Dirty Sexy Murder

by Cathleen Ross

  James started at the contact, too.

  Was he feeling what she was feeling?

  “Do you think online dating is worth it?” she asked.

  “It is for me. I never meet anyone at work. I’m working with computers all day. I think this is a natural progression. It’s quick. I take the lady out for a drink. I soon work out if I like her.”

  “So you never meet anyone in the city?”

  “No time.”

  So was he like her? Lonely! Maybe, just maybe...

  Taking a deep breath, James exited the program, closed the lid of the laptop and planted his elbows firmly on top. “You okay? You look pale.”

  Marina stared at him, wondering whether she could confide in him. Although she’d known Lizzie for years from all their summer camps together, she didn’t know James. He’d been very sweet to her from the moment she’d moved in, though. “I do feel kind of strange at the moment. I had something weird happen today at work.”

  “What?”

  “I was working on a client and I had—” She stopped. He’d think she was crazy if she owned up to the vision, but she couldn’t stop thinking about it.

  “And…” he encouraged.

  “My eyesight gets disturbed when I have a bad headache, but I saw something. My client, Adele. I saw her nose bleeding and her face turning blue.” She stopped aware that her hands were trembling. “When I looked again she was okay. I’m worried because I was seeing something that wasn’t there.”

  James put his arm around her shoulders. “Lizzie told me you had a bad time back home.”

  “Look James, before I saw my fiancé in my bridal gown, I had a terrible headache and—this is going to sound weird—a vision that he was wearing it. That can’t have been a coincidence, can it? It’s too weird.”

  “Hey, I have a computer science background. I don’t believe in that stuff.” He gave her shoulder a squeeze. “You were getting married. You were stressed and you said it yourself, your eyesight was disturbed with the headache.”

  He thought she was crazy. She could see it in his eyes. “I didn’t have a nervous breakdown. I didn’t!”

  James patted her back like she was a frightened child. “I’m not saying you did, but you did have a shock. You need to rest up. Go out and have fun.”

  So he wasn’t taking her seriously. A sense of disappointment hit her heart.

  “On the weekend, I’ll take you out, we’ll catch a movie, or I’ll show you around the city.” He looked straight into her eyes and she could see compassion in his expression.

  Her mouth clenched. Damn it, she didn’t want his pity.

  Lizzie came back into the study. She was wearing a whitish face mask that matched the colour of her bleached-blond hair. “Do you have anyone you can introduce Marina to? She likes conservative types like you.”

  There was an awkward silence and Marina squirmed on her seat.

  James shrugged. “Ask your boyfriend.”

  “Fabio,” Lizzie said.

  “That’s all right, Lizzie,” Marina said. “I’m not ready to date.” James must think she was a nutter.

  “I’m not leaving you at home while I go out,” Lizzie said. “You can come out with Fabio and me tonight.”

  “You still taking your date to Sebelles at Pier One for dinner?” Lizzie asked.

  James nodded.

  “You must be serious about this one,” Lizzie said.

  James grinned. “This date’s special. We have so much in common. She’s spiritual. I feel like I’ve known her all my life.” His face brightened. “She’s like us, Lizzie. She likes music. She calls herself Robin on her bio, like the bird that sings.” James looked from one girl to another. “I don’t even know her real name yet.”

  “Puh-leeze,” Lizzie groaned. “What do you call yourself online? Batman?”

  “Ah, Sex Cowboy actually,” James said under his breath.

  “Sex Cowboy! You! That’s disgusting.”

  “She started with the sexy stuff, not me.”

  “You picked the gross name,” Lizzie said, “which means it was you who started it.”

  The Sex Cowboy moniker suited him, thought Marina. He had wide shoulders, a flat tight stomach and slim hips. Thick dark eyelashes surrounded his eyes and she couldn’t stop looking into them. No wonder she had wanted to confide in him. He was mesmerizing.

  “I knew it,” Lizzie said. “You’re just after sex. Spiritual indeed.”

  James looked from girl to girl. “Look you two, it’s like this with men. I’d like a Ferrari straight away, but I’d appreciate it more if I had to work for it.” He raised his hands. “Get it?”

