The Deadliest Game Read online

  The red Chevrolet truck came into view as it emerged from the wooded area that led up to the house. Laura checked her watch and saw with horror that it was two-fifteen. She could clearly see it was a woman driving and knew it must be her new client. She peered down at her scruffy trainers, jeans, and oversized thick woolly sweater but there was nothing she could do about it now. As a token, she pulled off her baseball cap and looked on as the truck drew nearer.

  An attractive dark-haired woman stepped out of the driver’s side. She was immaculately dressed in a chocolate coloured suit and a rich camel-haired coat. Laura approached the vehicle to greet her.

  ‘Victoria Hanson?’

  ‘Yes, hello.’ Her eyes darted furtively over Laura’s clothing.

  ‘Oh, I apologise for my appearance, I… Well, let’s go inside shall we.’

  ‘Thank you. And there’s really no need to apologise, I am a little early.’

  ‘Well, maybe we can use the extra time to get to know one another – informally I mean, over a cup of coffee.’

  ‘Yes, that would be nice, thank you. You have a beautiful home,’ she said as they entered the spacious, kitchen.

  ‘Thank you, we like it.’

  ‘It has a very homely feel.’

  Laura laughed. ‘Yes, well, when you have two men around the place it can tend to look – homely, as you so diplomatically put it.’

  Victoria flushed bright red. ‘Oh, I didn’t mean…’

  ‘Oh no, I know you didn’t mean anything, I’m just kidding. Here, have a seat.’

  ‘Did you say two men?’Victoria said, perching on the edge of a chair with her hands tucked firmly between her knees.

  ‘Oh, just a figure of speech. I mean my husband and my son.’

  ‘I see. How old is he?’

  ‘The husband?’

  It was Victoria’s turn to laugh and Laura visibly noticed her loosen up a little when she did so.

  ‘Jody’s just turned nine. Are you married?’

  ‘No, no I’m not.’

  ‘There you go.’ Laura set a mug of coffee down on the table and sat facing her.

  ‘I guess I’ve never really met the right man,’ she went on, ‘or at least not one that wanted to marry me anyway.’

  ‘Oh?’

  ‘This is very good coffee.’

  ‘Thank you. So, Victoria, these anxiety attacks, how long have you been having them?’

  ‘Oh, I don’t know, a few months.’

  ‘And have they gotten worse over time?’

  Victoria began to wring her hands nervously. ‘Yes – much worse.’

  After a brief pause, Laura said: ‘Tell you what, why don’t we go in the other room where it’s more comfortable.’

  Laura’s consulting room had a welcoming feel to it, with its dark wood panelled walls, an open fire, informal furniture, and warm lighting. There was a couch where, when needed, the client could recline, and next to the fire, two comfortable lounging chairs facing each other. Near to the window was Laura’s desk. She rarely used it during a consultation, preferring a more informal approach that she had always found helped to relax people and put them at ease. She steered Victoria Hanson to the chair that was always kept in a slightly reclined position, and then took the seat facing her. She placed her coffee on the small occasional table next to her chair and picked up her notebook and pen.

  The woman looked pensive, still wringing her hands, yet at all times maintaining eye contact with Laura in an intense stare. This, Laura found unusual for someone in distress.

  ‘Are you okay?’ Laura asked. ‘Would you like a glass of water?’

  ‘No, I’m fine. Thank you.’

  ‘Okay. Well, look, just say if you change your mind.’ She paused and looked at Victoria sympathetically. ‘They can be pretty distressing, can’t they?’

  The woman seemed somewhat distracted, almost in a dreamy state. ‘Sorry, what?’

  ‘Anxiety attacks, they can be extremely distressing, can’t they?’

  ‘Oh, oh yes, extremely.’

  ‘Can I ask you, are you on any medication?’

  ‘No. Nothing.’

  Laura casually, and almost without looking down at her notepad, made notes as they spoke. ‘Okay, well that’s encouraging. If we can get you through this period without meds, then all the better. Have you ever had these attacks at any time in the past?’

  ‘No, never.’

