Chance-met Stranger

by Oliver, Marina

Janie shook her head. 'No, you've done enough. I'll be fine, don't worry. But I would like to know if Terry's been arrested.'

  'I'll ask the police, and I imagine they'll want to interview you and Liz today. They rang to say it couldn't be this morning after all, but as soon as possible. Shall I send them to the hospital or ask them to come here tomorrow morning?'

  'The hospital, please. The sooner they get after him the better.'

  Besides, she didn't want to inconvenience him more than they already had. He was back in her life for the moment, but once this was over he'd soon be going to Spain, and she'd probably never see him again. The more distance she kept between them the easier it would be to forget him when he finally left her.

  ***

  Chapter 8

  Janie made it just in time to work. She had given in to Manuel's insistence that she take the cash and buy some shoes. She could not wear her staid hospital shoes everywhere, but she limited herself to one pair of black low courts which would serve in almost any situation she might find herself in for the next week or so, until her credit cards had been renewed, and insurance sorted out.

  A young policeman came to take her statement later that afternoon, but as he was from the local station he had no news to give her about Terry and his likely arrest. They had some emergency admissions towards the end of her shift, so she was late getting away, and it was well after midnight before she reached Manuel's house.

  The lights inside were blazing, the curtains of the living room open, and Janie saw Manuel standing looking out of them. Before she switched off her engine he was opening her car door.

  'You're much later than I expected,' he said, and she thought he sounded angry.

  'I'm sorry, but we had an emergency. You shouldn't have stayed up.'

  'You need a meal. Come on.'

  Janie needed her bed, but it seemed churlish to say so when he led her into the kitchen and the delicious smells of hot, spicy food assaulted her senses. She realised she was ravenous. They'd been so busy she hadn't had time for more than a quick snack all day.

  'Sit down,' he said, pushing her gently into a chair and pouring a glass of red wine.

  She watched, revived a little by the wine, as he took a casserole from the oven and ladled beef and carrots and dumplings onto two plates. He put one in front of her and sat down opposite.

  'Eat.'

  It tasted like no beef stew she'd ever had. He'd used cumin and coriander, he said, and laughed when she told him how unexpected she found the fact that he could cook more than steak.

  'I don't like staying in hotels when I'm working abroad, and I don't want to eat out every night. Nor can I exist on baked beans and Chinese takeaways. So I had to learn to cook.'

  'How is Liz?'

  He chuckled. 'She had a wonderful time choosing new clothes, but you can see what she chose for you in the morning. When I left her she and Aunt Teresa were getting on like the proverbial house on fire – though perhaps that isn't the best simile to use!'

  Janie shuddered. 'Liz was terrified of your aunt before. What changed?'

  'Liz saw a book about the Knights of Malta on the coffee table. Aunt Teresa's going there later in the year. Liz began to say that the Knights had not been the saints people usually think, Aunt Teresa disagreed – she's a romantic at heart – and I left them hotly debating the history and morality of the Crusades.'

  Janie laughed. 'She's spent far more time in Malta than I have, and my father's a bit of a fanatic about the island's history.' Suddenly she yawned. 'Sorry. That was delicious, but I must get to bed. Thank goodness tomorrow's Saturday.'

  There was a glamorous silk nightdress laid out in the bedroom, and Janie eyed it with some suspicion. If this had been Liz's choice she wondered what her sister had selected for daytime wear, whether that was as revealing or sexy. But she was too tired to care. Sleeping alone in the big bed was bliss, after sharing it with Liz, but as she drifted off to sleep Janie wondered what it would be like sharing it with Manuel.

  For a few moments after she woke to weak February sunshine pouring in through the windows, she thought this had happened. He was sitting on the side of the bed away from her, and it was a while before the enticing smell of coffee woke her up properly.

  'Breakfast,' he said briskly. 'It's midday, you have to inspect your new clothes, and shop for more. I'm taking you into Bristol.'

  Janie sat up, then recalled the skimpy nightgown and lay down swiftly, pulling the duvet higher.

