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CougarGirl
Star
- Joined
- Nov 5, 2013
The man lay on his back, staring past his heaving chest and over his over the sweat-soaked hairy paunch that concealed his detumescent cock from his view. The woman sitting on the edge of the bed raised her arms and let her cotton shift fall over her body as she rose. She grabbed the man’s wallet and began counting out notes.
‘Hey.’ He rocketed off the bed towards her. ‘What’s your game?’
His momentum carried him onto her raised knee that crushed his balls and dropped him spitting and cursing to the threadbare carpet.
‘I’ve taken an extra 20 for the additional services.’ She dropped the wallet by his head. ‘And another 10 for not asking in advance.’
She pushed her feet into her heels and kicked him hard in the kidneys, once, twice and then, after reflecting, a third time.
He managed to haul himself to the bed and clambered onto it before he doubled over again.
* * *
The patrol officer walked over as the paramedics dragged the body out of the water. There was no need for an autopsy to identify the cause of death – the bruising round her neck told him that she had been strangled. And there’d be no problem with identification either. Even with her face bloated, he recognised her
‘That’s, Tammy. She works the streets around the Rattigan.’
The medical examiner confirmed death by strangulation. Reluctant as ever to commit to a time of death, she indicated between midnight and 3 am on Monday.
* * *
Candy clocked the detective as soon as he got out of his car and walked towards her.
‘Vice?’
‘No, murder. I’m investigating Tammy’s death. Did you know her?’
‘Yea, I knew her. She worked this area. We watched each other’s backs. Made sure we knew where the other was going.’
‘When did you see her last?’
The girl thought.
‘That would have been Saturday.’
‘And not since? Weren’t you concerned?’
‘Nope. She was coming up for her period. They were really painful, so she usually took a few days off.’
‘Did you see her with anyone in particular on Saturday?’
‘Yea. One her regulars. Big guy, middle aged. Don’t know his name. Saw them going into the Rattigan.’
* * *
The kid on the desk in the Rattigan Hotel was no help. He just took the money and handed over a key, just the next key off the pile. He couldn’t remember which girl had which room, they were in and out all night. He didn’t look at the punters. His manager had told him not to, it made them nervous. The only girl he could remember was Crystal. He liked Crystal, she’d caught him ogling her ass and let him have a squeeze. Now she always gave him a special wiggle as she climbed the stairs. He always gave her one of the better rooms, the ones usually reserved for all-nighters. He didn’t know where she lived, but the manager did.
* * *
Crystal lived only a few streets away. She rubbed the sleep out of her eyes when she saw the badge.
‘You’re here about Tammy. Poor kid. You’d better come in.’
She didn’t know her well, just one of the girls to talk to when business was slack.
‘Was business slack last Saturday?’
‘Hell, no. It was dry and warm. Guys were flocking around. We were picking up as fast as we were back on the street.’
‘Did you see Tammy?’
‘Sure, she was around. Saw her a few times. Hey, look, would you like a coffee or something?’
‘Thanks, yes that would be good.’
She shuffled into the kitchen and came back with two mugs.
‘Did you see her with anyone in particular?’
‘She was with several guys. Just regular punters. Don’t remember much about them.’ She took a sip. ‘Oh yea, come to think of it, there was one of her regulars. Don’t know his name. Heavy set, greying hair. Drives a red pickup.’
‘Anything else you can think of?’ The detective drained the remains of his coffee.
‘They had an argument or something.’ She moved over and sat beside him.
‘Tell me.’
‘I’d seen Tammy and a guy going into the room next door as we arrived. I finished my trick off quick and we were heading out when we heard this cry and a thud. Like someone had been thumped and knocked down.’
‘Was this the regular guy?’
‘Can’t be sure. I just saw his back as I came up the stairs.’
‘You didn’t check if she was OK?’
‘No, Tammy could take care of herself and she liked it a bit rough, so I wasn’t worried. She’d have called out if she needed help.’
‘Thanks. Anything else?’
She rubbed against him and rested her hand on his thigh.
‘Are you in a hurry?’
