Spoilt

Spolit

by

Joanne Ellis

Published by Night
Publishing, Smashwords edition

Copyright 2010, Joanne
Ellis

ISBN
978-1-4523-4193-4

Thank you for downloading
this e-book. You are welcome to share it with your friends. This
book may be reproduced, copied and distributed for non-commercial
purposes, provided the book remains in its complete original
form.

All characters are
fictional, and any resemblance to anyone living or dead is
accidental.

To discover other books by
Joanne Ellis, please go to
http://www.nightpublishing.com/id34.html.

The terror in her eyes and the realisation she’s going to die
is sweet medicine to my soul.

Her eyes widen, and then concede, when the spoilt bitch knows
her time is over.

Her blood spills as I carve into her flesh my hate for her
perfect existence.

Oh, the gratifying sound of her last breath.

She too will taste the feeling of nothingness.

Chapter 1

Lucas

Monday

Lucas tried to shake off his nightmare as the icy water
prickled his skin. The hollow pain living in his chest threatened
to suffocate him. He stuck his head under the spray while their
faces haunted his mind and forced the torment deep down, back where
it came from, where it belonged.

The shrill of the phone broke through his troubled thoughts.
He held their images in his mind for a moment before allowing them
to fade. As he cleared the haze, they disappeared. Chilled through,
he stepped out and his aching body protested with a shiver.
Physical pain was easier.

Throwing a towel over his hips, he ran to answer the insistent
ringing.

“
Hudson.”

“
It’s me,” Maggie responded.

“
What’s up?”

“
We got another one.”

“
Dammit. Where?”

As Maggie gave him directions, Lucas pulled a suit, shirt and
tie from his well ordered wardrobe.

“
I’ll be there in twenty,” he told her.

Lucas returned to the bathroom and shaved quickly. He glanced
in the mirror and noticed his eyes bloodshot from lack of sleep. He
shrugged. What did it matter? Running his fingers through his hair,
he took a few deep breaths in preparation for what he was about to
face. He threw on his clothes and after a tedious ride in the lift,
he jumped into his unmarked car.

As he drove, memories of that day came with a vengeance. The
day he’d successfully put behind him, until last week. The visions
refused to fade night and day now. He looked down and saw the
blood, so much blood.

He shoved himself back to reality. He needed to concentrate.
During his twelve years as a cop, he’d seen the horrors, dealt with
them all before pushing them aside. Some were harder than others
but he’d gotten through mostly unscathed, until now. This case was
different. It was affecting him.

Lucas parked next to his partner’s car and as he climbed out
the humidity warmed his still cold limbs. The oppressive heat would
only get worse as the day progressed. Maggie leant against her car,
waiting. When she spotted him, she strode over, her frame athletic
and expression grim. Even with a scowl, she was a stunner. With her
short blonde hair and penetrating blue eyes her beauty was unique.
She certainly didn’t look like your average cop. Her physique and
angular features turned heads.

“
Definitely the same?’ Lucas asked.

“’
Fraid so.”

A long forgotten yet familiar lump surfaced in Lucas' throat
as they flashed their badges at the taped-off scene. An officer
directed them towards the dank alleyway in the rear, which was
undetectable from the road. The unmistakable stink of rotting
garbage assaulted them as they turned the corner.

The victim lay face-up, naked and brutalised. She appeared to
be in her mid twenties and would probably have been beautiful, like
the first victim once was. Her wrists and ankles were lacerated as
though she’d been bound and at her throat remained a gaping smile.
The absence of blood implied she’d been murdered elsewhere. Purple
and yellow bruises speckled her body indicating days of abuse while
her face was battered and swollen. Lucas could see the fear frozen
in her unseeing eyes.

Across her chest the words
SPOILT BITCH
were slashed in red - light and dark.
Lucas determined the varying degrees of colour and congealment
indicated the wounds were inflicted over time. Another pretty young
woman tortured and left in a dirty alley behind a warehouse, as if
she meant nothing. It would not feel like nothing to the people who
loved her. Lucas knew this first-hand. Bile rose in his throat.
What kind of sick bastard could inflict these horrors?

Techs were walking the grid, collecting evidence and taking
photos when the Medical Examiner arrived. David Walker was in his
late forties. A short, squat man with pointed features and thinning
hair, his compassionate nature complemented his thoroughness. His
knees creaked from the strain as he knelt beside her.

“
The chest wounds and cause of death appear consistent with
the last victim,” he began. “Ligature marks on the wrists and
ankles too.”

“
Similar dump spot as the last one,” Lucas said.

“
Yes, all too familiar.” Maggie shook her head. “Any ID again,
Dave?”

“
Can you help me roll her over?”

As he crouched, Lucas slipped on latex gloves from his pocket
and helped roll the body from back to side. He held her in place as
Dave examined the victim, took her temperature and checked for ID
beneath her. Lucas swallowed down the lump still wedged in his
throat; handling dead victims never got any easier.

“
Yes, here it is,” Dave said. He passed the ID to Maggie’s now
gloved hand, which she bagged.

“
Kate Miller,” Maggie read.

“
Thanks, Dave.” Lucas turned to Maggie. “Same MO.”

