Justifiable Murder?

Chapter One

How did I become a murderer, not just any murderer but a serial killer? That’s what they called me, a bank nurse from a respectable background turned psycho overnight? The angel of death one paper called me!

It really wasn’t quite that simple to be fair. My respectable background had a few skeletons in the closet, a few secrets, and my perfect family were not quite so perfect.

I learned from an early age that men were not to be trusted, they took your love, the sacrifices you made for them and they threw them back in your face, they were tempted by other women, forbidden fruit, uncomplicated no strings sex. So many more opportunities nowadays, working women, single women who flirted with married men, they had nothing to lose, and they didn’t care if they destroyed families.

So no it didn’t happen overnight but it did happen and although I can’t say I enjoyed it, some of it I got a kick out of, getting away with it for so long, many disguises, women can be so devious and I was born with more than my fair share of guile.

I found out that my father was sleeping with my mother’s best friend, I was young and I was hurt, I couldn’t tell my mother so I had to deal with the problem myself. It was easier than I expected and although I still don’t believe I felt any remorse or any guilt for that matter, I do see that this event led me to what I became as I got older.

My first murder was actually an accident, but then it became a mission, a mission to stop these men who cared so little for the pain they caused, and although the women they slept with were not blameless I never killed them, you see to deal out my particular brand of justice I had to become one of those women.

My life was ticking over nicely; I had a job I loved, and my keep fit classes, a good relationship with my older sister Vicky and a relationship with a decent man. I didn’t want marriage or even to live in sin, probably as a result of my father’s indiscretions, and a broken heart later in life I never did want commitment.

It all began one Tues evening in April.

Chapter Two

‘OK ladies….feel the burn, come on another 5…….1 and 2 and 3…….

I looked at my class of red faced sweaty ladies, they were really going for it, had worked so hard tonight, most of them had been coming to my classes for a couple of months now and the results were beginning to show, I made a mental note to change the routine slightly for the next class.

……5 more, come on you can do better than that, pull those bottoms in ladies, and 1, 2…….. I caught sight of a familiar figure in the hallway, it was Vicky, and she was leaning against the door frame peering in through the glass.

It’s clear to anyone that we are sisters, we share the same build and colouring but our personalities couldn’t be more different. Vicky is calm, controlled, and motherly, I am rebellious and flighty.

‘OK ladies and rest, lie down on your mats and just breathe deep breaths in….and out, in and out……….’Emma, can you go through the cool down for me please, there’s something I need to take care of.

Emma covered classes when I couldn’t make it, ‘Sure’

Hi, you’re a little late for the class’ I began to say, Vicky turned to me, the tears running down her cheeks.

‘What’s happened’ Vicky began sobbing loudly; I gently pulled her away from the door and into the office next to the fitness suite. My class was the last of the evening and there was no-one in the building but us.

It took a minute or two for the sobs to subside but eventually Vicky said with a catch in her voice

‘He’s been seeing another woman; again……I don’t know what to do’

I was angry, Max my brother in law seemed to be making a career out of mid-life crises, there had been a few women, they never lasted long, Vicky usually brushed off any comment I made about ‘castrating the bastard’ and said it was just a phase, after all they had been married 15 years.

‘She’s from an escort agency, all blonde hair, legs and big tits’! Vicky ruefully smiled, she had never been blessed in that department, she was slight of build, a good figure for her age and the fact that she didn’t do anything to keep in shape. A bone of contention, I worked hard to keep my body toned.

‘So it will blow over’ I patted her hand

‘Not this time, he’s leaving me’ she began to sob again.

I handed her a tissue and said ‘I’ll be right back’

I went into the gym, Emma had finished the cool down and the women were picking up their water bottles and mats.

‘Thanks Emma, same time on Thurs’. ‘Night ladies’.

When the last of the women had gone, I checked that the gym was tidy, shut the door and went into the office. Vicky had put the kettle on and was putting tea bags into two cups.

