3.
Mrs Halsall pushed her trolley towards where she had parked her car in the underground parking lot, struggling to keep her control of it while fighting to keep her handbag on her shoulder and her mobile phone pressed to her ear.
"Yes I know you and your husband had a deposit down on the house but the sellers on the other side withdrew their offer and there is nothing more I can do for you. Yes. No. That's correct. Hold on one second please."
She dug in her heels and pulled the shopping cart to a bumpy halt beside her car. She began fishing in her handbag for her keys with her free hand while she kept the trolley still with the other and balanced the phone between her shoulder and ear. With a clunk her bag dropped to the ground and all her belongings spilled out. Resisting the urge to swear loudly, Mrs Halsall took a deep breath, fighting to keep her patience, and readjusted the phone so she was holding it.
"I'm aware that in the current economic climate that sale was an absolute blessing, but once the client on the other end pulls out I'm afraid there is little more my company can offer for you," she said as calmly as she could. The woman on the other end of the line was not impressed with the situation, and Mrs Halsall had to admit that it was rare for anybody to withdraw from a sale so late in the game. And yet it happened, and when it did, she was the lucky lady who got to deal with the furious clients.
"I'm sorry I couldn't be of more help to you Miss Baker, but I can assure you my company will do all they can to help you find another property," she sighed, exasperated with the way her day had gone. It was almost eight and she had only just managed to get to the supermarket to do her weekly food shop. She had been in the office since nine in the morning correcting paperwork which had been wrongly printed, sorting several cases of void payments and dealing with unhappy clients whose deals had fallen through. It had been a day of one phone call after another.
After collecting her belongings together and scooping them back into her handbag Mrs Halsall found her keys and unlocked the boot. She unloaded the shopping bags into her car and as she rounded the vehicle somebody stepped out from in front of the car where they had been crouching. She almost leaped out of her skin, but the man was smiling warmly and when he saw her reaction to his presence he took a step back and held up his hands to show his intentions were innocent.
"Sorry mam, I didn't mean to startle you, it's just I couldn't help but notice that one of your front tires is flat and I was just inspecting. I heard your footsteps and well I thought it best to tell you," he smiled with a shaky laugh. Mrs Halsall let out a slow sigh of what could have been relief or annoyance; even she wasn't sure which.
"Want me to show you, I might be able to help you pop the spare on if you like?" he offered, nodding his head towards the front tires. She stepped around the car to join him in inspecting the wheel. She dropped to a crouch herself and sure enough the rubber of the front right tire was baggy and loose. The man was stood up beside her and as she straightened he slipped an arm around her waist. This gesture was totally unexpected and Mrs Halsall tried to move away, but the man tightened his grasp and swiveled her around so that her back was pressed against his chest.
"That rule of talking to strangers should still apply when you leave childhood you know," he hissed in her ear, his voice low and threatening. Everything about the man she had just been speaking to had changed, and suddenly she felt terrified. She let out a small whimper and tried to wriggle free, but his grip was tight, holding both her arms in front of her body with one hand and her waist with the other.
"My purse is in my handbag, take anything you want," she sniffled as tears filled her eyes, her whole body shaking.
"I don't want your money," the man scoffed, "what I want is far more valuable than anything in your purse. Goodnight Mrs Halsall."
And then in one swift movement, he grabbed hold of her hair and slammed her head down hard against the hood of her car. Her forehead connected with the metal of the bonnet with a sickening crack and she grunted as everything around her was cast into shadow. Subconsciously she was aware of the sound of a dull thud, and as her awareness was beginning to fade, she realised it was the sound of her own body hitting the concrete floor.
