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CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO - Ponygirl Parade

The same day… the evening of Monday 17th April…

6:15 pm

Tracy slowed down her car outside a big house in a quiet tree-lined back street of London suburbia and looked for a place to park. The house in question belonged to a certain Dr. Walter Henderson, and she was responding to an invite to attend a ponygirl rally organised by a Ponygirl Club from the Midlands.
Chloe was by Tracy’s side in the passenger seat. The driveway to the house was packed with cars, as was the tree-lined avenue outside, and there were only a few parking spaces available against the curb. It was obvious that the ponygirl rally was well attended.
“Looks like there’s a lot of people come down from the Midlands for the evening,” remarked Tracy as she manoeuvred her way into a narrow gap between two parked cars.
She did not park neatly and ended up with one wheel on the pavement. In the end she decided it was the best she could do and left it at that.
Once parked, even though a little erratic, Tracy and Chloe got out of the car and walked down the road to the house. As they did so they could hear merriment coming from the other side of the big house. The weather was fine, the sun was shining, and the temperature pleasant for the time of year. It seemed like a good evening to be outdoors. Knowing they were a little late - the rally was due to start some fifteen minutes earlier - the girls strode quickly down the gravel drive. They rounded the large double garage to see a gathering of about fifty people amassed on the terrace.
Chloe, who had been a frequent visitor to Walter’s BDSM club in the past, turned to Tracy and spoke: “I don’t recognise anyone Tracy. They must all be from the visiting ponygirl club.”
Tracy, who had only ever attended one BDSM club meeting in her life, did not know many members anyway. She simply nodded acknowledgement and looked around at the milling crowd.
“I can’t see Walter either,” she added.
As she spoke Walter stepped out from the kitchen door and onto the crowded terrace. There was another man with him and they were deep in conversation.
“Ah!… there’s Walter now,” said Chloe pointing.
The two girls jostled their way through the crowd to Walter.
 Walter remained in conversation with the gentleman that accompanied him onto the terrace. Chloe recognised this other man. She had met him once before and knew him to be one of Walter’s friends. She also knew him to be a doctor, or at least someone with medical experience. This man had treated Gayle for a black eye after having that little accident with the collapsed chair on the terrace.
The two girls came to stand alongside Walter. He was still in conversation, so rather than be rude and interrupt, they waited to catch Walter’s eye. In the meantime Tracy raised an eyebrow at the uncanny likeness of this man. She knew it not to be Dr. Gabriel Lang, there were slight differences, but this could quite easily be his twin brother.
As the conversation between the two men ended, Walter turned to the two girls stood by his side.
“Ah!… Tracy… Chloe,” he remarked, “I’m so glad you could make it… let me introduce you to the Secretary of the visiting Ponygirl Club… this is Michael… Michael Lang… Chloe, I think you might have met him before… he attended our little ‘Dom Domingo’ club a few months back when he was here to arrange this little meeting today.”
Chloe nodded her head then turned to the man and shook his hand.
“Yes… we met the last time you were here,” she confirmed, “you treated my friend Gayle for a black eye... remember?”
Michael Lang nodded his head. He remembered the occasion well.
“I remember,” he told her. He then asked; “how is she anyway?… fully recovered I hope.”
Chloe looked to Walter. It was obvious that Michael Lang knew nothing of Gayle Jackson’s abduction.
To stop embarrassment Walter stepped in quickly and answered for Chloe.
“The girl you treated that evening… the one with a black eye… well she’s the missing girl I was telling you about,… the one that was abducted on her way home from here,” he explained.
Michael Lang looked a little surprised.
“Oh!… I’m sorry,” he apologised. “I didn’t realise that.”
“That’s all right,” said Chloe sadly, “anyway, the police have a suspect under arrest, and I’m sure they’ll locate her pretty soon.”
Tracy stepped forward. She was curious and wanted to ask the man a burning question.
“Have you got a brother?… a Dr. Gabriel Lang?” she asked the man.
He grinned immediately and nodded his head.
