ANGELS AND GHOSTS
CHAPTER FOUR

The Information Man and the Masseur

By ten-thirty the next morning, Rachael had showered, had breakfast and was preparing to spend a day lazing around, although a debt was owed. She rang him.

“Hi Gorgeous!”

“You ready?” she asked without enthusiasm.

“Sure am!” he boomed.

“You had a shower?”

Marco sighed, then said, “Teriny, we go over this every time; of course I had a shower.”

“Okay, I’ll be down in five.”

Rachael ended the call and then closed her eyes. She considered that she should flick on the sports channel and replace out how much the ass-licking Angels lost by, or maybe she could tap into her account and replace out how much the other bets had made her; but no, the woman was on her mind, and unfortunately, so too was the freaky shit … a flickering, hovering light … a voice, Hello …

Rachael searched for the hospitals phone number, and when it appeared, she pressed call. As it rang, she immediately regretted doing it, for she was sure that an unconcerned voice would say, ‘Ohh her, yeah she died; sorry.’

“Brocksley State Hospital, how may I help you?”

“Ummm, ummm, a woman came in last night from a car accident, and I was just wondering how she is.”

“What is the woman’s name?”

“No, I’m sorry, I don’t know.”

“Are you a relative?”

“No, but I brought the woman in, and I wanted to see if she was okay.”

*

Five minutes later, Rachael walked down the stairs and went into his apartment.

“Hey Teriny!” he said excitedly.

He was ready too, propped up naked on the couch.

Marco had been her information man for more than four years, and he was a valuable asset. A computer whiz and electronics genius, he could hack into just about anything. He could track her targets, he could set up surveillance, and he also provided her with gadgets and gizmo’s that made her task easier, plus, importantly, he was comfortable about what she did. He would ask, ‘What did this one do, Teriny?’

She would reply, ‘Raped and killed a seventeen-year-old girl.’

And he would snarl, ‘Fucking asshole; go get him!’

His method of payment still didn’t sit comfortably with her, and they’d had a few blazing arguments over it, but at the end of the day, if she wanted his assistance, well … get the oil ready.

Rachael knelt by the couch and tickled his balls with her left hand, the fingers of her right hand skimming up his lengthening penis, and she said, “My backs a bit sore.”

“How come?” he breathed out.

“Must have been when I picked that woman up last night.”

“Ohhh, the hit-and-run.”

“Yeah.”

“After you finish me off, strip off and I’ll massage your back.”

“Not going to happen,” she began, “Because tonight is massage night.”

“Ohhh Friday night, the African chick blows you.”

“She’s West Indian Dickhead!”

“Hooo, whatever.” Marco wheezed contentedly.

With gentle persuasion, the penis reached its full erection, and she tightened her grip as she worked on the now bulbous head, dragging up then skimming down. She opened the baby oil and spilled a capful into her right hand, then directed her hand to the swollen head.

Dragging up, skimming down, although Rachael was still unsettled about the previous night, so seeking a diversion, she asked, “What do you think of when I jerk you off?”

“Hooo Teriny, I dream that I’m sticking this into your tight puss.”

“Yeah, dream on brother.” she laughed.

“Ohhh God, this is so good,” he cooed, “You should let me slam you one time though.”

“I told you before, we’ll have a running race, and if you beat me, you can slam me as many times as you like.”

“Nnnn, hoooo, not fair, making fun of a man’s handicap.”

“Just shut up and blow will ya!”

The statement didn’t really need to be issued, because he always did. He usually came quickly, mainly because he was easily excited, and also because Rachael knew how to play with dicks.

The finale arrived, the initial spurt landing just under his chest, the subsequent spurts dribbling onto his stomach. Rachael issued a few good will strokes to the empty chamber, then she said, “Debt is now paid in full, and don’t worry about sending me a receipt.”

*

By seven-thirty on Friday evening, Rachael rapped on the door, and listened as the footsteps padded down the hallway, a moment later, the door opening.

“Welcome Miss Private Detective, how are you?”

Rachael hugged her and kissed her cheek, “Very well thank-you Soph.”

Rachael had been coming to see Sophie Niles for more than two years, and she regarded her as more a friend than a business acquaintance, and she said, “Actually, my backs a bit sore today.”

“Ohh, what ya been doing?”

“I was driving along Cribb Highway last night, and I saw this body lying by the side of the road.”

“You’re kidding!”

They stepped into the back room, the massage room; the room lit by two candles, while the smell of incense hung in the air.

“No, serious, so I picked her up and put her in my car and drove her to the hospital.”

“Is she okay?”

“I rang the hospital today and all they would tell me was that she’s in a critical condition.”

“Ohh dear, do you know what happened to her?”

“I’m thinking that it must have been a hit-and-run.”

