Double Exposure

  DOUBLE EXPOSURE

  SARAH RUTH SCOTT

  AuthorHouse™ UK

  1663 Liberty Drive

  Bloomington, IN 47403 USA

  www.authorhouse.co.uk

  Phone: 0800.197.4150

  © 2013 by Sarah Ruth Scott. All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

  Published by AuthorHouse 04/13/2017

  ISBN: 978-1-4918-7727-2 (sc)

  ISBN: 978-1-4918-7728-9 (e)

  Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models,

  and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

  Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

  Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

  Thank you to everyone involved on this book

  This book is dedicated to all my friends and colleagues who have helped and supported me. A special thank you goes to my long-suffering family who put up with my odd ways and restless soul. May I always be remembered for my want of freedom and lust for LIFE. I hope people may think of me when they read the contents of this book and remember sharing some good times with me.

  CHEERS

  Index

  Criminal world

  DOUBLE EXPOSURE

  JOBSON’S SUNSET

  CLAIRE IS MISSING

  THE CASE OF RED LIP STICK

  Acknowledgements

  Criminal world

  Criminal world is a magazine dedicated to investigating crime all over the world; the reporters and photographer gather details of crime from victims, police records and criminals themselves. The team take steps to ensure that the public are provided with detailed accounts of events with graphic pictures that questionably cannot be compared with any other crime magazine.

  Samantha King is a reporter who joined the team from the Australian office of Criminal world she is courageous and determined to get what she wants. She is also outspoken and uses her beauty to get what she wants, unfortunately she tends to offend people with her bad language and temper.

  Fiona Ellington is one of the reporter’s also a daughter of the editor, who is strong-minded and a force to be reckoned with as she immerses all her energy into finding a good story. Her life is criminal world and anything else in life takes a back shelf including love and marriage.

  Stuart Elliot was a photographer who spent a few years as a wedding photographer and then ventured into the world photographing models moved into the area of crime when he found himself actually photographing a murder as it happened.

  Daniel Harrison another reporter that used to work in war zones, he had a history in the army and used it to help him on location in remote areas. He achieved many things in his younger life recognising an opportunity for a story an every moment. He was said to even sleep with a notepad in his bed.

  Many other people worked for criminal world of course and the main offices employed computer experts and retired scientists surprisingly enough. It was a thriving concern and the connections with other areas of expertise helped to make the magazine more accurate and credible. The World Wide Web or Internet serves as a valuable asset for criminal world in order to receive vital information for the magazine.

  DOUBLE EXPOSURE

  MISSING IN SCOTLAND

  One of the main premises for criminal world was based in central London close to Piccadilly Circus. It was inside a tall building on the fourth floor with a bronze plaque outside indicating exactly where to find it. On the fourth floor was a door with a design of the world decorated on the glass saying ‘criminal world magazine’ opposite.

  Samantha entered the office walking gracefully down the corridor with her head held high, she seemed a confident woman with so much inner strength. She had long brown hair, which shined beneath the artificial florescent lights. She looked about thirty having young radiant skin that was slightly tanned. She wore a tight dress black dress that complimented her slim figure, catching the eyes of any man passing. But although she seemed confident she had a rather sad expression as if she were carrying the world on her shoulders.

  Samantha walked through another door and found herself in a waiting area. A young man sat at a desk looking at a computer screen. Samantha gave a gentle cough to draw his attention then repeated a cough, eventually he responded.

  “Yes can I help”. He paused as he gazed at her beautiful face.

  “I am Samantha I am your new reporter” Samantha said confidently

  “Oh right” The young man said still staring at Samantha

  “Would you mind not staring and finding Fiona?” Samantha said feeling uneasy

  “I will ring her now” He said smiling

  He picked up the phone and tapped out the numbers, he appeared rather clumsy as his fingers seemed to randomly press buttons.

  “Have you got any identification please?” He asked her

  Samantha produced a driving license from her handbag will this do it has my photo “I’m afraid I’m not topless on it” she said sarcastically

  “Yes fine thanks” He said sheepishly

  He finally got through to Fiona and began to speak “Is that Fiona, I have a Samantha King here for you, your new reporter” He paused then pointed to one of the seats opposite “Can you sit there please, she will be with you soon”.

  Samantha sat and crossed her legs, her dress rose up her leg slightly and she quickly pulled it down. The young man had noticed but pretended not to and proceeded to knock over a pot of pens.

