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Back Brutal Save as PDF
Chapters (56)
  1. Cover
  2. BRUTAL
  3. Dedication page
  4. Acknowledgements
  5. Prologue
  6. PART ONE
  7. 1
  8. 2
  9. 3
  10. 4
  11. 5
  12. 6
  13. 7
  14. 8
  15. 9
  16. 10
  17. 11
  18. 12
  19. 13
  20. 14
  21. 15
  22. 16
  23. 17
  24. 18
  25. PART TWO
  26. 19
  27. 20
  28. 21
  29. 22
  30. 23
  31. 24
  32. 25
  33. 26
  34. 27
  35. 28
  36. 29
  37. 30
  38. 31
  39. 32
  40. 33
  41. 34
  42. 35
  43. 36
  44. 37
  45. 38
  46. 39
  47. 40
  48. 41
  49. PART THREE
  50. 42
  51. 43
  52. 44
  53. 45
  54. Epilogue
  55. BRUTAL
  56. By Mandasue Heller

‘I don’t suppose you could pop round to Jo’s and check on the boiler, could you?’ Evan asked. ‘The letting agent called me this morning and said the tenants have been bugging him about it. I know I said I’d handle the maintenance, but I’m snowed under at work, so I’m not sure when I’ll get the chance.’

‘It’s fine,’ Frank said, relieved that Evan hadn’t asked for another loan, as he’d been expecting. It wasn’t that he minded lending him money, but Evan had a habit of forgetting that he’d borrowed it, so Frank rarely if ever got it back.

‘Cheers, Pops, you’re the best,’ Evan said. ‘And I’ll tell Marie to count you in for Christmas, ’cos there’s no way I’m suffering her folks on my own.’

Frank shook his head when the call was finished, and raised his glass to take another swig. Instantly changing his mind, he placed the glass on the table and headed upstairs to get washed and dressed. He didn’t really fancy the hour-long drive to Jo’s house, but now he’d promised, he didn’t have much choice.

Surprised to find that it was snowing when he left the house, Frank pulled his gloves on to clear the car’s windscreen. It was early for snow, and he hoped it didn’t augur another terrible winter like the one they’d suffered a couple of years earlier, during which the central heating had broken down and he and Maureen had almost frozen to death before the engineer had finally managed to get to them.

Making a mental note to stop off at the village garden-centre on the way back, and stock up on extra coal for the fire, Frank set off down the lane – putting his foot down as he passed Yvonne’s place, in case she spotted him and tried to flag him down. For the first couple of weeks after the funeral she had called round almost daily, bringing food he never ate, and offering help he neither needed nor wanted. Unable to bear it, he’d politely asked her to give him a bit of space, and to her credit she hadn’t called round since. But it wouldn’t be long before she was back at his door if she saw him out and about, and he wasn’t sure he was ready for that.