It has been a while (almost 5 months to be precise) I have still been writing, along side my Creative Writing Class, just not posting my work. I am in a bit of a dilemma, it is a couple of weeks before the Creative Writing Class once again begins and I am unsure if I should once again enrol? I do think that at the present time I have got everything I can over the last two years and much of what we will do in class will be repetative of previous courses, however, and this is the dilemma, attending the classes does encourage me to write, I am in the company of some great writers and I have thoroughly enjoyed each and every course. Anyway I have a week or so to decide so I will keep you updated.
Anyway back to my work. We were given a topic (below) which we had to incorporate within a piece of fiction. Duplicity was my contribution.
“The best way she could describe what had happened was; a clash of cultures”.
Successful Hotel Manageress Olivia Greenall, in an act of compassion, invites Polish exchange student Sofia, into her home and life. Sofia soon becomes part of the family despite the initial pertinacity of her challenging husband Phillip. When Sofia is discovered, brutally murdered, it becomes clear that Olivia’s empathy for the lonely girl has severe consequences.
Duplicity
Olivia was preparing omelettes for Phillip when she heard Sofia was dead.
As she meticulously melted the butter into the hot pan, the early morning news caused the fat to bubble and congeal as Olivia stared in disbelief at the image of Sofia seeping into her kitchen from the plasma screen affixed to the wall. Sofia’s exquisite face stared back at her own and Olivia collapsed into the empty chair as the ambitious young reporter shamelessly unleashed the gruesome detail. As his words permeated, Olivia screamed for her husband.
Olivia had met Sofia at the hotel she managed. A polish exchange student studying Immigration Law at Exeter University, the same university where her own daughter, Ella, had studied Zoology and who was currently buried in the heart of Africa doing her Master’s Degree at the University of Nairobi. “I am living the dream” she would tell her mother, often. Sofia tugged on Olivia’s heart strings and she gave her the job as a waitress, despite her having no experience and clearly unsuitable for the position.
Sophia was intelligent, yet naïve, breathtakingly beautiful. but possessed no people skills. Quite often Olivia was met with complaints from guests and customers, however Sofia had nobody and Olivia had an empty nest. Finally, for the sake of her sanity and impending unemployment she suggested that Sofia may be better suited to a more personal role, as that of a housekeeper in her home.
Phillip took some persuading, he was bigoted and blatantly biased to this foreign intruder. It had taken him an arduous adjustment to accept his only child, his darling daughter, had preferred to leave for distant shores, such departure did not come without tantrum and tears. To now encouragingly replace her with an extraneous counter-part met with significant resistance. Olivia persisted and as she dared hope, once Phillip had regained composure, conquered the culture clash, Sofia became part of the family.
However, it was not all plain sailing. Phillip worked long hours as an Architect, often from home. He was demanding and unreasonable, at times unbearable to be around. Olivia had efficaciously re-established her identity, once Ella left for Nairobi, and successfully ran the Southern Hay Hotel with precision and poise, which often met with resentment and ridicule which Olivia grew to ignore. This unnecessary umbrage was often unleashed on Sofia, who methodically made every effort to appease him and, little by little, day by day, Sofia managed to integrate herself within the family and Phillip succumbed to a mild intolerance.
Phillip’s thunderous footfalls brought Olivia back to the present, he plunged into the kitchen, dishevelled, disturbed, confused. Olivia fell into her husband’s arms, hysterical, and as he struggled to assuage his distraught wife, he too was drawn to the familiar face filling the screen.
“My god!” he whispered as he took a step closer to the horrific images being displayed. He turned to Olivia whose hysteria had turned to stupor.
“My god!” he repeated “who would do such a thing?”
Olivia shook her head and began weeping, for all his belligerent bravado he was visibly shaken, taking Olivia into his arms he stroked her hair, feeling her trembling beneath his hold. Although it was only early morning Phillip poured them both a generous brandy and with two hands Olivia gulped at the burning liquid.
“We need to contact the Police, let them know what we know!”
“What do we know Phillip? She rarely talked about herself, where she went when she wasn’t here. You were right Phillip I let sentiment rule sensibility, I invited her into our home and now she is dead, god knows what she got herself into”.
After he finished on the telephone with the Police, Phillip disappeared into his office leaving Olivia to ponder, awaiting the knock on the door.
That knock did not come until almost ten hours later. Olivia had all but given up and after taking a long hot soak in the bath was securely settled into the swell of her settee, watching the incessant rehash of Sofia’s fate.
“Phillip, they’re here.”
DC Brindle and DI Larkin, were already sat at the vast breakfast bar, before Phillip made an appearance. Olivia noticed his swollen red eyes and ashen complexion, but said nothing.
