The Art of Murder

  Panther Publishing is a publishing company based in Wales.

  First published in Great Britain in 2019 with Panther Publishing.

  Copyright © J.S. Strange 2019

  J.S. Strange has asserted his right under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 to be identified as the author of this work.

  All characters and events in this publication, other than those in the public domain, are fictitious and any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, without the prior permission in writing from the author, nor be circulated in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition including this condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser.

  Front cover copyright to Panther Publishing.

  To the reader, your support is vital.

  Table of Contents

  One

  Two

  Three

  Four

  Five

  Six

  Seven

  Eight

  Nine

  Ten

  Eleven

  Twelve

  Thirteen

  Fourteen

  Fifteen

  Sixteen

  Seventeen

  Eighteen

  Nineteen

  Twenty

  Twenty one

  Twenty two

  Twenty three

  Twenty four

  Twenty five

  Twenty six

  Twenty seven

  Twenty eight

  Twenty nine

  Thirty

  Thirty one

  Thirty two

  Thirty three

  Thirty four

  Thirty five

  Thirty six

  Thirty seven

  Thirty eight

  Thirty nine

  Forty

  Forty one

  Forty two

  Forty three

  Forty four

  Forty five

  Forty six

  Forty seven

  Forty eight

  Forty nine

  Fifty

  Fifty one

  Fifty two

  Fifty three

  Fifty four

  Fifty five

  Fifty six

  Fifty seven

  Fifty eight

  Fifty nine

  Sixty

  Sixty one

  Sixty two

  Sixty three

  Sixty four

  Sixty five

  Acknowledgements

  One

  PI Jordan Jenner was being followed. He was sure of it. There was somebody watching him, keeping tabs on him, echoing his every step.

  He casually walked through the terminals of Cardiff airport, clasping his backpack with one hand while the other clutched a suitcase. There were people all around him, heading in different directions, either finding people or heading to their departure gates.

  Jordan had just got home from a trip to Amsterdam. Next to him was his brother, Ashley Jenner, who had showed up out of the blue all those weeks ago, claiming to be in trouble, trouble that Jordan still knew very little about.

  Jordan cast a quick glance behind him. The person was there, walking at a steady pace, sunglasses on even though the April weather outside was cloudy. Jordan had spotted this man in Amsterdam. He had been in every museum they had gone to. At night, he had walked the red-light district, blending in with the crowds. In restaurants, he had been only a table or two away from theirs.

  Now, he had been on their flight. He’d sat at the front of the plane, twisting in his seat to look at Jordan.

  Jordan had to get out.

  “Why are you walking so fast?” Ashley bemoaned.

  “I want to get home.”

  “I don’t. I could have stayed there longer.”

  It was Friday the thirteenth. Jordan hoped luck would be on his side. He darted into a nearby WHSmith’s, Ashley following a few steps behind. As was expected, the shops were overpriced and busy. Jordan pretended to be interested in a row of books.

  “You have enough books,” Ashley said.

  The man in the sunglasses walked past the shop, and disappeared from sight. Jordan relaxed ever so slightly, but he wasn’t trusting. Jordan passed Ashley without saying a word, and stepped outside the shop.

  Jordan searched the crowd but could no longer see the man, who was thin, tall, with hair that was thinning. Jordan called up a picture of the man from memory. He had a beard, silver at the edges. He wore a simple T-shirt and ripped jeans. He looked inconspicuous enough, except that he had no hand luggage. He had boarded the plane without it.

  Jordan took out his phone and called DCI Vanessa Carter. She answered just as Jordan was beginning to tap his foot in nervous agitation.

  “Jordan? I take it you have landed.”

  “I’m being followed.”

  “You…What?”

  “V, I’ve been followed in Amsterdam. I don’t know how, or why, but I noticed it on my first day. We landed and there was a man at the entrance. I didn’t pay him much attention, but I took in his appearance. But then I kept seeing him everywhere we went. Now he’s got on the flight and he’s in the airport with us.”

  “Are you sure he’s following?”

  “V, this is more than a coincidence.” Jordan looked behind him, back into the shop, to see where Ashley was. He was looking through magazines on art. “I haven’t told Ashley, and I don’t think he’s noticed. I’m trying to be calm, but I’m scared.”

  “You’re at Cardiff airport?”

  “That’s right.”

  “I’ll let Mark know. He should be there already.”

  “Fine.” Mark had volunteered to pick Jordan up, Vanessa allowing him to leave work early to do so. It saved him ordering a taxi. Jordan looked through the crowd again. He quickly looked away when he spotted the man in sunglasses, now stood on a level above, looking directly down onto WHSmith. “He’s watching now.”

  “Get out of there as soon as possible,” Vanessa ordered. “Don’t alert the man that you’re leaving, if you can help it. Don’t worry Ashley either.”

  “Fine, yes.” Jordan stepped back into the shop, out of sight of the man on the balcony. He didn’t like losing sight of him. “I managed to get a photo of him when we were on the plane. I can bring it in.”

  “Do that tomorrow,” Vanessa said. “For now, get back to your apartment and let me know if you see him again.”

