Night Watcher Read Online Free PDF Page B

not waver until she moved to Dundee on a thundery August afternoon. Lightning split the skies as if nature itself was admonishing her, while the torrential rain not only soaked her, but also dampened her spirits.
    Wet, weary and dispirited she looked round the flat she had been so desperate to rent, and wondered what she was getting herself into. How would she ever settle in this bare, dingy place that she now had to call home? Wrapping her arms round her body, she shivered. The only time she had ever felt anything like this damp, clingy cold was when she had been standing beside Dave’s grave.
    Thoughts and memories of Dave haunted her even though this had not been his flat, for she only had to look at the floor to imagine him in the one downstairs. Her hand tightened on her damp handkerchief as a fresh wave of tears threatened to overwhelm her. She could not back out of her plan; she had to go through with it. She owed it to Dave.
    But the plan was little more than a desire to punish Nicole for causing Dave’s death, and how she was going to go about it was less clear. She supposed that the first thing to be done was to meet Nicole and become her friend – that was a laugh – get the woman to trust her, and once that was done she would be in a better position to exact vengeance.
    Finding Nicole had been as easy as finding the High Street department store, Patrick Drake’s, where she worked. The store was massive, so it was quite easy for Julie to hang around, watching and waiting for Nicole.
    For three weeks Julie followed her – in the store, around the town, and back and forth to the car park. Julie’s only regret was that she had sold her own car as well as Dave’s. Damn, she wished Dave had told her Nicole lived in the country, but it was too late, both cars were gone, and she would need all her money now she was no longer working.
    Meeting Nicole was slightly more difficult. It wasn’t as if the woman was a sales girl, she was a director of the firm. How did one go about meeting directors? Particularly a woman like Nicole, who had little time for female colleagues.
    The idea, when it came, seemed so simple. It would be risky, and it might not work, but it was worth a try. And, if it did not work, the most it would cost would be her life – and that no longer had any value now that Dave was gone.
    ***
    Nicole was feeling more vulnerable than usual when she arrived at the store. Scott had been particularly nasty that morning, undermining her confidence with his sarcastic wit, which was always at her expense.
    It was at times like this that the burden of guilt over Dave’s death was most acute. When she broke up with him she had never imagined he would be so foolish as to take his own life. Nor had she imagined how much she would miss him.
    Bracing herself, she entered the store through the revolving doors of the main entrance and strode through the ground floor display area. It was time to assert her authority as assistant director.
    ‘Who is responsible for this display?’ Nicole turned to the floor manager. ‘It’s the work of an amateur. Get it sorted.’
    ‘Yes, Mrs Ralston. I’ll see to it right away.’ He snapped his fingers at a salesgirl. ‘You heard Mrs Ralston,’ he said. ‘See to it.’
    Nicole stifled a smile and walked away. There had been nothing wrong with the display, but exerting her authority helped boost her self esteem.
    She took the lift to the executive floor, deposited her briefcase and ventured out again. There was nothing to be gained by skulking in her office feeling sorry for herself, and the only way to keep staff on their toes was by regular inspections. Working her way down, from the top of the store to the bottom, she ended up at the restaurant on the basement floor. ‘The coffee wasn’t up to your usual standard this morning,’ she said to Betty who was in charge. ‘See that it’s better tomorrow.’
    Betty continued to wipe the servery top. ‘That’s probably