Page 9 of M for Murder

‘Yeah, it must have got wedged somehow. I damn near tripped over it.’

‘You sure it’s a body?’

‘Well, I guess it could be a giant rat.’ Even though he wasn’t yet close enough to see her face, he could tell by the tone of her voice that she was mocking him. ‘Of course it’s a body, you idiot.’

‘A dead one?’

‘Well, he’s sure as hell not moving.’

He could see her now, about seven feet away, bent down, gripping hold of a large object.

The body?

‘Give me the damn flashlight,’ he demanded, feeling the need to take charge of the situation.

She threw it to him, and he missed. The second light went out, leaving them in total darkness.

‘Damn, fuck, Angell!’

‘Hey, you were the one who dropped it, idiot,’ she fought back.

Her voice was close, and Vic reached out his hand. Feeling an arm, he took hold of it and pulled. ‘Okay, I got the stiff.’

The arm struggled, and he fought to hold on to it. ‘Hey! He ain’t dead.’

‘That’s my arm, you jerk,’ Angell snapped, pulling herself free.

Vic reached down for the body. A foul stench filled his nostrils. ‘Boy, he smells worse than all the crap he’s floating around in.’

‘I wonder how he got down here.’

He’s probably some drunk who tripped down an open manhole.’

‘You reckon?’

‘Hell, I don’t know, sweetheart. I can’t even see what he looks like.’

Grabbing hold of the body by its torso, he tried to hold it steady. He glanced in Angell’s direction, still unable to see her face in the darkness. ‘So, Wonder Woman, what’s your plan now?’

When Kylan left the classroom, Justine quickly turned away and tried to make out she was looking for her locker. Kylan didn’t look her way; her head was tilted towards the floor and she headed off in the opposite direction.

From what Justine had heard through the open door, it sounded as though Mr and Mrs Parker had been having a fight. A trivial fight, maybe, but still a chink in the armour. Kylan had wanted them to spend lunch together. Lawrie – Mr Parker seemed so formal – had told her he didn’t have time as he had papers to mark. Therefore, Justine was surprised when, two minutes later, he too left the classroom.

He headed in the opposite direction to his wife and, feeling there were enough students around for it not to look obvious, Justine followed him, keeping a safe distance. When they reached the phone booths at the end of the corridor, Lawrie stopped. As he fished in his pocket for some loose change, he glanced over his shoulder, as though worried he was being watched. Seeming satisfied he wasn’t, he headed to an empty phone.

Justine walked past him, towards the stairs to the left of the booths. Once certain he couldn’t see her, she stopped and listened.

Lawrie spoke quietly and due to the noise going on around her she had trouble hearing much of his conversation.

‘Yes… I only have an hour… Okay, I’ll be there in five minutes.’ Justine’s heartbeat quickened.

Did he have a mistress? Was he seeing someone behind Kylan’s back?

She watched him walk away from the phone booth and head down towards the main foyer that led to the parking lot.

So dark, so brooding and so mysterious.

A surge of confidence swept over her. If Lawrie could cheat on Kylan once, chances were if the right girl came along, he would do it again. Justine decided that whatever it took, she was going to be that girl.