The Smoke In The Photograph Read Online Free

Wendy.
    'You look awful,' Julia said.
    'Thanks,' Wendy said taking a little sip of her coffee. There were dark bags under her eyes, the remnants of her jet lag.
    'Why did you want to meet up so early?' Julia asked. 'We could have met up later in the day.'
    Wendy shook her head.
    'Do you have any idea how loud a six and eight year old are when they are getting ready for school?' Wendy asked. 'It's like the coming of the apocalypse. There was no chance of catching up on my sleep with that going on.'
    Wendy had been a runway model in her youth, but now at twenty-nine she had settled into a life of posing for the covers of magazines and adverts. She was still a stunning woman. Tall, and slim, her long blonde hair shone in the sun as though it were made of gold.
    She had only returned to the country in the early hours of that morning after spending the last month and a half on a working holiday in the USA. A trip like that would normally have put her out of commission for days, but since her recently divorced sister had moved in with her two kids, Wendy had found it harder to relax at home. She had told Julia that it was great having someone there to watch the house while she was away; suddenly living with her sister and nephews was taking some time to adjust to.
    Wendy opened her handbag and took out a packet of cigarettes. She offered it and her lighter to Julia who eagerly accepted.
    'Steven would go mental if he knew you were still smoking,' Wendy said.
    Julia took a long draw on the cigarette.
    'What he doesn't know won't hurt him, will it?'
    'Are you really not bothered about the murder?' Wendy asked.
    Julia shook her head.
    'No, it doesn't bother me. Steven is more worried about it than I am.'
    'What's wrong?' Julia asked.
    'I knew her,' Wendy said.
    'Really? How?'
    'She was a photographer. I worked with her a few times for Marie Claire. She did the fashion stuff for the money, but she was really an artist, you know.'
    Julia nodded. She knew exactly what Wendy meant. There was a big difference between a talented fashion photographer and a true artist.
    'He's killed nine women. The Ripper they call him. He slashes their throats.'
    For a reason she couldn't explain, Julia felt her own hand go to her throat, as if trying to protect it from an attack.
    'Actually, it's ten women now,' Wendy said. 'I heard on the radio that they found another one this morning.'
    'It's terrible,' Julia said, her hand still stroking her throat.
    'From what I've heard, the throat cutting isn't the worst of it. They're keeping the grislier details out of the press.'
    'How do you know?' Julia asked.
    'You remember that guy I went out with last year for a while, Tom?'
    Julia nodded.
    'He was a copper,' Wendy continued. 'He told me that the Ripper cuts off their breasts, and takes their insides out.'
    Julia was shocked. It all sounded so horrific.
    'And you're going to live there?' Wendy asked.
    'So?' Julia said. 'I hardly think he will want to come back to the same house, do you? It's probably the safest place to be.'
    'But, that terrible thing happening there. How can you just put it to the back of your mind? You know how delicate you are.'
    'I'm fine,'
    'I could always ask Madam Helga to check the place out for you?'
    'Who?' Julia asked.
    'The psychic I see.'
    Julia rolled her eyes.
    'Scoff all you want,' Wendy said. 'But that woman has a real gift. She would definitely be able to check the house for you.'
    'Check it for what?' Julia said. 'Ghosts? No, thank you, Wendy. I'm sure I can take care of myself, and I'll have Steven to protect me.'
     
     
    'The older girls are fine,' Doctor Claremont said to Sam as they sat in the psychiatrist’s cozy office.
    'That's Mary, and Alice, right?' Sam asked, writing in his notebook.
    'Yes,' Claremont confirmed. 'They didn't actually see the body. It was their younger sister, Victoria, who found it.'
    Victoria Reynolds, twelve years old, and the younger sibling of twins Mary and Alice Reynolds. They had been