Thriller : The Killer - Setting the scene: (Mystery, Suspense, Thriller, Suspense Crime Thriller, Murder) (ADDITIONAL BOOK INCLUDED ) (Suspense Thriller Mystery, Serial Killer, crime)
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Mystery:
The Killer:
Setting the scene
Matt Troy
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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
Kate skipped off with her library card to rent out the book for the weekend while the rest of us slowly made our way back to the entrance foyer to wait for her. In truth, my friends were often a lot more studious than this, especially considering we were now in our last year of sixth form and university was really starting to loom. So when Professor Sikes had passed out worksheets, telling us to work together in groups and apply the analysis to any work of fiction in the library, I had been expecting to be caught in the middle of a furious debate on Bronte versus Austen. But the upcoming Christmas holidays must have persuaded my friends to just relax for once and this assignment could turn out to be a lot of fun … and dear God I'm getting as bad as they are
Setting the Scene
Chapter 1
With my best disapproving sneer, I looked at the book my friend Kate held in her hands for our inspection. "You have got to be kidding me," I stated flatly.
Kate pouted, seemingly unperturbed by my lack of enthusiasm or more probably used to my bouts of sullenness considering she'd been my friend since playgroup. Still as unnervingly cheerful as that first day when I'd sat down beside her in the sandbox and pulled on her pigtails to get her to notice me. Her hazel eyes glinting with amusement, she shook her head disapprovingly, causing the now much shorter braids to swing in front of her face. "Ah, come on Blake," she tried in her most persuasive voice. "This was your idea after all."
I sighed and folded my arms firmly across my chest, refusing to give in. "My idea was to pick a trashy sci-fi or horror novel, preferably involving lesbian vampires," I informed her before leaning slightly closer to regard the cover of the book Kate held with distain. "That is quite clearly not featuring any scantily clad young females. I mean 'The Killer Wore Black' … even the title sucks."
From my left another sigh informed me that Kieran had chosen to enter the debate. "That's the whole point, remember?" he said with a roll of his grey eyes. "Pick a really trashy book for this assignment and see how long it takes for Sikes to realise we're taking the piss. And wouldn't lesbian vampires be giving the game away a little ahead of schedule?" The teenager shook his head and ran a hand through the short bleached spikes before throwing a wink at me that made his eyebrow stud catch the light. "Plus not everyone is a raging pervert like you. Let's show a bit of consideration to the girls, eh?"
I gave a snort of laughter. "You're kidding right? The girls are far bigger perverts than a mere mortal like I could ever hope to match." I was promptly pummelled from behind and yelped, bringing my hands up to protect my head. "Not the hair! Not the hair!"
"You know," Carly's voice spoke from right behind my ear and was accompanied by a pair of long arms that snaked loosely about my neck. "For someone who likes to pretend to be so macho, you're awfully vain." One of the arms rose in front of my face, the many bangles and bracelets clanking together at the movement as she ruffled a hand through my dark hair.
I scowled and turned to face Kate's evil twin. "Don't mess with the hair," I grumbled, trying to sort the slightly too long strands back into some semblance of order. Seeing the blonde about to giggle, I stuck my tongue out at her. "I'll have you know the mysterious and brooding image works pretty fucking well on the girls. They all drool over me during lessons."
Carly laughed and flipped her chin-length blonde hair from out of her face. "They might all think you're pretty, but it's not girls they're pairing you up with in their heads."
Kieran cleared his throat, cutting off yet another argument on vanity versus sexuality. "Anyway, all those in favour of the trashy murder book?" He and the twins promptly raised their hands. "And the lesbian vampire book?"
I defiantly placed my hand in the air, but it was more for show than anything else. It was pretty clear I'd lost this round and on reflection, things could have been much worse. I could have failed to convince the others of my brilliant idea for one and we would now be facing a weekend of reading something by Dickens or some equally dreary writer. This should at least be a good deal more amusing. Even if there weren't any scantily clad female couples sucking face.
Kate skipped off with her library card to rent out the book for the weekend while the rest of us slowly made our way back to the entrance foyer to wait for her. In truth, my friends were often a lot more studious than this, especially considering we were now in our last year of sixth form and university was really starting to loom. So when Professor Sikes had passed out worksheets, telling us to work together in groups and apply the analysis to any work of fiction in the library, I had been expecting to be caught in the middle of a furious debate on Bronte versus Austen. But the upcoming Christmas holidays must have persuaded my friends to just relax for once and this assignment could turn out to be a lot of fun … and dear God I'm getting as bad as they are.
Carly snapped her fingers under my nose and I blinked to find her waving my car keys beneath my nose. "Are we getting a lift or do you really expect to make your poor friends walk to your house in the cold and dark? All alone and vulnerable to dodgy men lurking in bushes?"
"Now, now, I'm sure Kieran can use the toilets here," I started, dissolving into laughter when Kieran jumped on me with a mock growl.