“Why yes!… Gabriel’s my twin brother… he works on the south coast… at Littlesea General Hospital… Why?… do you know him?” he asked.
Tracy nodded her head.
“Yes.. I know him… I’m from Littlesea myself,” she explained.
Tracy and Michael Lang shook hands.
“Well, next time you see him, tell him not to be spending too much time working at the hospital and get in touch more often,.. I hardly get to see him nowadays,” he said.
Tracy nodded her head.
“Yes, I’ll do that,” she promised.
Walter clapped his hands to attract the crowd’s attention.
“Well, let’s not be hanging around here,” he called loudly so that everyone could hear. “Let’s all be moving down to the ponygirl track.”
The hubbub quietened for a few seconds as the crowd listened to Walter’s message, then picked up again as chairs scraped and moved, and people began setting off down the garden path to the screened off area below.
As if out of courtesy, Tracy and Chloe waited until last before following everyone else down the steps. Walter and Michael Lang had long since gone as they stepped off the terrace and began their descent. In front of them, just a few steps down, were two girls, both in their early twenties. One was tall and blond, the other dark haired and of average height. They seemed to be arguing, or at least goading each other as to who was going to be judged the best ponygirl. There appeared to be no love lost between them. As a result Tracy and Chloe kept well back and let them get on with it.
Then something happened.
Chloe was looking away at the time and missed the incident. But Tracy, out of the corner of her eye, thought she spotted a bit of foul play. One of the bickering girls gave the other girl a little shove. As a result the pushed girl stumbled forward and began to roll and bounce down the steps. She careered into the backs of people further on down and came to an abrupt halt. Lying with her back on a step, she gripped her ankle and began to scream. Soon she was enveloped in a crowd of people all wanting to give her some attention.
“Did you see that?” whispered Tracy to Chloe.
Both were stood some dozen steps above the screaming girl.
Chloe shook her head.
“Sorry… no Tracy… what happened?” she asked.
Tracy pointed.
“That girl there… the tall blond one… she pushed the other girl,… I’m sure she did,” she indicated.
The tall blond girl in question was squeezing past the crowd and heading on down the steps. In the meantime Walter and Michael Lang were hurriedly climbing back up to see what all the fuss was about.
Tracy and Chloe stepped warily down to join the folks amassed about the injured girl. They then stepped to one side as two strong men began to carry her back up the steps to the house.
“It’s just a twisted ankle… nothing’s broken,… she’ll be all right after a short rest,” announced Michael Lang to an anxious on-looking crowd.
Those gathered around, on hearing the news and muttering amongst themselves, began to break up and walk away. Slowly they began to descend the steps to the ponygirl track below. Walter chose to go down with them, whilst Michael Lang opted to follow the injured girl up to the house.
Tracy stopped Michael Lang on the steps.
“I don’t think it was an accident… I think she was pushed,” she told him.
Michael Lang gave a knowing smile.
“Let me guess… a tall blond girl by the name of Michelle Bowen pushed her,” he replied.
Tracy nodded her head. She looked down the steps to point out the girl, but she was gone.
“I don’t know her name, but she was definitely tall and blond,” she confirmed.
Michael Lang nodded his head.
“Can you prove it was a push?” he asked.
Tracy shook her head.
“No I can’t… I only saw it out of the corner of my eye… and Chloe was looking the other way,” she replied.
Michael Lang shrugged his shoulders.
“Then it’s best forgotten and nothing said… anyway, no real damage has been done… I think you ought to know, the two girls are great rivals… and, from what I gather, both desperately want to win this evening… I guess that rivalry went a little too far this time… anyway, unless I can come up with some miracle cure then there’s one girl that won’t be competing this evening… so I guess the competition is wide open,” he told Tracy.
Tracy did not like it, but Michael Lang was right. There was no way she could prove anything, and like he said; the incident was best forgotten. She nodded her head.
“You’re right… the incident is best forgotten,” she agreed.
Michael Lang smiled again.
“I’d best go and treat my patient… and you two… go down and enjoy the competition… It’s about to start… so hurry,… and perhaps I’ll see you later,” he said as he turned away and set off rather hurriedly up the steps to the house.
