Good Deed Bad Deed

vehicle door slammed shut, and the perpetrators sped into traffic and out of sight, once again managing to elude arrest.
The two young men helped Ben up and asked if he was all right. His shoulder was throbbing again, but nothing had been injured other than his ego, having once again failed to detain his attacker. The expressions on their faces were questioning, obviously waiting for some kind of explanation. “I’ll tell you about it in a minute. But right now I need to attend to Lilith. She’s probably still standing outside the gate, wondering what’s happening.”
They nodded in agreement, and just as Ben turned to go through the house and outside to fetch her, the Panda car pulled up the street and stopped in front of the building. Two officers jumped out, checked the address, and one spoke into his shoulder radio, most likely confirming their arrival at the scene. Ben asked the young men to talk to the officers long enough for him to bring Lilith back into the house. He hurried through the kitchen and down the steps to the garden, where he found himself surrounded by rows of vegetables growing in front of a backdrop of lanky sunflowers. The old wooden gate was almost hidden among their giant leaves. He pushed it open and began to call her name. She had made her way up the alley to the edge of the building and was standing in a tiny circle of shade provided by a neighbor’s peach tree. He jogged to where she stood, took her gently by the arm, and guided her back toward the garden. All the while he was explaining what had transpired.
Lilith waved her arm to indicate she was out of breath, so they stopped. “I truly didn’t know I could still move that fast,” she said, bending to put her hands on her knees and take some deep breaths. Then she stood straight again and added, “I’m so relieved that you’re all right.”
“Where did those two lads come from?” Ben asked. “They saved my bacon. No doubt about that.”
“I’ve watched those boys grow up. They came up the alley just as I opened the gate. They’re polite boys and spoke to me. Then they saw I was in a state and asked why, and if I needed help.” Lilith walked over and leaned against a half-painted fence. “I was frantic. I told them there was a neighbor being attacked inside my flat. They didn’t hesitate, just took off running toward my back door. Brave boys, eh?”
“I was a lucky bastard again. Last night, coming out of the pub, three men who looked like footballers drove off the same guy.” Ben motioned her to come along back into the house. “We have to speak to the police. They’re here now,” he said. As they walked through the garden he asked, “Do you know the boys’ names? I have to find a way to thank them.”
Lilith said she wasn’t sure, but that they were brothers and lived in the next building over. Back in the flat, the two policemen and the two young men were standing in the middle of the sitting room, engaged in some sort of argument between them. As Lilith and Ben approached they heard enough to know that the officers had the wild idea that the two heroes were the thugs breaking into her house. Ben eased Lilith into her armchair and then interceded for the boys, making clear what had happened and how they may have saved his life. He then told the story of the previous night and asked to file a report on the attempted kidnappings. In order to do that, he was told that due to the nature of the purported crime, he must appear in person at Scotland Yard.
When the policemen had left, Ben asked Lilith if she felt all right. He said he would feel better if there was someone he could call to come and sit with her until she calmed down a bit more. He was able to reach her daughter’s mobile and was assured that she would be there within fifteen minutes. In the meantime, he brewed Lilith a very welcome cup of tea.
She sipped her tea quietly, and then said, “After what happened to you, wouldn’t you like something stronger than tea? I have some sherry in the cupboard.”
“Thank you for offering, but what I need is to go upstairs and ice this shoulder. It’s punishing me for taking off the sling.” Ben found the sling on the floor near the threshold and slipped it back on. The door was hanging a bit off kilter and would not be secure when closed. A quick call to building maintenance took care of that problem. Within a few minutes the building ‘super’ appeared with tool belt at the ready. He told them that although he could make the door secure for the night, a piece of the frame was cracked and would have to be replaced. He made the temporary repair and promised to return before noon the next day. As he headed up the stairs Lilith’s daughter passed him on her way down.
She ran to her mother, knelt down and took her hand before speaking. “Are you all right, Mum? What have you got yourself into?” Then she turned to Ben and said, “What happened? Did someone try to hurt my Mum?”
He explained that no, she wasn’t in any danger, and that she had actually helped keep him from harm by coming back with the golf club. He could see that she was holding back her opinion about her mother’s part in things, but wisely, she chose not to comment further. The cracked doorframe had been mentioned, and she insisted on spending the night and remaining there until it was repaired. Now certain that Lilith would be fine, Ben thanked her again and took his leave. He looked around carefully as he went up the few stairs to the street. Nothing