Devil's Demise (18 page)

The van was full of kit, the eight-strong squad and Taylor sitting up front. Marcus was driving and PC Lomond, PC Miller, DC Andrews, DC Brown, DC Noble and DC Blake were all in the back. There was a good humour within the van and a sense of expectation. All were committed individuals that believed that they would get John Brennan and deal with him accordingly. All of them had spent hours and hours of their time on this case, missed out on family life, friends and having very little down time, they weren’t able to go out and see people, no time to relax or have the odd drink in or out. During a case like this, normality didn’t come into it; you were lucky to have six hours in your house and that included eating, sleeping and washing, so there was constant fatigue. Four of the officers on the squad were firearms trained and had special authorisation to carry a sidearm and all could self-authorise if the situation required it as the assailant was such a violent man, capable of lethal harm. This type of unofficial posse had never been authorised before, but they hoped that it would prove effective for the unusual situation. Serial killers in Edinburgh were not the norm and this had
not happened since Burke and Hare. The force was prepared to try out untested means to get this man stopped at any cost.

“Where are we going?” asked someone. “This is like a wild goose chase.”

“Up north,” replied Marcus. “There are lots of people on the case. They’ll bottom out numerous lead so there is bound to be some sort of trace of their booking somewhere on someone’s system and they’ll give us the heads up on where to head.”

“Let’s go then,” Taylor said.

Taylor never had a chance to meet up with Kay prior to their departure; there was no time for anything other than a quick bag pack and a shower. There was the usual crude banter en route, the men and women giving as good as they got. The humour was always filled with innuendo, smut and filth and none of them would have it any other way. There was always a line and it was very rarely crossed. Humour created its own boundaries as taking it too far was unfunny. Taylor pulled her sun visor down, opened the mirror and checked that her face was okay due to the rush to get ready. She looked into the rear of the van, scanning the troops, her eyes glancing at DC Andrews. She was reading something, so Taylor looked at her a little longer, checking her, not intending to be seen. Fran looked up at that moment as if she knew she was being watched and caught Taylor looking. She instantly fixed her gaze straight back at Taylor’s eyes. Both were aware that this was more than just a casual glance; there was obviously some mutual attraction there, whether there was intent was yet to be tested.

Taylor closed the mirror over and sunk back into her seat, her stomach still fluttering lightly at the little encounter with the flirtatious glances, eyes being windows into the soul. Taylor didn’t need more distraction and certainly not any more women with an interest in her. But she couldn’t help thinking about Fran and what could happen and what it would be like. Taylor flicked up the visor to try and avoid appearing obvious and overly willing but she could feel a warm sensation on her back and she guessed that Fran may still be looking at her.

He zipped up his flies, burped and got out of the car to take a piss
in the trees. Getting back in his car, he started up the engine, put it in gear and moved off, more hopeful that he would find them today.

Susan opened her eyes. The sun shone through the gap in the curtains and for the first time in ages she smiled. She felt relaxed and happy. She rolled over to where Andrew lay, still asleep. She could feel the silk of the sheets glide over her skin as she slid over the bed. She put her arm over him and nestled her hand into his chest and gently stroked him. She fully intended to wake him up as she had something in mind. Andrew took hold of her hand and held it, his feelings transmitting through him like a beacon. She could feel his affection for her emanating from him like a warm glow.

He said quietly in a strong male tone, “Morning! How are you today? You look like you feel better already.” He turned round to face her and he kissed her softly at first, until her desire became obvious. Her breathing told him that it wasn’t a reassuring loving kiss she wanted, it was more than that. She pushed her tongue deep into his mouth in a way that sent him instantly into a frenzy of arousal, although he knew what ladies needed. He responded, his rugged unshaven face pushed against hers, their tongues met and their kiss was needy and excited. Both of them felt the release of their fear and felt blissfully free from their stalker.

