He spent the next hour teasing her. One minute, he was making out that he would be leaving, then the next, he was questioning her about what time exactly she finished work.

She flipped between being confused and showing real signs of interest at his hints. She approached him for the final time in the bar that evening. “I’ll be ready to leave in twenty minutes.”

“Okay, I’ll finish my drink and meet you outside in the car.”

“Wait across the road. The boss always sees his staff off the premises for safety reasons.”

“He’s a wise man. You can’t be too careful these days. There are some really twisted souls walking this earth.” He fixed a concerned expression firmly in place.

“Too right. Only last week, there was a murder up the road from here.”

His eyes widened, and he covered his chest, pretending to be mortified. “Goodness, I can understand your reluctance to come with me. Maybe I could come back next week, get to know you a little more.”

“Nonsense. We’re like old friends now. I feel like I’ve known you for decades.”

“Oh, that’s nice to know. The feeling is mutual. It’s been a while since I’ve met anyone as beautiful and as like-minded as you.”

“What a flattering thing to say! I appreciate that more than you’ll ever know. I’ve obviously been dating the wrong kind of chaps. You’re adorable.”

He snorted. “I don’t think I’ve ever had the pleasure of being called that before.”

“I’d better get on with clearing up. I’ll speak to you soon.”

“Okay, I’ll call out when I leave just like the other customers.”

She nodded then got on with her work. Before long, he noticed her humming Madonna’s song Like a Virgin while she cheerfully washed and wiped the glasses as she arranged them on the shelves behind her.

His groin started to twitch, until finally he could take no more. “Goodnight, all,” he shouted as he headed towards the exit. He received a few mumbled responses from the few stragglers sitting at the bar. He suspected they were hoping for some kind of lock-in.

He drove out of the pub’s car park and into the smaller car park belonging to one of the shops opposite. He didn’t have to wait long to see the last customers leaving the pub. Alexina and her boss followed soon after.

Alexina waved goodbye to her boss and headed across the street to where Scott was parked. When Scott pushed open the passenger door, she jumped in and surprised him by leaning over to peck him on the cheek.

“That was nice. Thank you.”

“That’s nothing compared to what I have in store for you,” she sniggered.

He gave her one of his looks that said, Hey, baby, anything you can think up in that department, I can do better. “Sounds promising. Where shall we go?”

“My place is out of bounds; I share with a friend. What about your place?”

He shrugged. “I’m staying in a cheap hotel for a few days. Not the kind of place a beautiful young lady like you should be seen in.”

She flicked her hand in a playful gesture and caught the top of his arm. “Smooth talker you. I don’t mind—just drive. I’m sure we’ll figure it out soon enough. Why are you staying in a hotel?” she asked.

He thought fast, and another lie tumbled easily from his mouth. “I’m having some work done on my house. It’s easier if I move out for a few days to avoid the mess.”

“How exciting. I live in a crummy two-bed flat with a mate of mine. Every now and then, her boyfriend stays over, and the walls are that bloody thin I might as well be in there with them.”

“Now there’s an idea—a threesome!” He laughed, in spite of thinking the idea was in fact an excellent one, ever one to push the boundaries.

“What work are you having done?” she asked as he pulled out of the car park and drove up the high street.

“An extension to the kitchen. By the time the builders have finished, it will hopefully be double the size it is now.”

“Bigger is definitely better.” She laughed.

“So I’ve been told. I know just the place. It’s a little way out, if that’s okay?”

“Sure. I’m in your capable hands.”

They chatted for the next fifteen minutes, and his heart rate escalated as their destination grew ever nearer. I’m going to have a little fun with this one before I kill her. She seems up for something new, but only time will tell.

He pulled into the wasteland that loosely resembled a car park. He manoeuvred the car around the large potholes and piles of rubble dotted around the area. “What’s this? Home from home for you?” she joked, running her hand up his thigh.

“I was going to drive out into the country and thought, ‘Sod it!’ I just want to get to know you better, and quickly. Are you objecting?”

“Definitely not. Pull over, and I’ll show you what I mean.”

He drove close to the warehouse and stopped the engine. She had already unclipped her seatbelt, and she lunged for him in a flash.

He pushed her away gently. “Eager, aren’t you?”

“Too bloody right, mate. It’s been months.”

“Do you think we’ll be more comfortable in the back?”

She climbed between the front seats and sat in the middle, staring back at him. “What’s keeping you?” she asked seductively.

He joined her, and they got down to the business of ripping each other’s clothes off, their lips moulded together. Once they were naked, he could see her beautiful figure in the bright moonlight that filled the car.

She looked at him shyly for the first time that evening. “Have you got something with you?”

He reached into his pocket and pulled out his rubber friend. “Of course, I never travel without one.”

“That sure of getting laid, are you?”

“One lives in hope. Are we going to chat all night or get down to business?”

She grabbed him round the neck and pulled him on top of her. “Less talk, more action. You’re my kind of guy.”

The sex that followed was a mixture of guiltless pleasure and frantic possession. He had every intention of using Alexina to the fullest extent. She was an enthusiastic and very willing participant, after all. Not long after the couple had climaxed, his strength started to return, and the wobbliness in his limbs subsided. He started to play with her breasts, giving her the unspoken message that he was eager to go a second time. She wriggled beneath him, inviting him to take her again. His hands went on a journey of pleasing her until they came to rest on her neck. He played with it, tickling the sides, and she moaned as her eyes fluttered shut. Then he struck. He squeezed with all his might with his hands while using his splayed-out legs and his extra weight to prevent her from struggling free from his grasp.

The last words he spoke to her as she gasped for breath were: “Thank you, but you were nothing special.”

Her lifeless eyes stared up at him. He discarded her, pushing and pulling at her body in his eagerness to get dressed. Once he was fully clothed, he tugged her body through the back door, lifted her still-warm frame into his arms, and made his way into the building. He saw no need to bother concealing her body—the police had no clue who he was. He went back to the car and retrieved her clothes and handbag, which he piled close to her head. Then he emptied the contents of the phial across her thigh, just as he had with the others. Calmly and without looking back over his shoulder, he left the girl and jumped back into his car.

CHAPTER SEVEN

Sally was finishing up sifting through the monotonous paperwork thrust upon DIs nowadays—after the relaxing weekend, the chore seemed so much better to deal with—when Jack appeared in her doorway.

“We’ve got another one.” He looked downbeat, and an ominous feeling pushed away all the relaxation that had seeped into her body over the past few days.

“Crap, really? Where?”

“Different location entirely. In a disused warehouse not far from Acle.”