He wasn’t.
* * *
Other girls had seen the same guy. One had seen his truck out the back of the Mall. Another had been with him.
‘Didn’t like him. Bit too rough for my taste, but Tammy didn’t mind. Said it paid better.’
‘Any idea where I could find him?’
‘No, but he’s often around. He said his name was John, but most of them do.’
* * *
John’s real name was Bob and he was easy to find. His truck was parked at the back of the mall and a few questions led the detective to the plant room where he was drinking coffee.
‘Sure I know, Tammy. She’s the best.’
‘She’d dead, Bob. They fished her out of the river early hours of Wednesday.’
Bob sat stunned.
‘I’m sorry to hear that. She was a good kid, Didn’t deserve that, nobody does.’
‘Deserve what, Bob?’
‘Being killed, of course. What else?’
‘I didn’t say she’d been killed, just that she had died.’
‘Well I assumed. That’s what happens to those girls, isn’t it.’
‘When did you see her last?’
‘That would have been Saturday night. About 11. We went to the Rattigan hotel. All the girls use it.’
‘We’ve got a witness who says you had a fight. What was that about?’
‘Bitch wanted extra money. Helped herself from my wallet.’
‘Why would she do that? Didn’t you pay in advance? That’s usual, isn’t it?’
‘She was annoyed that I tipped her over and pegged her ass. I’ve done it before and she hasn’t complained. Enjoys it, if you want to know. But this time she took against it, bucked and cursed me. Said she should be paid extra and then more for not asking in advance.’
‘Is that why you hit her?’
‘Me hit her. You’ve got it wrong. She kneed me in the nuts, then gave me a good kicking.’
‘Did you go after her?’
‘You must be joking. You know what it’s like when you get your nuts bashed. Hurt like hell for ages. I just lay there till the pain went away, then I went home.’
‘Where were you Sunday night, Bob?’
‘Is that when she was killed?’
‘Just tell me where you were.’
‘I was here, from 8 pm. Got called out to an emergency. We were here all night sorting it out. Ask the guys, they’ll all tell you, I was right here, working, all night.’
And that’s what they all said, every one of them, he was with them all from 8 pm Sunday to 5 am Monday.
* * *
The detective went back to Crystal.
‘Hi, lover, come back for more?’
‘I’ve got some more questions about Tammy.’
‘They can wait.’
They did.
Afterwards, he asked his questions as she lay with her head on his chest.
‘Was there anyone else that she was seeing? Someone special maybe. Someone she kept to herself.’
‘Well, she was secretive. We all can be when we get someone we want to keep to ourselves.’ Her fingers scratched at his balls. ‘Someone like you.’
Later he continued his questions.
‘So she had a special guy?’
‘Yea. She dropped hints, you know, like she wanted me to know but didn’t want to tell me. She’d gone with him in his car a few times and then they’d been to hotels. Proper hotels, not like that Rattigan dump.’
‘Did she describe him at all? Give you any idea about who he was or what he did?’
‘She said that he was a big guy.’ Her fingers circled his cock. ‘Said he had terrific stamina. Like you, lover.’
‘Anything else? Any idea of what sort of work he did?’
Crystal took his cock out of her mouth.
‘No, nothing specific, just hinted I’d be surprised if I knew. She was mysterious, but she was probably just trying to build him up, make him seem better than he was.’
The detective lay back while Crystal worked her tongue along his shaft.
‘Did you ever get to see him?’
Crystal climbed astride.
‘Not sure. May have got a glimpse of him once, but I can’t be sure. Just an impression.’
She eased him into her cunt, digging her nails into his nipples as he stretched her open.
‘Now are we going to talk or fuck?’
They fucked.
* * *
The next day another body was dragged out of the river.
‘I know her.’ It was the same patrol officer who had been on the scene when Tammy was brought ashore.
‘Her name’s Crystal.’
She’d been strangled.
* * *
The detective went back to Candy.
‘Why did you lie to me?’ He moved in close, only a couple of feet away.
‘What do you mean? I didn’t.’