Susan swung herself up on top of Andrew, his pleasure very obvious to see. She was careful not to please him too soon, but chose to tease him a little, rubbing herself over him, careful not to touch him where he wanted. Her pleasure glistened upon his skin, his hand came to her and caressed her, firm but sensual, her moan sending a tingling sensation to his toes. She was soaking and this turned him on even more. His experienced hand brought her to a climax very quickly as her arousal was already at fever pitch, his fingers entering her as she started going over the edge making her climax last longer. She deliberately pushed down on his fingers, strong and thick, her pussy taking them deep into her as she moved with him. She knew he was a considerate man and was aware that he was so excited that he would lose control soon if she didn’t let him into her. She made her way
down to meet the tip of his penis, rubbing over the tip of it with her slender hand and Andrew’s moan was deep and grateful.

She paused where she was and worked herself on and around him, their kisses still desperate and lustful, until she pushed down onto him and he filled her welcoming haven to the point that she gasped, not in pain, but with the pleasure she felt; she had climaxed already and now wanted him to take her, to make love to her. Andrew’s hand was still on her pussy as he entered her, heightening her pleasure as he was inside her. They made love in a frenzied response to the need of two people that had been frightened out of feeling anything for the last few months. Their passion was unbridled and very physical, both of them wanting more from each other. Sweat glistened on both of their bodies and their breathing was now noisy and unrestrained, but the more they made love the more they wanted. Andrew was a fit man and capable of a quick repeat of what Susan needed to take. When he was resting, his mouth became the next place for Susan to land her perfectly formed body. His hands held her bottom firmly above him, his mouth on her and his tongue exploring every inch of her, his hand and fingers also giving extra pleasure when her need became obvious. She then pleasured him with her mouth and hands as they rolled around the massive bed. The silk sheets were wrapped around their legs and clung to their sweaty bodies and were starting to restrict their love making.

They kissed each other deeply and as if they knew that they had no more to give, they flopped back onto the bed, panting and spent. They began to laugh; Susan’s laughter was almost out of control and Andrew pulled her into him. “I won’t let anything happen to you. We’re smarter than him.” He stared right at her and cupped her pretty face in his hands. “I love you so much, every little piece of you. You’re so beautiful, inside and out, and you’re also one horny lady when your thoughts are free.”

“Is that a problem?” she teased him.

“Breakfast?”

“Oh yes please, I don’t think anything we’ve had so far counts for any calories.”

Andrew just looked at her and smiled, the fondest of looks from one to the other.

His smile was hideous as he pulled up over the ridge. The log cabin down at the shore of the loch looked idyllic.
A perfect place for no interruptions, for me that is. This place is like heaven for the task at hand. I bet they think I’m never going to find them. Wrong, so very wrong. I’m here and I’ll make sure that they both know it, over and over until they die. I’ll frighten them to death first and then torture him to within an inch of his life for temporarily taking her from me. Then I’ll make him watch as I slowly take her sorry little life away from her and no mistakes this time.

Taylor laughed loudly as DC Brown went into her usual rapport of humour, her tales filled with comical mirth, making those around her sore with laughter. Fran’s laugh was by far the loudest, the females within the group far more vocal than the males, other than PC Lomond, who was also a bit of a joker. Everyone had their own single room, which secretly Taylor was happy with. She didn’t know what she would do if she had had to share with DC Andrews; there was looking and then there was doing; the two were very different and she did not want to be put in that situation, not yet anyway.

Taylor spoke out once the laughter had subsided. “Work! Remember why we came,” she said in a comical way.

“We’ve got two or three hopefuls, with names like Smith and Brown registering at various places in Aberdeenshire. They’ve obviously not used their real names and this really is a wild goose chase. Let’s hope old Johnny boy doesn’t know more than us.”

“Meet at the van in an hour. That’s enough time for everyone to get their stuff together, isn’t it?”

Fran looked straight at her, her eyes bright and lively, full of mischief and Taylor enjoyed the feeling she got when their eyes met and she spent time in her company.

They smiled at each other and the intensity eased a little with the mutual appreciation of one another and an open acknowledgement that there was a warmth there.

