Looking back on those years, Nigel supposed Stella still retained that mysterious perception, even now when she was far away in New York or London. How else would she have known about Libby, unless she had someone spying on him? Nigel gave a sigh. He still loved Stella in his own way. She possessed this hold over him, but she was too complicated and erratic to live with full-time. She also knew far too much about him and some of his odd little ways. Libby was somewhat simpler and less demanding, more malleable.
This time, though, he thought his planning was going well. None of their joint friends knew about their relationship, and Libby losing her memory had been an added bonus. It still was, as she hadn’t twigged they’d never been engaged and Nigel was anxious she never would, until it was too late.
It was annoying she was being a stickler over wearing her engagement ring, but he was sure she would eventually give in and wear it with pride. He only needed patience, and Nigel had plenty of that.
Chapter 25
The watcher picked up the briefcase, and after twiddling the security lock until the right combination showed, flicked open the catches. Tucked inside behind one of the leather dividers, the watcher withdrew a slim jeweller’s box and opened it. Nestling on the black velvet was an exquisite ankle bracelet made of heavy silver. The stalker fingered the smooth worked metal with a tender touch and then turned the bracelet over. On the inside were the words that had been inscribed earlier, “Mine, all mine.”
Each one had been given such a bracelet, and they had worn it with pride, not knowing that the gift singled them out. It was as befitting as a gift could be. They were the chosen ones.
The stalker gave a smile and lovingly replaced the bracelet in the box. It was almost time. Soon, very soon, the final one would receive her gift.
Chapter 26
‘The woman injured in the attack last night, a 31-year-old staff nurse, was detained in St Thomas’s Hospital in London. She is being kept in the intensive care unit while the medical staff come to a decision regarding her surgery. The woman was on night shift duty when she was savagely attacked. The only information police have released at this stage is that she suffered severe lacerations to her face and abdomen. The weapon has not been identified. She remains stable. Any possible witnesses to this deplorable attack should contact….’
Robert switched the television off as Diana entered the living room. She looked at Robert. “What? Why did you turn it off? I don’t mind you watching TV, you know. Please don’t feel you have to entertain me.” She sat down in an easy chair and eased the baby from her shoulder. “Poppy’s hungry early today. I’m waiting for her bottle to warm. She’s already scoffed her solids.”
Robert smiled at the gappy-toothed infant as she cooed at him from her mother’s lap. “Would you like to give it to her? She’s very obliging.”
Robert looked very unsure as Diana handed him a square of muslin, indicating it was ‘just in case she’s sick’ and to protect his clothes. “Er, I’m not too sure about this, Di.” He squirmed in his chair.
Diana laughed as she walked back towards the kitchen. “Don’t be such a coward. She won’t bite you know. Steve’s become a real dab hand at feeding her.” Robert jiggled the baby around a bit, obviously scared witless she just might start crying if she was separated from her mother.
“Here you are. Are you comfortable? That’s it. Just lean back in your chair and relax! She knows what to do,” Diana said, holding a warmed bottle of milk out to Robert. “I believe she’s grown in the short time we’ve been here, Steve’s going to notice a difference with his darling daughter when he arrives from Cyprus.”
“It’s all right for Steve – he’s had practice recently. It’s been ages since I’ve done this.”
Diana studied him while he fed her baby. She thought she knew what was going through his mind. She decided to say nothing, thinking the contact with an infant would do him good. Eight ounces of milk later, a burped, contented Poppy was happily playing with her assortment of rattles once Diana relieved Robert of his nursing duties.
“That wasn’t too bad, was it?” she asked gently.
Robert glanced at her, and Diana knew instantly he understood she hadn’t simply meant feeding her child. “Do you want to talk? I loved her too you know.”
~~~~~
Robert sighed. Diana was right. Of all the people he knew, his cousin, Diana, had been the closest to his dead wife, Morwenna. In fact it had been her who had introduced the dark-haired, elven-faced Welsh girl to the young Royal Air Force pilot all those years ago. Robert knew Diana had noticed how he and her best friend became tongue-tied in each other’s presence. She had noticed the surreptitious looks and sidelong glances that eventually led to a then bashful Robert asking the bright, pretty nurse out to the pictures.
After that initial painful phase of discovering and overcoming their shyness, within weeks, Robert and Morwenna were head over heels in love. Robert knew he was up for promotion leading to an overseas posting, so forestalling his seniors at work, he asked Morwenna to be his wife.
Even now, he still recalled the look of happiness and astonishment on his darling girl’s face when he had knelt down on one knee and produced a sapphire – her birthstone – engagement ring. “Please say ‘yes’,” he had begged from his place on the ground, gazing into her eyes with an intensity she found compelling. “If you refuse me, I don’t know what I’ll do.”
In response, she had flung her arms around him and whispered a breathy answer in his ear. When they returned home together, it was Diana to whom they gave their exciting news.
