The Chess Player

by Andrew Parker

  Stephen Tarling nodded with a peasant smile, he was in his late forties, but looked younger. He had a good crop of blonde hair, many people had remarked he had a slight resemblance to Robert Redford. ‘I’m here to meet Mister Morales’.

  ‘Your name sir?

  ‘Stephen Tarling

  ‘Ah yes, Mister Morales is in the sitting room…follow me’ the efficient porter replied. The porter led him into the wonderfully comfortable sitting room. Every afternoon free cream teas were served with hot scones, Devon cotted cream and home made strawberry jam. ‘Mister Morales, a Mister Tarling to see you’ the porter announced. He was weh tipped and left the two gentlemen to their business.

  Freddy jumped up from the armchair and greeted his acquaintance with a vigorous shake of the hand. ‘Stephen, good to see you again’ Freddy beamed. ‘Sit downsit down.

  ‘Thanks, good to see you as weH’ Tarling sunk down into the armchair.

  The porter brought over the cream teas and placed them on the table, which separated the two men. He then left them in peace.

  ‘Now then Freddy, there is obviously a problem because you wouldn’t have flown all the way from bloody Colombia for cream teas!’

  Freddy laughed ‘You are right, but I do like the good old English tea’.

  Tarling smiled, then tried to get down to the real reason why Freddy was in town. ‘What’s up Freddy Why the sudden meeting’

  Freddy became serious, the joviality that shone from his face had gone. There was silence. He leaned forward and took a sip of tea, he then leant back and looked Tarling in the eyes. ‘Mrs Kenyon-Lloyd has to be terminated’ Freddy calmly stated.

  ‘What?’ a look of astonishment, then panic spread across Tarling’s face. Confused questions raced through his head, ‘why’.how?’ was all he could muster out.

  ‘This is a direct order from Rafael, I’m afraid it has to be done’ Freddy responded defiantly.

  ‘This can’t be truetell me this isn’t Moody

  happening’ Tarling’s anger was rising. ‘Why Freddy?… why’

  ‘We can’t have any loose ends, and it has to be you to do it’ Freddy looked directly at Tarling, his dark olive skinned face was expressionless.

  Tarling fell a chill run through his body, he fell cold yet sweat was forming on his forehead. He looked at Freddy Morales who hadn’t blinked an eye with this ruthless command. ‘Freddy I cannot do this’ he said shaking his head.

  ‘You’ll find a way Freddy said, returning to his tea and scone.

  ‘You know what you are asking, this is not only the wife of a weh respected High Court Judge, but also a cose

  friendno, no I won’t do it!. His voice was beginning to

  rise in anger.

  Some of the guests began to look around at this sudden deve!oping argument. The porter came over to make sure everything was alright. He was turned away assured that the heated discussion was finished. Freddy held up his hands in a vain attempt to apologise to the other guests.

  Freddys eyes pierced Stephen Tarling with terror, the veins on the side of his temples surfaced to the skin. ‘Stephen, you make sure she can’t talk, or Rafael will make sure you’ll never be able to screw around again’.

  Tarling, the pawn in the Chess Player’s game was not looking at the bigger picture, even if it was the wife of a cose friend, a wife he was having an affair with, sentiment would not come into it.

  Chapter 3.

  It was a full moon. It was very cold, touched you to the bone. The ice was already encasing everything into a white tomb. He was standing in the shadows. Tonight was the night. He fell no remorse, he was going to kill her.

  Another thrust penetrated deeper, the handcuffs cut deeper into her wrists with each motion. She fell wild sexual abandonment on these nights they met. He had taught her amazing pleasure and pain.

  He lay on the bed next to her, his body sweating, heart pounding as he let out a heavy Wow of air. She lay motionless letting her body calm down from the height of sexual excitement. She rattled her handcuffs against the bed frame ‘any chance of letting me down?’ she murmured. He could kill her now, that is what he had been ordered to do, a direct order from The Chess Player. Who would know? No one knew he was here. But he

  couldn’t, he looked at her and he just couldn’t do itwas

  he falling in love? He didn’t know how he was going to tell Freddy, maybe his own life would be in jeopardy. Tarling smiled and wearily released the catch on each handcuff and her arms dropped limply to the bed.

