Jane's Breakdown

When they had all stopped their engines the leader spoke.

“Looks like she’s broken down” he glanced back “looks like she was phoning someone”.

His wife, sitting on the pillion behind him leaned forward showing her phone to him.

“I got no service here” she said “I’d be real surprised if she does.”

One of the other men, somewhat younger than the others and wearing newer clothes got his own phone out. “I got no service either” he said “and this area is high but surrounded by hills, classic low cover country”

“Ok” the leader nodded “let’s go speak to the little lady”

He set the stand and climbed off the bike.

“Come on Momma” he told his wife “seeing another woman may help set her mind at rest.”

As they got close to the car he told his wife to go in front, whilst he paused and peered under the hood, bending his large frame over the engine.

The woman bent, tapping on Jane’s window. The blonde woman inside the car still had her phone to her ear and seemed to be talking. She looked at the woman and gave a thin nervous smile fluttering her hands as if to indicate she was still in conversation.

Momma smiled at Jane keeping her face as relaxed and friendly as she could “We’ll wait till you finish your call honey” she said “me and the guys just want to make sure you’re alright.”

Seeing that there was a woman with the group had reassured Jane slightly. The woman’s skin was weather-beaten and her hair was grey and tangled but she was smiling in a kind way.

“Ok” Jane told the imaginary caller “that’s great I’ll see you shortly”. She said this loudly so that the woman outside the car could hear.

Putting the phone down she peered at the older woman through the window. She could just see the legs of the man who was still peering under the hood.

“Sorry” Jane called to the woman through the window “I can’t wind the windows down, I’ve lost all power”.

“That’s ok honey” the woman said “you stay there in the cool, let my husband have a quick look at the car”.

“It’s ok” Jane realised she was talking very loudly to be heard “I managed to speak to a garage a short way back, they should be here in ten minutes or so”.

“Ok” momma said “we just wanted to be sure you’re ok”. She walked round towards the hood and leaned in “says she called a garage and they’ll be here in ten minutes” she told the huge man, “that’s a clear lie though cause there aint no garage nearer than 45 minutes away. I don’t think her phone is working but she wants us to believe it is”

The man grunted “she said all electrics are out ?” he asked. Momma nodded and the man moved around to the other side of the car and began tracing the wires that ran from the main battery. Gripping the black negative power line where it connected to the battery he tugged and gave a short laugh as it moved readily. “Negative has become unearthed” he said “go tell her I can fix the problem”.

Momma moved back to the car smiling at Jane and giving her a thumbs up sign. “My husband thinks he can fix it” she told the woman in the driving seat. “He looks rough and ready but he sure knows engines”

Jane heard the man’s voice rumble from behind the hood, something indistinct.

“He says he’s gonna try something and the power should come back. Says to be ready that it may set the alarm off, but least you’ll have power” Momma told her.

In that instant the lights flashed, the alarm did indeed start shrieking and the internal instruments sprang back into life. Jane pressed the unlock button on the fob to quiet the alarm.

“Don’t try turning it on just yet honey” momma called through the window, “but you might try to open the window so as we can talk easier.”

Feeling slightly ashamed of how suspicious she had been, Jane pressed the button to wind down the window. “Ok” she said “that’s good”. There was a beep and the instrument lights all went out again as the Leader had taken the negative battery cable back off the car body where he had been holding it to create the negative earth circuit the car required.

He walked back around to the driver window, which was now fully open. He was pleased at that as it gave them an opportunity. At the same time, life would be a lot easier if they could persuade the little bitch to get out of the car.

He bent slightly and touched his brow towards Jane, smiling as  pleasantly as such an imposing man could. “It’s an electrical problem maam” he said. “There’s a lead up here should be bolted to the body frame and it’s come adrift. Problem is the bolt’s gone so keeping it in place is gonna require some creativity” he paused peering at her “how far you going mam ?” he asked.

“I’m headed for Canada, Montreal” Jane said, she was still feeling slightly nervous, but they seemed to be trying to help and the presence of the woman, who had so far been nothing but kind was reassuring.

“Ok” the man said. “I got an idea of a temporary fix but to tell the truth I wouldn’t trust it that far. Maybe you get to the next town and get a more permanent fix.”

He grinned at her. “Anyways let’s see if we can’t get you started. I just need to grab something from the bike”

As he turned and started to walk back to the other men Momma bent and started asking Jane questions about what she was planning to do in Montreal. The simplicity of the questions and the chatter further eased Jane’s anxiety.

Back at the bikes the leader spoke to the group of men. “She says she called for help and it would be here in ten minutes” he told them “that was fifteen minutes back and I see no sign. Bear, you drive back a mile or so and if you see anything coming you hightail it back here. Miguel you go further on up the road a mile and do the same.”

The two men nodded started their bikes and roared off in opposite directions.

The leader spoke to the younger more neatly dressed man. “Doc you gonna come back with me. Be ready, if the little bitch gets out the car that’s our chance, put her to sleep real quick”.

The younger neater man grinned, “you got it” he said. He felt around in one of his saddle bags and checking back to ensure that the raised car hood hid him from her view he took out a syringe and drew up a clear liquid into it. “This will lay her out for 2 hours at least” he said.

By the time the two men got back to Jane’s car Momma was leaning slightly into the car through the open window. She and Jane seemed much more at ease with each other.

The leader told Jane, “I sent a couple of boys off, guy who’s gone back gonna keep an eye open for the bolt you lost, other fella he’s gonna see if there’s anywhere ahead we might get what we need”

Jane smiled, and he thought it seemed genuine and less nervous. “I am so grateful for the help here” she said “really I can’t thank you enough”.

The leader felt a surge of excitement, a hunter sure that he would get his prey, but he simply shrugged and said “aint no big thing maam”. He paused then told Jane “I’m gonna try and connect the cable to a good spot using this here clamp” he held a sprung clamp in his hand similar to those Jane had seen on the jump cables that were in their garage.

“The car will beep and set off the alarm again, so you’ll need to shut that off, then when I say I want you to try and start the car. Ok you just stay there until I tell you”

Jane nodded as the two men disappeared from view behind the hood. Again the car hooted, instrument lights came on and the alarm triggered. Jane turned it off, daring to hope that there was a solution. The big man and his smaller companion were back by her window.

“Try it”

She pressed the brake pedal and pushed the start button and the engine sprung smoothly into life. The two men outside the car high fived.

“You see honey” momma told Jane “I told you he knows engines”

The leader bent by Jane’s window. “This should work but I have a small concern that the clamp could shake itself loose and you’ll have the same problem. I got a  spare clamp here I can give you, if you think you’d be able to maybe fix it yourself ?”

The way his voice trailed off, the obvious doubt she’d be able to do it stung Jane. “Maybe you could show me”, she popped the central locking system and stepped out of the car.

The big man looked at her, then seemed to pause looking both directions along the road. He smiled at her and nodded towards the engine “let me show you, its round the other side”. As she climbed out of the car he asked “What’s your name by the way?”

“Jane” she told him and she followed him round and the leant over the engine. He pointed at the clamp “see how this wire is clamped to the body work” he told her “if the clamp were to shake off you’d just need to grab this black wire that comes from the battery and clamp it back right where it is”

Jane craned forward following the line of the battery. She gasped at the sharp sting of the needle entering her thigh. She jerked back, standing upright and spinning to see the younger man standing there.

He was smiling at her.

He was holding a syringe.

As the world span around her Jane fell backwards and the leader caught her in his arms.