Cynthia was like a different person, everyone remarked on it. She was almost playful with the kids, and she was always in a good mood, even Jimmy didn’t get the tail end of her tongue as often as he had before. She seemed happier than anyone had ever seen her, and it made their lives so much easier. She still left the kids with her mother for weeks on end, but these days she was happy to have them around during the daytime. She had started taking a Cordon Bleu cookery course, and Jimmy was eating better than ever. She never questioned his late hours any more. She saw him off to work with a cheery wave and a big smile. It was as if she was born again, and this time God had given her a heart. Celeste loved her with a passion and Cynthia seemed to reciprocate those feelings.

But Cynthia lived for the stolen time with Jonny Parker.

That her killing Bryant had appealed to him so strongly was a real eye-opener. If she had known that, she would have gone on a fucking killing spree a long time ago! Kevin Bryant’s death didn’t bother her, it wasn’t an issue where Cynthia Tailor was concerned. It had got her the one thing she wanted more than anything in her life, Jonny, so she saw it as a good thing – nothing to lose sleep over. She enjoyed telling Jonny all about it; it turned her on as much as it did him. She relived it over and over again, and she didn’t feel the least bit sorry about it.

She had never questioned that she was capable of great violence. Inside she had always known it; from a child she had been consumed by violent rages. When she was really angry she knew she was capable of almost anything, she knew she could easily stab someone if they thwarted her. She saw it as part of her strength and now she saw it as part of her allure. She looked like butter wouldn’t melt when, in reality, she was capable of carrying out serious harm.

That Jonny Parker loved that about her was the bonus, of course. She had always known they were meant to be together, she had made a big mistake once by letting him get away and she wouldn’t be making that mistake again.

The strangest thing of all was she realised she loved Celeste – really loved her. Now she wasn’t a rival any more, Cynthia could find it in her heart to pity her. With her big house and her endless supply of dosh, she now had the one thing Celeste really wanted. She had Jonny Parker, and she was not going to let him go.

She would kill him first.

Chapter Thirty-Eight

Gabby watched in amazement as her mother laughed and joked with them all. She was like a new person, and it was wonderful.