by Matt Troy
Mystery:
The Killer:
Destroyed
Matt Troy
5
Copyright © 2016 Matt Troy
All rights reserved.
Table Of Content
Copyright
Summary
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter3
Free Book
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Copyright 2016
All Right Reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
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Summary
It was good, a really strong beat and baseline combined with catchy guitar riffs and vocals that seemed to draw everything together. It was definitely the sort of music I'd be attracting attention with, slow enough to get some suggestive movements and still fast enough for you not to feel the need to find someone to bump and grind with. A couple of numbers later, Callum showed up with a couple of bottled waters in his hands and I nearly fell on the guy in gratitude. We took a break from the dancing and once suitably refreshed headed right back out there. The rest of the set passed in a blur and before I knew it I was hollering for another encore with the rest of the audience. Seeing that we weren't going to get any more out of the band, they were treated to a well-deserved rapturous wave of applause.
Destroyed
Chapter 1
We ended up just grabbing hot dogs for dinner as neither of us fancied the idea of bouncing around in a mosh pit with a bloated stomach. The gig turned out to be in the same place Ree had taken me to yesterday so I had a pretty good idea of the layout. It was already getting crowded when we arrived, though the band were nowhere in sight. I took the opportunity to get Callum and I a couple of coffees which I carried over to the vacant couch he'd managed to find. Passing him his drink, I flopped into the space next to him. "I can't believe you found an empty couch with all these people here."
Callum gave me one of his now trademark smirks as he gently blew on the coffee to cool it before taking a sip. "Being a regular has its privileges," he said, but wouldn't elaborate further. I shrugged and turned my attention to my own coffee, figuring the caffeine boost would come in handy once the music started up.
"Oh my God! What are you guys doing here?" Ree's startled voice came from behind us with no warning and I had to hurriedly swallow my mouthful to stop it spurting out through my nose. Unaware of my reaction to her sudden presence, Ree clambered over the back of the sofa to plonk down between us. "I can't believe you came!"
I glanced over at her and winked. "You're looking good, Ree. The hair is a nice touch."
Ree was dressed in a short flared skirt with what appeared to be a multitude of net beneath and a slashed black top. She wore fishnet stockings in a vibrant shade of purple and completed the outfit with a pair of heavy, buckled boots that had to be at least half her body weight. Her dark hair was shot through with streaks of purple to match her outfit. Ree blushed at my comment and elbowed me in the ribs. "Charmer. So how did you find out about the gig tonight?"
I nodded towards Callum, who was being very discreet and drinking with the smirk firmly in place. Ree looked from me to Callum and then back, astonishment clears on her face. "Callum got you to come?"
I grinned and nodded, enjoying her surprise though unsure as to the reason. "Sure did. He took pity on me and spared me from what would surely have been an excruciatingly boring dinner. Though once I found out you were performing, there was no way I wasn't going to turn up to see you."
Ree cocked her head for a moment then glanced back at Callum and smiled. "Well it's great to see you both here, I hope you like us." She patted us both on the thigh nearest her and jumped up from the couch. "Better go and tune up!"
"Would it make much difference?" Callum teased and got a stuck out tongue in reply.
I watched Ree bounce off into the crowd with amusement. "So does she play here often?"
Callum shook his head. "During term-time no. Her parents are quite strict about her getting good grades. But when vacation's on, they can be quite a regular feature." He shrugged and placed his now empty coffee cup on the table. "They've got quite a following."
I was going to say something else, but from the cheer that went up at that moment, it was clear things were about to kick off. I quickly gulped down the last mouthful of coffee as Callum and I made our way to the stage and the band that were now looking all set to start. Ree was the only female in the line-up, but the guys were dressed in much the same style as she and they all looked pretty fucking hot as they carried out the final checks on their instruments.
Finally satisfied with their sound, the singer stepped to the front of the stage and grinned out at the audience, clearly excited to be performing too such as big crowd. "Hey, what's up?" he called. "We figured we'd start with a few songs everyone knows to get you all warmed up for the main event." Turning back to his guitar, he began to play the very familiar opening chords to 'Shinobi vs. Dragon Ninja'. The crowd went wild and I was no exception, plunging forwards to make my way into the very heart of the forming mosh pit. Callum wasn't far behind me, the expression on his face clearly letting me know he was as big a fan of this song as I was.
They followed that opening with a really slick version of 'Closer' and then the Cure's 'Love Song'. I decided to make my way to the edges of the crowd of jumping bodies in order to properly show off my dancing skills and also really listen to the music without having to worry so much about staying upright. It seemed I'd timed it just right, as the band chose this moment to launch into their own material.
It was good, a really strong beat and baseline combined with catchy guitar riffs and vocals that seemed to draw everything together. It was definitely the sort of music I'd be attracting attention with, slow enough to get some suggestive movements and still fast enough for you not to feel the need to find someone to bump and grind with. A couple of numbers later, Callum showed up with a couple of bottled waters in his hands and I nearly fell on the guy in gratitude. We took a break from the dancing and once suitably refreshed headed right back out there.
