“It’s a lot for you to take in, I know.”
Can all parties in the case of Margaret Ann Mortimer please attend at court number three?
“Are you sure you’re up to facing her?”
“I’d like to speak to her. Will that be possible?”
“It depends whether she gets bail. I’ll have a word for you in court.”
* * *
They’ve ruined my life.
There’s no coming back from this.
Chapter 45
“You can have a few minutes.”
I stand in response to the police officer’s words. “That’s all I need. Thank you.”
I follow her as she jangles from the sunny court corridor to the bowels of the building. I feel as though I should make conversation with her but wouldn’t know what to say. As we leave the lift, I shiver. The officer taps a code into a keypad and a door swings away from us.
“The prison van is due soon.” She turns to me as we walk along the gloomy passageway. “And I must stay in the cell with you, for obvious reasons.”
“I understand.” I’m amazingly calm. I wonder if at some point, I’m going to fall apart. Or maybe my blow out occurred when I got drunk the other week. Perhaps I’ve got a strength within me I’ve never acknowledged before.
The officer unlocks a metal door and beckons me in after her. My mother slumps on the bench at the far side of the cell, her usual larger than life presence shrunken in the gloom of her surroundings. She’s wearing the skirt and blouse Dad dropped at the station yesterday. She doesn’t look up as I walk in after the officer.
“Mum.” My voice reverberates around the cell. “Or should I say Maggie? You’re no mother of mine anymore.”
“What do you want?”
“I want to know why you did it?” My voice wobbles.
“I can’t believe they’ve remanded me.” She looks at me now, desperation in her eyes. “What’s going to happen to me? I can’t go to prison!”
“That’s right. You think of yourself. Poor Maggie Mortimer. Never mind that you’ve murdered my husband and Jack’s father. Because of your mastermind plan, we’ve been left with nothing.” I glance around the cell, the sight of it reminding me of my own recent incarcerations. It smells nasty in here too – urine mixed with bleach.
“It’s nothing less that you deserve, Fiona.” She says my name like it’s a swear word. “You owe me. That money you got when Roger’s mother died – it should have been ours. The life you secured for yourself when you married Rob – with your posh house and holidays - you weren’t worthy of any of it.”
“You were jealous. Of me? That’s madness.” I stare at her. “You need help, you do.”
“Do you know Rob and I had a fling? Whilst you were pregnant with Jack.”
I stare at her. “I don’t believe you.” As I say it, the absurdity of her claim hits me and something deep inside shifts. I should feel winded at this so-called revelation, but I feel nothing for her. For the first time, I see who she truly is.
“I don’t care if you do or you don’t. Food for thought though, isn’t it?”
A calmness I’ve never known whilst in her presence floods through me. “What did I ever do to make you hate me so much?” I search the coldness of her eyes for a flicker of remorse. “You’re a psychopath.”
Her expression suggests that she doesn’t enjoy being called that. “I didn’t mean to kill Rob. Just to warn him.”
“That didn’t stop you trying to frame me for it all, did it?” I cannot believe how calm I feel. With it, a sense of freedom from her comes over me, and the revelation hits me. “It’s no wonder I’ve spent most of my adult life so messed up. How can a mother do that to her own daughter?”
“You’re no daughter of mine.” There’s froth at the corner of her mouth as she speaks. “I want nothing more to do with you.”
“I know you didn’t sleep with Rob.”
She smiles slyly, obviously trying to re-exert the power she has always had over me.
“I want you to stay away from my son. From both of us.”
I can tell she doesn’t understand what has happened within me. Sitting up, she hisses her next words. “Once I get out. You can’t stop me seeing him.”
I look straight into her eyes and with more conviction than I have ever felt say, “watch me.” I turn to leave before looking over my shoulder and add. “Besides, I don’t think you’ll be seeing daylight for a long time. Have a nice life Maggie.”
“It should be you in here,” she mutters without looking at me. I feel a slight pang of sympathy for her as she slumps back on her bench. But by the time the door has slammed behind me, it’s gone.
Before you go…
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If you want to read another of my psychological thrillers, find out more about The Hen Party on Amazon.
Book Discussion Group Questions
What did you think of Fiona’s initial reaction to the news of her husband’s death?
What can a person do to educate themselves financially? How could this make any difference to their life?
Talk about the supposed non-physical relationship Rob was having with Bryony. Why might they have felt compelled to continue it? How might it have developed if he had lived?
Which character did you feel the most sympathy towards in the story?
