Our turn to go inside and vote had arrived. Katrina and I both sidled up to the desk to get our papers. Behind us, Simon had joined the line, and his eyes never left me as he waited to grab his own forms.
I took my sheet and went to the tiny desk, partitioned off from other voters. It was busy, with almost every table occupied. The only other station free was obviously the one across from me. Naturally, that’s where Simon stood. He watched me like a hawk.
I looked at my voting papers, my hands shaking.
PATEL, RIZ – Labour and Co-Operative Party
POTSDAM, MARJORIE – Green Party of England and Wales
THRALL, ROBERT – UKIP
RABBIT, SUZANNE – Liberal Democrats
And the last candidate – Michael Cadbury-Smythe. Yup, the replacement Tory candidate was Margo’s brother-in-law.
The red line through Riz’s name hadWITHDRAWNwritten by it.
I ticked the box next to Marjorie’s name. Her passion for saving the bees was the only policy position I could remember after everything else that had happened. I left the desk before Simon could start begging me to talk to him and stuffed my ballot in the box. Democratic duty done.
I stalked out of the church hall. Have you ever had several people calling your name before? All asking you to stop and speak? Neither had I until this day. I looked up but kept on walking. Guy had joined his aunt. Several men were around him, one with a bright blue rosette on his chest. Nigella, Roz, and even Katrina were around them too.
I couldn’t face it. I walked home as fast as I could. To distract myself, I decided to take Kennedy for a walk. I needed to think of something else. I needed to blow off steam. I needed to hit something. Actually, what I needed was to be anywhere but this village.
“C’mon, lad,” I told Kennedy. “Let’s get the fuck out of here.” Instead of a walk, we piled into the car, and I drove off too fast, heading towards Compney. Nigella had said that Sonia was a mess, so maybe she wanted some company. At least Sonia never lied to me.
Compney High Street was busy in the blistering sunshine. Tables and chairs from several cafés spilt outonto the pavement. Happy, chatting, laughing people enjoyed the early summer day.
The estate agency was closed. Huh. That was unusual. I took out my phone and rang Sonia’s number.
A voice answered. But it wasn’t Son. It was Dhapinder. “Ah, Arden. How good of you to call.” Through the glass, I saw her appear in the shop. “As you can see, we’re closed today, but why don’t you come on in?”
She walked towards the door and opened it for me with a smile. “What a beautiful day.” She let me pass as if the last time we’d met, she hadn’t threatened me with a stun gun. “Why do you have Sonia’s phone?” I asked. Something was very, very wrong.
I came inside, knowing it was the wrong choice. She bolted the door after me. That’s when I saw the knife.
“Why don’t you leave that dog of yours in the toilet?” she asked, gesturing her head towards a door. Kenny whimpered and backed away.
“Okay, easy, easy,” I said as she flicked the knife in the toilet’s direction. With her other hand, she grabbed my phone from me and put it in her pocket. I dragged Kenny to the bathrooms. “C’mon, boy, it’ll be okay.” I led him into the small room and then gave him a kiss atop his snout. “Good boy, stay calm, and this will all be over soon,” I told him. He whimpered again. My hands were shaking.
I backed out of the room. Instantly, Kennedy launched himself at the closed door and started howling for me.
Dhapinder still had the knife aimed at me. Could I take her? She was small, only a few inches above five feet. I’m no giant, but I was still male and bigger. However, that knife looked very sharp. It was a normal kitchen knife, the kind everyone makes as an investment purchase. The ‘good’ knife. I was glad that at least it wasn’t bloody and looking like it had already been used.
“Where’s Sonia?” I asked, hating the tremor in my voice. Dhapinder was sweating; the hairspray she’d used liberally to keep her estate agent helmet in place was clinging on by its fingernails. Her ’do was beginning to droop. She had scuff marks on her legs and shoes.
“She’s in the staff kitchen. Why don’t you go and join her?” She gestured with the knife, and I walked slowly, edging against the wall towards the kitchen. Kennedy was still howling in the bathroom.
So, this was how I died. In an estate agent’s. At the hands of a crazy woman. Oh, well, I had got to live for a few more months after Tarquin had tried it. At least no one was framing me for murder this time.
My heart thundering, I eventually made it to the kitchen under Dhapinder’s gaze. She had lost it. I opened the door and fell into the room.
Sonia was on a chair in the middle of it. Her wrists were tied to the chair legs. She was conscious but gagged at the mouth. Searching the room for help. When she saw me, her eyes went wide, and she strained against her ties. At least she was unhurt. For now.
Beside her, on the floor, his head in his hands, was Trevor Bliss. He looked up at me as we came in. His eyes were red, his face tear-stained, and a big glob of snot hung from his nose. “It was never supposed to be like this,” he told me.
“Oh, Trevor, what have you done?” I asked.
“Be quiet,” said Dhapinder, and the knife prodded me in the back, a tiny nip, but it was enough to make me yelp and jump forward.
