Page 47 of Be More Octopus

When they got up this morning, there was still no sign of the stalker. Jack seemed more relaxed, but he'd made her promise to ring the police straightaway if she suspected anyone was following her.

There was a knock at the door.

It was too early for Jack to be back. And he had a key, so why would he be knocking? What if it was the stalker? Perhaps she should ignore it.

Another knock, several, in fact. More insistent this time. Whoever was trying to attract her attention was irritated. Hopefully, it was just a neighbour, as anyone else would have been ringing the bell downstairs. Or the stalker had somehow got in. She couldn't relax now.

Em got out of the bath, grabbed the huge towel, and wrapped it around herself. What if it was the stalker? She picked up her phone from the bedside table in case she needed to dial 999. She tentatively went out into the hallway and peered through the spy hole in the front door. A 30-something woman was standing in the corridor. She was slim, stylish and expensively dressed. Definitely not the stalker, and unlikely to be an axe murderer.

Em opened the door slightly, conscious she was naked under the towel.

'Hello?'

'Where's Jack?' The voice was upper class but harsh. The woman was the same height as Em but somehow managed to give the impression she was looking down her nose at her.

It suddenly dawned on Em who this woman was. The long blonde hair had thrown her. But if she imagined her with a mid-brown messy updo, she would be a match for the woman in Jack's wedding photo - Isabella. Em needed to buy time to work out what to do. 'Jack?'

'Yes, Professor Carver. I was told he was here.'

'Who told you that?'

'A friend.'

'Well, it's just me here.' It wasn't a lie. Jack was currently several streets away.

'And how long have you been here?' Isabella was looking her up and down disapprovingly.

Em ignored the question. 'My bath's getting cold. I'm sorry I can't help.' Em started to shut the door, but Isabella's reflexes were quick. She pressed her hand on the outside of the door and put her foot in the gap.

'I'm coming in.'

'No, you're not.' Em pushed back on the door, determined not to let Isabella into the flat.

'I want to see my husband.'

'But he's not here, so you need to leave NOW, or I will call the police.' Em pushed harder on the door, briefly trapping Isabella's foot before the pressure forced her to pull it away.

'How dare you,' Isabella shouted from the landing. 'I'll be suing you for grievous bodily harm. Tell Jack to phone me.'

Say nothing. Em leaned her back against the other side of the door listening for sounds of movement. There was no noise except the pounding of her heart for a few seconds then she heard the tap tap tap of Isabella's stilettos clipping along the tiled landing floor. They sounded regular. No damage to Isabella's foot then.

It seemed to take forever for the sound of Isabella's footsteps to die away. Had she really gone? Em wouldn't put it past her to have sneaked back barefoot. Em turned around and tentatively looked through the spy hole. All she could see was the empty hallway. She slipped the bolts across the door to be extra sure, then texted Jack.

CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE

'How has Isabella found out where I am? It must be the stalker. I guess he's a private detective.' Jack was sitting on the sofa in Nancy's apartment, looking shell-shocked.

'But how did she get through the communal front door?' Em asked

'That's easy. You can tailgate someone. Or press a few doorbells, say you're delivering something, and some helpful soul will let you in. I did it myself to surprise Mark when he lived here years ago.'

'Could Isabella have seen you at your flat yesterday?'

'I was only there long enough to pick up the post and check if the place was ok. I couldn't have been inside for more than 10 minutes. Unless she's got someone staking the place out 24/7?'

'Is that what our stalker was for?'

'But we shook him off before we got back here.'