Free Vengeance by Karen Lewis Page B

sleeping pills into a bowl and ground them down with
a pestle. Then she added enough water to make a paste. They’d be
much easier to get down that way, than swallowing them whole and in
handfuls.
    She placed the
bowl with its lethal contents on the bedside table, and slipped
into her favourite outfit, a beige dress with colourful embroidery.
There was no reason why she shouldn’t look respectable when she was
found. Not that it really mattered, of course. When you got right
down to it what did? Humans were nothing but powerless marionettes
being jerked around by the fickle hand of fate. They had no control
over what diseases they got, or whether they’d be murdered, or
perish in an accident. Tomorrow was promised to no one, but still
they made their pathetic little plans for a day they might never
see.
    What was the
purpose of it all, and was it really worth all the agony and angst?
Of course, it was the human fabricated world that was the most
vexing, such drama, full of sound and fury signifying nothing.
Shakespeare, as usual, got it right. The real world -- the natural
one -- was altogether different. There was a kill or be killed
honesty about it that was refreshing.
    The noisy roar
of traffic had drowned out the birdsong, while a pale sun poked its
fingers around the window blinds, creating a slatted image on the
far wall.
    Judy lay on
top of the covers and prayed for forgiveness. Then she reached for
the bowl...

Chapter
Two
     
    Goddamnit what
was she doing? Judy had stopped herself from swallowing the toxic
brew in the nick of time. All the righteous fury of her Celtic
ancestors had come galloping to the rescue. End it by all means,
they counselled, but finish off your enemies first.
    It was true,
of course. Matthew, Fang and Juanita wanted her dead. She couldn’t
play into their evil hands like this. They’d be drunk on champagne
for a week.
    But first
things first. The bailiffs would be here any minute.
    With a
tremendous effort of will, Judy heaved herself off the bed. Then
she dressed in comfortable clothes, packed a couple of suitcases,
and enticed Molly into her carry case with a tasty piece of
fish.
    She loaded
everything into the old Volvo, and left the home she loved so
dearly without a backward glance. It was easier that way. She
didn’t know what would happen to her furniture and other
belongings, and at that point in time, she didn’t much care. If she
was going to survive she’d have to take it moment by moment. It was
down to a matter of basic survival in a very hostile world.
    After she paid
for gas, she had just enough left for a couple of nights at a third
rate motel. She checked in at the Palace. What a ludicrous name
for such a dump . Uppermost in her mind, was a recent television
program about how filthy and unhygienic some hotel rooms were. Even
the first class hotels didn’t always clean properly. So a place
like the Palace was likely to be crawling with germs and bacteria.
She didn’t even want to imagine what must have gone on in its
sagging old beds.
    With this in
mind, she’d come prepared with disinfectants and her own bedding.
After the depressing place was cleaned to her satisfaction, she
tried to assure Molly, who was hiding under the bed, that
everything was going to be all right. If only I believed
that, she thought grimly.
    Afterwards,
she went over to the welfare office and applied for assistance. If
this nightmare had been delayed for another couple of years, she
would have qualified for the old age pension. Still, she was damned
if she was going to let that evil trio destroy her. Life went
on...at least for a while, and she was determined to get even and
win.
    Her first step
was to stake out Matthew’s new and expensive home. She parked at a
discreet distance on the tree-lined street and noted his time
schedule and routine. He usually hosted a party on Saturday night,
a fairly raucous affair with about half-a-dozen guests. She
suspected they did more than just drink.