Chapter Seventy-Six
Neville
Getting the guy’s body into the van is the toughest part of our plan.
My shoulder is so painful that I can barely lift him.
Joanna tells me to go to the hospital, but I know that if anyone sees me, the whole plan will fall apart, and I don’t want that.
I want Daniel to get exactly what he deserves.
He isn’t going to slip through the cracks. Not if I have anything to do with it.
‘Okay then, let me look at it,’ she says.
I remove my shirt with her help. The sensation of her warm hands on my skin is almost unbearable. I want to take her into my arms and tell her that soon she’ll never have to worry again.
‘I’m sorry,’ I say. ‘I never wanted to hurt you.’
She gives a shaky smile. ‘The shoulder looks okay. Better than I thought.’
I know it's her way of changing the subject. ‘Right, let’s get this lump into the van then,’ I say.
It isn’t easy; he’s a very big man. I couldn’t have done it without Joanna’s help but eventually, he’s in. The drive causes my shoulder to bleed a little, so I take it slowly. Joanna follows in my car. In time, I drive down a secluded track and dump the van.
Getting the body into the driver’s seat is another ordeal. The guy weighs a ton. Joanna tries to pull while I push, but she doesn’t have the strength required. We’re both breathing heavily by the time we get him into position.
I can’t believe we’ve done it. Now we have to hope everything else goes according to plan.
***
Joanna
The memorial was the final insult. Danny knew I was an atheist, like my parents. It was a slap in the face to them, and to me.
I slipped in as the service began and sat at the back, wearing a jet-black wig and sunglasses beneath a veil. No one recognised me.
The whole service was a sham. I wanted to stamp on all those fucking roses. When the vicar spoke about me, I wanted to shout, ‘I’m here. Look at me.’
But of course, I didn’t. It would have given my mother a heart attack. And it would have deprived me of sweet revenge.
I stared hard at Danny, as if my eyes could launch magical flying daggers into him. This was the man I once loved. The man I trusted. I had a child with him. How could he even consider taking Joel from me?
Would I have understood the debts? The gambling? Maybe. It’s hard to know. The high life never held much appeal for me. I only ever wanted a man who loved me, and a family.
I stood a little way back from the church gates as the congregation filed out. Tears streamed down my face as I watched my parents bend to look at the flowers. They looked weary, their grief etched deeply into their faces.
I wanted to run to them. To hug them. But I couldn’t. Not yet.
Danny had destroyed the lives of his own family. His eulogy was full of lies, and yet everyone believed him.
I don’t think I’ve ever hated anyone as much as I hated him on that day.