Last Movement — Joan Aiken

Mike Meiklejohn, an aspiring English stage designer, brings her mother to Greece to recuperate from an accident, there she becomes a hostage as police close in on a murderer.

She had to wait a moment or two, then the door was puller open very suddenly. Dikran stood there. She felt immediately that there was something wrong about him, though she could not have defined precisely what was the matter…

He said at once, ”I'm all mixed up! What's happened this morning? I can't remember anything?...

Julia was swamped at once by a flood of terror. So this is what been in waiting!...

“I think you ought to see a doctor, darling”

“No. No, I don't want any doctor messing about with me!”

He cried out in a wild panic. “Only tell me what's happened. I'm all mixed up…”

Julia looked at the gilt telephone… She was really terrified…but if she tried to phone for a doctor, he might physically harm her…

“Come into the bathroom and get changed,” Julia urged, endeavoring to hide her fear under the most soothing, matter-of-fact tone she could muster…As soon as she saw him thoroughly engaged in this operation, she flew back to the other room…

Picking up the phone, she carried it to then length of its cord, out through the french doors, onto the balcony. Down below, the turquoise sea sparkled and bounced…Beyond the blue sea floated the coast of Turkey, mysterious and shadowy…Everything was just at it had been half an hour before… from The Last movement