Chapter Two - James
396 Words
Chapter Two - James
Klempner marches away in long ground-eating strides. Lorelei follows him with her eyes, then returns her attention to Charlotte. “So, what is it you want to know? Or... your father... was it?”
At the mention of Klempner, Charlotte seems suddenly uncertain, looking to me. I nudge Michael, who launches his charm like turning on a switch. Ambling over, he taps into his phone, displaying the screen with Klempner’s image of the fleeing Hoodie. “We’re helping in the hunt for the serial killer. We all know he’s out there. Larry has reason to think this might be him. It’s you girls he’s targeting. You’re in the best position to ID him.”
Lorelei takes a pack of cigarettes from a minute purse, glittered with sequins to match her dress. She lights up, then draws long, blows blue smoke upward. “Yeah, we know there’s a psycho coming after us. The ‘Surgeon’ they’re calling him now.”
“The Surgeon. Yes, that’s him. Does the photo mean anything to you?”
Lorelei peers at the images, viewing it from several angles. “Not a lot to recognise, is there? Portrait of a man’s back. And there must be fifty guys pass by here every night dressed like that.”
“Yes, we know it’s a long shot. But right now, it’s the best we’ve got.”
“Who is the guy in the photo?”
Charlotte replies, “Someone my father saw that he was suspicious of...”
Michael continues... “And Larry has good instincts when it comes to judging people. But as you say, we don’t have a lot to go on. What we want is for you to tell us about any men who come by that give out bad vibes...” He twists in a half-circle, scanning the gathered group of women... “Not just you, Lorelei. Any of you here. Any of your friends.”
Lorelei huffs, blows more smoke. “Bad vibes? That won’t be a short list. We get all sorts.”
“I imagine you do. But we want to know about any potential punter, any stalker, any man, where you have a gut feeling there’s something not right.”
She considers, clucks, then aims a long fingernail across the road to a corner cafe - Ruby’s Roadside Canteen. “See there?” She waves around the circle of women, trailing smoke from her hand. “We’ll have a talk, and I’ll put the word out. Anyone with something useful can meet you in there. Your friend too, when he comes back.”
*****
- Writer
