The Perfect Murder: Spine-chilling short stories for long summer nights

‘Where are you going Sheila? Surely you’re not trying to get away are you? You’ve only just arrived.’

Sheila tried to scream but the sound just seemed to stick in her throat.

‘Sheila, I’m talking to you.’

The voice was getting louder but she couldn’t see anything in the dark.

‘I’m over here.’ The voice in the darkness hissed out. She’d never felt terror like it, never felt the overwhelming sense of powerlessness as she did now.

‘Please … please. Leave me alone … Help! Help!’

‘Welcome to my home.’

He watched her; watched her looking like she was going to be sick. His black eyes, accustomed to the dark saw her scrambling along the wall, sinking her hand into the slimy walls, but he didn’t need to do anything else. She was going to do it all. He smiled as he saw her tumble forward, smashing her head on the concrete floor. He sighed contentedly the sight of the blood. A moment later he hurried forward, pulling her body into the darkness.

11.31 a.m.

‘What the fuck do you mean they ain’t behind us? I told you to keep an eye on them. Jesus. Do I have to do everything my fucking self? Bunch of muppets.’ Dave Cole snarled at Mike and Jay. This wasn’t how it was supposed to be. He looked at his watch under the torchlight. They were supposed to have been up above ground by now, but somehow, and he hated to admit this, somehow they were lost.

He couldn’t hear anything, so he supposed that was a good thing; at least the police weren’t after them. Not yet anyway. By the time they got out of wherever they were it might be a different story.

‘They were behind us a minute ago.’

‘A minute ago ain’t now is it Mike?’

‘Do you want me to go back to look for them?’

Dave slapped Mike on the chest. ‘And what frigging good will that do? It will slow us down more than we are already. Just let me think for a minute. Shit!’

‘Dani needs to rest.’ Jay spoke to his father, a firmness which wasn’t usually there in his voice.

‘Excuse me?’

‘Dani. She needs to rest.’

Dave Cole was amazed. Here they were in the depths of God knows where and his son was acting the part of Nanny McPhee.

‘This ain’t a frigging health spa.’

Jay, about to speak again, was interrupted.

‘It’s you. Jay? Oh my God it’s you.’ Dani Edwards stared in amazement through the darkness, her voice a mix of shock and anger.

In the torchlight she walked up to Jay, pulling off his balaclava. She took in his handsome face. His brown floppy hair and his upturned nose. Then the sound of a slap was heard as she hit him, hard across his cheek.

‘What the hell was that for?’ Jay held on to his cheek, feeling the sting, but more the humiliation as his father glared at him in the torchlight.

‘What do you think it’s for Jay? You have a guess.’

‘If it’s about not turning up that day.’

Dani shook her head incredulously. ‘Maybe try holding up a bank at gunpoint, holding us hostage, making us come down this … this literal shit hole and yes, if you want you can add the fact you didn’t turn up that day to it.’

‘Listen, I’m sorry.’

‘Sorry? Sorry? Jesus, do you know how pathetic that sounds?’

Dave bellowed at the top of his voice. ‘Enough! What the fuck is going on here? If it hasn’t escaped your notice we’re trying to get out of here once you two lovebirds have quite finished.’

‘I finished with him a long time ago.’ Dani spat out her words at Jay.

‘Dani … please.’

‘Don’t “please” me Jay, you’ve never done it before so why start now?’

Dave stood in the middle of them. His mouth was distorted with anger as he prodded his son in his chest.

‘You’re ripping the frigging piss out of it son. You can talk all the sweet nothings you want once we get out of here, but until then …’ He leaned in menacingly, as was his habit. ‘I don’t want to hear anything else. Do you understand me?’

‘Yeah, okay.’

Dani tutted and Dave whirled round to her. ‘And that goes for you too darlin’.’ I don’t know the ins and outs about you and my son, but I do know women.’

Dani curled up her lips. ‘And I suppose that’s why your wife left you is it, because you know women?’

The moment she’d said it, Dani Edwards regretted it. It wasn’t in her nature to hurt people, and whether she despised Dave Cole or not and the stories she’d heard about his cruelty from Jay, she didn’t feel comfortable watching the flicker of hurt cross over his face.

‘I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have said that.’

Dave shot back venomously. ‘No, you shouldn’t, and maybe my son here don’t believe in hitting women, but I don’t have a problem with it.’

‘Leave her alone.’ Jay spoke up.

Dave looked at his son in scorn. Hatred in his eyes. ‘Is that how it is now, son? A woman’s got you pussy whipped?’

‘No, but I want you to leave her alone.’

Dave laughed nastily. ‘Did you hear that, Mike? Jay wants me to leave his bit of stuff alone. Mike? … Mike?’

Dave turned to his right. Mike had gone. Gone with the bag of money.

‘Shit! Fuck! Now look.’ Dave shouted loudly, kicking the wall. He turned to his son, his eyes blazing.

‘You wait here. If I’m not back soon make your own way up. The manhole has to be around here somewhere, we’ve just overrun it.’

‘Where are you going?’

‘I’m going to go and find that goddamn sonofabitch and teach him a frigging lesson.’