  ‘So is there anything you can think of that may have triggered them now particularly?’

  There was a long silence as the woman averted her stare from Laura and her eyes darted aimlessly around the room. Laura did not push her, but simply waited, and as she did so, quietly observed her client. Almost a minute passed before she finally seemed to snap out of her trance.

  ‘Sorry, you were saying?’

  ‘I was just asking if there was anything that you think may have triggered the attacks.’

  ‘Nothing that I can think of.’ She spoke in a calm voice now, no longer appearing anxious at all.

  ‘Nothing at all that may be worrying you? It could be something very mundane that you wouldn’t necessarily think could cause such extremes of anxiety.’

  Victoria Hanson almost smiled. It was slightly unnerving. ‘No, nothing – oh, you’ve hurt yourself,’ she said, looking at Laura’s finger. Blood had seeped through the elastoplast.

  For a moment, Laura was distracted by the strange observation. ‘Oh it’s nothing,’ she said, smiling, ‘but you say these attacks are getting worse. Is that right?’

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘And more often?’

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘Well, Victoria, there has to be a reason for all this, we just need to find it. Tell me what you feel when you have an attack.’

  She began to look tense again. Laura noticed her clenching the arms of the chair so tightly that her knuckles became white. ‘It’s hard to explain how I feel. I feel scared – terrified, like my head’s going to explode. Sometimes I feel like I can’t breathe.’

  ‘Uh huh, yes, anything else?’

  ‘Anger, rage.’

  Laura looked at her quizzically for a moment before making more notes. ‘Anger and rage - why do you think that is?’

  ‘I think I’d like to stop now.’

  ‘Okay, sure, if that’s what you want. We can continue this next time, that is, if you want to.’

  ‘Yes, I’d like that, Laura,’ she said, appearing much calmer again.

  ‘Now look, I don’t want you to worry. The onset of anxiety attacks is very common, we just need to find out what the root cause is, then I can help you control them. You’re going to get through this,’ Laura said, as they reached the front porch.

  Victoria nodded. ‘Thank you, it was nice meeting you. Oh, I need to give you a check – a hundred and twenty-five, wasn’t it?’ she said, rummaging in her bag.

  ‘Look, let’s make this one on the house shall we? Especially as you didn’t have the full session anyway.’

  ‘That’s very kind of you, Laura, thank you.’

  ‘My pleasure. Well, I’ll see you same time next week then. Take care, and call me any time.’

  ‘Thank you. Yes, I look forward to seeing you, and thanks again.’

  The weather had deteriorated in the short time they had spent together. It was raining, and as Victoria ran to her truck, Laura shouted to her. ‘Don’t forget if you need to talk before next week – call me.’

  ‘Thank you, I’ll remember that,’ she called back, her voice almost lost through the sound of the rain that was now beating down ferociously on the metalwork of her truck.

  Laura poured herself some more coffee and returned to her consulting room. She stood with her back to the open fire to take away the chill, picked up her pad and considered the notes she had scribbled about her new client. Her first impression was that Victoria was untypical of a sufferer of anxiety attacks and she suspected there might be something more. Yes, she certainly showed signs of anxiety,
yet her mood seemed to alter within moments from an anxious state to one of complete calmness and self-control. Also, Laura noticed that at times the woman seemed to drift off into a dreamy state, that was also not consistent with someone suffering from anxiety. Laura went to her desk, wrote up her notes and started a file.

  The rain continued to pour down in torrents and it looked as if it was in for the day. There would be no more working outside and for a moment she considered returning to the original task she had set herself of clearing junk from the basement. She dismissed the idea. Besides, it would not be too long before Jody would be home.

  Michael always tried to make it home by around six so they could have their evening meal together as a family. Laura sometimes had to remind herself how lucky she was in finding Michael; he was a wonderful husband and had been a great influence on Jody. From the word go, he had loved him as if he were his own son.