  “He’s right,” Lizzie said. “Mingle, mingle, mingle. You’re coming out with me tonight.”

  Marina got up and walked over to Lizzie. Her wrap was slightly open. Flustered, she pulled it shut, but when she glanced at James, she saw that he wasn’t even looking at her. Don’t play where you lay. His words came back to her. He probably thought she was crazy.

  But she knew she wasn’t. The first vision came true. Would this one come true too?

  * * * *

  Marina hadn’t met Lizzie’s boyfriend, Fabio, a gym instructor training for the Mr. Sydney contest, but the bronzed man who strode toward them could only be him. He was enormous. Lizzie had confided that Fabio could lift her small frame above his head with one arm.

  “Hey, Marina. Glad you could join us,” said Fabio, bending down to peck her on the cheek. “Lizzie Lu,” Fabio called out, picking her up and pressing her body to his.

  “Fabs,” she said, kissing him.

  “This your first visit to Pier One?” Fabio asked.

  Marina nodded. “It’s so lively here.” She motioned around her. She could hear the boats clinking as they shifted in their moorings, the lights of the Harbour Bridge reflected in the water. Across the water she could see the lights twinkling from the exclusive North Shore, where the wealthy people lived, though she knew that Lizzie called it North Snore because nothing ever happened there. “Sydney’s beautiful.”

  “Yeah.” Fabio gave her a thumbs up signal. “What do you want to eat tonight, girls?”

  “I’m not sure,” Lizzie said.

  “What would you like, Marina?” Fabio asked, politely including her.

  “I don’t mind. Just make sure we don’t go near Sebelles, that’s where James is meeting his date.”

  “Hey, Fabs. Get this.” Lizzie nudged him. “James is calling himself Sex Cowboy online.” Lizzie rolled her eyes.

  Fabio grimaced at the mention of James’ name and shook his head. He looked at his watch, seeming distracted. “Just wait here a moment, girls. I’ve got to get something for you, Lizzie. A present.” Lizzie was about to reply but he raced off up the escalator at the side of the pier.

  Marina turned to Lizzie. “Doesn’t Fabio get on with James?”

  “It’s not Fabio’s fault. James hates him.”

  “Why?”

  “James rhymes with pain. He said there’s no way Fabs could get so big without using steroids. James reckons guys like Fabs get ’roid rage.”

  “Maybe he’s just teasing you. You know how you two go on.” James could be right; Fabio was bigger than Arnold Schwarzenegger in Terminator.

  Lizzie sighed. She looked at her watch. “I hope Fabio doesn’t take too long. I’m getting hungry. It’s already been ten minutes.” She stood tapping her foot to the twinkling sound of the carousel. “Where is Fabio? I’m going to look for him.” She went up the escalator in search of him.

  Marina turned to the brightly coloured carousel when Lizzie left. The decorative lights flashed off and on making her squint. Her eyes still ached from the migraine. Children with their parents hung on tightly as it went around and around. She swayed. She couldn’t seem to take her eyes off it. Round and round the carousel went. It appeared to be going faster, spinning, so that she could no longer see the children. Her stomach clenched. The carousel became a haze of revolving colour
s. Marina rocked on her feet. God, what was happening to her? Then she heard it. A high-pitched scream, a wail, which was suddenly cut off. Strange choking sounds filled the air.

  She clutched her throat. Pain. No air. Her throat seized. The edges of her vision darkened. She was dying. Could no one help her? God, what was happening to her?

  “Marina,” a man called. “Marina!”

  Slowly her vision cleared. She gasped. Her throat felt sore as if someone had squeezed it.

  “Marina. What’s the matter?” Fabio grabbed her shoulder.

  She stared at him, unable to speak. Sweat was beaded on his temple. His shirt was open to the waist. There was a scratch on his chest.

  “Did you hear a scream?” She clutched his arm.

  Fabio nodded at the carousel. “Plenty of screams there.”

  “No. A bad scream. A woman. Did you hear it?” Her whole body trembled and she wanted to cry. She’d never had a vision like this before, not one where she could feel the pain.

  Lizzie skipped up and joined them. “Where did you go, Fabs? I was looking for you? What happened to your shirt? It’s all undone.”

