Murderous Twins Read online

  Murderous Twins

  By Edward Kendrick

  Published by JMS Books LLC

  Visit jms-books.com for more information.

  Copyright 2018 Edward Kendrick

  ISBN 9781634866378

  Cover Design: Written Ink Designs | written-ink.com

  Image(s) used under a Standard Royalty-Free License.

  All rights reserved.

  WARNING: This book is not transferable. It is for your own personal use. If it is sold, shared, or given away, it is an infringement of the copyright of this work and violators will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.

  No portion of this book may be transmitted or reproduced in any form, or by any means, without permission in writing from the publisher, with the exception of brief excerpts used for the purposes of review.

  This book is for ADULT AUDIENCES ONLY. It may contain sexually explicit scenes and graphic language which might be considered offensive by some readers. Please store your files where they cannot be accessed by minors.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are solely the product of the author’s imagination and/or are used fictitiously, though reference may be made to actual historical events or existing locations. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  Published in the United States of America.

  * * * *

  Murderous Twins

  By Edward Kendrick

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 1

  “What do you think?” Blaine circled the story in the newspaper before handing it to his twin brother.

  Lloyd read it, nodding thoughtfully. “Works for me. You picked a woman, so you get to do the deed.” He grinned. “Besides, it’s your turn.”

  Blaine leaned back, hands behind his head as he stared off into space. “According to the story, she’s attending the expo at the Convention Center as one of the featured speakers. I can meet her there, I’m sure. I’ll ask her advice on how to start my new—” he made finger quotes, “—business. Play into her ego. Then suggest we meet somewhere less crowded to talk, if she’s willing. I’ll offer to buy her dinner in exchange for her expertise.”

  “Since it’s you asking, you know she’ll accept.”

  “Of course,” Blaine replied with a smug grin. “We’ll have to figure out where that will be, and when.”

  Lloyd tapped his fingers together. “The when will be up to her, obviously. She’s a busy woman.” He sneered as he said that. “How about the new restaurant that opened last month in Cherry Creek Mall?”

  “That should work,” Blaine agreed after picturing its location. “Meanwhile, you’ll be very visible doing what, when she and I have left the restaurant and I’ve escorted her to her car in the parking garage?”

  “If she parks there,” Lloyd pointed out. “She might take a cab.”

  “In which case, I’ll be a gentleman and offer her a ride home. After all, I’ll have parked in the garage, because it’s much more convenient to the mall than trying to find a place on the street.”

  Lloyd nodded. “Excellent. I think I’ll—” he stressed the word, “—feel the need for a couple of cocktails at Departure to decompress after dealing with her. I do love the view of the city at night from the rooftop. Don’t you?”

  “That’s certainly what I’ll tell anyone who might ask. Make sure you talk to people while you’re there, especially the waiter and bartender.”

  Lloyd rolled his eyes. “I have been around the block a couple of times. I know the routine.”

  They both laughed.

  * * * *

  “Ms. Hawthorne?” Blaine’s smile was ingratiating when the woman turned to look at him. “I thought your speech tonight was very inspiring. It gave me food for thought.”

  “Thank you,” she replied, seeming somewhat impatient to get away from the people surrounding her who were offering her similar compliments.

  She was middle-aged and, to Blaine’s way of thinking, looked every day of her forty-eight years. She had also, according to what he’d found out, gone through a bad divorce only a month ago.

  “I was wondering…” He hesitated, took a deep breath as he pushed the dark-rimmed glasses he was wearing back up on his nose, and continued. “I’m planning on opening my own business. I know it’s an imposition, but I would love some input from you about my plans.”

  She looked him over, one eyebrow arched, and he was certain she was going to tell him to call her office to make an appointment.

  Instead she asked, “What kind of business?”

  He handed her the prospectus he had put together with Lloyd’s able assistance.

  She scanned it, then said, “You do realize this will be a niche business.”

  “Yes, ma’am. However I firmly believe there is a need for it. It’s why I wanted to speak with you. It would mean the world to me to get your input, and I know I should have waited until morning and called to set up an appointment for us to talk, but…” He glanced away as if embarrassed.

  “But?”

  “But I’m not rich and every cent I have is going into my new company, if I can figure out what I’m doing, and damn that makes me sound like a rank amateur but it’s the truth.”

  She finally smiled. “It makes you sound honest. A rarity these days, I’m afraid. Particularly with the younger generation who think they know everything about everything.” She eyed him, and there was a touch of the predator in it—just as he’d hoped. “I might be willing to help you gratis but not at my office. Perhaps over dinner some evening?”

  “I’m free tomorrow night, if you are. I’ll pay for dinner, of course.”

  “Of course,” she murmured. “Do you have some place in mind?”

  He pretended to think momentarily. “Have you been to the new restaurant that opened about a month ago in the Cherry Creek Mall? From what I’ve heard it’s very nice.” And very dark and romantic if we get a table in one of the smaller rooms. Of course he didn’t say that aloud but he hoped she did know where he was talking about—and had the same thought.

