Chapter 4

[deckard]

It was 9.55p.m and Julia could not believe what she was doing.

The village hall was only a few minutes away now and what would happen when she got there was most in her thoughts.

Whether to actually stop or drive straight past was a decision Julia would have to make very soon, the hall was in sight and she could see some headlights in the car park but she didn’t recognize the car.

She was about to turn into the car park when another car approached from the other direction as it was slowing down it indicated to turn in. There was no mention of someone else turning up as well, and that by now she could see Michael and Kath in the parked car. She drove past and accelerated away, it all looked too risky in Julia’s mind.

Her mobile began to chirp away on the passenger seat, should see answer it? Who was it and how did they get her number.

She let it ring off, a message may have been left and she would check it once she had got further away from the hall.

As she quickly drove back towards home there seemed to be a car following her, it was traveling faster than Julia and it was catching up with her. Julia decided to take the next turn to see if it followed.

As suspected at the next turn it continued to follow.

Was the car behind actually following or could Julia be letting her imagination run too far. The only way to find out was to stop and pull over as soon as it was safe. The road was twisty, dark and where it was heading was anybody’s guess, at last a lay-by, Julia pulled over and stopped.

Thinking that the car may actually stop Julia kept the engine running and locked all the doors. The car sped past and Julia sighed with relief, a sigh short lived because the car stopped ahead of the lay-by. She could make the car out to be a B.M.W, one of those boring navy blue colours.

Squinting to read the number plate she grabbed an old petrol receipt and wrote down the number plate X608 EHF. It sat for a while engine running. Its reversing lights glowed and suddenly the car was coming back towards her. She froze, not knowing what to do.

Before it could get level with her another car came along the road, the B.M.W stopped and then it sped off. The other car continued past Julia.



She decided to check her phone for any messages; there was a text message it read.

Julia why didn’t U stop at c/park? Other car turned and went, nofin 2 worry about cu 2morro.

How did they know my number she said to herself? No one has my number and who exactly is `they`. She checked the number of who had sent the message but it didn’t ring any bells. Whoever it was must work at the hospital but who is it?

The temptation to ring the number was immense but not knowing who it was put her off the idea pretty quickly.

Feeling scared but lucky that the B.M.W didn’t stop she raced home. Who was in it? Was it the car that turned in the car park? Or was it someone who thought that she had broken down?

So many questions but how easy will it be to get some answers but answers was what Julia would be determined to get tomorrow.

Home was only a few minutes away now. It was all she wanted, to be at home with her husband Ian. He never wanted her to go on such a wild goose chase in the first place. As much as he tried to persuade her not to go made her more determined to carry it through.

Would she tell him everything that happened? Or maybe only some of it. If he knew everything he would certainly try to prevent her from doing anything else.

She swung onto the drive next to Ian’s car and went inside, she did not notice that someone was watching her from the end of the road.

They were parked with their lights off, had she have noticed she would have seen it was the blue B.M from earlier.

Inside there were two people and once Julia had closed her front door they drove off.

“ Oh, your back early, how did the hush, hush meeting go?”

“ No one showed up, the sods, what a waste of time that was?”

“ Never mind, you’ll just have to sort it out with them tomorrow

now. You turned up and they didn’t, what else can you say?”

“ Yeah, your right I suppose, I think I’ll have a bath and relax awhile.”

“Good idea, and while your upstairs check to see if that car is still at the end of the road, can’t think why it’s there! “

Julia ran upstairs; there was no sign of it,

“Did you notice what sort of car Ian?”

“Err, one of them B.M.W’s not sure which, dark blue, I think”.



Julia’s mind was working flat out to try and take it all in. What the hell was going on? She thought. Or were all of these just strange coincidences, maybe it was her thoughts running wild or perhaps there was something happening.

The bath felt relaxing but it could not stop her from thinking about the last couple of days and more than think, Julia had to decide on what to do next.