  “I was buying your present and a fight broke out in the footy shop. Anyway, don’t bother about that, I think Marina’s sick.”

  Lizzie turned to her. “Has your migraine come back?”

  “Someone’s in trouble. There was a terrible scream,” Marina said. She knew that sound. It echoed in her mind like an old-fashioned record stuck in a groove.

  Lizzie patted her. “Everything’s fine. Look around you.”

  She did. People dressed in jeans and bright tops were sitting at cafes. A father was buying his three children hot dogs from a vendor; other people were eating takeout Chinese from cartons. It was a normal Friday night.

  Marina hugged herself feeling foolish. “I couldn’t breathe. I thought someone was choking me.” Unsettled, she looked at her watch. It was nine o’clock. Her heart was hammering and she thought she was going to be sick. “I don’t understand what just happened.”

  “Come on, Marina. I’m going to take you back to the apartment,” Lizzie said, her voice full of sympathy. “You had a rotten time back home. Maybe you’re having some reaction to stress.”

  Marina looked from Lizzie to Fabio and back again. Was that it? Did she just have some sort of a panic attack? “I’m not feeling well. Not physically sick.” Truly concerned about her own sanity, she rubbed her forehead. “I’m frightened what they said about me is true. I’m scared I’m going crazy.”

  * * * *

  The hammering on her bedroom door awoke Marina. She rolled onto her side and looked at her watch. It was eight o’clock, which was early for a Saturday morning. “Marina. Are you awake?” Lizzie called.

  Lizzie’s voice sounded hoarse. “Come in, Lizzie,” she said, struggling to a sitting position. She knew Lizzie loved her sleep. She usually slept until ten and not even James’s humming or clattering around the kitchen roused her. Her early appearance could only mean one thing—something was seriously wrong.

  Lizzie came in and sat on the bed. She still had mascara under her eyes and the remains of smudged ice-pink lipstick on her lips. The fact that she hadn’t cleansed her face meant things were seriously wrong. “I had the worst date last night after you went home.”

  “Did Fabio dump you?”

  “No. I dumped him.” Tears welled in Lizzie’s eyes. She snatched a handful of tissues and dabbed her eyes. “I really like Fabio.”

  “What happened?”

  Lizzie leaned forward, her face close to Marina’s. “Fabio’s into other women. Anyone but me.”

  “What other women?” she asked, studying Lizzie with concern. Lizzie had a slim elfin body with no curves and an out-there personality.

  “He’s got these porno magazines full of pictures of naked women next to his bed.”

  “I think all guys look at those things some of the time,” Marina answered gently.

  “You don’t get it.” Lizzie sobbed. “It’s so humiliating. He was actually doing ‘it’ to me and looking at a magazine full of women with enormous breasts at the same time.”

  “That’s creepy.”

  Lizzie was just about to answer when James stumbled into the bedroom wearing a clean dressing gown that looked rumpled. He handed Marina a cup of coffee that she knew he had made especially for her, though he claimed his espresso machine made two cups and seeing as he only drank one in the morning, it seemed a shame to waste the other.

  “Thanks.” Marina took the cup and sipped it. “Mmm. Perfect.”

  “I had the worst date last night,” James said.

  “No, you didn’t,” Marina and Lizzie said together.

  “Lizzie did,” Marina added.

  Lizzie gave him a watery smile.

  “You too, huh?” James asked, looking at his sister concerned.

  “Fabio’s addicted to pornography,” Lizzie said. “I hate that word.” She shuddered. “He’d rather look at you-know-what than me.” She pushed herself up the bed and sat on Marina’s other pillow, her back hunched against the wall.

  James put his hands on his hips and frowned. “He can’t treat you that way. Do you want me to speak to him?”

  Lizzie rolled her eyes. “I don’t want you interfering. He’d kill you. What happened with your date?” she asked, changing the subject.

  “Lizzie. It was hell. My date was with Mum,” James said.

  Marina’s mouth dropped open. She saw her reaction mirrored in Lizzie’s face.

  “You dated Mum?” Lizzie repeated, eyes wide. She straightened out of her hunched position.

  “That wins. That’s definitely the worst date,” Marina said.

  “How could you do that?” Lizzie cried.

