In Love with a Superstar

"H...Hello," said Sarah with a tremble, "I didn't hear you come in."

"No well you wouldn't have done would you, being asleep. Huh some bloody babysitter you are, I could have been anybody." It was Elisabeth!

Sarah, although half asleep, knew that however much of a shit Bruce Young was, no way was she going to take smartarse comments from his sister-in-law.

"Anybody with a key I expect," she said, "How did..."

"Oh, another key, yes. Martin has hundreds you know," she waved a small silver key by its paper fob, "Martin showed me how to get past those dim witted security guards and I did, half of them are illegal immigrants anyway; Total waste of money," she held up more keys, "This is the one for his London house, this is the one for the parsonage, I stay there when I like!" she said dreamily. "Yes, thanks to Martin of course, oh yes, he really looks out for Brucie, always has his welfare at heart - unlike some I could mention."

"I'm sorry?"

"You will be sweetie."

"What?"

"You mess with me and mine sweetie and you'll discover the consequences."

"What... what are you talking about, I haven't..."

"Haven't you?" said Elisabeth, "Now just take poor little Catherine there, she's still a baby, not yet used to the world without a mummy and you come along and mess about with her emotions, weeeelllll," Sarah could see an expansive hand gesture against the window light, "that seems a bit strange to me."

"But I haven't done anything, Cathy is almost five, and anyway she never knew her..."

A light switched on and temporarily blinded Sarah and she flinched, which was enough to wake Cathy.

"Sarah, the light's in my eyes," the little girl complained with a soft cry.

"It's OK Darling," said Sarah trying to shield Cathy's eyes with her hand.

Sarah tried to turn Cathy away from the light. She noticed then that as she moved, the light moved with her. Elisabeth had a powerful angle poise lamp that she kept shining into Sarah's face.

"I tried to warn you, didn't I? You can't say I didn't do that." There was a chuckle, a horrible, sick expletive sound far removed from any form of humour, "I even set fire to your bloody house for Christ's sake!" The voice dropped from its shout and turned to an angry growl, "How much more of a message do you fucking need!"

"How could you do that, I could have been..."

"Killed? Well, I didn't do it to keep you warm for fuck's sake." She chuckled that chuckle again, "Oh yes, aaaaaall arranged with Martin!"

A feeling started to creep over Sarah, and things that hadn't quite gelled in her troubled mind started to come together.

"It was you - all the time, wasn't it?"

Elisabeth chuckled again, "I just KNEW he'd come and see you that night. Cathy was at Mum's and I knew that you'd try your dirty, slutty tricks and get him to come round. You'd been quite clever up to that point I grant you. But then I knew for sure, you'd had enough warnings so... whoosh!" The girl giggled at the imagery. "I thought the letters were particularly good. The one cut out from the paper took ages, but you know what? I knew JUST what to do. I've got Brucie's entire 'Detective' programme on DVD. I knew just what to do, went to the library and begged two sheets of A4 out of the printer for my 'college course'," she gleefully wagged two fingers in the air to indicate quotation marks, "wore rubber gloves and a face mask, even one of those funny hairnets to stop my hair falling on it. Bought the newspapers wearing gloves, the whole thing."

As Sarah's become accustomed to the light and the excited woman leant forward she could pick out the features on Elisabeth face, even down to the sick grin she had, "So you could say in a way that Brucie was part of it, he showed me what to do; it was like having DC Shears in the room with me." She laughed.

"Bruce will be home any minute," said Sarah, trying to keep the panic out of her voice.

"And printing the others on Brucie's computer! That was Martin's idea as well actually, and your parents address, well, what can I say! You led me there yourself in your crappy attempt to save your car from damage." Elisabeth gave a self-satisfied chuckle. "Although I must say my triumph, the one I'm most proud of, was going into your bloody school. I watched him talking to her in the playground one day and they looked like they got on. So I walked straight into the place, the gormless receptionist was still on the phone so I slipped past and stood around looking at the notice board like I was waiting for someone. I looked at the board with all of your names on and saw the one with the Ginger bit and got her name. I waited until one of the other idiot teachers went into the staff room and watched her tap the number. It's amazing what you can do ten minutes after playtime finishes. Silly ginger bitch left her brush on top of her locker - always said the Irish were stupid."

