Troubled Legacy

`In yer go,' he said, `do yer stuff then. I'll be right behind yer.'

Natalie walked hesitantly through the door and towards Simon, who smiled broadly at her. As she reached her chair she glanced back over her shoulder. To her horror Barry had followed her into the restaurant and was pulling out a chair from under a table on the opposite side of the room from where he would be able to see her, but she would not be able to see him without turning right round.

`I thought you weren't coming back,' said Simon, still smiling, `your coffee's probably cold by now.'

Natalie sat rigid in her chair, trying frantically to think of her next move.

`Are you all right?' asked Simon, noticing her glazed expression.

Summoning all her courage, Natalie forced herself to smile and meet his gaze. She reached out across the table and rested two fingers on the back of his hand.

`Whatever you do, please, please, keep smiling', she said, `we're both in serious danger. I'll tell you about it, but please don't look over my shoulder when I start, just look as if we're happily chatting, please, Simon, I'm scared and so should you be. Please help me. Nod your head if you understand.'

Feeling the girl's hand trembling on the back of his own, Simon slowly nodded his head once, forcing himself to smile. `Danger' there was that word again. He had no comprehension of what was actually going on, but some kind of sixth sense sent a shiver down his spine. Samantha was clearly very frightened of something.

`There's a man sitting behind me,' Natalie continued, `who's planning to hurt us both.' She decided to deliberately understate the threat, thinking that to tell him that they were both intended to become murder victims might sound too melodramatic. `He's watching me and if I don't do exactly what I'm told he'll hurt me.'

`OK, I see him,' said Simon, `so what do you have to do?'

`I'll tell you later,' she replied, playing for time to come up with a plausible story. She had decided that she needed to get Simon to come to her room and then find an excuse to leave him on his own while she made herself scarce. `For now can you just get the bill?'

Perplexed, Simon agreed, once again nodding his head.

`Oh, thank you,' whispered Natalie, `please could you just do what I ask for the next ten minutes or so, please?'

`OK,' replied Simon, `you're the boss,' uncertain as to whether Samantha was neurotic or genuinely in trouble, he acquiesced. There was also the disturbing thought at the back of his mind that, in the light of what he had learned that afternoon, he might be in some way the cause of her predicament.

The waiter duly appeared and Simon asked for the bill.

`Keep talking,' said Natalie.

Simon spoke quietly, but rather incoherently about how he would do his best to help and asked what she wanted him to do next.

`Look,' she replied, `I'm not exactly sure, but just follow my lead and do what I say, OK?'

They were interrupted by the return of the waiter. Simon signed the bill and asked it to be charged to his room. The waiter left. Natalie took a deep breath.

`Simon, I'm going to stand up in a minute. I want you to stand up as well and hold my hand. Then we're going to walk out of here, into the lift and go to my room.'

Her tone left no opening for a flippant reply and, all of a sudden, her cold fear transmitted itself to Simon. He reached across the table and squeezed her hand gently.