‘You told me Tammy was on a period so you weren’t surprised that she wasn’t around.’
The detective moved in close, pinning Candy against the wall.
‘So? What’s your point? Some girls carry on working, some don’t.’
‘She wasn’t on her period, was she? She was off with her special guy. That’s the truth isn’t it.’
‘Maybe. Look, she didn’t tell me, I was just guessing.’
‘But she had a special guy. What did she tell you about him?’
Candy wasn’t going to be intimidated; she stared him down.
‘Nothing, she didn’t tell me nothing specific.’
‘Come on, tell me what she told you.’
‘It was like I said. She didn’t tell me anything, well nothing specific. Just dropped hints. Hints that she’d met this guy, that he was getting serious, that she wouldn’t be around much longer. But they were just hints. She didn’t say anything more. She wouldn’t and I wouldn’t have believed her anyway.’
The detective’s tone softened and he moved to rest his back against the wall alongside Candy.
‘Why wouldn’t she say anything more?’
‘Because none of us would. We look out for each other, sure. But it’s every girl for herself at the end of the day. If one of us gets a bit of luck, we’re not going to share it around.’
‘And why wouldn’t you have believed her?’
‘Get real, mister. We’re street whores. The rough end of the trade. And Tammy liked the roughest tricks. She got off on it. Why would any decent guy want any of us? There’d have to be something weird about him. Can you imagine him taking her home for Thanksgiving or to some grand banquet? Hell as like. Sure he’d drive her around in his swank car, buy her a posh dress and take her to a smart hotel, where no one knows him, but at the end of the day all he wants is to get into her pussy and rough her up.’
‘Did she tell you what he did to her?’
‘Nope. But I saw the bruises. And he liked to throttle her while they fucked. He had some fancy name for it, she said.’
‘Auto-erotic asphyxiation?’
‘Maybe. I don’t remember. I saw the some bruises on her throat one day and asked what happened. That’s when she told me.’
‘Tell me about his car.’
‘How should I know about his car?’
The detective consulted his notes.
‘You said he had a swank car, so tell me about it.’
‘Just big and black. That’s all she said. Big enough for them to fuck in the back in comfort. He had the sound system on, to cover the noise probably.’
‘Now listen, Candy, this is real important. Did you ever see this guy? Ever get even a glimpse of him?’
Candy shook her head.
‘No, I can’t say I did.’
The detective turned to face her.
‘That doesn’t sound very positive, Candy. Do you think you may have seen him?’
‘Yes, no, I mean, look, I don’t know, you’re getting me confused. I just thought one day, from the look in her eyes, that she’d been with him and there was this guy walking away. He was just in the background. It needn’t have been him, could have been anybody, just someone walking along the street. It was just a feeling I got, that’s all.’
The detective handed Candy a card.
‘Take this, Candy. It’s got my number. If you remember anything else, anything at all, give me a ring. OK?’
As he began to walk away, Candy reached out and touched his arm.
‘Is it true about Crystal? Was it the same guy?’
The detective nodded.
‘It’s the same MO, so it looks like it may be the same guy.’
‘Does that mean we’re all at risk?’
The detective shrugged.
‘I don’t know, Candy, I really don’t know. Just give me a ring if you’re worried. I’ll make sure no one harms you.’
With a quick reassuring smile he was gone.
* * *
Word spread like fire in brushwood. The girls were never out alone, always staying in sight of each other. Refusing to go anywhere with clients except the Rattigan. And, as they had after Tammy’s death, they talked, piercing together what they knew.
Two days later, Candy took out the card the detective had given her. She called his cell phone.
‘Detective Lewenstein, Mike, is that you? This is Candy. Remember me?’
‘Of course I do, Candy? Have you remembered something?’
‘Yea, in a way, maybe, but listen, Mike, I’m worried. I think I’m being watched. Just a feeling, but it’s like someone is watching me all the time, from a distance.’
‘Where are you, Candy?’
‘Opposite the Rattigan.’
‘Is that where the guy is, do you think, inside the Rattigan?’
‘I don’t know, Mike, I really don’t. I’m frightened, that’s all.’
