Waylaid In London

Chapter 5

Lifting his gaze from the newspaper, Jamie shook his head in disbelief. According to the article, the man he'd seen last night had run through the street terrified, as if something had given him a fright and he had been shouting incoherently. An eyewitness quoted in the story had seen him suddenly come to a stop, continue shouting and acting as if he were having a seizure before finally collapsing. The witness had called for an ambulance and the old man had been taken to a hospital, but he was pronounced dead upon arrival. The official cause of death listed was a stroke, but both the police and medical examiners seemed baffled.

Not only was that weird, but his next of kin – a daughter – had also been interviewed and stated he was a fairly well-to-do man, of complete sound mind and body; certainly not the vagrant Jamie or Polly had assumed. She had apparently been over to see her father, but after he'd gone out earlier that evening to check on the dog, he had disappeared. She'd gone looking for him but had come up empty. Jamie couldn't help feeling sad reading this. The poor man had a family and according to the article, his behavior leading up to his death was totally unexpected. Something about this whole thing just didn't sit right with Jamie. He sighed, almost wishing the Doctor were here to help him get to the bottom of it.

He'd apparently zoned out for quite some time when the abrupt sound of the front door opening made him jump. Instinctively reaching for the sgian dubh at his side, he breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing Polly stick her head in the doorway, smiling. He briefly shut his eyes, his lips tugging slightly into an awkward smile.

"Och, sorry. Ye gave me a wee fright." He quickly glanced at his watch. It was a bit past five. Where on Earth had the time gone?

Polly blinked, looking at him expectantly.

"I was readin' a story in this paper aboot that strange man I saw last night." He handed the paper to her. "Did ye know he died? An' they don' know for certain what happened."

Polly scanned the paper and shrugged. "By the sound of it he must have had a stroke or a seizure."

"But according to his daughter he was perfectly healthy and he'd just disappeared out of nowhere."

"Well, it's not out of the question. People who seem healthy can still have undiagnosed health problems. I've heard of young people in apparently fine health suddenly having heart attacks."

"Aye, but ... I don' know, this just doesnae sound right, Polly. I believe there's more tae it than this."

Polly gave him a smile that seemed sympathetic in nature. "I wouldn't worry so much about it if I were you, Jamie. I know that, traveling with the Doctor, we've seen so many strange things that we almost expect them. We think there's more to the story than what meets the eye. But sometimes that's all it is, Jamie. Occam's Razor: The simplest explanation is usually the correct one."

"Och, I suppose so ..." Perhaps she had a point, but this whole thing still made him a bit uneasy.

She patted him on the arm and smiled. "Look, cheer up. I've got fantastic news."

"And what might that be?" Unable to keep the glum tone from his voice, he winced slightly.

Her smile widened. "Ben is coming home! He rang me during my lunch hour. He's at port and is getting a lift back home. He expects to be back by six or seven!"

Jamie put his uneasiness aside and gaped at her. "Are ye sure? He told ye that?"

"Yes!! Oh, I can't wait for him to be home! He's been gone over four months!"

"I can't help but wonder what he'll think when he sees me after all this time," Jamie mused. "Poor chappie'll probably think he's seein' a ghost."