The pathway was dark outside and in a flash, as she stepped away from the door, she knew she wasn't alone. The main road was just yards away. Once there she would be highly visible. It was her only option and she took it at speed.

Half way there she realised she'd got it wrong. An arm descended across her throat and Ferret Face snarled viciously into her ear.

"Yell out and you're dead."

The gun felt cold against her throat. Through a gap between the buildings, she could see a car standing with its engine running. Pasty Face was at the wheel. Her heart plummeted and she began to tremble again.

He moved her up the alleyway. Even against her passive resistance, he made rapid progress. Incredibly, Sarah found herself weighing up whether it might be better to die fighting now or later. In an instant she made her decision. She was just preparing herself when the grip around her neck suddenly relaxed and she felt Ferret face slump to the ground behind her.

A young man with fair curly hair smiled at her warmly. He was wearing a brown leather bomber jacket and jeans and carried a heavy piece of wood in his hand. It was this that had stopped Ferret face in his tracks.

"You look as if you need some help. I've got a car over there if you would like to get away from all of this," he said courteously.

She didn't want to have to explain why she was in the office block to the Fire Officers. His action with Ferret Face branded him as a friend rather than foe. Gratefully she nodded her head in agreement.

Quickly he guided her out of the side door and into the low slung expensive looking red sports car that was parked outside.

"You seemed to be having some fun there", he said, as he expertly manipulated the steering wheel and sent the Ferrari growling past the new housing estates in what she thought was probably the London direction.

He looked tired. But the grin he gave her as he ran his fingers through his thick fair hair to keep himself awake as he drove, was engaging.

Sarah flipped down the mirror in front of her, wished she hadn't then set to work to repair the mess of her face and hair. She still wasn't sure how much to trust this young man but at least he could provide a lift to somewhere convenient and then at long last she could get off home. She was still shaking but was determined to keep in control.

"Who are you and what is it you want from me", she said curtly. He glanced sideways at her.

"My name is Tim Cruikshank. Who I work for doesn't matter just now."

"Is there no end to this?" thought Sarah.

"I was keeping an eye on the boy you know as Terry when you visited him and then I noticed the other man followed you." He looked at her appraisingly.

"They were crazy people", said Sarah tersely, "they seemed to want information from me about people I'm supposed to work for. I don't know anything about anything except that he's just lost me my job through a computer malfunction where I used to work. They didn't want to believe me and were being very unpleasant." She shuddered at the thought of the treatment she had so narrowly avoided.

"However, they are gone now and there's no reason why I should ever see them again, thank goodness". He seemed to accept her explanation - or did not think it was important to enquire further.

"One thing that puzzles me", continued Sarah, "is how you knew where to find me. You weren't on the train".