Blackmail

by Simpson, A. L.

  Marty snapped and began pummeling her with his fists. The blows came hard and fast, stomach, face then the back of her head. She couldn't move her arms quick enough to minimize the impact. Stars appeared, darkness engulfed her.

  He grabbed fistfuls of her hair and dragged her to where he could see her in the dim light. Blood poured from her face. Was she dead? He couldn't risk her being alive. She would be questioned about her injuries and the bitch would run off at the mouth. His business would be ruined and when Vince found out about his 'skimming' and 'business on the side', he would most certainly kill him. Marty couldn't risk it.

  He pulled a stiletto from his boot and sliced it across Tegan's neck. She didn't move or make a sound. Blood spurted from the wound. Satisfied she would not survive, he dropped her back on to the ground and disappeared into the night.

  The body, a tortured tangle of flesh, was found two days later by a young couple out walking their dog.

  ****

  Avery stepped off the bus and rushed toward the club. She was late. Again. This time Vince couldn't be angry, he had called her late to say Tegan hadn't turned up and she would be covering.

  Vince met her at the door, grabbed her arm and dragged her down the hallway to the dressing room. He pushed her inside and slammed the door.

  “What do you want, Vince?” Her voice was thick with resignation, defeat. She was exhausted. He had made no allowances for her parents' death. She worked the late set at the club almost every night now. Rachel had been taken sick and was in the hospital. Avery didn't know what was wrong, she hadn't had time to visit and talk with her. When she had asked Vince, he had scowled and said she was an ungrateful slut playing at being ill.

  “You're due on the fuckin' stage in ten minutes. This is the third time this week you have turned up fucking late. It's gonna come out of your pay check.”

  “I have told you. My car was impounded. I have to get a bus now. I'm at the mercy of their schedules. “

  “Get an earlier fucking bus.” Vince slapped her face. The force knocked her sideways. She was convinced her head had almost parted company with her shoulders. She steadied herself before moving closer to the prick.

  “I'm done. You can tell whoever you fucking like. I'm past caring.” Avery spun around and stormed from the dressing room.

  As she negotiated the hallway, Vince's voice rang in her ears.

  “You'll be back. I'll make sure you won't get a job anywhere in this country. It’s work for me here or starve.”

  “Go to fucking hell,” she screamed back.

  ****

  Avery clicked on the news feed on her computer as she took a break for lunch. Taking a bite of her sandwich, she almost choked on the roast beef and salad. There, staring back at her was Tegan's smiling face. She was dead! No, it wasn't possible. Maybe it only looks like Tegan.

  She studied the page closer and read the printing. Tegan had been found early that morning, naked in bushes. She squinted hard. The photo of the bush was opposite the club.

  Fucking hell. Marty! He's killed her. That's why she didn't turn up for work last night. I'll go to the police. No, I can't. They’ll kill me too. They can't kill you if they're in jail. What if the police don't believe me? I’m a stripper? Her thoughts warred back and forth.

  Reading more of the attached story she discovered Tegan had been beaten and had her throat slit. No other details were available and the family and police were calling for witnesses.

  Tears slipped down her cheeks.

  She was trying to figure out what she should do when Mr Ro entered her office. The sandwich was placed down on her plate and she wiped the crumbs from her hands.

  “Mr Ro. Do you need me?” she asked.

  “Could you come to my office please?”

  Chills bolted down Avery's spine. Her boss had spoken quietly, there was an expression on his face which suggested he was angry. But, about what? She always completed her work on time and to a very high standard.

  She followed him into his office next door.

  “Take a seat.” Mr Ro closed the door behind them before moving to his seat on the other side of the desk.

  He sat quietly, fingers tented on the desk in front of him. Avery was becoming tense and more nervous. Her boss was always a jovial, talkative man, never quiet and serious.

  He spun his computer screen around, not a word was spoken.

  She quickly glanced at the screen then wished she hadn’t. Nausea overcame her, she knew she had paled. There on the screen, on the world's most popular social media site were pictures of her and Tegan. Totally naked, embracing each other. Hands fondling each other's pussy's. Written above was:

  Daughter of Glanville’s most respected couple found out. Avery Watson – lesbian slut who strips for a living at the Pennywhistle Strip club. After working her ‘good girl’ job during the day, she strips and sells her body for sex. Would you employ someone like this in a decent family business?

  More pictures of Avery and Tegan in various stages of undress, including full frontal nudity, followed. Their names were listed below. Vince had followed through with his threats.

  “Mr. Ro,” she began

  “I'm sorry Avery but I don't like deceitful sluts and they certainly don't work for me.”

  “But….”

  “I have had phone calls from all over the country in the past hour demanding you be sacked. We live in more liberal times, but not liberal enough to employ a tramp and a liar.”

  Tears flooded Avery's eyes and poured down her cheeks, dripping from her chin. She couldn't afford to lose this job. How would she find another with her pictures plastered all over the internet? Sure, they were fakes, she had never been with Tegan, but how did she prove it?

  “I have placed your wages into your account but there will be no severance or holiday pay. I feel any Judge in any court would agree, because of your disgraceful and immoral behavior, I have the right to fire you with no benefits forthcoming.”

