Amy Cooper Forever

by Craig Mullins

  I went back to the pub I was at earlier and had a few more pints. I don’t remember what time I got home or who with, I woke up the next morning at ten, the girl had gone, there were two used condoms on the floor so I’m guessing it was a good night. Can I have a glass of water?

  Interviewer: Sure, I’ll get you one. Please continue.

  (Interviewer gestured to PC at door to obtain a cup of water.)

  Suspect: There was nothing I could do about what had happened the previous night so I figured as long as the chalet was paid for I may as well enjoy it. I spent the day in Great Yarmouth at the arcades, I got lunch around two – fish and chips at one of the stalls on the seafront, I don’t know what it was called. By three I was back at my chalet before showering and changing. Then I went to the same pub as the night before, once again I had a few drinks, played a few games of pool. I don’t know what time I left but I woke up Sunday morning on the beach at about six a.m. I walked back to my chalet and by eight o’clock I had dropped my keys back at reception and hit the road. I was back home by about eleven-thirty. That was my weekend.

  Interviewer: Were you with anyone when you left the pub on the Sunday night?

  Suspect: I don’t know.

  Interviewer: Did anyone see you at the pub, would anyone there be able to confirm your story?

  Suspect: Plenty of people but I can’t give you any names.

  Interviewer: Can you confirm that you knew the victim Amy Cooper?

  Suspect: Yes, But I haven’t seen her in a few years.

  Interviewer: Explain to me how you just happened to be at the same chalet park on the same weekend.

  Suspect: (Whispers) I don’t know, I don’t know.

  Interviewer: Could you speak up for the tape please:

  Suspect: I don’t know

  Interviewer: Did you have sex with Amy Cooper on the night of July third nineteen-ninety-three?

  Suspect: I’ve told you, I didn’t know she was there, I didn’t see her. I certainly didn’t have sex with her.

  Interviewer: Did you go to her chalet?

  Suspect: How many more times, I didn’t know she was there.

  Interviewer: When was the last time you saw her?

  Suspect: I don’t know. Maybe two years.

  Interviewer: You’ve had no contact with her in all that time?

  Suspect: No.

  Interviewer: Why did we find your hair at the scene, and DNA evidence indicating you had intercourse?

  Suspect: That’s impossible, this is a fucking set up. There is no fucking way I’m going down for this.

  Interviewer: Calm down, just explain to me how we have a dead girl with your semen inside her and your hair on her body?

  Suspect: I’m not saying anything else.

  (Suspect refused to speak)

  Interviewer: Interview terminated… four-fifty-three pm

  Sian sank the last of the remnants from her glass of wine and looked at the transcript in her hands, she picked up a couple of other transcripts from subsequent interviews and they were all pretty much identical. The suspect hadn’t faltered once on any of his accounts for the weekend in question. In her years on the force it was unusual for a suspect who was lying to be that consistent with the facts. Generally the consistency he had shown with his recollection would indicate someone who was telling the truth. What she couldn’t get past though was the overwhelming physical evidence. There was only one way that his semen found its way into her and likewise with his hair. What was strange though was that his fingerprints had never been found at the scene.

  She looked over the autopsy report for any indication that the victim had been sexually assaulted. On her second reading something stood out, there was no indication of assault though intercourse had taken place, what she found interesting though was the presence of the substance ‘nonoxynol-9’ a spermicidal surfactant used in the manufacture of many leading brands of condom. Although this could be explained by the unexpected failure of the condom, it could also lead to the possibility that another person also had sex with the victim. What she found most puzzling though was that if the suspect had consensual intercourse in the hours leading up to the murder, then why would he not admit to such an act. Was it because he thought it would make him look more guilty, or maybe, just maybe the story he had told them all those years ago was in fact the truth and she and her colleagues had wrongly had an innocent man convicted.

