Down in the Woods

by Gary Philpott

  “Well… Yes. We have never found anything to lead us to believe that the women were not already naked when they were transported to the crime scene. This one clearly was not. Well, she at least had her shoes on. But…”

  “But if they were shoes, they would have come off before he dragged her this far,” said Harrington enthusiastically.

  Collins nodded. “So she was wearing stiletto boots. Maybe ankle boots securely strapped on, or maybe a pair of knee length boots.”

  “Or maybe… No.”

  “Say it Chas.”

  “Oh, I was just going to say, maybe thigh high boots. But that’s unlikely, isn’t it?”

  “It does paint a picture in one’s mind though, doesn’t it? What are you seeing?”

  “I am seeing a woman who is a bit of a tart, or even a prostitute.”

  “Even ankle boots with stiletto heels suggest that. I don’t think too many women wear those without the black fishnets to go with them.”

  “The possibility of the other two victims being Toms has always been on the agenda, hasn’t it sir?”

  “Together with the notion that they might be illegal immigrants. No one ever came forward to identify them, despite extensive media publicity.”

  “And a lot of illegal immigrants do end up on the game.”

  “This ground is fairly soft; you must have found at least one fresh footprint, going backwards would be my guess.”

  “He was wearing Karrimor Boulder walking boots, but going forwards. If you look, the leaf litter has been pressed quite deep into the ground here and there.” Pearce swept his hand in both directions. These are toe marks, and they are a lot deeper than the marks left by the same boots on the way back. Also, if you look closely, there are heel imprints on the way out, but not on the way in.”

  “So, he was up on his toes on the way in. He was towing her with a short rope, probably tied round under her arms. Did the rope marks on the body fit with that?”

  “Possibly, but she was hanging anyway, her feet were not touching the ground.”

  “That is like the other two. So, he probably never took the tow rope off of her. He throws the rope over a branch, and hoists her up. And then puts the cotton wool in her mouth, and ties her up around the waist.”

  “That was pretty much the scene.”

  “But sir, if she wasn’t naked; how would he get her dress or blouse off her without untying the rope?”

  “That’s a good point, Chas. Maybe she was topless, or maybe the killer cut her clothes off her. We need to go back over the old evidence. I wonder if the other two could have been stripped at the scene. Was there anything here to suggest this one was somehow undressed here?”

  “I’m afraid not, though I will flag the possibility up with our SOCOs.”

  “Tell them to look for evidence of skin or fishnets on that wooden bar as well.” He pointed to the four foot wooden section of the fence. “He must have dragged her over that.”

  “It has been swabbed already, but I’m afraid I don’t have the preliminary findings yet.”

  “No.” I’m afraid that is what I expected, mocked Collins inside his head. He then chastised himself for the thought. He had been quite impressed with DI Pearce so far. He bit the bullet. “DI Pearce, can I offer you a word of advice?”

  “Yes…What?”

  “You clearly know what you are doing and seem worthy of promotion to me. However, that won’t happen if you keep saying, ‘I’m afraid’. It makes you sound apologetic when you have absolutely no need to be.”

  “You’re right, I’m afraid I do say that a lot.”

  Chapter 17

  “Hello darling.” Daniel was sitting in his favourite chair, sipping tea and reading the Times.

  “Oh, I was not expecting you to be home. How are you?”

  “I am fine. It is Charles White that has gone down with the vomiting bug that is doing the rounds.”

  “Charles White? Is he the chap you were meeting today?” asked Felicity, before stooping to kiss her husband’s cheek.

  “That’s the one darling. You had a call from Rosemary earlier. Well, I believe she telephoned twice but got cut off the first time. The line went dead seconds after I answered it.”

  Andrew! I hope you did not phone me here, thought Felicity. “Did Rosemary say what she wanted?”

  “All she said is that she will not be riding tomorrow.”

  “Did she say why not?”

  “Well I don’t know darling.” He punched the middle of his newspaper to straighten it out. “Do you fancy a shag later?”

  “Daniel, what’s got into you?”

  “We don’t do it enough, do we? I enjoyed our session the other night. Maybe I am worried about losing you. I need to pay you more attention.”

  “So you have said. But there are other ways of paying me more attention you know.”

  “Such as?”

  “Such as putting your newspaper down when I kiss you hello.”

  “Ah.” He lowered the newspaper down to his lap. “Can I have a second chance?”

  Felicity stepped back towards him and bent to kiss him again. This time he turned his head. They kissed properly.

  “I am just going to phone Rosemary.”

  “Why not ask Mary to bring us a fresh pot of tea when you are done?”

  “We really should not have to chase her, she should check on us more frequently.”

  “It is a big house to keep clean and tidy. If she were constantly checking on us, she would never get anything done.”

  “Okay, I will give her a shout,” said Felicity reluctantly.

  “And ask her what time she will be finished in our bedroom.” Daniel winked and then buried his head in his newspaper.

  Felicity looked over towards him, slightly concerned at her husband’s unusually high sexual appetite. How many times would she have to fake an orgasm that month?

  “Hello,” said Rosemary quietly.

  “Hi, Rosemary, it’s me.”

  “Oh, Felicity.”