  Avery's head spun but she heard something about money placed in her account, No, no, no. It can't be. She couldn't access it and she needed it desperately.

  “Sir, I need the money in cash. The account I was using has been frozen until the estate is released.”

  “Honestly, I don't give a fuck. The money has already gone into the account. Pack your belongings and get out.”

  “But…”

  “GET OUT.”

  Avery knocked the chair to the floor in her hurry to escape her boss’ fury and condemnation. After grabbing her purse, she stumbled from the building.

  ****

  Avery scoured the papers for work. Most jobs these days were advertised online but her personal computer, like everything else, was listed on her father's asset register and had been impounded. Would this nightmare never end?

  She had managed to secure a few dollars from the government unemployment department but this emergency grant wouldn't even give her enough to live on. They said she would get more when she proved she had applied for, and attended, job interviews. How the fuck could she do that when, as soon as she gave her name people slammed the phone down in her ear.

  Giving a false name had gotten her as far as a couple of interviews but as soon as they clapped eyes on her face, she had been told to leave. Even employers in Talcott, ten miles away, wouldn't have anything to do with her. She was a social pariah.

  She didn't even have the option of fleeing the country. There was no money. She had underestimated Vince and now she was paying the price – big time. Would she become his captive again?

  Chapter Four

  Gabe wrapped his arm around his mother's waist and held her close as the coffin containing the body of his sister was lowered into the earth. His father stood beside him. A quick glance revealed trembling lips and unchecked tears rolling down his dad’s cheeks. Gabe swallowed against the lump in his throat. His father, Grant - a former Police Chief, never shed tears.

  Gabe's mother, Ruby, wailed as her daughter
disappeared into the void. She clutched at the lapel on his police jacket, buried her head into his shoulder and sobbed uncontrollably.

  After a few minutes, he eased his mother away. “Come on, mom. Let's get you home.” They paused while his father picked up a handful of earth and threw it onto the coffin.

  He guided his parents through the hundreds of mourners, back to the car. Ruby struggled into the back seat with her son's help. Grant joined his wife while Gabe climbed in behind the wheel, fired up the engine and drove the vehicle slowly away.

  Ruby clutched Grant's hand and leaned against his shoulder. “Why, Gabe, why?” she asked softly. “She was a good girl, who would murder her?”

  Gabe kept his eyes on the road as he answered. “I don't know mom, but I promise you we will find the bastards who took her from us.”

  Tegan Jervis' body had been found five days earlier She had been naked, dumped in the bush alongside a large vacant allotment. No-one would have heard her screams. Nowhere was close enough to run to. How terrified she must have been. She had died all alone, tossed away like a piece of garbage. It was this thought that angered Gabe most of all. He loved his little sister with a passion and he would make sure the monster who had killed her paid. A thousand times over. If not for his pride in being an officer of the law, he would have ensured the asshole paid with his life. But, the fucking vermin wasn’t worth losing his career over. He would play things by the book.

  The medical examination had found she had been badly beaten. This was stating the fucking obvious. When Gabe had been called for a formal identification, he had been barely able to recognize her. The doctor had told him her nose, cheekbones, six ribs, a wrist and an elbow were all broken while a shoulder had been wrenched from its joint. He had stood there, staring at what had once been his beautiful sister. When the doctor patted his shoulder, he broke down and blubbered like a baby. The pain and grief were overwhelming. He had persuaded his parents to remember her as she was. The sight would have broken their hearts. The only comfort to the family was, she hadn't been raped.

  Tegan's death certificate showed Death from Loss of Blood due to Laceration of Jugular Vein. It was estimated, she would have bled out in minutes and not been forced to suffer for hours. Alone. Some fucking consolation that was.

  The Police Captain had forbidden him to work on the investigation. He wanted a conviction which was beyond doubt. It wasn’t that he didn’t trust the young man to conduct the investigation with integrity and honesty. But, he knew the lawyers would have a field day when they found out the detective on the case was also the victim’s brother. The family had suffered enough; he would not allow a killer to walk free because a jury might have doubts about tainted evidence.

  The investigation was to be conducted by two detectives from the nearby town, Glanville, where his sister's body had been found. Gabe was livid when told he couldn't participate but after he calmed down, he realized his Captain was right. It didn’t stop him from asking about the progress of the case though.

  ****

  Gabe pushed through the glass doors of the Police station, nodded to the Desk Sargent and strode to where the Detectives working his sister's case would be waiting for him. He had called and told them he was on his way.

  As he negotiated several desks, he sent a chair crashing to the floor. The Detectives looked up.

  It had been two weeks since his sister's funeral and he needed some answers. So far there had been nothing. He approached Detectives Bryce Williams and Elizabeth Connors who he’d crossed paths with on previous cases. They motioned for him to sit.

  “I hope you have something for me. My patience is now non-existent and I swear I'm gonna start investigating this case myself. I don't give a fuck what the Captain says.”

  “Calm down Gabe and listen to what we have to say,” Elizabeth urged.

  Gabe relaxed into the chair. He would give them a fair hearing. But if he wasn’t satisfied, he would take matters into his own hands.