‘Stay where you are, Candy. I’ll be right there. I’m only a few minutes away.’
As soon as his car drew up at the curb, Candy jumped in.
‘Let’s get away from here, Mike, please.’
The detective drove, out of town and down to the river, parking off the road among some trees. He reached across and placed his arm around Candy’s shoulders.
‘Now, come on, tell me what’s worrying you.’
Candy swivelled in her seat to face him.
‘Why did you do it, Mike?’
‘Do what, Candy? What do you mean?’
‘Kill Tammy and Crystal.’
‘Are you mad? What’s got into you?’
‘It had to be you, Mike. You knew I lied about Tammy’s period. How would you know that unless you were intimate with her?’
The detective shrugged. ‘I worked it out that Tammy was meeting her guy and you said she didn’t fuck on her period, so she wouldn’t have arranged that if she was on a period. Simple logic.’
Candy shook her head.
‘The only people who’d seen Tammy’s guy were killed. Tammy knew him, everyone knew that. But only one person knew that Crystal had seen him. She told us she’d told you about it and the next thing she was dead. You’re the only man who knew Crystal had seen you. That’s why she had to die.’
‘No, you’re wrong. You’ve got it all wrong. I didn’t mean to kill them. They were accidents, both of them. I had my hands round Tammy’s throat as I came. My orgasm was so powerful I just squeezed too hard. That was all. Just an accident, just like it was with Crystal.’
Mike grinned and began to move his hands around her throat.
‘But I’m going to have to kill you, Candy. It’s a pity, I like you, I really do. It didn’t have to be like this.’
At that moment, the back door of his car opened and three girls climbed in. He released his grip and glared at them. Candy sighed with relief.
‘I thought you’d lost us.’
‘No way, Candy. We were right up your ass all the time. We just wanted him to give him enough rope to hang himself and it looks like he’s done just that.’
The detective laughed at them.
‘No one is going to believe a gaggle of filthy whores over a detective. Get real girls.’
They laughed in unison as they pinned him from behind while Candy hands reached for his throat.
‘We’re not going to tell anyone, detective.’
Those were the last words he heard.
The same patrol officer was there when his body was pulled out of the river next morning.
‘Hey.’ He rocketed off the bed towards her. ‘What’s your game?’
His momentum carried him onto her raised knee that crushed his balls and dropped him spitting and cursing to the threadbare carpet.
‘I’ve taken an extra 20 for the additional services.’ She dropped the wallet by his head. ‘And another 10 for not asking in advance.’
She pushed her feet into her heels and kicked him hard in the kidneys, once, twice and then, after reflecting, a third time.
He managed to haul himself to the bed and clambered onto it before he doubled over again.
* * *
The patrol officer walked over as the paramedics dragged the body out of the water. There was no need for an autopsy to identify the cause of death – the bruising round her neck told him that she had been strangled. And there’d be no problem with identification either. Even with her face bloated, he recognised her
‘That’s, Tammy. She works the streets around the Rattigan.’
The medical examiner confirmed death by strangulation. Reluctant as ever to commit to a time of death, she indicated between midnight and 3 am on Monday.
* * *
Candy clocked the detective as soon as he got out of his car and walked towards her.
‘Vice?’
‘No, murder. I’m investigating Tammy’s death. Did you know her?’
‘Yea, I knew her. She worked this area. We watched each other’s backs. Made sure we knew where the other was going.’
‘When did you see her last?’
The girl thought.
‘That would have been Saturday.’
‘And not since? Weren’t you concerned?’
‘Nope. She was coming up for her period. They were really painful, so she usually took a few days off.’
‘Did you see her with anyone in particular on Saturday?’
‘Yea. One her regulars. Big guy, middle aged. Don’t know his name. Saw them going into the Rattigan.’
