BOOK ONE: MISS MARSHALL

1_Kill the monster

“Can I ask you one question?” she said while looking at the barrel of the gun pointing to her forehead.

Charles blinked, which meant neither yes nor no.

“Why do you want to kill me?” she asked, smiling a little wider than the minute before.

It looked like the fear in her eyes had completed disappeared, probably because Charles had not pressed the trigger yet.

Melissa Marshall was 25 years old. At least, that’s what was stated on her driver’s license. She was a medium height brunette, with a silhouette of a top-model although her bosom was larger than the aesthetics would recommend. She was not tall but her long straight hair made her look as if she was. She enjoyed her job at the bank, behind the counter, smiling to her favorite clients. She had the eyes of a woman in control, scanning you from head to toes, smiling like there was no tomorrow.

When she got out of her car, that Thursday night, after a long shift (the automatic cash teller broke during the afternoon), she felt exhausted and needed a bath and a glass of white wine, not especially in this order. She wanted to relax and finish that book she bought at the airport, after a quick travel to see her mother in Portland, a month before. She press the locking button on the remote and heard the reassuring beep-beep when she saw a moving shadow on her right. As she was turning to have a better look, the man was already beside her, pointing a gun to her face.

“Who said I want to kill you, lady?” Charles responded, blinking again.

“I have never met a burglar so well dressed before. Therefore, I assume that you are a killer, hired by someone, to get rid of me.”