“I hope she’s going to be alright.”

“Unfortunately, she was in a pretty bad way.”

Rachael took her top off, then slid the singlet off. “There’s some fucking ass-holes in the world; imagine hitting someone and then just fucking off.” Rachael moaned.

Sophie watched as the leggings slid down the slender legs, the leggings duly discarded.

“Did you say that you put her in your car and drove her to the hospital?”

“Yeah.”

“Why didn’t you ring an ambulance?”

“Well she was in a really bad way, and I was thinking that by the time an ambulance got there and then drove back, it might have been too late.”

“So what, you’re a doctor now?”

“When I checked her, she wasn’t breathing, so I pumped her chest and she kinda … well, whatever.”

“Hmmm, anyway my little good Samaritan, hop up on the table and let me ease your tension.” Sophie said as she patted her bare bottom.

Rachael lay on her back for the cosmetic part of the session, and Sophie tipped a sprinkle of shaving oil onto her mound and gently massaged it around the prickly area, then picked up the razor. Rachael loved the feel and the look of a shaved vagina, although she didn’t like doing it herself, so she was more than pleased when Sophie introduced the procedure into her weekly session.

Cosmetics dealt with, so Rachael flipped over on to her stomach, and she felt the tension falling away as the strong hands worked her neck and shoulders, then the hands drifted down her back, although the subtle pressure on her lower back forced her to stiffen.

“Okay, I think we’ve located the problem.” Sophie advised.

She spent ten minutes on the affected area, then her hands slid down to her thighs.

Thighs and calves were duly dealt with, the hands cruising up to the firm buttocks. The lower back received the therapeutic attention, the buttocks would receive the sensual attention.

“Miss Terina, you of the flawless buttocks, you like me doing this?”

The tips of Sophie’s fingers tickled down the crease of her buttocks and finished in the smooth flesh between her buttocks and vagina, her right and left index fingers running up and down the small lines of flesh. A dozen times, up and down, delicately, with intent, until the index fingers skipped inward, the lips of Rachael’s vagina now enjoying the gentle tickle.

“Jesus …” Rachael sighed.

“Roll over Gorgeous.” Sophie cooed.

Silky oil applied to her firm breasts, the nipples stiffened into bullets, and while Sophie enjoyed handling the breasts, she was aware that the breathless sighs meant that a conclusion was being requested. The groin became the focus of the delicate attention, the fingers tickling up and down both sides, multiple fingers then becoming more explorative. The stuttering moans were an indication that her efforts were being appreciated, so Sophie honed in, both index fingers now working in tandem. Rachael’s legs were now in motion, her right leg pulling up slightly, then her left leg doing the same, almost as if she were treading water or swaying on a balance board. Sophie knew the signs, the legs in motion, Rachael’s hands caressing her breasts, the closed eyes, the anguished expression on her face, this orgasm was knocking on the door, so Sophie slowed and whispered, “Okay Gorgeous, I think we’re all done.”

The eyes opened immediately, and Rachael glared at her as she puffed out, “Arrhh, no, not done.”

“You sure?” Sophie asked cheekily.

“Soph …”

“What?”

“Finish me off, or else.”

“Or else what?”

Rachael rested her head back and closed her eyes as she said calmly, “Or else I’ll fucking kill you.”

Ten minutes later, Sophie led Rachael into the bathroom.

The bath was a jacuzzi with a shower-head attached to the wall, and Sophie took the shower-head out of its holder and turned on the taps, and when the temperature and the water pressure were to her liking, she advised, “You may step in.”

Sophie sprayed the water over Rachael’s body, rested the shower-head at the bottom of the jacuzzi, then liberally applied soap all over her body. Soaped up to her satisfaction, Sophie picked up the shower-head in her left hand and washed the soap away, her right hand skimming over breasts, stomach and buttocks.

Rachael stepped out and Sophie dried her off, then they returned to the massage room.

Rachael knew her role, and she stood in front of the full-length mirror as Sophie squirted generous amounts of the lavender scented body moisturizer into her hands. Standing behind her, Sophie rubbed the moisturizer into her back, arms and legs, then squirted another generous amount into her hands as she fed her hands inside Rachael’s arms and applied the lotion to her breasts, stomach and thighs.

Rachael wanted to close her eyes and get lost in the delicate massage, but she loved watching her body being handled with such reverence, the fingers now gently massaging the lotion around her groin.

Sophie propped her chin on Rachael’s shoulder, staring at the mirror, looking at herself, looking at both of them, then she asked, “Drink?”

“Yes please.”

Rachael placed a towel on the leather seat, then sat. She liked to allow the moisturizer time to soak into her body before she dressed, so she lounged back and made herself comfortable. Thinking about the worrying physical event from the previous night, she asked, “Soph, you’ve got a vagina, right …”

Sophie handed her a drink then sat down, “Well last time I looked, yeah.”

