Dead Sweet: A D.I. Turnbull mystery (24 page)

Tessa gave a harsh laugh. "Really? You thought I was nice?"

"Yes, I really did."

"Well you didn't speak to
me
about it did you?"

"It was difficult, I have been on a murder case."

"Didn't stop you getting with Candace though did it?" Tessa sneered. Todd was shocked to hear that Tessa knew about his evening with Candace, his face must have told Tessa this because she said, "What you think women don't talk?"

Todd felt a little stupid, of course women talked, that's how he got his stupid nick name in the first place. He wanted to tell her that he was sorry, but he didn't feel that would make the situation any better.

"If this is about you being enraged at men, why are you killing women is my next question?"

"I don't really know what I'm doing." Tessa's laugh was maniacal. "I suppose by putting the semen at the scene I was hoping to get him arrested, for him to suffer in prison; killing is too good for them. Oh and of course, how am I supposed to kill a man? I mean I'm only a little fat woman, it's hard enough to get one to talk to me, luring them to a flat and killing them is probably completely impossible. No, I had to pay for the sex so men could pay for their crimes against society."

"What about all the other stuff, the sweets, the sherbet?"

"Well I like sweets." Tessa shrugged.

"You are actually insane." Todd realised.

"And you are actually dead." Tessa shouted as she jumped up, steak knife in her hand she lunged at Todd across the table, causing him to jump back in surprise. "I'm sick of talking and I'm not going to prison." She said coming around the table towards where Todd stood, hands out, quietly considering his next move. "It's me or you Todd, I don't care which."

"Or me," Candace said as she entered the canteen. "You will have to kill me to get to him Tessa."

"Fine by me." Tessa agreed, stomping her way to Candace, "It's about time you got some anyway you skinny bitch." Todd, on seeing Candace's potential attack, spurred himself into action and grabbed a chair which he held out in front of him and ran at Tessa with. As he pushed the chair at her body with as much force as he could muster, she grabbed at the legs and pushed herself into it, causing the chair to slam back into Todd's body and to knock him off his feet. This gave Candace the time to jump onto Tessa's back and to make a grab at the knife which she held in her hand.

Tessa held onto Candace's arms and swung her around, letting her go so that she crashed into one of the canteen tables. Todd, feeling winded, got up from where he had fallen and began to move towards Tessa again who now stood with both arms out, knife waving wildly in one hand.

"I
will
kill you both," she said. "And then I'll probably eat my dinner." She laughed again.

"Why don't you have some pudding first," shouted Candace as she upended one of the vending machines. The machine toppled over on top of Tessa, the glass panel smashing on her back as it fell. Tessa fell heavily to the floor with the machine on top of her, Todd grabbed the knife out of her hand which now protruded from underneath the machine.

A loud whirring began, the sound of cogs moving inside the machine and chocolate bars started to fall to the floor as the machine began to vend all of its merchandise.

"Help," Tessa cried weakly from underneath the machine.

Uniformed officers began to filter into the canteen, the noise from the crashing machine being enough to alert them to what had been happening inside. Three officers helped to remove the vending machine from Tessa's back and as they brought her to standing position Todd placed handcuffs on her wrists.

"Tessa Small, I am arresting you for the murder of Amanda Thomas, Penny Baker and Wayne Lewis and I am further arresting you for the attempted murder of Moira Celeste, the assault of a police officer and for perverting the course of justice." Todd relayed Tessa's rights to her as she mouthed them back to him. "Take her downstairs." He said to the officers, then put his arm around a shaken Candace and led her to one of the canteen tables.

"Where were you?" he asked her, I've been waiting to hear from you.

"Well I had been to see Danny Bradford and he told me that Tessa was his customer; told him her name was 'Tee', reckons he's been servicing her for some time."

"Well why didn't you ring me?"

"Uh, your phone was turned off." She said sarcastically. Todd pulled out his telephone to see that indeed the screen was dead.

"Fucking mobile phones," he said. "Right come on Candy Cane, all this exercise has made me a hungry man; I will shout you a curry, no funny business."

Candace laughed, "What about the paperwork?"

"We can do that in the morning, she's not going anywhere." He put his arm around Candace and they both began to walk down the stairs.

Another murder solved. Another killer caught. Another statistic on a police bar chart. Todd's belly rumbled and his mind turned to the thoughts of a chicken jalfrezi as he walked with Candace to his car; job done, crime solved, moving on.

Don't Kill Baby

Preface

Freddie took a deep drag on his cigarette as he strutted out of the London Night Club. Blowing a few smoke rings, he turned to the drunk, bedraggled Linette as she stumbled out through the door behind him.

