Chapter 14 – The intruder

By the time I had driven back to town, I was tired and in low spirits. To make any real kind of progress in unravelling the mystery of the PI’s death seemed to elude me as much as ever. I was tempted to go straight home and soak away my weariness in a steaming bubble bath, but I knew I ought to check in at the office first, for form’s sake if nothing else. When I did so I found my boss at his desk in a scholarly attitude. Had he not moved from his task all day?

On the surface before him lay sheets of paper, each filled with pencilled lettering in neat rows, also the photostat images of the originals. A cryptographer had evidently been hard at work here. Guy looked tired but as he rose to greet me the gaze that met my own was exultant.

“Cracked it!” he exclaimed before I had a chance to speak. “It’s taken me hours but, in the end, it was quite simple; a Caesar cypher, but with an added little twist. That and the scarcity of material to work on made it a matter of trial and error in the end, but we got there.”

“What were those papers, then?”

“They’re a list containing the personal details of a number of individuals, and against each of the names are dates. I was stuck at first but then I had a eureka moment. I guessed at this double-barrelled moniker here.” He pointed. “After that, it all fell into place.”

“But what does it all mean?”

“I reckon that someone could have been operating a blackmail racket, and if it were our friend Raymond it might explain why he ended like blackmailers often do.” Guy drew a hand across his throat to illustrate his meaning, at which I shuddered. All too recently I’d seen death at close quarters, and that had been quite enough for me.

Now it was my principal's turn to be curious. “How have you got on?”

I related what I’d done that day, and what I’d discovered. The sum total seemed of little moment in my opinion, but the detective was less dismissive of my results.

“So, friend Arthur was able to raise some serious money to buy that swell place. That’s worth knowing. It saves us looking into the shape of Gloria’s finances. Also, that cook’s name seems to put the cat among the pigeons whenever it’s mentioned. I think another visit there is called for, don’t you?”

We agreed that on the morrow while Guy would research the names which he had deciphered, I would drive over to the care home and find out what else Flora had to tell. Feeling a lot more positive about the merits and demerits of my day, I took leave and headed home. Bath and bed, that was all I could think of.

When I got in I fixed myself a sandwich and ate it while drawing my bath. I felt the need to indulge myself after such a tiring day so shook a generous amount of bath salts into the steaming water. I was rewarded with at least a foot of foam. In happy anticipation I stripped off everything, pinned up my hair and plunged my limbs into the scented water. Heaven!

I lay there soaking for quite some time until I felt completely relaxed. Eventually I stirred myself enough to scrub and exfoliate. No nook or cranny was left undisturbed. When I’d done, I felt clean all over, ‘sparkling clean’, as my mother used to term it. I hauled myself out of the tub and wrapped myself in towels. The thought of my mom prompted one last ablution. I took a douche from the cupboard and filled it with warm soapy water. Soon I was ‘sparkling’ inside and out. Somehow that made my journey back to femininity seem even more complete.

Though the hour was late, fatigue had fallen from me. A curious mood had taken hold of me. I had a strange feeling that something was about to happen, and I wanted to be ready for it. I just knew someone was about to stop by and my heart beat faster as I speculated who that might be. I picked out my most frivolous nightdress, a tiny babydoll in see-through silk. It was fortunate that the pretty little set had frills and ruffles everywhere giving the wearer at least a nod to modesty.

Having robed myself in this fashion I sat before my vanity to brush out my hair and reapply my make-up. I redid my fingernails and while I waited for the polish to dry, I lapsed into a daydream. I found myself entertaining unreal imaginings which all had one thing in common. They culminated in the entrance of a seductive figure into my apartment for a late-night tryst. Gloria! Dangerous thoughts, perhaps, but not as hazardous as the reality that followed.

My nails had just dried and I was regarding them with a degree of satisfaction when it happened. There was a sound from the direction of the next room, and I felt an unexpected draught of air as if the outer door had been opened. I sprang to my feet in alarm, all thoughts of romantic meetings dismissed from my mind. The reality was that a person or persons unknown must be in my apartment.

As I stared at the door which led from the adjoining room, it began to move towards me. It had been slightly ajar but now began gradually to open wider. A gloved hand appeared in the aperture, a hand holding a black automatic. Help!

Trying my best not to panic I took two strides across the room and slammed the opening door shut on the gun-toting hand. There was a yelp of pain and the firearm fell to the floor with a clatter. I stooped to pick the thing up. It was heavy, far heavier than I would have imagined. Once I had finished juggling with it to get it safely in my grasp I shouted at the intruder “Come out, now. I’ve got you covered!”

I pulled the door wide open. There were no lights on and so that all I could see was a figure silhouetted in the outer door, making a hasty departure.

The intruder, who was enveloped in a trench coat, disappeared. Hesitating only for an instant I summoned up what courage I had, sprang across the room and crossed to the outer door. I could hear whoever had threatened me already clattering down the stairs. I began to follow but before I had taken many steps a glimpse of my reflection in the mirror at the end of the hallway brought me up short. I was in no way suitably dressed to be pursuing armed assailants late at night. As I turned to re-enter my apartment, I heard a car start and then speed off into the distance. My would-be attacker had gone.