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    Just Deserts
    Just Deserts
    Just Deserts
    Ebook126 pages1 hour

    Just Deserts

    By Marc Matthews

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    About this ebook

    Just Deserts is a fast paced thriller, packed with suspense and horror to make the skin crawl. It will make you double check all your locks and windows...and under your bed!

    The story is set in the seemingly tranquil Clover Street. With its perfectly manicured lawns and beautiful detached houses, Clover Street would appear to be the ideal place to live. However, unlike a four-leaf clover, this street has run out of luck.

    The story revolves around the occupants of the four houses in Clover Street and the invisible thread that ties them all together. It asks the question, "How well do you really know your neighbours?"
    Susan Hayder is working on her new novel unaware that Alan Clayton, a teenage boy who lives next door, is totally obsessed with her. He watches her surreptitiously, all the time fantasing about being with her. He is quickly losing his grip on reality and his whole world is becoming more and more distorted, a psychosis even his Mother Maeve is not aware of. Maeve believes her life is nothing like a box of chocolates, she knows exactly what she's going to get. All she foresees is a sweet life for herself, her son and her wonderful new husband David Rovin. Susan Hayder's other neighbour, Jack Stevens, is contemplating suicide because of the loss of his beloved wife Marie. She died in a horrific car crash. What makes the pain even more unbearable is that he was talking to her on the phone when she crashed. One minute jack listens as Marie tells him the wonderful news that she's pregnant, next he is listening to her blood curdling screams - and then they are cut off, the horrible incessant tone resounding in his ear. Across the road, in number four Clover Street, Doctor Robert Kilmer has his own demons to contend with. He suspects his wife, Amy, of having an affair. His fears are confirmed through a private detective. She is cheating on him with his best friend and neighbour David Rovin. Robert is left heartbroken but anger takes over as he seeks revenge. He turns to the detective for retribution and a plan is formed to fake the Doctor's death and make it look like Amy and David are to blame.

    In the end death visits Clover Street and everyone gets their Just Deserts.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherTrafford Publishing
    Release dateDec 20, 2005
    ISBN9781412235068
    Just Deserts
    Author

    Marc Matthews

    Just Deserts is the debut novel from Marc Matthews. He was born in Ireland, Drogheda, County Louth in 1979 where he still lives with his family and feels he belongs. He enjoys socializing with his friends, playing football, and writing from the dark depths of his mind.

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      Book preview

      Just Deserts - Marc Matthews

      Contents

      About the Author

      Chapter 1

      A Kings Influence

      Chapter 2

      Questioning God

      Chapter 3

      The Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away

      Chapter 4

      Losing Marie

      Chapter 5

      After The Accident

      Chapter 6

      A Scream

      Chapter 7

      Welcome to

      Clover Street

      Chapter 8

      Mother and Son

      Chapter 9

      New Beginnings

      Chapter 10

      If a black cat should cross your path

      Chapter 11

      Who let the cat out of the bag?

      Chapter 12

      Who Can You Trust?

      Chapter 13

      The Plan

      Chapter 14

      Dead man talking

      Chapter 15

      Derealization

      Chapter 16

      Waking Nightmares

      Chapter 17

      Assailant in the Night

      Chapter 18

      The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence

      Chapter 19

      Reunited

      Chapter 20

      Dear Sis

      Chapter 21

      Knowing what’s right

      Chapter 22

      Death was here

      Chapter 23

      Everything in its

      right place

      Epilogue

      About the Author

      Just Deserts is the debut novel from Marc Matthews. He was born in Ireland, Drogheda, County Louth in 1979 where he still lives with his family and feels he belongs. He enjoys socializing with his friends, playing football and writing from the dark depths of his mind.

      Chapter 1

      scene break.jpg

      A Kings Influence

      While I nodded, nearly napping

      —EDGAR ALLAN POE, The Raven.

      June 30th 11.04pm

      A noise. A noise from outside. Metal against metal. A metal latch being lifted slowly, creating a sound which is trying its best not to be heard. Could it be someone at the gate? What else could it be? How about the wind Susan? Maybe it’s just the wind blowing the gate against its steel frame? Yeah that’s it, just the wind.