She nodded.

Lucas helped ease the body back again and as he stood, tore
off his gloves ready to deposit them in the nearest bin.

“
Let’s go,” he said. “See if we can work out what these two
have in common.”

* * *

At the station, coffee in hand, Lucas logged onto his
computer. As it went through its sluggish loading process, he
rubbed tired eyes, ran his fingers through his hair and drank his
strong caffeine hit, anything to distract his mind. A solitary word
became his silent mantra. Focus. He tapped his fingers impatiently,
waiting for the missing persons’ database to load Kate Miller’s
report. He considered making another coffee when at last the
details materialised before him.

Kate had been reported missing the previous Monday night,
although she’d in fact been missing since Sunday. He pulled the
report on the first victim, Libby Greene, from the pile on his
desk, to scan again with fresh eyes, checking the correlations.
Libby had been missing for six days before her body was discovered
early the previous Tuesday morning.

Libby had been sexually assaulted several times over the six
days, while the letters cut into her chest were also inflicted over
time. Her throat had been slashed, leaving the identical gaping
hole they’d seen that morning. She too, had been dumped behind a
warehouse having been killed elsewhere. ID left with the body but
no other possessions.

“
Hey,” Maggie said. As she slid into her chair opposite, she
aimed a breakfast roll at him. “Here, eat something.”

“
Thanks, but I don’t know if I can.” He grimaced. “Kate’s been
missing for six days. There’s an overlap.”

“
So he might’ve grabbed Kate before he killed Libby.” She
paused. “This is one sick puppy we’re dealing with here, Hudson.
Holding one girl while stalking another and perhaps holding them
both. Can you imagine what they would be listening to
...?”

Lucas nodded. “He could have more than one location too.” He
shook his head in frustration. “We’re speculating until we get
Dave’s report.”

“
A lead would be helpful.” Maggie paused. “I guess it’s time
to talk to Kate’s family, see to the notification.”

Maggie studied Lucas as he grabbed his jacket from the chair
and picked up his keys without saying a word. This usually
indicated he wanted to drive. She noted the tight set of his jaw
and the dark smudges under his eyes. He wasn’t sleeping again. She
quickened her step as she followed him to his car. He lit a smoke,
a habit she barely remembered him having. His dark eyes reflected
his far off thoughts and troubled mind. His self imposed solitary
life was slowly destroying what little light remained. His
passionate nature was being torn apart by loneliness. Maggie was
well aware of how much this case would be disturbing him. She
wondered whether this would be the one that tipped him over the
edge.

Chapter 2

Chelsea

Friday

Chelsea sat on her overstuffed suitcase and forced it closed.
Although she’d planned a three day trip, she’d packed enough for a
week. She thought back to her last visit and realised it had been
months since she’d visited her home town. Eagerness to escape from
her busy schedule, along with excitement about seeing her family,
rose within her. After hopping off the case on the bed, she threw
the remaining items into a bag.

“
I think you’ve packed enough,” said Elle.

“
Probably. I never pack light.”

Chelsea shrugged before glancing over her shoulder at her
friend and roommate. Elle’s tall, slim frame leant gracefully
against the doorway. She flipped her long, blonde hair over her
shoulder as she studied Chelsea through dark blue eyes.

“
I’d better get going. If I’m late I’ll never hear the end of
it.” Chelsea lugged the suitcase off the bed.

“
Let me help you.” Elle took most of the heavy burden. “Seeing
I have the house to myself this weekend, I might ask my new guy
over for ... dinner.” She grinned.

“
So when do I get to meet him?”

“
If all goes well, this weekend.” Elle nudged Chelsea with her
elbow. “Maybe we can organise something when you get
home.”

“
Sounds good.”

They walked into the garage and Chelsea hit the button to open
the automatic door. Elle loaded the suitcase into Chelsea’s sleek,
compact car while she jumped in.

Chelsea stuck her head out the window as she backed out.
“Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.”

“
Doesn’t leave me much,” Elle grumbled before
waving.

Chelsea waved as she drove away before glancing back at her
home, which held many memories, happy and painful. The two storey
contemporary house with a small colourful garden - which Chelsea
tried to keep tidy when time permitted - was welcoming, while the
two balconies extending from the front bedrooms added charm and a
view. Regardless of the sadness that surrounded her within its
walls, she felt a smile tug at her lips at the comforting sight of
home.

Leaning forward she turned the radio up and settled in for the
long drive ahead.

* * *

Amy

Monday

Lucas drove in brooding silence while Maggie scanned Libby’s
murder file and Amy Miller’s statement about Kate. When finished,
she turned to stare at him.

“
What?” he asked and grinned, hoping it would deter her
questions.

“
Are you ok?”

“
Yeah.”

“
I just thought ...”

“
I’m fine, Mags.”

“
If you want to talk about it ...?”

“
I know where you are.” He smiled. “Thanks.”

Their silence resumed and continued for the rest of the
journey. Lucas parked out the front of the small townhouse where
Kate lived with her sister Amy.

“
Let’s get this over with,” he said.

The girl who answered their knock appeared to be a younger
version of Kate and there was no doubt they were in the right
place.