  It was eleven-thirty when she looked at her watch, the night air had become cold, the warmth of the alcohol was all that allowed her to stay on the porch. She could hear the gentle waves breaking less than thirty feet from where she sat, the saltiness tinged her lips with every breath. She got up and took her files and glass inside, the air was warmer but not hot, she liked a cool house. She sat on her sofa with a notepad and pen and jotted down a few ideas while they were still in her head. She knew she had to talk to the man she put away, whether he would agree to see her was another matter. She had questions for him.

  FORTY

  Chapter 12

  I could see the fear in her eyes when it dawned on her what was happening. Her once beautiful eyes were gone and were replaced with a fire I had never seen in her. I was glad the rohypnol had done its job because I wouldn’t have wanted to fight her with that look.

  “I know you probably have a thousand questions Amy, but this is my time, all you have to do is listen.” She had had long enough to avoid all of this, she was the one that had strung me along all those years, she made me believe that she wanted me as much as I wanted her. No, now she would hear what I wanted, what I was owed. I’d put in all the hours to make her feel special and what had she done for me? “The first thing I want you to know is that I don’t put all the blame on you, in some respect you were the innocent victim. But believe me when I say your co-accused will also be paying tonight. He might not know it yet, but soon enough he will. As far as anyone will know I was not here tonight, he was. And just to clear up a few matters where you think my plan may all unravel, firstly I do not work for the University of East Anglia. There is no introduction evening for students on the midwifery course. I have never been to or met anyone on this chalet park. No one saw you check in, and you are here as Mr And Mrs Heart, in fact Mr Heart – obviously not his real name is actually staying in another chalet not to far from here. He was also lured here under false pretences, lucky for me he was easy, he hasn’t changed. The idea of a weekend of girls offering themselves up for sex was more than enough to get him here.”

  All that talking was thirsty work, I got up to grab my bottle of water from my back pack and after unscrewing the cap I offered her some. She must have been as dry as me as I poured from the bottle. The very action of her lips on the neck of the bottle were enough to start me off. I had waited too long to rush things though. As I pulled the bottle away a few drops fell, I followed them as they dropped off her chin and landed just where the opening to her blouse was. The contour of her bra was clearly visible beneath and I decided a little bit of teasing wouldn’t go amiss. Once more the rage burned in her eyes and I could tell that she was trying to summon all her energy to move, but nothing would happen. The stare became more intense as I reached for the top button of her blouse and deftly poked it through, I did the second one too. I pulled the blouse apart to reveal the swell of her bosom and the lace edge of her bra.

  I sat back opposite her and enjoyed the view, I took a swig from the bottle and relished the fact that seconds earlier it had been encapsulated by her mouth. I could feel myself strain against the fabric of my jeans. “Do you know why you are here? Of course you don’t. Did you never wonder what happened to me the night of your fifteenth birthday? How I’d helped prepare the perfect evening for you with your parents. How even after all that you could still do what you did.” I couldn’t be sure but there was a perplexed look on her face. Did she really not know what I was talking about. “I can’t believe you don’t remember that evening.” Still the look bemused. “Was fucking Ada
m such a regular thing that one senseless fuck blended with the next?” At last it registered and I saw the shock in those once beautiful eyes. I sat silently as a tear rolled down the side of her nose. “I wanted to kill him when I saw him on top of you. Then I saw the way your body responded to him. He saw me watching the pair of you and smiled. In that moment I knew I could never be with you. That I would never be able to look at you the same way again. All the times we had been out together you had never shown any inclination to progress to a more intimate relationship. And I respected you for it. I was happy to wait for you to turn sixteen before we started that kind of closeness. But then I saw you, and I knew it wasn’t your first time. It certainly wasn’t your first time with Adam. Was it?”

  The tears were almost a constant stream now, but that was too little too late. It was easy to have remorse when you were in the position she was. If she had been sorry she would have tried to contact me after her party, but she hadn’t. She knew where I lived, she could have come to me. I would never have forgotten or got over what I saw but I may have eventually been able to forgive her.

