SCENE 3
Across the street at number 30, Mrs Patricia Booth, an elderly widow, began observing the scene. She had been napping in front of the television when she was awakened by the nearby shrieks. Now in her eighties, she had suffered a stroke during the previous 12 months and her movement was restricted by the necessity to use a Zimmer frame. The disturbance outside sent chills through her body. It reminded her of the war days and the blitz she had lived through as a child. But regardless of her frailty, she reached the curtains just in time to see a dark and imposing gentleman stepping away briskly from the gate of number 31 and heading up the path of number 29.
This gentleman was certainly not Mr Smythe, and if she had been ten years younger she would almost certainly have ventured out to investigate. Rather, she immediately headed for the telephone to call the police and was quick to impart all the details of what she had heard and seen. She too was told to remain in her house which, at her age, came as something of a relief. After replacing the handset she immediately headed to the front door to ensure it was locked. Fumbling her way back to the living room, she turned the lights out, and recalling the ‘blackout’ nights of her youth, she cowered behind the curtains and peeked out with morbid curiosity as the emergency services arrived on the scene.
The police were first, arriving very quickly after Mrs Smythe's initial phone call, followed by the ambulance which had come from further away. Patricia gasped as the ambulance crew arrived. An ambulance? It would appear things were more sinister than she had first thought. Unable to contain herself, she headed back to the phone, clumsily manoeuvring her walking aid as she went. Compelled to tell somebody what was taking place, she glanced at the clock on her mantelpiece and decided her niece was probably the most likely still to be awake. It was ten past midnight on Wednesday 11 November. A time and date she would never forget.
For interview and/or further information please contact Simon:
Mobile: 07449 810583
Email: simonduringer@yahoo.co.uk
Twitter: @SimonDuringer
Facebook: Simon Dusty Duringer
Website: http://simonduringer.com/blog/
Publishers Weekly Book Life: http://booklife.com/profile/simon-duringer-1220
Need a read? visit Simon's Amazon Author Page:
No comments:
Post a Comment