      Susan Hayder sat in her single bed with the duvet pulled up to her petite breasts. She was just starting to doze off to sleep, meaningless imagery sailing through her mind when she thought she had heard a noise from the back garden. Three soft pillows lay behind her back at different stages from the bottom of her spine to the top of her head. They overlapped each other slightly to give her extra support. This is how she spent most weeknights, sitting slightly reclined, warm and cozy reading a book. Tonight’s book, Salem’s Lot by her favorite author Stephen King, lay closed on her lap with a brown leather bookmark protruding from the top of it.

      Another noise, this time she was almost certain she had heard it and that it wasn’t her tired mind playing tricks on her. It sounded like a low clink followed by an almost tortured squeak, the noise a gate makes when being opened on hinges that need some oil therapy. Somebody opening the side gate. I thought it was the wind Susan? Her mind argued with her. Forget the wind, somebody’s in my garden! All right Susan relax, just go to the window and have a peek, put your mind at ease.

      She kicked the duvet to the side, slid her legs out on to the floor and stood up slowly and quietly out of bed, floorboards gently creaking under her bare feet. She placed the book on the locker at the side of her bed and switched off her reading lamp. King if you’re to blame for this I’m going to start reading Harry Potter at bedtime, she said in a gentle whisper. A small smile began to form at the side of her mouth; she knew fine well she’d never stop reading ‘The Kings’ stuff at night as long as he kept writing it! Horror should only be read when it’s dark outside in Susan’s opinion. What’s the use in reading scary material in the daytime when you feel safe? She felt the same about horror films. They should only be viewed at nighttime and in the smallest group possible i.e. on your own! The more people that watched it with you the less fear there seemed to be. The fear seemed to divide among the group rather than one person receiving the full impact. Susan liked to call it shared safety or diluted horror.

      She remembered going to see The Exorcist in the cinema when it first came out. It was the scariest movie she had ever seen but as she walked out passing groups of people, she could hear them laughing and joking, claiming that the film hadn’t scared them at all. She could remember wanting to grab one of them and make them watch the film again – on their own this time, with nobody else to help absorb part of the fear – bye bye safety net! She’d like to see then if it scared them!

      The thought of The Exorcist made her shudder and her mind wandered through the library of horror movie titles in her head, scenes of young women home alone being attacked by crazed psychos or blood thirsty monsters. She shook her head, stop it right now Susan! She said in a hushed tone. Damn that Stephen King, he had her on edge tonight. Probably just the wind.

      Another voice arose in her head, the voice of her father. The wind Sue! Are you crazy girl? Do you know how heavy that gate is? She knew fine well how heavy it was, every Tuesday night she had to open it to put out the rubbish bin for collection on Wednesday morning. She had considered getting a boyfriend for this chore alone; well what else are they good for?

      No way it’s the wind, when that gates closed its closed tight. No rattle, not a bloody sound out of it! Call the cops now! When her fathers voice started telling her what to do another voice was almost certain to step in to contradict him, this was her bad girl self. Yeah right Daddy’o; take a chill pill. Susan just look out the window like we agreed. This voice was making more sense. It was this voice that usually won any arguments in her head. This voice would point out any number of embarrassing scenarios that could happen if she listened to Daddy’o. Like, what do you think the police will do when you call them? Oh right Ma’am you heard a noise outside, you did the right thing calling us. We’ll be right over to protect and serve you. There are three squad cars and a chopper on the way. I’ve alerted the F.B.I. You hold in there Ma’am we’ll be right there. Protect and serve my ass that’s what they’d say. You know damn well what they’d say, hold please. And if they ever did take you off hold and you told them your story they’d probably say, well we’ve had you on hold now for almost ten minutes Ma’am, so if nothings happened to you by now well then I’m sure you’ll be fine – probably just the wind Ma’am. You’d make a show of yourself. Just check the bloody window girl.

      She walked cautiously to the window, tip toeing all the way and pulled over the curtains a crack. The window was fully opened, allowing any passing breeze to enter and make it self at home but there didn’t seem to be any visiting winds tonight. The air outside was heavy and stagnant. Daytime creatures sought shelter against the darkness, while nocturnal predators were awake now and searching for their meals. A small object flapped past the window startling her. A soft hooting could be heard as the object flew off into the somehow omnipotent night. Just an owl. She gave a low laugh, "Harry Potter indeed! Any mail for me

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