People Trafficker by Keith Hoare Page A

felt faint, as the knife sank in deeper, but fought it for all she was worth. He pulled her head up and she started begging him to stop, she didn’t want to die, and she’d find his sister’s address for him if he’d just let her be.
    Suddenly Janssen pulled out the knife, stood back, looking down at her. Blood was pouring from the wound to her buttock; the woman was close to passing out. “Get the address,” he demanded.
    She tried to stand, but the pain was too much, so she crawled, leaving a trail of blood following her. Pulling a drawer open on the sideboard, but unable to stop it at her level, the drawer fell off its runners, missing hitting her head by inches, spilling the contents over the floor. Lucy rifled through the contents, found no address book and pulled open the other drawer Again it came crashing down off the runners. However, she saw what she wanted and grabbed the address book, flipping through the pages until she found the address.
    “This is where she lives,” Lucy said offering him the open book.
    “I suppose that’s where he’s heading, and why you claimed you didn’t have the address, is it?”
    She nodded. “I’m sorry I deceived you, he’s my husband and I still love him. He’s leaving the country and going there first to pick some money up. I just wanted him to have the chance of escape that’s all.”
    “It wasn’t worth it was it? Now what should I do with you?”
    Her mouth dropped, he was stood over her playing with his knife. “Please, I beg you don’t kill me, don’t leave my children without a mother and father.”
    He grinned. “But if you live you’ll tell the police where I’m going.”
    She shook her head. “I won’t, I won’t say a word. I’ll just tell them someone came looking for him and I couldn’t tell the person as I didn’t know where he was.”
    Her breathing was coming fast and short, close to falling completely apart. “My children come first, Grant’s made his bed. Please, Sir, don’t let them be left alone, they’re only five and six.” Then the emotion and fear of perhaps never seeing her children again was too much, Lucy broke down and began sobbing uncontrollably.
    The next moment Janssen was down at her side. The knife inches from her face. She stopped crying, her eyes as big as saucers, staring up at him.
    “I’ll let you live, for your children’s sake. Say one word to the police, telephone his sister or anyone else and I’ll find out. But it won’t be you I’ll come back for, it’ll be your kids. Then after stringing them up naked I’ll gut them in front of you so you can watch them die slowly. Believe me lady you’ll remember their screams of terror, with their guts hanging out, the life blood running from their tiny bodies for the rest of your life. Do you understand?”
    “Yes I understand...” she stuttered. “I’ll say nothing; I’ll not risk my children’s lives for anything or anyone.”
    He stood and took one last look at her lying there then turned and left the house. Lucy closed her eyes thanking God. Her body was shaking, both with cold and fear. Dragging herself along the floor once again she pulled the telephone off the side table and began to dial the emergency services, but she didn’t complete it as moments later she blacked out. However, her friend came, as arranged, to go to the gym, found the door wide open and came in calling her name.
    When Lucy woke she was in hospital. She lay there for a moment trying to remember what had happened and why she was here. Alongside her a machine was bleeping constantly, a bag with some red stuff inside hanging at her other side. Then she remembered, all at once everything came back. Grant, the stranger, her children... Her children, what had happened to them, where were they? Were they safe? She began screaming and shouting, a nurse followed by a doctor then a policewoman ran in.
    “My children, where are my children?” she kept shouting.
    The policewoman moved