Remember My Name Part 5

Elizabeth Sherwood stands glaring at Quentin Morloch having discovered that he's the one that has been terrorising her. Angrily she snaps: "How could you do it, how could you scare me like that?"

Morloch is apologetic: "I'm sorry Miss Sherwood, it's only a few flowers what harm could they do?"

Elizabeth is horrified that Morloch is taking it so lightly and snaps: "What about the phone calls?"

Again Morloch's face reddens: "Yes, well okay I can see how that might have scared you but I lost my nerve. I intended to speak to you I really did but at the last minute I couldn't do it. We haven't seen each other for a few years so I wasn't sure if you'd be interested in seeing me or speaking to me again but when I read your book, I started thinking about you a lot and wondered how you were doing so I wanted to look you up again."

Elizabeth shakes her head in disbelief: "So you wanted to see me but instead you get some strange kid to come to my book signings and you make phone calls where you don't speak. How on earth are you going to know if I want to have contact with you if you don't actually speak to me yourself?"

Morloch tries to explain: "Well the book thing was totally innocent. I just paid some punk to get my book autographed, how was I to know he was some no hoper that would mess it up?"

Elizabeth feels exasperated: "Why on earth couldn't you have just have come to the signing yourself?"

Morloch pulls a face: "Well book signings and all that, it's not very manly is it? I didn't want to be seen at one of those events. I didn't want people to get the wrong idea!"

Elizabeth is stunned: "Wrong idea! You rather me think you were some madman stalker than be seen at a book signing event? I'll have you know that lots of men come to my book signings!"

Morloch laughs a little: "Yes I'm sure you do but I doubt they are.."

Morloch pauses and thinks for a moment before continuing: "...I doubt they are the most sporty of guys are they?"

Elizabeth can't believe what she is hearing: "Mr Morloch in just a brief few moments you managed to remind me of just how infuriating you can be! So after the book signing and the first phone call where you were too afraid to speak, why on earth did you keep on calling?"

Morloch is confused: "What do you mean keep on calling? I only phoned you once and that was the night at the restaurant. I didn't try again?"

Now Elizabeth is confused: "But there were other calls, where you didn't speak and then this morning when you phone Lydia's and said you knew where I was. Didn't you think that would scare me?"

Morloch shakes his head: "Erm Miss Sherwood, I'm sorry but I have no idea what you are talking about. I only called you once and I don't even know where Miss Grant lives and certainly don't have her number. I would never want to scare you, well not intentionally anyway."

Elizabeth stares at him for a long moment wondering if he is telling the truth. Whatever faults Quentin Morloch had he wasn't a liar. In fact some time he could be brutally honest and wouldn't even consider telling a white lie to try and spare someone's feelings. Elizabeth felt confused. She'd been mistaken about Jeffrey and then David and so was begining to doubt her instincts: "So you didn't send me threatening letters and break into my apartment?"

Morloch is outraged: "Miss Sherwood of course I didn't do those things. I just wanted to renew our friendship not scare you half to death. What on earth do you think of me?"

Elizabeth ignores the question and asks one of her own: "Well if it's not you, who has been trying to scare me and making threats?"

Morloch shrugs: "I have no idea but never fear Quentin Morloch is now here and I'll protect you!"

Elizabeth sighs and looks at her watch: "That's very kind of you Mr Morloch but I'm going to be late for an important appointment so I'm afraid I'm going to have to end our little reunion."

Morloch looks disappointed and then has a thought: "Well if you want me to drive you to your appointment I'm happy to help?"

Elizabeth considers the offer. She'd prefer that he just left but she was in a hurry so reluctantly agrees to the offer of help: "Okay, give me five minutes I just need to get changed."

At the School of the Arts, David re-enters the teachers lounge where Lydia and Mrs Berg are sat drinking coffee: "Well I finally got through to my agent but he knows nothing of any meeting today!"

Lydia becomes concerned: "David I'm worried you don't think Elizabeth is walking onto some kind of trap do you?"

David ponders the question for a moment: "Well I'm not sure, didn't you say Pierre was the one that phoned? Are you saying he's the pyscho terrorising Elizabeth?"

Lydia rests her mouth against her hand and wonders: "I'm not sure...."

Mrs Berg interrupts: "Surely it can't be Archie, he may have been a little unruly but he's no killer!"

Both Lydia and David excahnge confused glances and then turn to look at the older woman. Lydia is the first to speak: "Mrs Berg, just who is Archie and what on earth does he have to do with all of this?"

Mrs Berg notices the confused faces looking at her: "Well Archie Wellington is Pierre's real name. Miss Grant don't you remmeber? I saw him the other day at Miss Sherwood's book signing event he was bringing Miss Sherwood her bag that she'd left at the restaurtant. He didn't recognise me because I was in disguise but I recognised him. He's obviously older and has lost some of the weight and thankfully cut his hair and got rid of that silly goatee beard but it's definitely him. I may mislay and forget things all the time but faces I always remember. I have a photogenic memory!"

David smiles at her comment but Lydia is confused with so many questions popping into her head, like why was Mrs Berg in disguse at Elizabeth's book signing event however there was no time to ask any questions or to explain that Mrs Berg meant Photographic and not Photogenic instead she asks: "So I was right Pierre was a student at this school. I thought he seemed vaguely familiar. Mrs Berg would you still have his file?"

Mrs Berg gives a proud smile: "Well of course dear I have files on everyone who has ever attended this school."

Lydia is excited: "Good can I see it please?"

The smile disappears from Mrs Berg's face: "Oh I don't know. Mr Dyrenforth always tells me that I shouldn't let just anybody look at my files as they contain personal information and I could be in breach of some law by sharing that information without people's consent."

