Thirty Four Minutes DEAD (2 page)

The sound of the front seat passenger door froze Julia. She had expected the sound but when it came she hadn't anticipated the muscle seizure that barred her movement.

"I say, it is you Godalming Lady isn't it”, said Everett leaning out of the passenger side door.

If Julia had felt uncomfortable by this title before, it now represented security, and to a level safety. The woman raced the remaining yards to Everett's car at a speed that broke a trot and beckoned a canter. Everett, recognising that Julia was quite distraught, added to his initial sentence.

"Look, can I run you home? Rain and darkness don't make an attractive combination for a female pedestrian in this day and age”. Julia hesitated for a moment before accepting Everett's offer.

"Right, direct the reins then, and this beast will take you to your door”.

"Thanks, it's merely five minutes driving time - if that! Two lefts from here and then down Stirleone Drive - number seven please”. Everett helped Julia with her seat belt and then sped off following her directions.

As the car approached Stirleone Drive, Everett gradually slowed before speeding up to a pace that they had not previously experienced on their journey. Stirleone Drive came and went.

"It was that turning there, that left”, said Julia indignant that such an easy instruction could be misinterpreted.

The electric doors locked and the face turned.

"Don't feel special, you're nothing, you were just
there
. At times some women get above their station, hearing the word equal and making a false equation. Don't get me wrong, the meat's tender but promise me don't feel special. You…"

Julia cut in.

"Just drop me now. Just…"

The fist cut her short a powerful fist that bloodied her mouth and left it's sting.

"Look, let's get things straight, put our cards on the table. Your best outcome involves lungs that still expel air, eyes that still see and lips that can still feel the trickle of blood upon them. Your worst outcome - well you know that don't you? Now enjoy the journey but do, oh please do remember you're not special, you're nothing - a non-event”.

The car journeyed on and Everett put a Tamala Motown Greatest Hits CD in the Car stereo. Occasionally the volume was lowered so that Everett's verbal rape could continue. Julia said nothing. Advertising, The Burleigh and three glasses of red were now worthless - she just had hope, the hope that brought tomorrows. The car had been cruising through well laid ‘Greenbelt’ roads and Julia suddenly felt the hairs on the back of her neck rise as Everett slowed to a halt at the bottom of a side track which had left the main highway.

Everett got out of the car and roughly pulled Julia out with him.

"This copse seems right, don't you think so Julia? It's funny you know, how quiet the bubbly Julia has become. I wonder why - it's beyond me. Can you smell the pine? It's one of my favourite aromas, so invigorating and natural, don't you think?”

Julia was forced away from the crude dirt based car park. As the pair approached the fringes of the fir copse the woman was dealt a powerful downward blow to the back of her head. She hit the ground hard, cutting her temple on a protruding pine branch. She became aware that Royston Sandford-Everett was kneeling above her. She could just discern his powerful muscular shape in the moonlight, but the silence that had taken over her routemaster was the factor that forced the sweat to moisten on her brow. After a couple of minutes Everett broke the quiet.

"Take this lighter. Light it and illuminate my noble face. The lesson is nearly read my Godalming Lady, but one needs a spotlight to celebrate the closure doesn't one? I congratulate you on your attentive nature, it means I could share the occasion to its fullest level".

Julia did as she was told and the powerful lighter cast an eerie light upon Everett's wild-eyed visage.

"You have a choice now bitch - shattered, tattered or battered?”

Julia saw the face twinge, as if Everett was reconsidering. She saw hope face on for a fleeting second, but then her hope faded as she saw the glint of steel in the previously inactive right hand. She saw the fist descend once again, Everett's one act of mercy, before the knife pierced her heart and delivered the darkness.

"We've got one, Vain".

"How long gone?” responded Gregory Vain, not fully believing that D-Day had actually arrived.

"About two and a half hours. Caucasian, female with ID putting her at 33".

"Cause of death?”

"One direct stab wound through the heart. She would have died anyway. Looks like a haemorrhage was just starting".

"Will it effect the demonstration?”

"I doubt it, but the perfect corpse can't be direct mailed you know!”

"Point taken. Any signs of rape, Mason?”

"No, none. Evidence of blows to mouth region and the back of the cranium. The latter probably offset the haemorrhage".

"Have you sent the Volks for the triad pick up?”

"No. You're all going separate. M.O.D overruled by the C.I.A on this one. Your driver will give the usual signal. Look for a black battered Scirocco, registration CV3N 79S.
 
They've been waiting nearly two weeks for the right corpse. Let's hope it doesn't disappoint them. Pick up is in about ten minutes. Good luck Vain".

"Cheers, Mason. Let's hope she captured a full HV range. Passing out base off".