  Bryce began, “Over the past few days we have talked to your sister's school friends, her team mates at Hockey and her Teacher's. They all say Tegan had been withdrawn, quiet, not herself for a few weeks.”

  “Her closest friend…” Elizabeth flicked through her notebook. “Janice said she had stopped going to the library with them after school and they can't remember the last time they spent a night with her.”

  Gabe listened carefully. His sister was an 'A' grade student in her final year of school. She spent most of her time at the library or studying at home with her friends. It was unusual for this routine to have stopped. His parents had complained she had been very quiet. They said she was spending four nights a week at friends' places studying and came in very late. She was usually tired and when they asked her to cut back, she had become testy and told her parents to mind their own business.

  Bryce continued. “Her teachers said her grades had fallen badly in past weeks and she had refused to talk about what was bothering her. She didn't participate in debate like she had previously and, she had quit the Drama Club and the Hockey team.”

  Gabe raked his hair with his fingers. “What the fuck was going on with her? I should have listened to mom and dad when they said something wasn't right.” He didn't miss the swift glance exchanged between the two detectives. “What?”

  “Um, you need to see this and we know your reaction is not going to be good.” Elizabeth looked at him with sympathy.

  “What are you talking about?” Gabe growled.

  “Calm down. Remember, we’re investigating her murder and want answers. We are not judging.” Bryce said. He swung the computer screen around to face Gabe.

  The detectives watched as their colleague’s face reddened. His blood pressure must have soared sky high.

  “Fucking hell. Fuck! “He studied the pictures of his baby sister in the arms of another woman. The other woman was gorgeous but that wasn't the point. Was his fifteen-year-old sister a lesbian? Not that it mattered if she was. Had she been dragged into some tawdry web by this much older woman? So many questions. Scrolling down brought the pictures of both woman stripping until they were naked. He read the story that accompanied the crude photos before he stood.

  He paced back and forth. His fingers raked at his scalp “How the fuck did Tegan get tangled up with this club? She was such a good girl. She wanted to be a Doctor, you know. How the fuck am I gonna tell mom and dad?”

  “We're sorry, Gabe. Please sit down, we have more.” Elizabeth said.

  More? I can't take any more of this fucking shit. He continued to pace.

  “Please buddy, sit down. You need to hear this.” Bryce pleaded.

  Gabe flopped his large frame back in the chair.

  “Captain Lindon has asked us to tell you, he has placed other detectives on the case you’ve been working on.” Elizabeth began.

  Gabe flew out of the chair. “What! He can't do that. What the fuck does he think he's doing? If he thinks he’s sending me on fucking leave so I’ll stay away, he’s mistaken.”

  “Sit down,” Bryce shouted.

  Gabe did.

  “He has taken you off the case because he wants you to get information from this girl in the pictures with Tegan. He thinks she may be able to lead us to the murderer.”

  “But, he said I was forbidden from working this case.” Gabe was confused.

  “Let's just say, he was asked to change his mind. We need help. Yours. You’ve worked undercover before and if you can get close to this girl, she may break the case for us. We think being Tegan's brother, she may open up to you.” Bryce said.

  “Makes sense, I guess.”

  Bryce opened a folder. “The girl's name is Avery Watson. She lives in Redmore Street. It’s a seedy part of town.”

  “Figures that she’d live somewhere questionable if she's a stripper.” Gabe commented.

  Elizabeth and Bryce nodded in agreement.

  “The club Avery works at is the Pennywhistle Strip Club over in Talco
tt. It’s close to where Tegan's body was found. We are convinced this club has something to do with the murder but the owner, Vince isn’t talking and he won’t allow us access to his employees. We need you to convince Avery to spill her guts.” Bryce said.

  “What else do you know about this Avery slut?”

  “Not much. Her parents were killed in an accident a few weeks ago. Reasonably wealthy couple from Glanville Heights. She was their only child. No other relatives that we can find. Her parents were only children as well. They died without a will and all assets have been frozen while the beneficiaries are decided.”

  “Could be why she works as a stripper. Maybe she procured innocent young girls like Tegan as well.” Like sheet lightning, a bolt of fury surged through him. “But, if she's from a well off family, why doesn't she have a decent job? Why prey on innocent young girls? Sell herself to the lecherous trash that frequents these places.”

  “We don't know. We only found this link late yesterday. It's up to you to investigate further. We will continue canvassing the area, talking to people about the club, the owner and his employees. You are only to investigate Avery and see what you can get from her. We will feed you any important information and we expect the same from you.” Bryce handed Gabe the folder.

  Elizabeth handed him a laptop. “We had her watched and when she went out today one of our men placed cameras. You will be able to observe her in the living area only. The bedroom and bathroom have not had cameras placed for obvious reasons.

  Gabe nodded as he accepted the laptop, the folder and stood.

  “Good luck.” Bryce and Elizabeth said to his receding back.

  Gabe lifted his hand over his head and waved as he left.

  ****

  Gabe reclined slightly in his car seat and sipped at his coffee before taking a large bite of his roast beef roll. He studied the small computer screen in front of him. Avery had arrived home minutes after he’d parked his car in a strategic position across the road from her rundown apartment.