Chapter 8: What About Charlie?

The day after Charlie Ford's evening visit, Katie walked back to her car, chatting to one of the other ladies from the early morning bathing session.

"I can see you are a pretty confirmed naturist, my dear!"

"You what?" Katie was confused.

"That lovely over all sun tan, you silly! What tropical paradise have you been to, showing the locals your special talents!!"

Katie could not deceive this sweet old dear and explained herself.

"You don't know who I am, do you? Well you must have read about the Journalist covering the Economic Summit who was locked up for so many weeks. I am she!!"

"But!!! How did you get such a colour, locked up in a cell all that time?

Katie explained how she had been chained and exposed to the elements day and night for so long.

"But - I still don't get it, why not tell everyone what happened"

"Can't say. But somehow it just seemed so cheap and nasty and I thought I would be a laughing stock, chained up like that. I was being photographed all day and every day and the pictures will be all over the web, ready to pop up and destroy my career at any time"

"Never mind my dear you're with friends now and home and safe!"

And the two women - one young, barefoot and semi-naked and the other old and wrapped up against the cold, prepared to part.

"Can I give you a lift?" said Katie.

"Oh no, my sweet, I live on the other side of the Heath. I love my morning walks. What a shame you don't live around here. I'm sure you'd love it. It's like a village in so many ways, without all the gossip and backbiting you get in real villages. It's a perfect place to live. You should try to find somewhere around here."

As Katie drove back into Town, she thought about this lady's words. This was a heavenly district and she already longed to live here. BUT. EXPENSIVE!!

She had made tentative enquiries with local estate agents and the property prices were sky high around here!! If she sold her house she would only get a two bedroom apartment for that kind of money. But she would be within walking distance of this heavenly place. The thought of walking over in the early morning, the feel of the dew-laden grass on her naked feet was so utterly intoxicating that she had difficulty controlling her driving for some minutes. She made her mind up. She just had to live in this idyllic area and if a flat was all she could afford, so be it!

No stairs, no cellar!

She shrieked with laughter as she relived the ludicrous interlude of last night when that psychopath Charlie Ford had come round to see her.

He had threatened to assault her and she had seen red and kicked and punched the shit out of the pitiful old lard butt, after which she had marched him down to the cellar, in his shirtsleeves and shivering in the cold of her unheated house, frequently and energetically kicking his fat arse as she did so. She'd excelled at the Martial Arts at school and college. Pity Charlie didn't know that before he tried to use force on her. Well - he certainly knew now!

"Don't shut me up, love! Please, I beg you. I have a weak heart. Do you want to kill me?" he had pleaded as she propelled into the dark and chilly room.

"It could have killed ME, being chained up like a dog in all weathers That didn't seem to bother you evil old bastard".

She had kicked the old degenerate inside, pushed the door to and left him sobbing and begging for mercy. It had taken the pathetic old prick twenty minutes to discover that the door was unlocked.

Katie had watched quaking with helpless mirth as the old sod had crept up the stairs from the cellar and gently opened the front door hoping not to be detected and dragged downstairs again!.

"Forgotten something, you old bugger!" Katie had yelled and thrown his shoes, socks, coat etc at him and kicked him down her front steps, hoping as she did so that no one was passing.