The Scarlet Werb, Chapter Three (standard:action, 3647 words) [3/3] show all parts
Author: Brian Cross	Added: Jun 12 2005	Views/Reads: 2813/2040	Part vote: 0.00 (0 votes)
Chapter Three of a story involving a serial killer who has a habit of leaving a red emblem beside the body that has been accounted for. What does it signify?

Click here to read the first 75 lines of the story

just along the corridor from her partitioned office, her thoughts 
turning to the woman's appointment to her current position three years 
beforehand. A promising recruit from college, she worked her way up 
quickly, impressing her with her skill and endeavour, but there had 
always been doubts about promoting somebody whose home was so far 
removed from their workplace. 

Could it be those doubts were now coming home to roost ? Todd rinsed her
cup under the tap and dried it, a final idea occurring to her. She'd 
try Carly Simpson, if anyone knew of a private engagement then she 
would, but to her increased frustration her call to the Simpson home 
also went unanswered. *                                   *             
                 * Outside, a taxi sped along a deserted, rain drenched 
street, past the Saffron Offices en route to its destination. Its 
single passenger sat in the back, her eyes fixed firmly on the 
direction of travel. The initially chatty cabby had long since 
abandoned any attempts at time-passing conversation. You soon got to 
know how responsive your fare was going to be and this pretty young 
thing he was conveying now had ‘non-communicative' written all over 
her. He wondered whether he was transporting her to a date with a 
boyfriend, if that was the case the man would need to be a mind reader 
if the extent of her conversational skills was anything to go by. 

He watched as alighting, she strode casually into the foyer of Clipper's
nite-spot. Fare paid to the penny, no tip, not even a word of 
acknowledgement. He turned the cab full circle and headed back; boy, he 
thought, the woman wasn't just cold, she was freezing; somebody had it 
coming. 

That somebody she began searching for as soon as Clipper's doors opened
to the public an hour  later.. Showing suitable deference to the paying 
clientele and exhibiting a far more sociable air than the one displayed 
to the cab driver, she mixed freely and gaily, taking and delivering 
orders whilst seeming to thrive on the atmosphere. 

But her eyes were searching, scanning the increasingly occupied dance
floor, hunting for a certain face, that one person who would meet his 
match before the night was through if she had any say in it. The 
chances were against that happening, they had to be: this was a shot in 
the dark and she knew that. Yet her feelings were so strong, ran so 
high that if the man she sought were to be in the building she'd know. 
She swore it. 

Time passed quickly, people came and went; surprisingly, far from
filling to capacity, as the last couple of hours approached and the 
clock ground its way towards two a.m. gaps began to appear. Management 
advised her it was general tendency in mid week and not to be lead into 
thinking she'd have an easy time of it. 

‘Hi - waitress, you - yes you - over here -' 

Instantly she craned her neck and the face she saw was the one etched so
indelibly in her mind. 

‘Didn't you hear me woman ?' Frustrated, the speaker swung round and
uttered an inaudible comment to a dapper man beside him. She kept her 
intense stare, squaring her shoulders as he rose to his feet and 
hastened towards her, then she surged in his direction. The following 
collision was inevitable, but it was the impact created by her strong 
body that sent him reeling despite his bulk. 

‘Oh I'm sorry sir,' looking aghast she extended an arm towards him.
‘Here. let me help,' tugging the man with a false gentleness, the 
waitress began dusting him down frantically, ‘my first night, you know, 
and what a way to start.' 

‘It's okay I can manage,'flustered, he raked his fingers through his
thin fair hair and then needlessly adjusted his tie, ‘It was careless 
in the extreme.' He gazed at her, feeling the intensity of her stunning 
eyes and noting the faultless figure, ‘Nevertheless-' 

She smiled at him, ‘Is there anything I can do for you ?' ‘Plenty,
plenty.' Placated, he turned to his associate and sniggered. She felt 
his fingers probing at the back of her dress. ‘You'd like to make 
amends wouldn't you ? I mean this night was made for love sweetheart.' 

She saw the lustful look in his eyes and felt sick, though she didn't
change her expression, ‘I was thinking of orders, for the moment at 
least.' 

‘Of course you were,' there was an ostentatious laugh, ‘whisky if you
please, and one for my guest also.' 

‘Sir,' she smiled sweetly again, though it disappeared the moment she
turned away. It was him, she was certain, and just like the woman 
before her, he was the hyena and she was to become his prey. Or so he 
thought. Only this time there was going to be a difference, because 
shortly he'd take his last bite. It was the scar low down on his cheek 
that had been the give-away, the likeness of the overall 
re-construction had been far from exact, but his victim had remembered 
that much, and pinpointed its position and shape with precision. 

‘Diane, you're going to have to learn to be a little less clumsy, and
stop charging around like a bull in a china shop.' The manager 
remonstrated, though she sensed a wryness in his tone. 

‘I'm sorry, I'll get used to it,' she saw him smile and glanced back as
the bartender poured the whiskies, ‘is that fella a regular ?' 

