Leonora Davidson heard the shouting and leapt from her bed. She pulled on her dressing gown and slippers and looked out of her bedroom window. She saw the body of a man lying at the bottom of the small rise, underneath the lamp post. She could see the two youths running away. One of them, in a leather coat, was dragging his friend along. She gritted her teeth. No one was safe these days. It was obvious the poor man had been mugged! She walked from her flat, picking up her door keys as she went, and ran down to where a small crowd had gathered around the injured man.

‘What happened, Fred?’ Her breath steamed in the cold night air. She shivered.

‘Little buggers want slaughtering. Mugged this poor old bastard as he walked by!’

George still lay on the ground, quite enjoying all the attention.

‘Oh, you poor thing.’ Leonora’s voice was filled with pity. ‘I called the police. They’ll be here in a minute.’

George’s ears flapped at the word ‘police’. He was up off the ground and brushing himself down in record time.

‘Really, there’s no need for the police. They’ll never catch them anyway. And I’m in a hurry.’

He began to walk away from the small gathering.

‘But if you saw them you could give a description like.’ Fred’s voice was cajoling.

George was shaking his bald head. He was aware that he had lost his hat somewhere along the line. He looked around for it frantically.

Leonora walked over to him.

‘You’ve had a terrible shock. Shall I make you a nice cup of tea?’

George could not believe what she was saying. She was inviting him into her home. If it had not been for her he would not be in this condition. The stupid whore!

‘It’s perfectly all right. I just want to get home.’

His voice held its usual meekness and he saw her smile at him pityingly.

A police car sped around the corner of the flats and screeched to a halt by the little crowd. George put his hand over his face in dismay. This was all he needed.

‘All right, all right. Calm down. What happened?’

Everyone started talking at once.

Sergeant Harris’s voice boomed out and George guessed it would wake up any of the residents who were not already up.

Sergeant Harris looked at Leonora.

‘What happened, love?’

‘This poor man was mugged. Right here.’ She pointed to George who was trying to creep away.

The sergeant looked at him, bewildered.

‘Where are you going?’

‘I . . . I really must get home. My wife will be worried . . .’

Harris smiled at him. In shock, he thought to himself.

‘Come on, sir. Come to the station and we can get this all sorted out in no time.’

‘NO!’ George was amazed at the sound of his own voice. ‘I . . . I . . . Oh, leave me alone!’