  “How long had you been fucking him? No, I don’t want to know.” I remembered pacing around the chalet at this point, the smell of shallots was quite pungent, it’s funny what little details you notice. I knew she wasn’t going anywhere so I sat on the double bed and had a cigarette. I wanted her to contemplate the consequences of her actions all those years ago. What may have been five minutes of ecstasy at the time had meant the end of her life now.

  As a reader you are probably thinking that my response to her is beyond what was normal. All I would say to you is, how far would you go if someone shattered your heart into a million pieces? Would you be able to walk away knowing you would never be able to love anyone else with that intensity again. That you would have to live your life seeing that one person who was put on this earth as your soulmate going about their life happy with someone else. The idea of seeing Amy with a family, kids that were not mine, a husband that made her happy and a life without me was not an option. I stubbed the cigarette out and placed the extinguished stick in my pocket, I’d planned too much to leave such a stupid piece of evidence.

  Back in with my Amy I could see the confusion in her eyes, I walked over and stood in front of her. I was close enough to feel her breath on my face, using my index finger I wiped away her tears. “You really don’t understand what you did, do you?” I asked her and still saw little recollection in those stunning eyes. “I loved you Amy and you took my heart and ripped it into a thousand pieces. Now it is payback time. An eye for an eye, isn’t that how the old saying goes?” At last there it was – fear. Her beautiful hazel eyes glistened with moisture, the silvery flecks almost glowed. She stared at me as if she didn’t know who I was, and in that moment I didn’t know her. She was no longer the sweet loving girl I had fallen in love with, she now had a hard edge to her. What had Adam done to her? The innocent little girl that was destined to be my soulmate had been soiled by a man who had no regard for her, his only interest in her had been her defilement - nothing more. “Why him? What could he give you that I couldn’t? I wouldn’t have treated you like a piece of meat the way he did. I would have loved you until the end of time. You knew that.” I hate to admit it but I couldn’t stop the tears as I looked at her. But I had to remain focused. I ran my finger down the side of her face, letting it trace a path from under her chin, then down over her throat. There was an intake of breath as it went lower, I twisted my wrist and the back of my hand followed the curve of her breast, a finger traced under the line of her bra. I let my other hand undo the remaining buttons on her blouse. I opened it to allow my eyes to feast on the prize I had been deprived of all these years.

  She didn’t disappoint, her body was as I’d imagined, smooth and flawless. I stood up and walked behind her, as I leaned her forward to allow me to remove her blouse I caught her scent. I never believed it before but I would swear it wasn’t just her perfume and odour I could smell, it was fear. A sweetness to her previous odour, she sat there in her bra and as I looked down over her shoulder the view was incredible.

  It was too much for me, I couldn’t resist massaging myself as I looked at her. I had never been so hard, and I hadn’t even gotten to the best bits. I didn’t want to rush things so I went back to sit in front of her.

  “Do you know what I did the night of your fifteenth birthday?” I knew she couldn’t answer but I still left a gap for her to reply anyway. “No! Then let me enlighten you. After I watched you enjoy having that prick fuck you I went back downstairs and out the front door. I didn’t say goodbye to your parents and I regret that, they were always good to me. I walked, my car was trapped and I had to wait for everyone to leave. But I returned in the early hours and I got in my car and I drove. At times like a mad man, at others so serenely it was like I was eighty years old. It was these times when the tears wouldn’t stop, I sobbed so loudly at times I couldn’t hear my car stereo. That was all down to you. I wanted to die, I tried driving fast and hoped I would lose control. But as much as I tried I couldn’t do it, but in the five or so hours that I drove I did a lot of thinking. I went to see a friend in Wales and on my way back the next day was when I decided things had to change. I had to get away from my life, but more importantly I had to get away from you. Do you know how hard it was to make that decision? I had loved you from the very first time I saw you, that day when me and Pete were installing your parents kitchen and you walked through the door. I didn’t have to think about it I just knew. The way you looked that day, the way you smelled, the way you talked. There was nothing about you that I didn’t love. I never expected you to love me the way I loved you, but I didn’t expect you to do what you did. You knew how I felt about you, you must have. You were the only person I needed or wanted in my life. I would have given anything for us to have been a proper couple. I never pushed you to take things any further than you were willing, I was happy waiting. If you weren’t interested then why didn’t you tell me?” As much as I tried I couldn’t stop the tears, in a way I was glad. I wanted her to see just how much she had destroyed me. To see how much she deserved what was coming.