Tracy and Chloe moved off in the opposite direction, descending the steps to the screened off arena below. They arrived just in time to find four ponygirls trotting out of the stables and onto the track. Four carts awaited them. The crowd cheered as each ponygirl in turn became harnessed to their carts.
Tracy turned to Chloe.
“I don’t see the tall blond girl,” she remarked and standing on tiptoe in order to look over the crowd.
Chloe nodded her head in agreement. She had only caught a quick glimpse of the tall blond girl as Tracy pointed her out. But it was enough to recognise that she was not one of the four ponygirls on parade.
As they spoke Walter came up behind. He tapped them on the shoulders.
“Enjoying the show?” he asked.
Both girls turned to face Walter.
“Yes we are… but we’re not sure what’s meant to be happening,” replied Tracy.
Walter tried to explain.
“Well, we’ve got four carts and sixteen competitors. So what we’re going to do is hold four first round parades. The winner of each parade will then go through to the grand final. Those last four will then be judged as first, second and third. There’ll be prizes for the three winners, and that’s basically the competition. The three judges are from another ponygirl club and don’t know anyone that’s competing. So everything should be fair and above board,” he explained.
Tracy nodded her head. At least this explained why the tall blond girl could not be seen amongst the four ponygirls on parade.
“Why thanks for explaining all that that to us Walter,” she said.
Walter smiled. He was only too pleased to be of assistance.
“My pleasure,” he replied, then looking about him, added: “Look, sorry ladies, but I’ve got to keep mingling. As host I’ve got to try and speak to as many people as possible. Anyway, perhaps I’ll get to see you later.”
And with that Walter moved on to chat to a group of people stood next to Tracy and Chloe.
“Well, we’d best face the front and enjoy the show Chloe,” remarked Tracy as she turned to face the ponygirl track and the commencement of the first parade.
All four ponygirls were naked except for high-heeled boots on their feet. The tack and harnesses were of four differing colours to distinguish the competitors. These were all in pastel shades of pink, blue, yellow and white. Great feathered plumes rose from the tops of each girl’s heads. These were also in the same four colours, making each ponygirl easily distinguishable. In turn the ponygirls were attached to small carts, then bits were placed in their mouths and a rider assigned to take control of the reins.
Soon the rally was underway and the first four competitors began to strut around the track. This was not a race but a fashion parade and they all trailed along in a line. Each ponygirl was being asked to show off their individual skills and prowess. They snorted, shook their heads, trotted with straight upright backs, and with each step raised their knees up high. It was a spectacular sight and the crowd loved every minute of it.
Each girl was allowed two circuits of the track to impress. After that all four were unhooked from their carts and made to line up in a row before the judges. A winner was then announced. A great cheer went up as the ponygirl in pale blue was pronounced the winner of the first heat. She would now go on to the grand final.
The four ponygirls returned to the stables. Behind closed doors tack and harnesses were exchanged and after about a ten minutes break out came the next four competitors.
Tracy strained her neck to look over the crowd.
“I still don’t see that tall blond girl,” she remarked to Chloe as the four fresh ponygirls were being harnessed to their carts.
Soon the second parade was underway. The ponygirls set off, two circuits of the track were completed, and an eventual winner announced. By coincidence it was the ponygirl in pale blue that was declared the winner. The crowd cheered, whistled and waved their appreciation at the decision of the judges. It seemed that a popular decision had been made once more.
The ponygirls from the second heat returned to the stable. There followed another short break whilst tack and harnesses were exchanged, then the third parade began, and this time the tall blond girl did appear. She exhumed an aura of superiority from the moment she burst forth from the stable door. She even gave a little whinny, and, on arrival on the track, jogged and snorted on the spot to the amusement of all the onlookers. She was wearing a pale yellow plume on her head. The giant feather matched her golden hair which made her look even taller and gave her an air of authority.
Tracy pointed her out.
“That’s her now,… that’s the one that did the pushing,” said Tracy to Chloe as the tall blond girl became harnessed to a cart.