  How strange life could be, she thought. To think that when she had looked for somewhere to make a new start, almost four years ago, how differently it could have worked out had she chosen somewhere other than Brooksville. Also, if she had never become friends with Blanche Merryweather, she would almost certainly never have met Michael. Laura had never believed in fate, yet now she began to wonder if it was actually possible, whether everything in one’s life was mapped out. What if she had never married Patrick all those years ago? And what if the events of that terrible night - when he had come home drunk, beaten her, then minutes later lay dead in a pool of blood - had never happened? Had she not been able to get to the gun, which he kept in the house, she was certain she would not be alive now. The police and the court jury agreed. But had those events not happened, she would not have moved to Brooksville and would never have met Michael.

  The phone on her desk rang, startling her, and she picked up the handset. ‘Hello?’ she said, strolling across to the window. The rain really was coming down hard.

  ‘Hi honey.’

  She closed her eyes for a moment. ‘Hi.’

  ‘Are you okay?’

  ‘I’m fine.’

  ‘You sound a little… I don’t know, sleepy.’

  She opened her eyes. ‘I’m just a bit tired I guess.’

  ‘Difficult patient?’

  ‘The word is client, Michael.’ She sighed. How many times had she told him that? ‘It went fine. So...what’s up?’

  ‘I just wanted to let you know that I’m going to be a bit late home tonight.’

  She took a moment to register what he was saying. ‘Oh, right, okay. Any idea what time?’

  ‘Can’t say at the moment, but I’ll call if it looks like I’m going to be really late.’

  ‘Any special reason?’

  ‘I just have a mountain of paperwork, that’s all. I’m sorry.’

  Paperwork. She glanced across at the open pad on her desk, at the few scrawled paragraphs she’d written about Victoria, wishing there’d been more. ‘That’s fine,’ she said. ‘I’ll keep something warming until you get home.’

  ‘No, don’t worry about that, honey, I’ll get something to eat here.’

  Michael never ate out. He always looked forward to something home-cooked when he got home from a late day at the office. Which wasn’t very often at all, now she thought about it. ‘Right, okay, if that’s what you want.’

  She almost heard him sigh. ‘Well, no, that’s not really what I want, but…’

  Laura straightened herself and stepped away from the window. ‘I’m sorry, hon, that’s fine. I’ll see you later. But try not to work too late, okay?’

  ‘Sure,’ he said, ‘I’ll be as quick as I can.’

  Laura replaced the receiver slowly. There was no reason for concern; Michael had worked late before. Yet today, for some reason, she felt disquiet. He had an office upstairs in the attic; they’d spent a weekend re-decorating it, choosing a desk. They’d even bought a couple of plants and some local art-work to brighten up the place. It had the most amazing view up there, the best in the house, and for a moment she felt slightly off kilter. Why couldn’t he have completed his paperwork there? Why would he choose to stay in town, in the office he claimed to hate so much, instead of coming home? Had there been something in his voice?

  She quietly laughed at herself for being so ridiculous. It had been a strange day and she was a little weary, that’s all. Being hurt and betrayed by men in the past apart, she trusted Michael implicitly and it was inconceivable that he would hurt her in any way.

  She slipped on her coat and dashed through the rain to meet Jody, where the school bus dropped him off on the road outside the entrance to their home.

  *

  It was around nine when Michael arrived home. Despite the howling of the wind that rushed in as he opened the door, nobody stirred. Jody was already in bed and Laura was curled up on the sofa, asleep, while a news channel on the T.V went on unheard. He glanced at the half empty bottle of red wine on the coffee table, an empty glass next to it and a barely touched plate of food.

  He took off his coat, hung it in the hallway, then padded over to Laura and kissed her gently on her forehead. Still she slept. He refilled her glass and took a sip, but whether it was the fact that his day had been a long one, or perhaps seeing Laura sleeping so heavily, he left it on the table and dropped onto the sofa opposite her. His eyes were heavy and he flicked off the T.V with the remote and drifted off.

  Just over an hour later, Michael woke with a start. He hated falling asleep the way he had, it never failed to make him feel worse than if he’d fought the urge and stayed awake. To his surprise, Laura was still sleeping soundly. He contemplated covering her with a blanket and leaving her to wake up when she was ready, but decided against it. He gently shook her arm then ran his finger softly across her cheek. She let out a moan and gradually regained consciousness.

