Exhibit

by Noir, Stella

Devizes took his family with him. He fucked off to Scotland and put another part of his life on a shelf. Rebecca Tan didn’t say goodbye. The last time he saw her was a week after Elisa was found. She called in to check he was alright. She brought him a bottle of whiskey and a takeout meal, and then she left without a word when he told her to fuck off. That was his way of dealing with it. That was his final word.

  Phillip Prensall was sentenced to five life sentences. Six weeks in, he was found dead in his cell, with over fifty stab wounds across his abdomen.

  The papers talked about justice. Every other person in the world talked to him about closure, but he didn’t feel like anything had been closed. He felt like something had been cut open, something else removed, and the whole bloody wound left to rot in the sun like the carved open carcass of a baby pig. When he slept, he saw the faces of every one of those girls, and when he was awake, he drank and threw himself into work to forget about it. Fuck the world, Marsh thought. Fuck the fucking world because if you don’t fuck it first, it’s going to fuck you.

  Chapter 10

  Eleven months after arriving back to Scotland, Marsh was called to the coroners office. That morning they had fished a young girl out of the Clandyne river. She lay like a lump of pig fat on the metal carving table, as though she was ready to be basted and cooked. There were signs of wrist and leg binding, stab wounds in patterns across her back that looked far too organised to be random, and her toes, fingers and eyes had all been removed.

  “Poor girl”, Marsh said, and held a handkerchief up against his nose to combat the smell.

  “I’ve seen some dark shit in my time”, the coroner said, “but this is up with the worst of them. What the fuck makes people do something like this?”

  “Because they can”, Marsh said without looking at him. “Because nature makes it possible.”

  There was an uncomfortable silence, while they both stared at the corpse in contemplation. One of the horrors of the world, the other of what might have led the girl to this fate.

  “Tell me what you know”, Marsh said, and got ready to start again.

  ###

  About Stella Noir:

  Stella Noir is a new voice of dark romance. She loves everything forbidden, and enjoys pushing the limits of what readers enjoy. Her hope is to show readers the good in the bad.

  If you have comments, suggestions, or just want to get in touch, e-mail Stella at authorstellanoir@gmail.com.

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  Also By Stella Noir:

  Bub

  Shadow

  Silent Daughter: Taken

  Silent Daughter: Bound

  Silent Daughter: Owned

  The Dark Doctor

  Coming Soon from Stella Noir & Aria Frost:

  Broken

  A violent rape and a double homicide bring Ethan and Jo together. Can they support each other through difficult times, heal their scars and move on, or will Ethan’s desperate need for revenge ruin any chance they might have of happiness?

  In the shadows of a broken life, can two people heal each other and find love, or will the darkness at the edge of their existence consume them completely?

  Broken explores themes of rape, murder, suicide and love. It is not for anyone with a sensitive disposition, easily affected by those issues.

  Please don’t forget to leave me a review!