Kate chose that moment to reappear, with the previously missing final member of our small group. "I can't leave you alone for five minutes!" she exclaimed while the quiet boy at her side looked on with amusement in his blue eyes.
Keiran and I separated and I took my car keys from Carly. "Matt! Where were you when I needed you?" I demanded. "They completely stomped on my choice of book and there was no one to stand up for me!"
The brunet looked at me calmly as Kate took a possessive hold of his hand. "And what makes you think I would have stood up for you?"
"Well that's just great. So much for male solidarity. Just go along with your girlfriend," I muttered in mock anger as the five of us filed out of the building and towards the side road where I hadn't so much parked as abandoned my car earlier that morning. A lot of Sixth Formers chose to drive to school and as a result, the car park only gave out a limited number of parking permits. Being neither organised enough to apply for one before I took my driving test, nor rich enough to consider shelling out ₤80 a term just to park close enough to have my windscreen cracked by malicious tennis balls, I declined. Okay, so maybe karma had a little to do with my decision.
Anyway, I chose instead to park along a very wide dirt track that was cunningly concealed by the railway bridge. Most students chose to do exactly the same and so the place did become an ideal spot to practise yo
ur parallel parking. The main downside was of course the fact that the residents of said road liked to relieve their irritation with us no-good students by driving their four-wheeled jeeps past at high speeds and covering one side of the car in mud. Or, if you thought ahead like me and took care to alternate parking directions, the entire thing. I didn't really mind though, the mud would probably help hold the rust together.
We all piled into my car, Carly sliding into the passenger seat and promptly rummaging through the cassettes that littered every available surface. "God Blake, would it kill you to label some of these once in a while?"
I grinned at her expression. "And spoil the fun? Never. The look on your face when you hear something you don't like makes it all worthwhile."
Carly sniffed and selected a random choice, sliding it into the radio and cranking up the volume without even waiting to hear what her selection was. "One day I'll find the cheesy pop tape you're hiding amongst all this indie rock and then you won't be the one who's laughing anymore."
I signalled to turn onto the main road and waved my hand at her dismissively. "First you'll have to give it back, sweetie."
"Children, children," Keiran called from the back. "No bickering in the car or you'll be made to walk."
"Oi! Who happens to be driving this car?" I demanded, glaring at the grinning blond in the rear-view mirror. "And whose house are we all spending the weekend at anyway?"
Kate leaned forwards and patted me sympathetically on the shoulder. "There, there," she cooed. "You're a kind and generous person and we all take horrible, horrible advantage of you."
"Damn straight," I grumbled.
Beside me Kate's sister began to bounce in her seat as she saw something that caught her eye. "Hey! Let's get drive-through! Quick, Blake, pull in here."
"Nuh-uh," I refused. "There's no way I'm going to let you all munch away on hot junk food while I have to concentrate on getting us back to my house."
"It'll shut us up for the journey," Matt pointed out.
I pulled in without another word.
Once suitably sprawled out in my lounge, complete with a selection of pizzas and snacks, thoughts eventually turned back to the flimsy excuse we'd used to get together. "So," I commented from my spot by the fireplace, "How are we going to go about this?" I turned my head from admiring the ceiling to glance towards the rest of the group, all of whom appeared to be in a similar state of motivation.
Kate lifted her head from where it was resting on Matt's shoulder and looked thoughtful. "You have a point. None of us have actually read this book, right?" She paused and waited for the answering round of snorts. "Well, it'll probably get a bit boring if we all sit around and wait for one person to read it at a time."
"You're right," I agreed. "Why don't you read it and fill us all in once you're done? We can keep ourselves busy by playing on the PS2 or something."
Chapter 2
A cushion flew from the sofa to hit me in the face. "Hey! That doesn't sound like a very even distribution of the workload!" Kate objected. "Plus why should I be the one made to suffer my way through that book. Share the pain!"
"So what do you want to do, then?" Keiran asked. "Each take it in turn to read a chapter aloud?"
"No way, I've got a much better idea," Carly said, leaning forwards to grab some pizza. "We should all assign roles and read it like a performance. That way we can all get into it and it won't seem so boring."
"That'll work for dialogue, but this is a novel and not a play," Matt pointed out. "Someone will have to read as the narrator and the rest of us can double up or whatever according to however many characters this thing has."
"You sound like you're going along with the idea," I cautioned Matt.
The brunet shrugged. "It means we're all involved and each taking on a character will probably help when we have to analyse them later."
"Fantastic, so we're agreed," Carly exclaimed. She eyed the room around her mouthful of pizza. "Who's going to be the narrator?"
I sighed and pulled myself into a seated position. "I'll do it," I offered. "After that we can just go round in a circle with each of you guys taking on a character as he or she is mentioned. That keeps it completely random so you can't bicker over who gets the lead. Sound fair?"