  I had waited long enough, my prize was sat there right in front of me and yet I wasn’t sure I could do it. I would take it slowly, I placed my arms under her seated body and held her to me as I carried her to the breakfast bar and laid her on it. Seeing her young body prone to whatever I wanted to do didn’t give me the thrill I had been hoping for. I thought that having her here, unable to fight back would have been everything I had ever wanted, but it wasn’t. At last I was angry, I felt nothing but disgust. I think what did it was her body stretched on the counter, the memory of that night in her room while he fucked her was vivid in my head. I no longer saw the girl I once loved, I was looking at a whore.

  My conscious was clear as I began to enjoy myself. I know I am spending far too much time on my explanation of what I did to Amy, and I make no apology for the fact. The truth is this is my book and I should be allowed a little indulgence in the process. I am certain that the ones that have gotten this far are enjoying this aspect of my manuscript, as I am sure that there are some of you that have only read it for this exact portion. The latter group are the people this book is for, you are like me, you believe in justice. You believe that people should be accountable for their actions, and I am going to disclose to you my justice for Amy Louise Cooper.

  With her laid out on the worktop I went to the hob, I switched one of the rings on low. On the chopping board I grabbed the diced shallots, at the same time I placed a knob of butter in the sauté pan I’d bought with me. As the butter began to sizzle in went the shallots, I retrieved the sliced mushrooms and turned down the ring to allow the shallots to sweat down. Focusing back to Amy, I ran my hand along the waistband of her jeans and popped the button. My fingers trembled as I drew the zip down, I was so close to her now. I tossed the shallots in the butter to stop them browning then took her shoes and
socks from her dainty feet. I’d always loved them, massaged them many times when she’d asked.

  I tugged at the jeans and worked them under her bottom ensuring her underwear stayed in place, I was eager but the anticipation was better. As I removed the pan from the heat the aroma filled the small area of the chalet.while she laid there in bra and knickers just waiting.

  “I’m preparing us a lovely meal Amy, let me tell you about it. We’re having pan fried heart in a Shiitake mushroom, Madeira and cream sauce. I have been looking forward to this meal for sometime now, the only problem is I forgot to bring one of the ingredients.” I told her as I ran my finger from her chin, down between her breasts I lingered at her belly button before stopping at the material of her underwear. I was pleased with her choice of underwear, white frilly cami shorts and a matching bra.

  The fight appeared to have gone from her, now all I saw when I looked into her once beautiful eyes was a void. A blank darkness that pleased me, she’d finally realised that she had been wrong in her actions that night and that she was ready to accept whatever fate I decided to inflict. Her tears had marked her face and her eyes were now barely slits. I stood at the end of the counter between her legs and slowly moved them apart, I’d always hoped that this scenario would have played out on her sixteenth birthday and that it would have been more tender and a mutual decision. As much as my dream was to be as one with her I would never demean what we had and take her by force, yes there were certain acts I was going to have to perform in order to cover my tracks but it would not be for pleasure. As much as she’d hurt me that was one step too far. My next task was the one I had been least looking forward too. I retrieved an implement from my bag, then proceeded to remove her remaining clothes, this strictly wasn’t necessary but before she left this earth I wanted to see just once the body unfettered that I was destined to be with but would never have the pleasure of. She was naked and it killed me, her body was perfect. Skin so silky smooth and taut, her breasts perky and nipples erect. The honey coloured hair guarding the entrance to what should have been heaven but now held painful memories of what it had invited into its depths on numerous occasions. It was too much for me and I placed my head on her stomach and the tears wouldn’t stop. Eventually I tore myself away and did what I had to do.