Miss Murder (3 page)

She tried to ignore the voice as she made herself a microwave pizza for dinner and as she ate it, watching a soap, but it seemed the voice was louder than anything else she could hear. In the end, she finished half her dinner and went to bed.

“I'm still waiting Anna.” The voice came from next to her. She rolled over in bed to face the usual empty space. “No, not in there. But come to think of it, you never did zip up the case...”

Anna gulped. “Leave me alone!”

“Look, I'm just joshing ya, if I could move I'd be in the shower by now. Come on sweetie, lend me a hand.”

Anna sighed. “Will you let me sleep if I do?”

“Of course sweetie.”

Getting up, she went into the kitchen. Sure enough, the case was unzipped. She zipped it back up and dragged it into the bathroom. She collected some more plastic bags to line the case and a bin bag to throw away the previous wrappings. Then she unzipped and unwrapped him. He was in a mess. The blood was drying and crackling all over him. There were feces all down his legs from where she had thrown his body around. Gross. She tried moving his body, but it proved impossible. His torso sat up in the case and rested against the side of the bath. She would have to get him in from inside the bath. She stripped off and got into the bath, dreading the feel of his cold, dead, stained body against hers. She grabbed him under the armpits and slowly heaved him in, slipping over and over. Once he was laying down in the bath, she put the hot shower head on and hosed his body down, again and again, with hot water until he looked clean enough to use a sponge on.

“Ah, that's better.” Jake said. She had almost forgotten why she was going this.

“Please don't speak.” She asked.

“Sorry sweetie.”

The silence was almost as bad as him talking. She finished washing him down, packed the newly cleaned and dried towels around him to dry him and went to find some clothes. “I feel insane” She muttered as she took his favourite shirt and a pair of jeans into the bathroom.

“You are.” Jake replied. “You know, all that time in a case has got me thinking... what about our holiday?”

“What about it?”

“Well, don't we still have the first tickets? Argentina for two?”

“I suppose.” She said, struggling to wriggle the corpse into a shirt.

“And that's next month, right?”

“Yeah.” Why was she still talking to a corpse? It felt strange. But she couldn't help but answer.

“Are we still going?”

Anna paused. “You're dead.”

“But you could bring me. We could go together. Have a great time.”

“You're dead.” Anna repeated. She awkwardly finished forcing his jeans up and buttoned them before relining the case. It was easier to get him back into confinement when she had something solid to grip onto, though his arms were still awkwardly positioned. She forced them down hard with the case lid. There was a crack.

“Watch it!” Jake complained.

“A deal's a deal. It's bedtime.” Anna left the case in the bathroom and went to bed. He left her alone to sleep. But she couldn't drift off.

Perhaps she should go on her trip to Argentina? Just not in a month. Tomorrow. And not for a few days. Forever. She could hop on a plane and disappear. It would be fine. Easy, even. And how would people track her if she actually went on her round the world trip? She could leave Jake here and all. Just pack up and go.

The next morning, she awoke to her alarm and turned it off before the volume went up. Today was a new day. She packed her bags with everything she would need. Four changes of clothes, make-up, hair products, shoes, some nice jewellery, money, passport. She logged online and booked a new ticket. She was pleased that she got a percentage off it for cancelling her old tickets.

“Aren't you forgetting someone?” Jake asked.

“You're back.”

“I'll always be here.” Jake replied.

Anna felt a chill run down her spine. “Even if I leave the case?”

“Even if you leave the case.” He sounded almost smug.

“Can't I get away?”

“Not from me. But we can both get away together. I mean, think about it. I can't cheat on you now, can I? And no money worries for me. Our savings will take you twice as far and you could even retire in some Asian shithole with the money we have. Just bring me with you and we're together forever.”

“That sounds convincing.” Anna smiled. It did. It really did sound nice.

“Maybe me dying was the best thing to happen to us.” Jake insisted.

“Maybe.” Anna added extra carry on to her plane ticket.

“When are we leaving?” Jake asked.

“This afternoon. Train down to the airport, then straight to Argentina.” Anna replied.

“That sounds awesome.”

Anna rang work and told them that she and Jake were back together and heading to Argentina early, that she was quitting and wouldn't be back. There were a few tears, but mostly nobody cared. She called her friends and told them she would Skype as soon as they were there. She rang the landlord and explained she would leave the last month's payment on the table and the keys through the letterbox. She called a taxi and asked the driver to collect her bags.

