Sharp Focus by Duncan Robb

Author:Duncan Robb [Robb, Duncan]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2022-11-10T16:00:00+00:00

Susie forced herself to remain calm, ignore the pain, breathe slowly, and think.

A thick wire or rope, she couldn’t tell what it was, held her in place, and coiled around her waist and the back of the chair. A cable tie bound her wrists behind her back and the duct tape over her mouth effectively silenced her.

Her feet were free, her toes could touch the legs of the chair to turn her, but the floor was a tantalising inch or two out of reach. Her fingers were free, but she could do little more than wiggle them.

She tried to force her lips apart and open her mouth. The tape stuck fast and pulled on her cheeks. She twisted her jaw from side to side, but it had little effect. She looked around for a sharp edge, something she could scrape the tape against and work it loose. She pushed and pulled with her toes, she swivelled the chair through 360 degrees and studied the office in more detail. There had to be something.

The effort of turning intensified the pain. The cable tie dug deeper into her wrists and her shoulders screamed at her to stop. She winced and took a couple of deep breaths through her nose, then started a second revolution, more determined this time. It occurred to her that finding something was only half the problem, the difficulty would be getting to it.

She had turned halfway around when her eyes caught the reflection of one of the red LEDs. She stopped and peered into the gloom. At first she couldn’t make out what had reflected the light, but the more she stared, the shape began to reveal itself. The second drawer down of a four-drawer filing cabinet had not been closed fully, or something had jammed, which prevented a flush finish. The top corner of the drawer front had bent slightly out of shape. She could make out the rough metal corner. It had possibilities.

She threw her weight forward in the chair; the casters turned and clunked, and she moved forward an inch. She thrust forward again, this time she kicked her legs at the same time. The rear casters lifted and tapped back down with a dull thump. The added impetus propelled her three inches closer to her goal. She kept going, a few inches at a time. She developed a rhythm; kick roll tap, kick roll tap, and after a minute, she had covered over three feet. The effort raised her pulse, and unable to breathe through her mouth, she stopped to recover. Whatever held her to the chair bit into her waist with each jerk. She fought against the pain and pushed on; only two more feet to go.

She had moved another foot when the office door suddenly opened. Light flooded in.

Susie froze.

The silhouetted figure of a bulky man dressed in black combat clothing filled the doorway.

Susie feigned unconsciousness, slumped in her chair, and her head flopped forward.

The man said nothing. He gazed at Susie, cocked his head to one side and scratched the side of his nose.

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