  'I'm sure I don't need more, and I don't think going to Bristol's a good idea, not while Terry is still at large. I suppose you've heard nothing?'

  The police rang to say Mike had been apprehended, but Terry has vanished. You needn't be afraid, though, I'll be with you.'

  'Let me see what Liz chose for me first. After I've had that coffee.'

  'Sit up then. You can't drink it lying down.'

  'Er – I will,' Janie said, but remained as she was.

  He laughed, and stroked her cheek. 'Don't worry, I'm going.'

  For the rest of that day and on Sunday Janie's thoughts were in turmoil. Manuel was friendly but businesslike. He made no attempt to touch her again, no brief caresses like that gentle one, and after a while she began to wonder if she'd imagined it.

  She approved the clothes Liz had chosen for her, but they were all very smart suits and dresses or rather elaborate party dresses, fine for evening wear or best. There was nothing Janie felt suitable for everyday wear, no jeans or tee shirts, no thick skirts or chunky sweaters, and the only coat was a long cashmere one in an impractical pale green. She at least had the anorak she'd been wearing to work, but she needed something more appropriate. At least Liz had bought sensible underwear, though she had included a couple of sets of brief wisps of lace-trimmed silk, black and a delicate shade of violet.

  Reluctantly she agreed to go to Bristol, and even more reluctantly bought twice as much as she had intended.

  'It will save time, you need them,' Manuel insisted, retrieving the items she had handed back to the salesgirl. 'You lost everything.'

  The car was laden with parcels, and when she had unpacked everything Janie found that the bag from the chemist's with her shampoo and face cream, lip gloss and talc, also contained a huge box of expensive perfumes, in small fancy sample bottles. She went to find Manuel in the living room.

  'I didn't buy this,' she said, holding the box out to him.

  'No, it's a present from me. I don't know what you like, so I bought a selection.'

  'You're being so generous! I feel I'm taking advantage.'

  'Nonsense. Now put on that blue dress Liz chose for you, like the one you wore the day we met, and we'll go out for dinner. And we are invited to Aunt Teresa's for Sunday lunch.'

  The rest of the weekend passed in a blur. Liz pounced on her the moment they reached Mrs Kemp's house, saying excitedly that a friend of Mrs Kemp's wanted a secretary to help her with a book of memoirs she was writing, both to do research and help her type up her copious notes and diaries.

  'Lady Gordon is so sweet. She was staying here, but she had to go home early this morning. I'll live with her, near Salisbury, for at least six months.'

  'Leaving Bristol and all your friends there?' Janie asked rather sceptically.

  Liz shrugged. 'I can visit them at weekends if I want, but I see now that apart from Rosa and her crowd they weren't much good. Many of them were like Terry,' she admitted, rather shamefacedly. 'Has he been caught?'

  'Not yet, but Mike has, and no doubt they'll soon flush him out from wherever he's hiding.'

  Janie was still on the late shift, but she saw less of Manuel. He had managed to get replacement keys for her own car, so the Escort was sent back. He had usually gone out by the time she got up in the morning, but he always had a hot meal waiting when she got back in the evenings. It was on Friday that life was once more thrown into turmoil.

  She was returning from the hospital canteen when she heard an altercation in the ward office. A
man was shouting, and Janie ran towards the noise. They sometimes had abusive patients or distraught relatives to deal with, and she knew that Trisha was alone.

  A man in his twenties, tall and with regular features, was leaning over the desk, shouting at Trisha who was pinned into her chair and couldn't move away from him.

  'I know the bitch works here, and she's let me and my mates in for a load of trouble, so don't give me that innocent look. Tell her I'll get her, one day. And her sister, when I find her. The poncy boyfriend can't be with her all the time!'

  As Janie paused in the doorway, certain this was Terry Hughes, a couple of security men ran past her and grabbed him by the arms.

  'Come along now, we can't be upsetting the patients, can we,' one said as they led a resisting Terry away.

  Janie slipped into a convenient store room. It would do no good for Terry to see her, and her help wasn't needed. She was thinking furiously. It must be Terry and somehow he'd tracked her down.

