A Thousand Small Explosions

by John Marrs

The climate was balmy and almost Mediterranean like, thus allowing him to slip on his cargo shorts, a T-shirt and a pair of blue flip flops as he wandered around the well-kept streets that surrounded the town’s Spanish mission-style architecture. He sat on a wooden bus stop bench, taking in the mild December morning and the cars and faces that passed him. The rows of shops were tidy and organised and there appeared to be enough there to satisfy each of the town’s seventy-three thousand inhabitants.

  Every now and again, Dylan made a cheery gurgling noise from his seat in the stroller, both amused and excited by the plastic ring of colourful farm animals attached to his wrist that rattled each time he waved his hand. He had coped with the 23-hour flight remarkably well for a four-month old baby, with only the occasional outburst of tears during some particularly troublesome turbulence.

  After checking into their B&B, Nick was too animated to give in to sleep so they made their first excursion in foreign climes to the park to explore the winter gardens and to feed the ducks. Then they stopped off for a snack in a café before making their way to their Russell Street destination. Ahead of them and three doors to the right was the building with the man they had flown 12,000 miles to see.

  Over the next half hour, the street in Hastings, New Zealand, was becoming busier as the lunchtime trade picked up and the staff left their places of work to grab a snack or meet with friends in cafés. Nick bided his time, trying to remain calm and collected when all he wanted to do was run through the shop door and announce his arrival.

  But moments before the physiotherapist’s door opened, Nick could feel the presence of Alex, like a kaleidoscope of butterflies had, en masse, risen up from the pit of his stomach and taken flight inside his body. Then when he appeared, Nick’s breath was well and truly taken away.

  Alex stood still for a moment, checking his mobile phone to see if it was the cause of the vibrations running through his body. Nick noted his wavy hair was shorter than when he’d last seen him almost nine months earlier and he’d shaved off his stubble, revealing a clean-cut, more angular face. Suddenly Alex looked flustered, like he knew something was off kilter but couldn’t pinpoint what it was. But Nick knew what he was feeling because he felt it too.

  Then as their eyes locked, Alex took a step backwards when he saw Nick with a pushchair, waiting for him.

  ‘Hello stranger,’ Nick began, making his way towards him.

  Alex was too stunned to reply.

  ‘Alex, meet Dylan, Dylan, meet Alex.’ Alex finally moved his disbelieving eyes from Nick’s and towards Dylan. He took in the boy’s darker skin and looked at Nick, bewildered.

  ‘It’s a very, very long story,’ Nick continued, ‘and I have to warn you now, he and I only come as a package. But if you’ll have us, we’re here for keeps.’

  Alex tried to cover his mouth with his hands but it was too late to hide his huge, white smile or to stop the tears from falling down his face. And as he gave Nick the firmest, most longed-for hug he’d ever received, Nick took that to mean yes.

  CHAPTER 104

  ELLIE

  Ellie stood above Matthew’s lifeless body, unsure of which way to turn.

  Her trembling hand covered her mouth as she was suddenly struck by the enormity of her actions and petrified she might let out an involuntary scream. Moments earlier, she had killed her Match with such unbelievable anger she didn’t even know she possessed for trying to bring down both her and her life’s work. And now she didn’t know what to do.

  The trembling spread to her legs and she was scared that if she dared to sit down and steady herself, she might never get back up again. She wanted to escape the building, jump into her car and drive home to Derbyshire to be with her family where she could feel protected and secure again. But she couldn’t leave her office with Matthew’s body lying in it.

  She put her hands in her pockets to stop them from shaking while she considered her options. She felt Andrei’s panic alarm and pressed down on it hard. Thirty seconds later, she heard shoes running down the marble floored corridor before Andrei burst through the door with a baton in his hand. He looked at her and then at Matthew’s body on the floor. His face remained expressionless.

  ‘I need your help,’ she said, her tone hushed but panicked.