Sarah noticed the look change from triumph to hate for a moment, "The bitch is lucky I didn't burn her too..." Sarah shivered as the mad woman went on. "The way she smiled at him! That fucking whore!" she growled, "Touching his arm every five minutes, made it look like she was stretching her leg, but THAT IRISH FUCKING TRAMP WAS..." Sarah heard Elisabeth change her breathing and in three terrifying seconds her persona was back to how it was before. "Sex Sex Sex, that's how it is with Brucie!" she paused, "Don't need to tell you that do I you fucking slut..." It looked like Elisabeth was leaning forward, so much so Sarah was sure she could smell her foul breath.

"Elisabeth, I need to put Cathy back to..."

"Soooo," Elisabeth interrupted, "I took as many hairs as I could get of her brush and put them in a little plastic bag. If you'd been a little more observant you'd have noticed them on his sofa and the pillows on the bed before today. Had to go in again and get some more for Martin, did the same again of course, If I could have broken into her locker I'd have taken some of her clothes and left them around the place.

Mind you, you probably would have been too stupid to notice." The shadow ran a hand through its long hair, "Yes I burnt your bloody house! But I am sorry about your neighbour's car though... that was a shame, but accidents happen don't they? Brucie fixed it for her though so that's all right. He's a really good person."

Sarah realised at last that she was in real trouble. Elisabeth had something in her hand, although she couldn't see it, the general shape suggested one of the 'kitchen devil' cooks' knives that lived in the knife block just inside the kitchen door.

"Elisabeth, I really have to go now, Bruce will be back any minute..."

"Hmm, yeeees, Bruce." Elisabeth took a deep breath, "Brucie Brucie Brucie."

"Look, I never meant anyone any harm, we only spent some weekends together, well until you... until my house burnt down then I stayed here for..."

The figure leapt up, Sarah fears were confirmed when she saw the light flashing on the blade of a knife - it was a huge one, "And your answer is to bloody move in with him?!" she shouted again ignoring the other part of the conversation, "WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK?!" Sarah could hear her antagonist breathing deeply now, "And you say you care for Catherine, huh? The poor thing doesn't know where she is look, you rotten cow!"

"Bruce..."

"Bruce will be home in a minute, Bruce will be home in a minute," Elisabeth chided in the way of a school bully, "look Sweetheart, Bruce will be in a prison cell until tomorrow morning; that was Martin's idea too." Sarah could see the woman taking a firmer grip on the knife, "We want Bruce out of the way while we deal with you!" To emphasise the last word Elisabeth pointed the knife at Sarah, "God I hate you, you're pathetic..." There was cold derision in the woman's voice. Her mind rushing, Sarah made to stand up, she had to get Cathy away from this. "Oh no, no escape for you, you home wrecking bitch!" said Elisabeth with a snigger.

Sarah could turn her head just enough to make out to see the bole of dirty orange light thrown by the street lamp illuminating the hallway, the front room door behind her and to her left was open!

She stood orientating herself and still carrying Cathy bolted for the door.

Cathy was crying now, conscious of the tension and danger in the room.

"Stand still bitch!" screamed Elisabeth in fury, giving chase.

Sarah made it to the brightly lit kitchen before she felt Elisabeth taking a handful of her ponytail and jerking her back with it,

"Put Catherine down!" screamed the woman, "Or I'll cut your worthless throat," Sarah put the little girl down gently, all the time Elisabeth maintained the grip on her hair. "Hello, Darling!" cooed Elisabeth in a terrifying change of personality, "How are you?" She bent forward slightly to smile at Catherine.

Cathy just bawled.

"Stop crying!" Elisabeth shouted, "It's only your Auntie Lizzie!"

Cathy continued anyway.

Elisabeth let go of Sarah's hair and she straightened, while the mad woman reached out for Catherine; the little girl screamed.

"I want Sarah!" she screamed seeing the knife in Elisabeth's hand. Elisabeth's face hardened and she grabbed at the little girl's pyjamas, pulling her almost off of her feet.

"NO YOU DON'T!" she shouted at the little girl, and looked at Sarah, "Catherine's mine," said the woman pinning the child to her with one strong arm, her eyes staring straight through Sarah's, "NO ONE is going to take my baby from me..."

"Look, I know you're upset but..."

"You don't know anything!" screamed the woman, the kitchen knife straying closer to Cathy's terrified face.

"Elisabeth, j... just move the knife away from Cathy's..."

"Her name is CATHERINE!" she screamed.

"OK then, just move the knife away from Catherine's face so..."