Lydia becomes frustrated: "MRS BERG, I'm sure Mr Dyrneforth didn't mean you couldn't show the files to members of the faculty, it would just be members of the public he was concerned about."

Mrs Berg stops and thinks for a moment before answering: "Well.... I.. suppose it would be alright but I'll have to try and remember where I've put it. Hmmm now let me see."

Lydia takes a deep breath and gives a weak smile realising this isn't going to be as easy as she thought.

David asks: "Mrs Berg do you want me to help you look for the file?"

Mrs Berg shakes her head: "Oh Mr Reardon I'm afraid that wouldn't be right. You're no longer a teacher and are therefore a member of the public and Miss Grant has just said I'm not allowed to show the files to members of the public!"

Lydia pulls a face and mutters to herself: "Me and my big mouth! Well Mrs Berg I'll help, come quickly let's get to the office we need to find this file. I need to know if it'll give us any clues."

As she and Mrs Berg get up from their seats to leave the room Lydia looks back: "David you'd better stay here if my assumptions are right I may need your help."

Elizabeth sits in Morloch's car, which is crawling along the streets, trying to keep her cool as she's now late for the meeting: "Mr Morloch do you think we could drive a little faster I'm late."

Morloch is surprised: "Why Miss Sherwood you wouldn't want me to break the law would you? Besides the traffic is really bad today. I'm sure these people will wait for you."

Elizabeth pulls a face: "No Mr Morloch, of course I wouldn't want you to break the law!"

At the School of the Arts Lydia and Mrs Berg search through the files but can not find the one on Archie Wellington. Lydia becomes frustrated: "Are you sure it's here?"

Mrs Berg replies reassuringly: "Of course it it dear, I never throw away any files."

Lydia sighs: "Well don't you have a system for how the files are stored?"

Mrs Berg becomes indignant: "Well of course I do dear!"

Lydia looks at the older woman questioningly: "Well what is it?"

Mrs Berg turns to the dance teacher: "I said I have a system but sadly.... I don't always remember it."

Lydia shakes her head in despair and returns to looking through the files.

Morloch and Elizabeth finally arrive at the restaurant. As Elizabeth grabs her bag and jumps out of the car she thanks Morloch for the ride.

Morloch becomes nervous: "Erm Miss Sherwood before you go, would it be okay to arrange to meet up some time? As I say my whole intention was to reconnect with you."

Elizabeth only half listening agrees: "Sure, sure, that's fine we'll arrange something."

As she turns to leave Morloch calls back after her: "When?"

Elizabeth stops and shrugs: "Mr Morloch I don't have time for this now, why don't you call me sometime and we'll arrange things then."

Morloch nods in agreement but a thought strikes Elizabeth: "On second thoughts maybe I should call you. We don't want any more calls where you're too nervous to speak to me!"

Morloch blushes: "That was one time, are you ever going to let me forget it?"

Elizabeth laughs and hurries off to the restaurant. When she arrives at the main entrance she sees the sign on the door says closed. She pushes the door and discovers that despite the sign the door is actually open. As she steps inside she notices that the restaurant is empty and wonders where everyone is.

After a few moments she remembers there is a function room on the upper level and thinks maybe the meeting up there. As she makes her way through the restaurant to the stairs she calls out: "Hello, is there anybody there?"

There is no reply and Elizabeth makes her way up the stairs to the next floor and enters the function room. She goes inside and finds that is empty too. She looks at her watch she's only 10 minutes late and thinks to herself "Surely no one has left yet."

As she turns round she nearly jumps out of her skin as she sees Pierre behind her standing in the door way. She hadn't heard him come in and his presence surprised her: "Oh Pierre I didn't see you there you startled me!"

Pierre smiles: "Oh I'm very sorry about that Miss Sherwood, my intention certainly wasn't to scare you. Well not yet any way!"

Elizabeth is puzzled by his final comment but chooses to ignore it and asks: "Where is every body, I thought there was a big meeting?"

Pierre continues smiling. The smile is almost fixed in position on his face and it makes Elizabeth feel a little uneasy.

Elizabeth asks again: "Pierre? Where is eveybody?"

This time he replies with a little chuckle: "Oh they can't make it, so it looks like it's just me and you. I thought it was time for us to have a little chat!"

Elizabeth becomes more alarmed: "Look I'm very busy so if there's no meeting then I really must go. I don't know what you mean, have a little chat? What have we got to talk about?"

Pierre's face changes, showing a sad expression: "Oh you don't remember?"

Elizabeth is confused and scared: "Pierre? Remember what?"

Pierre suddenly starts shouting: "How you think you're better than me and how you ruined my life!"

Elizabeth is about to reply that she doesn't know what he's talking about when suddenly a chill descens down her spine and her whole body feels cold. She remembers the words that Pierre used are the same as the ones she'd received in the threatening letter. She anxiously looks for another way out of the room but there is only the doorway that Pierre is blocking.

Elizabeth asks softly: "Did you send that letter to me? Did you break into my appartment?"

Pierre's manic smile returns: "Oh yes I did! And now we are all alone. What is poor Miss Sherwood going to do now? There's no David Reardon to save you this time!"

Elizabeth is anxious: "Look Pierre I don't know what all this is about but I'm sure we can sort it out."

Pierre agrees: "Oh we're going to sort it all out, don't you worry. The only problem is when it's sorted out you won't be here to see it!"

He pulls out a gun and points it at her face: "Now say goodbye Miss Sherwood!"

Elizabeth looks in terror at the gun pointing straight at her.

To be continued.......

Part 6