The Lady of the Manor

Chapter 1

Prologue

Unknown

Every house I passed, lights were out and curtains drawn. It had been too easy to sneak past the sleepy security guard and into Shady Homes. I counted the houses in my mind as I went until I came to the one I needed. Thanks to a well-placed bribe, a nurse had left the living room window open for me to sneak into. I lifted the well-oiled window just enough to fit my body through.

Once in, I crept towards the bedroom, the same nurse having provided a detailed description of the layout of each house. It really was amazing what a few discreet bank notes and a quick fuck could achieve.

I pushed open the bedroom door and took in the sleeping figure on the bed, her small frame dwarfed by the bed. I grinned to the room. Once this was done, everything would be okay.

I picked up the pillow the old lady's head wasn't resting on and placed it gently over her face. Then, just as my father had shown me, I pushed down, making sure my hand covered her whole face. I kept pressing down, her body doing no more than twitching in her sleep until it simply didn't. I removed the pillow and placed it back on the bed beside the now dead woman and silently left the room. I had done it. Father would be so pleased.

I crept back through the retirement village and safely back in my car, I let out a loud whoop. Where my whole family had failed before me, I was the one to succeed. I checked my watch. It wasn't too late, Tess would still be awake and she was always up for a bit of sheet-tangling. I drove off into the night, a huge grin settling on my face that nothing could wipe away.

Chapter 1

Sitting in my communications class, half listening to the lecturer and half thinking about what I was going to have for lunch, I wondered, not for the first time, what I was even doing here. This degree wouldn't be useful, it wasn't what I wanted to do and the job field after graduation was piss poor. At this rate my only choices were keep working at the coffee shop I worked at part time or do my masters. Or win the lottery.

I was pulled out of my thoughts by my phone ringing. I glanced at the screen and quickly excused myself from the lecture. Shady Homes Retirement Village was calling me.

Shady Homes was where my grandmother was living out her twilight years. I visited most days so for them to be ringing me now, it must be urgent.

My grandmother was the only family I had left, my dad having abandoned me before I was born and my mother dying in a car crash three years later. So my grandma took me in, raising me to be the wonderful person I am now. For years, she held my hand, took me to school, kissed all my hurts better, and made sure I was always properly dressed.

Once in the hall outside the lecture theatre, I answered the call.

"Hello"

"Hello is this Miss Green?"

"Yes speaking. Is my grandmother, Connie Green, okay?"

The voice on the other end of the call hesitated.

"I'm sorry to tell you but your grandmother passed away last night, peacefully in her sleep."

I sank back into the wall and slid to the floor, hugging my knees.

"Grandma..."

"We are all really sorry, the loss of a loved one is never a nice phone call to make, Connie was such a laugh, always making jokes with everyone."

All I could do was try my best to muffle the sound of a sob trying to escape.

"Is there anyone who can be with you at this time? You are listed as her only contact name and number ."