John walked through the trees; they were thick evergreens and
gave almost complete coverage as he moved slowly towards the cabin. The terrain was harsh under foot with a few hidden pot holes and foliage of the most hostile kind dressing the ground. John’s footsteps were heavy and he was aware of the noise he was making as he walked towards the cabin. He wasn’t close enough to worry yet but he would have to rethink his approach when the time came. He had left his car off road and out of sight, taking time to cover any tyre tracks he’d left as he drove off the main road, which itself was little more than a dirt track. He was about a hundred metres away when he stopped and just stared towards the cabin, his heart starting to beat faster as his mind floated back to the night he had spent with Susan.
Let the fun begin!

The van arrived at one of the sites. Everyone jumped out quickly and made for individual chalets, checking all of them just in case Susan had been more inventive with her choice of name for the booking. It was quite an exclusive site with only eight cabins, well spread out and dotted round a very picturesque area with a forest and loch; an idyllic spot to escape from the world.

Susan came out of the shower for the second time that day and stretched out on the sofa; Andrew brought a glass of red, in a glass that resembled a fish bowl, and a bottle of beer for himself. Night had fallen and it was almost pitch dark outside apart from the dim lights leading down to the jetty. There was a slight breeze which created an eerie sound that whispered its way through the tall trees. There were also the whines of foxes, the scurry of small animals and the haunting hoots of owls hidden within high branches. None of which was bothering the love birds tucked up in their warm, comfortable, safe and secluded cabin. The doors were bolted front and rear and everything appeared
secure.
Perfect
, they thought. They settled down to watch one of the DVDs provided: Inception, a thriller starring Leonardo Dicaprio. Susan enjoyed the comfort and security Andrew gave her, and even though he could not eradicate the monster that persistently pursued her in every waking moment of every day she lived, he could at least make some of her time a whole lot better. With Andrew by her side, she wouldn’t have to ever face John Brennan on her own, or so she thought.

“Negative on every cabin, Serg. They’re not here.”

“Shit! I knew it would be too good to be true if we found them on the first try. Next one, then,” Taylor signed expectantly.

They packed up and headed further north to the next venue. They tried four more sites, with nothing, and this one would be the last that night. It was right beside a travel lodge and the troops were knackered; time to kick back a little and plan for the next day.

CRAAACK! The branch seemed to scream out a warning from beneath his foot. “Fuck,” he rasped under his breath.

His fists tightened within his black leather gloves. He was wearing a balaclava and a camouflaged type of army jacket. To his delight someone could be standing 15 feet away from him in the pitch dark and he would be practically invisible; the
moonlight
was totally hidden by the cloud cover.

Susan’s head flew off of the pillow with a start. “What was that, did you hear that? Andrew, Andrew, wake up! There was a noise outside, I heard a branch or something being stood on.”

“You sure? I never heard anything?”

“That’s because you could sleep through anything and you’re totally worn out,” Susan said with a semi smile, still unnerved by the noise she had heard outside. John stood still, didn’t move a muscle; he knew it had been loud and very possibly heard within the cabin which was barely 20 metres away.

Andrew got up and said to Susan with reassuring eyes, “It was
probably a fox or the wind, or something like that. I’ll go and have a look. I won’t be long.”

“You don’t need to. It was probably nothing.”

“I’ll just give it a look to put both our minds at ease. I’ll take the baseball bat though, just in case, eh.”

Andrew walked to the front door, smiling back at Susan. “It’ll be alright, I’ll make sure of that, or at least I’ll die trying.”

Andrew was a strong, fit, well-built man, who loved this woman. He meant what he said, and John had every intention of keeping him to his word.

Andrew opened the door slowly. He hid it well but he too was a little apprehensive about what could be outside. He brushed the feeling off as stupidity and stuck his head out the door, almost convincing himself that there was nothing there that could hurt him other than a falling tree or an act of god. He looked around quickly scanning the trees round about, trying to catch a glimpse of what might be out there, never considering it may be him. The trees concealed a terrifying darkness, like something you’d find in a horror movie, the trees whispering at him loudly as his imagination started to play games with him. He could feel a sense of unease but couldn’t quite place it; there was nothing to suggest that there was anything wrong. He was really only taking a quick look to put Susan’s mind at rest, but he felt it - strong and powerful, a searing sense of dread with nothing to back it up.

