Rosanna closed the front door and stood in the entry hall of Reith Mansions, listening for the sound of Ian Dale’s BMW pulling away from the kerb. Peeking through the letter box, to make sure that her unwelcome suitor had finally gone, she let out a drunken squeak of triumph. ‘Good riddance, you odious little man,’ she cackled. ‘Let’s see how you talk your way out of that one when you get home.’ Taking her mobile from her jacket pocket, she pulled up Erica Dale’s number on the screen. For a few moments, her finger hovered over the call button, before she thought better of it. ‘You’ve had enough excitement for one day, girl,’ she mumbled to herself. ‘Time for some sleep.’
Recalling vaguely that the building’s lift was out of order, Rosanna slowly staggered up two flights of stairs. Swaying slightly in front of the door to her flat, she began rummaging through her bag in search of her keys. When they were not immediately forthcoming, she tipped the bag upside down, emptying the contents on to the carpet in the corridor. What a pile of crap, she thought. I really must sort it out. Falling to her knees, she began sifting through the debris.
‘Hurrah!’ Grabbing the keys, she slowly struggled back to her feet. Reaching for the lock, it took her another moment to realise that she was not alone. She made a face as her pickled brain tried to process this information.
‘What are you doing here?’ she asked, not looking up. ‘It’s late and I’ve got work in the morning. Plus, I don’t feel well.’ She tried to insert the key in the lock and missed. When she tried again, it fell back to the floor. ‘Shit!’ She bent down and felt woozy.
Then she felt a firm hand on her collar, pulling her backwards. ‘Hey!’ Rosanna tried to stand upright, but her legs buckled. Her stomach surged and she thought she was going to be sick again. She half-fell away from the door, tottering back towards the stairs. One of her shoes came off and she felt the ground disappear from beneath her. The same hand reached out towards her, but she couldn’t grab hold of it as she started bouncing backwards down the stairs.