* * *
The kid on the desk in the Rattigan Hotel was no help. He just took the money and handed over a key, just the next key off the pile. He couldn’t remember which girl had which room, they were in and out all night. He didn’t look at the punters. His manager had told him not to, it made them nervous. The only girl he could remember was Crystal. He liked Crystal, she’d caught him ogling her ass and let him have a squeeze. Now she always gave him a special wiggle as she climbed the stairs. He always gave her one of the better rooms, the ones usually reserved for all-nighters. He didn’t know where she lived, but the manager did.
* * *
Crystal lived only a few streets away. She rubbed the sleep out of her eyes when she saw the badge.
‘You’re here about Tammy. Poor kid. You’d better come in.’
She didn’t know her well, just one of the girls to talk to when business was slack.
‘Was business slack last Saturday?’
‘Hell, no. It was dry and warm. Guys were flocking around. We were picking up as fast as we were back on the street.’
‘Did you see Tammy?’
‘Sure, she was around. Saw her a few times. Hey, look, would you like a coffee or something?’
‘Thanks, yes that would be good.’
She shuffled into the kitchen and came back with two mugs.
‘Did you see her with anyone in particular?’
‘She was with several guys. Just regular punters. Don’t remember much about them.’ She took a sip. ‘Oh yea, come to think of it, there was one of her regulars. Don’t know his name. Heavy set, greying hair. Drives a red pickup.’
‘Anything else you can think of?’ The detective drained the remains of his coffee.
‘They had an argument or something.’ She moved over and sat beside him.
‘Tell me.’
‘I’d seen Tammy and a guy going into the room next door as we arrived. I finished my trick off quick and we were heading out when we heard this cry and a thud. Like someone had been thumped and knocked down.’
‘Was this the regular guy?’
‘Can’t be sure. I just saw his back as I came up the stairs.’
‘You didn’t check if she was OK?’
‘No, Tammy could take care of herself and she liked it a bit rough, so I wasn’t worried. She’d have called out if she needed help.’
‘Thanks. Anything else?’
She rubbed against him and rested her hand on his thigh.
‘Are you in a hurry?’
He wasn’t.
* * *
Other girls had seen the same guy. One had seen his truck out the back of the Mall. Another had been with him.
‘Didn’t like him. Bit too rough for my taste, but Tammy didn’t mind. Said it paid better.’
‘Any idea where I could find him?’
‘No, but he’s often around. He said his name was John, but most of them do.’
* * *
John’s real name was Bob and he was easy to find. His truck was parked at the back of the mall and a few questions led the detective to the plant room where he was drinking coffee.
‘Sure I know, Tammy. She’s the best.’
‘She’d dead, Bob. They fished her out of the river early hours of Wednesday.’
Bob sat stunned.
‘I’m sorry to hear that. She was a good kid, Didn’t deserve that, nobody does.’
‘Deserve what, Bob?’
‘Being killed, of course. What else?’
‘I didn’t say she’d been killed, just that she had died.’
‘Well I assumed. That’s what happens to those girls, isn’t it.’
‘When did you see her last?’
‘That would have been Saturday night. About 11. We went to the Rattigan hotel. All the girls use it.’
‘We’ve got a witness who says you had a fight. What was that about?’
‘Bitch wanted extra money. Helped herself from my wallet.’
‘Why would she do that? Didn’t you pay in advance? That’s usual, isn’t it?’
‘She was annoyed that I tipped her over and pegged her ass. I’ve done it before and she hasn’t complained. Enjoys it, if you want to know. But this time she took against it, bucked and cursed me. Said she should be paid extra and then more for not asking in advance.’
‘Is that why you hit her?’
‘Me hit her. You’ve got it wrong. She kneed me in the nuts, then gave me a good kicking.’
‘Did you go after her?’
‘You must be joking. You know what it’s like when you get your nuts bashed. Hurt like hell for ages. I just lay there till the pain went away, then I went home.’
‘Where were you Sunday night, Bob?’
‘Is that when she was killed?’
‘Just tell me where you were.’
‘I was here, from 8 pm. Got called out to an emergency. We were here all night sorting it out. Ask the guys, they’ll all tell you, I was right here, working, all night.’
And that’s what they all said, every one of them, he was with them all from 8 pm Sunday to 5 am Monday.
