Passage 5 SHE WIPED HER FORHEAD, picked up the tray with the coffee and the sandwiches and biscuits, and went along the passage. The door of the front room was closed, which didn’t really surprise her; it was quite possible that Steve had wanted to talk to the Colonel without her hearing what he said….. She did not hear voices. She put the tray down on a chair by the front door, hesitated, wondered whether she ought to trap, or whether to go straight in. It was absurd to think of knocking, but she did knock, almost timidly at first. No one answered. She tapped again, more sharply, and there was still no answer; and she could hear no sound at all. Have they gone? She flung the door open. Well, the Colonel hadn’t gone. He was leaning back in the armchair, his legs stretched out, looking as if he was fast asleep. Had Steve gone, on his own? Or was he upstairs? Susan half turned, with his name on her lips, and as she did so she caught a glimpse of something different, out of the corner of her eye; a frightening thing. A terrifying thing.