Killer Princesses: Gripping and gritty, a twisty and tantalising thriller... by Jennifer R Hollis

Author:Jennifer R Hollis [Hollis, Jennifer R]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2020-11-28T22:00:00+00:00

As she got ready, she heard her phone vibrating. She expected the messages were all coming from the new group. She could just imagine the speculation and questions. She didn’t bother to check the messages, let alone respond. They’d all have to turn up and hear the news along with everyone else.

She took a fresh, ironed uniform from her wardrobe; it felt baggier than usual. She removed her hair curlers, did her best to cover her pale, blotchy skin and dry lips with make-up. The stresses of the last three months had undeniably taken their toll on her. She glared at the impatient clock, which told her she only had moments left before she had to go.

“Take it step by step,” she muttered to the mirror. “You’re a leader, you’ve made a hundred speeches before, it’s not another murder, it’s suicide.”

She breathed deeply, then willed herself to the front door. She glanced into the study; Kevin was sitting at his desk, looking down at his phone and typing.

“Kevin, I’m leaving now. Everything OK?”

“Yes,” he jumped and dropped his phone on the floor. “Good luck, you know, making the announcement.”

“How do you know I’m doing it instead of Steve?” she queried, her eyes narrowed.

“Oh, um...”

His eyes darted around the room, landing on the phone on the floor in front of him.

“I didn’t, I just thought, you know, you’re her manager,” he mumbled.

“Liar,” muttered Gillian, as she left the house. As she closed the door, she noticed that some of her plant pots had fallen over, and that soil had spread onto the driveway. She picked up a broom and swept until it looked perfect again. For about ten seconds, it made her feel much better. But then she remembered all her other stresses, and that time was ticking by impatiently.

Thirty minutes later, she sat in the store canteen. How could she get up and speak to all these people, when her muscles felt so tense and her breath was caught in her throat?

At 8.20 am, Steve knocked on a table to get everyone’s attention, his face solemn. Silence fell, and dozens of pairs of eyes swivelled in her direction, in anticipation of the news.

In front of her, Debbie and Karen sat close together, looks of concern on their faces. Marie stood towards the back, with Renee perched on a table next to her. So, she’s well enough to come and hear the announcement, thought Gillian, dryly. She took a deep breath.

“Good morning,” she paused, her breath caught in her throat. “I-I’m afraid we have some terrible, terrible news to share with you this morning. Yesterday, our colleague Dawn was found at her home, and she had passed away.”

There was a collective gasp; hands flew up to mouths and eyes darted around the room. The colour drained from Debbie’s face; her hand twitched and grabbed Karen’s arm.

“Now,” said Gillian, though it was almost inaudible over the din of noise. “Now, this is not being treated as suspicious,” she shouted, and silence fell again.

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