Requiem Mass Read Online Free Page A

hotel to coincide with his target’s interview. He had insisted over the telephone when finalising the arrangements that they make a great show of asking for the suite – emphasising that there would be a number of people he wanted to impress in the lobby. The escorts, professional women, had agreed – used to humouring their customers’ whims – and had arrived promptly. Unfortunately, the interviews had run overtime despite his precise instructions, and from his observation post in the lounge by the reception desk, he had watched with frustration as the two escort girls went through their extended enquiries, only to finish as the other women left the lifts. He couldn’t be sure that they had caught the show, in fact he was almost sure that they must have missed it, which caused him some annoyance. He had been relying on beautiful competition to make the women feel envious and nervous about their ability to be selected. He knew that one of the most effective ways to overcome any lingering reservations would be to make them really want the job, to make it an aspiration they would be reluctant to abandon.
    Despite this small setback, he felt that step two had gone well. Step three, the photographic session, which he had anticipated would be the most difficult part of his plan, had been the easiest to arrange. He had found an addled junkie with the remnants of a good speaking voice to make the appointment phone calls. The addict had been so surprised at the money that she had asked no questions and performed her part with a pathetic desire to please. Then the studio. He had not realised just how many studios there were in London. He had hired one not too far from the centre of town with a good address, through the simple expedient of looking up telephone numbers in Yellow Pages and confirming with the lucky photographer that it would be a legitimate deal. He had sent the money and brief round by courier, explaining at the last minute that he found himself abroad and would be unable to supervise the shoot himself. The studio performed perfectly, he knew, having listened to the whole thing with the assistance of routine surveillance equipment – a transmitter concealed in a double socket.
    The final stage required delicate manoeuvring. Like a collie circling and separating the marked sheep he finally needed her alone. He wanted her away from the other woman whose only purpose had been to make the whole enterprise feel safe. He had to make her confident enough to come along finally on her own, without giving her the opportunity to get cold feet. By allowing her to believe right up to the last minute that thisexperience was still going to be a shared one, he felt he could lull her into a sense of security.
    He was aware that the whole plot could fall apart at this stage – the phoney call from the headmaster might have been ineffectual; she might have decided to wait for her friend. He would know soon enough. He waited calmly, immune to any concerns about future disappointments, schooled to keep his eagerness to the minimum. Now totally controlled in his emotions and betraying no anxiety, he gently moved the hired car to a halt alongside the kerb by a side entrance to Victoria Station.

CHAPTER THREE
    The train drew into Victoria Station virtually on time. Deborah roused herself from a happy daydream in which she had taken Derek on a romantic holiday for two, thanks to the proceeds of her modelling assignment. She handed the outward part of her ticket to the collector at the gate, giving him a radiant smile that made his day and could later have given him the role of vital police witness if only there had been a police investigation. Walking purposefully, she left by a side exit as instructed, to make her way to the promised chauffeured car. By now, Deborah could feel the butterflies in her stomach again and she had to take several deep breaths to calm herself.
    As she stepped out into the heat of the unseasonably warm April