The third parade began. Needless to say, after two circuits there was little doubt as to whom the winner of this third parade would be. The ponygirl in yellow was declared the winner.
Tracy and Chloe were looking on from the rear of the crowd and cheering the judges verdict, when Walter tapped them on the shoulder. The two girls turned to find both Walter and Michael Lang standing behind them.
“Would one of you two girls like to join in the parade?” asked Walter.
Michael Lang continued on with the conversation by explaining: “The girl that fell down the steps can’t make it… she was due to go in the last parade… so we’re looking for a replacement… so what do you think? Would one of you girls like to have a go?”
Tracy looked to Chloe. Tracy had never been a ponygirl in her life, and this was the first rally she had ever attended. However, she knew Chloe had done this sort of thing before, and was aware that she had beaten Gayle Jackson in a series of races just a few days before she became a member here.
“You have a go Chloe,” Tracy told Chloe. “You’ve done this sort of thing before and you’ll make a fantastic ponygirl.”
Chloe looked uncertain. The offer to compete had come as a bit of a surprise. For a while she said nothing as she contemplated the offer.
“Go on… have a go,” egged Tracy.
After further consideration Chloe’s eyes opened wide. She nodded her head and gave a big broad grin.
“Why not?” she responded. “Okay, I’ll do it… where do I go?” she said.
Michael Lang was delighted.
“Follow me to the stables Chloe… and we’d better hurry… the ponygirls for the last parade are getting ready,” he said.
Michael Lang set off with Chloe in tow and leaving Tracy and Walter standing in the crowd.
“Thanks for that Tracy,” said Walter.
Tracy smiled.
“Don’t thank me, thank Chloe,” she responded. “I’m sure Chloe will make a fantastic ponygirl.”
Walter agreed. Chloe had the perfect body, and could put on quite a show when she wanted to.
“Then let’s hope she does well,” he replied and left it at that.

Michael Lang led Chloe into the stables. There was a hive of activity inside.
The three other competitors in this heat were almost ready. Choices for colour had already been made and only the white tack remained. This was hurriedly assigned to Chloe. She was then sent away to change in a stall of her own. Along with the tack came a pair of white high-heeled boots. They were probably one size too small, but seeing that there was nothing else available, she accepted them.
There were calls of hurry from outside Chloe’s stall as she fasten the straps about her naked body and buckled a wide white-studded belt about her waist. However, she took her time, making sure everything was just right. She put on the boots and found that they were, as expected, a little too tight especially around the heels. But after a small test walk, she found that by walking on her toes she could handle them. To finish off, she placed the headgear about her head, and preened the large white plume so that it stood upright, neat and tidy. She then stepped out of her stall and, walking on her toes, made her way to the stable doors.
The three other ponygirls in this fourth and final parade had already gone and were waiting on the track for Chloe to join them. She stepped out of the stables to a roar of the crowd. This she was not expecting and she stopped momentarily to look around. It was a scary moment. All eyes were upon her. She stiffened her body, thrust forward her chest, put her arms by her side, then, stepping with toes pointed and knees raised high, she trotted through a corridor made by the crowd to join the three other ponygirls.
By now the tension was mounting. Three ponygirls had already made it through to the grand final. One more was to be chosen from this heat. Because Chloe was a late arrival, she was the last to be harnessed to a cart. The other three ponygirls and carts were waiting in a line for the first circuit to take place. She joined them at the rear; bit in mouth and jockey pulling hard on the reins.
Then somebody shouted go and off they trotted.
After just a few paces at a gentle trot, Chloe found the boots uncomfortable and she pointed her feet and stretched down her toes in an effort to ease the continuous rubbing of her heels. She was expecting blisters when all this was over and was starting to regret having entered the competition. However, she tried not to show any discomfort. She kept her back straight, thrust her naked breasts forward and continued to tread lightly with just the very tips of her toes touching the ground.
The crowd cheered loudly as the parade passed the finishing line for the first time. With bit in mouth and pulling hard on her cheeks, Chloe kept her eyes to the front and let the jockey in the cart do all the steering.