“Have you ever had, I dunno, accidents?”

“You mean discharge?”

“No, not gunk, I mean urine dribbling out.”

“When I was a teenager, I got drunk and I must have pissed myself while I was sleeping; but what, you’re dribbling?”

“Ummm, kind of embarrassing, but sometimes when I sneeze, a trickle of urine dribbles out.”

“It happens after you sneeze?”

“Sometimes yeah, I mean only very occasionally mind you, and it seems to happen after I’ve had a snort.”

“If you’re concerned about it, maybe you should see a doctor.”

“Yeah, and what’s he going to say, stop snorting.”

“Well, maybe you should.”

“Uh uhh, not going to happen; I’d rather put up with the occasional accident.”

“Okay, well I hope you don’t catch a cold.”

“Yeah, me too.”

“Anyway, been humping anybody?” Sophie asked.

“No, although the cop who interviewed me at the hospital was hot.”

“Yeah, did you flirt with him?”

“Well, the occasion wasn’t really conducive to flirting.”

Sophie relaxed back and looked at her as she said, “So no dicks have entered the Royal Vagina for a while?”

“The last fuck I had was a chick.”

“So you are openly bi-sexual?”

“I refer to myself as hot-rosexual.”

“Heterosexual?”

“No, Hot-rosexual; if I look at someone and they make me horny, my knickers will come down.”

“Ha ha, I’m jealous of you Gorgeous.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, you have an interesting job, you’re gorgeous, you do whatever you want, and you sleep with whoever you want.”

“You’re right on all accounts except for the interesting job.”

“No, come on, being a Private Detective must be fascinating.”

Rachael didn’t like lying to her, although this was only a little lie, a lie that also had an element of truth in it. “Soph, most of the time I just spy on people, and let me tell you, most people are boring as all shit.”

“Maybe I should engage you to spy on Mr No-Hoper.”

“Ohhh, trouble in paradise?”

“My relationship isn’t any paradise, I mean he’s just Mr You’ll-Do-For-The-Moment, not Mr Forever.”

“Why don’t you boot him out then?”

“Ummmm, it’s comfortable I guess. He pays half the bills, and he doesn’t care what I do, and I don’t care what he does, so our disregard for one another means that it works for the time being.”

“Boot him out and then I’ll come over and slam you once a week.” Rachael stated brightly.

“No.”

“Huh, you don’t want me rocking and rolling on top of you?”

“Well in a physical sense, yes, that sounds desirable, but we could never be lovers.”

“Why?”

“I count you as a friend, and your friendship is important to me.”

“Thanks I guess, although we could still be friends and lovers.”

“Rach, a sexual relationship changes the very nature of a friendship, because it requires give and take, and it demands that concessions be asked for or granted, and it also has the ability to produce the unwanted emotion of jealousy, while it also indirectly alters elements of your own personality. With you and me, there’s no crap, we can just be who we are, and I like it that way.”

“Phew, why thank-you Dr Phil!”

Rachael finished her drink, handed over the two hundred, then began dressing. “Anyway, it’s an open offer, I’m available any time and I’d love to push you on your back and fuck the common sense out of you!”

“Ohhh goodness, and who said that romance was dying!” Sophie laughed. “Maybe go and flirt with the cop.”

“Might just do that!” Rachael smiled.

Sophie embraced her then said, “And stop pissing your pants.”

Rachael shoved her playfully, embraced her, then said, “See ya next week,”

Home by nine, Rachael rang the hospital, although all they could tell her was that the patient was still critical. They did however, tell her the woman’s name; Mia Coombes.

*

On the Monday morning, Rachael strolled into Burden Park and sat on a bench seat facing the lake, and she said, “Hi.”

The middle-aged woman was reading the paper, and her gaze never lifted as she asked, “How are you?”

“On a scale of one-to-ten, maybe seven.”

The woman smiled, then said, “In my handbag.”

Rachael pulled the yellow envelope out and discreetly tucked it into her jacket pocket, then said, “Maybe nine now.”

The woman kept reading as she asked, “Sorry?”

“On a scale of one-to-ten, I’m up to a nine now.”

“Ohhh, so forty-five thousand dollars equates to an extra two points on the scale?”

“Something like that.”

The woman turned the page and resumed reading, asking quietly, “No problems?”

“No, trouble-free, and he ended up confessing.”

“Well we knew it was him anyway.”

“Yeah, may he rot in Hell.”

“One less monster on the planet.”

“Indeed, although I did encounter a minor problem.”

For the first time, the woman looked at her, “Ohhh, what?”

“When I was driving back, I saw a body on the side of the road, must have been hit by a car; and like she was pretty fucked up, so I put her in the car and drove her to Brocksley Hospital.”

