JAMES KEATING HOME: 12 SUTTON STREET BIRMINGHAM
PHONE: 0121 2339509
WORK: 301 BELLOWS LANE BIRMINGHAM
PHONE: 0121 2364351
Part. Of the mystery was solved. I began to feel a little better. Now I could go home and rest. I walked across the park and into. The town. I soon found the railway station. Birmingham wasn 't far away. A train was leaving for Birmingham in fifteen minutes.I phoned the home phone number on my business card. Nobody answered. An answering machine was connected to the phone. I. Left a message.
'This is James,' I said. 'I' m coming home. '
A Visitor in the Night sat on the train going to Birmingham. And thought about what had happened. Part of the mystery was solved. But I couldn 't explain a lot of things. For, example. How had I arrived in Nuneaton?This town was near Birmingham. But it wasn 't on a main railway line. Trains going from London to Birmingham didn' t go through. There. This was part of the mystery without an answer. And there was another strange thing too - the earring.
I took it. Out of my pocket. The earring was dirty. It had dark stains on it. I touched my ears. There were no holes in them. The earring. Couldn 't be mine.But whose was it? And why was it in my pocket?
By 10.30 I had arrived in Birmingham and a taxi had taken me to my house. In Sutton Street. There were no lights on in the house. The house key from my pocket fitted the lock. I went inside and. Switched on the lights.
! '' Hello I shouted. 'This is James. I' m home! '
There was no answer. I opened all the doors and. Looked around the house.I checked the cupboards and drawers. There were only men 's things. One person lived in this house. I lived alone.
The. Phone was in the living room. I listened to the messages on the answering machine. The last message was my own. I had left. It when I phoned from the station. There were two other messages. One of them was from a woman. She sounded very angry.
'Where. Are you?'her voice said.' You 're always late. I' m always having to wait for you. You 're terrible!' The woman didn 't give her name.
The. Other message was from Harvey Chapman. His name was on one of the pieces of paper I had found in my pocket. He was angry. Too.
'I don' t like the way, you work Keating, 'his message began.' You can 't do business with Harvey Chapman like this!I hope you 've got a good excuse this time!'
Things were getting difficult for me. Two people were angry with me and I. Couldn 't understand why.
There was nothing I could do now. I swallowed two aspirins and went upstairs to bed. My whole. Body hurt and I needed, a long long sleep.
'Tomorrow morning everything will be all right,' I said to myself.'Tomorrow morning I' m sure I 'll remember everything.'
I was too tired to wash. I got into bed and switched off the, light. I fell asleep immediately.
Some time later a noise, woke me. Someone was coming up the stairs. I got out of bed and stood. By the door. I didn 't switch on the light.
' Burglars are in the house, 'I thought.
I got ready for a fight.
.Suddenly the door opened and someone came in. I jumped and tried to grab the person 's neck. Immediately I was thrown into. The air. I landed heavily on the floor.
The light came on. A woman was looking down at me.
She had long dark hair.
What s. '' Happening? 'I said.' Who are you? '
' James! 'the woman said.' What 's the matter with you? It' s Susan. '
' Susan, 'I repeated. Slowly. I looked at her.She had beautiful eyes. I knew that name. I knew those eyes. Yes I remembered, Susan.
',' Susan Yes, she said. 'Your, girlfriend. James what is, the matter with you? '
' I thought you were a burglar, 'I said slowly.
Susan looked at me carefully.' Are. You all right? 'she asked.
' Yes I think, so. '
' You 've got bruises and cuts on your face. What has happened to you?'
'I. Don 't know,' I said.'I had, an accident or I was attacked. Perhaps both. I' m not sure. I 've lost my memory - I can' t remember anything. '
' Let s. ' Go downstairs. I 'll make some tea,' Susan said. 'We can talk. I can help you remember.'
We talked in the kitchen while. Susan made the tea. I told her what I could remember about the evening. Then we took our tea and sat on the couch in the. Living room.Susan helped me remember a lot of important things. This is what I learnt: I was thirty-two years old. I worked as a, jeweller. I didn 't have a jewellery shop. I made jewellery. I had a small workshop in Birmingham.
I asked Susan about yesterday and. Today. But she didn 't know very much. She couldn' t help me remember the last few days.
'I knew you were going, to London'. Susan said.'You had some business there.'
'Who did I meet?' I asked. 'Do you know?'
Susan shook her head. 'You didn' t tell me. I. Expected you back in Birmingham at about 7.30. We were going to have dinner together. I phoned you at home but you, weren t. ' There. '
' I heard your message on the answering machine, 'I said.' You were very angry. '
Susan smiled.' I know.I thought you 'd forgotten about the dinner. You often forget appointments.'
