After the lift’s doors had completely parted, she stepped inside and stood against the back wall. The doors closed and took her to the floor she’d requested. Getting to the door of her room, Crystal opened up and stepped in. The inside felt cool, and Harry was sat by the window.
“Enjoy your walk?!” he asked, not looking at her.
“Not really, no. There are some right bell-ends out there!”
“Ha-ha! I could have told you that!”
“I wish you had – I may not have bothered going!” she said, throwing the shopping bags onto the bed. “Have you been sat there the whole time, my love?”
“Yeah, I have. I’ve been watching the fanny go by,” he openly stated.
“Tut! Anything decent?” she asked, knowing her asking would give him a slight thrill.
“A few decent pairs of tits have been seen, yes. Why?”
“Harry, you know how much I love a good set!”
“Oh, so you finally admit it, do you?”
“Why, I thought you already knew,” she said. She watched him as he rubbed his crotch. “You naughty boy!”
“Yeah, sounds about right.”
“You do know what naughty boys get?”
“A good crack on the arse, just like a dirty bitch would get!”
Crystal giggled. “That’s right.”
“Then what are you waiting for?” he asked.
“What do you mean, Harry?”
“Aren’t you going to spank me?!”
“But—”
“Do it!”
She flinched at his sudden outburst. “Okay…” She gingerly walked over to him and picked him up. He was unblinking. An unlit cigar jutted from his mouth.
“Well, what are you waiting for – Hanukkah?”
A snort-laugh escaped her. “No, of course not, Harry.” Leading him back to the bed, she sat down and crossed her legs. Placing him over her knee, she started smacking his arse.
“Is that all you’ve got, oldie?!” he asked. “You’re fucking tickling me, not making my dick hard!”
“Oh, so you wanted it harder, do you? Think you’re a big man?!” she said, before giving him a few hard welts. “How do you like that?” she asked, giving him another dozen hard cracks. Her hand flared red, but she didn’t show that it was hurting her. “You’re lucky I haven’t got my whip!”
“You dirty fuck!” he yelled as her hand struck him time and again.
“Now, now…Keep that kind of language up, and I’ll have to wash your mouth out with soap and water, young man!” She could feel his dick stiffen against her thigh. “My, are you getting excited?”
“Don’t stop!” he yelled. “Treat me like the filthy fuck I am!” He groaned and grunted when her hand connected with him a few more times. “Oh, you bitch. You dirty, dirty bitch!”
“He-he!” she giggled, and gave him a few more hard cracks across his backside. “Had enough?!”
“No!”
“You won’t be able to sit down if we keep this up.”
“Let me worry about my seating arrangements,” he said, and then jerked as her hand walloped him again, and again, and again…
Stopping, she placed Harry on the bed.
“Hey, what do you think you’re doing?!” he asked.
“Now I’m going to make you pleasure me, you naughty thing!” she said before standing up to slip her jeans off. She wasn’t wearing any knickers. Lying back on the bed, she opened her legs and commanded Harry to lick her out. “Do your worst, big boy!”
She threw her head back in ecstasy as she felt his rough tongue against her clit. As he worked her, Crystal put her hands on her breasts and started moulding them. When she started groaning, she clenched her teeth to stop herself from grinding them.
“Shit!” She gasped as an orgasm shook her. Letting her tits go, Crystal grabbed handfuls of duvet as another pulse of pleasure shot through her. Soon, her knees were shaking – her thighs quivered. “Oh, God! Stop, Harry. Stop!”
“Pleading won’t get you anywhere!” he said, briefly poking his head up before going back down on her.
After several intense orgasms, Harry stopped, for which Crystal was grateful – she couldn’t withstand any more pleasure. “You really are a wicked young man!” she said, puffing out air. Sweat poured down her face.
“Glad I could be of a service!” he said, getting off the bed and going to the chair once again.
“I’m going to need another shower after that – I can’t very well go to a party stinking of sex!” she said, erupting with laughter.
“Oh, and why not?”
“I’d embarrass myself, Harry.”
“Pft, I wouldn’t care.”
“I’m sure you’d love it. Shall I not wear any knickers, either? Maybe I should just go naked!”
“Mmm, yes!”
“Pervert.”
“And your point is?”
Crystal laughed. “True. What time is it, anyway?”
“It’s a little after four,” he said.
“We better start getting ready, my love.”
“Huh?! We have hours, don’t we?”
“Roughly three hours – we have to go and pick Mr. Tickles up, and that may take a bit of time.”
“Not three hours, it won’t!”
“Well, I guess not. Maybe another hour of relaxing won’t harm.”
“Of course not.”
“I’m not really in any rush to go! I’m dreading seeing Sam. You know she’s going to make an attempt on our lives, don’t you?”
“Yeah, but she won’t get a chance, my love – I’ll do the bitch before she gets a look in, don’t worry.”
“I know…”
“Besides, we’ll have that clown with us. I’m sure he’ll help out if we find ourselves in a spot.”