  “Well don’t sound so pleased to hear from me.”

  “Father died in the night.”

  “Oh, Rosemary, I am so sorry. Are you okay? Sorry, silly question.”

  “Obviously, I am a bit sad, but in some ways, relieved.”

  “How has your mother taken it?”

  “She is taking it very well, perhaps too well.”

  “Would you like me to come over?”

  “No, the funeral directors are coming over this afternoon. And Uncle William should be arriving very soon. He is going to make all the arrangements.”

  “Try to keep busy yourself. That would be my advice.”

  “Sorry Felicity, I don’t much feel like riding tomorrow.”

  “No, you misunderstand me. I was just suggesting that you should help your mother and Uncle William with the arrangements as much as you feel able. You don’t want too much thinking time at a time like this.”

  “Have you lost someone in the past then?”

  “No, I have not, but I have spoken to people who have.”

  “Look, I must go. I have just heard a car pulling up outside.”

  “Take care of yourself Rosemary.”

  “I will.”

  “Just before you go, can I ask you something?”

  “Yes.”

  “How many times did you phone me at home this morning?”

  “Once, I spoke to Daniel. Why?”

  “Oh, nothing. I will call you tomorrow to see how you are doing.”

  “Bye Felicity.”

  “Bye Rosemary, take care.” Felicity walked out of the bathroom and placed her mobile down on top of her dressing table.

  Mary was polishing the banister when Felicity went back down the stairs.

  “Can we have some tea in the drawing room please?”

  “Yes ma’am. Would you like some sandwiches to go with it?”

  “No thank you. Though, some walnut cake may go down well.”

  �
�Close the door on your way out,” said Felicity, keen for some privacy.

  “Yes ma’am.” Mary retreated from the room, and gently closed the door.

  “Shall I be mother?” Daniel was already picking up the silver plated teapot.

  “Thank you. I have some bad news I am afraid.”

  “What is it?”

  “Rosemary’s father died in the night.”

  “Oh dear, I am sorry to hear that. Did he pass away peacefully?”

  “I don’t think the doctors would have let him suffer. He was well doped up with morphine anyway.”

  “Here, have some tea. It might help.”

  “Thank you. My thoughts are with Rosemary. Her father is better off out of it. If something happens to me Daniel, don’t let me suffer.”

  “Nothing is going to happen to you, darling.”

  “Let’s change the subject. Are you not going into the office this afternoon?”

  “I could do. As I said earlier, I was rather hoping we might do something together this afternoon.”

  “Were you fancying a walk?”

  “No Felicity, I was fancying you. However, I guess the bad news has put the dampers on one’s libido.”

  The conversation was heading in exactly the direction she had thought it would do when she asked Mary to close the door on her way out. Once again, an image of her husband humping her in the missionary position up on their bed, flashed through her mind. Keep your friends close and your enemies closer, she thought. Let him shag you whenever he wants, he will only get suspicious if he does not get it, and he starts to wonder if you are getting it somewhere else. Originally she had thought about doing it in the drawing room, but another idea had popped into her mind. If she was going to shag her boring husband, she might as well get a small thrill out of it.

  “We could do both.”

  “What is your plan? Take me for a long, tiring walk and hope I fall asleep in the chair when I get back?” He reached out for a portion of walnut cake.

  “No.” She shot him a suggestive gaze. “We could do both.”

  “Are you suggesting what I think you are suggesting?” he shuffled in his chair.

  “Well, why not? Your mother and father are away, so perhaps if the cats are away, the mice should play.”

  “I say, it could be fun, could it not?”

  “Talking of fun, I could take my riding crop with me, and give your bottom a little spank.”

  “I beg your pardon.”

  She enjoyed watching him squirm a little. “Oh Daniel, I know about the magazines you keep in your desk drawer. It takes the same key as my dressing table.”

  He went bright red. “You shouldn’t have.”

  “Don’t be embarrassed, we all have our little fetishes. Now, is it just a fantasy you want to stay a fantasy, or would you like me to take my riding crop with me?”

  “Take it with you. You will be gentle with me though, won’t you?”

  “I can be as gentle or as hard as you like.”

  Daniel started to get out of his chair.

  “Finish your tea and cake first, darling.” Teasing her husband was proving to be quite fun, and she was looking forward to taking her riding crop to his backside. “All will come to those who wait.”

  “Maybe it’s a shame you did not discover my magazines sooner.”

  “I first took a peek five years ago.”

  “Five years!” He looked positively startled. “So, not only the one that is in there at the moment?”

  “Oh, I have taken a look at most of them. Though don’t get too excited, I am definitely not into bondage, as you seem to be.”

  “No, no, of course you are not. I wouldn’t dream of doing such a thing to you.”

  “You can dream as much as you like, just don’t expect it to happen.”

  “Where shall we go?”

  “What do you think about down by the river somewhere? It is usually quiet down there until the school day ends.”

  “Yes, that would be good. I am having second thoughts about the riding crop though.”

  “I will bring it along and we can play it by ear.”

  “Oh Felicity, I thought you would never forgive me if you found… Let alone do this for me.”

  “Well, you know what they say; a couple that plays together, stays together. So, let’s go and play.”