At the end of the second circuit the four contestants came to a halt and their carts were unhooked. They were then lined up to face the judges. These were tense moments for everyone involved and the deliberation seemed to go on for ages. Then the chief judge stepped forward onto the track and turned to the crowd.
“We declare ‘white’ the winner of heat four,” he announced.
Standing at the back of the crowd Tracy went wild. The crowd was also hooting and clapping their hands. It seemed a popular choice had been made.
Next came the grand final and the crowd settled down in anticipation.
There was slight confusion at the start as to who should wear what colours. Rule books came out and the finer points debated. It turned out two blues had won the first two heats, yellow the third, and white the last. It was decided that white and yellow would remain in their winning colours, whilst the first two would draw lots for blue and pink. Once that was sorted out the ponygirls all returned to the stables to change.
This time, because Chloe was already in white, she found herself hanging around and waiting for the others. She wanted to take off her boots and massage her feet, and bring back the circulation. In the end she found that by continuously walking on her toes she could control the pain.
The start of the Grand Final began with a fanfare.
Music blasted out from speakers around the track. The four finalists were assembled in the doorway and out they trotted from the stable. Someone with a rule book had organised them into a line. They were in the order of winning their heats. Blue first, pink second, followed by yellow, and with white bringing up the rear. Chloe noticed that the yellow girl in front of her was tall and elegant and trotted with an air of authority right from the start. Trailing in her wake, Chloe tried to match her step for step. But it was difficult. Those one-size too small boots still pinched the heels and she tiptoed along in an effort to stave off the pain.
After being harnessed to their carts once more, the parade of the Grand Final began. The order of colours was maintained and the crowd cheered on their every step. Chloe tiptoed her way round the rear of the procession; the white plume on her head bouncing to-and-fro with every step she took. The parade passed the finishing line to tumultuous applause along with the exploding of flashbulbs. It was a joyous occasion and obvious that everyone was enjoying the pageant.
The second lap came to an end and the carts unhitched. The four ponygirls were then made to line up in front of the judges. Deliberation then took place. The three judges whispered between themselves so that no one could overhear, and for a while the atmosphere was tense. Eventually a decision was made and the three judges entrusted with selecting the first, second and third stepped forward.
The head of the panel then held up his arms and called for silence.
“Ladies and gentlemen,” he called as the noise began to lessen, “first of all I would like to give thanks to all the competitors that took place this evening. I think you’ll agree with me they were all truly wonderful and made our job that so much more difficult. But find a winner we had to, and find a winner we have… so now without further ado here are the three winners… I will give them in reverse order… coming third, the bronze medal we decided goes to the ponygirl in pink.”
Great cheers went up as the ponygirl in pink trotted forward to accept her reward. She received a bronze medal about her neck, a garland of flowers. She then returned to the line. She felt a little disappointed, she had expected to come second behind the ponygirl in yellow, but consoled herself with the fact she had won something.
The chief judge once more signalled for quiet before announcing the runner up of the competition.
“Runner up in the competition, and silver medalist goes to the ponygirl in blue,… let’s give her a big round of applause,” the judge announced to the crowd.
The ponygirl in blue stepped forward, nodded her head and snorted in true ponygirl fashion, then she bowed her head in readiness for the silver medal to be place about her neck. With a big bouquet of flowers in her arms she returned joyfully to the row. She was delighted. This was the best she had ever done in any competition and did not even expect to reach the Grand Final.
The two ponygirls that remained; yellow and white; stood next to each other and waited nervously whilst the runner-up received her award. Next would come the big moment.
Feeling somewhat apprehensive, Chloe glanced sideways to the tall ponygirl standing next to her. The ponygirl in yellow appeared confident with a big grin across her face. From her stance and attitude it was obvious she was expecting to be declared the winner.
However, Chloe had already conceded that the winner would not be her. In her opinion the tall ponygirl was by far the best. But she told herself not to feel too disappointed. Coming number four out of sixteen and with no preparation was an achievement in itself.
