As she felt the point of the ice-pick on her neck, she screamed and, immediately, awoke, covered in a clammy sweat and worried that other tenants in the block may have heard her screams. Checking the time, she found that it was one-fifteen in the morning. Still feeling exhausted from the nightmare, she climbed out of bed and stepped into the bathroom to try and refresh herself. Somehow, the bath seemed to dominate the room, almost mocking Selmira. She stared at the bath, seeing her lying there with Ivanko ready to end her life. She stayed just long enough to freshen her face a little and hurried back to the bedroom, where she climbed into bed and pulled the covers high, tears still pouring down her distraught face.
Selmira’s first night in this apartment left her drained and tearful and, as soon as the time reached nine o’clock, she began phoning local plumbers she had found on the internet. The question was the same to all six plumbers. “How soon can you replace a bath with a shower cubicle and how much would it cost?”
The first three were so busy with existing work that they could not start for about five weeks. She was not prepared to wait that long, but the fourth had just finished a job, so could start the following day, but would need to look at the bathroom before a quotation could be calculated.
Only two of the six could come the following day and complete the work within a couple of days. Selmira booked one to come at eleven and the other at one o’clock that same day. The two plumbers both quoted around eight hundred pounds, but one of them said that he could start immediately.
Selmira was so desperate to get rid of that cursed bath, that she accepted Barrie’s quotation immediately and without hesitation.
Using the internet, he showed her what the shower cubicle would look like and, finding that she was happy with it, he placed an order with his supplier. There was, at the moment, a simple shower fixed over the bath, which Barry began to remove to allow him to disconnect it from the bath, ready for removal.
Selmira had, following Barry’s request, paid a two hundred and fifty pound deposit. He set out for the shower base, cubicle screens and shower controls. He assured Selmira that he would return the following morning to remove the bath, install the shower and then he would need a further day or two to tidy up and tile the area.
Somehow, Selmira managed to keep it together for the rest of that day, but, yet again, her sleep was disturbed by the same horrific nightmare. Selmira wondered just what she had to do to end this torment?
Every time she entered the bathroom, the bath seemed to be mocking Selmira, inviting her to strip off and lie inside it’s gaping jaws. She could not look at the bath without the terrifying illusion of Ivanko preparing to kill her.
It came as a relief when Barrie and his assistant arrived by eight-thirty, next day, ready to start with the removal of the bath. It did not take long, but Selmira kept well out of the way, keeping herself busy in the living room. By the end of that day, the new shower unit was fitted and the walls were partly tiled. Selmira knew that it seemed quite irrational, but the absence of that hated bath did give her a strange sense of relief.
Selmira had already started checking job vacancies in Birmingham, mainly using the internet. As expected, there were many vacancies, yet she was still uncertain as to which area would best suit her.
Shop assistants, clerical and administrative staff dominated the choice of her new employment opportunities. Her head buzzing from the huge choice of possibilities, she gave up for the day and watched television, before retiring to bed.
Selmira did get a hell of a shock, while watching television, a few days later. It was a picture of herself, which, she guessed, had been supplied by the hospital where Selmira had been working in Wythenshawe. It was a police request for anybody who had seen her to contact them. Selmira felt sick that Ivanko’s body must have been found so soon. After all her strenuous efforts to conceal his body in the chimney breasts, it was incredible that her efforts had all been wasted
The only people in Birmingham who had seen Selmira with the black wig and without contact lenses would be the cashiers at Natwest Bank, when she had been withdrawing large amounts of money. Selmira could not chance going back to the bank to withdraw the rest of her money, but she decided to chance withdrawing as much as she could from the ATM’s.
The next day, Selmira bought a large sun hat and, with her sunglasses, it could, hopefully, work. Thankfully, it was a beautiful, hot, sunny day and she headed for a branch of Natwest different from the one she had previously been using. Selmira did manage to withdraw four hundred pounds before her account was blocked. She resigned herself to losing the few thousands still in her account, as it would prove too dangerous for her to try and make any further withdrawals.
Selmira then did a big shopping at the supermarket, requiring a taxi to take it all back to the apartment. Her intention was to stay locked in her place for a few days, hopefully long enough to avoid being recognised by anyone watching the news report. Of course, it was miserable and boring staying indoors when the July sun was so inviting.
Tiring of watching day-time television, Selmira decided to visit Cannon Hill Park, since it would not take too long to get there.
It was a Saturday and many other people had the same idea of visiting the park, while the sun was shining. Selmira had spread sun-screen liberally over her skin, hoping to gain a little tan as this would also slightly alter her appearance.
She was happy just to walk in the fresh air through this large, popular grassed area. The sound of happy children, as they played together on this beautiful, warm day did make her feel quite uplifted.
Needing a little refreshment, Selmira decided to buy an ice-cream and joined the queue at the refreshments van.
The queue moved very slowly forwards, the children in front eager to have their favourite refreshments. Selmira was a little absent-minded as it came to her turn. “An ice-cream cone, please.”
“Do you want a one pound fifty or two pound fifty cone?”
As she looked up at the man who had asked this question, Selmira was stunned and shocked to see his face. It was, unmistakably, Ivanko’s, but how could that be? She just stared at him in astonishment, as he repeated his question. Somebody jostled Selmira from behind, probably in an attempt to hurry her along. She only turned her head for an instant, yet, when she looked, again, at the man selling ice-creams, the face was not, now, that of Ivanko. He was a round-faced guy with ginger hair.
“Sorry, two pounds fifty, please.” The man scooped the ice-cream into a cone and handed it to Selmira as she passed over the money. He must have thought her to be quite insane as she continued to stare at him as she hurried away to allow the next customer to move forward.
“What is happening to me?” Was it her imagination or guilty conscience that had superimposed Ivanko’s face on the ice-cream vendor? Troubled, Selmira walked almost in a daze, still eating her ice-cream. The initial enjoyment in walking through this park area had disappeared, only to be replaced with depressingly deep sadness, perhaps even fear.
Dejected, she made her way back to the apartment. For the rest of that day, Selmira did very little, apart from feeling really sorry for herself. Was this going to be all there was in her life? Could she have imagined Ivanko’s face on the ice-cream vendor? Her husband was, in her opinion, quite good-looking in an Eastern-European way. His face was very distinctive with thick black hair, strong features. A high forehead, bushy, black eyebrows, black, penetrating eyes, long, almost bulbous nose and deep chin were unmistakable. Selmira really felt that his ghostly presence would probably haunt her for the rest of her life.