He had surmised rightly that it wouldn’t be long until hesaw Vanessa again, but he hadn’t expected it to be this soon.
She was standing right in front of him.
Chapter Seventeen
May 2058
“Surprise,” she said, chirpily, full of the joys of springas if absolutely nothing had happened.
“What are you doing here?” he asked. As he did, he realisedthat it must have been her who had texted him the address.
“Oh, this is my house now,” replied Vanessa. She was wearinga white, traditional summer dress, covered in red and orange flowers, lookinglike she was dressed for a day at Henley rather than travelling through timemurdering people.
“I bought this place some years ago, all ready for thisday,” she added. “But don’t worry, I’m happy to share it with you. I thinkyou’ll like it – the décor is so much more tasteful than how it was when Alicelived here. Why don’t you come in and have a look and we’ll have a nice cup oftea? That’s what you English normally do in these situations, isn’t it?”
Josh stood there incredulously. “These situations?” heasked. “You mean where an obsessed stalker has gone back in time, killed herown husband, then my wife and all my friends, before taking over my home? Howcould anyone in the whole of history ever have found themselves in thatsituation before?”
“I could make you,” she said, a hint of threat creeping intoher voice.
“What would be the point of that?” he asked. “You stilldon’t get it, do you? I don’t want you. I’ve never wanted you. I wouldn’t wantyou if you were the last woman on Earth?”
“That could be arranged,” she said, ominously.
He could well believe it, but wasn’t backing down.
“Do your worst,” he said. “But it won’t make any difference.You must be crazy if you thought getting rid of Alice and the others wouldchange that.”
“I had hoped you wouldn’t remember them,” she replied. “Inoticed I could see the changes in the timeline, but other people couldn’t andput that down to some sort of protection granted by the tachyometer. But itseems you’re immune, too.”
“Which means I’ll never forget the people you killed or whatyou did.”
“You know, they don’t have to stay dead. I’ve got the powerto restore them with a few simple trips back in time. And you’ve got the powerto save them. All you’ve got to do is give me what I want.”
“Oh, I get it,” replied Josh. “I agree to be yours, and yougo back and undo all the damage you’ve done, is that what you’re proposing?”
“In a nutshell,” she said. “I’m a past master at blackmailand I’ve got the better of far stronger people than you. Now why don’t we stoparguing like this on the doorstep and go inside where it’s more comfortable?”
“You just don’t get it, do you? Even if I did agree to savethe others’ lives, I’d be living a lie. I’d only be pretending to love you andinside I’d detest you. Doesn’t that bother you? And why are you so damnedobsessed with me anyway? You’re one of the richest women in the world: you canhave whoever you want.”
“But I want you and you rejected me,” she replied. “Thatsimply wouldn’t do. I’ve told you before, I always get what I want and I’ll dowhatever it takes to get it.”
“You’re insane, Vanessa. All that money’s driven youpower-crazy to the extent that you think you can control the whole world. Well,you can’t.”
“But that’s just it, I can now, and it’s all thanks to you,”she said. “You’ve given me the power via the tachyometer to control the wholeworld.”
“But you still can’t control me or make me love you. And ifyou think killing my friends then offering to bring them back will change mymind, you’re very much mistaken. And if they were alive and here now, I’ve nodoubt they would agree with me.”
“Ha, your pathetic little friends, you’re better off withoutthem. Lovey-dovey Charlie and Kaylee? They made me want to vomit with all thatchildhood sweetheart crap. It was a real pleasure blowing him away in front ofher. You should have seen her as I hunted her down afterwards. She was soterrified, I could almost smell her fear.”
“You’re just jealous because you’ve never had love likethose two had. They were devoted to each other and that sickens you to the pitof your stomach, doesn’t it?”
“Hardly,” replied Vanessa. “They were just an obstacle in myway that needed removing. As for Alice, that nagging bitch never let you reachyour fill potential, always wanting to go on holiday or drag you away from yourwork to crappy social functions.”
“Do you actually think that slagging her off like this isgoing to somehow change my mind?” said Josh, incredulously.
“Oh, I’ve not finished yet. What about Perfect Peter andself-righteous Hannah with all her moral bleating? Didn’t stop her coming afterme with a gun, did it? You’re better off without friends like that.”
“I beg to differ,” said Josh.
“As for that slapper, Lauren, she’s spent her whole adultlife like a little bitch in heat. I’m surprised she didn’t pursue a career as aprostitute: she’d have made almost as much money as I have by now with thenumber of men that she’s had up her. You don’t need them, Josh – any of them.”
“Oh, but I do,” he said. “Do you know what they’ve given me?I’ll tell you – loyalty, support and friendship – the sort that lasts alifetime and that doesn’t have to be bought. I imagine these are concepts thatare completely alien to you.”
“Everything can be bought,” said Vanessa, smirking,dismissive of what he was saying.
“Not me,” he said. “Now, I don’t care what else you plan todo but I’m never going to agree to being yours. Now this has gone far enough. Iwant the tachyometer and I want it now. Where is it?”
“Where you’ll never find it,” she responded.
“Perhaps I’ll just come in and look for it,” he suggested,moving forward, hoping to intimidate her, but she blocked his path.
He had never laid a finger on a woman in his