“I knew it,” she said, laughing. “As soon as I saw you two together, I reckoned you would hit it off. Mind you, even I’m a bit surprised at how quickly you’ve made your decision. Has this got anything to do with your pending promotion, Robert? Wait until Stephanie hears about this! She’s been like the proverbial cat on a hot tin roof ever since I told her about you. I can hardly wait to see her face.”
At first, Robert had been appalled that his well-meaning but ever-meddling cousin, Diana, had obviously been discussing him and Morwenna with his sister. He had rolled his eyes in dismay at Morwenna, who had simply giggled at his discomfiture and showed an admiring Diana her sparkling ring.
Stephanie and Diana decided to take things in hand and, between them, assisted Morwenna towards organising a simple, but tasteful wedding. Over the years since his wife’s death, the memory of her standing in her wedding dress, slender and beautiful before him, still sent a shaft of remorse through him.
Robert and Morwenna enjoyed seven years together. Morwenna loved accompanying her handsome husband on some of his overseas tours and revelled in exploring far-eastern exotic countries. They lived well and it was obvious to all their friends that they had the perfect marriage. It was during Robert’s posting back in England that Morwenna discovered she was expecting their first baby. Both parents were thrilled when their tiny daughter arrived during a cold and blustery December, and after listening to the maternity ward nurses singing Christmas carols as they went about their duties, Morwenna would hear of no other name for her baby girl. A few weeks later, she was christened Carole.
Fatherhood took Robert by surprise, and he often found himself hovering round his daughter’s cot much to Morwenna’s amusement. He considered those days to be among the best of his life.
He and Morwenna spent much of their free time discovering the English countryside. A favourite place of theirs was situated on the South Downs and coast, the Seven Sisters Country Park. This area comprised 280 hectares of chalk cliffs, meandering river valley and open chalk grassland. It was an immensely popular place for outdoor activities including walking, bird watching, cycling and canoeing.
“Let’s take a picnic to the Seven Sisters Park this afternoon,” Robert said, as he wandered into the kitchen of their home. “The weather’s been lousy for the past couple of weeks, and it would be good to get some fresh air in our lungs.”
Morwenna loo
ked doubtful as she glanced out of the window. “Are you sure? It’s a fair journey, and although it’s stopped raining, it’s still grey and dull outside.”
“Come on, sweetheart, where’s your spirit? A little rain never hurt anybody. We can throw the raincoats in the back of the car, and we can be there in less than two hours. Besides, I want to try out the new camera you bought me. I’ve hardly used it since Christmas.”
Morwenna had laughed at his enthusiasm and began searching through her fridge and cupboards for the makings of a tasty picnic. “You know we’ll probably end up eating everything in the car, don’t you?”
Robert leant over his daughter’s buggy with a smile. “We think Mummy’s being a bit of a wet blanket, don’t we? We’ll have to change her mind.” Carole giggled and cooed kicking the soft cotton blanket from her legs in excitement. “Look, Morwenna, Carole wants to go!”
The drive was uneventful. With light traffic on the roads they made good time. The rain held off, and the sun even peeped from behind a bank of clouds as the little family strolled along the cliff top with baby Carole snugly nestled in a baby carrier on Robert’s back. When a chill wind and mist began to roll in from the sea, Robert decided it was time to head back to the car and enjoy some hot soup and filled crusty rolls. They had parked the car on the top of the cliffs about fifty yards away from the edge and just off the track, where they could sit watching the spume-topped waves roll in.
“It was good idea of yours to get out,” Morwenna agreed, once they were back in the car. “I’ll feed baby, and then with luck, she’ll sleep on the way home.” She settled down to nurse Carole.
“Okay, while you’re busy, I’ll take myself off along the cliff top the other way and take some more photographs. I might be able to get some good shots with this light. It’s almost eerie with the weak sun and the sea mist rolling in. I’ll be gone about fifteen minutes if that’s all right? Keep the car doors locked while I’m gone, will you?”
Morwenna agreed it was a good idea, and Robert gave her a loving kiss before leaving the car. The cliff top path ran along the edge. It was well worn and obviously a favourite with walkers, judging by the eroded edges and the width of it. Robert knew just the right spot to take his photographs. There was a part of the cliff which showed exposed fossils. With the sun sinking fast in the west, Robert thought he could get a perfect composition. The area was slightly further than he thought, and despite the rain holding off that day, there were deep puddles dotted here and there. He found the area he had been looking for and was disappointed to find there had been a recent rock fall. Where the cliff had sloped before with a natural grace and beauty, now there was a gaping hole. Disappointed, he began the muddy wet walk back to the car, looking forward to another cup of hot tea.
He hadn’t gone more than a few yards, when there was a slight tremor at his feet and he heard a rumbling in the distance. A slight crack appeared in the turf where his feet were, and he moved away from the cliff edge with alarm. The whole area was soggy with the recent rain. Robert suddenly felt a pang of worry shoot through him. He had left his wife and baby in the car not that far from the cliff’s edge.
