Killer Women by Wensley Clarkson

let those regulars do his talking for him.
    Just so long as Tillotson did not try anything on with his wife, then he was reasonably content to let her continue those long heart-to-heart chats with Rod most evenings.
    ‘I don’t think that’s a very good idea, do you?’
    Graham Jones’s reaction when his wife asked him if they could hire Rod Tillotson as a barman was hardly surprising. But Gail felt so sorry for the six-foot labourer. He had spent months telling her about his desperate attempts to find a job. It was only natural that he should end up asking her if there was any chance of a barman’s position at the Belle Vue.
    ‘I feel we owe it to him. He’s a good bloke.’
    Gail Jones’s opinion of Tillotson was the complete opposite to that of every other customer of the hostelry, but she seemed genuinely concerned about his well-being. In any case, Graham Jones did not want a row about it. He had heard the gossip and seen the danger signs but then again, they did need more staff. The pub was packed out every night, and he and his wife were finding it exhausting just keeping the basics of the business together.
    When Rod Tillotson turned up for his first day of work behind the bar at the Belle Vue, there were sniggers all around from the customers. But Gail Jones was happy. In fact, she was happier than she had ever felt throughout her marriage. As she walked down from their flat above the bar, her eyes locked straight on to Tillotson and she smiled. Now she had almost everything she ever wanted …
    At first, Tillotson only worked a few days a week at the tavern. That meant there were only rare chances for more of those heart-to-heart chats between him and Gail. But they still managed to brush by each other dozens of times each day behind that crowded bar.
    Gail would stop momentarily whenever their paths crossed. Only long enough for a heartbeat, but it was sufficient to encourage Tillotson in his quest for the inevitable. She did not really know why she was doing it. She just enjoyed being close to him. Sometimes their hands would touch as he leant behind her to get a glass out of the dishwasher. On other occasions, their fingertips would connect as they both tried to get change out of the till.
    Graham Jones did not really notice those first danger signs. Maybe he just did not want to know. But the locals in the Belle Vue wanted to know everything. They loved to wind up ‘the two lovebirds’ as they liked to call them. Gail would blush heavily whenever a customer made any reference to hunky Tillotson. The part-time barman adored the attention. He wanted her to know his eventual intentions, and this was the best way of getting the message across loud and clear. Even the Joneses’ two children, Helen, five, and Karen, eight, were falling for the charms of Tillotson. He had a daughter, who lived with his ex-wife in Manchester so he knew how to handle kids. It wasn’t long before Graham Jones reluctantly asked his wife’s admirer if he could work full time for them.
    Then the would-be romeo managed to convince Gail to allow him to partner her in the local pool team. At first, she resisted his suggestion because sheknew it would upset Graham, but when Tillotson pleaded she gave in. There was something about him that she was finding increasingly difficult to resist. She knew she was being sucked in, but she thought she could contain her emotions sufficiently to maintain a distance.
    Tillotson was getting more and more obsessed with Gail. After they formed a winning pool partnership, he often used to find himself lusting after her as she leaned over a pool table to pot a difficult shot. He would imagine what he would like to do to her if the opportunity ever arose. It was hardly surprising when it did …
    Gail Jones was just locking up the double-doors to the Belle Vue’s lounge bar after the last customer had left the premises, when she turned to see Rod Tillotson staring at her across the cluttered room. Her