Chapter 6 Barbara
Barbara decided that another Dinner Party with their friends would be nice before they went away on holiday. Eric had suddenly announced it would be a good idea to get away from it all as his boys had taken up the offer of working for the firm and grandad was beginning to relax a bit more and was finding his job a lot easier to cope with. Eric said that he had stock-piled a few clients’ contracts to finalise and there should be enough work for James and John to get involved in and grandad could guide them in the right direction.
Barbara decided to do a big shop, she had to get new clothes as they had decided to go on a cruise – it was a 10 day cruise around Europe and of course Eric had insisted they would have steak and champagne this time for the party.
On Saturday morning Barbara took the hire car to do her big shop as Eric had taken his car into Jackson’s garage to have the bumper repaired. Eric went to the office to tidy up – he got his old bicycle out and off he went whistling as he cycled to work.
Barbara had parked the car in a multi-complex building which was situated over the shopping area. Although it was used quite a bit by other shoppers it was very dark as a few lights had been broken by vandals who rode their motor-bikes at night on each level – the police had never been able to catch their quarries. Barbara walked from her parked car on the third level to the lift. It was early in the morning and it looked as though everybody else had the same idea to do their shopping early. She pressed the button for the lift and waited for it to arrive. A man joined her and said he thought the weather had changed and it was getting colder for the time of year, supposed to be our summer and laughed. The lift came and they both got in and rode down to the shopping area. Barbara nodded to the man and they went in separate directions – she was pleased to get away from him, although he had a very pleasant smile, there was something about him. She said to herself ‘Oh Barbara how foolish your thoughts are.’
Eric and Barbara had been through a bit of a turmoil in the last two or three weeks, what with this mysterious Pest as Eric named him and the third degree that their friends had put him through – poor Eric, thought Barbara, he needs this holiday more than anybody. She visited a few dress shops and managed to buy four dresses for the holiday. She didn’t buy the really summery dresses, because knowing the weather in Europe it could be nice but normally turned out to be the opposite. Buying the party food last would mean she would not have to traipse round the dress shops smelling like the meat marketing board and besides temperatures in some shops were usually pretty hot which wouldn’t do the steak she was buying for her guests any good as she wanted it to be something special for them to celebrate the evening in style. Barbara got back to the lift and pressed the button to the third level – no one joined her this time. She reached the third level and walked towards her car. Both rear tyres were flat – she could not believe her bad luck and thought that vandals had struck again. Luckily she had her mobile and phoned Eric at the office.
He said ‘Put the shopping in the boot and I will come and collect you outside the shopping arcade. In the meantime I’ll phone for a taxi and will collect you and the shopping. I’ve just got to finish what I’m doing here and I will be along as soon as I can – why don’t you get a coffee somewhere and I’ll meet you in an hour’s time.’
Barbara said ‘Don’t bother coming to meet me, I can get a taxi myself. I’ll be alright, the taxi rank is just outside’
‘Are you certain you will be okay darling, what with all the trouble we have had lately? I just wanted to make sure you were safe, I might be a bit paranoid about things, but it is better to be safe than be sorry afterwards.’
Barbara decided to stop for coffee and a toasted tea-cake as Eric suggested and felt that her holiday should start from now. She would pop into the Langham Hotel. Barbara found a Zebra crossing and walked across it – she didn’t see the car coming towards her.
* * *
Eric was just tidying things up in the office ready for Grandad and the boys when he received the phone call.