Which character did you feel the least sympathy towards?
To what extent did Fiona affect her future by giving her husband financial control?
Did Fiona’s relationship with her mother have a bearing on her own relationship with Jack?
Discuss how money polarises the characters in this book.
Do you believe there was any truth in Maggie’s revelation that she and Rob had a fling?
Examine the dynamic between Fiona, her parents, and her grandmother.
To what degree did Fiona’s addiction to alcohol limit her quality of life?
Mental health is a factor in this novel. Talk about how this plays out amongst the characters.
Put yourself in the shoes of Rob’s daughter, Simone. How would the situation appear from her point of view?
Talk about Fiona’s friendships, or lack of them.
Shane appears in a scene at the end. Talk about his conduct throughout the story and the reasons behind his eventual appearance. Did he deserve to be punished?
What could cause a mother to behave in a way to their daughter like Maggie did towards Fiona?
How has each character’s life and perspective changed as a result of what they have been through in the story?
By the Same Author
Psychological Thrillers
Left Hanging: What price would you pay to save your marriage?
The Man Behind Closed Doors: The other side of domestic bliss
The Last Cuckoo: When ghosts live on in stepfamilies
The Yorkshire Dipper: What would you risk to bring the truth to the surface?
The Hen Party: First there were ten. Then there were nine.
Memoir
Don’t Call me Mum! A mother’s story about being pushed to the brink
Poetry
Poetry for the Newly Married 40 Something: How to get from Tinder to altar
How-to Books for Writers
Write your Lif
e Story in a Year
Write a Novel in a Year
Write a Collection of Poetry in a Year
Write a Collection of Short Stories in a Year
All available on Amazon
Win a Yorkshire ‘Goody Bag’
To win a fabulous Yorkshire-themed reader goody bag, answer the question given below before midnight (gmt) Friday 21st May. I will do the prize draw on the 22nd.
What were the two alcoholic drinks that Fiona succumbed to prior to being arrested?
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The Hen Party - Prologue
(The next psychological thriller - find out more on Amazon)
It takes a moment for my eyes to grow accustomed to the darkness. My heart rate quickens and I hear the whoosh of my breath in my ears. As I tiptoe to her side, she doesn’t stir.
I hold the pillow, my hands gripping either edge as I prepare to lower it.
She barely flinches to start with. I wonder if she will just drift into an eternal sleep without waking first.
Her body becomes rigid, but then, some fight must kick in, her arms and legs flail in all directions. Taken aback, I press down. Hard. I hear her gasps beneath the pillow. She doesn’t thrash for long before going limp. Then. Silence.
I hardly dare move the pillow for a moment. When I do, I know there’s no going back.
She’s gone.
Available at Amazon
Acknowledgements
I’d like to firstly thank my husband, Michael, who acts as my first reader and is additionally an eagle-eyed proof reader. But more importantly, his support and belief in my author career keeps me going on the tough days when the words will not flow!
Next, a thank you to my talented book cover designer Darran Holmes, who has once again worked his magic with the cover design. He somehow always manages to turn my vision into something even better. Thanks also to Sue Coates, the photographer who took my ‘author photo.’
A huge thank you also to my wonderful Advance Reader Team for your later stage feedback. Your support means the world to me and I don’t know what I’d do without you!
I am forever grateful to Leeds Trinity University and my MA in Creative Writing Tutors there, Martyn, Amina and Oz. Without graduating from the Masters degree in 2015, I’m not sure I would have ever made the transition from an aspiring to a professional writer.
And finally, to you, the reader. Without readers an author is nothing. I am truly thankful for your interest in my work. I really hope you enjoyed Hit and Run.
About the Author
The domestic thrillers I write shine a light into the darkness that can exist within marital and family relationships. I have been no stranger to turbulent times myself, and this has provided some of the raw material for my novels.
I am a born ‘n’ bred Yorkshirewoman, and a mum of two grown up sons. In my forties, I have been able to pursue a long-held ambition of gaining an MA in Creative Writing and make writing my full time occupation. Recently I have married for the second time and have found my ‘happy ever after.’
This is not something you will find in my novels though! I think that we thriller writers are amongst the nicest people you could meet because we pour all our darkness into our books – it’s the romance writers you’ve got to watch…
I plan to release four novels per year and if you’d like to be kept in the loop about new books and special offers, join my ‘keep in touch list’ or visit www.autonomypress.co.uk. You will receive a free book as a thank you for joining!
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