Alone in the kitchen, May poured herself another large Scotch and downed it in one, gasping as it hit the back of her throat, before taking the empty vial of ketamine from her handbag and tossing it in the bin. She frowned as she opened the drawer, the one used for storing all manner of essential-but-rarely-used knick-knacks, before shrugging off the missing roll of black insulating tape and yanking out the drawer completely, setting it down on the worktop and releasing the nine-inch carving knife gaffer-taped to the back.
* * *
Cameron, to all intents and purposes on the verge of a coma, lay oblivious to the football commentary blaring from the television, unaware of his wife standing over him and unaware of the tip of the blade gently prodding at his throat. May moved the knife over his chest and poked it gently, deliberating over the ideal place to make the fatal incision, before jumping, startled at the sound of somebody coughing politely behind her.
‘If you’re not about to carve a chicken with that,’ said Munro, smiling broadly, ‘then I’m afraid you’re in terrible trouble, Mrs. Cameron. Aye, that’s the word. Trouble.’
Epilogue
INTERVIEW ROOM 2:32pm
‘You’re not listening, Inspector. How many times do I have to tell you – I didnae do it to get back at Don, I did it to get back at Jenny. Aye, that’s right, Jenny. Look, those girls, those poor wee lassies, they were all innocent in this. I get that. It was Don who led them on, Don who charmed them into bed, not the other way round – but it wasnae them I was after. It was Jenny. I wanted my sister to suffer. Big time. Why? You have to ask why? Okay, look, you’re probably thinking I should be thankful to her, for introducing us in the first place. Maybe. But a leopard doesnae change his spots, we’d have separated sooner or later, only she made sure it was sooner.
See here, the thing with Jenny is she wouldnae let go. She wouldnae leave us alone. If we went to the pub, she’d be there. If we went for a meal, she’d be there. If I went out for the evening with my friends, she’d turn up to sit with Don until I got home. Aye, of course she still fancied him, you know that, but there’s a difference between fancying someone and being downright obsessed.
She liked her books. She thought she was better than everyone else because she was so well-read – always quoting literature, always quoting Burns. That’s what gave me the idea, see. Our name. Her name. Clow. Jenny Clow.
Did you know Burns had a fling with a lassie called Jenny Clow? Aye, well, she knew that too, so have a wee guess at what her pet name for Don was. Rabbie. Makes me want to heave. “Och, Rabbie, did this” and “Rabbie did that” and “Och, Rabbie, you’re so funny”.
Then, when I told her about the stuck-up lassie who came calling to say Don was moving in with her, she had the cheek to tell me it was meant to be, that I should let him go, that Robbie Burns went out with an Agnes Craig. Any opportunity, she’d rub it in. So I thought, okay you wee bitch, I’ll have you for this.
Did I know about the other girls? Are you stupid? Of course I did. I made it my business to find out. Everything I could. About all of them. And that’s what they call serendipity, Inspector. When I discovered they all shared the same names as Burns’s lovers, that’s when it all came together.
Now, I’m not into reading, it bores me. I’m a creative person. I like to create things, I like to paint. I like my crafts but see, that book she bought for Don, the one on the shelf in the lounge? It’s amazing how much information there is in there. You do know that was a gift for Don, don’t you? From you know who? Aye, so, job done as they say. I knew you’d figure it out sooner or later. You’re a clever man. And that would’ve been the end of it had she not gone on at me about losing him. About how there must be something wrong with me if he could attract all these other women and not find me attractive.
That’s when the red mist came down. I didnae mean to kill her. That really was an accident. Death was too good for her. Too easy. But she tipped me over the edge. Not with her teasing or snide comments but with a taunting revelation. She looked so… smug.
See here, Inspector, you know how Don liked to bed the younger lassies, don’t you? The students and the bar workers? Well, that’s not all he liked to bed. Here’s something to make your skin crawl. Did you know he often enjoyed the company of what you might call “the more mature woman”? Or rather, someone more his own age? Someone who almost mothered, if not smothered him? No, I bet you didnae see that coming.
Okay, now I’ve a wee question for you. Who do you suppose fitted the bill? Who do suppose was always there, willing to jump when he barked? Who do you think thought so little of herself she succumbed to his every whim?
Aye. In one, Inspector. My beloved sister. She was sleeping with him even after I’d moved out. So, there you have it. That’s why I did it. And no, I’m not sorry. About Jenny, I mean. And I’ll tell you this for nothing, if she’s a conscience, she’ll not rest in peace. She’ll not rest in peace at all.
Character List
D.I. JAMES MUNRO – Shrewd, smart and cynical with an inability to embrace retirement, he has a knack for expecting the unexpected.
D.S. CHARLOTTE WEST – Racked with self-doubt after a floundering engagement, she regains her confidence with Munro as her mentor in his native Scotland.
D.S. DON CAMERON – A rough diamond with roguish appeal who plays by the book and likes to keep his skeletons locked firmly in the closet.
D.C. DOUGAL McCRAE – A clever, young introvert with more brain than brawn who’d rather be fishing than drinking in the pub.
D.C.I. GEORGE ELLIOT – Laid back and relaxed, happy behind a desk and happiest at home, he prefers to let others do the dirty work having spent a lifetime dicing with death.
ANDREW “MAX” MAXWELL STEWART – Hyper-intelligent with zero qualifications, the proverbial loner whose quest in life is to find “the answer”.
AGNES CRAIG – A beautiful, passionate student with aspirations to make a difference in the world of psychology.
MARY CAMPBELL – Agnes’s best friend, fellow student and a talented artist who forsakes a career as a painter for one as a therapist.
LIZZIE PATON – A strikingly attractive single mother content to bide her time as a receptionist until Mr. Right comes along.
MAY CAMERON – A sassy, sexy, art teacher whose classes attract mainly male students, tied to a copper in a loveless marriage.
JENNIFER CLOW – Officious spinster empowered by her role as an Assistant Manageress and the opportunity it provides for her to belittle her colleagues.
Other books by Pete Brassett published by THE BOOK FOLKS
THE WILDER SIDE OF CHAOS
YELLOW MAN
CLAM CHOWDER AT LAFAYETTE AND SPRING
THE GIRL FROM KILKENNY
BROWN BREAD
PRAYER FOR THE DYING
KISS THE GIRLS
SHE
AVARICE
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Table of Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Epilogue
Character List
Other books by Pete Brassett
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Enmity Page 18