"I know what you are doing," said the woman, pale and terrifying, "Brucie doesn't love you, you know. Oh no, he's just using you for sex..." the woman sneered, "Just like some sort of prostitute!" she giggled a laugh straight from a Hitchcock movie and Sarah shuddered, "Martin told me, oh yes... And as soon as he's finished slaking his lust on you, he'll chuck you to one side just like the whore YOU... ARE!" she growled stabbing the knife in Sarah's direction with the last two syllables.

Sarah could see that little Cathy had gone past the point of terror and just stood transfixed by the diamond sharpened kitchen knife waving absent mindedly about, just inches from her face.

"But... but you hate him, why..."

"I don't hate him," she said incredulously, "I love him, I always have loved him." She had a single tear in her eye, which she wiped away, the incredulity quickly replaced by a sneer, "Then that bitch of a sister of mine got to him first and got herself knocked up and had to marry him. She always had everything she wanted - ALWAYS! HE SHOULD HAVE BEEN MINE!" she shouted thumping the kitchen table with the haft of the knife. "Martin confirmed it all of course," said Elisabeth slipping back to rational in an instant, "he only married her to get closer to me; sad isn't it?" Elisabeth chuckled at the thought.

Sarah recalled seeing the wedding photos at the house in London with the young bridesmaid Elisabeth no more than sixteen, and then the pregnant Victoria more than two years after that. If Sarah hadn't known before, she now knew for certain now that Elisabeth was away with the fairies and making the story up to suit herself, aided it seemed by Bruce's manager. She was definitely in the shit now...

"Elisabeth, please... the knife, we can get help for..." Sarah flustered trying desperately to figure her next move.

"YOU WILL CALL ME MISS TEASDALE OR NOTHING AT ALL!" she roared, "ONLY MY FRIENDS CALL ME ELISABETH!!" Her face quietened, "And if anybody needs help poppet, it's you!" Elisabeth pointed the knife at Sarah just for emphasis.

"Elisabeth... Miss Teasdale, look, none of this is to do with little Catherine, let her go back to bed, you're scaring her."

Elisabeth pulled Cathy's transfixed face up by the chin without any form of gentleness or sympathy to look into her own,

"You're not scared of your Auntie Lizzie are you sweetie?" she said, still holding the razor sharp cutting edge a breath away from the little girl's pale white neck.

The child said nothing still staring at the blade and just trembled, while tears trickled down her face.

"SEE!" screamed Elisabeth, "You rotten cow! You're just trying to cause trouble you BITCH!" The knife was pointing at Sarah again. "As it happens Catherine's coming to live with ME and Brucie... at our lovely house in Cambridgeshire! There!" the knife dropped down carelessly at Cathy's face again and Sarah closed her eyes, flinching, fearing the worst.

"Miss Teasdale please," said Sarah watching the eight inches of curved blade flash before the little girls nose again, "Look, do what you like with me but please... don't hurt Cathy!" she started to cry, "Please... I'll do anything... take me... kill me if you've got to... just don't hurt Cathy, let her go... please Elisabeth," Cathy began to cry too, loudly verging on hysteria.

There was a look in Elisabeth's eye that was gone in an instant. It seemed for that second that Sarah might have got through. That instant was all too brief though.

"Now look what you've done!" Elisabeth shouted, dropping down to her knees to pull the struggling child into an uncomfortable and unwanted hug, the crying child hanging limply while the mad woman held her, the knife held in the hand that was cradling her head.

Sarah thought for a second of leaping on the pair and pinning Cathy between them and out of harm's way while fighting the mad woman for the knife. But she had some recollection of the strength of people in her mental condition, it was a chance but more than likely Elisabeth's bigger frame and heavier weight would make a short battle of it and would get both her and Cathy killed or injured.

"Elisabeth please," Sarah begged, "I'll do whatever you want, I'll go wherever you want me to, do whatever you want to me but please..." Sarah wailed in despair, the thought that this fantastic child would have to have to witness whatever Elisabeth wanted to do, or might even be the next victim, was all she could think of now.

"There-there darling," cooed Elisabeth, still with the knife handle pressed to Cathy's ear, "Auntie Lizzie will be your new mummy and she won't let that nasty wicked slutty whore hurt her little girl will she!" Elisabeth rocked slightly and hugged the sobbing girl, her crazed eyes closed with the pleasure of it, the seraphic smile on her pale face in terrible contrast to the look of terror on Cathy's.