  Jordan said goodbye to Vanessa and went back to his brother, the man who had insisted they go to Amsterdam in the first place. “Come on, let’s go.”

  “But I was about to buy…”

  “Now, Ashley.”

  Ashley sighed, putting down an art magazine with an attractive young man on the cover. Jordan tore his attention away.

  They walked out of the shop and towards the exit. Jordan didn’t chance a glance up at the balcony, but the chill he felt convinced him the man was watching them, stalking them, waiting to see where they went.

  As they got to the exit, Jordan quickly glanced behind him, under the pretence of pulling his suitcase. The man in the sunglasses was taking the steps to the ground floor two at a time.

  Jordan hurried outside. The air was chilly, but not as cold as it had been previously. Spring was beginning to warm up the chill that had held Wales in its tight grasp. Straight away, Jordan saw the car out front. Mark Watson stood at the passenger door, like a butler awaiting a royal.

  “Here’s our lift,” Jordan said, nodding towards Mark.

  “Who’s that?
”

  “Get in.”

  “Jordan…”

  “Just go.”

  Jordan managed a wave to Mark, who opened the back door so Ashley could climb inside. Jordan went around to the boot, signalling for Mark to follow.

  “Don’t make it obvious, but there is the man. Quickly.”

  Mark looked towards the entrance, where the man in the sunglasses hovered between inside and out. His head was turned towards Mark’s car, to where Ashley had disappeared.

  “Remember that appearance,” Jordan said. “Also, don’t mention anything in the car. Ashley doesn’t know.”

  Jordan put his case and his bag in the boot, shut it, and got into the car. Mark climbed into the driving seat and started the engine. As they drove away, the man in the sunglasses stepped out into the April showers that had begun to fall, and watched the car disappear.

  “Hope this hasn’t inconvenienced you.”

  Mark looked sheepish. “Nah, not at all.”

  Jordan and Mark had got off on the wrong foot. Fairly new to the police force, and slightly out of depth in CID, Mark was eager to prove himself. Vanessa had even mentioned that it was more pronounced when he was around Jordan. During the last case, Jordan had been frustrated with Mark, but he had been a key component in catching the culprits. Now, he had picked them up and taken them away from the man who’d been following.

  Jordan didn’t know if he would see the man again, but he had a feeling he would. The man had successfully followed them their whole trip in Amsterdam. They had been away for five days, and Jordan had spotted him on each day. They had not made contact with the man, and the man had never tried to contact them. He simply seemed to enjoy being seen, being close, but never getting close enough. He wanted to be seen.

  Jordan wanted answers, but not from the man himself. The thought of the man finding Jordan’s apartment was rather frightening.

  “Good trip?” Mark asked.

  “Great,” Jordan replied. He felt as though he needed to keep the conversation as natural as possible. “We visited Anne Frank’s museum, went to the art galleries, and the red light.”

  “Sounds interesting.” Mark grinned, and Jordan couldn’t help but smile. His brown hair was swept back, and off duty, he wore a casual white T-shirt and worn blue jeans.

  “It was good fun.”

  But Jordan wasn’t in the reminiscent mood. He looked at Ashley in the rear-view mirror, taking in his brother’s tired expression. Ashley seemed bored, staring at the world as it went by. Ashley hadn’t told Jordan why he had come back. He had avoided every question Jordan asked on his reappearance. When Ashley had said he was in trouble, Jordan had hoped for an elaboration. Ashley dismissed it as just being dramatic. What Jordan had noticed, however, was that despite Ashley being glued to his phone, he had been ignoring the calls from his boyfriend back in Australia.

  They arrived back at Jordan’s apartment. Lloyd had been watching the place and, more importantly, feeding Oscar, his Persian cat. Lloyd was stood outside the building now, wearing a cream coat. Jordan smiled when he saw him.

  “Bet you can’t wait to see Oscar,” Mark said, his attention on Lloyd.

  “It has been on my thoughts.”

  “You and that bloody cat,” Ashley said. “Do you know how many photos I had to keep looking at?”

  Jordan smiled. Lloyd had regularly been texting him with updates on Oscar.

  “Thanks for the lift, Mark.”

  “That’s alright.” Mark smiled. “See you soon?”

  Jordan paused. “Yeah, see you about.”

  “Cheers, mate,” Ashley said.

  They left Mark in the car. He wound down the window and said hello to Lloyd but didn’t hang around. Lloyd wrapped his arms around Jordan, bringing him closer.

  “Good to see you.”

  Jordan hugged him back. In Wales, was considered a cwtch. Jordan could tolerate a cwtch. Lloyd’s smell was one that was familiar, despite the pair only sharing intimate space once before. “You too.”

  When they broke apart, Lloyd held out a hand to Ashley. “You must be his brother.”

  “Ah, that’s right. You’ve never met.”

  “Yeah, I’m Ashley.”

  “Lloyd,” Lloyd said. “I work with Jordan.”

  “Used to,” Jordan said. “Did Vanessa not tell you about no more freelance work?”

  “She has to answer to rules,” Lloyd said. “She got into trouble for bringing you in on the last murder case.”

