Occupied by Janet Preece

Author:Janet Preece [Preece, Janet]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2021-02-17T22:00:00+00:00

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Julie hadn’t made plans for the weekend, so when Tommy asked to go looking for conkers, she jumped at the chance, desperate to escape the walls of her confinement. She had slept fitfully, woken in a cold sweat and cursed herself for changing the bedding, knowing she’d have to start over again. More washing. She couldn’t help but smirk at the absurdity of her situation. Her husband had been having an affair for three years – at least – and she was concerned about the washing.

As they walked along, the breeze was invigorating, blowing her hair out of her face and exposing her ears until they were numbed by the cold. Tommy skipped alongside Julie, his warm hand in hers, showing her the love and attention she craved. A simple touch with so much promise. She watched as he spotted a horse-chestnut tree and started scavenging for conkers among the abandoned shells.

‘I found one!’ He shouted over, holding up a prickly closed shell and running back to her.

They took turns stamping on it, crushing the untouched prison to release the jewel within. Julie couldn’t help comparing it to herself, the irony of her life: was Dan’s affair the ultimate punishment or her reward, contrived to release her from the ugliness of her existence? Was it the turning point, even more pivotal than the moment of clarity she’d felt ending Amrita’s life?

She’d thought a lot about her, understandably, since the story first broke, but had felt no remorse. In the weeks since the cinema killing, despite extensive media coverage describing it as ‘a brutal, senseless murder of an innocent’, Julie just couldn’t bring herself to agree. Perhaps more so since discovering Dan’s affair, not that she’d brought it up with him, couldn’t face the conflict. It had taken away her self-empowered confidence and put her back a step. Nobody is innocent, she thought, watching Tommy snatching up conker after conker greedily. Every action has a beneficial consequence, no matter how harsh the reality of the moment, everything was down to fate. Chance and consequence.

The more Julie read about Amrita Devi’s life, the better she felt about her actions. If only she could ask the deceased what she thought, if she was grateful for Julie’s actions as Julie believed she should be. Had she been given the choice, known the outcome of how her death would affect those closest to her, would she have made the leap, willingly participated in her own demise?

Over the weeks, Julie had made a conscious effort to read as much as possible surrounding the case. The husband had appeared on TV asking for Justice for Amrita, trying to shed a tear knowing all eyes were on him as the most probable killer. He looked the type. Julie wondered how many beatings his wife had endured.

The children weren’t pictured, just shadows of figures. She couldn’t help but judge them to be rough kids from their bony physiques. They might well be innocent, but in her mind, she fantasised they were neglected, malnourished, drug-dealing addicts.

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