  He waited in the cold darkness. Dare to step out into the brilliant moonlight. He knew they were in there, but it was her who he wanted.

  She gently clawed his back with her long red nails ‘do you have to go?’ she pleaded.

  Stephen knew that she was trying to entice him to stay, but he had to be at Scotland Yard for an 8am meeting. He didn’t want to get caught in any morning madness traffic, especially making the trip from Bournemouth.

  Stephen Tarling was sitting on the edge of the bed pulling his trousers on. He looked around at Susan Kenyon-Lloyd. ‘I would love to stay Susan, but you know I have to be in London early’.

  She looked at him alluringly. He fell arousal but he had to go. Tarling jumped to his feet and pulled his trousers up and around his waist, he glanced around the room to see where his shirt had fallen remembering the eagerness which they had taken each other’s cothes off as if they were virginal teenagers.

  He combed his hair in the mirror and put the finishing touches to his appearance before he left. He knew he would be at his flat within the hour at this time of night and would take a shower before heading off to the meeting in the morning. He looked at Susan’s reflection in the mirror, she had turned over and was face down on the bed. He walked back across the room and adoringly ran his fingers through her hair. She moaned in a sleepy way. He lifted her chin up gently and kissed her goodbye on the lips. A final goodbye?

  Tarling cosed the door gently behind him and lightly ran down the stairs. He pushed open the lounge door ‘Come on Flash, time to go home’. His Alsatian dog immediate^ responds to his master’s voice, uncurls himsel with tail wagging wanders over to his master. Tarling case’s the front door softly as they braced the freezing night air. Tarling takes a sharp intake of breath as he feels the cold crawl under his cothes and attack his skin. He shudders and quickly makes his way to the car.

  He was watching from the darkness. She was now

  alone.

  A knock at the door awoke Susan out of her drowsiness. She groaned with tiredness, rubbed her hair with both hands and gradually lifted hersel off the bed.

  The knock sounded again, ‘I’m coming’ she murmured and quickly tried to locate her dressing gown. As she made her way down the stairs the knock was louder and more impatient, ‘alright—alright’ she shouted thinking it was his own fault; if he had to come back.

  She opened the door gradually poking her head out, guarding against the onslaught of cold air that quickly forced its way in.

  ‘Sorry Susan, I forgot my‘. A sudden sharp

  pain hurt his head in an instant. Tarling hit the floor with a loud thud. His vision was burred and then complete blackness.

  Susan Kenyon-Lloyd let out a loud scream, a piercing scream and then she stood eyes staring in a frozen state of panic at the intruder in her doorway. He stood there motionless, with a hammer in his leather gloved hand, he was in black head to toe, incuding a black leather mask with hoes for the eyes and mouth.

  He moved forward. Slowly, calculating.

  Susan, turned around her legs fell so heavy ‘Move, move’ she screamed in her head. She ran up the stairs to what seemed safety, the bedroom. Get in, lock the door and phone for hdp. She screamed again as his hand grabbed her ankle making her stumble and fall against the stairs. She looked ar
ound and saw those frenzied eyes staring from out of the mask, there was something about those eyes. Recognisable ?

  She kicked her legs out again and again trying to get loose. She got lucky and one kick sent the hammer flying down to the bottom of the stairs. Her foot became loose with her frantic wild kicking, turn and run she thought as quick as you can. She scrambled to the top of the stairs, she ran to the bedroom and desperatdy tried to cose the door. ‘No’ she screamed as he kept the door open with his arm. She pushed with all her strength to cose the door and crush his arm. A kick against the door sent her stumbling backwards. He was in.

  Fear exploded in her head as he moved slowly towards her. What could she do? Jump from the window? Scramble for the tdephone? No time. Perfume next to the bed, spray his eyes. She made a quick dash across the bed, he grabbed hall way across. He turned her over onto her back his knees bringing his full weight on top of her biceps. The pain ripped through her arms as she tried to move them.