The rest of the set passed in a blur and before I knew it I was hollering for another encore with the rest of the audience. Seeing that we weren't going to get any more out of the band, they were treated to a well-deserved rapturous wave of applause. I turned to Callum and grinned at his smug expression. "Yeah, yeah. This was fantastic."
Callum gave an exaggerated sigh. "Sometimes genius has its rewards. And anyway, it wasn't as though you weren't expecting to enjoy it."
"Well yeah," I conceded. "But still, it was amazing."
Callum just nodded, but I detected a faint hint of pink on his cheeks. I could have put it down to exertion and the warm air that comes from so many people crowded together for a length of time, but I wasn't convinced. I reckoned he was blushing. Even if it was totally out of character.
We got back to the house without any further incidents and without me somehow managing to put my foot in it and send Callum regressing back into prickly defensive mode. All in all, I was feeling pretty good about myself when I sauntered into my room and found the other four
waiting for me with a bottle of familiar looking liquid. I raised an eyebrow as I shrugged out of my coat and flung it over the back of a chair. "Where the hell did you manage to get a bottle of wine from?"
Kate grinned. "Naomi. Duh. She seems to think we're all responsible enough to cope with a little drink."
I nodded and sank to the floor, stretching out my legs in front of me. "Cool. Is this to help with our deductive skills or is it an incentive for us to get this whole thing wrapped up quickly so we can get back home where this sort of thing is completely legal?"
Carly gave me a long stare over the bottle she was currently holding before shrugging and taking a swig. "That's the plan, Blakey boy."
I rose to my knees and shuffled over to Carly. "Pass it over," I told her and took the bottle, helping myself to a liberal drink. Swallowing the wine and reflecting what a nice sensation it was, I was denied a second drink by Carly who promptly took the bottle back. Waiting for her to finish so I could drink some more, I turned to regard the rest of the group. "Okay, so anyone had any thoughts?"
Carly slammed the bottle back into my grip with a large roll of the eyes and a groan. "That's what we need you for. You're the one who's meant to be working out psycho-boy's motivation."
Chapter 2
I took another drink while I thought things over and frowned. "There's something that's been bothering me," I confessed, holding out the bottle to anyone who wanted it. Keiran looked like he was going to take it from me but Carly got there first. She was clearly worked up over something and frankly, was drinking a bit too fast for her own good. Shrugging, I figured she was old enough to know her tolerance levels by now, I tried to find the best ways of phrasing my nagging doubts. "I can't help but think we might be jumping to conclusions considering we only read a couple of chapters," I began. "And I'm not sure that Callum is our killer after all."
Carly snorted. "So if Callum's not the one to do it, who is? Take a look around Blakey, there's not that many alternatives."
I scowled at her flippant dismissal of my worries and pulled the wine from her grasp. "Look, I admit that at first sight, he appears the most likely candidate. No one's doubting that. But isn't it all a bit too obvious?" I paused to take another swig of wine and handed the bottle back to Carly as I felt my head start to spin. I kept forgetting that I wasn't good at drinking wine. "Couldn't we be overlooking something?" I asked. "We're so busy trying to pin this on Callum that we're in danger of becoming closed off to any other possibilities."
Carly took another long drink. "Some of us are doing a remarkable job of being open," she announced to the room. "Some of us seem to be very open to new possibilities. The rest of us aren't complete retards, however, and so are treating this more seriously."
Kieran cleared his throat. "Um, maybe the wine was a bad idea. It doesn't seem to be helping much and we seem to be getting off topic."
I glared at him as I wrestled the bottle out of Carly's grip once more. "Only some of us," I said pointedly. "The rest of us are still focusing on trying to prevent a murder rather than sulking." I took a long drink to give myself time to calm down. "Anyway, I'd like to see one person give me a possible motive for Callum to murder his brother."
"Oh let's see, how about he's an arsehole!" Carly spat.
I narrowed my eyes to meet her glare. "And just what gives you the right to say that?" I asked icily. "Have you actually spent any time in his presence?"
Carly snatched the bottle from my hands and finished the wine with a defiant gesture clearly meant to irritate me. "Well sorry if I'm not a member of his fucking fan club unlike some," she sneered. "I just have standards when it comes to the people I associate with."
"Guys, we're really starting to lose track of the main point here," Matt started, but gave up when he saw the expressions on Carly's face and mine. "Here we go," he muttered with an air of resignation.
I could feel my temper beginning to rise again at the sight of Carly smirking in what she thought was victory. "Standards?" I muttered. "That's fucking rich from the girl who hung around with fucking drug dealers."
"Well it's quite clear you're desperate to go one better," Carly commented.
"Care to elaborate on that?" I asked with as much venom as I could.
"Sure. And I better use small words so you can't misunderstand me like you did that guy who was trying to buy your arse. You are sinking to new depths, Blakey-boy."