‘He comes in quite a bit, he's a bit on the loud side, but no trouble.
Why ? fancy him do you,' the manager's smile broadened, ‘because if 
that's a way of attracting his attention it's a bit over the top, don't 
you think ?' 

‘No.' 

The finality of her answer and the peculiarity of her expression caused
a creasing of the manager's brow as she returned to the pair with their 
drinks. 

No sooner had she placed them down than he'd pulled her onto his knee.
‘What's your name ?' she asked, her face enticingly close to his. 

‘My name's not important sweetheart, it's how I perform that is,' he
pressed her tightly in her lower regions, she gave a sweet smile which 
faded as she looked away. When she returned her gaze he was regarding 
her oddly. 

‘What's the matter,' she teased, ‘am I too heavy for you ?' 

He squeezed her again and she regretted the comment. ‘Of course not,
it's just that-' he paused, staring at her hair and then her eyes, ‘no 
it doesn't matter.' Uncannily familiar would have been the words to 
complete his sentence, uncannily familiar to the woman he'd raped and 
beaten up recently. But the words never rolled from his lips, it bore 
no purpose to utter them. 

She ran long fingers slowly through her long fair hair, gazing at him
alluringly, though the thoughts running through her mind were of a far 
different composition. “Just you keep going son, you're heading down a 
one-way street, and there ain't no nice little walkway at the end.” 

“Must get going, work to do, I've work to do.' She sprang to her feet
athletically despite the late hour, it left him clutching air. ‘Later 
love, eh ?' He nipped her bottom and she winced, if he'd have seen the 
look in the woman's eyes as she walked away there might have been 
second thoughts about that. She paused, then without looking back, 
‘Perhaps.' *                                  *                         
   * The litter strewn streets of Leytonstone exuded a cold and 
inhospitable feel to the woman as she stepped from Clipper's nite-spot 
in the early hours of a rain swept morning. Nonetheless she walked with 
a confident poise, glancing over her shoulder occasionally at passing 
cars that splashed by, as if expecting one to stop at any moment. It 
wasn't long before it happened, the sound of a vehicle drawing up, 
squelching through the pools of water forming on the road. She looked 
up expectantly, but there was a scowl hidden by the darkness: a ford 
fiesta with two youngsters on board; not what she was looking for. 
‘Wanna lift luv ?' 

She stopped and turned as the driver opened his door, this kind of
attention could ruin everything. 

‘Get out of here now if you know what's good for you.' She spoke the
words softly enough, but the quiet delivery held more than a hint of 
threat, easily enough to persuade the youth to re-seat himself. His 
colleague, inconspicuous in the faint light, sneered derisively, 
‘What's up Bas ? she's a fuckin' ol' tart, not worth the bother 
anyway.!' 

Her eyes widened as she thrust the driver contemptuously aside, leaning
provocatively towards the larger youth. She would have heaved him head 
first from the car but her time was too pressing. ‘I'll tell you 
something sunshine, it's your lucky day. I'm going to pretend I never 
heard that remark.' Her hand was on his jacket, and that one hand 
lifted him from the seat, before it let go, sending him plunging 
backwards. 

The snigger turned into alarm as she glared at the pair, ‘Now get out of
here while you still have the chance.' 

She drew herself out of the car, watching as the car roared away, then
resumed at a steady pace, turning into a narrow thoroughfare which 
connected the normally busy high street with a through one out of the 
East End. It was ill-lit and dingy, a mugger's paradise she thought; 
she'd challenge anyone to try it. 

Suddenly the approach of another car, wheels sloshing through the wet
road. She'd half a mind to turn but instinct suggested there was no 
need, this was the one she'd been expecting. She listened as it slowed 
to a halt. 

In an instant her suspicions were confirmed as a voice called from the
vehicle, ‘Hey sweetheart, remember me ? Thought you might need a lift 
on a foul night like this, what with it being late and all.' 

‘Did you now ?' She stared back with an arrogance that surprised him,
‘Well that's very kind of you, but I might live some way from here.' 

‘Not what I had in mind, sweetheart. I know a much cosier place nearby.'


‘Do you now ?' She smiled, but it was cold, forced and without a trace
of good humour. Only the dimly lit street concealed its portent from 
him. 

‘You'd like a bit of action wouldn't you, from a man who knows a thing
or two about fulfilling a woman ?' 

The smile vanished. In the light thrown by the street lamp she stared
long and hard. This was the face of a man who beat up and left for dead 
a defenceless woman, and did he show any sign of remorse ? You bet he 
didn't. But too right she'd like a piece of the action, though not the 
sort he had in mind. Certain this man was the culprit, Diane strode 
calmly to the passenger door and took a seat beside him. 

He was eyeing her with lust, already his hand was finding its way from
the knee upwards, until she stopped it just short of her crotch, ‘We're 
wasting time, I'm not one for play acting, the sooner we get to this 
haven of yours the sooner you'll experience the real thing, something 
you've never felt before.' The tone of her voice was cool, calm and 
decidedly sexy. Stapleford's hand hastily left her thigh where the firm 
grip had halted it, and returned to the steering wheel. 

