Spoilt (10 page)

“
What do you think?” she said.

“
I think I’m very interested to hear what Adrian has to
say.”

Across the room, a tall guy, a couple inches shorter than
Lucas, with straight blonde hair, blue eyes and boy next door good
looks, came out from the back of the café and walked towards the
detectives.

“
Hey, I’m Adrian Matthews. Laura told me you wanted to talk to
me.”

“
Yes, I’m Detective Hudson and this is Detective Johnson and
we’re investigating the murders of three women. We would like to
ask you a few questions.”

“
I don’t know how I can help you, but I’ll try,” he said,
flashing his boyish smile.

“
Are you the owner here?”

“
Yes, but what does this have to do with me?”

“
Do you know any of these women?” He pointed to the photos on
the table.

“
Yes, they all come in here.”

“
They’re all dead, Mr Matthews,” Maggie said.

“
Oh, I’m sorry to hear that,” he said, the smile disappearing
very suddenly. “They were nice girls.”

“
Did you have a relationship with any of them?”

“
I went out with Elle a few times but it didn’t work
out.”

“
What about Libby and Kate?”

“
Are those their names?” He gave them a smug grin. “No, but
not for lack of trying.”

“
Do you know a girl by the name of Lindsay?” Lucas
asked.

“
Yeah, she’s a hot one that one. I asked her out a few days
ago and she said she would let me know, but I haven’t seen her
since.”

“
Do you ask a lot of your customers out?’

“
Perks of the job.” He grinned again.

“
You don’t think it’s strange that three women you went out
with or tried to go out with have gone missing and then been found
dead?”

“
No, a lot of women come in here and I go out with quite a few
of them, or try to,” he said giving Lucas a disconcerting look.
“There are a lot of regular male customers that come in here
too.”

“
Would you consider letting us give you a DNA test?” Maggie
asked.

“
Um, no, I wouldn’t. I don’t like what you’re insinuating,
Detective.” His face grew fierce. “I have work to do.” He got up to
leave.

“
Mr Matthews,” Maggie said carefully, “the test would rule you
out as a person of interest. It’s only because you knew all the
girls.”

“
You don’t need to rule me out because I didn’t do
anything.”

He started to walk off again.

“
Matthews,” Lucas called after him. He turned his head and
looked at Lucas. “Do you do the cooking here?”

“
Yeah, some of it. I bake the cakes and quiche, things like
that. What has that got to do with anything?”

“
So you would use a lot of flour then?

“
Yes. Why are you asking me these stupid
questions?”

“
Just routine. Thanks for your time.”

Adrian disappeared into the kitchen again.

“
I want to test this guy, Maggie.”

“
I know. Me too. Do we have enough to bring him
in?”

“
All we have is he’s a chef and he knew all three women, but
there are plenty of chefs out there and lots of cafés. Like he
said, there would be plenty of customers that could have been here
when all three girls were.”

“
I would like to see whether he has a record and what missing
persons have for us. I’m sure whoever this guy is, he’s not
finished.”

* * *

I’m greeted with terror in her pretty eyes.

She knows what I’m going to do, as it’s the same every
day.

Even though it’s no use and she knows it, she continues to beg
me not to, but we both know I will.

She shakes her head from side to side while I have my way with
her. When I’m finished, I cut the next letter into her chest and
watch the blood flow while I listen to her screams …. the screams
that remind me of another time.

“
Stop snivellin’. Be a man,” my father shouts at me as he
kicks me again in the stomach while I lie helpless on the floor,
waiting out his assault. “We’d have more money if not for you,” he
slurs again as the boot goes in once more.

I remain still and wait for it to be over. He’s the one that
spends all the money on booze and speed. He’s indulged again
tonight and I’m on the brunt of his drunken rage, as
usual.

“
You’re the reason your mother left,” he yells as he grabs the
nearest sharp knife and holds it to my throat.

“
I oughta cut you up right now.”

Then I hear a scream and realise it’s me.

Or was that her again? I’m not sure anymore. Her cries and
shrieks start to subside as I complete the last cut for
today.

I watch a bit longer as her blood spills and then I clean her
up and stop the flow. Can’t have her die just yet.

I’m getting restless and wish for it to be that perfect little
princess lying here on the dirty mattress and not this
substitute.

I must be patient and make it perfect, just like she thinks
she is.

I need to practice and get it right.

Chapter 11

Dinner

Thursday

While Maggie checked to see whether their friend Adrian
Matthews possessed a record, Lucas checked the files sent over from
missing persons. Three girls had been reported missing who matched
the descriptions of the victims. The first file Lucas opened
contained information on a blonde girl about the right age but she
wasn’t tall like Elle. He put the file to the side, as he couldn’t
discount her yet.

He opened the second file and the face staring up at him
caught his breath. If he didn’t have Chelsea’s face etched into his
memory, he would have thought it was her photo in the file. Even
though the missing girl’s eyes were blue, everything else about her
matched Chelsea. Her listed measurements showed she was a waif of a
girl and her hair was long and dark. Lucas glanced across at her
name and stopped.

“
Maggie,” he said, not believing his eyes. “Did Laura at the
café say that a girl named Lindsay came to the coffee
shop?”

“
Yeah, she said her sleazy boss had been trying to go out with
her. Why?”

“
I think I’m looking at her.”

“
She’s missing?”

“
Yep.”

