DISCLAIMER: I actually own these characters!
ARCHIVING: Only with the permission of the author.
Full Of It
By Vanessa Riverton
CHAPTER 1 – WHAT I DID
The reason that Detective Prince is not glaring at me from the front of her patrol car, like she would any other criminal, is because she can't bear to look at me. Looking at me brings up images of Victoria – and the corpse that was currently residing in my loft apartment.
Ah, you were most definitely a temptress, Miss Victoria Louwrens...
'The one that got away.'
Well, it was Ashley Prince's one that got away.
And apparently I was Victoria's one. Her 'one' in every way if you get what I mean.
And Ashley absolutely hated me for that.
I know I had said I had grown to know the detective over the past year – and that statement is true, but, I had known Ashley as a person and somewhat acquaintance for the better part of the decade, our common link being Victoria.
But the past year was when I became truly acquainted with Ashley in her element; she was a crime-stopper, crime-solver, whatever she was, I had gotten to know her solely as Detective Prince over the past twelve months.
She has suspected me since my little slip-up in San Francisco; I can only assume she has been avidly following the profile of 'The Manhattan Mangler'. Since then, she has been all over me like some unsightly rash.
So, here I am, cheek bleeding and sitting in the back of a patrol car.
I am worried; will this cut on my cheek leave a scar?
Oh God, I hope not, scars are ghastly to look at if you ask me. And I am anything but ghastly to look at – so I'm not going to entertain the possibility of a facial disfigurement right now.
I'd never usually be caught dead in a Ford but our police department are severely under-funded; perhaps I should write them out a check... No, really, would it kill them to purchase a Lexus here and there? Some of us need to ride in style not just comfort. Yes, as soon as I'm out of here, I'm writing out that check.
The car came to a halt outside of a building that I had recently grown accustomed to. The 'uniform' beside Prince got out of the car and waited by the door. Just out of earshot I happened to notice. I glanced over to Prince and waited.
I knew it was coming. I just knew it.
She leaned forward, her eyes taking in the precinct, and she turned back towards me, not facing me and not looking me directly in the eyes. She was fighting her real emotions, I just knew it.
"When you go in there this time Devon... it's for good." She opened up her car door and got out. A moment later, she grabbed my arm and forced me out.
I smirked; this was going to be interesting indeed.
Detective Prince would surely beg to 'tag' me. To get to me first... I wonder how long it will be before any of them realised her conflict of interest here?
She was in love with Victoria and I killed her. That's a conflict if ever I saw it.
I am still smirking as I am brought to a desk, my fingers were dipped in an atrocious and gloopy black ink and thrown onto some card. Prince took the card and brought me over to a seat. She didn't even look up at me. She ran a hand through her smooth, coffee-coloured hair before bringing it back down and taking a pen in her hand. I was sitting opposite her, happily taking in my surroundings.
Well, I say happy, that might be stressing the truth just a tad.
The gloomy design of the building reminds me of those 70s dramas, the ones like Serpico. There's nothing glamorous or fun about this place – everyone's stressed and no-one here seems even remotely pleased to be here. The desks are placed close together and no-one seems to have any privacy – I thank God for the office I have at Montgomery Images Inc on the other side of the city.
I look back to Ashley Prince to find her staring at me; hatred practically seething from her straight to me. The card in front of her was filled out with my details. I cocked my eyebrow and grinned,
"Aren't you supposed to ask me my details, Detective?" Ashley sneered and brought her face close to me.
"Shut the fuck up."
Detective Ashley Prince. What a charming character. I really do see Ashley Prince as two people – probably just how she sees me now. But she is most definitely two personas;
One being the police detective I had grown to know ever so thoroughly the past year, the one who refused to even do me a favour as small as a pesky parking ticket. She was the detective who had me tailed and followed for the past few months, the same police officer who had me brought into this very same precinct on six separate occasions, questioning my whereabouts.
That was Detective Ashley Prince.
And the other persona was just Ashley – Victoria's lover for three years, the in-between relationship between Victoria and I and she was Ashley who we had met in college and became decent friends with.
We had known her since we were nineteen and now here we were, Ashley and I. It seemed like old times, a never ending feud that no-one but us seemed to know about. She wanted Victoria and hopelessly devoted herself to her and all the while Victoria wanted me.
Victoria always did... but she always wanted to put some distance between us, to see what her feelings were really like. She was most probably the only person I ever loved and I knew she was in love with me. I can feel my face stretching as I grin widely – the thought of Ashley's pain if she knew that. God, I hope she did.
