As Yvonne jumped up and ran up the steps, Nikki called out, ‘And tell them to bring oxygen and all the equipment they can carry. The poor kid’s in a bad way.’ She swung back to the still form huddled on the cold floor. ‘Niall, over here with that thermal blanket. The dog’s done its best, but she needs more right now.’ She ripped off her jacket, recalling recently doing the same for Joseph, and laid it over her. ‘Yours too, Niall, and you, Cat. We need to get her core temperature up.’ As she tucked the last jacket around Kerry’s narrow shoulders, she felt the spaniel gently lick her hand.

‘You’re a good boy, Swampy.’ She ruffled the fur under his chin. ‘And if I had half your intelligence, I’d have been here a day ago, after I saw you running across the marsh.’

‘Any change, ma’am?’ asked Cat.

‘No damn it! We just need those paramedics.’

‘Should we try to get her out of this damp hole, do you think?’

Nikki chewed on the inside of her cheek. ‘I’d love to, but no, I don’t think we should move her. We don’t know what injuries she may have. Better we leave her to the medics.’

‘Pity we can’t scramble the helicopter.’ said Niall with a boyish glint in his eye.

‘Nice one, Numpty!’ said Cat, with a hopeless expression on her face. ‘We’re in the middle of a marsh, with nowhere to land, and the rotor blades would bring what’s left of this dump down on us like a pack of cards.’

‘Ah, good point.’

‘Shut up, you two, and do some police work while we wait.’ Nikki glanced around. ‘Did the scumbag who brought her here leave her food or water?’

‘There are some plastic water bottles, ma’am.’ said Cat. ‘And a few empty sandwich boxes. Anything your side, Niall?’

‘A syringe and a needle. Maybe he drugged her, the wicked sod.’

‘Bag them.’ Nikki checked her wrists and ankles. ‘At least she wasn’t tied up. Just imprisoned.’

‘So how did fur-face get in?’ Cat looked around.

‘Here.’ Niall pointed to a small channel where some sort of pipework had once led out to the stream. ‘Certainly not big enough for even a little kid to get through, and it’s concrete, so she couldn’t have enlarged the hole in any way.’

‘How much longer?’ wondered Nikki. ‘If we don’t get help soon, we’ll only be needing a body bag to take her out in.’

‘They’ll be here, ma’am.’ said Cat calmly. ‘And soon. There’s no one better behind a wheel than our Vonnie.’

And a few minutes later, they heard the sirens scream across the bleak and brooding marsh.

‘Thank God.’ Nikki felt the anguish begin to melt away. ‘And she’s still with us, so she has a chance.’