The Quote Says It All

Nothing is right and nothing is just;
We sow in ashes and reap in dust.
Violet Fane

After my less than productive meeting with Zizi I realised that while she had my back she did not have the wherewithal to help me secure a way to dispose of my darling cousin Gervais. I sat in bed drinking a cup of tea and pondered the issue, as I could not conceive of a single person in my social sphere that would have the sort of contacts I was in need of at this moment. It is amazing that when you attempt to create a positive action there is never any help from the universe but the second you decide upon a negative course of action providence drops the opportunity right in your lap. It is as if evil no longer requires to tempt, it has firmly ensconced itself into my life.

I also have the added problem of Simon who is not going to leave, no matter what I say or do, so I sat there wondering just what it would take to rid me of the love of a good man. The one thing people spend a lifetime searching, dreaming and pleading for, I am about to toss away like rubbish. I realised that I was skipping merrily down the path into hell as the price of my freedom meant sacrificing all the things I thought I was. I can no longer make the claim of innocence for I am actively planning the removal of another and I can no longer make the claim of friendship for I am bringing all of mine down into the murky depths with me. I can no longer claim any sort of moral grounding, as I look the people I love in the face and lie without a qualm. Instead of growing up and into life, the last few months saw the deconstruction of Lucinda from a girl on the edge of life and all its possibility to a newly emerged Dubois with all evil intact.

I left the house as I knew whatever discussions we had about means, needed to be far from prying eyes and the lookout was fast becoming my safe place for all private talks. I was about to go when the phone rang and I knew without touching it that it could only be Gervais for our link was still intact, whenever I was planning something he was there to thwart it. I answered with my usual greeting and he acknowledged me with his usual lack of surprise as he was accustomed to our exchanges. His voice was warm syrup, a honey smoothing down the wires into my ear and his unrestrained delight sent a shiver of disgust through me. He was electric with anticipation of my arrival and I knew I had to walk a very narrow line between acquiescence and deferring his desired outcome.

Gervais wanted to chat, to plan all the details, as he believed he was already in control and I knew that if I pushed to strongly it might cause an ultimatum long before I was ready. I decided to cut him off but in a manner that would give him positive hope. I told him I was just out the door to buy some things for my visit. His voice melted with desire as he told me he could bring the products of any merchant for my inspection to the compound where I could shop in comfort and ease. I replied that I enjoyed going to boutiques and was looking forward to enhancing my wardrobe with some special purchases. He fell for it with an ease that had an ugly suspicion leer from the back of my mind. Surely, it was not as simple as saying yes to Gervais to get past his guard. I kept my voice bright as if going on an anticipated holiday and he responded with a few light quips of his own. Shame his life would soon be rubble under the dust of his home but then I could not have regrets for I had seen what had happened to those who hesitated, they were lost to the Dubois resolve.

I drove carefully, checking my mirror at every chance, wary of being followed for the new cheerful Gervais scared me far more than the angry sadistic one did, this Gervais I could not anticipate or gauge in any way. I decided since my car is easily recognised that I would do a lap of town in case Gervais was noticing and then park for a bit in the underground car park at the mall, this way if his various minions were keeping an eye out for me I would been seen in all the right places. I had done my lap through town and had just pulled into the underground car park when fate decided to toss me a moment, a defining moment where I could chose which direction to point my life. Up to this instant, I was not really in a position to employ the plans bouncing around in my mind so my life choices were limited to gathering with friends and gossiping about what we wished to happen. As the old adage goes, be careful for what you wish for as it might get handed to you, as mine was handed to me in the form of Edith Neal.

I edged my car around the level like I was looking for an empty space and as I turned the corner I saw someone I had not seen for a while, Edith Neal, the personal assistant to Jago Vanderhaven. I was not exactly on friendly terms with Miss Neal, she was more a fixture of the estate, in either the office or driving down to the winery to give instructions to the managers. Known as Jago’s right hand no one dared to dispute her authority, not even Taryn. I was certain she was in love with Jago but wisely kept it to herself and served him with such outstanding intelligence and dignity that even Gervais himself would refer to her as Miss Neal.

Edith waved to me and puzzled I opened my window only to have her ask me to join her in a cup of coffee. I stared at her in surprise as Edith and I were not acquainted well enough for coffee but such was the nature of my world that if it was weird and out of character it was going to happen to me. I parked the car and we found a quiet spot in an unobtrusive café that I had not even noticed before. I looked at the woman opposite me, she was forty years of composed immaculate. I would not call her beautiful or even stylish, just everything in its place. She spoke in crisp tones, how one would expect the assistant to a rich man to speak. As I waited for her to explain why we were there a vague fear seeped into my mind that somehow she was sent by Gervais. Perhaps he owned everything in sight, me included and I was the only one who had not worked it out. Pushing my panic back down into the dark spot where I kept all the things I didn’t care to explore I waited for Edith to reveal herself.

Edith sipped her coffee with the same precise manner that must have coiffed her hair, or typed a letter, and then she casually threw at me that Braith was back in town. I nodded and waited for the second part, because there was always a second part with these people, they never left well enough alone, always some machination going on some place. Edith stirred her cup until the froth had disappeared from her cappuccino. She continued how he is exceptionally angry over the ruin of his marriage plans, that his fury is directed at one Gervais Dubois and this type of anger is the sort that tends to lead to dead bodies. There were so many things I could have done at that instance, I could have left Braith to take care of Gervais, for unlike Jojo and Royce, Braith was a proper guy with a proper fury and he would happily rid the world of Gervais. The only problem with this is that I am the reason that Braith is in this position so leaving him to clean up my mess did not sit well with me. How I longed to be like Tiah and Coco, concerned only with my own small world, not worrying about the lives of others. She then chose her words very carefully, she mentioned that I might have other ideas on how to deal with Gervais. I stared at her and she did not have to continue, she knew and in a fury, I thought “Tiah!”

Edith had been reading faces for years, it was her job, so now she read mine and there was no longer any reason for either of us to pretend. Tiah, she continued had been a trifle vocal about her dislike of Gervais and had been as usual indiscreet in the fashion that only a true entitlement whore can manage. I wondered if this was it, had she betrayed us already, or only me, perhaps this was why Gervais has been so cheerful he knew of my plans and the only demise around here was going to be mine. Edith scared the hell out of me by smiling and suggesting that perhaps I would prefer to deal with my family on my own terms rather than have a Vanderhaven interfere. Confused, I wondered if I had inadvertently stumbled into a horror movie where everyone else knew the plot but me. I asked her what she meant and Edith clarified saying that there was more help around if I care to ask for it. This had to be some sort of bizarre joke by Gervais, for surely a secretary who barely knew me was not offering to help me rid the world of my cousin. I gave a sarcastic laugh saying, sure, if she knew anyone who was good at big bangs. Edith sat back and smiled like some strange predator and told me that Elyce would have the answer to this.

I left her smiling into her coffee and drove off to find Zizi for what I needed is a dose of reality as I had certainly lost my mind. Edith Neal was telling me that Elyce, the person I trust least in the group, has the answers that I need. For a second I wondered if I should pinch myself just in case I was dreaming but the sight of Zizi leaning against her car staring balefully over the town was all the reality I required and that is how Edith Neal became the newest, covert member of our little troop of destruction.

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