Ligeia was numb with horror.  Richard smiled. He folded his arms and leaned back against a wall before continuing.

"The list of wrongs may not necessarily be in order but who cares" he said slowly. "Let's see. Christmas of when I was 18, I was due to go home on December 27th. I looked forward to two days to myself before my mum returned home from America, but you..." His eyes flashed. "You tried to persuade me to stay longer."

Ligeia tried to speak but all that came out was a hiccup.

"You tried to persuade me to come out with you and the twins, even though I was absorbed in a very interesting book" he continued. "Of course", he added, "you weren't to know that I couldn't relax in your company, that I never could. I politely declined and then you spoke to the twins as though..." his eyes bored into her, "as though I wasn't in the room. I can still hear your mocking tone...do you want Cousin Richard to go out for a walk with us? It would be good for Cousin Richard wouldn't it?" he mimicked.

He put one foot in front of the other. "But what could I do?" he asked. "You were the one with all the power and control not me." He paused a second before continuing, "My dad knew..." his face and tone softened for a moment. "My dad knew I couldn't relax around you. My dad is understanding...something that very few people are." He stopped again. "Summer of when I was 21..." he snarled. "I had over the years developed a friendship with my great grandmother, used to sit with her, enjoyed her companionship, respected her because she was elderly, was genuinely fond of her..."

He breathed in and out a few times heavily, before continuing, "what did she get from you but contempt and ridicule? You demonised her like the selfish spoilt brat you are. You confused me by telling me she was manipulative, leading me to break that friendship. A few days later she died of old age." His eyes blazed. "Enjoy that did you?" he gloated. "Get a real kick out of it did you?" He stamped his foot on the ground and his hard eyes locked onto Ligeia, who remained frozen in her seat. "My great grandmother had more sense in her little finger than a cow like you has in..." he paused. "Damn I've forgotten the words." "But anyway" he continued, "some of the things she said were the kinds of things my dad or Aunt Karen would have said."

"Aunt Karen..." Suddenly Richard's face softened. He walked towards a mirror that was among the pile of storage and looked at his reflection in it. "Of course I mentally disowned you the day that you broke my friendship with my great grandmother" he continued. You may be my aunt by blood and by law seeing as you're my mum's younger sister, but, not in terms of emotion. I don't believe in unconditional family love. My dad..." again his face softened, "was the exception." "I have grown fond of my mum over the years, but...I wouldn't use the word love to describe it. She is like a friend."

Suddenly he picked up a knife and turned on Ligeia. For one wild second, Ligeia wondered if he was going to stab her. "Or maybe he'll cut the ropes..." she hoped. He did neither. He slashed at one of her arms. He slashed at the other arm. Then blindly he went slash slash slash. After a while he stopped. Though the cuts on her arms were shallow, blood came from them, similar to the paint that had dried on her. He put the knife down and turned away.

"The amount of digs you make at people..." he continued. "One time you sneered that I was probably looking forward to going home." He turned with arms crossed. "People enjoy holidays but it is natural for them to want to return home. Is that something to make a dig at?"

Ligeia looked down at her arms.

"Don't worry, I haven't snapped an artery" Richard responded, irritated. "The cuts are shallow. Even you can tell that."

Ligeia said nothing. She was paralysed with fright.

"You're selfish and judgemental" Richard blazed. "Ok perhaps I do have stronger feelings for my stepfamily than than most people would, perhaps I do passionately love them...feelings are feelings. You have no right to judge, no right to be jealous, these things are not "impossible" as you call it. It may be a rare case, an exceptional case, but there is no need for you, or for my mum for that matter to keep telling me it's different because of the lack of blood line."

He paced up and down.

"It's not different to me. It's not different to them. Ok I am not expecting them to have the same passion for me as I do for them, that's an unrealistic expectation but I know they love me in an affectionate way. That is enough for me." He dug his hands deep into his pockets.

"Different? You're more superior because of the blood line, what nonsense you do come out with?" he raged. "At least" he paused "my mum and I have some things in common ike DVDs, at least she has the sense not to be as arrogant and..." he broke off. "But my mum asked a very unfair question the day she found out the truth. She asked me if I think of Aunt Karen as my mother. Even someone at work said in a way I have two mothers and they were right." He stamped his foot. "I think outsiders understand it better than someone like you ever has. You say it's impossible? I'll give you impossible."

"And, let me tell you something..." He leaned over her. "Even if I do think of Aunt Karen as, as my mother," he paused, "it doesn't mean the answer is to live with her. That might not be at all practical. And, since when have I ever asked anyone to feel exactly the same way for me as I do for them? If they do then fantastic. If not then, it doesn't matter. I've been in unrequited love twice and never once was I angry with those girls for not being able to reciprocate. I know what I am talking about..."

He walked up and down.

"I may have promised my dad I would ignore you if you criticise dad or Aunt Karen. I may have made the same promise to Aunt Karen. With mum I don't have a problem, but you...your whole manner, the way you buy people presents from a level of superiority and expect their adoration in return, the way you tell people how to live their lives, your arogance, your narcissm, your selfishness, the way you have power over everyone and everything..."

His pace became faster.

