't think that is a good idea." He was told. "You aren't trained for pursuit. Leave it to us. You could cause an accident. I'll tell you as soon as they pull the car over." He kept his voice calm, knowing that he had to get Joshua to stop.

"I can't."

"If we have to get one of our guys to stop to pull you over, that is one less car engaged in tracking those thugs. Pull over."

"I can't stop, but I won't tail gate them." "Don't chase them." He was advised.

"I won't." He took a deep breath, and changed down a gear, slotting into the traffic flow, "Call me." He flicked the mobile off.