Golden Luckenbooth

Sixty-One

A sliver of metal gleams as the light from outside bounces off the weapon, held by a hand that shakes with frenzied energy. The woman, barely taller than me, looks like a porcelain doll with a spider web of cracks beneath the surface. Her eyes are dull with a manic glint.

"'Little Freak' is about me. And so is 'Matilda'." She speaks with confidence as though Harry himself had revealed the songs' characterization to her. "You see, Harry knows me really well, which is proof that he loves me."

"Mhm," I murmur, my eyes desiring to stray over her shoulder to seek out the sound I'd heard, but I worry that she'll attack me if she thinks someone is coming to help. Of course, it's probably just Shortbread, and while I adore my pup, she's far from a watchdog. She's much more of a powder puff, and I don't want her hurt either. I can't lose her after saying goodbye to my sweet Piper so recently.

"But that's enough talk, cunt." She slurs her words, her teeth clenched tightly. Approaching me with the scalpel, she focuses her eyes on the basketball in my belly, and I sincerely wish that an inanimate object is what's under my maternity top.

But it's not. It's my child. And Harry's child too.

"You still didn't tell me your name." I remind her as the small slip of a woman takes a sinister step in my direction, holding the weapon in her hand as though she's used the surgeon's tool previously.

Her technique is dead on. (Och, poor choice of words, Anna!) She would make a skilled vet – except for the part where she seemingly has no compassion or, you know, sanity.

"Harry asked me my name at my first show in 2022. That's all it took for him to fall in love with me. One show. We made eye contact, and electricity flooded my body. His too, I could tell. It was one of those rare times when he didn't need me to repeat my name. He heard me say it once, and that's all it took."

Not knowing what else to do, I validate her narrative. "Of course. He would know your name if he were here, but he's not here right now. Why don't we go sit down and have a cuppa and wait for him?"

"Of course he will remember my name!" She screeches, and I tremble, my fear not calm but deeply determined. "He knows my name is Katherine."

She says the name proudly, and I shudder at the way her eyes and nose flare with something akin to madness.

"Katherine!" Harry's booming voice fills me with a combination of relief and dread. How will this woman react to his presence here? Will it soothe her or make her crazier? Did he just increase the number of people in danger?

"Harry!" The crazy woman squeals with delight. "I know you were spinning out waiting for me to help with this problem. I've got it all under control." She twists to him, glee on her face, and I tentatively take a step towards my home, resolved to put Cara's desk between me and the razor sharp scalpel. "I'm going to take care of that thing so you don't have to worry anymore. We can finally be together without her –" She spits the word out as though it's poisonous "-- in our way."

"Oh, you don't need to do that," Harry holds his hands in front of him, reaching for the weapon which Katherine grips more tightly, shifting it from his reach. "I've already handled the situation."

"You have?" Her flushed skin glows with the moonlight from outside as she raises her eyebrows, furrowing her brow and causing wrinkle lines to appear on her forehead. Her eyes blink rapidly as she stares dreamily at my boyfriend.

He steps closer to her, still reaching for the scalpel. "Of course, my love. You have to know I wouldn't let you suffer for long. I had to gather some paperwork, but she won't be in our way anymore. If you'll give me the..." His chin nods at the scalpel, and her grasp loosens although she doesn't completely let go. "...I'll make sure she never bothers us again."