"What's the matter?" I sneered. "Upset at the thought there might be someone in the room who can go down faster than you?"
Carly snorted. "That implies you having some idea of what you're doing. Virgin."
I'd had enough. Rising to my feet I leaned over Carly doing my best to look intimidating, "Just what is your fucking problem?" I demanded.
"My problem? My fucking problem? You are picking a mass murderer over your friends."
I gaped for a moment before seeing red. "I can't believe you said that! You have no proof whatsoever that Callum is so much going to lift a finger against his brother! You're just caving in to social stereotypes! Why bother looking for a real killer when there's a teenager with a fondness for wearing fucking black?"
"I'm just making an informed decision based on what I've witnessed for myself," Carly shot back. "Unlike some people I am thinking with my brain instead of my crotch."
"Since when have you even had a brain?"
"Since when have you had a thing for psychopaths?"
"I don't know, my friends are all complete wankers so maybe I thought I could hardly do any worse!" I spat before turning on my heel. The spinning motion was not good for my head and I staggered a bit on my way to the door. Matt tried to steady me, but I angrily shrugged his arm off. "You're all ignorant arseholes," I announced with only a minimum of slurring. "And unless you stop being arseholes, William's going to get killed and it will all be your fault."
"Our fault?" Carly huffed. "At this rate you'll be the fucking accomplice."
I refused to listen to any more of this, and with a violent jerk I opened the door and staggered into the corridor outside. I marched quite a way with the walk of the determined drunk before I realised that my friends were all in my room and I would have to go back and face them if I had any intention of going to sleep. I slumped to my knees and rested my forehead on the soft carpet. "Fuck," I told the floor.
"I leave you for a couple of hours and look at the state you get yourself into." Callum's voice cut into the pounding that was beginning to commence in my head and made me moan pitifully. Arms encircled my torso and manoeuvred me back into an upright position. Blinking fuzzily, I tried to focus on Callum's face, but it kept blurring and making my head hurt. I felt myself begin to slump forward and leant my forehead against Callum's shoulder to stop myself from falling over completely. Callum continued to support my weight, but somewhat gingerly. "What the hell did your friends do to you?" he muttered.
"My friends are arseholes," I announced solemnly to his shoulder. "They're pre-judging wankers. I don't care if spending time with you pisses them off because you're not what they say you are."
Callum went still under me and after a moment's pause asked quietly, "And what am I then?"
I frowned at the question, giving it as much thought as I was capable of. Something glimmered in my memory and I raised my head to beam into Callum's face. "Misunderstood," I said proudly before falling backwards and drifting out of consciousness.
Alcohol is not my friend. Alcohol is not my friend. If I kept repeating the mantra perhaps it would finally stick in some recess of my brain and prevent me from feeling this shit again. Alcohol is not my friend. Alcohol is not my friend. And whoever just opened the curtains, flooding the room with light and sending me writhing in a new level of agony definitely isn't my friend either.
I growled some sort of complaint and shifted position in the bed, but my tormentor wasn't even near finished with me. Whistling (and I mean whistling! When there's a poor guy with a hangover trying to convince the world he's d
ead … that's a level of sadism you rarely see) the evil arsehole then began to bounce on the corner of my mattress. The resulting movement of the entire bed convinced me that perhaps curled in a small huddled heap in the corner of the wardrobe would be a better option. I somehow managed to open my eyes in order to plan the quickest route to peaceful, dark oblivion and did the best job of tensing my muscles I could when my limbs seemed to consist of porridge.
A grip of steel clamped around my ankle and I yelped in shock. "Don't even think about running into the wardrobe again, Blake. This is completely your own fault so take it like a man."
Moaning piteously, I shuffled around until I could face my captor and current bane of my existence. "Matt, why are you being so mean to me?" I whined. "Show a little compassion."
"After you and Carly didn't let any of the rest of us get so much as a sniff of the alcohol last night? You deserve everything you get."
I groaned. "Well who came up with the monumentally stupid idea of involving alcohol in a situation where Carly and I were likely to start disagreeing? You know how competitive she gets and once she starts drinking she takes everything so personally."
Matt raised an eyebrow. "She? Aren't you forgetting someone?"
I pulled myself into a seated position and waited for the room to stop spinning. "Urgh. Look, mate, can we save the lecture for when I'm not feeling like I'm about to be sick?"
Matt shrugged. "Kate's having exactly the same talk with Carly … well she was until Carly started hugging the toilet bowl and impersonating a mating walrus …"
I allowed myself a vindictive snigger and instantly regretted it, clutching a hand to my head and groaning again. "Couldn't you have at least got me some painkillers?" I asked.
Matt held out the hand not currently keeping my ankle in place to reveal two white pills. "There's a glass of water on the side there." He watched me swallow the medicine and when it didn't look as though I was going to bring them straight back up, he sighed and continued. "Look, about last night … how serious were you?"