A movement at the kitchen window caught the corner of Sarah's tear blurred eye and the security man from the gate put a finger to his lips and held up a mobile phone followed by a pointed head mime that Sarah took to represent police. Sarah looked again at the closed eyes and soporific smile and nodded back to him. He ducked down below the level of the window with a final three fingers held up to and a tap of his watch to indicate time he would be away.

Sarah thought fast, she was now desperate to keep Elisabeth in the house and occupied, without getting anyone hurt. She was in with a chance now and a there was a hope, however faint it might be.

"Elisabeth," she said, snapping the woman from her reverie, "Catherine probably wants a drink..."

"What would you know!" Elisabeth screamed, fuming at her moment of motherly bliss being disturbed, "You're not her mother! You're not fit to be a mother, you WHORE!"

Sarah decided to adopt a different tack, the clock in her head ticking far too slowly.

"I may be a whore but you don't have to be Mother Theresa to know when a little girl needs a drink do you!" she shouted back, folding her arms and adding some of the bottom-lipped petulance she'd been on the other end of so often from the Year Nine and Ten girls.

"S'pose you're right," Elisabeth pouted back and turned to a cupboard pinning Cathy against it with her legs. She opened it and tore through the cupboard ignoring beakers, glasses and mugs until she found, quite unnecessarily, a baby's feeder cup, "mummy get you some nice milk, darling!" she said brightly, her happy families dream coming to life now. She slid a few steps to one side dragging the still crying child with her.

The knife was now point forward on the oak work surface at least eighteen inches from Elisabeth's hand.

"So," said Sarah still desperately thinking of a way to make time, "how am I going to die?"

"Not sure," said the other woman thoughtfully, but without any real concern and trying to work out how to open the feeder cup.

"It's only right you tell me after all," she took a tiny step closer to Elisabeth and the knife...

"Why?" said Elisabeth with a terrifying disdain and a raised lip.

"I'm guessing you're going to stab me. But whatever happens, Cathy will see it all," Sarah threw in the offhand remark giving it some teenage, know-it-all head wobble for effect. Obviously immature Elisabeth had responded to the pubescent challenge before after all.

Elisabeth stopped what she was doing for a second and thought, "No," she said finally convinced of her plan, "no, no, no, Cathy will come and live with me and Brucie."

"But what if Cathy tells the world how I died?"

"Oh," she huffed as if she couldn't be bothered with trivialities, "I'll blame that stupid bloody babysitter!" Elisabeth shouted in annoyance, "that OK?" Elisabeth thought more, "Yes," she said triumphantly and turning to face her captive, "That's it! I'll kill you, phone her pretending to be you and kill her when she gets here, make it look like you both died fighting one another."

"Oh, that'll do it for sure," said Sarah with a laugh, sounding cooler than she felt, "The police will go for that without question, silly me." She took a calculated pause and turned a look all challenge to Elisabeth, "Martin forget to mention that bit did he?"

Elisabeth scowled in anger; that one must have struck home.

"Oh... it ain't that fuckin' complicated..." and with a hissed 'Yes!' Elisabeth managed to pop the lid from the feeder cup at last and that seemed to be the end of her execution discussion.

Sarah refolded her arms, they were about a minute and a bit down now,

"That cup will need sterilising?" she said, shifting her weight.

"What?"

"Like I said, Not Mother Theresa but even I know that baby's things have to be sterilised before you use them!" she chuckled derisively, "But!" she snapped wobbling her head again, "YOU know best Elisabeth, give her some milk in an unsterilized cup and see how you get on!"

Fuck but this could work; 'boil a kettle Elisabeth, pour the boiling water in the cup Elisabeth, leave for sixty seconds Elisabeth', a whole mess of options she could throw into the mix until the police arrived. Sarah nodded at the kettle with a 'don't say I didn't tell you...' look.

In her distracted state Elisabeth slid towards the sink and away from the knife, still trying to imprison Cathy against the kitchen units with her knees and thighs, she saw the distance from the knife and made to step back towards it.

Cathy in her terror ruined it though...

The little girl took her chance, dropped down and fled through Elisabeth's fat, black-nylon covered legs, across the tiled floor and under the kitchen table to hug Sarah, who had dropped to her haunches to receive her.

SHIT!

Elisabeth's eyes narrowed and her head tilted to one side. She snatched up the knife from the work surface and grasped the handle point down. As if to add to the misery there was the whoop of a police siren in the distance and Elisabeth was aware of it and what it could mean.

"Give-her-back-to-me-now," she closed her eyes muttered through clenched teeth in a 'you've stretched my patience long enough' monotone staccato.