“Mr and Mrs Greenall, what can you tell us about Sofia?” and there it was, Olivia thought, such a simple question for such a horrendous crime. Regardless, Olivia calmly conveyed the last six months that Sofia had been in their life, talking of her fondly as though she were still alive. Phillip sat, hunched, head bowed saying nothing.
“What about you Mr Greenall? What was your relationship like with Sofia?”
Before Phillip even had time to digest the question, Olivia reciprocated “oh it was fine, just fine, great actually, took a bit of adjustment didn’t it Phillip? Well it did for both of us I suppose.”
“Adjustment?”
“Yes. Sofia was Polish, new to our country and traditions, she had a certain way which was different to ours, interaction in the beginning at the hotel, here at home, well it was difficult, caused problems.”
“What sort of problems Mrs Greenall?” asked DC Brindle.
“Well, the best way I could describe what happened was; a clash of cultures?”.
“But you resolved these issues?”
“Oh yes, of course, Sofia is like a daughter to us, part of the family, we are absolutely devastated by what has happened. We have no idea who could have done such a thing and we are hoping that you can help us find out” pleaded Olivia.
“Well we have, of course, been considering Sofia’s life and we have a few questions to ask you Mr Greenall”
“Phillip?” Olivia looked confused.
“Mr Greenall, before you say anything at all let me finish what I have to say”
A tense silence fell upon the quartet.
“Mr Greenall, as part of our investigation we look deep into the victim’s life. Phone records, bank records, that kind of thing. It is clear from those records that you and Sofia were more heavily involved than that of employer, employee. Well what I am trying to say Mr Greenall is that, it would appear, you were in an intimate relationship, with Sofia. It is also apparent, from what we have recovered, Sofia was procuring rather large sums of money from you, which she was sending to her family living in Wroclaw.”
“Family?” Olivia whispered.
“Yes Mrs Greenall, Sofia has a husband and three children. She is, well was, 34 years of age.”
“But she was a student?”
“Yes, Mrs Greenall, she was, a mature student.”
“I didn’t kill her” everybody turned to look at Phillip, as he uttered his first words since the Police had arrived. Tears spilling down his cheeks.
“Mr Greenall, as I was saying” DC Brindle continued “according to the information we hold, you were giving Sofia large sums of money, it is clear from the messages between you that she was blackmailing you.”
“Phillip? You didn’t? You couldn’t?” Olivia whimpered.
Ignoring her DC Brindle continued. “Mr Greenall, you fell in love with Sofia, didn’t you? You became obsessed with her and agreed to end your marriage and start a new life with her. She didn’t want that, did she Mr Greenall? You were a means to an end, a way of supporting her family and she emphatically rebuffed this suggestion. How did that make you feel Mr Greenall?”
DI Larkin continued “the last call received by Sofia on the night of her murder was from your phone Mr Greenall, it lasted three minutes, what was that call about?”
“I didn’t kill her” Phillip repeated but with more purpose “I would not harm a hair on her head, you have to believe me. Olivia, please believe me, I made a mistake. I am so sorry” he reached for her hand.
Olivia snatched it away “Sorry? What for? Sleeping with Sofia or killing her?” Olivia ran from the room, as DC Brindle arrested her husband.
There was a gentle knock on the bedroom door and DI Larkin’s head appeared. “Mrs Greenall, your husband has been arrested and taken to the station, forensics will be here shortly, is there anything I can do for you?”
Olivia shook her head, not daring to speak and as the detective’s monotonous tones re-percussed deep within Olivia’s conscious, she thought of Sofia. The anguish and heartache that soon evolved into a deep simmering rage when Olivia discovered the truth about Sofia and Phillip. The burning resentment as she discovered the messages of unrequited adoration so flippantly bestowed upon the, not so naïve, not so innocent Sofia, who had destroyed her life after Olivia had shown her nothing but kindness and compassion. So arrogant were they in their duplicity that they never once conceded that she may know. The rest was easy.
Olivia left the house just before midnight, after calling Sofia from Phillip’s phone. She took his jacket, gloves and hat and drove his car. The look of bewilderment on Sofia’s beautiful face upon confrontation, turning to fear and ultimately realisation as Olivia plunged the kitchen knife deep beneath Sofia’s ribs, straight into her heart. The sweet release for Olivia from the ultimate betrayal. Disposing of the weapon, merely minutes from their home and the bloody DNA smeared on Phillip’s clothing, lying dormant, awaiting discovery in his precious office.
“Mrs Greenall?” Olivia jolted back to the present.
“Sorry, what did you say?” asked Olivia.
“Is there anybody you need to call?”
“Oh right, yes, yes there is, I need to call my daughter.”
The End