  Trisha had collapsed into tears of fright, and it took Janie a while to calm her. She was fretting at the delay, but rang the security office as soon as Trisha blew her nose and said she could cope. She meant to ask them to hang on to Terry and call the police, who wanted him, only to be told that he had been ejected from the hospital seconds before, and they had seen him drive off in a big estate car.

  She must warn Manuel at once.

  She rang him and luckily he was at home. Rapidly explaining the situation she begged him to take care.

  'Don't worry,' he said calmly.

  'But he might damage your car again!'

  'Then I'll garage it and hire one. I'll get the Escort back for you as well, just in case he knows your car. The police have one bit of news you'd be interested in, though.'

  'What's that?'

  'Brian Cook has been arrested.'

  'Brian? Why? Because of the forged will?'

  'No. One part of the operation was the theft of cars to order, the expensive sports cars and so on, and Brian was involved in transporting them abroad once Mike had changed the colour and filed off the obvious registration marks.'

  'Brian, a crook?'

  'So it seems.'

  'So him being at the same party where Liz met Terry wasn't pure coincidence. What about Christine? She works in a travel agency.'

  'Does she? I think the police might be interested in that. She wasn't averse to a spot of deception over that fake will. Now, I'm coming to fetch you home tonight. Wait somewhere safe inside the hospital. Do you have a staff canteen, separate from visitors?'

  'Yes, but there's no need for you to come, I'll be OK.'

  'Terry knows where you work. He may know your car. I'm taking no chances. So do as I tell you.'

  Janie bristled at his imperious tone, but at the same time was feeling more confident. She had been worrying about being followed home, if Terry waited around until she had finished her shift. He seemed obsessed enough to do it. She didn't know how much he knew about her, whether he knew her in person, but the news that Brian was involved with him made it more likely that he'd have obtained information about her from Brian, who had his own grudge against her.

  For once her shift finished on time, and she sat in the staff canteen until one of the porters brought Manuel in.

  'He's not allowed in here, but he wouldn't let me fetch you,' the porter grumbled, and once more Janie saw Manuel discreetly hand over some notes.

  'I couldn't risk a false message,' Manuel explained as he ushered Janie out to where a large, oldish-looking Rover was parked in the bays reserved for consultants.

  'You're not allowed to park here,' she chided.

  'No, but in case you hadn't noticed, it's pouring with rain, and I don't want to get soaked!'

  'The man's a fanatic,' Janie said, shivering and pulling her anorak round her.

  'Don't worry, we'll get him.'

  They were half way home, Janie dozing, when she was shaken awake as Manuel swung the car round a sharp corner, accelerating away as fast as he could.

  'What is it?' she gasped.

  'I suspect we're being followed. I just want to check. Yes, he passed the road, then reversed and turned in. Right, Mr Hughes, we'll lead you a dance.'

  Janie watched through the rear window as Manuel did his best to shake off the pursuing car, but the Rover was neither as fast nor as manoeuvrable as his own car, and the estate managed to keep up with him, but never getting close enough to be dangerous.

  They twisted through the lanes, sped through villages ignoring all speed limits, and Janie, clinging to her seat, wished heartily for a police patrol car to appear. None did, of course. They never did when you wanted them, she fumed.

  As Manuel turned into a steep lane leading up into the hills he gave a grunt of satisfaction.

  'Good, I recognise this place,' Manuel said, and changed down to a low gear.

  The lane was steep and twisting, winding through a dense wood that shut out all light from the distant glow of Bristol. Then they came to a dip, and Manuel switched off his lights and turned into a narrow lane at the bottom, swinging off it immediately into a sandy track. He switched off the engine, rolled his window down a crack, and they waited.

  The other car's engine was straining, and then eased as it came to the dip. They saw the gleam of the headlights swinging past, and disappearing over the far hump out of the dip. They reappeared a second later, turning and twisting as the car negotiated bends, and as it as now downhill the car increased speed.

  Then they heard the squeal of brakes, and the headlights swung in an arc high above the wood before the sound of the car crashing into trees reached them. The lights spun, then came to rest pointing straight up into the sky.

