Prime Deception by Carys Jones Page A

from her life.
    When Charles emerged from the office Faye had already dutifully left, but not before preparing the desk beside her for the new intern who would be joining her. Charles studied the vacant chair and lifeless computer. He so wanted to help Laurie, perhaps learning more about Lorna’s death would help ease both their pain. But what if she was wrong, and her twin sister had killed herself? Laurie was already so fragile; he didn’t want to further inflict pain on her.
    ‘Doesn’t it just look wonderful?’ Elaine Lloyd enthused as she widened her arms to complete the grand gesture of unveiling the newly-decorated dining room. Charles peered round her to see the room, which appeared to him unchanged from how it always had been.
    ‘I suppose,’ he answered in bemusement, wondering what exactly his wife had spent copious amounts of money changing.
    ‘You suppose?’ Elaine exclaimed incredulously. ‘I don’t
suppose
you could muster up a little more enthusiasm dear?’
    ‘It is wonderful, stupendous, simply amazing,’ Charles retorted sarcastically. He knew it was a childish response and would only antagonise his other half further, but he was tired and his threshold for the banality of domestic life had all but gone.
    ‘Sometimes Charles Percival Lloyd I just don’t know what becomes of you!’ As she grew enraged, Elaine’s cheeks reddened to match the shade which she had previously stained her lips.
    Charles grimaced at his full title. He resented his middle name, which had been his grandfather’s. At school it had made him a mockery amongst the other boys and he knew that Elaine only used it when she wanted to belittle him. He chose to ignore her attempt to provoke him and turned to leave the room when she grabbed at him, the false nails on her hand digging in to his coat like talons.
    ‘You have disingenuous smiles aplenty for your constituents,’ she hissed, ‘but here, in your own home, you cannot even muster a kind response for your own wife.’ Elaine’s eyes almost bulged out of her head as she spoke, to the point where they were in proportion with her large bouffant hairstyle. The anger and venom in her voice reminded Charles of the terrible temper his wife had and he lowered his head in defeat. He was no match for the demon which lay beneath her perfectly made-up exterior, as he had learnt from past marital altercations.
    ‘Darling, forgive me, I’m just tired. The dining room looks amazing, you’ve done a wonderful job and I’m extremely grateful for your efforts.’ His words sounded convincingly sincere even though he didn’t mean a single one of them.
    ‘Thank you.’ Elaine instantly thawed, the beast within her disappearing almost as quickly as it had appeared.
    ‘I went for the darker beige in the end and I think that it really works with the lighting in this room,’ Elaine explained excitedly.
    Charles often thought of his wife as a caged tiger within their home; prowling the interior, looking for something, anything to attack and purge her pent-up fury. But if she were out in the world, she would potentially inflict harm on others, like the time at a family party where she drank and then accused Charles’ sister-in-law of ‘wearing an outfit that would make a whore blush’. From a distance, Elaine looked beautiful and exotic thanks to her expensive taste in designer clothes, but up close she could be ruthless and dangerous. Charles learnt long ago not to provoke his volatile wife.
    ‘I was thinking we should have a dinner party.’ Elaine was still rambling on about the room which bore no visible changes.
    ‘Yeah, sure.’ Charles was no longer listening to the words which fell from her mouth and splattered onto the hardwood flooring. His mind had once again ventured to Lorna. He thought of her sweet smile which was usually accompanied by her angelic laughter. He missed her so much that his bones ached with the desire to hold her once more. In his pocket his phone