  Andrei checked around the room for any potential threats then noticed dots of blood spattered across her dress. He pulled out his mobile phone. ‘You won’t get a signal,’ she continued. ‘He saw to that.’

  ‘Change into clean clothes and then we are leaving,’ Andrei said gruffly and without asking any questions. ‘I know people who can make it look like this never happened.’ Ellie glanced at him with nervous gratitude. ‘Change now,’ he repeated, his voice more authoritative.

  Ellie hurried to her adjacent bathroom and dipped into a wardrobe of spare clothes, pulling out a virtually identical blouse and skirt. She rinsed her face under the tap and the remaining blood from her hands. For a moment, she paused and stared at herself in the mirror, unable to believe she was living this nightmare.

  A thud from the office brought her back to reality and she returned to find Andrei Sellotaping bin liners around Matthew’s head and body.

  ‘We leave this room for my people to clean up,’ he ordered and dragged Matthew’s body into the bathroom and out of sight. ‘Let’s go and lock the door - do not allow anyone else in.’

  Ellie obeyed and Andrei escorted her into the corridor just as her PA Ula ran towards her.

  ‘You weren’t answering your phone!’ she said, concerned.

  ‘I have a meeting I need to…’ but Ula cut her off.

  ‘Your office, it’s being streamed online.’

  ‘What?’

  ‘Look,’ she yelled, then pulled Ellie by the arm into her room. ‘You and Matthew are all over the internet. But I don’t understand, how can you be here and on my computer at the same time?’

  Ula’s desktop computer was playing video footage of Matthew and Ellie’s confrontation in her office. It was time delayed by approximately fifteen minutes and had only just started, Ellie reckoned, because Matthew was still sitting behind her desk.

  ‘Who can see this?’ asked an alarmed Ellie, so Ula checked.

  ‘It’s being broadcast through the internal messaging system. It’s automatically playing on every employee’s computer or tablet.’

  ‘Get hold of IT and tell them to shut it down.’

  Ula picked up the phone while Ellie looked at Andrei for reassurance, but for the first time since he began working for her, she witnessed concern in his steely grey eyes.

  ‘They’re saying the IP address is from the desktop computer in your office,’ Ula said, ‘and it’s also being sent as a live feed to dozens of other streaming sources around the world. YouTube, Vimeo, Facebook, Twitter… anyone can watch right now and it’s all coming from your computer’s webcam.’

  Andrei ran back into the office with a terrified Ellie in pursuit. She shut the door behind her as Andrei yanked all the leads from the iMac, then picked up the machine, lifted it over his head and hurled it to the floor. He slammed his foot into it half a dozen times to ensure it was no longer operational.

  Ellie felt her pulse return to its normal rhythm and for a brief moment, she forgot that the body of the man she’d killed was lying metres away from her. As she and Andrei left her office for a second time, a small group of secretaries were huddled around Ula’s screen, then took an awkward step backwards when Ellie reappeared.

  ‘It’s still showing,’ Ula replied, ‘I’m sorry but IT says it’s not broadcasting from the servers in our building so there’s nothing they can do to cut the feed.’

  Ellie froze. In approximately five minutes from now, the world would be watching and listening to footage of Matthew explaining how he’d compromised her database and how half a million people who’d trusted her with their futures were the victims of false Matches. Then they’d glimpse one of the world’s most prominent businesswomen beat her unarmed fiancé t
o death in her office. And she was powerless to stop it.

  All eyes, including Andrei’s but with the exception of Ellie’s, were on Ula’s computer screen. Ellie took a succession of deep breaths and leaned against the wall of her office, slowly sliding her back downwards against the glass until she sat deflated on the floor.

  Ula ushered everyone else out of that section of the building, leaving just the three of them. She and Andrei found it hard to draw their eyes and ears away from the screen and Ellie didn’t try to stop them. She was forced to listen again to the dull thwack of the decanter hitting Matthew’s head, the sound of him collapsing to the ground, followed by her hitting him one final, fatal time. Ula gasped and looked at her employer in disbelief.

