Girl A, Dan Scottow [best short books to read .TXT] 📗

gushed about her at work. It was clear that she was special to you. So I took her away from you all. I managed to slip Peter’s phone into my purse the night I babysat. I also found your spare front door key in a bowl on the kitchen worktop. That came in very handy. I had a lot of fun creeping around your house! Zoe was a lovely girl… she deserved so much more than your family. I did her a favour, really. You should have seen the terror in her eyes as I tightened that scarf around her throat. She didn’t understand. She died afraid and alone. And that, my dear, is all on you.’

‘Why, Margot… why, if you were doing so well, why throw it all away to come and get revenge? Is it worth it?’

‘YES!’ Margot screamed. The level of her fury made Beth jump.

‘Yes, it was… because I realised you had got away with what you did, with not even so much as a slap on the wrist. I paid. I went to prison. And can you imagine what happened to a slim young effeminate boy in there? I’ll tell you… I was fair game for everyone. They thought all their Christmases had come at once. And do you know what? I even told myself I deserved it. Because what we did to that little boy, it was horrendous, Kitty. Horrendous!’

‘Margot, I’m sorry, okay. Is that what you want to hear? I’m sorry. But you did what you did!’

‘No! WE! It was us. You know that as well as I do. It was your idea. You wanted to take him! Not me. I wanted to impress you. All I ever wanted was to impress you. Perfect little Kitty Briscoe. With her pretty blonde hair, and big blue eyes.’

‘I didn’t… it wasn’t me! I would never–’

‘Yes, Kitty, you did! We were at the fair and you saw him. You said let’s take him.’

‘But I only wanted to play with him… I didn’t want to hurt him. I wouldn’t!’

‘Is that what you tell yourself so you can sleep at night? My family disowned me. And it was all because of you! When I got out of prison, my father wouldn’t even let me go home. He gave me one hundred grand and told me he and my mother never wanted to see me again. Can you imagine what that feels like for a young person? To be… abandoned by the people who should support you through anything? Although, with enough funds behind you, it’s scarily easy to disappear. I suppose I should be grateful to my parents for that at least.’ Margot paused, a smile creeping onto her face.

‘Talking of families… How is your mother, Kitty?’ Margot’s voice had a playful edge to it.

Beth said nothing.

‘I managed to track her down. You hid her well, I’ll give you that. But I found her eventually.’

Beth heard a gasp from beside her. She looked towards Charlie on the floor.

‘Beth, what’s she talking about? I thought your parents were dead?’

‘Oh, Charlie, you poor deluded fool. Haven’t you figured out yet that everything she told you was a pack of lies? Her father is dead, yes. But her mother is alive. Well, she was… not so much anymore.’

Beth’s head whipped round towards Margot.

‘What?’

‘I looked her in the eye and I slit her throat. I made sure she knew who I was too… so she knew she deserved it. I wish I could tell you that she didn’t feel a thing, that she didn’t suffer… but–’

Beth screamed, hurtling towards Margot, keeping her shoulders low. Margot was caught off guard and didn’t have time to move out of the way. Beth’s head connected with Margot’s stomach, and they both tumbled to the ground. Margot wheezed as the air was knocked from her lungs, her knife clattering across the ground.

Beth had dropped the hammer, but she straddled Margot, holding her arms down, pinning them tightly. Margot writhed, trying to throw Beth from her, but Beth had the advantage. She reached to her side, but she couldn’t quite get the hammer. She lifted her hips into the air slightly, trying to extend her body further. Margot brought her knee up hard, throwing Beth into a heap beside her.

Beth scrambled on the floor, but Margot was faster. She sprang to her feet, kicking the hammer. It scuttled across the ground. She spun towards Beth, and a heavy black motorbike boot connected with the side of her jaw.

Stunned, she fell, and Margot quickly moved closer, stamping on her wrist. There was a crunch, a hideous cracking sound. Beth screamed in agony, and Margot kicked her in the kidneys with such force, Beth thought she was going to be sick.

‘Is that all you’ve got, Kitty? You used to be much tougher.’

Beth pushed herself up onto her knees, her head slumped. Her hair had come loose and hung down in front of her face. Her hands either side of her feet. She breathed heavily, slowly.

Margot retrieved the knife, taking a step forwards, pointing it down close to Beth’s head. She traced the blade across Beth’s cheek, digging the point into her flesh. Beth winced, as a trickle of blood ran down the side of her face.

‘How fitting that it should all end here, like this. Where it all began. It’s kind of poetic, don’t you think?’

Beth’s head fell lower. Margot took this as a sign of defeat.

‘I’d like to say that your family will be fine. I did consider letting them live. But I can’t. I’m going to kill them one by one. Little Daisy will be last… so she has time to realise what is coming…’

Beth sprung upwards, swinging the Stanley knife she had slipped out from her sock towards Margot’s head. The blade sliced through her cheek, sending blood spurting through the air towards Beth. Margot screamed, throwing her hands up to her face. The blade she was holding fell to the floor.

Beth didn’t give her time