A collection of shrugs and nods met my suggestion, probably the most enthusiasm I could hope for at 9pm on a Friday night without the further temptations of my parent's alcohol cabinet. But I was keeping that in reserve for the early hours of the morning when spirits would begin to flag. See? Forward planning is not beyond my capabilities. I held my hand out for the book and it was tossed in my direction to land cover up at my feet. The artwork depicted a young and clean-cut looking blond, one arm wrapped around a bimbo who I assumed was the love interest while a sinister knife-wielding shadow loomed over the unsuspecting couple. With a sigh, I picked the book up and raised my eyebrows at the group. "Want me to whet your appetites and read the blurb or do you just want to plunge straight in?"
"Blurb!" Carly called, clapping her hands with a giggle. I swear I've never met anyone able to get to hyped without sugar or caffeine. "It'll help me find my motivation," she added with theatrical emphasis.
I felt my mouth curve up into a grin despite myself and rolled my eyes. "Your wish is my command." Clearing my throat, I made my voice as deep as possible, striving for that movie trailer sound. "Young, handsome and a successful businessman, everything seemed to be going right for William Norrington. Yet behind the back of this heir to a business empire, dark forces were gathering." I managed to squeeze a drawn out 'ooooooooh' of anticipation from my friends before continuing. "Dark forces which were plotting to bring him down. Now his devastated bride-to-be must unmask the cruel murderer and avenge the death of her fiancé." I grinned at the others. "Well, at least it doesn't sound like it's going to have a happy ending."
Keiran snorted. "You are kidding? The guy will turn out to have a twin or something that's even better looking and will sweep the girl off her feet."
"Only after revealing that the hero was really a cheating bastard," Kate added. "Who was cheating on her with the maid?"
"No! Her mother!" Carly broke in and we all dissolved into laughter again.
Finally quieting down, I opened the book. "Are we all sitting comfortably?" I intoned in the manner of an infant school teacher. A chorus of 'yes' reached my ears and I wriggled about a bit for emphasis. "Then I shall begin:
"The large, spacious office looked out through a wall of immaculate, glass windows over the city. Striding to the window, William Norrington gazed at the view with a contemplative air. Faintly he could see his reflection in the glass, a young man of twenty-five with smoothed back blond hair and dazzling blue eyes. Those eyes now were slightly clouded as his thoughts turned to the mass of preparations that lay ahead of him. With an elaborate wedding to plan as well as the proposed takeover of his long-standing rival firm 'Harker and Sons', life was going to be far from relaxed for the heir of Norrington Enterprises. But for the moment at least, he could enjoy the peace.
A soft knock on the door signalled his return to the real world and William turned around, a charming smile already in place to welcome his visitor." I paused and with a smirk of pure evil, passed the book to Carly, who was sitting marginally closer to me than Keiran.
Carly accepted the book with a long suffering sigh and roll of her eyes before skimming down the page to the first line of dialogue. Adopting a ridiculous American accent, she spoke in the lowest voice she could manage. "Good afternoon, may I help you?" Unable to keep her voice at that pitch, it cracked on the last word and she dissolved into a fit of coughing.
Kate eyed her twin with a faint air of resignation. "Don't bother with the silly voice if you can't sustain it," she commented. "And what's with that accent anyway?"
"Come on, the guy has got to be American!" Carly protested. "It's got that whole set up to it."
"That may be, but what accent were you trying?" I remarked with a laugh
.
Carly narrowed her eyes and whacked me on the head with the book as she passed it back. "I'd like to see you do better."
I winked and continued to read. "Instead of the suited businessman William had been expecting, a woman in a light summer dress slipped inside. Her auburn curls cascaded around her perfect face and she approached with a warm smile and a sexy swing of her hips that drew attention to a pair of tanned and toned legs." I glanced at Matt, who was sitting between the twins with an air of resignation. "You little flirt," I teased.
Matt stuck his legs in the air and pretended to admire them. "Can I help it if I'm every man's walking wet dream? Now pass me the bloody book so we can get on with this." Book duly passed, Carly helped him find his place and gestured me over to help speed up the proceeding dialogue.
"Surprise!" the woman teased, a laugh escaping from her lips.
William smiled. "Darling, how wonderful to see you," he exclaimed as he caught his fiancée about the waist and pulled her close for a kiss. "I thought you were still in London visiting your family?"
"I missed you so much, I simply had to come back early," she confessed, lowering her brown eyes as a blush rose on her cheeks. "How are the wedding preparations coming along?"
William released his love and moved to sit behind the desk with a heavy sigh. "If only they were going so well at this end as they were with your parents, Naomi," he confessed.
Immediately becoming more seriously, Naomi moved to sit opposite William and reached across the desk to take his hands. "Is it Callum?" she asked in a concerned voice. "Is he still getting in trouble?"
With a nod William averted his eyes. "I still don't think he's gotten over being cut off from the family inheritance after that drugs scandal. We barely see him at all now, only when we're having to clean up the various messes he gets himself into."