He drove off at speed with keen eyes studying him closely, so where was
he taking her, what nest had he constructed away from public gaze ? But 
what did it matter. So she'd entered his car willingly, true, but if 
she'd failed to do so then no doubt he'd have the same fate in mind for 
her as had befallen the other poor girl and who else besides. Only he 
wouldn't have succeeded, she was confident of it. She was stronger, 
fitter, quicker and cleverer than anyone he'd confronted before; yet 
despite her certainty of that, she would wait. What she had in mind for 
him wasn't befitting for a city street. 

He felt her stare upon him, something in its composition made him feel
uneasy. She sensed it: a thin smile crossed her face, ‘Not saying much, 
cheer up. I'm going to make it worth your while, there's five feet nine 
inches, one hundred and sixty five pounds worth of woman waiting for 
you here, and not a single ounce of fat.' She reached across and 
playfully flicked his thinning hair. 

‘It had better be worth my while,' he smiled, though in truth it was
more of a scowl, folds of skin creasing around the corners of his lips. 


There was a hatred inside her just waiting to vent. A burning, all
consuming hatred. It came from the pit of her stomach, spreading its 
fire through her veins. Powerful arms concealed by the full length 
raincoat she wore twitched as she ran her fingers slowly down him, from 
shoulder to hand. He felt a considerable swelling below, though her 
intentions he'd fatally misjudged as he pulled to a halt outside his 
desirable dockland apartment. 

So this was it. She did her best to look impressed though her thoughts
weren't on it. They were on his throat, where her eyes were focused 
now. 

‘Two hundred grand this place,' he boasted, glancing up at his flat,
apparently the centre-piece of a building surrounded by a cluster of 
brightly lit street lights, shimmering in the dead of night. 

‘Let's get on with it.' Her voice was low, struggling to conceal
emotion, not derived from sexual expectations. 

If her response wasn't exactly what he'd expected, he showed no sign of
concern as he ran his entry card quickly through a slot and the solid 
brown door obligingly opened. 

‘Where's your bathroom ?' 

‘Along the corridor, last door on the right.' He looked at her, the
voice was strangely subdued and flat for a woman who'd seemed so 
impatient to have sex with him. 

‘I'll be right with you.' She smiled, coldly. 

‘I'll be in here waiting.' He opened the door to his plush, mahogany
saturated bedroom, felt his pulse beginning  to race, speeding up in 
anticipation. 

It was all of ten minutes before she appeared and he had grown tired of
waiting, but now she stood before him naked; a full, well developed 
body: wide shoulders, firm sizeable breasts, muscular in build with 
powerful looking arms, and all capped by a mass of long blonde hair. 

He lay on the bed, mouth open. ‘You're a big woman.' 

She lingered, her face straight, emotionless. ‘Yes.' 

Still she made no move, standing tantalisingly beyond his reach. 

‘Bloody well come on ! You've been hanging about for long enough, are
you playing some kind of game with me ? Because if you are -' 

‘Game, some kind of game ? of course not, whatever made you think that
?' She closed on him, knelt forward on the bed, her hands on thighs, 
‘No, this is deadly serious.' 

He began clutching her, pawing at the full breasts, breathing heavily in
spasms, and yet the expression on her face was coldness itself. 
Abruptly she pulled away, the force of the movement severing his hold. 

‘I wonder how it felt for her -' 

‘His eyes widened, ‘What the hell are you -' 

‘You know what I'm talking about, the woman you beat up in the street,
precisely where you found me this evening I shouldn't suppose. If I'd 
have refused I'd have received the same kind of treatment, wouldn't I 
big boy ?' Her voice was quiet, controlled, calm, but the face was 
hostile, as hostile as Stapleford's own as springing from the bed he 
advanced towards her. 

‘If you were so damn sure about this why didn't you tell the police
while you had the chance, you stupid bitch !' 

‘Because I'm going to kill you.' 

‘Who the hell do you think you're kidding ?' His face took on an ugly
twist, this was one woman who really deserved to know her place, and 
boy was she going to find it. He lined up what could have been a 
crushing facial blow but before he'd a chance to deliver she'd his 
throat in her hands, and the power of her hold was such that the heels 
of his feet were raised upwards. 

Diane held him there like a rag doll, flinging his head from side to
side the way a dog would his prey, and despite his height and weight 
advantage there was nothing he could do to resist. She heard him 
stutter, then splutter in slow suffocation. 

‘Go on you bastard, die, see what happens to men who prey on women
stronger than themselves.' The words were hardly audible, she might 
have been thinking aloud but there was visible hatred on her face as 
she gave his throat one immense last squeeze and dropped him to the 
ground a lifeless bundle. 

She stood over him for a moment, taking several deep breaths before
dressing calmly. Before her departure she took a tiny red emblem and 
placed it beside his body. 


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