The Strangling on the Stage

THIRTY

‘Well, we didn’t exactly get confirmation, did we?’ said Carole as they left the house.

‘We got confirmation that Elizaveta did kind of “issue the challenge”. Say she wanted Ritchie Good dead.’

‘Which presumably was enough to prompt Storm to take action.’

Jude’s full lips wrinkled with scepticism. ‘It just seems out of character for her.’

‘Again you’re only saying that because she’s your friend. From what I’ve seen of her, she’s pretty volatile – not to say unstable.’

‘I agree. She’s passionate. I mean, OK, if Ritchie had done something directly to hurt her, I can see Storm taking revenge on him in a fit of fury. I can’t see her in this sort of “one-remove” scenario, exacting vengeance on someone else’s behalf. It’s not in her nature to be so unspontaneous. I’m sure there’s some other explanation.’

‘Well, it’s not an explanation you’re about to hear, if Storm continues refusing to answer your phone calls, is it?’

‘No,’ Jude agreed limply. Then, suddenly, noticing they were passing a little general store, ‘Oh, I’ve just remembered I haven’t got any eggs! Could you pick me up here when you’ve got the car?’

Carole watched her neighbour rush into the shop with some censure. Her own organized shopping routine would never allow High Tor to run out of eggs. Then she looked at her watch and realized sourly that they had only needed one hour’s parking.

Jude got her eggs, then realized she needed soy sauce and noodles too. Which meant she had to buy another ‘Bag For Life’. If all the similar ones she’d got in her kitchen were counted up, they’d provide her with more lives than a full cattery.

She stepped out between two parked vehicles and looked towards the car park. The white Renault was coming towards her. She stepped out a bit further, so that Carole could see where she was.

It was only when the car was almost upon her that Jude realized it wasn’t going to stop. In fact it was accelerating and aiming straight for her.

She tried to leap backwards, but was too late. She felt a thump that shuddered through her whole body. Then she seemed to be lifted up in the air and smashed down.

Everything went dark.