She stood out from the crowd because of her dazzling white blazer. But that was a secondary reason, she stood out because of the bloodstain on her sleeve. As more and more people noticed her state, a circle of onlookers began to grow around her. A man asked if she was okay, if she needed help. Semi-dazed, she shook her head. She spotted a policeman approaching and broke into a run. The policeman began to run too.
The railway station concourse was busy, offering plenty of opportunities to lose a tail or find a place to hide. The blood stain made things difficult. She must have looked like a mad woman but she had to get away. She needed time to gather her thoughts, to think things through before talking to anyone. Somebody would find her bag and discover her name and address. She remembered some blood on the outside of the bag. It wouldn’t be long. She had to get away. An exit door slid open and she ran into the street, pausing to look left and right, trying to decide on the best option. Passers-by were either too engrossed in their gadgets or oblivious, thanks to headphones, to notice this unusual sight but a young man stopped her.
He looked at the stained sleeve and then into her eyes. He said nothing. She said nothing. Then he hugged her. He took off his leather jerkin and helped her put it on over her blazer.
The policeman emerged through the side exit door and looked up and down the street but there was no sign of a girl with a bloody sleeve. He looked at the passers-by. Nothing obvious. He looked at the young couple hugging each other before one of them caught a train. He thought the young woman must have been boiling in her thick jacket on this humid morning, but that was not important at that moment. He stroked his chin and went back inside the station, talking on his radio. The young couple started walking down the street, increasing speed gradually until they were far away from the station.
In a café, the young woman held a coffee mug in both hands and sipped infrequently. The young man kept looking at her but her eyes were gazing down at the table top. After a few minutes, she put down the mug and looked up. "She’s dead. I did it the way you told me. She’s gone. But I left my bag behind. I panicked. My address and everything is in it. How stupid. I just panicked. Help me."
The young man stood up. “It’s a pity,” he said. “We would have had a great life. But I knew I’d need a back-up plan. I have to get to the airport. I have a flight booked.”
She looked at him hopefully.
He pursed his lips, looked her straight in the eyes and said:
"One ticket."
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