  “I went there last week with a friend, if we’re thinking about the same one.” When he named the restaurant, she nodded. “It is.” She took out her phone, scrolled through it to, he figured, her appointment calendar. “I’m free tomorrow night. Shall we say at seven-thirty? And Mister…Well, you never did introduce yourself.”

  “Blaine Ayers.”

  “Mr. Ayers, please bring copies of all the information I’ll need about your nascent business.”

  “Of course. Would you like me to make a reservation?”

  She smiled, tapping a bright red fingernail on the phone, then said a moment later, “All taken care of. I’ll see you tomorrow evening. Do be on time. I hate to be kept waiting, even by someone a good-looking as you.” With that, she walked away, stopping to talk with several other people as she made her way out of the ballroom where she’d given her speech.

  * * * *

  “The bitch agreed to dinner,” Blaine said to Lloyd the moment he walked into the condo he and his brother shared. Of course, as far as the building management and their neighbors were concerned, only Blaine lived there. Whenever anyone saw one or the other of them, they presumed it was Blaine. But then that was the idea.

  “When?”

  “Tomorrow night.” Blaine took the glasses he’d been wearing from his pocket, putting them down on the coffee table. “We’
d better decide what we’re going to wear—besides the glasses—down to the color of our socks. It wouldn’t do for some waiter at the restaurant to notice I had on black ones and you’re wearing navy blue when you’re at Departure. Of course the chances the cops will put things together and come looking for me are nil, but…”

  “The devil’s in the details, as always. Being prepared will keep that from happening.” Lloyd rapped his knuckles on the wooden side table. “Have you picked the spot yet?”

  “More or less. My car will be parked in a back corner of one of the levels in the garage, away from prying eyes.”

  “Of course it won’t be your car,” Lloyd said, stating the obvious.

  “Nope.” Blaine chuckled. “Imagine how the real owner will feel when he returns to it. I’ll either offer Ms. Hawthorne a ride home, if she came by cab, or ask her if she’d mind our stopping by my car before she leaves so I can give her some paperwork I inadvertently left in it. Damn, I hope she’s not a teetotaler.”

  “For sure. Okay, let’s work out the details down to, as you put it, the color of socks we’ll be wearing. But not right now. I’m beat.”

  Blaine snorted. “You’ve been sitting here watching whatever—” he gestured toward the big-screen TV, “—while I was attending her speech. What have you got to be tired about?”

  “Maybe I didn’t stay home?”

  “Lloyd.” Blaine shot him a dour look.

  “Okay, I did. I’m not stupid.”

  “I know. After tomorrow night you can be the one who gets to go out and play.”

  Lloyd grinned. “Dinner and a movie with the sweet Ms. Jennifer in 403?”

  “Whatever turns you on. It is your turn. Hell, maybe next time we’ll use her as our alibi.”

  “As infatuated as she is with you, getting into her bed should be no problem. Something to consider.” Lloyd got up. “For now, though, I’m off to my own lonely bed.”

  “You and me both.” Blaine headed to his room, feeling almost euphoric as he thought about the next evening and what would happen with Ms. Hawthorne.

  * * * *

  “Would you care for another drink, Ms. Hawthorne?” Blaine asked, smiling across the table at her.

  “Blaine, I think it’s time we were on a first name basis. Please call me Melissa.”

  “Only if it’s your real name,” he teased, trying not to wince when she giggled. You’re too old to be doing that.

  They had been at the restaurant for half an hour and already she’d downed one martini while discussing his business plans over appetizers. Now, he saw their waitress approaching with their meals.

  “I think I switch to wine,” Ms. Hawthorne said, seductively licking the last drop of her drink from the rim of the glass. She told the waitress the same thing when she asked if they needed anything else.

  “We’ll both have wine,” Blaine said. “A cabernet sauvignon. It goes well with steak.” After the waitress left, Blaine said, as he waited for Ms. Hawthorne to begin eating, “Do you think my plans stand a chance of succeeding?”

  “Let’s not talk about them right now,” she replied. “I’d like to know more about you as a person.” She reached over to pat his hand. “And why don’t you take off your glasses? I bet you’re even more handsome without them.”

  “And blind as a bat,” he replied with a rueful smile. “You’d be a blur and nothing more, which would be a shame in my opinion. Anyway, there’s not much to tell. I grew up back east, went to college, and then got a job out here. I’ve been with the company for the last two years.”

  She took a bite of her steak, washing it down with a sip of wine as soon as the waitress set the glass down. “That was a very short synopsis,” she said to Blaine. “What do you do for entertainment? Do you have a girlfriend, or perhaps…” She blatantly looked at his ring finger. “No wife, I presume.”

  Blaine shook his head. “Neither one, at the moment. I spend my free time, what I have of it, going to movies or the theater.”

  “Unfortunately, at this point, so do I,” she replied, looking at him from under lowered eyelashes.

  “A lovely woman like you? I don’t believe it.”

  She preened at his compliment, thanking him. Then they made serious inroads into their meals. At Blaine’s prompting, she had another glass of wine, at which point she was obviously feeling no pain.

