Another Mother_a gripping psychological family drama by Amanda James

Author:Amanda James [James, Amanda]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Bloodhound Books
Published: 2018-04-09T16:00:00+00:00

17

Grey dawn light slips under the curtains and onto a lopsided dog’s head peering from a heap of clothes on the bedroom floor. I rub my eyes and look again. The dog turns into a pillow that I had punched, folded and then flung across the room during a sleepless night. I sit up and check the time on my phone. Five o’clock. Two hours sleep then. That doesn’t bode well for a long day’s work at Pebble House. Would Rosie manage without me just for today? Probably, but then I would have to face Mellyn, and her terrible confession hanging in the air like a vile curse on an innocent tongue.

I lie back down and pull the duvet up around my chin and think about the whole stomach-churning mess once more. Mellyn had switched, as I thought of her moods, after I’d mentioned Val, Rosie’s mum. That was when she’d really started drinking in earnest, but why? I sit up again and draw my hands down my face. Did that actually matter? The real problem was that she had got very drunk and decided to share the fact that she had murdered her husband. Murdered him in cold blood and then asked me not to tell anyone.

I stare at the birds of paradise patterning the beige curtain, but instead see the whole surreal scene again. Mellyn’s tortured eyes staring across at me from the sofa, her ghostly face, the words, ‘I killed Neil,’ in my ears, but my brain refusing to process.

After what seemed like a very long time I’d said, ‘What do you mean?’

Mellyn let out a long sigh as if she’d been holding her breath and shrugged. ‘He had hurt me badly the day before – said I had been ogling the postman – my wrist and hand ended up in a sling. Neil had been working in the shed and had a wooden mallet in his hand the moment he saw the postman leave. He came in with it behind his back, smiled sweetly at me and then smacked it down on my wrist and hand as I gripped the banister to go upstairs for something.’

I remember that I had put my hand over my mouth to stifle a cry but Mellyn didn’t notice. She’d had that trance-like stare on her face and the distant sing-song voice was back.

‘So, the next day, the day I killed him, we were round at my parents’. I told you before that he was doing the guttering, so we could get the house ready for sale. I was painting in the downstairs loo with my one good hand, and then I went upstairs to use the bathroom …’ She stopped and shoved her hands through her hair a few times and then wiped her mouth on the back of her sleeve. ‘Didn’t want to get trousers on my paint as I remember.’ She laughed and shook her head. ‘No … I meant paint on my trousers.’

I hadn’t wanted to hear the rest.

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