A Running Jump — Gerald Hammond

Polly Turnbull is fed up with her mother's succession of dubious lovers, and when the latest one shows more interest in the daughter than the mother, she decides enough is enough. But running away without money, prospects or a clear idea of what to do next, Polly soon finds herself in trouble. Fortuitously rescued by TV wrestler, Darryl Davidson, Polly helps him out in return by agreeing to work part-time as a cleaner at his gym, gaining confidence, friendship and a sense of purpose at the same time. Then events take a turn for the worse...

An elderly man is brutally murdered in a nearby fiat. Polly witnesses a shadowy figure in the gymnasium late at night. And in recovering stolen money from a local thug, she unwittingly takes the one piece of property several people have already killed for ... and will again.