  'He's crashed over the edge,' Manuel said. 'Stay here, I'll go and see.'

  'He might be hurt, I'm coming.'

  'And he might not, and be a danger to you. Stay and lock the car doors.'

  'I'm a nurse! I have to help, even if he does want to kill me!'

  Manuel shrugged. 'OK, I think you're mad, but stay behind me.'

  He reached into the glove compartment for a torch, but didn't switch it on. Janie could just distinguish the track between the trees, and Manuel grasped her hand and led her back towards the road. The rain was still heavy, but they had a little shelter from the branches above. On level ground they broke into a run, and reached the spot where the estate had left the road, to be almost blinded with the light from the headlamps.

  Manuel shone the torch round, but all they could see were trees and mangled bushes. The estate car seemed to have come to rest at a crazy angle against the trunk of a big tree, after sliding and somersaulting twenty metres or so down the slope.

  'Let's get out of the glare of the lights, then we can see if he's still inside.'

  Cautiously they scrambled down the steep slope, slippery from the rain, clutching at bushes to control the descent. Manuel shone his torch towards the car, and they could see someone hanging out of the driver's door, which had partially ripped away, caught up in the seat belt.

  'Stay here, direct the torch for me, and ring the emergency services. the car might blow up any minute,' Manuel ordered, and before Janie could protest he'd thrust the torch into her hands and was sliding down towards the car.

  Struggling to keep the torch beam steady, Janie dragged her mobile phone out of her pocket and one handed, punched in the numbers. She had only the vaguest idea where they were, but when she described the place, and mentioned the name of a village they'd passed through, the policeman said he thought he knew where it was.

  Half her attention had been on Manuel, and she'd seen him reach the car and lean in to release the seat belt. Then he grasped the man by the shoulders and began to ease him out.

  Janie had feared he might be dead, but as Manuel moved him he let out an agonised scream followed by a stream of lurid oaths. She slithered down the slope, knowing Manuel would need help.

  'His foot's caught under one of the pedals, and I
suspect his legs are broken,' Manuel said calmly. 'Can you support him while I get in the other side and try to get him free?'

  Janie nodded, and took Manuel's place. Terry's screams had diminished and he was alternately groaning and sobbing. She had time to notice that petrol was seeping from the ruptured tank, and be thankful it was running away from them. It was still a danger, but possibly a lesser one than if it had been coming towards them.

  At last Manuel managed to wrench the pedal free and Janie pulled Terry further out of the car. Manuel clambered back to take over from her, and between them they eased him out.

  'We've got to get him further away in case it blows up,' Manuel panted. 'There's no time to make a stretcher, we'll just have to drag him.'

  After a few seconds they realised that pulling him up the slope was impossible, his weight, the slippery surface and the steepness made progress infinitesimally slow.

  'Drag him sideways,' Janie suggested, and Manuel, breathless, nodded. They managed to drag him several metres, Terry cursing all the time, and when they were a safe distance from the car released him and flexed aching muscles.

  'Let me see if I can do anything, it looks as though both legs are broken, and you're bleeding badly, Janie said, stooping down to look. 'Manuel, can you hold the torch for me please?'

  She leaned over Terry to pass the torch to Manuel.

  'You bitch, you think you've won!' Terry snarled, and before Janie could dodge, he'd lashed out at her with a clenched fist.

  The blow caught her on the side of the head, she lost her balance, and felt herself tumbling headlong down the slope. She grabbed frantically at bushes, but none of them were sturdy enough to break her fall, and for a desperate moment she wondered just how far down she had to go.

  She heard a shout, and crashing noises which didn't seem to be her own, then there was an explosion and above her to the left the car burst into flames. She felt the speed of her descent lessening, and came to an abrupt halt against a sturdy sapling, knocking all the breath out of her body.

  Struggling to breathe, she felt arms round her and Manuel's voice close to her ear.

  'Janie, querida, are you all right? I'll break every other bone in his body if he's hurt you!'