Chapter 14

Bea rang Christopher that evening. "Thanks, Chris, for being so patient and understanding. I'm sorry if I upset you."

"You didn't, Bea. It was brave, very brave, of you but I'm sorry you felt you had to go to those lengths even though those few minutes of holding a very attractive young lady before I pulled myself together were very enjoyable."

"I enjoyed it too before I fell asleep, man mountain."

Christopher chuckled. "Thanks, Bea, but I think we both know where we stand when Jenny gets home."

"Yes, Chris. The ball's now in my court though and I've just got to be firm and loving."

"Yes, Bea, and good luck. Have you heard how she did today?"

"She won the hundred metres and lost the two hundred by point two of a second."

"Whee! That was close. What bad luck!"

"Timing, that's all. Anyway she's got the four hundred tomorrow and that's one of her strong ones."

"Bea, thank you for ringing. Don't feel any guilt and I hope to see or hear from you in the not too distant future."

"Thanks, Chris. 'Bye."

He heard nothing more from Jenny or Bea the following week. Ellie rang to find out how things had gone and was pleased with the outcome. That she did not apologise for instigating the meeting with Jenny caused him some amusement. He was almost sure that it had been a Sally-Ellie plot but he was not going to pursue it. It was clear that she and Roger were becoming even closer which pleased him.

Almost a fortnight later on Friday evening his phone rang.

"Christopher?"

He recognised the voice immediately. "Tina! How super to hear you! How are you?"

"Fine thanks but, Christopher, I've got a bit of a problem."

"Go on."

"Well, shortly after I got home this evening my landlord dropped in."

"Yes?"

"He told me that my rent is going to go up by fifty percent from next Monday."

"What? Isn't there something in your contract that gives the minimum of a month's notice or some such?"

"No."

"Oh, Tina!" There was some reproof in his voice.

"I know. I should have spotted it but I was in such a stew when I moved in that I didn't read it properly."

"Ah!" thought Christopher. "That's the first admission that her move from Tania and Merle's flat had not been fully thought out."

"So?" he asked.

"I can't begin to afford it so I told him and asked him to defer it for a fortnight while I found somewhere else to live."

"He refused a-and then s-said that I w-was a p-pretty girl and ought to be able t-to m-make up th-the d-difference easily."

"What?" Christopher shouted. He was utterly appalled.

"Th-that wasn't the end of it. He squeezed my breast and said he'd be back tomorrow when I'd given it some thought. Christopher, I'm frightened."

"I bet you are. You need to get out of there fast. I'll pick you up in half an hour."

"Bless you, Christopher, but no. I've got to ring some friends and find somewhere to live and some packing and things to do but if you could come over at eight tomorrow morning..."

"No! The sooner you're out of there the better. You can stay with me until you've found somewhere else to live. What if tomorrow means a minute after midnight? He's got a key, hasn't he?"

"Yes but I can slip the latch on the Yale and there's also another lock which I can leave the key in half turned so that he can't get another key in."

"I still don't like it, Tina."

"Please, Christopher. Anyway, I haven't even got a sofa for you to sleep on."

"We're not going to do any sleeping, Tina. We're just going to get you out of there pronto."

"Please, Christopher. I'm sure I'll be all right."

The argument went on for a few more minutes when Christopher realised he was not going to win. He decided instead that he was going to go over now and stand guard.

"All right, Tina. Eight tomorrow morning."

"Thanks, Christopher."

He threw together an omelette, made a thermos flask of coffee and grabbed the duvet off the spare bed. He was out of the house in less than twenty minutes and parked outside Tina's flat twenty minutes later. All was quiet. The curtains were drawn over the ground floor front window but the light was on in the room behind it. Christopher settled down to his vigil. As he had expected it became quite chilly in the middle of the night and he wrapped himself in the duvet. That was a mistake: he fell asleep, a deep sleep.

He did not notice the two men who approached the front door around half past five. The smaller of the two tried his key in the Yale lock without success. He took a flick knife from his pocket and moved to the sash window. He inserted the knife and carefully undid the latch. The two men together raised the window and climbed silently through. They quietly closed the window again.

Christopher did hear the ear-splitting scream from Tina, was awake and out of the car in a flash. He dialled 999.

"Police!

"Illegal entry to 21A Barrymore Road, Bow. Assault also. I heard the girl who lives there scream."

"OK, sir. Car on its way."

Christopher waited not a moment longer. He took a run at it and crashed into the front door which flew open. In a flash he took in the scene. There was a bed in the far right hand corner with its foot towards him. One man was holding Tina's wrists, one of her arms effectively gagging her, and using his chest was pinioning her to her bed. A second man, with his trousers round his knees, was holding her knees up and apart while trying to penetrate her, not easy as her hips were twisting and turning.