Stella delved deeper into the woods; and as she did Richard Kells smell intensified. This bothered her; she felt it meant he was far too close for comfort. She stopped and looked around.
She noticed the trees were mostly Ash and Beech. Deciduous trees, which meant they currently had a sparse leaf covering, which allowed ample light in the woodland. This made her feel a little more safe and secure in the surroundings.
She turned in a circle, noticing nothing untoward except the sudden silence. The giggling of the girl's that she had heard when she entered the woods had ceased.
Looking in the direction from which the giggling came, she began to walk towards it, with slow steps to lessen the sound of her approach.
Passing through two large Ash Trees, Stella came into a small clearing.
She stopped, and once again, looked all around her. She saw no one, nor any sign that she was being followed.
Stella observed with her Police Woman's eyes. She noted that she was not in a natural clearing. Rather, it was man made. She saw that several trees had been felled and their stumps acted like stools, on which to sit and watch.
'Watch what?' That thought made her shudder, and the physical feeling was exacerbated by a chill wind, which rattled the trees that surrounded her.
Stella glanced downwards. The woodland clearing had been roughly cleared, as though it had been hurriedly swept for some occasion. She wondered if the space had been recently used to film a pranking video. Then a flicker of apprehension addled her when she considered if the space had been cleared especially for her arrival.
"Have I walked into an 'Ian's idea' video?" She asked herself, quietly, whilst turning around and studying the space. She looked up at the trees for any filming devices. She saw none. Nor did she hear any automated sounds that would suggest she was being recorded.
Then came a rustle from her left. Stella swiftly turned to the source of the sound, her body flexed and ready for defensive combat. She saw the low level foliage shake and rattle as something moved swiftly through it – it was like a fast moving animal; thankfully travelling away from her.
Stella strongly suspected it was a dog – Richard Kell's dog!
She moved in the direction of the departing animal, squatted down and studied the earth. Immediately she saw the unmistakable shape of paw prints. Two perfectly shaped paw indents in the soil, side by side, which strongly suggested the dog had been sitting, silently watching her, before running off at some command that remained unheard to her.
Then with an instinct devoid of rationale, Stella began to follow the trail. She walked hesitantly forward, and only a few steps in, Stella noticed another small clearing had been made. Stella hastened towards it.
It was only when Stella felt the ground give way beneath and she began to fall downwards, that she realised with a thumping dread, that she had been led into a trap, and stupidly, she had literally fallen into it.
###
Stella seemed to slip and hurl backwards, crashing with force onto a cold hard service that sent a searing pain shooting up her back. She arched and let out a searing scream of pain.
In her fug of pain and disorientation she heard a soft, congratulatory voice, "Good boy, Bertie, good boy," said Richard Kells, with a smug satisfaction.
As her pain began to abate to a thumping ache, she became aware of other sounds; the girly giggling she had heard when she first entered the woods, had returned.