"Come on love, I'm feeling the need," he urged her.

"Alright, cor fucking 'ell, I've only just bought these shoes," Linette complained as she splashed the red soled, crystal adorned, pink shoes in a muddy puddle. Freddie grabbed her by the arm and led her along the street, laughing as Linette stumbled, barely able to keep upright on the five inch heels.

"Come on Linnie, I've got work in the morning, I need to be in my bed and snoring my little heart out by three or I'll be knackered tomorrow."

"Where are we going?"

"Just down here," he pointed to an alleyway which ran alongside the club. "I know a place, come on."

"Give us a drag of your fag."

"Yeah like I want your lips around my cigarette; the only thing you're sucking is my cock love."

"Charming."

Freddie continued briskly along the alley, pulling Linette behind him and then stopped when they came to a darkened alcove set into the Nightclub wall.

"Come on Linnie, get on with it, I'm fit to burst."

"Anyone would think you never got any." Linette laughed. "We only had a shag last night and we had that threesome about two days ago. You are one horny bastard."

"I can't help myself, it's your dark good looks and compelling nature that just want me to fuck you."

"Really?" a dirty blond, doe-eyed Linette tugged on Freddie's arm and pulled him around so she could look into his eyes. "Do you really think that Freddie?"

Freddie snorted, "Don't be daft, you're a dirty fucking hooker Linette. I fuck you because I can, because you have a good suck and a dark hot minge." He grabbed her hair and began to move her head towards his penis, which he was releasing from its cloth prison. "Now get on it Linette, you filthy whore and make sure you swallow; the last thing I need is dirty underwear. The wife just hates washing cum stained pants." He giggled as Linette got to work, gagging with every thrust of his manhood.

-x-

Freddie walked along the High Road, sucking on his bloodied knuckles. Linette had got just a little bit too full of herself after the blowie, talking about feelings and possible relationships. Freddie had started to suspect she may be getting too full of herself when she had stopped charging him for sex, but had decided to make the most of it and then put her in her place if she got out of hand. He was quite sad that he had had to teach her a lesson, she had a pretty face really, even if it was always smeared with make-up and hidden under a ton of slap and false lashes. Linette wasn't looking quite as pretty now that his knuckles had given her a make under, but Freddie was sure she would bounce back; her type usually did. He would give her a mercy fuck when she was able to walk again.

He whistled to himself as he strolled along the deserted High Road, he knew that he would have to hurry to get a taxi so that he could get home to bed as he had a very important meeting in the morning. Freddie looked left and right but could see no sign of any traffic let alone a Taxi, he marvelled at how such a vibrant and busy city such as London could turn into a ghost town, particularly when he needed to get home. Crossing the road, he swaggered along the street and his mind turned to thoughts of a kebab. He knew in London there must surely be a twenty four hour shop open somewhere so he was determined to find one, buy a big dirty kebab and then hail a cab home.

When Freddie took his next step into the road he heard the sound of a car coming up the road behind him. Hoping it would be a taxi, he turned with his hand in the air, ready to hail his ride home. Bright lights blinded Freddie and the sound of the car engine deafened him in the otherwise soundless street. Freddie tried to take a step back out of the way of the car, but when he did, the car changed direction and headed straight for him. Drink, drugs and tiredness had clouded Freddie's judgement and he was unable to react quickly enough to get out of the way of the screaming metal giant which headed straight for him.

The car hit Freddie dead centre, causing him to fly along the road and end in a crumpled heap on the tarmac. He groaned and touched his head and body as he felt for any damage that might have occurred, aware that the drink was also, mercifully, dulling any pain he may be feeling. He was vaguely aware of the sound of the car engine once again and hoped that it was now an ambulance coming to see to his injuries.

Freddie began to reach for the phone in his jacket pocket but never managed to get hold of it as the car hit him once again, all four wheels going over his body, breaking skin and crunching bone as arms and legs were carried up into the arches by the turning wheels. Pummelling Freddie's body, blood bursting from his veins and spurting over the hard cold floor.

Barely conscious, Freddie's last vision was of a woman standing over him, she bent down and put her face right up to Freddie's ear.

"You are a disgusting human being. You use, abuse and violate women in every way possible. People like you should not be allowed to walk on the planet. I hope you rot in hell, you bastard."

A hard kick to Freddie's face was the final blow which put his light out; Freddie would never know of the baby that was growing in the belly of his woman and would never again lift a hand to hurt her. The woman turned and walked away from the scene and from the car which sat, engine idling, Freddie's limbs still entwined in the rear wheel arches. She walked slowly, purposefully and at no stage did she turn to look back on the life she had destroyed. She was determined to focus only on the life she had just saved.