"Isn't this a conflict of interest, Detective? I mean, we know each other so well." Ashley scoffed loudly and for once I felt the hairs on the back of my neck stand up on end – if there's one thing I couldn't bear in this world, it's someone like Ashley Prince looking down on someone like me.
"This is my case. All those women you killed, and yes, I knew it was you all along Devon... Please, this was just a matter of time; I've just been waiting for when you really slipped up. I have you, goddamit I have you Devon and I am not going to let you go. Now shut the fuck up."
I sighed. This was so boring!
Ashley has brought me here seven times already this year. Once because the premises of my offices were robbed and we were all brought in for questioning and all the other times was because Detective Prince suspected me as being involved in a string of murders across the country.
No doubt, now she had me and reasonable doubt she could get that precious DNA sample she's been foaming at the mouth to get from me.
Ashley grabbed the card that had my details and looked over me – her eyes looking for a sign of how easy it was going to be to 'break' me, no doubt.
Well, I hate to disappoint you Ash, but I won't be easy. She looks over to two rather generic looking officers behind me and nods her head,
"Bring her to IR3. Now."
And now the joyous part of my police visits, being manhandled like some common criminal. I make it relatively easy for them to escort me to IR3 – I know this room to be Interrogation Room 3 and coincidentally Ashley's favourite room.
Grey.
That's all that could be said to describe this room.
It's dreary and to be honest, just being here makes me want to be back in Bali on my vacation – God, the kambing mekuah there was astounding – never have I enjoyed lamb so much in my life. Hmm, utterly delicious and went superbly with this Trafford Hill Shiraz Grenache 2005.
The door opened, an ominous creak accompanying the movement of the opening of the entrance to the room I'm currently captive in.
Into the room steps, unmistakeably; Detective Ashley Prince.
"Devon." Her voice is calmer, and I can only assume her superiors are watching us- how cliché.
She throws down a manila folder onto the table, it lands with a thwack. I look over it and see it's bound with some elastic bounds to keep it bursting forth.
"It's your file, Devon. Want to look?" Oh Ashley knows me well, curiosity is a definite trait of mine, it is what has lead me to where I am in life.
"My file?" I feel Ashley's presence as she approaches me and takes out a small key from her pocket. I raise my hands, my eyes meet hers and I stare into her deep chocolate coloured eyes.
The small click of the handcuffs being unlocked break my eyes from her and takes my attention to the folder in front of me. Ashley slides around to the other side of the table, and leans back, one leg crossed over the other and her eyes still boring into me.
I take off the three elastic bands that are holding the file in one piece and I flip open the front and instantly my eyes are assaulted with the images of dozens of women. I barely move a muscle.
Women I knew for a brief amount of time.
Women covered in crimson, without a doubt soaked in their own blood.
Women I had killed.
I lift my eyes up and meet Ashley's eyes. She has a smirk on her face – clearly my lack of a reaction was reaction enough. She leans forward a little, the fierce intensity in her eyes returning, her hatred never leaving me;
"Well, Devon, where do we start?" She looks at me as I close the folder and lean back.
"What do you want to hear?" She shakes her head and leans back once more. Her eyes lock onto mine.
"No... I don't want to hear bullshit. I want to know everything. And I mean everything... Why mainly." I look away from her and to the mirror beside us, no doubt half the precinct are behind it now, the news of the Mangler being caught...and being female – oh, the scandal, I'm sure.
"Why? Oh my Ash... to know that, I'd have to start from the beginning." I smirk at her and see her lip curl in disgust. She looks over to the corner of the room, where the CCTV is – it's recording every second of our conversation, I look behind myself and see another camera – ha, not going to miss a single thing are they? Ashley takes off her suit's blazer and rests it behind her, on her chair.
"Well, Dev... we've got all the time in the world."
Her confidence is new to me. As Ashley, she was somewhat shy and awkward around me and Vicky, and now as Detective Prince... well, it's almost exciting me at how full of herself she is. Though, thinking of myself, I suppose she's not the only one. I took in a breath and closed my eyes as I thought of the very first day I laid eyes on the flaxen haired beauty we both knew as Victoria Louwrens.
"Well... I had better start then, you know I hate keeping you in suspense, Ash."
I smirk as she glares heatedly at me.
My skin is tingling as I anticipate her reaction to the entire story...
Oh, this is going to be fun, I can tell.