53- Not Knowing What's Round The Corner

Since I've been pursuing agents and researching the whole area of getting books published in UK and USA, I've connected with some really interesting people. In fact, one of them (John Hunt) popped in today and, out of that conversation, I've become a publisher, managing one if the imprints (subsidiaries) of O Books (http://www.o-books.com/) - a new imprint to publish business books.

So, if you know anyone who has written a great manuscript about some aspect of business - accounting, marketing, business recovery, leadership, sustainable business etc etc - tell them to contact me and I'll see what we can do. Like me, you never know where it will lead you to!

And now back to Mary's story, continued from the previous blog …

"I am not, I repeat, I am not clambering up any steps, young lady," said Mary interrupting and feeling terrified at the thought of the exertion required to attain those giddy heights. "If I was meant to climb things I would have had crampons for toes. I don't."

"Ah you party poopers!" said Halee skipping up to the bottom of the stairs. "I'll wait till you get in your stuffy lift and then I'll race you to the fifth floor. Quick, here it is!"

The crazy young girl fled up the stairs as Ahmed and Mary took the sensible route, not wasting the technological advances brought to this century. Mary wondered if her health would be better served by a few flights of stairs, from time to time, and she rather envied Halee's energy and unconcern for appearances. Oh well, she though, she'll ponder it from the comfort of a quiet lift and a nice glass of wine at the top. Mary was thankful for Ahmed's silence as she could ponder … well, everything, really - Sam, night-time chases, gentle and bossy Muslim manners, Sam, childish exuberance, Sam, Angus, New Zealand visitors, Sam … the doors started to open and Mary hadn't realised the lift had stopped - another technological marvel - and there stood a panting Halee on the threshold.

"So you beat us …" said Ahmed, smiling.

"Shh, they're here, they're ruddy well coming," whispered Halee quickly.

"Who's coming?" asked Mary, her mind still not unwinding from thoughts of Sam.

"Shhh!" whispered Halee urgently, leaping into the lift and looking around frantically. "How do we get back down in this thing?"

"But they can't be here …" said Ahmed, his usual calm disappearing into lopsidedness again.

"Shut up will ya! They'll hear you!" whispered Halee urgently. "They're following me up. Where's the ruddy down button in this fangled thing? Now!"

Ahmed, stunned by her language and panic, pressed the button for the first floor. As the doors closed they could hear the clattering of shoes coming up the marble stairway, towards them.

"Are we headed for the bottom? We need to get out there!" said Halee, leaning back against the elevator wall, catching her breath.

"I have a friend on the first floor," said Ahmed. "We'll sneak in there."

"They found us in this building, mate, so they'll find us anywhere in it," said Halee, grabbing Ahmed by the lapels. "This is real, Ahmed, don't you get that? They're in here, now, after us."

"And so is my plan very real," said Ahmed, gently taking Halee's hands off him as the doors opened onto the first floor.

"Okay, stop a sec. Keep the doors open and see where they go now," suggested Halee quietly.

"We need to get out and into Mohammed's apartment," said Ahmed quietly, about to step out, with his guiding hand on Mary's shoulder.

"See, they're coming down again! They're like bloody homing pigeons!" whispered Halee.

"Mary, what's this?" asked Ahmed, his poise gone. He leapt back into the elevator, pulled the women in with him and pushed the button for his floor. In his hand was a black, circular plastic thing. "This was stuck on your coat, Mary. Do you think it's a device … I don't know, for following us?"

"Oh hell!" said Mary, suddenly feeling overwhelmed and out of control.

"Well, if it is, leave it here, we get out at the fifth and we send it back to the bottom," said Halee. "They'll follow it back down."

"And pick it up and know we're still in the building," said Mary, feeling her neurons starting up again.

"Yes, good one," said Halee, smiling and scratching her head. "So we go back down, leave it in here, send it back up and we scarper …"

"What if one of them is waiting at the bottom?" asked Ahmed, adding his chilling thought as the doors started to open again on the fifth floor. He pushed the ground floor button, threw the thing out onto the fifth floor landing as the doors closed and they descended again.

"Ahmed, we need to work this out together …" said Mary, as she felt control slipping away again.

"I'm sorry Miss Collins, but I didn't think we had time," said Ahmed, looking embarrassed.

"Okay, no time to discuss. You're right, Ahmed," said Mary, smiling. "So we tear out of this lift, hope there's no one at the bottom, shoot him if he is and then get out of here?"

"Shoot someone?" asked Ahmed, looking aghast.

"Just joking, Ahmed," said Mary, laughing to cover her dread. "Point and pretend to shoot … I don't know … get out of here and then what?"

"What if there's others outside?" asked Ahmed, measuring possibilities as the lift doors opened at the second floor and a couple entered, obviously dressed for a party in a smarter part of London. They giggled at each other, oblivious to the conspiring and panicking threesome. Mary was inwardly cursing the giggling couple in front of her, barring a quick getaway, but was soon thankful. As the doors opened on the ground, a brown, tattooed arm reached in and grabbed the incredulous couple.

"Got ya now, ya bastards!" said the stocky, dark, curly-headed man attached to the arm. "Get out here and give us our stuff, will ya!"

Our Terrified Three were momentarily stunned, unsure what to do next. The problem was solved by the party-going man who reacted quickly and efficiently, ramming his attacker against the wall with quiet fury.

"C'mon!" whispered Halee, leaping from the lift and towards the huge entrance doors. Mary and Ahmed reacted on instinct, as if they were chained to Halee, and fled as they heard a clatter and curses coming down the marble stairs.

"Don't bloody move! Not one inch!" yelled the taller blond man, leaping down stairs, three at a time. Halee struggled with the mechanism of the door which was designed to open with dignity and grace.

As the brown man slid to the floor with blood on his face, the blonde one hesitated between helping his friend and pursuing his quarry, now so close.