Free The Toff and the Fallen Angels by John Creasey Page B

‘We agreed we wouldn’t tell her. She’s warned us not to go out alone or come back alone. And she’s called in the police. What more can she do? Of course we haven’t told her,’ she finished, in exasperation.
    â€˜If you had done so, do you think she would have gone out alone tonight?’ asked Rollison, quietly.
    â€˜No one thought she was in danger,’ Anne answered.
    â€˜How could you be sure she hadn’t had a threat by telephone?’ demanded Rollison, and when Anne didn’t answer but looked appalled, he went on: ‘Anne, who is doing this? Do you know?’
    â€˜My God, if only I did!’ she cried. ‘All I know is that we were happier than we’d been for ages. All of us. Can you imagine what it’s like to be branded? Oh, we were fools, or else we deliberately defied convention, but we are branded. Even today you can stand at the window and see old women pointing and tut-tutting as they pass, and old men leering at us, and young men—’ She was almost crying as she went on and the words were sharp and clear and yet every now and again her voice broke. ‘Do you realise why we’re here? We’ve got good minds, some of us are brilliant at our own subjects but we’ve offended the great god, convention . . . and we haven’t even had the sense to look after ourselves. Our critics think we’re immoral and our one-time friends think we’re fools— God ! And there isn’t one of us who can turn to friends or relatives. Do you know what I was doing when I came here? I was a counter assistant at Woolworth’s haberdashery department - and I was a child prodigy, they tell me there isn’t anyone at my age to touch me in higher mathematics. “That’s one-and-eleven, please, penny change. Nail files? On the perfumery counter, madam . . . That’s seven-and-sixpence exactly, sir . . .”.’
    â€˜Stop it,’ interrupted Rollison, sharply.
    â€˜I won’t stop it! I can’t stop it! I tell you I was nearly out of my mind when I heard from Naomi Smith. It didn’t seem possible! A chance to study under Professor Offenberger and nothing to pay except time. There’s even a crèche here! We aren’t under any pressure to have our babies adopted if we don’t want to—God! It was like heaven! And then—and then the trouble began. First we had indecent telephone calls and beastly letters, then gradually the tone changed and we were told to go away from here. The very place we’ve come to love—oh, it’s dreadful, it’s dreadful!’
    Rollison said briskly: ‘Yes, Anne, it is. And it won’t get any better if you keep a single thing back.’
    He looked at his watch. It was half-past twelve and there was no word from Jolly and no interruption from the police. Jolly would have telephoned had he seen Angela, of course - so she hadn’t gone to the Corner House. He had never really believed she had.
    â€˜I’m not keeping anything back,’ Anne said, sullenly.
    â€˜Did you speak to Angela in person?’
    â€˜Yes.’
    â€˜Are you sure it was her voice?’
    â€˜Of course I’m sure, you don’t think I could make a mistake about her, surely? She sounded excited, and very sure of herself. Has she been waiting all—’
    â€˜No,’ Rollison said. ‘I sent someone there as soon as I heard about the call. Anne, how well did you know Winifred de Vaux?’
    It was a long time before Anne answered. She began to sway. Rollison took her arm and led her towards a chair, then poured out brandy. She lifted the glass, then lowered it again as she glanced up at him.
    â€˜Not—not really well,’ she said. ‘She wasn’t easy to know. She—she was the only one here who really was obsessed with men, I don’t think I’ve ever known anyone so oversexed - so obviously oversexed - and proud of it.