“True. He did seem to take a liking to me, so hopefully.”
“Well, there you are. Stop fretting – no harm will come to you or me. I can’t speak for others, mind you…” he said, sniggering.
Crystal smiled. “Who else do you think will be there?”
“Fuck knows. I still think it’s a load of horse shit!”
“I guess we’ll find out.”
“Are you going to put a dress on?” he asked.
“Why?”
“Because I want you to show them legs off, that’s why! Something short. You know I love your fat thighs!”
“Harry, they’re not fat.”
“You know what I mean, whore.”
“Do I?” she asked, smiling. “A lady could take offence, you know?”
“Fucking ‘lady’ my white wooden arse!”
She shook her head. “I could be a lady, if you allowed me to be, Harry. I can be rather classy when I want to be.”
“Oh, I see. Am I holding you back?”
“Don’t be silly, Harry. I was only teasing!”
“Better fucking had been, too, or you’ll be smiling with no fucking teeth left in your head.” He lifted his fist and shook it at her.
“Please, Harry. There’s no need to be like that – I was only playing.”
“Don’t get you knickers in a bunch, woman. I’m only teasing you. What are you dressing me in tonight?”
Settling back into an easy state, she put a finger to her chin as she thought about it. “Hmm, I’m not really sure. What were you thinking?”
“I fancy going in fancy dress – I don’t want a fucking tux or suit!”
“So something fun, hey?”
“That’s what I just fucking said!”
“How about sailor and sailor girl?”
“Ugh, no – we were in that garb a few nights ago!”
“Cowboy and cowgirl?”
“No!”
“Tart and vicar?”
“Hmm…I think we can do better!”
“Punks?”
“Not ever again!”
“Pirates?”
Harry gave her a cold look.
“Ninjas?!” she squealed.
“Yes!” he said, smacking his thigh. “That should be great fun.”
“Not only that, but I can arm you with throwing stars. And if shit turns ugly, we can use them!”
“That’s a very good idea.”
“Ninjas it is then. I’ll conceal a few knifes, too!” she said. “Those bastards won’t know what hit them if they try fucking with us, Harry.”
“I know, baby girl,” he said, settling back in the chair.
Noticing him lighting a cigar and getting comfy, Crystal got off the bed and grabbed the newspaper. “I wonder if we have a review in this rag today.”
“More than likely.”
Putting the paper flat on the bed, she started to turn the pages. She scanned each quickly before moving on to the next, until an article caught her attention:
South Wales Gazette
Monday, the 20th of July
Ellie Piersol
Aberconway House Spree Killer Brought to Justice
Simone Berti, 28, has been taken into police custody, charged in connection with the Aberconway House murder spree that occurred five years ago near Bridgend University campus where one student was kidnapped, and five others lost their lives.
The horrific murders were discovered the following morning by a neighbour who noticed smoke coming from the house while walking his dog and called police. Although the house was a total loss, fire fighters arrived in time to halt the spread to neighbouring buildings.
Upon discovering the nature of the deaths inside the house, police canvassed the area for witnesses. It was during this initial investigation that Penny Davies, a clerk at the nearby co-op, reported seeing a silver Fiesta leaving the scene, operated by a dark-haired young man, when she arrived for her early bakery shift around 4:00 a.m. That Fiesta was later reported stolen.
“I remembered him, sure. There aren’t too many out and about at that time of day, and he was right handsome enough to catch anyone’s eye. I saw him clear as anything when he drove under the streetlamp at the corner, there, headed north. Him and the girl he was with. I feel terrible now for thinking how lucky she was to be with such a good-looking bloke, then come to find out he was a madman. Poor, poor girl.”
Autopsies of the five victims proved that they’d been killed prior to the fire being set. It wasn't until news of his description spread, however, that Berti came under suspicion for at least four other disappearances and multiple other accounts of attempted kidnapping. The girl taken that night from Aberconway house, Toni Clark, has never been found.
Police are hopeful that now that Berti is in custody, faced with life in prison, further admissions of truth may yet be forthcoming.
Inquiries into Berti’s past have turned up indications of a broken home and a sealed juvenile record. His mother, an exotic dancer, hanged herself some ten years ago. There is no record of his father’s whereabouts, nor of his sister’s, after she was reportedly removed from the home due to some sort of abuse.
For nearly a year after the tragedy at Aberconway House, no sightings were reported. Over the past four years, however, occasional reports have surfaced that have rung alarm bells with authorities.
Investigators are still piecing the stories together, but what has emerged thus far bears a macabre resemblance to another killer, Ted Bundy, whose murderous acts spanned seven states in America in the 1970’s.
Like Bundy’s victims, all five of the dead in Aberconway house, according to Police Chief Doyle, appeared to have been first immobilized by blows from a blunt object, and later strangled.
The reports which have trickled in over the past four years also show ominous similarities to Bundy’s spree. In several cases, Berti appears to have attempted to lure his victims into his vehicle by playing at being injured and needing help.