Gregory Vain nullified his Comm-Lynx signal and hurriedly collected the small suitcase that he had in readiness in the hallway for this moment. Vain’s wife Tanya observed his movements.

“Still can’t tell me Greg?”

As the couple travelled upstairs Vain returned a familiar response.

"No, sorry Tan. You know the score - want for nothing, know nothing!”

"Well take care, love. I bet you must laugh at me if your job isn't dangerous but it must be. I mean the
Comm-Lynx
, night visits and swift departures all point to it darling, don't they?”

"No comment Tan. You know that, don't apply the stranglehold".

Tanya Vain proceeded to apply a mock stranglehold upon her husband’s neck and Vain sparred back with a playful tickle directed to her midriff. The couple ended up in a heap on their replica four-poster bed and whilst entwined enjoyed a deep kiss that added a spice to their play.

The hiss of their electronic gate intercom interrupted their shenanigans. Greg quickly went to the receiver and encoded his part of the applicable signal.

"Save it for tomorrow. Let's save it. Save it".

The desired reply came back.

"Tonight burns brightest. Let's make it. Make it".

Vain opened the gates and waited alone in the porch for the car to proceed up the long gravel drive. Once he recognised that the type of car and plate number were correct, he called a farewell to Tanya.

"See you Tan. Keep it warm, spend our money. I love ya".

Tanya responded in a similar humorous fashion commenting that the milkman would be gentle with her! She finished by returning the "I love ya" and proceeded to watch the pick up car snake it's way down the drive. The battered Sirocco confused her even more. Greg's employers, whoever they were, paid all the bills and cash seemed to be present in large quantities. Tanya hadn't been a big fan of the private school education both their children were ‘advised’ into by Greg's employers but nine year old Rachel and seven year old Gary seemed to be progressing well none the less. The burly gentlemen who collected the kids each morning and returned them each evening were the most uncomfortable factor for Tanya to cope with. The kids loved the pair and they were very polite to all the family but without firmer explanation, they just added to the greyness surrounding Greg's employment.

On occasions Tanya was sure she had been ‘shadowed’ when she shopped in Epping, in Essex. She even changed her shopping locale to neighbouring Theydon Bois but street corner gentlemen appeared there, too. She mentioned the shadow factor to Greg but instead of showing the concern she expected, he displayed a binary reaction seeming pleased by her revelation. She assumed that this was another work-related factor and so put up with the intrusion. Privacy didn't always come easy, but Tanya contented herself that for a slim youthful looking thirty-two year old she was experiencing life to its fullest. The kids were settled, Greg and her had the spice of lovers despite their traditional marriage relationship, and their standard of living achieved grade A proportions. Tanya had more questions concerning Greg's employment but they could wait.

"Did Mason fill you in Gregory?”

The speaker was known as Mr Voight, no more no less.

Voight was quite a senior with regard to Vain and his teams work.

"He gave me two desired demographics concerning gender and age. I'm short of a name, career base and death location".

"Julia Venison, just appointed as an Account Planner for BMP DDB advertising agency. Found dead in full view, propped upon a style adjacent to a dirt road car park eleven miles out of Godalming".

"The home of Ad Planning. She was doing well for herself. Where's the venue tonight; Desig D or E?"

"We've reverted back to B. The R.A.S decomposition factors are radically reduced by this venue. Venison's body is there now, as are Tavini and Ko Chai. In a nutshell we went for the most local site. Site B keeps the subject fresh in comparison".

Vain laughed to himself about the Reticular Activating System reference. One of his salient research points devalued the durability of the RAS in favour of the MC vault he had discovered in the Cerebral Hemisphere. Voight remained locked in the body mechanics of yesterday, but he liked the pompous superior and was pleased that the demonstration arena had been re-sited to Desig B which was the closest venue to his Epping base. Vain looked taut with contemplation. He was a different man from the one who had play wrestled with Tanya some thirty minutes previous. Five years research was on show tonight, and the sceptical audience who were largely clothed in ignorance would be unconvinced to a person if Julia Venison's Memory Camera fired blanks in the demonstration arena.

The car proceeded down the driveway of designation B. Upon arrival Voight and his two bodyguards ushered Vain out of the Sirocco and through the main entrance of the Neo-Gothic Manor House that represented Designation B. Once inside, the four were greeted by an attractive woman in her mid forties dressed in a grey suit. Her greeting was flawless in its tone and precision.

"Mr Voight, Mr Vain good evening. The assembly await your presence in the Lower Chamber. Mr Denison has requested that security staff remain on the Ground Floor in Drawing Room number three. Miss Ellis will escort them there. Now, Mr Voight and Mr Vain if you will kindly follow me, I will escort you to the Lower Chamber".