Joanne Ellis - Spoilt

Spolit

by

Joanne Ellis

Published by NightPublishing, Smashwords edition

Copyright 2010, JoanneEllis

ISBN978-1-4523-4193-4

Thank you for downloadingthis e-book. You are welcome to share it with your friends. Thisbook may be reproduced, copied and distributed for non-commercialpurposes, provided the book remains in its complete originalform.

All characters arefictional, and any resemblance to anyone living or dead isaccidental.

To discover other books byJoanne Ellis, please go tohttp://www.nightpublishing.com/id34.html.

The terror in her eyes and the realisation shes going to dieis sweet medicine to my soul.

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

Her blood spills as I carve into her flesh my hate for herperfect 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 waterprickled his skin. The hollow pain living in his chest threatenedto suffocate him. He stuck his head under the spray while theirfaces haunted his mind and forced the torment deep down, back whereit 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 themto 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 insistentringing.

Hudson.

Its me, Maggie responded.

Whats up?

We got another one.

Dammit. Where?

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

Ill be there in twenty, he told her.

Lucas returned to the bathroom and shaved quickly. He glancedin the mirror and noticed his eyes bloodshot from lack of sleep. Heshrugged. What did it matter? Running his fingers through his hair,he took a few deep breaths in preparation for what he was about toface. 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. Theday hed successfully put behind him, until last week. The visionsrefused to fade night and day now. He looked down and saw theblood, so much blood.

He shoved himself back to reality. He needed to concentrate.During his twelve years as a cop, hed seen the horrors, dealt withthem all before pushing them aside. Some were harder than othersbut hed gotten through mostly unscathed, until now. This case wasdifferent. It was affecting him.

Lucas parked next to his partners car and as he climbed outthe humidity warmed his still cold limbs. The oppressive heat wouldonly get worse as the day progressed. Maggie leant against her car,waiting. When she spotted him, she strode over, her frame athleticand expression grim. Even with a scowl, she was a stunner. With hershort blonde hair and penetrating blue eyes her beauty was unique.She certainly didnt look like your average cop. Her physique andangular features turned heads.

Definitely the same? Lucas asked.

Fraid so.

A long forgotten yet familiar lump surfaced in Lucas' throatas they flashed their badges at the taped-off scene. An officerdirected them towards the dank alleyway in the rear, which wasundetectable from the road. The unmistakable stink of rottinggarbage assaulted them as they turned the corner.

The victim lay face-up, naked and brutalised. She appeared tobe in her mid twenties and would probably have been beautiful, likethe first victim once was. Her wrists and ankles were lacerated asthough shed been bound and at her throat remained a gaping smile.The absence of blood implied shed been murdered elsewhere. Purpleand yellow bruises speckled her body indicating days of abuse whileher face was battered and swollen. Lucas could see the fear frozenin 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 congealmentindicated the wounds were inflicted over time. Another pretty youngwoman tortured and left in a dirty alley behind a warehouse, as ifshe meant nothing. It would not feel like nothing to the people wholoved 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 takingphotos when the Medical Examiner arrived. David Walker was in hislate forties. A short, squat man with pointed features and thinninghair, his compassionate nature complemented his thoroughness. Hisknees creaked from the strain as he knelt beside her.

The chest wounds and cause of death appear consistent withthe last victim, he began. Ligature marks on the wrists andankles 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 pocketand helped roll the body from back to side. He held her in place asDave examined the victim, took her temperature and checked for IDbeneath her. Lucas swallowed down the lump still wedged in histhroat; handling dead victims never got any easier.

Yes, here it is, Dave said. He passed the ID to Maggies nowgloved 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, toreoff his gloves ready to deposit them in the nearest bin.

Lets go, he said. See if we can work out what these twohave in common.

* * *

At the station, coffee in hand, Lucas logged onto hiscomputer. As it went through its sluggish loading process, herubbed tired eyes, ran his fingers through his hair and drank hisstrong caffeine hit, anything to distract his mind. A solitary wordbecame his silent mantra. Focus. He tapped his fingers impatiently,waiting for the missing persons database to load Kate Millersreport. He considered making another coffee when at last thedetails materialised before him.

Kate had been reported missing the previous Monday night,although shed in fact been missing since Sunday. He pulled thereport on the first victim, Libby Greene, from the pile on hisdesk, to scan again with fresh eyes, checking the correlations.Libby had been missing for six days before her body was discoveredearly the previous Tuesday morning.

Libby had been sexually assaulted several times over the sixdays, while the letters cut into her chest were also inflicted overtime. Her throat had been slashed, leaving the identical gapinghole theyd seen that morning. She too, had been dumped behind awarehouse having been killed elsewhere. ID left with the body butno other possessions.

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

Thanks, but I dont know if I can. He grimaced. Kates beenmissing for six days. Theres an overlap.

So he mightve grabbed Kate before he killed Libby. Shepaused. This is one sick puppy were dealing with here, Hudson.Holding one girl while stalking another and perhaps holding themboth. Can you imagine what they would be listening to...?

Lucas nodded. He could have more than one location too. Heshook his head in frustration. Were speculating until we getDaves report.

A lead would be helpful. Maggie paused. I guess its timeto talk to Kates family, see to the notification.

Maggie studied Lucas as he grabbed his jacket from the chairand picked up his keys without saying a word. This usuallyindicated he wanted to drive. She noted the tight set of his jawand the dark smudges under his eyes. He wasnt sleeping again. Shequickened her step as she followed him to his car. He lit a smoke,a habit she barely remembered him having. His dark eyes reflectedhis far off thoughts and troubled mind. His self imposed solitarylife was slowly destroying what little light remained. Hispassionate nature was being torn apart by loneliness. Maggie waswell aware of how much this case would be disturbing him. Shewondered whether this would be the one that tipped him over theedge.