She glanced sideways one final time. The ponygirl in yellow was looking even more confident and had even taken a step forward in readiness.
The judge waited for complete silence before announcing the winner. The crowd responded and you could hear a pin drop.
“Well ladies and gentlemen, and ponygirls of course,” the judge started, “the moment you have all been waiting for has arrived… and let me tell you this was a unanimous verdict… we though she was absolutely wonderful the way she strutted so confidently around the track… that high knee action and the way she trotted so magnificently on her toes… it made her stand out above the rest… we think she was by far the best… and we think the rest of you do too… The winner and gold medalist of the ‘Best Ponygirl on Parade’ competition goes to….  wait for it… the ponygirl in white.”
Chloe could not believe she had heard it right. She had to check her own tack to convince herself she was white.
She pointed to her chest and mouthed the word: “Me?”
The judge nodded his head and went over to greet her. He kissed her on the cheek and led her to the front. The crowd then closed in around them.
To the sounds of pop group Queen’s rendition of ‘We are the Champions’ booming out from the speakers, a gold medal was placed about Chloe’s neck and a massive bouquet of flowers dumped in her arms. She tried to find Tracy somewhere in the crowd, but amongst the tears for joy and the flashing of cameras she could see nothing.
But it did not matter.
This was the happiest moment of her life and she just let the tears flow.

At the back of the crowd stood three very happy people. Along with a dark haired girl with a strapped up ankle stood Walter Henderson and Michael Lang. They were cheering like mad.
Tracy however was not with them. She had encircled the crowd and come to stand next to a forlorn looking ponygirl dressed in yellow. The ponygirl stood alone and no one was taking any notice of her.
Tracy wanted to say something to her; something spiteful; but heeded to the words of Michael Lang; the incident was best forgotten. She simply shrugged her shoulders and moved away.
“I guess justice was done,” Tracy remarked to herself, then moved on quickly, to push her way through the crowd.
She made her way through to Chloe and the two girls embraced. It was not only the happiest moment of Chloe’s life, but of Tracy’s too. This was a moment neither of them would ever forget.

8:30 pm

The parade over and getting late, Tracy and Chloe climbed the steps to the terrace high above. Darkness had fallen and the garden floodlit.
With clothes back on, Chloe hugged the large bouquet of flowers to her chest and retained the gold medal about her neck. She remained glowing with pride and that wonderful feeling of being a champion had not worn off yet.
Just a few steps ahead walked Michael Lang. He saw the two girls following on behind. He stopped on a step about halfway up and waited for them to catch up with him.
“Congratulations on your fine win Chloe,” he told her, “I think you were just fantastic the way you trotted around that track.”
“Why thanks,” answered Chloe.
She did not tell him it was the boots that had made her trot that way.
Stood together on one step, all three began to ascend in unison. As they did so Michael Lang turned serious.
“What happened to the girl with the black eye then?… the one I treated here some time ago,” he asked, “Are the police doing anything about her disappearance?”
On hearing Gayle Jackson’s name mentioned, Chloe returned to the real world and shook her head sadly.
“She was kidnapped in a park on her way back from here,” she answered. “The police have someone under arrest, but he’s holding out and not revealing much at present.”
“Oh!… Why’s that?” asked Michael Lang, “Haven’t the police got much to go on?”
Chloe shook her head.
“I guess it’s all my fault,” she admitted sadly. “I know the man the police are holding… I spotted his car outside the park where Gayle was kidnapped… but there’s no way I can prove it was his car… unless that is… unless I can remember something I saw on the back seat… the police say if they can get positive identification on the car, then they can prove he is lying and start applying pressure… but what they need right now is some solid evidence.”
Michael Lang stopped in his tracks and looked down on Chloe who was one step lower.
“Things can sometimes be brought to light under hypnosis… has anybody suggested this to you?” he asked.
Chloe shook her head. Hypnosis had never been considered before.
“Why no!… but it could work… couldn’t it?” she mused.
Michael Lang nodded his head.
“Can I suggest you give it a go then?… you never know…you might come up with the answer you’re looking for,” he said.
