Twenty-Nine

Panicking in the dark storeroom, Pip realizes the screw she worked loose is gone. Testing the tilted shelf, she finds a small gap where the bracket has loosened and threads her taped wrists beneath the shelf, leaving her attached only to the front pole. Unable to lift the unit, she plans to push it with her legs.

Bracing her heels in a floor gutter, Pip forces the shelving unit to tip backward into the wall. Vats slide and spill, but the front legs rise, letting her slide the tape off the pole. She rips away the duct tape mask, freeing her eyes, mouth, and ears despite tearing hair and skin, then removes the tape from her ankles.

Both doors are locked, but a small high window offers escape. From a toolbox marked for the Blue team, she retrieves a hammer, smashes out the reinforced glass, and climbs through, dropping to the gravel outside. She moves toward the woods, planning to find help, when Jason Bell’s car returns.

Hiding among the trees, Pip reconsiders calling DI Hawkins, recalling his past disbelief and fearing the police will dismiss her again. Determined to break the cycle, she decides to act herself. She retrieves the hammer and silently approaches as Jason unlocks the storeroom and discovers the wreckage.

As Jason steps inside, Pip strikes him at the base of the skull with the hammer. Ignoring his pleas, she hits him repeatedly until he is motionless and dead on the concrete, a pool of blood spreading beneath him.