The Watchful Neighbour - Debbie Viggiano Page 0,95

braced herself, mentally working out the timing.

Three…

Two…

One…

Using all her upper body strength and taking care to avoid the knife in Dee’s right hand, Jade kicked out with both legs. Her feet landed squarely in the soft pit of her assailant’s stomach.

The breath whooshed out of Dee and, at the same time, her torso arched backwards, throwing her off balance. She scrabbled wildly for the bannister, but her grip was impaired by the knife in her right hand. Her left arm shot out, flailing wildly at the wall, but there was no second rail to grab and stop her falling.

Jade watched, half-fascinated, half-horrified, as Dee appeared – almost comically – to momentarily run backwards. Suddenly her legs floundered, one foot briefly making contact with a stair tread before missing out on several others, until four steps from the bottom she finally succumbed to sprawling in an ungainly heap on the hall floor.

Jade seized the moment to loudly scream. ‘HELP!’

From below, like a nightmare, Dee was dragging herself upright.

‘You fucker,’ she hissed, clutching one knee. The knife remained in her right hand. ‘You’ve busted my leg.

‘SOMEBODY HELP ME!’ Jade screamed again.

Dee was once again coming up the stairs, but injury was hampering her progress. Switching the knife to her left hand, Dee was now using her right hand to grip the bannister and haul her body upwards.

‘Come near me’ – Jade warned – ‘and I’ll kick you down the stairs again, but next time you won’t get up.’

‘There won’t be a next time’ – Dee spat – ‘because the moment your feet come out, I’ll be playing noughts and crosses on them with this.’ She made a jabbing motion with the knife.

Jade’s mind was now working overtime. She needed some sort of shield to protect her or, even better, something to throw at Dee. Her eyes darted around the landing. Nothing. If only the hall’s console table were to hand. And then she had an idea.

Darting into the bedroom, she was relieved to see that the fracas had warned Puddles to take cover on top of the wardrobe. He regarded her with huge, frightened eyes. At least he was out of harm’s way. For now. Hastily, Jade unplugged the old-fashioned bedside lamp, reassured by its solidness.

Zipping out again, she was shocked to see that Dee had made considerable headway and was now almost halfway up the staircase.

Jade scooted across the landing, tightly gripping the lamp’s base. Hanging right over the safety rail, she swung the lamp in a downward motion towards Dee’s head. As the upper part slammed Dee’s face, the shade flew off and the bulb shattered against the older woman’s forehead. She let out a squeal of pain, but remained on the staircase, grimly hanging on to the bannister. Jade realised it was imperative to loosen Dee’s grip.

Breathing hard, she again lifted the lamp high, this time smashing the stem down on Dee’s fingers. It hit target, and Dee bellowed with rage. Jade didn’t waste a second and brought the lamp down again, and again and again, until the stem suddenly snapped, causing Jade to almost drop it.

Snatching at the flex, she quickly reeled in the broken light. Dee’s battered fingers were still folded over the bannister, but now they were swollen and angry. Two were bleeding profusely. Had Jade succeeded in breaking them? She didn’t know nor care. Her brain was too busy firing off other possibilities, two of which made her blood run cold.

First, from this angle, can you use the lamp’s wire to strangle Dee?

Yes.

Second, do you have it in you to kill?

Time to find out…

Epilogue

Fingers touched the remote control, and the television screen went blank.

The film hadn’t been of interest. Action movies full of gunshots and hand grenades didn’t really appeal. It was then that another commotion was heard, and it was coming from within the walls of 3 Gresham Terrace.

The comfortable armchair was instantly vacated. Fortunately, there was a means to see what was going on.

Concerned eyes rounded with horror.

Dee Parker had previously been observed slipping in and out of Jade Ferguson’s house from the moment she’d moved into Number 4. The woman had taken repeated delight in making mischief, but now she was taking things to the next level.

Reporting Dee Parker’s initial trespass had never been viable. Questions would have been asked and Jade’s house might have been searched. It was one thing to have a covert camera in a smoke alarm, but it was another to have a tiny dot no bigger than a pinhead placed over Jade Ferguson’s bed. When people were naked, they were at their most vulnerable. You got to glimpse their souls.

This second covert camera hadn’t been placed to capture just Jade Ferguson. All the occupants of Gresham Terrace were regularly scrutinised.

The last watch of the night was the most important. Making sure everyone was safe. From checking Mr and Mrs Patel in bed with their hot chocolate, to admiring Brad Grimshaw’s erection as he pleasured himself looking at top shelf magazines.

Within minutes, a police siren wailed into the narrow street, closely followed by the flashing blue light of an ambulance.

Jade Ferguson would live to swallow Prozac for another day while Dee Parker would soon be contemplating a different type of tenancy. One that took place behind bars.

Greg Good shrugged on his coat. It was time to make an appearance and ask the police if he could assist in any way.

THE END

Acknowledgements

I started writing this novel four years ago, scribbling away in a large notebook on a tiny sun-drenched island called Kolocep just off the Dalmatian Coast. The wordcount was abandoned when I signed up with the fantastic Bookouture to write several romantic comedies. However, these abandoned characters’ voices began whispering during lockdown. It was time to breathe life into their disturbing personalities and let them run amok!

The Watchful Neighbour is my thirteenth novel but first psychological thriller. As I have said before, usually I love writing books that make a reader giggle and provide escapism, but suddenly I couldn’t resist the strange urge to abandon the glitter and stardust of happy endings and try ‘the dark side’. Maybe it’s because 2020 has been such a dark year, what with Covid, lockdowns, and then facemasks becoming the new must-have accessory.

There are several people involved in getting a book ‘out there’ and I want to thank them from the bottom of my heart.

Firstly, the brilliant Rebecca Emin of Gingersnap Books, who never lets me down and is a formatting genius.

Secondly, the fabulous Cathy Helms of Avalon Graphics for working her magic with a cover that had the tiny hairs on the back of my neck standing up. Cathy always delivers exactly what I want and is a joy to work with.

Thirdly, the amazing Rachel Gilbey of Rachel’s Random Resources, blog tour organiser extraordinaire. Immense gratitude also goes to each of the fantastic bloggers who took the time to read and review this book. They are:

Little Miss Book Lover 87, Stardust Book Reviews, Coffee Dogs & Books, JVBaptie, B for bookreview, Jane Hunt Writer, Books and Bindings, Once Upon a Time Book Blog, Ally’s Reading Corner, HannahLovesToRead, Sylv.net, School_librarian_loves_books, Nicki’sLifeOfCrime, Westveil Publishing, Sharon beyond the books, Confessions of a Bookaholic, Chez Maximka, Two ladies and a book, The Review Crew, Ginger Book Geek, A Knight’s Reads, The Magic Of Wor(l)ds, Splashes Into Books, Jazzy Book Reviews, Sinfully Wicked Book Reviews, The Quick and the Read, sibzzreads, Where The Reader Grows, and last but not least Cheekypee reads and reviews.

Fourthly, my lovely daughter, Eleanor, for assisting with proof-reading.

Finally, I want to thank you, my reader. Without you, there is no book. I very much hope you enjoy this one.

Debbie xx