* * *
The detective went back to Crystal.
‘Hi, lover, come back for more?’
‘I’ve got some more questions about Tammy.’
‘They can wait.’
They did.
Afterwards, he asked his questions as she lay with her head on his chest.
‘Was there anyone else that she was seeing? Someone special maybe. Someone she kept to herself.’
‘Well, she was secretive. We all can be when we get someone we want to keep to ourselves.’ Her fingers scratched at his balls. ‘Someone like you.’
Later he continued his questions.
‘So she had a special guy?’
‘Yea. She dropped hints, you know, like she wanted me to know but didn’t want to tell me. She’d gone with him in his car a few times and then they’d been to hotels. Proper hotels, not like that Rattigan dump.’
‘Did she describe him at all? Give you any idea about who he was or what he did?’
‘She said that he was a big guy.’ Her fingers circled his cock. ‘Said he had terrific stamina. Like you, lover.’
‘Anything else? Any idea of what sort of work he did?’
Crystal took his cock out of her mouth.
‘No, nothing specific, just hinted I’d be surprised if I knew. She was mysterious, but she was probably just trying to build him up, make him seem better than he was.’
The detective lay back while Crystal worked her tongue along his shaft.
‘Did you ever get to see him?’
Crystal climbed astride.
‘Not sure. May have got a glimpse of him once, but I can’t be sure. Just an impression.’
She eased him into her cunt, digging her nails into his nipples as he stretched her open.
‘Now are we going to talk or fuck?’
They fucked.
* * *
The next day another body was dragged out of the river.
‘I know her.’ It was the same patrol officer who had been on the scene when Tammy was brought ashore.
‘Her name’s Crystal.’
She’d been strangled.
* * *
The detective went back to Candy.
‘Why did you lie to me?’ He moved in close, only a couple of feet away.
‘What do you mean? I didn’t.’
‘You told me Tammy was on a period so you weren’t surprised that she wasn’t around.’
The detective moved in close, pinning Candy against the wall.
‘So? What’s your point? Some girls carry on working, some don’t.’
‘She wasn’t on her period, was she? She was off with her special guy. That’s the truth isn’t it.’
‘Maybe. Look, she didn’t tell me, I was just guessing.’
‘But she had a special guy. What did she tell you about him?’
Candy wasn’t going to be intimidated; she stared him down.
‘Nothing, she didn’t tell me nothing specific.’
‘Come on, tell me what she told you.’
‘It was like I said. She didn’t tell me anything, well nothing specific. Just dropped hints. Hints that she’d met this guy, that he was getting serious, that she wouldn’t be around much longer. But they were just hints. She didn’t say anything more. She wouldn’t and I wouldn’t have believed her anyway.’
The detective’s tone softened and he moved to rest his back against the wall alongside Candy.
‘Why wouldn’t she say anything more?’
‘Because none of us would. We look out for each other, sure. But it’s every girl for herself at the end of the day. If one of us gets a bit of luck, we’re not going to share it around.’
‘And why wouldn’t you have believed her?’
‘Get real, mister. We’re street whores. The rough end of the trade. And Tammy liked the roughest tricks. She got off on it. Why would any decent guy want any of us? There’d have to be something weird about him. Can you imagine him taking her home for Thanksgiving or to some grand banquet? Hell as like. Sure he’d drive her around in his swank car, buy her a posh dress and take her to a smart hotel, where no one knows him, but at the end of the day all he wants is to get into her pussy and rough her up.’
‘Did she tell you what he did to her?’
‘Nope. But I saw the bruises. And he liked to throttle her while they fucked. He had some fancy name for it, she said.’
‘Auto-erotic asphyxiation?’
‘Maybe. I don’t remember. I saw the some bruises on her throat one day and asked what happened. That’s when she told me.’
‘Tell me about his car.’
‘How should I know about his car?’
The detective consulted his notes.
‘You said he had a swank car, so tell me about it.’
‘Just big and black. That’s all she said. Big enough for them to fuck in the back in comfort. He had the sound system on, to cover the noise probably.’
