Night Watcher by Chris Longmuir Read Free Book Online Page A

‘If you’re sure you’re all right I really should get back . . .’
    ‘Don’t go just yet.’ Julie’s brain whirled trying to think of a way to prevent Nicole from leaving. ‘I was going to make a cup of hot, sweet tea – for the shock, you know – but I don’t know if I can handle the kettle. It’s my shoulder, you see.’ God, slow down she told herself, she was starting to babble.
    ‘You really should see a doctor,’ Nicole said. ‘You may have dislocated your shoulder.’
    ‘No! No doctors!’
    ‘Why ever not?’ Nicole sounded exasperated.
    ‘I daren’t do anything that could lead to him tracing me.’
    A spark of interest flared in Nicole’s eyes. ‘Why would seeing a doctor lead to your being traced?’
    ‘He works for the health service, you see. He has access to medical records.’ Julie embroidered on the lie she had started in the car park.
    ‘Would it be so awful if he traced you?’
    Julie shuddered. ‘If you think these bruises are bad you should see the ones he’s given me. I’ve had broken arms, black eyes and once he even broke my jaw. So the answer is yes, it would be awful if he found me. He’d probably kill me.
    ‘It wouldn’t be so bad, but I left a damn good job in Aberdeen – I was manager of a fancy goods store – and I had to leave it all behind. I can’t even access my bank accounts or he’d know where I was. And if I don’t get a job soon I don’t know what I’ll do.’ Julie had chatted with Betty who worked in the restaurant and knew that Drake’s Department Store needed a food hall manageress. She hoped Nicole would take the bait.
    Nicole poured the tea she had made into two china mugs. She ladled several spoonfuls of sugar into Julie’s. ‘Here, get this down you,’ she said, ‘it’ll help with the shock. And then we can talk about how I can maybe help you.’
    Julie suppressed a shudder. She hated sweet tea.
    ***
    Three weeks later, in mid-September, Julie started work as manageress of Patrick Drake’s food hall and, as she complimented herself on succeeding with the first stage of her plan, she plotted out the next stage. But it would be a long, slow process and would require a great deal of guile and all her resources to become Nicole’s friend.

 
     
    PART TWO
     
    November 2008

CHAPTER NINE
     
    He had been following her for more than four months and now felt he knew her better than she knew herself.
    She was an evil woman and the voice had instructed him to watch her. It was his mission in life to ensure she did not grow too strong and destroy everyone.
    He could not allow her to grow stronger. That would be disastrous. So he watched and waited, and although he made sure she could feel his presence, she never saw him. But he was certain she knew, certain she could feel him there, always behind her, always watching. He could tell by the way she looked over her shoulder, particularly when she was somewhere quiet, or in a dark and lonely place.
    It was quiet now, in the garden of her house: the kind of quiet where the wind holds its breath, and small animals of the night freeze into silent watchfulness.
    The ground was soft beneath his feet, but not too soft. There would be frost tonight, he could feel it in the air and see it reflected in the bright ring imprisoning the moon in its hazy grasp. But he must depart before the grass silvered round his footprints, for he must not leave any trace of his presence, except for the shiver down her spine.
    He hid in the dark shadows of the shrubbery, merging with them until he became a shadow, while the aroma of frosted earth nipped his nose mingling with the odour of the decaying blackbird lying at his feet. He inhaled deeply, savouring the fascinating mixture of smells. There was nothing more fragrant to him than the smell of death and decay.
    He watched her enter the house, fumbling in her bag for the key. As usual it had slipped to the bottom, merging with the pens, nail scissors, combs and the other