Susie Learns the Hard Way by Roger Quine

through the doorway, closing it softly behind her until the lock clicked home.
    To her left was an open door to the bathroom. It looked as though this flat was identical in layout to her own; she already knew the bedroom was directly above hers. That meant the kitchen was to her right and the second door led into the lounge. The curtains were still drawn but she could see the big television at the far end of the room, with three armchairs circled around it. Apart from some scattered cans and crisp packets, there was nothing else in the room at all.
    The door at the far end of the hallway led into the bedroom, she knew, and though she’d been expecting to uncover her evidence in there, she hadn’t expected the rest of the house to be so bare.
    The bedroom door was closed, and she paused, stupidly wondering if she should knock. Her heart already was, hammering inside her chest. Taking the handle firmly in her fingers, she gave it a twist, and the door opened onto the half light forcing its way round the edges of the curtains, still drawn, like those in the lounge.
    As she stepped inside the door swung silently shut, powered by a large spring; obviously this was a room in which privacy was necessary.
    It was oddly dark, but her eyes were accustomed to the artificial twilight, and she saw the big double bed was neatly made, pillows plumped and sheets straight.
    The dressing table was bare; not a pot nor a tube, no tweezers, brushes or combs. No woman still lived in this room, Susie knew at once. The wardrobe was bare as well, empty wire hangers, crumpled plastic bags from the dry-cleaners, no more.
    There was a chest of drawers, waist-high, where you might keep knickers and jumpers. The top drawer was open an inch, and it looked empty. She tugged the handles and it made a creaking sound as it pulled back.
    The loud bang that followed it came from outside in the hallway.
    It banged again. The unmistakable bang of someone knocking on the front door of the flat!
    She froze, holding her breath, waiting for whoever it was to go away. There was a long pause, followed by a scraping sound and then the thud of the front door swinging open on its hinges and bumping the wall. Then there were more bumping noises and rustling too. Someone was coming through the front door!
    For a moment she almost screamed. Then she almost fainted. Cold fear iced her spine. Hot flushes seared her groin. Her hands trembled, her breath gasped. She spun round, looking for another way out, but she knew there wasn’t one. She knew she could open the window and knew equally well she could never jump to the ground. She’d been afraid of heights since she was a child. And anyway, she’d only break a leg or her neck on the solid concrete below.
    Out in the hallway she heard a voice – a man’s voice. Even her last hope, that it would be the woman who lived here, had been snatched away. It was him! The slaver! The man who kidnapped women and sold them to the Arabs!
    But wait a minute. Who was he speaking to? And who was that answering?
    It was another man! There were two of them! Now Susie was certain she was in deadly danger. Little whimpering gasps came from the back of her throat. Maybe they wouldn’t bother selling her to the Arabs. Maybe they’d just kill her! Or worse. But there was nothing worse than being killed, was there? She hoped not.
    She crossed to the window, but one look confirmed what she already knew. It was too high to jump, even if she had been brave enough, and there was no handy drainpipe or overhanging branch like there always is in films. She was trapped!
    She looked around the room, searching for somewhere to hide. The wardrobe!
    But it was a cheap piece of chipboard, hardly big enough to get in. And anyone opening the door couldn’t fail to see her.
    Under the bed!
    It was an old-fashioned ironwork affair, with a mattress on springs, and tall legs. Lots of room underneath, but it was hardly a place of