‘Now listen, Candy, this is real important. Did you ever see this guy? Ever get even a glimpse of him?’
Candy shook her head.
‘No, I can’t say I did.’
The detective turned to face her.
‘That doesn’t sound very positive, Candy. Do you think you may have seen him?’
‘Yes, no, I mean, look, I don’t know, you’re getting me confused. I just thought one day, from the look in her eyes, that she’d been with him and there was this guy walking away. He was just in the background. It needn’t have been him, could have been anybody, just someone walking along the street. It was just a feeling I got, that’s all.’
The detective handed Candy a card.
‘Take this, Candy. It’s got my number. If you remember anything else, anything at all, give me a ring. OK?’
As he began to walk away, Candy reached out and touched his arm.
‘Is it true about Crystal? Was it the same guy?’
The detective nodded.
‘It’s the same MO, so it looks like it may be the same guy.’
‘Does that mean we’re all at risk?’
The detective shrugged.
‘I don’t know, Candy, I really don’t know. Just give me a ring if you’re worried. I’ll make sure no one harms you.’
With a quick reassuring smile he was gone.
* * *
Word spread like fire in brushwood. The girls were never out alone, always staying in sight of each other. Refusing to go anywhere with clients except the Rattigan. And, as they had after Tammy’s death, they talked, piercing together what they knew.
Two days later, Candy took out the card the detective had given her. She called his cell phone.
‘Detective Lewenstein, Mike, is that you? This is Candy. Remember me?’
‘Of course I do, Candy? Have you remembered something?’
‘Yea, in a way, maybe, but listen, Mike, I’m worried. I think I’m being watched. Just a feeling, but it’s like someone is watching me all the time, from a distance.’
‘Where are you, Candy?’
‘Opposite the Rattigan.’
‘Is that where the guy is, do you think, inside the Rattigan?’
‘I don’t know, Mike, I really don’t. I’m frightened, that’s all.’
‘Stay where you are, Candy. I’ll be right there. I’m only a few minutes away.’
As soon as his car drew up at the curb, Candy jumped in.
‘Let’s get away from here, Mike, please.’
The detective drove, out of town and down to the river, parking off the road among some trees. He reached across and placed his arm around Candy’s shoulders.
‘Now, come on, tell me what’s worrying you.’
Candy swivelled in her seat to face him.
‘Why did you do it, Mike?’
‘Do what, Candy? What do you mean?’
‘Kill Tammy and Crystal.’
‘Are you mad? What’s got into you?’
‘It had to be you, Mike. You knew I lied about Tammy’s period. How would you know that unless you were intimate with her?’
The detective shrugged. ‘I worked it out that Tammy was meeting her guy and you said she didn’t fuck on her period, so she wouldn’t have arranged that if she was on a period. Simple logic.’
Candy shook her head.
‘The only people who’d seen Tammy’s guy were killed. Tammy knew him, everyone knew that. But only one person knew that Crystal had seen him. She told us she’d told you about it and the next thing she was dead. You’re the only man who knew Crystal had seen you. That’s why she had to die.’
‘No, you’re wrong. You’ve got it all wrong. I didn’t mean to kill them. They were accidents, both of them. I had my hands round Tammy’s throat as I came. My orgasm was so powerful I just squeezed too hard. That was all. Just an accident, just like it was with Crystal.’
Mike grinned and began to move his hands around her throat.
‘But I’m going to have to kill you, Candy. It’s a pity, I like you, I really do. It didn’t have to be like this.’
At that moment, the back door of his car opened and three girls climbed in. He released his grip and glared at them. Candy sighed with relief.
‘I thought you’d lost us.’
‘No way, Candy. We were right up your ass all the time. We just wanted him to give him enough rope to hang himself and it looks like he’s done just that.’
The detective laughed at them.
‘No one is going to believe a gaggle of filthy whores over a detective. Get real girls.’
They laughed in unison as they pinned him from behind while Candy hands reached for his throat.
‘We’re not going to tell anyone, detective.’
Those were the last words he heard.
The same patrol officer was there when his body was pulled out of the river next morning.