No Body, No Crime

10 | cover

"She swore vengeance on all men with dark hearts."
— Lisa Papademetriou

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10 | cover

On the morning of Christmas Eve, the opportunity finally knocked Taylor's door. Or in this case, rang from her cell phone. It was Danielle. She had been trailing after Ivy for a few days all around town, waiting for her separate herself from Carson, waiting for the perfect moment.

And it had arrived.

Reminding Danielle to drop by at the theatre, and be cautious, Taylor hung up. Walking out of her office through the opulent hallways of her hotel, Taylor's veins pumped with sheer delight. They had no visitors today and the ones already staying were scheduled to leave in an hour or so. With the holiday season commencing in full swing, all her staff was on a small period of leave; save for a few, who would take off soon once the visitors left.

With the clicking of her kitten heels as a soothing playback to her thoughts, Taylor walked up to the receptionist, at long last uttering the words she had memorized.

"Lyra," she smiled at the young girl, "a visitor has left her chattel behind. I believe the lady from Room 131. Call up and ask her to collect it, we're closing soon."

The receptionist nodded at once, rummaging through the directory Taylor had modified earlier.

"She hasn't listed her personal phone. But there is a landline. I'll check with that..." Lyra trailed while dialing the number. Taylor stayed behind, flipping through a magazine and casually eavesdropping on her conversation.

"Good morning, Ma'am. I'm speaking from the The Swift Luxury." She paused, then, "Pardon me, Sir. I believe a lady named Ivy Chastain has left some of her luggage behind." Another pause, "I see. But, we're closing for the holidays in about an hour, and the luggage needs to be collected. Okay. Alright. Thank you, Sir."

Lyra put the handset down and looked up at Taylor. "A man named Carson will be here to collect it."

Of course he will, Taylor thought. "Very well. I believe your work here is done for now. I'll look over the visitors that's left to leave."

Lyra smiled gratefully at her boss. "Happy holidays, ma'am."

Taylor nodded as the girl readied herself to leave the premises. She waited until Lyra was gone, until all the guests and workers present in the hotel had left and no one was lingering around, save for a concierge. Carson, fortunately, took his own sweet time to arrive at the hotel. Meanwhile, Taylor collected her apparatus from the janitorial and store rooms, checking over them one final time. She called up Danielle, updating her on the status and asking for hers.

Ivy was at a salon, apparently getting a makeover done and she was expected to be busy till the afternoon, which provided plenty of time for Taylor. Vengeance and excitement rushed through her nerves. It was a mixture of two drastically contrasting emotions and she had to admit, the result was quite chilling.

Now, she only had to wait till her prey catches the bait.

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The sun was hidden behind the clouds, and yet streaks of sunlight poured through the tiny cracks and crevices, illuminating the pavement with circular patches of light. The wind was chilly but comforting against the white of the snow, lined with the sidewalk on the edges of the road. Carson drove his truck on the morning of Christmas eve through Pine Ridge, humming lightly with a carol playing on the radio.