  Her eyes bulged with panic as she gasped for breath. His hands tightened around her neck. She looked into the eyes of her leather masked killer..why ? why ? Her body was getting weaker, she desperatdy tried to gulp any air she could, but nothing came and the terror that took hold of her whole body ebbed away as darkness enve!oped her eyes and brain. Nothing.

  He withdrew his hands as he fell her body go limp beneath him. The face that had been struggling for air had now just a fixated stare back at him. Susan Kenyon-Lloyd was dead.

  Doc and Jason entered the crime scene in their white plastic suits and gloves as they made there way to where the body was lying. Female, motionless body covered in a hard white ground frost on this cold wintry morning.

  ‘Jason, take the photo’s’ Doc ordered ‘remember any crime scene is always three dimensional.

  Jason used the camera and took photographs from every angle possible while Doc explored the body for evidence. ‘Jason come down here and take photo’s of these’. Through the sugary coating on her skin Doc had noticed the red indicia around her wrists and wanted some cose up shots.

  Doc then used his scalpel under the fingernails and scraped any findings into a sterile plastic bag. He then investigated her hair and teeth. Then carefully he took his tweezers and removed a fine black hair from her shoulder. ‘Looks like a dogs hair’ he thought out loud.

  ‘Jason can you look at the foliage and see if you can find any evidence’ Doc ordered once again.

  Jason noticed there were signs of the body being dragged through the grass, the longer strands of grass were broken and bent showing the body was dropped into the position it is lying in now. ‘Doc she definite^ wasn’t murdered here, she was dumped in this position’.

  Suddenly Doc could here the voice and presence of Chief Inspector Howcroft on the scene. ‘At least we’ve got some answers for the main man’ Doc smiled. Jason smirked back.

  Lisa snuggled down into her favourite armchair and snapped off a square of chocolate from the bar she sporadically tucked into while she watched the lunchtime news on tdevision. Her eyes grew wider as she listened to the breaking news, ‘Body found in a ditch at Sand-hills recreational park’.

  ‘Bloody hell’ she gasped. She knew that the death was in her dad’s neck of the woods and no doubt would be investigated by him.

  The tdevision reporter then announced he was interviewing Chief Inspector Howcroft. Lisa threw hersel off the chair and turned up the volume.

  ‘We have found the body of a woman under suspicious circumstances, but we will know more after our forensic team have conceded their findings. We will update you with any further information as soon as we have some. That’s all I have to say at this moment’.

  Lisa smiled with admiration at her father and would phone her mother straight away to see if she had seen or heard the news bulletin. Although a sudden knot in her stomach brought back the reality that someone was dead, and now seeing her father or even taking to him was going to be difficult with a murder investigation going on.

  Chapter 4.

  George Howcroft jumped up from his chair and dosed the door, the sound of office banter and tdephone conversations of young school kids thieving from ‘Patel’s Multi-Mart’ was drowned out so he could concentrate on the murder investigation he now had to resolve.

  He leaned back in his chair trying to think of the last murder case he was involved in ‘Must be about two years ago’ he thought, ‘Yes that’s right, I remember Doc insisting that no one was interested as it was an unknown immigrant’. ‘Colombian Found Shot In River’, was the news headline. The file remained open, case unsolved.

  The photograph of his only daughter caught his eye, twenty-two years old now, marketing job in London, said she would be coming up in the next few weeks.’ Have to phone to cancel’ he said to himself out-loud. Which wouldn’t be popular but understandable, as it’s only been the last couple of years that they had grown cose, a stereo type Father-Daughter relationship.

  He tried to do a good job for the first six years of her life, good times, happy times, Caravan holidays in Poole, but then a mistake which would cost him dear, fourteen years in fact. The Divorce was upsetting, he could still remember the tears in his daughters eyes. He was allowed to visit Lisa at weekends, but good bottles of Chateau Neuf De Pape and work duties slowly eroded into the sacred weekends allowable.

