Free Upon a Dark Night by Peter Lovesey Page A

agility that would not have disgraced a sumo wrestler and swung the full weight of her ample hips against him. The impact would have crushed the man’s pelvis if he had not turned instinctively a moment before the crunch. The car suffered the major damage, a dent in the bodywork the size of a dinner plate. The man caught a glancing thump and was thrust sideways. He bounced against the door so hard that it was forced past the restrainers on the hinges. Ada gave him a shove in the chest. He grunted, crumpled and hit the pavement.
    They couldn’t expect to hold him off a second time. Ada grabbed Rose by the belt of her jeans, scooped her out and swung her across the pavement towards the entrance to the hostel. ‘In the house, quick!’ she gasped.
    Rose needed no bidding. She dashed inside and upstairs. Behind her, Ada stood between the stone gateposts ready, if necessary, to do battle again.
    There was no need. The man picked himself up, crawled into the car and gasped something to his driver. They were on the move with the door still hanging open. It was unlikely if it would shut or if they cared.
    ‘Take me a while to get my breath back,’ Ada said when she rejoined Rose upstairs. She slumped on her bed.
    Rose thanked her. She was stretched out fighting for breath herself.
    They lay like that for some time, recovering.
    ‘What was it for?’ Rose said eventually. ‘What was he going to do with me?’
    ‘I wouldn’t put money on a candlelit supper,’ said Ada.
    ‘Yes, but…’
    ‘If he’s really your bloke, you’re better off without him until he calms down a bit.’
    ‘My bloke? He isn’t my bloke,’ Rose shrilled. She was appalled that Ada should think it a possibility. ‘I’ve never laid eyes on him.’
    ‘How do you know, petal?’
    She said, ‘For God’s sake, don’t keep saying that to me, Ada. Look, I’m really grateful for what you did down there. I am, honestly. But if you think that gorilla had anything to do with me, you can’t have much an opinion of me.’
    ‘He must have had something to do with you, petal,’ persisted Ada. ‘Okay, he didn’t treat you like precious goods, but he knew what he wanted. He was waiting there for you.’
    ‘How did he know? Oh,’ she said, answering herself, ‘the paper. It was in the bloody paper. I suppose it said I was staying here.’
    ‘Even if it didn’t, any guy with half a brain could find out,’ said Ada. ‘There aren’t that many hostels in Bath for drop-outs like you and me.’
    ‘He started by calling me “love” and telling me he was taking me home,’ Rose recalled. ‘Trying to sweet-talk me into going with him.’
    ‘Optimist,’ said Ada.
    ‘Bastard,’ said Rose. ‘One look at him told me he was phoney. That horrible grin. What is he - a maniac? He was trying to abduct me, Ada.’ Abduct :the word sounded positively Victorian and the moment she spoke it she expected Ada to mock, but she didn’t.
    ‘No argument, petal, but I wouldn’t put him down as a nutter. He had a driver in that car. Nutters are loners. They don’t hunt in pairs.’
    ‘It’s not unknown.’
    ‘This wasn’t a casual pick-up. These two were organised. They must have been waiting there some time.’’
    Rose shivered. ‘That’s ugly.’
    ‘Sinister.’
    ‘Why, Ada? Why would anybody want to snatch some unfortunate woman who loses her memory and gets her picture in the paper?’
    There was a longish pause from the other bed while Ada weighed the possibilities. Up to now, her advice had always been sensible except when it touched on kleptomania. ‘If it was one bloke, I’d say he was after the usual thing. Two makes it different. There’s got to be advantage in it. Money.’
    ‘Kidnapping?’
    ‘Here’s one scenario. They - or someone they work for - saw your picture in the paper and recognised you. Let’s say you come from a wealthy family. They could demand a good ransom. You’re an easy target.’
    ‘If my face is so well known, why