Castelle and Hayes - The Fortuitous Homicides of Camden Town

Chapter One

The Calm Before A Storm

High up above the bustling borough of Hammersmith, even bird song failed to infiltrate the room in which a woman slept, the heavy fabric curtains blocking out any signs of outside life. A trickle of early-morning sunlight leaked through, illuminating the face of the young woman, who responded by turning roughly over, sinking back into deep sleep. Her soft breathing filled the suffocating darkness of the barely lit room, the only sign that she was actually in there at all.

The shrill wailing of an alarm clock penetrated the silence, causing her to emit a loud groan. Flinging her arm from under the fancy duvet, she groped around in the darkness until her hand clamped around the device, flinging it to the other side of the room where it continued to make the annoying sound, if not even louder than before.

She buried her head beneath the duck-feather stuffed pillow and proceeded to block out the racket, drifting slowly back into sleep. The creaking of floorboards outside of the room alerted her of someone else's presence. Someone who would attempt to take her away from glorious sleep.

"Rebecca." The door slammed open, and a handsome young man walked in. His thick, lustrous charcoal hair was groomed to perfection, slicked back in a precise manner. He ran his tongue over his row of completely symmetrical pearly whites, tasting the fresh tang of peppermint toothpaste. The man ran a hand across his cleanly-shaven chin, fighting back the signs of sleep deprivation. His glorious midnight-blue eyes gleamed in the dim light as he searched the room for the woman.

"Rebecca?" A loud grumbling noise drifted from the mangle of covers, as the man realised where she was. The tapping of his hand-made Italian leather brogues echoed across the parquet flooring as he strode round to where she lay.

The swishing of fabric filled the air as he crouched down, his hand-tailored navy trousers creased as he knelt uncomfortably in his skin-tight suit, tugging at the cuffs to bring them back down to wrist level. The man was impeccably dressed, his crisp shirt was unblemished and dazzled whiteness, not a crease on the costly fabric, and his suit jacket fitted perfectly to his frame, the clean cut lines and undamaged material boosting his sophistication. His solid silver cuff-links hung heavily off his sleeve cuffs, matching perfectly with the Rolex watch that ticked correctly from his right wrist.

The man let out an impatient sigh before reaching out to grab the edge of the covers, tugging them harshly off the woman and onto the floor. The sudden exposure to the coolness of the room caused her to jolt from sleep, sitting bolt upright on the bed.

"Andrew!" She shouted, glaring angrily at the man who had woken her. A smirk tugged at the corners of his mouth as she attempted to hit him with her fists, but failed miserably.

"What the hell is wrong with you?!" She yelled, leaping out of bed, as the man over to the opposite side of the room and roughly tugged the curtains open. The rapid increase of light caused her to wince, covering her eyes with her arm as she adjusted her vision.

"You need to get up." He said blankly, his arms folded over his broad chest. "Now."

She let out a growl of annoyance, and went over to retrieve the alarm clock that she had thrown across the room. Much to his irritation, she walked as slowly as possible, as if purposefully trying to wind him up.

"I'm leaving in half an hour Rebecca. Get ready or I'll leave without you." She spun sharply on her heel, blinking at the man with shock. Her eyes widened with surprise, the golden caramel colour of her irises glittered with anger. Her soft pink lips thinned into a line, as she tried to contain herself. Her once cream coloured cheeks grew a fiery red, the same shade as her tangled auburn hair that stood up messily from her head.