Yarrow: The Smiley Killer

18:30

As Christine's hand pulled the cheeseburger out of the greasy bag on the passenger seat a car sounded it's horn. It took her a second to realise she had swerved on to the wrong side of the road and quickly corrected the steering spilling mayo down the inside of her blouse. placing the burger back on top of the  paper bag she scooped up the majority of the mayo with her thumb and licked it off.

Her gaze caught the Condor Coffee from earlier. The young girl with the striking eyes was still there wiping down the tables. Christine checked her mirrors, pulled over and did a three point turn parking directly outside of the coffee shop. 

Despite having a pack of tissues in the glove compartment she got out the car and strolled in to the empty cafe.

"Excuse me dear," she said in the most condescending tone she could muster, "Do you have any tissues, I seem to have spilled mayo down me and I'm on my way to see someone."

The young girl smiled politely, not sincerely, "of course, would you like a coffee as well?"

"Yeah why not, caramel latte with soy milk please. Thank you darling."

Christine took the napkin and wiped herself with it as the young lady turned to make the coffee. 

"Twice in one day then," she said, "I think you have a problem."

"I think you do, pretty empty in here, can't be good for business."

"Oh we never have anyone past 5ish I'd say. Or at least not many. I've said to my manager I don't see why they insist on keeping it open until seven but it's company policy apparently. Plus I get paid an extra two hours for making a couple extra coffees, so hey ho."

"Well aren't you lucky," Christine said with a smile, "listen now you mention earlier, was that bloke that came in here Carl Fontage?"

The young girl looked at her with some surprise and looked her up ad down, "Well, yeah. Do you know him."

"Oh it's just I went to school with him years ago now. Thought I recognised him and it was bothering me. I don't like forgetting a face you see. He's handsome now isn't he, used to be a bit scrawney if I remember rightly. Not really my type."

"Well I think he's handsome, obviously..."

"Oh are you two..."

"Well, yes and no, I'm hoping so. Sooner rather than later. I hear he's quite the player. I like to think I can change him though."

Christine let out a burst of laughter as she took the coffee and tapped her debit card on the reader, "Carl Fontage a player, how things change eh?" Or not at all.

"Well he treats me well and we have great fun together. He's so funny, and handsome and smart."

Fuck me, smart! She must be joking now.

"Well give him my best when you see him next, let him know if he saw me I would have spoken to him but wasn't sure it was him."

"Will do, who shall I say you are?"

"Lacey Jeffers, nice to meet you," She smiled, "and thanks for the coffee."

*   *   *

"Why are you back here?" A hand grabbed Doug's shoulder and the distinct smell of alcohol and cigarettes meant that Doug had no need to guess that Teddy was talking to him."

"I'm glad you asked Teddy,"

Doug span around on his barstool and leaned back on the bar, still grasping his blackcurrent squash.

"Teddy I need to ask you a few questions I weren't sure of earlier. Would you like another drink? I'll get you a Haig club or something a bit nicer than that rubbish you've got."

"Sure, Glenfidditch please."

"The twelve year old?"

"You said you'd get it?"

"Fine, Troy, single..."

"Double," Teddy interrupted

"OK," Doug forced a smile, "Double Glenfidditch for the gentleman." He turned back to Teddy, so Teddy, are you positive that you didn't know any of the three women other than Lacey that I mentioned earlier."

He said nothing this time.

"Because you being quiet tells me something else to what you said earlier."

"Fine, yeah I knew them all. Yolande was an immigrant from Kenya, lived down the road from my mum's old place. Carly went to my synagogue and Karen owned a sweet stall, has for years, everyone knows her. This area of London Mr. Chaney is not that big, everybody knows everybody else is some capacity."

His words, though they sounded well thought out were not pronounced as such, Doug could almost taste the slurring. He looked down at the glass that was in his hand, it shook, not through fear but from a lack of coordination. It reminded him somewhat of early onset Parkinson's. 

"Mr. Chaney, I did not kill those women. I would have nothing to gain. If I could help you I would but I know nothing. No one should die like that, no one should just have their body discarded like that. dragged through a park and just dumped off."

Doug stared at Teddy, he couldn't get his head around it, he genuinely had no idea they weren't dragged through the park. The only tremor in his voice was coming from his inability to pronounce the more challenging of letters.

"Teddy, are you aware all these women were only children?"

"No they weren't."

"Our record are accurate Mr. Jameson."

"Clearly not Mr. Chaney. I don't know about Yolande and Karen but Carly had a sister. Maybe she isn't showing up as she is a step sister from her dad's second marriage. He's on his fourth now I hear but they still saw each other as blood siblings."

Doug paused, his whole theory was collapsing. 

"Tell me Teddy, how well do you know scripture?"

"Every word."

"Can you tell me what the 5th book of the old testament says, Deuteronomy 4:1?"

He had clearly had it ingrained as a child as he almost appeared to sober up.

"Now, Isreal, hear our decrees and rules, I will teach you. Follow them so you live and take possession of the land. Something like that?"

"How about book 4, numbers 16:1?"

He though for a minute, "that one is just a list sons."

"How about book 8, 1 Samuel 18:2?"

"That's not the eighth book."

"It is."

"No, the eighth book is Ruth, it's only 4 chapters, not 18."

"You sure?"

"Yeah look it up, most people forget it because it's only short and I think it only became and official book late on, but yeah, I'm pretty sure."

Doug sat there in shock, like he'd wasted half the day on Christine's theory. Teddy chucked back the last of his drink.

"Anyway thank you for your interest Mr. Chaney, have a good evening."

He left and stumbled in to the pub door before figuring out how to turn the handle to leave.