Chapter 27

Veronica got to the end of the street where the old lady lived and resumed the interrupted journey to her home. She kept a careful watch for the odd late night reveller and, more importantly, for any nocturnal policemen/women, whether on foot or motorised. She reached Hampstead High Street without mishap, save for the fact that she was already getting to feel as cold as ever.

Crossing this wide thoroughfare was the worst moment since leaving the comparative security of the Heath. Any insomniac looking out of his or her window at that instant would have had a wonderful view of her as the bright street lights shone down on her, revealing every single feature of her noble and curvaceous body, gleaming white, as she sped across the road and headed for her block of apartments. She was a fit and athletic young lady, as I have already said several times, and her neighbours would never have seen her physically toned perfection to better advantage as she ran gracefully up the slope to her home. Happily, insomnia was not a problem with anybody tonight.

But, sadly for our by now exhausted heroine, a group of returning revellers did happen to pass by at this time. The sound of their maudlin delight rent the air.

"Nice one darling! Lovely f*cking arsehole! Now turn round and let's have a look at the front. Come on sweetheart".

She ignored this cacophonous and very unwelcome compliment and hurried towards the door. It seemed that the young men were debating among themselves whether to come and inspect her at close quarters and a consensus seemed to be quickly emerging to the effect that this would be an excellent idea. She heard the sound of their hilarity getting closer and panicked.

The street door to the apartment block was opened by punching the correct combination into a keypad and then pushing the door open. But her fingers were numb and she was shivering, partly from the cold and partly out of fear of what these awful hooligans might do to her. At the best, the noise might cause the police to be summoned - and she didn't care to think too long or too hard about the worst possible outcome!

For a few horrible moments, she was afraid that she had forgotten the combination altogether, that the horrors of the day had driven it forever and irretrievably out of her mind. Then it came to her again and she tried keying it in for the seventh time, as the sound of footsteps and ribaldry came ever nearer. It was only after several more increasing despairing attempts that she got the door open and scrambled inside, pushing it shut just as the first of the yobs ran up to it. Saved in the nick of time!

Veronica was so distressed by this time that it was several minutes before she could think about going upstairs to her own apartment. In order not to make any noise she elected to use the staircase rather than the lift and skipped lightly up the steps, feeling the deep piled bottle-green carpet under her poor sore and tired feet - those feet which had borne the brunt of today's adventures and carried her all the way from the Elephant and Castle to Dalston and then across North London and Hampstead Heath to bring her finally to her own dearly beloved home.

Her door was the third one along the corridor and she prepared to sink down outside it and sleep like a log until discovered in the morning. Then she saw something that brought her heart right up into her mouth and almost made her faint away on the spot!