Chapter ten

Jillian tried to disassemble the stock and barrel of the gun so that it would fit into the old water heater in the bathroom but her hands were shaking so badly that she kept dropping the gun again and again. Eventually the voice in her head got impatient and decided to act.

As the voice spoke, Jillian's eyes fluttered and became blank. Then her blank eyes were filled up again but there was an imperceptible change in their depth, the person looking out from her innocent blue eyes had changed and a slightly sinister glint could be seen before it vanished without a trace.

Jillian's trembling hands suddenly became rock steady. She looked at the instructions on her phone then she smoothly disassembled the shotgun and threw it into the old broken down boiler without any hesitation. She quickly entered the shower to make her hair wet and toweled herself off methodically, making sure to leave herself damp.

She put on the satiny tank top and short shorts she usually wore as underwear when she slept but completely ignored the ratty cotton bathrobe she usually wore over them. She then stood in front of the mirror above the sink to see how she looked. Satisfied with how the previous dampness had made her tank top slightly see through, she opened the medicine cabinet beneath the sink and retrieved a medicine bottle before walking out of the bathroom.

In the hallway outside of the bathroom, Briggs was leaning against the wall and marveling at how beautiful Jillian sounded as she sang, when the bathroom door suddenly opened without warning.

Briggs stood there gaping like a dying fish, his entire body frozen and rigid like ten thousand volts of electricity was coursing through his body robbing him of his ability to speak, move or even think properly.

His eyes that were opened wide like saucers were glued on Jillian who had just walked out of the bathroom like a heavenly vision. She was wearing a skimpy red outfit that showed off her delicate neckline, her ample chest, her sexy curvy body and her long slender legs. Even though patches of purple bruises could be seen where she had been assaulted, her creamy white skin was still a treat to the eyes.

Water slowly dripped down from her wet red hair, slowly meandering down the contours of her face and neck before disappearing into her cleavage.

Her damp tank top was semitransparent and Briggs knew without a doubt that she was not wearing a bra.

Briggs was so distracted by Jillian that she had to call him three times before he noticed.

"Ed! Are you alright detective Briggs? Ed?"

When he finally noticed that Jillian was talking to him, he noticed that her voice had become husky from singing for so long and the way she called him Ed made him blank out again, he completely missed the tiny victorious smile at the corner of Jillian's lips. By the time he returned to his senses, the smile was gone and all that was left was a look of concern.

Briggs cleared his throat in embarrassment after he unconsciously loosened his necktie and gulped, "Sorry about that, I was thinking about the case and I drifted off."

Jillian nearly burst out into laughter but she managed to get control of herself, "Is that so? You are such a hardworking man. Maybe you should relax a little? I know! I have a nice bottle of French white wine that I bought in case I had to entertain guests. Let us have a glass of that and play some games. Maybe cards, chess, or maybe something else."

Jillian's seemingly innocent words sent his imagination soaring but eventually he came to his senses,"I don't think you should be consuming alcohol when you have a concussion."

Jillian pouted cutely at him and looked at him with large disappointed eyes, "Please? I'll only have one glass! I promise!"

Briggs buckled under Jillian's assault and five minutes later he found himself back in Jillian's sitting room, sipping a glass of white wine and playing chess.

"Hmm...this wine is very good. It has a very interesting aftertaste."

Jillian smiled mysteriously and moved one of her bishops carelessly without even looking at the chessboard,"I have my own secret ingredient."

Briggs moved one of his rooks to take Jillian's bishop,"Is that so? By the way, why aren't you playing carefully? You are just giving away all of your pieces."

Jillian moved one of her knights, "Because I know that I have already won."

Briggs yawned and used his bishop to take the knight she had just moved, "What do you mean by that? Clearly I am the one who is winning."

Jillian just smiled again, "You think you are winning but that makes you careless. You think I am being lax so you subconsciously let down your guard allowing me to do this," Jillian placed one of her last remaining pieces beside Briggs's king, hewing it in and trapping it, "Checkmate detective."

She looked up to see that Briggs had already fallen asleep. She took a blanket and pillow and made sure that he was comfortable and warm. Once she was sure that he wasn't going to wake up, she went upstairs to return the bottle of sleeping pills into her medicine cabinet and retrieved the shotgun from the old water heater tank. She changed into jeans and a warm jacket before leaving her house.

It was time to go out and play.