'I want to have a look in an upstairs bedroom at 12 Oakwood Avenue,' Terry told Gor-don. 'And you can help me.'
"How can I help you?' asked Gordon.
'You're in charge of street lighting mainte nance, aren't you?'
'Yes, I am,' said Gordon.
'Well, the street lights in Oakwood Avenue are not working. I was walking down there last night and it was very dark. It's dangerous. Some one will fall in the dark and get hurt. I think you should go there and have a look at the street lights.'
'And you want to go up in the inspection cradle to have a look at them too,' said Gordon with a laugh. 'Only council workers are allowed to go up in the inspection cradle, you know.'
'Give me a council worker's jacket and a safety helmet. No one will know I am not a coun cil worker.'
At half past eight on Tuesday morning, Gordon drove the maintenance lorry out onto the street. Terry was sitting beside him in the lorry.
He was wearing a council worker's jacket and a yellow safety helmet. When they got to Oakwood Avenue, Terry climbed onto the back of the lorry.
He got into the inspection cradle. He carefully raised the cradle up to the top of the first lamp-post. Terry pretended to look at the street light and then spoke on his radio.
'All OK. Move onto the next lamp post.'
The third lamp post was opposite the garden gate of Number 12. Terry spoke again into the radio.
There is something wrong with this lamp.
I'm going to have a closer look.'
Terry moved the cradle over the front garden. It came nearer and nearer to the top floor of Number 12. Terry was able to look into the front bedroom.
Yes, Sheila was right. There was someone in the bed. It looked like a woman. And it looked as if she was dead. Terry got near enough to knock on the window. The woman wasn't dead.
She sat up slowly in the bed and looked at Terry.
Then she held her hands together as if she was praying. Terry knew she was asking him to help her.
Suddenly Terry looked down. Mr Jones had come out of the front door. Terry moved the cradle away from the bedroom.
Gordon drove the lorry slowly down to the next lamp post. Mr Jones came out onto the road and turned away from the lorry. Mr Jones was carrying a small suitcase. Was he leaving town?
Was he leaving the woman to die in the bedroom? Or was someone in the house with her?
When Mr Jones had gone round the corner of Oakwood Avenue, Terry spoke again into the radio. He told Gordon to drive back slowly to Number 12. He moved the cradle close up beside the window. There was a white face at the window. It was the woman. She had got out of bed and was standing at the window. She was trying to open the window, but it would not open.
Terry tried to open the window from the outside, but it was locked. He suddenly had an idea. There were some pieces of paper lying in the cradle. He quickly wrote a message in large
letters.
ARE YOU IN TROUBLE? DO YOU WANT HELP?
The woman nodded her head up and down.
Yes, she was in trouble. Yes, she wanted help.
Suddenly she waved her hands. She wanted Terry to go away. Someone was coming into the room. Terry moved the cradle away from the house.
Then he asked Gordon to drive the lorry out of Oakwood Avenue and round into Manor Park Road. They drove down Manor Park Road until they were opposite the back of 12 Oakwood Avenue. Terry again raised the inspection cradle high in the sky so that he could look into the garden of Number 12.
Yes. Tom Matthews had been right. There was a deep hole at the edge of some bushes. It was a grave and someone was going to be buried in it!
The Lonely Laday
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