John’s eyes remained fixed on Andrew like a lion with its prey, not flinching and barely breathing, not a movement, nothing. Andrew’s breath could be seen in the light on the porch and John wondered if there would be any trace of his, although he was invisible between the trees in the pitch darkness. Andrew looked round one more time; John could see he was uncomfortable just by his posture. His head moved round and slowed as he faced towards John, and stopped. Andrew looked into the trees, straight at him, but was only able to see the first row of trees before him, the others were engulfed in darkness, a darkness hiding pure evil. His eyes seemed to be drawn into them, a pull from an unwanted chain, his head even visibly moved forward in John’s direction. John actually began to worry that he’d been detected, as Andrew’s eyes seemed to focus on him. He questioned what he’d do if he had been spotted. Would he be able to
overcome them both without the element of surprise? Hairs felt like they were popping out of Andrew’s skin as a shiver ran up his spine, and he couldn’t help but make that shiver noise when it passed through him. He gave himself a shake and questioned why he was feeling like this; there was nothing there, nothing to see, nothing to hear. He turned back and pulled the door closed. John could hear the locks being engaged and sighed with relief that he had not given himself away. Andrew went back to his bed and held Susan tightly.

“There was nothing out there, no noise, nothing - bit creepy though, just how dark it is. I wouldn’t like to be out in that on my own. Bbbrrruuuggh - spooky shit.”

John’s dark eyes narrowed as he heard a faint crack behind him in the woods. He shone a small light in the direction of the noise, showing no fear and oozing power; the badger that stared back into his face took a few steps backwards and moved off in the opposite direction, sensing danger from the man that stood before it. It didn’t hesitate in taking heed of its instincts and retreating back into the darkness, away from the thing hiding in the woods.

Taylor’s lips sipped from her glass of Shiraz and she leaned back on the seat, her designer blouse silky and fitted. The team all sat round in the hotel bar chatting about the day and the disappointment at their lack of success. The voices all rolled into one another and everyone was relaxed as this was not their first drink of the evening. As the night went on the humour reached the suggestive lows, innuendo and smut to be expected at any gathering of police officers. They turned all of their war stories into something that could be dealt with and stored, to avoid the job damaging them. The laughter was a well needed release for everybody, taking their minds off the task at hand, humour the essential release from the reality needed to do their work. Taylor looked over towards Fran, who was deep in conversation with Marcus. Taylor allowed her eyes to linger longer than she should have. Sensing that she was being watched, Fran looked up towards Taylor, and they held each other’s gaze. Each
of their minds inquisitive, both looking for something more than a friendly glance. Taylor felt a slight flutter in her stomach as the corners of Fran’s mouth turned slightly upwards into a flirtatious smile and her eyes sent a very clear message that she wanted more than just a smile back from her. Taylor was first to look away, her face a little flushed with the wine and now with the sense of arousal that was emanating through her body. Her mind was floating in and out of scenarios and how it would be to savour the pleasure of what was clearly on offer to her. Taylor kept thinking of Kay and how she had made her feel only three days ago and how this flirting could end something really good before it even got the chance to get properly started. Unfortunately for Taylor, she lacked willpower and this time she was not the one in pursuit and may not be in control of what could happen. With these thoughts in mind, she finished her glass of wine and excused herself from the group, in an attempt to set a good example to the team and try and prevent any awkward situations developing.

“Early start tomorrow and lots to do in the morning! Please don’t get too drunk. I don’t want to be a spoil sport but we need to keep our wits about us for when we do locate him.”

They all said their goodnights and watched her as she left the bar area, her toned figure pleasing for most that watched.

“She is hot,” PC Lomond commented and Marcus just looked at him with his eyebrows almost at his hairline.

“Really? You don’t say.”

“She’s very attractive but I doubt you’ll appear hot to her,” Marcus said with a hint of mirth.

“What do you mean?” PC Lomond genuinely asked.

“What? You don’t know?”

“Know what?”

“She bats for the other side you divvy.”

“No way! She’s fucking gorgeous!”

“There are lots of good looking lesbians, ya twat, and it’s pretty obvious she’s one anyway.”

“I thought she was into me. She was looking right at me!”

