fodenway:
A Friday in late September 1974. I’d already rebuilt the engine in my Mini Countryman, and had refitted it with the help of my mate during the afternoon. Around six o’clock, teatime over, we started it up and set off for a short test run, just around the block to check for leaks, temperature, the usual stuff. Everything was OK, so we set off again for a steady run down the motorway for a couple of junctions. Pulling off the M1 at junction 36 (Birdwell), I went round the roundabout for the return trip to junction 38. As I got to the top of the slip road, I saw a young (18-20-ish) woman dressed in typical, if a bit dated, hippy-style clothing and carrying a cream coloured vanity case, thumbing a lift. I said to my mate “I bet she’s heading for Bretton College”, just off junction 38, and it turned out she was. My mate got out so she could get in the back, and we set off. She was very hard work, no conversation at all, so I stopped trying. About 15 minutes later, we arrived at the college, matey got out, she got out, matey got back in then he said “she hasn’t got her case”. I turned to look in the back, couldn’t see anything, and put my hand on the seat where she had been sitting - it was stone cold. All this took just a few seconds. I turned back to look for her, but she was nowhere to be seen. The nearest buildings were about 80-90 yards away, there was no way she could have even run that far in such a short time. I went up to the nearest accommodation block and asked a couple of other students, but no-one could help. I never did hear about any “mystery students”, but it makes you think.
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i think thats your get out of jail story in case crimewatch decide to revamp some old unsolved murder cases… 