“
Since when?”

“
Yesterday afternoon.”

“
That was reported fast.”

“
According to the notes, she was very career orientated so
when she didn’t turn up for work her mother became concerned. She
too left her possessions behind.” He paused to look up at Maggie
before returning them to the file. “She never leaves the house
without her phone. Her mum reported her missing because she knew
this was unlike her daughter.”

“
And with the murders all over the news ...” Maggie
added.

“
She grew very concerned, which is lucky for us. We have an
early heads up.”

“
Well, well, we might be able to bring Mr. Matthews in after
all. Now with this, along with the fact he has a record
...”

“
What for?”

“
Violating a restraining order his ex-girlfriend took out
against him.”

“
Print out his photo.”

“
What are you going to do with it?”

“
After seeing this photo of Lindsay, I’m starting to believe
your theory about the resemblance to Chelsea,” he said, showing
Maggie the photo. “I would like to show her his picture, see if she
knows him. On the way there, I’ll visit Lindsay’s mum and show her
the photo of Matthews, follow up with some questions.”

“
Show Chelsea the other girls’ photos too, just in
case.”

“
Will do,” he said grabbing Libby, Kate and Lindsay’s photos
before retrieving the photo of Adrian Matthews, which had just come
off the printer.

“
While you do that, I might talk to the other staff at the
café to see if I can track some of Matthews’ movements. We can
compare notes in the morning if you want,” she said, looking at her
watch. “I’d also better go home for dinner or my husband might
forget what I look like.”

* * *

Chelsea’s stomach rumbled and she realised she hadn’t eaten
since breakfast. After Lucas had left her reeling, she’d decided to
take her frustrations out on the weeding and pruning. It was simply
too difficult to think about either Elle or Lucas. She did,
however, place a bouquet of cut flowers in Elle’s room and several
more around the house, which lifted her mood slightly.

She was heading towards the kitchen to scrape something
together for dinner, when the doorbell rang for the fourth time
that day.

Again she hesitated to answer it.
Get a grip
, she told herself.
You can’t refuse to
answer your own door
.

And there was Lucas again. His hair was damp and unruly and he
smelt like the ocean breeze. Instead of a suit, as he’d worn
earlier in the day, he had on a green t-shirt which clung to his
broad shoulders. One hand was thumbing his jeans while the other
held a file. His crooked smile and luminous hazel eyes took her
breath away.

“
Hi. Your garden still looks great.” His intense scrutiny of
her face sent tingles through her body.

“
Thanks. It was a good way of escaping …. everything,” she
replied.

“
Smells good in there too,” he said, nodding his head towards
the living room.

“
Oh, I brought some of the flowers inside and threw them
together.”

He peered over her shoulder. “They look great. You have a
knack for throwing them together,” he said still smiling and
staring at her with those amber eyes.

“
Thanks. Um, would you like to come in?’

“
Yeah, thanks. I’m sorry to intrude but I have some photos to
show you. I guess they could have waited till tomorrow but I also
wanted to apologise for this morning.”

“
What for, for kissing me or apologising for it?” she asked
with the frosty look he was beginning to become familiar
with.

“
The second option.”

She smiled and her emerald eyes softened.

“
I was just about to make some dinner. Have you
eaten?”

“
No, not yet. I went home and got changed, then came here so I
guess I haven’t got around to it.”

“
Would you like to join me? It won’t be much, just whatever I
can throw together.”

“
You throw things together so well, I’m sure it’ll be great.”
His eyes twinkled and her breath stopped, again. “Anything would be
good right now.” It was hard to stay mad at him.

“
Would you like a drink?” she asked as she led him out to the
kitchen.

“
A beer would be great, if you have one.”

“
Sure do.”

She pulled one from the fridge, twisted off the top and
handed it to him. He touched her hand as he took the drink. The
stormy look in her eyes quickened his pulse. How was he going to
keep his hands off her? How could he look at those lips and not
kiss her again?
Did she just ask me something?

“
Sorry, I missed that?” he said, pulling his eyes away from
her lips.

“
What do you need to show me?”

“
Oh, it can wait.”

“
No, let’s get it out the way and then we might be able to
enjoy dinner together.” She smiled.

“
Ok, if you’re sure.”

She nodded, so he pulled the photos from the file he was
carrying.

“
This is Libby and Kate they were …um, do you recognise
them?

Chelsea looked at them intently while he did the same to her.
When she looked up he looked down at the photos.

“
No, they don’t look familiar to me. Sorry.”

“
That’s ok. How about Lindsay?” he asked putting her photo
down next to the others.

They both stared intently at different things
again.

“
No, I’m afraid I’m not much help.” She tightened her
lips.

“
It’s ok. I didn’t expect you to know them. We aren’t sure how
they are connected yet. I have one more for you and then we can try
and forget about it for the evening.”

He placed the photo of Adrian Matthews on the
counter.

“
I’ve seen him before,” she stated. “I’m not sure
where.”

She thought for a moment. “Wait, I know, the café,” she said
as she remembered. “One day, a week or so before I went away, Elle
and I were having lunch at the café. She kept glancing toward the
kitchen, like she was looking for someone, then he,” she pointed to
the picture, “came out and she waved to him. I asked her who he was
and she said ‘Just a cute guy that works here’ and I didn’t push
further. I can’t believe I didn’t remember that before, when you
asked me about the café.”