  ‘Come,’ said Andrei in desperation and held his hand out towards Ellie, ‘Let me get you out of this building.’ But Ellie shook her head politely, then looked at them in turn and spoke calmly.

  ‘Thank you both for everything you’ve done for me. I’ll make sure you’re both well recompensed for it,’ she said, patting out the creases from her skirt and top and tucking her hair behind her ears. ‘Ula, after what you’ve just seen me do, if you are able to assemble my legal team and have them meet me in the boardroom, I’d be grateful as I assume the police will be here soon. Then clear my schedule for the foreseeable future. And gather all the IT heads of departments and bring them into meeting room B as soon as possible. There’s something I need them to do as a matter of urgency.’

  ‘What’s that?’ Ula replied, ‘Are we going to find out who has false Matches and tell them?’

  Ellie paused and looked up at the Match Your DNA logo etched into the smoked glass of her office wall. She pictured the inert figure of Matthew on the other side, wrapped in bags on the bathroom floor. She’d been happier with him than she had ever thought imaginable but only now she understood it wasn’t because their DNA had dictated it, but because she’d opened herself up to the concept of love.

  ‘No, I don’t think we will,’ she replied. ‘Everyone in the last year who may or may not have been Matched based on my results will have to follow their instinct as to whether they’re made for each other. Sometimes the grass isn’t greener on the other side and we should stay in the field where we belong. And sometimes we just need to take a gamble and hope for the best.’

  Ula nodded, not entirely sure what her employer meant.

  ‘And the company and your staff?’ she asked, ‘What will happen to us?’

  Ellie picked herself up from the floor and began to walk in the direction of her office, closing the door behind her. She poured herself a Hendricks and tonic from the drinks cabinet and took a seat behind her desk as down the corridor, she heard the first of many pairs of feet making their way out of the lift and towards Ula’s office.

  She took her iPad and swiped the screen from bottom to top to take one last look at the extensive list of tasks she begrudged yet needed to complete before her working day was over. But her to-do list was blank - Ula had already erased it.

  So Ellie turned the tablet off and gazed out of the window at the London skyline. For the first time ever, she had no control of any aspect of her life and despite everything that was about to happen, she felt the weight of the world rise from her shoulders and disappear to find itself a new home.

  “What will happen to us?” – Ula’s words rang loudly in her ears. Ellie had tried with her discovery to make everyone happy, but instead, she would prove to be the architect of many miseries. Now she understood that on occasion, ignorance and chance were better than having something pre-determined for you.

  So there was only one option left for her to take - one that had never been included on Ula’s to-do list.

  ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

  I wasn’t sure if I had one book in me, let alone two. And lo and behold, it turns out that I had a third simmering away under the surface. So the first person I’d like to offer my thanks is to John Russell. Much gratitude comes to you for allowing me to bounce so many ideas at you over Oscar’s dog walks and for coming up with some alternative twists and turns of your own. For a man who rarely reads a book, your ideas and suggestions were amazing! Thank you also for your patience while I hid myself away in our office as you kept me fed and watered.

  Thanks to my mum Pamela Marrs, for being my most loyal supporter and the inspiration for my love of books. And a huge thank you to Tracy Fenton, Queen of Facebook’s THE Book Club, for her advice and frequent abuse. To writers both experienced and new to the game, you’re a Godsend.

  I’d like to offer a massive shout-out to members of the aforementioned and largest online group of like-minded readers. I look forward to reading many ‘small explosions in my pants’ references soon. Once again, the support THE Book Club offers is second to none and there’s no other group out there like you bunch of miscreants. I’m grateful to every one of the thousands of you who have downloaded my novels to date.

