True to her plan, Mrs. Oliver rose early, partook of two cups of tea and a boiled egg and started out on her quest. Once more she arrived in the vicinity of Borodene Mansions. She wondered whether she might be getting a bit well known there, so this time she did not enter the courtyard, but skulked around either one entrance to it or the other, scanning the various people who were turning out into the morning drizzle to trot off on their way to work.
They were mostly girls, and looked deceptively alike. How extraordinary human beings were when you considered them like this, emerging purposefully from these large tall buildings — just like anthills, thought Mrs. Oliver. One had never considered an anthill properly, she decided.
It always looked so aimless, as one disturbed it with the toe of a shoe. All those little things rushing about with bits of grass in their mouths, streaming along industriously, worried, anxious, looking as though they were running to and fro and going nowhere, but presumably they were just as well organised as these human beings here. That man, for instance, who had just passed her. Scurrying along, muttering to himself. “I wonder what’s upsetting you^ thought Mrs. Oliver. She walked up and down a little more, then she drew back suddenly.
Claudia Reece-Holland came out of the entrance way walking at a brisk businesslike pace. As before, she looked very well turned out. Mrs. Oliver turned away so that she should not be recognised. Once she had allowed Claudia to get a sufficient distance ahead of her, she wheeled round again and followed in her tracks. Claudia Reece-Holland came to the end of the street and turned right into a main thoroughfare.
She came to a bus stop and joined the queue. Mrs. Oliver, still following her, felt a momentary uneasiness. Supposing Claudia should turn round, look at her, recognise her? All Mrs. Oliver could think of was to do several protracted but noiseless blows of the nose. But Claudia ReeceHolland seemed totally absorbed in her own thoughts. She looked at none of her fellow waiters for buses. Mrs. Oliver was about third in the queue behind her. Finally the right bus came and there was a surge forward. Claudia got on the bus and went straight up to the top. Mrs. Oliver got inside and was able to get a seat close to the door as the uncomfortable third person.
When the conductor came round for fares Mrs. Oliver pressed a reckless one and sixpence into his hand. After all, she had no idea by what route the bus went or indeed how far the distance was to what the cleaning woman had described vaguely as “one of those new buildings by St.
Paul’s”. She was on the alert and ready when the venerable dome was at last sighted. Any time now, she thought to herself and fixed a steady eye on those who descended from the platform above. Ah yes, there came Claudia, neat and chic in her smart suit. She got off the bus. Mrs.
Oliver followed her in due course and kept at a nicely calculated distance.
“Very interesting,” thought Mrs. Oliver. “Here I am actually trailing someone! Just like in my books. And, what’s more, I must be doing it very well because she hasn’t the least idea.” Claudia Reece-Holland, indeed, looked very much absorbed in her own thoughts.
“That’s a very capable looking girl,” thought Mrs. Oliver, as indeed she had thought before. “If I was thinking of having a go at guessing a murderer, a good capable murderer, I’d choose someone very like her.” Unfortunately, nobody had been murdered yet, that is to say, unless the girl Norma had been entirely right in her assumption that she herself had committed a murder.
This part of London seemed to have suffered or profited from a large amount of building in the recent years. Enormous skyscrapers, most of which Mrs. Oliver thought very hideous, mounted to the sky with a square matchbox-like air.
Claudia turned into a building. “Now I shall find out exactly,” thought Mrs.
Oliver and turned into it after her. Four lifts appeared to be all going up and down with frantic haste. This, Mrs. Oliver thought, was going to be more difficult. However, they were of a very large size and by getting into Claudia’s one at the last minute Mrs. Oliver was able to interpose large masses of tall men between herself and the figure she was following.