“Through you, you mean, to the next female hotty that may walk in to her viewing arc,” Marcus laughed wholeheartedly at him.

Fran was sitting beside PC Lomond and she knew those eyes were meant for her and not for him; she smiled inwardly that she was the one that had the attention of her highly attractive boss.

Taylor leant forward to press the button for the lift when another hand gently brushed over hers and pressed the button beneath. Taylor gasped a little as she had not been aware that there was anyone else in the corridor behind her. The touch was from a feminine hand that sent a rush of electric pulses to every sensitive place in her body. Fran came up very close to Taylor, a total invasion of her personal space, but she wasn’t uncomfortable with it, although she should have been. There was a sense of nervous tension, an anticipation that excited her. Taylor was not used to this; she was always usually in control but not this time.

Fran stood beside her, looking straight at her boss with beautiful warm eyes, her scent luring Taylor to her. They both knew that this moment had been thought about; Fran’s tongue passed over her lips lightly within her mouth, knowing that Taylor would be able to see it. Fran moved even closer, her face coming within an inch or two of Taylor’s. Taylor instinctively moved back a bit, not knowing how this would end. As she did so, Fran took her slender hand and gently pulled her back towards her. Taylor’s heart was pounding.
Do I want this to happen? Could I stop this happening? It feels so good, totally exciting and unexpected.

Fran’s eyes were fixed on Taylor, a hot passionate look, willing her to come to her, to give in to her desire. Fran leant forward and this time Taylor did not pull away from her; Fran was tentative, hoping not to be rejected, the softness of her mouth sending Taylor’s insides flipping in circles, the power of that initial touch was so consuming. Fran’s kiss was soft and not intrusive, mouths remaining closed. Another followed, this time a little more needy than the other. Taylor let out a small moan of pleasure as she put her arm round Fran’s waist and pulled her into her. This time the kiss was full of lust, open mouthed, tongues meeting, but still gentle as any desire that had been felt was released all at that moment.

Ping! The lift arrived and Fran was pushed into it backwards, Taylor took control unable to resist the lustful feelings that surged through her with such ferocity. Fran’s moan told its own story as Taylor’s hand pushed down hard into her trousers and beneath her panties, fingers gliding over her already wet pussy.
Fran gripped Taylor’s shoulders and bit down hard on her lip as she felt the power of what was happening to her, gripping her inside. Every movement of Taylor’s hand sent waves of immense pleasure coursing through Fran’s body.

“Oh god, oh god,” she gasped, her moans arousing as she came so hard that her legs started to buckle beneath her. Taylor held her up, driving her fingers deeper inside, keeping the rhythm with the pulse of Fran’s orgasm, keeping her where she wanted her to be, totally turned on. Taylor fucked Fran hard, making sure she didn’t lose the heightened state of arousal, dropping to her knees to lick her intensely and intimately with such well-practised skill that Fran’s next orgasm sent her head into a euphoric spin. She moaned as Taylor continued to pleasure her, bringing on another more desperate orgasm that continued sending tingles up and down her spine. The next one brought on by the intensity of Taylor’s constant motion of her fingers was so powerful, Taylor could feel Fran’s pleasure in her hand as she slowed down, allowing Fran to catch her breath. Taylor steadied her with her arm round her. Now standing, she kissed her open and very willing mouth. Their kisses were so intense that even Taylor was taken aback. They slowed down and looked at each other, both aware that this encounter was a little bit more than they had thought it would be.

Taylor spoke first. “My god! That was intense.” They both smiled, shared another lingering kiss and began to make themselves look a little more respectable.

“Wow! I’ve got to go. You do understand that, don’t you?”

“I do. I never thought we’d get this far anyway and I certainly didn’t expect an invite to your room, because I know you’re with Kay!”

Taylor stopped in her tracks and turned her head round really quickly to meet Fran’s gaze, mouth open and a little speechless as she believed nobody knew about their affair or that Kay was even gay.

“How do you know that?”

“I have eyes. I watched you in the office the other week, for my own reasons, I watched the way you looked at her and the way she responded and I agree it was very subtle but, to a woman, it’s obvious that there was affection there.”

“So why me and why did we just do what we did?”