  While Felicity and Daniel were in a secluded spot close to the river, Anna was also enjoying herself. She was in Oxford Street, deciding exactly how to spend one thousand pounds. Jonathan had instructed her not to come home until it was all gone. He had even given her an extra fifty pounds for her fares and a bite to eat.

  Jonathan arrived home from work to discover that Anna was still out shopping, as he had hoped she would be. He grabbed a cup of tea, went into Anna’s room, and booted up his computer. Once it was ready to go, he opened up Google and typed in ‘Drunk Latvian gets fucked’.

  There was a choice of videos to click on. He squinted at the small image that was fourth on the list and decided it could be Anna. He clicked, his computer hesitated for a while, but eventually a porn site opened up before his eyes. He scrolled down past the first two rows of naked women, and there it was, a video with a big play-arrow in the middle of it. Above it were the words; ‘Hidden Camera - Drunk Latvian Gets Fucked’.

  He clicked again, and a little arrow went round in circles. Finally a bed came into view. He could hear voices speaking a foreign language, but there was no one to be seen.

  When Anna did appear, she was naked. She sat on the bed and shuffled into the middle of it. Looking slightly nervous, she opened her legs.

  “Smile for me,” said an out-of-shot male voice in English.

  Anna smiled and slipped her hand down between her legs. A hairy bum suddenly blocked out the camera.

  “You have a nice cock.” Anna’s voice was slightly slurred. “Do you want to fuck my pussy?”

  “My cock wants to fuck your pussy.”

  The bum was replaced by a blue background and the words: Genuine amateurs fucking. Sign up for Gold Membership and download the full video today.

  Jonathan had replayed the short clip five times when he heard Anna coming in. He quickly did up his trousers and opened up his email account.

  “Jonathan, are you in?”

  “In here babe.”

  Anna put all her bags down on the sitting room floor and went into her temporary bedroom.

  “Did you spend it all?”

  “No, I have one-forty left. I will spend it tomorrow. What are you doing?”

  “I am checking my emails. It shouldn’t take long if you want to get changed.”

  “It is your computer. Take your time.”

  “Have you never sent an email?”

  “No, I do not have a computer.”

  “Don’t they have internet cafes in Riga?”

  “They do. But I cannot use.”

  Confident that his erection had faded, Jonathan swivelled round on his office chair. “If we can get a message to Anton, you could email him every day. You would both need an email address, but I could soon set those up for you. Maybe you could both get a Skype account and video conference each other. You could even have video sex. On second thoughts, not if he’s in an internet café, you couldn’t.”

  Anna looked totally bemused. She changed the subject. “When can I fly home?”

  “That’s what I was hoping for here.” He pointed at a list of received emails on the screen. “My mate Ollie works on the freight side at Stansted airport. He is trying to find out something for me. He is quite friendly with a bird on passport control. He’s just waiting for the right moment to ask her.”

  “Jonathan, slow down.”

  “Sorry babe, I was getting a bit excited there, wasn’t I?”

  “Why are you talking about Stansted airport?”

  “As I said before, babe, I have absolutely no fucking idea what would happen if you walked through passport control at an airport with your p
assport in one hand and a ticket for Riga in the other. I suspect they would just let you go. They are always saying on the news that the UK’s entry and exit checks are a shambles.”

  “You have a friend that can find out?”

  “Given time, I have friends that can find most things out. Well, maybe not about the big bang theory or the origin of the species, but most practical things.”

  “How long will this take?”

  “As I say Anna, I am not totally sure, just give it a bit of time. Would you risk it anyway?”

  “Yes I would.”

  “Well then, shall we give it a week, and then buy you a ticket on the next plane home?”

  “A week!” Anna smiled from ear-to-ear. “Oh Jonathan, I love you.”

  “Steady on girl. Why shouldn’t you be on your way home within a week? There’s nothing to stop you now, we have the money. You will need to phone your uncle, the one with the phone. We need to make sure Anton is not on his way back here.”

  “I can do this on your phone, yes?”

  “Yes. But let’s wait until tomorrow. Ollie might well email me later tonight. He works some really shitty shifts, so he may still be at work.”

  “But if I am going anyway?”

  “Let’s leave it until tomorrow. It would be better if you can let Anton know exactly what is happening. Why don’t you show me what you have bought?”

  Anna did not need asking a second time. She was so excited about what she had bought, it was a dream come true, she had never been on a shopping trip like it in her life. Every time she had looked at something in a shop, she imagined how Anton would react when he saw her wearing it, but she also wondered if Jonathan would like it too. If she anticipated a positive response from both of them, then she bought it.

  “I bought this coat.” She pulled a cashmere style coat out of the largest bag. “It can get very cold in Riga.”

  “Very classy, very classy indeed, put it on for me.”

  Anna willingly met his request. “Do you like?”

  “Oh, I like.” He gave her the once over, his eyes stopping at her feet.

  “I need some good shoes, yes?”

  “Well…”

  “I show you.”

  Moments later, she had a pair of shiny, pink stilettos on her feet.

  “I hate to tell you this, babe. They are lovely shoes, but they don’t go with that coat.”