  His attention again turned to the murder of this woman. He would need to see Doc and be present at the post mortem, Williams as weH Surety he must have identified the body

  He stood up and again opened his door to the sound of mayhem, a confused mixture of tdephones’ ringing, laughter and shouting.

  ‘Williams’…he boomed. The noise died down a

  little.

  ‘Yes, Guv, coming Williams put down his mug of tea, and speedily made his way to the office.

  ‘Any joy on identification? George Howcroft would surety hear the answer ‘yes’ referring to his first instincts of someone who would definite^ be missing this woman.

  ‘Uh.no, not yet Guv, no one has reported anyone missing in the last twenty-four hours’ knowing his answer would disappoint.

  ‘What no one?’ George shook his head in disbelief.

  The obvious next step would be to go to see Doc. As they were leaving the office the tdephone rang. George

  contemplated on whether to let it ringno it could be

  important. ‘Lisa, what a peasant surprise.

  Chief Inspector Howcroft made the call brief by agreeing to everything Lisa said. Howcroft was still bemused that he had the dead body of a beautiful woman on his hands and no one had put in a missing report or had made contact.

  ‘But Guv, there could be a number of reasons why? Husband out of the country, she might be a tourist, anything. Williams tried hard to reason why?

  Williams sensed Howcroft wasn’t convinced. This looked like a weH-educated, weH groomed, middle-aged lady. Some one who was married, there must be a concerned party out there somewhere?

  Their footsteps echoed, as they walked down the long gloomy corridor towards the mortuary. George was pleased with how the tdephone conversation had gone with Lisa. She had seen a breaking news story and just knew that it would involve her dad. He would be going to visit her in her ‘flash’ London apartment as she describes it, when the murder investigation had been brought to a successful concusion.

  Detective Sergeant John Williams reached the double doors where the autopsy would take place, and pushed one open. It creaked. George quickly brushed passed him eager to get some momentum going into the investigation.

  Doc greeted them both with a nod, they responded in the same way, showing respect for the dead woman that lay before them.

  The room was dark apart from the bright light that shone above the body, the air was dank and musk. John fell a dry tickle forming in his throat, he put his hand to his mo
uth and coughed, George looked at John and acknowledged the smeH. John fell a little unnerved about the situation, he could hear footsteps coming down the corridor. Suddenly both doors clattered open, it was Jason, Doc’s understudy. He quickly walked in apologising for the noise he had just caused. He went over to the dustbin by the wall and made a vain attempt to discreetly throwaway the ‘KFC’ bargain bucket he obviously hadjust enjoyed.

  ‘Evening’ Jason said, trying to hide his embarrassment of being caught with a meal generally for four people.

  ‘Evening’ they both responded with wry smiles on their faces. Doc was just shaking his head.

  Jason quickly went and scrubbed up returning in a green gown with a plastic apron over the top, he also returned with two more in his hand for Howcroft and Williams. Another light was switched on that flickered, it struggled to burst into that full bright light that was required.

  ‘Turn it off JasonI’ve tried it already, bloody

  thing!’ Doc retorted. ‘Hand light as weH pease Jas’.

  ‘Lets see what happened then’ As Doc, brought everybody’s attention to the naked body lying on the table. Jason brought the hand light coser to the body and followed Doc’s movement as he intensdy studied the body checking for marks and abnormalities that would give cues or confirmation of death.

  ‘Note the red marks around the wrists, same each side, obviously they were held reasonably tight but not at a high uncomfortable factor’

  ‘Were the wrists bound at time of death or afterwards?

  ‘It would appear George that they are consistent with time of death, and were probably made by handcuffs, there is also evidence of sexual intercourse, and also evidence of semen around the breast area’.

  There was silence and a brief pause as Doc checked the hands and fingernails ‘nothing there’ He then made his way around to the head area.

  As Doc studied her face he noticed petechial haemorrhages in the skin and eyes, which is common in asphyxia, a state in which the body becomes deprived of oxygen.