by Tim Ellis
‘Afterwards, I want dessert.’
‘I’m sure that can be arranged.’
They’d eaten, and then he’d taken her back to his flat for dessert. It had been months since she’d had sex. In fact, it had been months since she’d even felt like having sex. The first time had been rushed and fraught with fear about him catching a glimpse of the scars on her body, so she’d covered herself with one of his t-shirts.
‘I hope you’re on the pill?’ he said after the third time.
‘I can go one better than that – I have no womb.’
‘My ideal woman.’
‘Really?’
‘I never want children.’
‘Well, you’re not going to have any with me, that’s for sure.’
So they made love again.
Now, she said into the phone, ‘Is that a question you should be asking your boss, Stickamundo?’
‘Probably not. You’re having sex with him while we’re talking on the phone, aren’t you?’
‘After reviewing my options, I had to kill him using the only weapon available to me.’
‘And he’s dead now?’
‘Nearly. I think a couple more times ought to do it. So, what games have you been playing while the cat’s been away gorging on the cream?’
‘I examined the train station footage from Roydon, Broxbourne, Harlow and Rye Hill. Markov and Bethany Long arrived at Broxbourne on Sunday morning, and then Markov left on his own from Rye Hill. It’s circumstantial, but with all the other evidence I think we can place him in the vicinity.’
‘Keep going – I’m listening.’
‘What about Pittman taking the credit?’
‘We’ve agreed to make a joint statement to the press later on, so you can brief the Chief and the press there that DI Pittman was part of a joint Greenwich and Hoddesdon operation to catch the Painted Lady Killer.’
‘But he . . .’
‘Don’t worry, Stick. I’m sucking the life out of him as we speak. He’ll wish he’d never crossed me. What else?’
‘Well, I discovered that Bethany Long was meant to be on holiday, and that’s why she wasn’t reported missing by anyone.’
‘Okay. Has Doc Paine performed the post-mortem yet?’
‘I’ve just got off the phone with her. There was another message on the second victim, which we still need to decipher, but it looks as though there’s a third victim somewhere.’
‘Three framed full-sized photographs were found in the lock-up garage, so I can confirm there is a third victim.’
‘What were the two halves of the body painted as?’
‘Life and death. And on that note, I don’t think Markov will ever get to court.’
‘Really?’
‘His mind has collapsed in on itself. I’m guessing that he’ll be judged incompetent to stand trial. Broadmoor will have another inmate to cater for.’
‘So, are you coming back here now?’
‘Maybe later. You’ve seen those films where the victim knocks the killer out, but then doesn’t finish the job?’
‘Yes.’
‘Well, I’m staying here until the job is finished. By the time I leave, Pittman will be a paid-up member of the living dead.’
‘Well, I’ll see you when I see you then?’
‘That seems logical. Make sure you tie up all the loose ends before I get back.’
‘I have nothing else better to do.’
‘Good.’
She ended the call.
Pittman was still breathing, but she’d soon fix that.
***
They returned to the UK via Calais.
He was trying to sleep to the imaginary clickety-clack of the train wheels, but that didn’t stop Bronwyn keeping him up-to-date with the news of the effect of the Linus Frost revelations, which was spreading through the country like a virus. Many of those involved in the Larch Guest House scandal were now dead, but others were not, and they were choosing one of three options at the change in their fortunes – to run, to give themselves up, or to take the gentlemen’s way out by committing suicide. As predicted, the whole thing resembled an attempt at a domino-falling world record.
A small item of news nearly went unnoticed. Two people appeared to have died in a suicide pact – a Steven Villiers from 59 Roding Lane in Redbridge, and his fiancé Amelia Frost.
‘Those MI5 bastards killed them, didn’t they?’
Kowalski nodded. ‘Looks that way, although proving it will be another story entirely.’
‘What about the money?’
‘We’ll put it in the Abacus Investigations bank account and have a think about it.’
‘We never did find out what happened to Linus Frost, did we?’
‘No, but I think we have a good idea.’
‘Yes.’
‘Well, what do you think?’ he said. ‘Are we compatible? Should we continue with Abacus Investigations?’
‘There’ll have to be some changes.’
He grunted. ‘Is that right? Well, I have a few changes I’d like to suggest myself . . .’
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About the Author
Tim Ellis was born in the bowels of Hammersmith Hospital, London, on a dark and stormy night, and now lives in Cheshire with his wife and three Shitzus. In-between, he joined the Royal Army Medical Corps at eighteen and completed twenty-two years service, leaving in 1993 having achieved the rank of Warrant Officer Class 1 (Regimental Sergeant Major). Since then, he settled in Essex, and worked in secondary education as a senior financial manager, in higher education as an associate lecturer/tutor at Lincoln and Anglia Ruskin Universities, and as a consultant for the National College of School Leadership. His final job, before retiring to write fiction full time in 2009, was as Head and teacher of Behavioural Sciences (Psychology/Sociology) in a secondary school. He has a PhD and an MBA in Educational Management, and an MA in Education.
Discover other titles by Tim Ellis at http://timellis.weebly.com/
Also, come and say hello on his FB Fanpage:
http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Tim-Ellis/160147187372482
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Genghis Khan
Warrior: Path of Destiny
Warrior: Scourge of the Steppe
The Knowledge of Time
Second Civilisation
Orc Quest
Book I: Prophecy
Harte & KP
Solomon’s Key
Parish & Richards
A Life for a Life
The Wages of Sin
The Flesh is Weak
The Shadow of Death
His Wrath is Come
The Breath of Life
The Dead Know Not
Be Not Afraid
The House of Mourning
Through a Glass Darkly
A Lamb to the Slaughter
Silent in the Grave
In the Twinkling of an Eye
A Time to Kill
Deceit is in the Heart
The Fragments that Remain
The Kisses of an Enemy
Evidence of Things Not Seen
Quigg
The Twelve Murders of Christmas
Body 13
The Graves at Angel Brook
The Skulls Beneath Eternity Wharf
The Terror at Grisly Park
The Haunting of Bleeding Heart Yard
The Enigma of Apocalypse Heights (Novella)
The Corpse in Highgate Cemetery
Tom Gabriel
Footprints of the Dead
Whispers of the Dead
Souls of the Dead
Stone & Randall
Jacob’s Ladder
The Gordian Knot
Josiah Dark
Dark Christmas (Novella)
Dark Heart (Novella)
Inigo & Tig
As You Sow, So Shall You Reap (Novella)
Cyrus Kane
An Ill Wind (Novella)
Chains of Illusion (Novella)
&nb
sp; Others
Untended Treasures
Where do you want to go today?
Winter of my Heart (Poetry)
With Love Project – The Occupier
The Killing Sands (Anthology)
Raga Man (Short Story)
The Writer’s A-Z of Body Language (Non-fiction)
Summer of my Soul (Poetry)
Murder Comes to Camelot (Novella)
Also planned for 2016:
Mortis Obscura: Scavenger of Souls (Farthing & Trask 1)
The Timekeeper's Apprentice
Orc Quest Book II: The Last Human
The Sword of Damocles (Stone & Randall 3)
The Song of Solomon (Harte & KP 2)
The Dominion of Darkness (Parish & Richards 19)
The Charnel House in Copperfield Street (Quigg 9)
Games of the Dead (Tom Gabriel 4)
Chasing Rainbows (Cyrus Kane 3)
Dark Shadows (Josiah Dark 3)
Warrior: Curse of China (Genghis Khan 3)
Gourmet of Gluttony (Inigo & Tig 2)