‘Tea, the answer to all problems’

I pulled up a chair held the steaming mug of tea in both hands and said

‘OK let’s have it then’

Vicky told the story, punctuated with sobs and much nose blowing. I listened, growing steadily more angry as she told me that Max had hired an escort to accompany him to a do in London, he was a commercial kitchen fitter by trade, and got invited to all the openings of new restaurants, normally Vicky would go but on this occasion he had said it was too far to go for an evening and as he had another job on in London he would stay over. As this wasn’t out of the ordinary she hadn’t worried.

But the one occasion turned into a regular occurrence, Vicky had begun to be suspicious and one night when he was in London she rang the hotel and asked for him, she was told that Mr and Mrs Langdon were at dinner but he would pass on a message. She managed to say that wouldn’t be necessary and hung up. When Max came home the following evening she confronted him. He admitted everything, said that he was in love with Amy and that he would move out as soon as he could, he had slept in the spare room ever since.

‘Oh Vicky, I don’t know what to say, I never thought he would leave, I mean men don’t do they’?

‘He’s leaving on Saturday, they have rented a flat in Basingstoke, she’s moved in already’ a tear fell down her cheek and I thought my heart would break.

We talked for hours; eventually I told her it was time to go home, she could stay with me for the night if she wanted to. Vicky declined; she had to go home to feed her cats.

‘OK, let’s get you home then’

I followed her little car back to the house, stopped and kissed her goodnight through the window and watched her until she went inside and closed the door, how sad, I thought that on the whole they were ok, they lived in a nice neighbourhood, both had good jobs, Vicky worked as a secretary for a firm of solicitors in Salisbury, they wanted for nothing, the house was practically paid for and they enjoyed holidays twice a year.

Chapter Three

Vicky didn’t sleep well, she tossed and turned all night, conscious of Max in the spare room, was he dreaming of Amy, where did it all go wrong?

Max had been her first love, she met him at college, she was doing secretarial work with a leaning towards being a legal secretary, she loved anything to do with law, maybe a frustrated lawyer but not ready to spend the time it took to become one. She was a free spirit, she loved college life, the constant round of drinking with her peers after a long day’s study, she took it seriously and put the time in to ensure her assignments were on time.

Max had been studying engineering, he was good with his hands and that didn’t stop with tinkering with motors and microwave parts. They had met one lunch time in a pub frequented by students, none of them had much spare cash but they had part time jobs, she worked in a local supermarket, Max had a job helping out a local plumber. She was sitting reading her notes from class when she heard someone saying ‘mind if I join you?’

She had looked up into the bluest eyes she had ever seen and was instantly smitten, Max sat beside her and they discussed their courses, he made her laugh, he didn’t take life too seriously.

Before long they were an item, Vicky and Max. He had met Kimberley and it was all getting a bit serious. Kimberley was a little wary and Vicky didn’t understand why.

‘Maybe I should have taken more notice’ she frowned in the darkness of her bedroom.

They dated until they both graduated and decided to get married. Kimberley had been chief bridesmaid and Vicky could still hear her voice on the morning of the wedding.

‘Are you sure he’s right for you Vicky?’

‘Oh yes, totally, he‘s everything to me, just be happy for me’ how wrong could she have been.

Kimberly was always suspicious Vicky thought. Although younger, Kimberley seemed to possess an uncanny knack of sussing people out, she was usually spot on with her take on people, apart from Andy of course. Vicky remembered how devastated Kimberley had been when Andy had run off with another woman at the last moment.

Vicky had always been a dreamer, she loved the fairy tale ‘happy ever after’ it was what she wanted. Kimberley had been more down to earth, more cynical. Ever since her father was killed and her mother committed suicide. It was a wonder both of them weren’t permanently scarred.

But she had somehow coped, she had been there for Kimberley, they had supported each other. When she married Max she felt complete, happy and settled, able to cope with whatever life threw at her, she quickly found a good job and she believed that her life was good, she and Max would grow old together and have children, the perfect life!

When she had the miscarriage she thought she would never smile again, when the doctor told her she would never have children she had held Max and they had both sobbed, destined to a life together with no family to share their love with, she never thought she would get over it.

They were married 3 years when Max had his first affair, a young waitress he had met whilst installing a kitchen in a restaurant in London. Vicky knew something was wrong, Max was distant, he didn’t want to make love to her, was secretive and cagey. Ultimately it ended and he was hers again. She grew used to seeing the signs