Robert began to run.
When he reached the area where he had left Morwenna and the baby, there was nothing to be seen. It was empty. Moreover the spot wasn’t just empty, there was nothing there. There was a gaping hole now where the car and its occupants had been sited near the edge of the cliff. About eighty feet along the cliff edge, the turf was ragged and torn with exposed white chalk and stone.
~~~~~
There had been an inquest, and for some time, Robert had been described by lesser newspapers as ‘that infamous pilot who left his family to fall to their deaths at one of England’s most famous beauty spots’. Robert did nothing to dispel the nasty rumours about deliberately parking his car at a remote spot during a time of serious risk of cliff erosion, even when one of the reporters hounding him was quite scandalous with her accusations. Instead, Robert was set on cutting himself off from friends and family, believing he could deal with the rumours and his own guilt by himself. Even his sister and cousin found it difficult to break through his hard shell to help him with his grief.
It took Robert many years to come to terms with his supposed irresponsibility. During that time, despite meeting other women on a casual basis, he never found another that came near to, let alone replace, his Morwenna. Since the onslaught of the horrendous allegations from the female reporter, for the first time in his life, he lost his respect for mankind, especially women.
Chapter 27
The latest idea had been so easy! The success rate so far had been almost 100 per cent. Only once had the watcher failed to leave a mark, a warning of what was to come. Mistakes were not an option. Never mind, things were well on their way now. Just a few days to settle down and get with the flow…and then it would be all over. The watcher would have accomplished all that was set out to be done.
The latest women had all been tasters… hors d’oeuvres, if you like…the watcher had never meant to kill any of them…that fate was reserved for Libby.
Too bad there was an increase in security, but no matter, the watcher knew how to get in, knew how to perform the last episode. Everything had been handed on a plate, and without knowing it, the victim had unwittingly agreed.
Chapter 28
Libby wasn’t anticipating Robert’s call that evening. When she returned home from work, she had been grateful to slip out of her work clothes. She took a cooling shower and looked forward to an evening of leisure. She had felt almost light-hearted ever since her last telephone call with Nigel when he asked for a delay in her moving in with him. Libby wasn't sure, but she guessed it was something to do with the previous Mrs St John. Perhaps things were changing between them. They could even be getting back together again for all she knew.
Libby paused as she decided what she was going to cook for supper. She eyed a couple of chicken breasts in the refrigerator and thought she might try her hand at Green Thai Curry. She had a new recipe book and most of the ingredients. The method didn’t look particularly difficult.
She checked through her kitchen cupboard and selected everything she needed to make the green curry paste. What was perhaps most surprising was her reaction to Nigel’s postponement. She was feeling almost a little guilty as a result of his proposal. She scolded herself. For goodness sake, woman! He is offering you a chance to think things over. True, she had already decided a few days ago she wanted to split up, because she knew things were not right between them, but she still believed she was the guilty party. Nigel just wanted them to be together; she was the one who was shilly-shallying. She knew, when it finally came down to it, she was going to tell him 'no'. She didn’t want to marry him, but that was a strange thing too. She couldn’t actually remember Nigel mentioning marriage. Oh yes, he had talked about their moving in together and sharing a life, but marriage was never mentioned, which was very odd, considering she had an engagement ring in her possession – from him.
Libby ground the coriander and cumin in a pan and dry-roasted them over a hot flame. She blended the roasted spices together with the chillies, garlic and onions. Galangal. She hadn’t been able to buy any of that, but after looking it up, she decided fresh ginger would do. What else did she need? Lemon, shrimp paste, peanut oil…as she worked, a memory of Robert suddenly appeared in her mind. If they had been closer friends, she would have invited him over to try her new recipe.
After their last encounter, they had parted on a more cordial footing than the previous occasion, but that was before his glamorous cousin Diana had arrived on the scene. Complete with baby, of course. Libby mused over their possible relationship. If Diana had a baby, then wasn’t there a possibility of a father for the infant? Libby was astonished over how Robert kept appearing in her thoughts.
After blending the ingredients, she read the next stage in her cookery book. Place curry paste in a large saucepan, stir over heat until fragra
nt. Add coconut milk…the telephone ringing from her living room made her stop. Bother. She really wanted a quiet evening. She didn’t want to waste time with idle chat. She put down her wooden spoon and walked through to the other room.
She glanced at the caller’s recorded number and was again startled at her reaction to Robert.
“Hello, Robert. How are you? I wasn’t expecting you to call.” Her heart was racing in her chest as she waited for his reply.
“Libby, I’m fine, thanks, and you? I haven’t forgotten about your back door. I don’t suppose you’ve had a chance to get it fixed yet? No? Well, that’s good because I’ve bought a new lock for you.”
Libby murmured something about him being ‘most kind’ as her thoughts whirled around in her head.
3 The Surgeon's Blade Page 14
