Page 51 of First Blood

He pulled up alongside it, his bonnet almost touching the gate.

‘Not sure it’s worth waiting for someone to slip out of here,’ he observed, referring to their method of entry into the block of flats earlier.

Bryant pressed the buzzer, which was answered with a very deep manly ‘yes’.

Bryant introduced them both for what felt like the hundredth time that day.

‘Please hold your identification up to the windscreen.’

Bryant fished in his pocket and held it up, as requested.

Kim leaned forward trying to spot the camera.

‘Both of you, please,’ said the voice.

Kim glanced at Bryant as she followed suit, feeling like the camera was somewhere in the car.

‘You have six seconds to drive through,’ the voice instructed as the gates began to open inwards.

‘Bloody hell, what are they guarding in here?’ Bryant asked, foot on the accelerator ready to zoom through.

‘Vulnerable women,’ Kim answered, not unhappy with the safety precautions.

The timer on the gate was to prevent any forceful and determined husbands or partners tailgating into the premises.

Bryant drove around a sturdy oak tree that obscured the building from the gate.

The space out front was not as sizeable as she’d expected and the Victorian house was no more than fifty feet from the gate.

Bryant struggled to find space to park amongst the cars and electricians vans already crammed into the small space. He parked between a Mondeo Estate and a silver Mercedes, which Kim suspected belonged to Marianne herself. Kim didn’t begrudge it. The woman had earned it.

Bryant lifted and dropped the heavy door knocker twice.

The door was answered by a man to whom they both had to look up. His girth filled the doorway. He wore black trousers, a navy jumper and an SIA security licence on a lanyard around his neck.

She peered at the identification and saw that the voice on the intercom belonged to a brick shithouse of a man called Jason, which didn’t suit the bearded guy one bit.

‘May I help you?’ he asked, pleasantly.

‘We’d like to speak to Marianne Forbes if she’s free.’

‘I’m sorry but she’s unavailable right now.’

‘It’s about her uncle who…’

‘It’s okay, Jay, you can let them in,’ called a voice from the right-hand side of the door.

He stepped aside, and Kim saw that there were two rooms, one on either side of the front door, before a door to the rest of the house could be accessed.

Office to the right. Security room to the left. Both looking out of the front of the house.

Gatekeepers, Kim thought. Again, not unhappy that these women’s safety was taken so seriously.

‘Please, come in,’ Marianne said, standing.

Kim noted that she looked just as polished as she had for the newspaper article.

The woman was in her late forties with straw blonde hair pulled back into a simple, tight ponytail with no stray hairs that Kim could see. Just a touch of make-up accented the piercing blue eyes, and high cheekbones. Simple stud earrings adorned her ears and a plain thin chain around her neck was all the jewellery she could see besides a man’s watch with an oversize face.