Tracy butted in.
“Is hypnosis something you specialise in?” she asked.
She knew that his brother Gabriel Lang did.
Michael Lang rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
“I dabble in it,… but it’s not strictly my branch of medicine,” he told Tracy, “but if you want a real expert, then I recommend my brother Gabriel… if he can’t get to the bottom of it, then nobody can.”
Tracy turned to Chloe. She had an idea.
“I know Dr. Gabriel Lang… I’m sure he’ll do it for us… What do you think?… if I can get him to do it, do you want to give it a try Chloe?” she asked.
Chloe pondered for a while, then nodded her head.
“Yes… why not Tracy,” she said, “and the sooner the better... before they’re forced to let the man go because of lack of evidence.”
Tracy turned to Michael Lang. Suddenly there was hope once more.
“Thanks for your suggestion… I reckon it’s straight back to Littlesea and an appointment with your brother,” she told him.
Michael Lang smiled. He was only too glad to be of assistance.
“And when you see my brother, tell him to get in touch more often please,” he said.

10:00 pm

On leaving Walter’s place, Tracy and Chloe made straight for the university. On entering the building Tracy made a telephone call to Davina from the pay phone on the wall. It was ten o’clock in the evening and it was getting late. She hoped Davina was still up and not gone to bed.
Luckily Davina answered but she sounded sleepy.
“Hello Davina speaking,” she yawned.
“Davina, it’s me, Tracy,” came the reply.
“Tracy!… Where are you?” asked Davina and sounding more awake.
“I’m at the university with Chloe… but we’re just about to set off for Littlesea,” she told her.
Davina was not surprised to discover that the call was coming from the university. She expected Tracy to be there with Chloe. Tracy was on a mission to help Chloe remember what was on the back seat of the Mercedes. But all the same, Davina was not expecting a call at ten o’clock at night, and to hear that Tracy was returning to Littlesea with Chloe. She was curious to find out more?
“Coming home?…  Now?… This evening?… With Chloe?… Why’s that Tracy?” she asked and rattling off a whole series of questions.
“Chloe’s here stood next to me,” Tracy told her, “She’s coming home with me tonight… I want her to meet you and Georgina in the morning… she still can’t remember a thing about the car… but we’ve got an idea and I want to put it to you before we do anything.”
Davina thought for a moment.
“You want to call a meeting of the pact then?” she asked.
“Yes,” answered Tracy, “and I want to do it as quickly as possible tomorrow morning… can we all meet up at nine o’clock?”
Davina was concerned about the timing.
“Isn’t that a little early Tracy?… you won’t have had much sleep?” she queried.
“If we leave now we can be at my place by one o‘clock… don’t worry Davina, we can get enough sleep,” Tracy assured her.
“So you want us all to meet up at nine o’clock tomorrow morning?” Davina asked.
“That’s right… nine o’clock tomorrow morning,” confirmed Tracy.
A meeting at that time was possible. However, Davina could foresee problems.
“Will Chloe be with you?” she asked.
“Yes, with Chloe present as well,” said Tracy.
Davina thought for a moment. Somehow this conflicted with the Pact and what had been agreed amongst them. She did not like the suggestion of them all meeting up on the bench that overlooked the cliffs on Castle Point. She had a better idea.
“Can you both come here… to my house?” she asked. “I can get Georgina here for nine o’clock and we can all have our little chat over a cup of tea... it will make it appear informal... and my husband’s out all day tomorrow, so it’ll be safe.”
Tracy understood the problem and agreed.
“Yes,… that sounds fine by me Davina,” answered Tracy. “Chloe and myself can be at your place for nine o’clock tomorrow morning… no problem.”
“Right Tracy… I’ll contact Georgina… and we’ll all meet up here in the morning at nine o’clock,” confirmed Davina.
“That’s great Davina… see you then,” answered Tracy.
“Yes, see you then Tracy,” echoed Davina and put the phone down.
Davina pondered for a moment to consider what it was all about, then dialled Georgina to let her know what was happening.

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End of Chapter Thirty-two