The Book of Death (Bourbon Kid 4)

head, and, well, it’s
you. You’ll be paid up to the end of the week, but I’d prefer it if you left
now.’
    Beth’s heart sank. She’d known
this would happen the second she’d heard about Cromwell’s death. ‘I think my
contract says I get paid up to the end of the month if I lose my job.’
    Simmonds shook his head. ‘You’ve
got some nerve, haven’t you?’ he said with a look of disgust on his face.
‘Bertram Cromwell is dead, murdered at the hands of the Bourbon Kid, in cold
blood, with a machete, and all you can think about is yourself and how to take
advantage of your contract.’
    Beth was taken aback. ‘No, it’s
not like that.’
    ‘Well that’s how it looks,
Lansbury. God, you disgust me sometimes. It’s not enough that you killed your
stepmother, you now want to trample all over the memory of a great man like
Bertram Cromwell, after all he did for you.’
    ‘That’s not fair.’
    ‘Take it up with the union.’
    ‘I didn’t know we had a union.’
    ‘We don’t. Now get out. I can’t
bear to look at you. Honestly, did it never occur to you to cover up that scar
on your face when you came to work? It upsets everyone else here having to look
at it.’
    Beth could feel tears welling up
in her eyes. The scar ran deep for many reasons. She tried to downplay it
though, so as not to give Simmonds the satisfaction of knowing he had gotten to
her. ‘It’s just a scar,’ she said.
    ‘Yes, but that scar represents
the struggle of your stepmother trying to defend herself when you stabbed her
to death doesn’t it? Awful, just awful. I don’t know how you have the nerve to
walk around with it on display like that.’
    Beth had no further response. A
tear trickled down her right cheek, slipping into her scar and sliding along it
towards the corner of her mouth. Simmonds gestured towards the door and then
looked down at some papers on his desk to signify that their meeting was over.
    ‘Go on, run along,’ he said.
‘We’re done here.’
    Beth felt her bottom lip
tremble. Being fired was a humiliating experience at the best of times, but to
be ridiculed in this manner was too much to take.
    ‘What about my uniform and
stuff. What should I…’
    Simmonds looked up. ‘Are you
still here?’ he sneered.
    ‘Yes, I just…’
    ‘Oh God, you’re not going to
cause a scene, are you? Seriously, if there’s one thing I can’t stand, it’s
people coming into my office and causing a scene. If you want a drama, go join
an acting club or something, don’t do it in my office.’
    Beth turned away. She’d had all
she could take. She grabbed the doorknob. There was an awkward three or four
seconds as she fumbled with turning and pulling it before it opened. Luckily it
came open just before she began sobbing out loud. Being humiliated by a bully
like Simmonds had really gotten to her. Bullying didn’t get any easier to take
as an adult. Her only comfort was that now unlike in the past, at least she had
JD to offer an arm of consolation or a kind word to make it all better. She
trudged back up the stairs to reception, wiping away the tears as she went, in
the hope of not looking like too much of a mess when she got back to him.
    What she discovered when she
arrived back in reception made her forget about her tears quite quickly. JD was
still there, smiling at her as she hurried back to him. But lying on the floor
at his feet in a state of unconsciousness was James the security guard.
    Forgetting about her tears for a
moment, she hurried over and peered down at James. He was laid out, completely
motionless on the floor. She looked back up at JD.
    ‘What happened?’ she asked, her
voice revealing her obvious concern for the security guard.
    ‘I think he fainted,’ said JD
shrugging. ‘How was your meeting?’
    ‘His face is covered in blood,’
Beth said, staring at the terrible state of James’s face. She leaned down to
take a closer look at the stricken security guard. ‘How did that happen?’
    ‘He had a nosebleed. I think the
sight of his own blood is what made him faint.’
    Beth frowned. ‘But his nose
looks broken and his eyes are swollen.’
    ‘Yeah. Weird. So what did your
boss say?’
    ‘I got fired.’
    JD reached out and stroked her
hair away from her face. He could see she’d been crying. ‘It’s just a job. Not
worth crying about. Look on the bright side, now we’ve got no reason to stay in
this shithole town.’
    ‘It’s not being fired that
bothers me so much