'I', m sorry Susan, 'I said.' I can t remember. ' Arranging to have dinner with you. '
Susan came close to me and kissed me.' Don 't worry,' she said. 'After I left the message. I became worried. I wasn 't angry any more. I came to your house. I was worried about you. I wanted to speak to you. I decided. To wait for you here.But then... '
' Then I attacked you! '
' Yes and I, threw you to the floor! '
' You threw me very easily, 'I said.' How did. You do it? '
' I 've had a lot of practice,' Susan said. 'I' m a teacher of physical education and a judo champion. Have you. Forgotten? '
I laughed. Of course I had, forgotten.
Susan laughed too. Then she said,' Why were you in Nuneaton? '
' I. Don 't know.Nuneaton isn 't on the main railway line between Birmingham and London.'
'Perhaps you got on the wrong train,' said Susan.
Perhaps. ' I didn 't take the train at all,' I said.
I couldn 't explain a lot of things. There was the gold earring. That was very. Strange too. My jacket was lying on a chair. I picked it up. I took the earring out of the pocket and showed it to Susan.
.'I haven' t got holes in my ears, 'I said.' The earring isn 't mine.'
Susan looked at the earring carefully. 'What s this.' Stain? 'she said.
I looked at the stain.' It 's dirt,' I replied.
'It' s not dirt, 'Susan said.' It 's blood. This earring. Must belong to your attacker. Perhaps you had a fight. Perhaps you pulled the earring from your attacker 's ear. That s your.' Attacker 's blood on the earring.'
Susan stopped talking for a moment. We drank some of our tea. It tasted good.
' What business were you doing in London? '. She asked. She was worried now.
'I don' t know, 'I replied.' That 's the problem. I can' t remember anything about being in. London. '
' Your "accident" in Nuneaton may be connected with the business in London. There are a few questions we must, answer. Who did you see in London?What was the business about? Did you take the train from London to Nuneaton? Or did somebody take you to Nuneaton? Who. Did you have a fight with? '
' I 'm doing business with a man called Harvey Chapman,' I said. 'Perhaps he has something to. Do with my accident. '
' Harvey Chapman! 'Susan, said surprised.
' Who is he? Do you know him? '
' Harvey Chapman is an actor.He 's married to the Hollywood, film star Pauline Greenwood. Are you making jewellery for Chapman?'
', think, Well I so'. I said slowly. 'He' s very angry with me. I 'm not sure why. He left a message on my answering machine this evening. Perhaps. I met Harvey Chapman in London. '
' I don 't think so,' Susan said. 'Harvey Chapman lives in Los Angeles most of the, time. But he 's, not AmericanHe 's English. He was born in Birmingham. When he comes, to England he always stays at his house here.'
I finished my tea. And sat back on the couch. I closed my eyes. I didn 't want to think about Harvey Chapman now. I, felt very very tired.
You.' Need to rest, 'Susan said.' Go back to bed. I can come and see you tomorrow morning. I don 't have to go to work. It is the. School holidays.I 'm sure you' ll be feeling better in the morning. Perhaps you 'll be able to remember something about today. I hope so.'
I. Hoped so too. We said goodnight and I went to bed. The clock beside my bed showed 12.30. I was, very tired but happy to. Be home. I, was happy too about Susan. I, lay for a short time and thought about her. Yes I remembered, Susan. She was wonderful.
CHAPTER. THREE
.Money Problems
I, woke early about seven o 'clock. I had slept very well.
My head didn' t hurt. I felt much, better. I lay, in bed thinking. Some of my memory had returned. I was pleased about that. But I remembered nothing about my visit. To London or my "accident."
Susan arrived while I was eating breakfast. We had some coffee, Then together.At about nine o 'clock we went to the police station. Susan drove us in her car.
I told my story and a young police-officer. Wrote down the details. This didn 't take very long. There wasn' t much to say.
'I think I was attacked,' I said. 'But I. Don 't think anything was stolen.'
'Can you describe your attacker?' the police - officer asked.
'I' m sorry I T, can ',' I. Replied.'But I can tell you something about him.'
'Or her,' Susan said.
I remembered the strength of Susan 's Judo throw.' Or. Her, 'I said.' Perhaps my attacker was a woman. Anyway she or, he has one ear that is hurt. '
I showed the earring to the. Police-officer. 'There' s blood on the earring, 'I said.' I must have pulled the earring from my attacker 's ear.'
'We LL.' Keep, this Earring'the police - officer said.' It may be useful. 'He put it in a plastic bag.
I signed my report and then we left the police. Station. Next we drove, to my workshop. The workshop was in an old part of the city. There were a lot of jewellery workshops. Here. Some of them were big. Others were small. Mine was very small. It was on the first floor of a dirty old building.A factory was on the ground floor. A, narrow dark wooden staircase, went up to the first floor. I had two roo.
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