  “Would you care for some dessert?” he asked.

  It took her a moment to consider his suggestion before she declined. “I should go home. I have a busy day tomorrow.”

  “We both should,” he replied. He asked for the check, paid it in cash when the waitress gave it to him, then stood, offering his hand to Ms. Hawthorne.

  She took it, not releasing it as they left the restaurant.

  “Where did you park?” Blaine asked her.

  “I took a cab. I hate trying to find parking in this area and I refuse to pay for using the mall’s garage.”

  He resisted smirking in triumph as he agreed the new pay to park rule which had gone into effect a year ago was insane. “However, since I did drive, and there were no spots on the street, I ended up in the garage anyway.” He shrugged, giving her a what can you do? look. “If you’d like, I can give you a ride home.”

  “I would love it.” She squeezed his hand, smiling up at him as she staggered a bit on her five-inch heels.

  He put his arm around her waist to steady her, knowing that’s exactly what she wanted him to do. “I’m on level three,” he told her, walking toward the escalators. He had no intention of using an elevator as they had security cameras.

  “It’s dark in here,” Ms. Hawthorne murmured a couple of minutes later, as they began walking through the garage. She shuddered. “At least I have a handsome young man to defend me if a mugger tries to attack us.”

  Blaine smiled to himself. But who will defend you against me?

  He had checked the garage again, before joining her at the restaurant, and found the perfect spot for what he had planned. There were two cars parked in a relatively unlit corner. Ones that he knew from the stickers in their windows belonged to people who worked at the mall.

  “This one is mine,” he told her when they got to the farthest car. As if going for his keys, he reached into the pocket of his suit coat—under the plastic raincoat he’d put on after taking it from his messenger bag before they entered the garage. When she asked why the coat, he said, “It’s supposed to rain tonight, according to the weather guessers.” That earned him a dubious look from Ms. Hawthorne, but she didn’t press the issue.

  He pulled his hand out of his pocket. Instead of car keys, he was holding a knife, which he flicked open as he forced her up against the wall of the garage.

  “Don’t make a sound,” he ordered, savoring the look of terror in her expression. “I’m going to rape you, and if you’re a good girl, I might let you live afterwards.”

  “Please,” she moaned.

  He grinned. “Please rape you? It will be my pleasure.” He pressed the knife to her throat. “Pull up your skirt and push down your panties.” When she hesitated, he put his hand on her throat instead, squeezing hard as he used the knife to cut open the top of her dress and then slash her bra straps, revealing her breasts. “Not bad, for an old lady,” he sneered, lifting one with the blade of the knife. A small trickle of blood rolled down her torso. “Now, do as I told you and do not make a sound.”

  She did as he’d ordered, shaking in fear. He moved the knife back to her throat, pricking it so she’d know he was serious. Twisting his hand into her hair, he forced her to her knees and told her to give him her panties. When she had, he stuffed them into her mouth before ordering her to lie down on her back. Then, he did what he’d come for. Not raping her. He had no intention of having sex with her. The mere idea of doing it with someone old enough to be his mother, if she was still around, made him shudder. Instead, he began to cut her. Despite how intoxicated she was, in her terror she tried to fend him off. One sharp blow
to her temple left her semi-conscious—aware but not struggling anymore.

  “One for Dad’s first whore,” he said softly. “Another for his second one.” He slashed deep into one breast, almost slicing it in half. He continued cutting her, watching as the life faded from her eyes. “One less pompous bitch around to make men’s lives miserable,” he whispered as he stood.

  He took off the raincoat, which he’d bought with cash at busy kiosk in the mall, balled it up, and put it into a plastic bag. Then he used a couple of wet-wipes to clean his face and hands, putting the wipes in the plastic bag as well before stuffing it into his messenger bag. He wasn’t worried that anyone who might see him would notice blood on his clothes. He was wearing black slacks, socks, and shoes. His shirt and jacket had been covered by the raincoat. The last thing he did, before casually strolling down the parking ramp, was retrieve the paperwork he’d given to Ms. Hawthorne for the business he had no intention of starting.

  From there, he walked down to the path along Cherry Creek and half an hour later he was back in his neighborhood. Using alleys, he made his way to his condo complex, entering by the rear door off the parking lot. Someday, they’re going to get smart and install cameras. Something the tenants had been lobbying for even before he moved in, from what he understood. If it happens, we’ll move on.

  When he got up to his condo, he quickly stripped out of the clothes he was wearing. He’d dispose of them sometime the following day, leaving what Lloyd had worn to Departure in his closet. As he showered and got ready for bed, he hummed happily to himself, his need to kill women who reminded him of his father’s lady friends sated…for the time being.

  Chapter 2

  “We made the headlines,” Lloyd said the following morning, tossing the Post down on the table as he joined Blaine for breakfast. “Well, we didn’t, thank God.”

  Blaine chuckled as he read the headlines and then the story about Ms. Hawthorne’s mutilated body, which had been found by one of the people who worked at the mall. “A mugging? What mugger does that to his victim?” Blaine said with a shake of his head.