"The way you are at the centre of everything..." he breathed in and out. "Could anyone be blood related to someone like that without going insane?" Richard's cold gaze moved to Ligeia's face again. "You and mum always tell me I am as good as tied to those to whom I am blood related" he jeered. "That means I don't have a choice, even in my own mind." He picked up a piece of scrap paper and started twisting it in his hands.

"I love Aunt Karen. I love my stepsister Mary. One minute my mum tells me there is no right or wrong in feelings and it makes me hope that she and even you are starting to see sense. Yet, the minute there is some petty disagreement, you both stick the knife in - to be fair..." he paused, "You more than mum". He folded his arms. "Over the years, every time I hear that you are coming to visit, I feel a heavy wave of dread crash over me quite unconsiously, even if I am having a good day. I sometimes wonder why that is - I come up with no answer. After all I can't accuse you of ill treating me since you don't. But, I can still hold you responsible for it..."

"Of course, to be fair you stopped saying mean things about dad and Aunt Karen when I told you not to." He had calmed down slightly. "The same applies to mum, that's to your credit, but, sometimes you still fall into the habit of sticking the knife in. The day mum found out the truth about exactly how much I love them you both acted selfishly and were judgemental. If you hadn't been I might have been sorry for you. After all I had years to understand and accept how I feel and you didn't."

"As for my campagain of harrasment..." He smiled. "When I was in my 20s I realised I had no way of getting rid of you. Since 18 I have formed a good relationship with my mum. I promised Aunt Karen I would be grateful and considerate to my mum..." his face softened considerably, "And I would do anything in the world for her, and mum and I found things in common - but that wasn't enough for mum." His voice became hard again. "I had to extend my care to you. I was burdened with you because of the blood line. There was no way to break ties with you."

He looked at her steadily. "If I were Steven I could have divorced you. I have nothing against Steven but I do envy him just a little. If I had been going out with you I could have broken up with you. You can choose who you go out with, who you are friends with, who you marry." His voice held conviction. "You can't choose who you are blood related to. The fact that dad and I are so suited, that I genuinely and unconditionally love my dad - well that's pure chance. I unconditionally love Aunt Karen, Mary, Aunt Karen's sister, Mary's cousins - yet you and even mum go out of your way to try and convince me it's different, that I am tied to you, that I don't have a choice."

He took out of his pocket a pair of white surgical goves and put them on.

"The local sugery has come in really handy" he commented lazily. "Aenesthetic, gloves, syringe. I put them all back of course, except the gloves. I will return those once the job is done. I'm not a thief. Substituting the CCTV DVDs for new ones hasn't been a problem either come to think of it. And, I hardly had to break into your school, I walked in just like everyone else. It was easy."

Ligeia stared at Richard.

"Didn't anyone tell you Aunt Ligeia that it's rude to stare?" he asked calmly. "As I was going to say I realised that only if you died would I be free of you. It's exasperating that you are so mch younger than my mum. If you were older I'd have waited."

He walked round to the back of the chair.

"I think you can guess what I am going to do." He was calm, cool, totally nonchalant. "I'm so sorry it has to be this way. Don't worry about yourr girls. I have nothing against them. Steven can look affter them. He'd do a better job than you anyway."

He lowered his hands, reaching for her neck.

"I have nothing against the girls. I'm fond of them. They're welcome round my place any time" Richard said casually.

"Did you enjoy my game of cat and mouse? I hope you did. I put so much into it."

He laughed. "I sound like Hugo De Vries in Inspector Morse now."

He caught her neck and pulled it back. Ligeia wanted to scream but she couldn't. It was stuck in her throat.

"Goodbye Aunt Ligeia

Suddenly, a pair of hands grabbed Richard from behind, holding him in a firm grip. He struggled but he was put into handcuffs.

"Richard Durrant, I am arresting you for the wilfiul harrasment and attempted murder of your aunt Ligeia Webb. You do not have to say anything but it will harm your defence if you refuse to give under questioning evidence that you may later rely on in court."

*

"Richard? Who would have thought it?" Steven sat in the sitting room, drinking a cup of coffee.

"I didn't suspect him either" Inspector Green, who was very much off duty, and took an amaretti biscuit.

"How did you come to be there inspector?"

"It was very lucky. Your ex William Gregg was smoking in his back garden and saw Richard taking you away. He rang the police."

"Thank God for Will". Ligeia heaved a sigh of relief.

"If you don't mind my asking Mrs Webb, the accusations Richard made against you. Were they true or was he deranged?"

Ligeia looked ashamed. "They were true I'm afraid, but I didn't expect him to become this crazed."

"No-one did." Steven squeezed her shoulder comfortingly.

"The headmaster's given me two weeks off" Ligeia announced

"That is good news" smiled the inspector.

"Yeah,. he thought I needed it after what happened."

"You certainly did." Steven drank some more coffee.

"And I'm ringing Will up this evening to thank him properly."

"By the way, Clyde asked after you. As this case is over, I was able to fill him in. You'll be pleased to know he has a date tonight with one of the other sixth formers - Monica I think her name is."

The inspector smiled as he said this.

"Oh that is good news."

"Well I must be off." The inspector stood up. "Thanks for the coffee Mr and Mrs Webb."

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