  ‘Michael? How long have you been home?’

  ‘A while. I couldn’t wake you, you looked too peaceful.’

  She smiled. ‘You should have. What time is it?’

  ‘Just after ten. It’s been a long day, maybe we should go to bed.’

  Laura sat up and eased the knots out of her neck. ‘You go ahead, I need to take a pill for my headache. I’ll be up in a minute.’

  ‘Okay, honey,’ he said, double-checking the front door was locked. ‘Don’t be too long.’

  ‘Oh, by the way, someone called, said she was a client. I said you were at your office. Did she call you?’

  Michael stopped halfway up the staircase. ‘Uh, no, nobody called. Did she give a name?’

  ‘No, she said she’d call you at the office. I must admit I thought it was a little odd, you don’t normally have clients calling you at home in the evening.’

  ‘Well whoever it was, it couldn’t have been that important.

  ‘No, I guess not,’ she said.

  Three

  At breakfast, Laura still had the remnants of a headache, a dull pain at the base of her skull. She had drunk a couple of large glasses of wine the evening before, and whereas normally that amount of alcohol would not have any adverse effect on her, on this occasion it had. She swallowed a couple more Advil and hoped it would not turn into one of those headaches that lasted an entire day.

  Nevertheless, she felt brighter than she had the previous evening. It was strange how things could look so different in the morning and she cursed herself for having even the slightest doubts about Michael .

  ‘So how did the session go yesterday?’

  ‘I told you – it was fine. There’s not much to say at the moment, but I must admit, she seems quite interesting.’

  ‘How do you mean?’

  ‘You know I can’t discuss my clients, Michael.’

  He froze for a moment, his forkful of scrambled eggs halfway between the plate and his mouth. ‘Can’t blame a guy for being curious,’ he said.

  Laura gave him the faintest of smiles. ‘That’s okay,’ she said. ‘Are you going to be late again tonight?’

&nb
sp; ‘No, I’ll be home at the normal time.’

  ‘Good.’

  Michael flicked his eyes at her briefly. There’d been a flash of annoyance, she was sure. She’d said it all wrong.

  ‘What I meant was, I’m glad we can eat together tonight. I miss you when you’re not here. I wasn’t complaining.’

  ‘I know what you meant.’

  ‘So...’ Laura went on, desperate to change the atmosphere that was threatening to swamp them, ‘...I thought I’d make a casserole.’

  ‘With dumplings, Mom?’

  ‘Huge dumplings!’

  The grin stretched the entire width of Jody’s face.

  ‘I need to call into town to pick up a few things,’ Laura said. ‘I was thinking maybe we could meet for a coffee.’

  Michael shook his head. ‘I’m not sure I’ll have enough time to leave the office today. I still have a mountain of paperwork to get through. Sorry, honey – another time, okay?’

  ‘Okay, it was just a thought.’

  ‘I’m sorry.’

  ‘No, no, it’s fine, really.’

  ‘How about tomorrow? Maybe by then I’ll…’

  ‘Michael,’ she said, a little too abruptly, ‘I said it’s not a problem.’

  Michael, saying no more, stared at her, bewildered. Then he pushed his half-eaten breakfast away, took one last mouthful of coffee, stood up, and left the kitchen. He returned a few moments later with his coat on and his briefcase in hand.

  ‘Are you ready, Jody? Time to go.’

  ‘Sure,’ he said, looking from Michael to Laura before scooting off down the hallway. He returned to the silence of the kitchen with his coat on, clutching his schoolbag, and gave Laura a hug.

  Michael said: ‘See you later,’ and he and Jody departed. It was the first time he had left for work without kissing her goodbye.

  Laura watched them from the kitchen window. The sky was clear, and at any other time it would have been the kind of crisp autumn day that she loved, but not today. She sensed a storm was coming. She cupped her face in her hands and for a few moments, though not really knowing why, she wept.