The driver seemed apprehensive about the smell. Anna could hardly notice it herself, but the man almost gagged when he picked up Jake's case.

Anna shrugged. “I didn't have time to wash the laundry before going. Sorry.”

The driver shook his head, dragged the luggage downstairs and threw the case in the back before slamming the boot shut.

“Ouch. Bastard.” Jake muttered.

“Soon we'll be in Argentina.” Anna smiled as she sat back in the passenger seat.

“We?” The driver asked.

“Uh, I'm meeting some folks there.” Anna smiled some more.

“Uh-huh.” The driver shook his head again and started the car.

Once they were there and unloaded, the taxi couldn't get away soon enough. He threw the cases down for Anna, got back in and drove off. He even forgot his payment. Anna shrugged. “All the more for us.” She started dragging the cases along the station. Even on wheels, Jake weighed so much they wouldn't turn and they were grinding and squeaking as she hauled him across to the right end of the platform. One side faced the rails and on the other was a small wall overlooking an artificial lake. She wondered why it was there and how come there was so little protection between her and the water. It seemed ridiculous.

Looking around at her fellow passengers, they all seemed to be staring at her. She lifted her hand to scratch her head and realized she was still exactly as she had come out of bed. Suddenly she felt self-conscious, but there wasn't anything she could do now. And still, they stared...

She sat down on Jake's case and sighed. Well, at least they wouldn't live here much longer. That way she wouldn't be the weirdo in town. Who cared what these people thought?

But chills travelled down her spine when she spotted the police officer out of the corner of her eye. She knew that the woman with the caramel skin and the blue shirt was looking for her. She had to be. She was glancing up and down, marching decidedly towards that end of the platform. The policewoman
knew
.

“She knows.” Jake said. “She knows what you did. She'll find the smell and find me and, well, who would believe you?”

Anna swallowed hard. Only one thing for it. She stood up and looked at the case.

“Anna? What are you doing?” Jake asked, sounding a bit nervous.

Anna began pushing the case towards the wall.

“You're only drawing attention to yourself sweetie.” He pressed.

She turned the case on its side by the tiny wall. It would easily flip over.

“Shit, Anna, don't do this. Don't do this to me.” The voice grew louder.

Anna glanced down the platform to see the officer start running towards her. She shoved the case into the artificial lake. At first it looked like it would get stuck on the concrete slope. But slowly it slid down, down, down into the water.

“You bitch.” Jake said as the officer's hand seized Anna's arm.

“Is everything OK?” The officer asked.

Anna shook. “Yeah.” Her eyes met the woman's. The officer wasn't impressed.

“You have to come with me sweetie.” She said.

Anna felt repulsed at being called that by anyone but Jake. She stared longingly at the waters that had swallowed his body for good.

In the station, the officer asked Anna a few random questions. Who she was. Where she was going. Why was she going so suddenly. Why hadn't she got dressed in the morning. Anna answered as honestly as possible. She was Anna Mann. She was going to Argentina. She wanted a break. She had been a bit late. Jake's voice was gone and her mind felt so clear, so fresh and invigorated. Officer Terry Welsch nodded, smiled, took notes and went to make a phone call. It was all seeming to look like the officer would write it up to misunderstanding. If Anna could get away before they trenched out Jake's body, then... Then maybe...

“Sorry sweetie.” She said, walking into the room. “We can't seem to find your bag.”

Anna sighed and groaned. “Great, I'll have to go clothes shopping in Argentina.”

“We could
all
do with some clothes shopping.” Terry sighed. “Speaking of which, it's warm in here.” She undid the very top button of her tight blue shirt, revealing more caramel skin and a necklace. A necklace Anna would have recognized anywhere.

Terry followed Anna's eye-line. “Oh yeah, my boyfriend gave it to me. Said his mother made him wear it for some charity thing. Well, I should say ex boyfriend. Fucker stood me up last night. Sort of like yours.” Terry laughed. “I guess I should throw it, only... I don't know, I kinda like it.” She shrugged and turned, walking to the door where she started fiddling with the AC. “I swear, it's awful in here. Maybe it's broke again...”

              Anna glanced down at the table. The only thing on it was a pen. But she'd seen in a film that a pen, driven through an eye or an ear with enough force, could easily kill...