  James leaned against Marina’s bedroom wall, looking around the room, his gaze not meeting Lizzie’s. He picked imaginary dirt from under his fingernails. “She was my Robin, my online date.”

  “That’s disgusting, James.” She reached over and hit her brother on the shoulder.

  “Hey,” James said.

  Lizzie’s blue eyes narrowed as she looked at him accusingly. “Of all the people to choose online, why did you pick her?”

  James covered his face with his hand and groaned again. “I don’t know. She seemed familiar. I liked what she said. I couldn’t believe it when she turned up.”

  “Maybe something she said in her emails touched a nerve, reminded you of someone you loved. Maybe you felt comfortable with her,” Marina said.

  “Not anymore he won’t,” Lizzie said. “Anyway, if she’s in Sydney why hasn’t she come to visit me?”

  Marina knew Lizzie had never got over being abandoned by her hippy parents when she was sixteen, especially by her mum.

  “I don’t know.” James’s voice was hoarse. “I was so shocked to see her standing there, I couldn’t ask her home. I don’t even know if she’s still with Dad.”

  Marina looked at Lizzie and James’s shocked faces and decided she needed to do something to cheer them up. They had been so kind to her, welcoming her into their lives after her troubles. “Come on. Get dressed,” she said. “We’re going out to have some fun. I think we should take a walk from the Opera House to where we were last night.”

  Lizzie brightened. “That sounds like fun.”

  “We certainly need it,” James said.

  Several hours later, replete with coffee and fresh croissants from one of the harbour-side coffee shops, Marina, Lizzie and James strode along the Harbour foreshore, past Circular Quay, along the promenade to Dawes Park. Marina stretched her legs and took in the yachts with their white sails flapping in the breeze. In the distance she could see a ferry heading toward Taronga Zoo. A throbbing pain started at her temple and she frowned. Damn it. Why did she have to start getting a headache now? She noticed a crowd gathered at the water’s edge. “What’s going on?”

  A large man blocked her view, but he turned to look at her. “They’re pulling a body f
rom the water.”

  “Let’s keep going,” James said. “I don’t want you girls to see this.”

  Marina shivered. The hairs on her arms stood on end and her legs wouldn’t obey his command to move.

  When the paramedics put the body into a body bag, she caught sight of the mottled face and hair which had a telling thick, blond stripe.

  Lizzie grabbed her arm.

  Marina staggered as the vision of a woman choking swarmed through her mind. Her head swirled and she held on to Lizzie for support as she saw her vision had come true.

  Adele was dead.

  Chapter 2

  “Check this out, Marina, the Herald is calling Adele’s murder the ‘Brazilian Wax’ murder.” Lizzie grabbed Marina by the hand and pulled her into her cubicle at work. “It’s made the front page.”

  Marina’s stomach tightened as a wave of nausea took hold. She looked at her watch and saw that her next client was running late. “Quick, let me have a look.” She took the paper from Lizzie and flattened it out on the massage table.

  There was a flattering head-shot of Marina’s deceased client, Adele Walker, who the newspaper described as a school teacher desperate for love.

  “I wonder how she died,” Lizzie said. “The article doesn’t give many details.”

  “He strangled her.” Swiftly.Brutally.He enjoyed doing it. Marina brought her hand up to her throat. “Oh God. Poor Adele. Poor, poor Adele. She didn’t deserve to die like that.” Her heart started beating faster and her throat went dry. The room seemed to swim in front of her. She reached out and gripped the massage table.

  Lizzie looked at her strangely. “How do you know that? It doesn’t say how she died in the Herald.”

  Marina shook her head unable to free herself from the thoughts that bombarded her. Ice flooded her veins, rushing through her bloodstream, gripping her lungs.

  “I...I think...” She stared at Lizzie. Of all her friends, Lizzie loved reading about and trying crazy things but she suspected that Lizzie sensed that she was on the edge like James did. A nervous breakdown nutter. “It just came to me.” She turned to Adele's photograph and touched it with her forefinger. Fear shot up her arm and gripped her chest so tightly she couldn’t breathe. The face distorted in front of her. Help me! a voice that sounded like Adele’s echoed in her mind. Marina snatched her hand away and the vision faded to nothing.