Chapter 15

The very second that Veronica touched the bell, the door opened and she immediately dashed through. The lady who had opened the door to her with such providential promptness immediately slammed it shut crisply telling her to run upstairs to the first landing. Something about this woman impressed Veronica. She had an air of efficiency, as of one who had been used all her life to having all situations effortlessly under control. Veronica did as she was told. As soon as she reached the landing, the wall seemed to move and a section of it swung round to reveal an opening into the next house.

"Go through - and hurry!" mouthed the woman silently - virtually obliging Veronica to lip read. By this time the front door was being well and truly hammered by the two police women. The terrified girl obeyed and the wall closed up behind her. She found herself half way up the staircase of the next house and could see, through the front door, the flashing light of the police squad car in the street outside. There was no sound of knocking on the next door any longer and she guessed the woman must have let the two officers in. The door of the front room opened and out came Mr Andrew Vane-Clatworthy, looking as frail as ever, but smiling broadly. Today had obviously been a very good day for him! Veronica knew that she ought to be able, empathetically, to share his happiness, but was unable to for some reason!

"Come down, my dear Veronica. What a very dramatic escape that was - the stuff of high drama, indeed! Come on in to the front room and take a seat."

Veronica did as she was told, hoping that the mysterious woman next door would not be forced to reveal her whereabouts. She would put nothing past that crazed and vicious pair and felt herself to be anything but out of the wood, just yet.

The still shaky Veronica sat herself on the sofa and the old man settled himself into a comfortable armchair, smiling at her perspiring and travel stained body, with its grazed and weeping knee.

Five minutes later, the woman and a couple of men came in.

"I think I put them onto a false scent, Sir! I told them she'd run straight through the house and over the wall of that disused warehouse at the rear. They looked as if they might turn rather nasty until Pete and Dud here came into the hall to back me up!

"Those bitches were going to take me up to Hampstead Heath and rape me!" gasped Veronica, still trembling in every limb at the horrible things which that awful woman had been whispering into her ear.

The old man looked at the woman.

"Did you get their numbers, Miss Prosser?"

"Yes, Sir."

"Good." replied the aged man. He turned to Veronica and smiled reassuringly.

" Don't worry, my dear. I have a lot of influence in all sorts of places. And, in any case, their nasty words to you were monitored by one of my many associates. We've kept track of you for much of the day, partly for your own safety, but mainly to make sure you obeyed all the instructions. I love all these surveillance devices they have on the market nowadays - so useful and SUCH fun to play with! I don't think you'll need to worry about those two again after tonight! The pair of them will assuredly be, to use a vulgar colloquialism, busted, when their superiors learn about their behaviour and I very much doubt that any charges will be preferred against you."

The other three left Veronica alone with Mr Andrew V-Clatworthy for a short time. He told Veronica to stay seated until she was fully recovered. Miss Prosser came in a little later with a tray on which lay a cup of coffee, laced with brandy, and also a bowl of warm water and some first aid materials.

"Get that inside you, my dear." she said in a kindly voice to Veronica, handing her the cup. "You'll soon feel better! And I think that graze needs a little cleaning up. What a shame - you've such pretty knees - along with the rest of you!"