Read The One You Fear for Free Online Page B

as the temperature continued to drop and an increasingly chilly sea wind whirled around them. Dan did notice that movement, and responded by wrapping an arm around her.
    Soon Emma forgot about the man and began to lose herself once more in the action onstage. By the time the play finished, she had forgotten all about him. The audience stood as one to applaud the cast; it had been an impressive staging of the play, and the standing ovation was well deserved. The lights came on and everyone began their slow progress towards the exit at the top of the amphitheatre.
    ‘I’m just nipping to the toilet,’ Emma said, as they neared the exits.
    ‘Me too,’ Dan replied. ‘See you over there.’ He gestured towards the small shop, off to their right.
    Emma nodded, and headed towards the nearby toilets. There was a significant queue. At first she decided to stay and join the dozens of people standing outside the door. But after a few minutes without movement, she began to get impatient and wondered whether there were any other facilities. She found an usher, a late middle-aged woman, who was standing guard by one of the railings.
    ‘Excuse me, are there any other toilet facilities apart from the ones over there? The queue’s really long.’
    ‘There aren’t any more public toilets,’ said the woman slightly hesitantly, ‘but sometimes we let people use the staff facilities. It should be okay. They’re just over there.’ She pointed to the far right side of the arena. ‘They’re not signed as toilets. There are only two cubicles, but it should be quieter. Just go through the blue door.’
    ‘Thanks.’
    The staff toilets were down in a quiet corner of the theatre, already emptied of people, many of whom had already made their way back to their cars. Emma felt slightly guilty when she saw there was no queue, and she could just walk straight in – the people she had left by the public convenience would surely still be waiting. But maybe others had asked too, as whilst she was in the cubicle, she heard the outer door open and close. Now someone else was present she felt slightly unnerved, and wanted to return to the crowds, where Dan would probably already be waiting.
    She was just about to flush the chain when the shoes appeared underneath the cubicle door. She caught her breath. They were men’s shoes, she was sure of it.
    What on earth?
    She froze, afraid to move or even breathe. There was a man standing right outside the cubicle, so close to the door that his shoes were peaking underneath.
    Then she thought – the staff toilets were probably unisex. As the woman had said, there was no sign on the door, nothing to indicate men or women, so that was probably the case.
    But still, why was the person standing right outside? The cubicle next door was free. And anyway, if you were waiting, who would stand so close? It certainly wasn’t socially acceptable behaviour.
    She stared at the shoes, willing the person to leave, wondering whether she should say something.
    The person stayed rooted to the spot and Emma’s heart-rate quickened.
    Maybe one of the workers had seen her enter the toilets, and was waiting to tell her off for using staff facilities.
    ‘She said it was okay for me to come in here,’ Emma said, her voice full of nerves. ‘The other toilets were busy, so she said it was okay to use these.’
    No response came. The shoes didn’t even move a millimetre. Emma regretted opening her mouth. What if it wasn’t a member of staff? She had just given away the fact that she was a woman.
    Then she remembered about the man in the audience.
    ‘Please, go,’ she mouthed, ‘please.’
    What if he had been watching her? What if he’d followed her out towards the top of the theatre, then to the public toilets, and now to the staff facilities?
    The thought seemed ludicrous – there was no reason to believe he had even been looking at her. But here she was, trapped in this cubicle, with an unidentified man just inches