  Special shout-outs to the wonderful Governess of Grammar Kath Middleton (a fantastic author herself) and Anne Lynes for your eagle eyes and the inimitable Samantha Clarke for her proof-reading skills. Also thanks to my early readers/ groupies Alex Iveson, Susan Wallace, Janette Hail, geography expert Michelle Nicholls, Janice Leibowitz, Ruth Davey, Laura Pontin, Elaine Binder and Deborah Dobrin. And a special mention to Rhian Molloy and Mandie Brown.

  Thanks also to my fellow writers Andrew Webber (your enthusiasm has helped so much and thanks for the blurb!) and James Ryan. Thanks to Peter Sterk for his advice when it comes to DNA and genetics; Angela Holden Hunt; Lauren Cope Neppe for medical advice and use of Aussie slang and Julie McGukian for her crime scene clean-up suggestions – I couldn’t have got away with murder without you.

  My gratitude to Spiffing Covers for the eye-popping cover design and to my friend Adam Smalley for the mock-up web pages that even I believed existed. I also found the website psychopathyawareness.wordpress.com very useful when examining Christopher’s psyche.

  Finally my gratitude goes towards you, whoever you are, for taking the time to download this book. With millions and millions of novels to choose from on Amazon, you took a punt and paid money to read this one. And for a self-published writer, the novelty of each download never wears off. THANK YOU.

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  John Marrs is a freelance journalist based in Northampton and London, England. He writes for publications including Total Film, Guardian’s The Guide, Classic Pop, Q, OK! Magazine and GT. This is John’s third novel, following his 2013 debut The Wronged Sons and 2015’s Welcome To Wherever Your Are. Follow him on Twitter @johnmarrs1 or on Instagram at johnmarrs.author

  ALSO BY JOHN MARRS

  THE WRONGED SONS

  What would you do if the person you loved suddenly vanished into thin air?

  Catherine’s cosy life as a housewife and mum-of-three is quickly thrown into disarray when husband Simon disappears without explanation. She is convinced he hasn’t left by choice as confusion and spiralling debts threaten to tear her family apart.

  Meanwhile Simon has begun a carefree new life travelling the world. And he’s determined not to disclose his past to all he meets, even if it means resorting to extreme and violent measures. But why did he leave? Catherine only gets her answer 25 years later when Simon suddenly reappears on her doorstep.

  During their furious final confrontation, they discover the secrets, lies and misunderstandings that tore them apart, then brought them face-to-face one last time.

  PRAISE FOR THE WRONGED SONS

  "A compelling, dark read that gets you thinking. 4/5" - The Sun

  "It's crammed with twists and turns that'll keep you guessing right until the very end." OK! Magazine.

  "Looking for a thrilling read? Then look no further." - TV Extra Magazine, Sunday Star Newspaper

  "A magnificent story, one that truly captivated from the start with its style and grace and ever so subtle disclosure of the ultimate history." - littleebookreviews.com

  "A sto
ry that left me on the edge of my seat. I couldn't put it down. You simply must read this book for yourself." - Book Lover's Attic

  WELCOME TO WHEREVER YOU ARE

  How far would you run to escape your past?

  For eight strangers in a Los Angeles backpacking hostel, even the other side of the world isn’t far enough.

  The craving for a new identity and the chance to start again is something they have in common. But the search for a fresh start isn't as easy as they'd imagined.

  And they soon discover that it doesn't matter where you are or who you are - if you can't lay the past to rest, coincidence, fate and deception have a way of catching up with you when you least expect it.

  PRAISE FOR WELCOME TO WHEREVER YOU ARE

  "A fantastic read if you enjoy an unpredictable story with twists and turns." ***** OK! Magazine

  "A thrilling eBook!" ***** S Magazine, Sunday Express Newspaper

  "A twisting page-turner which fans of the Beach (or just a great read) will love." ***** TV Extra Magazine, Daily Star Sunday

  "Sheer brilliance...I couldn't put it down." Off The Shelf Books

  "A really engaging book." alwaysreading.net

  "This is a masterpiece of human psychology." Zyrell's Library

  "This book, quite simply, blew me away." Reading Room With A View