Beware the Cuckoo by Newman Julie

Author:Newman, Julie
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Bloodhound Books
Published: 2021-05-30T16:00:00+00:00

30

2010

Karen gasped. Her distress was audible. Her mouth instantly dried and her hands began to shake. She felt light-headed and sick, physically sick. She prayed the feeling did not manifest itself as she was unable to move. Then her heart joined in, racing. The palpitations were loud; to her anyway. She could hear her heartbeat, it was getting louder. She was sure everyone could hear it, a rhythmic beat getting faster and faster, drumming in her ears like rain on a tin roof. It was disorientating; this must be what shock feels like. She knew Sandra was looking at her but she did not want to meet those eyes, she could not, she dare not. What could she say? They say a picture paints a thousand words. Karen put the photograph face down in her lap, as she did she saw the next one, it was worse, then the next and the next. Interspersed between photos of herself with Sandra and Yvonne were photos of her and Bill. She stopped looking at them and looked up at Sandra instead.

“Oh, you haven’t reached my favourite one yet,” said Sandra. “Here let me show you,” she said reaching her hand across the table.

“No,” said Karen. She picked up the photos and held them close so Sandra was unable to reach them. In a soft voice that was barely even a whisper she uttered an apology. “I’m so sorry.”

“Sorry. You fuck my Dad and all you can say is sorry.” Sandra’s voice was rising; she had been devastated when she had discovered this truth but that devastation had given way to anger; an anger that had been simmering away for quite a while. She’d had to keep it in check for such a long time, but now it was ready to boil over.

“I’m really, truly…” Karen tried to continue.

“Save it for Andrew,” Sandra said, for once remembering his name.

“You wouldn’t?”

“Oh I would and not just Andrew. Your family and business associates too.”

“Well you’re not having them back,” said Karen trying to quickly push the photos into her shopping bags.

“Oh silly me, I didn’t think to make copies.” Sandra feigned an exaggerated shocked expression.

“You have copies?” repeated Karen. Sandra nodded.

“I do. Well that’s not strictly true, in fact what you have are the copies; I have the originals.”

“Who else has seen them?”

“You and I. Dad, obviously and Nikolaas,” answered Sandra indicating her friend at the bar. Karen looked at Nikolaas, he raised his glass and winked at her. The nausea that had begun to abate, returned.

“The question is, not who has seen them but who will see them?”

“What do you want Sandra?”

”Money.”

“Money? I don’t have any money. Well not much.”

“Oh but you do. It appears my Father has left you some money, my money actually and I want it.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about. I haven’t received any money.”

“No not yet, you haven’t.”

“Okay, then if I do I’ll give it to you, that’s fine. I don’t want any money.”

“Very generous of you,” Sandra said with a note of sarcasm.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.