“Is she alright?”

“Critical, in a critical condition.”

“Your sense of helping those in need is noted, but it does it present any complications?”

“Well, it fucks up my alibi, because I had to give a statement to two cops at the hospital.”

“Ohh dear.”

“It’s cool though, if anybody ever replaces the body, there’s no evidence that I was ever there, and as usual, Marco had my phone.”

“If you’re not worried, then I won’t,” the woman said, then she added, “Something’s coming up soon.”

“How soon?”

“I’m just clarifying and checking at the moment, I mean this is a big money job, and I’m spending a little cash to get other contacts to do the groundwork that you normally do, so maybe a week or two.”

“Sounds good.”

“How is Marco?”

“Fat and horny like usual.”

“I’ve been meaning to ask you about him.”

“What about him?”

“Well, more about his preferred method of payment.”

“I’ve told you before, if he does something for me, I jack him off.”

“So he never wants cash?”

“No, it’s always hands-on-dick payment.”

The woman pondered, then said, “Sometimes you surprise me.”

“How so?”

“Well in a way, you’re almost prostituting yourself.”

“Jesus, your old-fashioned morals and my I-don’t-give-a-fuck morals, are destined to clash repeatedly,” Rachael replied, “Plus, it takes me about five minutes to blow him.”

“Hmmm, I guess in a time and money sense, it stacks up.”

“Well anyway, let me know when the next one is up and going.”

“Sure.”

*

An hour later, Rachael put the money in her safe, then skipped down to Marco’s apartment, issuing a quick double knock before entering.

“Who is it?” Marco called out.

“Who do you think?” Rachael replied as she waltzed into the study.

“Ohh, hey Teriny.”

“What ya doing, watching porn?”

“Nahhh, I’m a bit porned-out at the moment, so I’m flicking through the erotic web-sites and downloading pictures of hot chicks bending over.”

“Pervert.”

“No way, this is actually research.”

“Looking at vag’s and ass-holes is now classified as research?”

“I have a defined interest in the female body, and my research is currently devoted to assessing how the vagina looks in various positions.”

“The tag of pervert has never sat more comfortably than with you,” Rachael mocked, “Anyway, in between perving and jacking off, I have an assignment for you.”

“Ohh yeah, Marco’s getting a stiffy!”

“This is a little different though, like not related to my normal line of business.”

“Do go on.”

“I rang the hospital again today, and the woman’s still critical, and they wouldn’t tell me much, but they did tell me that she’s in a coma and she’s on life support.”

“Okay, so what do you want me to do?”

“Well it’s none of my business really, but the thought of some ass-hole hitting her and then fucking off is playing on my mind.”

Marco was a step ahead, and he gushed, “Ohhh, you’re gunna go after him?”

“Well, I don’t actually know if it is a him.”

Marco leant back and said condidently, “It’ll be a guy for sure; chicks don’t mow people down and then piss off.”

“It’s 2014 Fat Pudding.”

“Sure, but it will be a guy for sure.”

“Anyway, whatever, I’m assuming that the car would have a significant ding on its front right side, so I want you to ring around and check the local panel beaters and get a list of recent jobs fitting that description, and then we’ll take it from there.”

“Sure, now where did it happen again?”

“Cribb Highway, maybe ten miles out of Middleton.”

“Hmmm, so he’s heading down this way, although we don’t know whether he was from Bassington or Middleton.”

“True enough, and for all we know, he could be from anywhere, so one step at a time.”

“Alright, for starters I’ll check panel beaters in Middleton, Bassington and maybe even Brocksley and see what that turns up.”

“Good boy.”

“Teriny …”

“What?”

“This could be a very time-consuming exercise, so I’m thinking that I’ll require a daily payment.”

“Fuck off idiot, payment will come after results.”

“No, come on, phone calls all around the place, and I’m betting that most of the businesses aren’t going to just hand out information over the phone.”

“Jesus, once a week then.”

“How about twice a week, I mean that would have me throwing myself into this with an unwavering commitment.”

“Once a week, take it or leave it,” she replied, then added, “As long as progress is being made.”

“Okay, so first whack is next Monday?”

“Depending on progress, yes.”

After Rachael left, Marco smiled.

He was pleased she had told him to start with panel beaters, and indeed he would contact them at some stage, but only after he’d viewed the CCTV footage. He was surprised that she seemed to have forgotten about the CCTV camera outside Hahn’s Jewellery store. If the car had continued down and driven through Main Street, the camera would pick it up.

He jotted down the date of the accident, gave himself a six-hour span, then went to work.

By the following day, Marco had a possibility; a silver BMW two-door sedan, the car whizzing by the camera at 9.23pm. Lead number one, so Marco recorded the registration.