Most disturbing of all, sources indicate that some information provided by Berti in his initial interviews with police have led investigators to look into exhuming the bodies of two of the most recently discovered murder victims thought to be connected to his case. When asked what they hoped to discover, one source close to the investigation pointed to Bundy’s acts of necrophilia. If Berti was indeed copycatting the American serial killer, additional charges may be filed.
“Well, bloody hell!” she said.
“What is it?”
Turning the paper so Harry could see the piece in the paper, she said, “I knew this guy from years back – his mother used to work with me.”
“Work with you?”
“Yeah, at Bunnies.”
“The strip joint?” he asked.
“That’s right – he was such a sweet little boy.”
“Not according to that article!” Harry said.
Gosh, you grew up to be a handsome guy, didn’t you? she thought, looking at the photo of Simone in the paper. Whatever happened to you? A pang of sadness rose in her as her past came crashing back. How I loved working that club. Pushing the thoughts to the back of her mind, she pressed on with looking through the paper.
Not finding anything, she flipped it back to the first page, where another article caught her eye. Somehow, it had managed to elude her the first time. As she started reading it, her flesh turned cold:
Mysterious Murderer
Massacres Married Pair
By Elizabeth Dale
Bodies of Local Couple Found in Fire; Foul Play Indicated
Fire crews were called to Hob’s Cafe and Pub near Hirwaun, South Wales early this morning by would-be breakfast goers. By the time fire-fighters arrived on scene, the building was a complete loss. Two bodies have been discovered inside, believed to be the Cafe’s owners, Hob and Bella Daniels. Police say there is some evidence the couple were dead before the fire started.
Fire Chief Richard Evans stated that it appeared the fire had started more than an hour before the Cafe was scheduled to open for business. He said the only vehicle in the parking area not belonging to the customers who sounded the alarm belonged to Mr. and Mrs Daniels.
He declined to comment further until police crews were cleared to enter the premises and examine the evidence.
This is a developing story. Please continue to check the Gazette online for updates.
Update 10:00 a.m:
At approximately 9:30 a.m., the fire at Hob’s was sufficiently contained and the building declared safe enough for investigators to enter.
According to Fire Chief Evans, the bodies of Mr. and Mrs Daniels were able to be positively identified, despite their burned condition, by virtue of specific medical conditions identified by their physician in Swansea.
When Chief Evans was queried about the cause of the fire, he burst out, “Bloody tragic. That poor woman’s body, thrown on the stove. That’s what started the fire. She was dead, though. Had to have been dead.” Chief Evans refused further comment and walked away making the sign of the cross.
We spoke with Miss Megan Baker, a waitress at Hob’s. “I was just coming to work,” Miss Baker said. “It was only my third day, and honestly, I was thinking about giving notice. Much as I need the job, this place gave me the willies.”
When asked to elaborate, Miss Baker would only say, “It was just so strange here. And there was this one fella, well, he went back to the kitchen for some reason the other night and just a few minutes later he ran out, looking scared. Said something about changing his mind. I don’t know what he meant, but it really scared me. Plus, I think that bloody jukebox was haunted or something. The songs never sounded spot on.”
Police at the scene were unwilling to comment pending further investigation.
This is still a developing story. Please continue to check the Gazette online for updates.
Update 12:15 p.m.:
The Gazette was able to secure an interview with a source close to the fire crew on condition of anonymity, as the investigation is ongoing. Please be advised, the information that follows is graphic in nature and may be upsetting to some readers.
According to our source, the fi
re commenced about the body of Ms. Bella Daniels, who was placed atop the stove burners in the kitchen area. Based on the condition of her remains, officials suspect she was severely beaten before being burned. Among other apparent injuries, one arm, our source stated, was shattered at the wrist and shoulder, and her skull was fractured in several places.
Further, our source divulged that the body of Mr. Hob Daniels was found where he was killed, his head smashed into the jukebox. The pattern of the fire indicated he likely did not move from the spot, and thus was most likely killed first.
The level of violence seen in the attacks was disturbing, our source indicated. In years of service, they had seen nothing comparable.
Many residents of the area have expressed concerns over Hob’s in past months. Police have been called to break up fights on several occasions, and a missing girl, University student Jessica Parsons, was last seen leaving the cafe not long ago. There is no word yet on Miss Parsons’ fate.
According to the latest from police, no firearms were used in this morning’s attack. Pending autopsies will provide proof of the exact time and cause of death of the two victims.
Police have named no suspects at this time but are expected to hold a press conference later this afternoon to share any information they are able to discern about the possible perpetrator or perpetrators.
Please continue to watch the Gazette online for further details as this story unfolds.
Update 4:00 p.m.
Police Chief Alistair Taylor and Fire Chief Richard Evans commenced their press conference in the lobby of Town Hall at 3:30 this afternoon. Statements were as follows:
Escapees and Fevered Minds Page 11