The Hard Way

turning their heads. Of course, she did enjoy wearing short skirts and small tops that showed off her new abs.
Her husband, Samuel, the most gorgeous black man she ever laid eyes on, had a lot to do with her new trimmer figure. It was only fair to make herself the best she could be. He looked after himself by going to the gym four times a week. Together they made a handsome couple, everyone said so.
Their union had produced two gorgeous daughters. Charlotte loved them both so much, everything from their milk chocolate skin, to their inquisitive, naughty natures. Yeah, life was pretty perfect in many ways.
Samuel earned an obscene amount as a stockbroker in the city. The money was so much, she feared the bubble would burst one day. Until then, she would enjoy the high life, enjoy the six-bedroom house in a highly desired postcode just outside the capital, and four cars parked on their gravelly driveway. She would relish the three holidays a year and exclusive romantic getaways he surprised her with periodically.
After her resistance bands workout, she stripped out of her damp training gear and stepped under the shower head, soaking up the lukewarm jets. Twenty minutes later, she dried herself, and as she dressed into her lunch attire, cursed at the time. “Bugger!”
She flew out of the front door, into her red convertible Mini Cooper, and after opening the home’s gates, raced along the A road towards her lunch date. Using her hands-free mobile, Charlotte dialled her best friend’s number. “I’m running, maybe five minutes late, honey. Go grab a table and I’ll see you at the club soon.”
Charlotte struck it lucky with finding Samuel. Unlike her elder brother, Richard, she was not blessed with an intelligence level that made MENSA members jealous. No, she made it through school with grades that allowed her to enter hairdressing college. From there she graduated and started work at a local salon.
After ten years of hard graft, she decided to go solo and style hair from clients’ homes. She loved her old job, but she preferred her new, carefree, lady-of-leisure lifestyle. Yeah, these days she didn’t have the stress of work; she felt so much more in control of her own destiny. Amazing the joys money brought.
Life would be so much easier if she had been born an only child. Ever since she could remember, she had played referee to her brothers. Richard, the eldest and most intelligent of the three of them, wanted everything done his way. Their parents doted on him, which upset Colin, her younger brother. Growing up, Colin was blamed for everything that went wrong. It grated on her nerves, and helped push her sensitive younger brother away.
She wished her family life wasn’t so complicated. More than anything, though, she wished Colin had not found drugs. They changed him from the quiet, sensitive lad he was at school, to the narcissistic liar, and violent thug he became.
Colin and Richard almost came to blows after Colin beat their dad up. The only reason her elder brother didn’t go through with it was because he didn’t know what kind of state his brother was in. Being a heroin addict, Colin could have had any combination of needle-related diseases.
They were the bad days, though, back when Richard and Colin weren’t on speaking terms. It was different now. Two stints of rehab, and meeting Henry had done wonders for Colin’s lifestyle. Free of drugs, her younger brother was a delight to be around.
It took Charlotte years to convince Richard to speak to Colin. Finally, they spoke their first words to each other on Colin and Henry’s wedding day two years earlier. Charlotte cried when she witnessed them hug. They weren’t best of friends after, but at least they were on talking terms.
Pulling in at the customer car park of the Roehampton Club, she found a space near the main building and parked up. Wearing a strappy vest and short skirt that showed off her long legs, Charlotte fiddled with her hair, using the reflection in the driver’s window, before heading towards the country club.
She found her friend and joined her. Picking up the menu, she decided on a club sandwich and bottle of water. The calories didn’t matter too much; she would be playing tennis with her girlfriends later. Every Thursday the girls were picked up from school by Samuel’s parents, who spoilt them with sugary drinks and cakes, much to her annoyance.
Greeting her friend with a kiss to both cheeks, she ordered her food and settled in for a natter and gossip. Gail was one of her most complimentary friends, always there with a “you look great in that”, which boosted Charlotte’s confidence.
She tried to find nice things to say in return, but Gail was overweight and dressed down.
“You always look so made-up, Lottie, you put me to shame.”
She pretended to be all coy, waving Gail’s comment away. “Oh stop! It’s just a vest.” Of course, she knew how great she looked; she felt great. “So, what’s the goss? Tell me everything you know.”
It was a safe bet that one of their many friends had something going on. Gail would know what that something was. Her friend was about to talk when Charlotte’s mobile rang. “Hold that thought.” She smiled and answered the phone. “Henry? Is that you? Calm down. What’re you saying? I can’t understand you.”
When he told her that Colin was dead, she covered her mouth with her hand and gasped.

8
Richard Fisher turned away from his computer and took a couple of deep breaths. His team were waiting for him downstairs in the workshop, all eager and excited. He opened his desk drawer and popped out two paracetamol from the packet, put them in his mouth and swallowed them with water from his glass on the desktop.
Getting up, he strolled over to his internal window, and parted the blinds to find his team leaning on the blue Ford Fiesta, chatting. Test number