A Rare Experience

Had an important visitor who wanted to interview me about the Highgate case yesterday afternoon.

It was still pretty atrocious outside, slushy snow on the pavements and piled up along the kerbs   But she got a taxi from Highgate station so wasn’t really inconvenienced.

She was a very attractive lady aged about 30 with intent brown eyes, and dark hair that flowed down her back.  I offered her tea before we spoke about the case she had come to question me about and she politely accepted.  I think she silently welcomed the chance to take in her surroundings before we spoke. I’d already apologised in advanced for all the clutter, so I didn’t feel too guilty about that.  Her name was Della, and when I came back into the room again with the tea, she asked if I’d mind her having a closer look at my framed book covers that lined the walls…She said she’d already obtained a few of my books from Amazon, but there were a few there that she hadn’t seen.  She later notes of the titles of these and the ISBN’s.

Then we started to discuss the whole Highgate saga, and I was quite surprised about how much she already knew about it  But it wasn’t just the usual general stuff, as she started with events from 1968. I knew she’d been touch with certain people, also that she’d read my autobiography of 2009 – she’d already confirmed that on the phone – but many of the events she alluded to had never been made public.  There were names that she came up with, for example – like PL and GS – that I had never made public.  But I nevertheless knew who these ‘people’ were, and could confirm their alleged involvement in things.

She also mentioned some domestic situations from the time that had apparently captured her interest, although she was surprised – although not disbelieving – of my explanations. She observed that I knew a lot more about things intrinsically than she been led to believe.  And we hadn’t even got onto the Highgate ‘vampire’ by then!

But we did eventually, and she listened sympathetically when she realised things were not quite as they had been portrayed by some others claiming to have had an interest in that case.  This led her to remark at one stage . . . “It seems people have a great deal more interest in you personally than they do in any vampires”!  We spoke for about three hours but which time it had become dark.  But the snow was still there and it was cold outside.  She asked me if I had a local taxi number so she could back to Highgate where she could easily get the tube back to her part of London . She asked whether it would be possible to meet again once the weather improved as she expected she’d have more questions by then..

I must admit to being slightly unnerved by this initially,  a rare experience for me after all these years of being asked questions about the public aspects of the case! But the information which Della felt able to share with me only served to reassure me of her sincerity, and of her first hand knowledge of certain matters which we discussed.  Somehow, I felt that our meeting had been almost ‘fated’.  So I will meet her again.  Quite apart from this, I liked her.  And that alone was reason enough

I gave her some books but refused her insistence to pay.  I was just happy that she’d be able to verify facts now and not just have to rely on my word as the only ‘back up’ as proof of what I’d told her.  That meant far more to me than any money.

Thanks Della (With care!)
David (Farrant)