  “Good thing she did,” Jordan said, remembering James Fairview and his murder. “I solved it.”

  “That’s right, and Vanessa wishes you would just join the force.”

  Jordan sighed. “I don’t think I want to.”

  “How does that even work?” Ashley asked. “I’ve never got how you managed to work with the police.”

  “We’re brought in to help,” Jordan said. “Thames Valley Police are doing it to solve major cases. I think Vanessa hired me because of my background.”

  “And because she likes you,” Lloyd said. “The last case had Mark, someone new, and they’re under immense pressure. She bent the rules a little bit, but she can’t get away with it now.”

  A light breeze stirred their hair. Cars rushed by on the road behind them as people went about their day. Jordan looked around at a less than immaculate backstreet of Cardiff and momentarily expected to see the man from the airport.

  “Can we go inside?”

  “Oscar is waiting for you.”

  “Yes, Oscar.”

  They entered through the back door. Jordan checked behind him one last time, glad to see nothing but an empty backstreet. He hoped there would be no more sign of the man from Amsterdam.

  “Why don’t you want a job with the forces?” Ashley asked.

  “I like being freelance.”

  “Risky, no?”

  “It’s alright,” Jordan replied. “Steady going.”

  “Ever thought of setting up a business?”

  “Sometimes.”

  They clomped up the light blue stairs and past whitewashed walls to the next floor. Jordan’s apartment was at the far end of the hall. Upon opening the door, they were greeted by Oscar’s meow, his purr as he hurried down the hall and rubbed his head against Jordan’s legs before slinking past Lloyd and Ashley.

  “There’s my boy,” Jordan scooped Oscar in his arms and nuzzled his face against Oscar’s flat nose. “Did you miss me?”

  “Well, I suppose I should leave you to it,” Lloyd said.

  “Thanks for looking after him.”

  “It was my pleasure. We really bonded.”

  Lloyd stroked Oscar’s fluffy grey-and-white flat face. Oscar responded to his touch, one that was familiar. Ashley had disappeared into the living room.

  “Everything alright?” Lloyd indicated where Ashley had disappeared.

  “I still don’t know why he’s here,” Jordan whispered. “He didn’t tell me. Keeps dismissing it. But I did notice him ignoring calls from his partner, Ben.”

  “Strange.”

  “Very,” Jordan said. Oscar was watching Lloyd now, awaiting another stroke. “We were followed the whole time.”

  “Followed?” Lloyd mouthed.

  “A man,” Jordan replied, just as quietly. “Don’t know who. Watched and followed us the whole time we were there. He was on our flight too.”

  “Creepy.” Lloyd looked behind him, out to the street below.

  “He’s not here now,” Jordan said, but looked too. “Not yet.”

  Lloyd turned to Jordan, a serious expression on his handsome face. “You let Vanessa know as soon as possible if you see him again, okay?”

  “Yeah.” Though Jordan doubted Vanessa would do anything.

  “Promise me.”

  “I promise,” Jordan said.

  “Good.” Lloyd seemed placated. “Well, it’s good to see you again.”

  “I’ve been gone a week.”

  “A week too long.
”

  Two

  “So, are you two…you know?”

  Jordan and Ashley had ordered a takeaway and were sharing a bottle of wine. Both had changed into lounge shorts, exhausted from a week of absorbing Amsterdam sights. Jordan’s fear of the man who’d followed them had abated ever so slightly. He had stolen glances out at the street but had not seen him. He hoped he had lost him for good.

  Ashley was referring to Lloyd now. With straight white teeth, he bit into a pizza, his blue eyes questioning Jordan.

  “No, we’re not,” Jordan said. “But…”

  “I knew it!”

  “But—” Jordan laughed. “We’ve slept together.”

  “How many times?”

  Despite the pair losing a close bond over the years, mainly due to Ashley being halfway across the world, the week away had cemented what was always there, a brotherly bond. Yet things were strained between them, a wound that was not being acknowledged.

  “Only the once.”

  “Boring!” Ashley said.

  “Lloyd is a good man. He’s kind. We get along and share the same interests. It’s just, Lloyd is Lloyd.”

  “Meaning?”

  “He’s still got the energy of an eighteen-year-old.”

  “Well, that’s not a bad thing.”

  “Not in that way, you dirty whore.” Jordan laughed. “No, I mean, he still goes out regularly, goes to the bars, meets different people.”

  “You wouldn’t trust him.”

  Jordan paused for a moment, pizza halfway to his lips. “Not trust him, that’s not the issue. It’s just…I wouldn’t want him to give that up because of me.”

  “You could always join him.”

  Jordan sighed. “I’m past that now.”

  “Nonsense,” Ashley dismissed. “You’re twenty-eight. You’re still young enough to go out. There’s no age on a pub!”

  “What pub in Cardiff isn’t full of the youth?”

  “You don’t look a day past twenty-seven.” Ashley grinned. “You’ll fit right in.”

  “Great.”

  They wanted a recently released horror film. It featured a leading female as she tried to escape a killer that would inevitably be her current boyfriend. It was watchable, and Ashley cringed at some parts.