  Fiona walked in she was a slim blonde woman around thirty-five years old, very attractive, but appeared to be very serious. She shook Samantha by the hand and smiled “I am Fiona”.

  “Come with me she beckoned Samantha” then looked at the young man

  “Hadrian you need a tissue you’re clearly drooling” Fiona said passing him by

  “I want to know what you’re going to do with your erection?” Samantha asked in a low voice after she passed him.

  Fiona chuckled at what Samantha had said

  “Hadrian is really harmless, he is rather special you know” Fiona said smiling.

  Hadrian had tried to ignore their remarks and looked back at the computer muttering, “You don’t want to know the answer to that one”.

  Fiona took Samantha through the main work area where most of the staff was concentrating on their tasks, people were walking about and some were talking on the phone she could see them picking up the phone and saying ‘criminal world can I help you’ this happened so many times. Some heads turned and seemed curious to know who was passing they entered the editor’s office; he was sat at an untidy desk searching for something.

  He looked up as they entered the room “Oh you must be Samantha from Australia”

  “Yes sir” She said politely

  “Manners as well, I am Bill not sir, we are more informal here”. Bill said still searching amongst his papers.

  “Ok well welcome to criminal world London” Bill continued

  Bill had short but thick hair and a handlebar moustache; he was quite tall with a large stomach due to alcohol consumption this was known as a beer belly.

  “Bill what are you looking for?” Fiona asked

  “My cigarettes” Bill re
plied

  “But you don’t smoke anymore” Fiona insisted

  “I do since your mother came back home” Bill remarked

  “But Dad you have to be patient with her” Fiona said sternly

  “She’s hard work since her breakdown” Bill said finding his cigarettes

  “OK I will visit tonight” Fiona agreed

  “I hope you enjoy working with us my daughter will show you to your office” Bill said putting a cigarette in his mouth

  Fiona gave a cough and pointed to the no smoking sign on the door, Bill took it out of his mouth while she left the office, and then returned it to his mouth.

  Fiona led Samantha out of the office to a room nearby their were two desks there inside a spacious office, near the one desk stood a large filing cabinet and a plant on the top in a very decorative pot. The leave hung down the sides of the cabinet in long green strands, pictures were on the walls of other countries and one photo stood out it was of Fiona standing under the New York office with the criminal world logo above the door. She was standing with other members of staff all smiling and seemingly happy together.

  “Nice picture Fiona is that New York?” Samantha asked

  “Yes I used to work there” Fiona said reluctant to talk about it

  “Did you like it there?” Samantha asked

  “I was there three years until I lost my boyfriend in a shooting” Fiona said sitting at her desk

  “I’m sorry” Samantha realised she had touched a raw nerve

  “I am too Paul didn’t deserve to die like that” Fiona suddenly stopped talking and turned on her computer.

  Samantha didn’t pursue the conversation and proceeded to empty her box of office equipment. She made use of every available space and put everything neatly away. Everything she had matched and she even lined books up neatly on a shelf.

  “So have you got anyone?” Fiona asked Samantha

  “No the last creep cheated on me” Samantha said continuing to count and line up all her pens.

  “Waited until I was on an assignment and pissed off” Samantha said bitterly

  “What a bastard” Fiona said in surprise

  “Too fucking right took some of my fucking stuff too” Samantha went on.

  “Men, they are just a load of tossers”. Fiona smiled

  “Too fucking right” Samantha said watching a man knocking the door.

  “Oh Dan you’re here, back from sunny Spain I see”. Fiona said looking at Samantha.

  Daniel Harrison had worked in war zones as a reporter and was an ex army man, He was thirty-six, muscular with short hair and a roughed face. He seemed quite arrogant on first impressions and seemed to hide a more sensitive self.

  “Ladies may I say sunny Spain was excellent and I achieved all I needed to in a few days, one major story in the bag”. Harrison boasted

  “Well that’s good” Fiona gestured to Samantha behind his back tosser.

  Samantha tried to keep a straight face and just nodded, Harrison was oblivious to they’re gestures and continued to boast about his new story from Spain. The phone ringing interrupted him and he decided to leave the office.

  Fiona picked up the receiver “Hello” She said “Yes she’s fine, he has just left here ok bye” Fiona said putting down the receiver

  “That was Dad he was looking for Dan and he said he hopes your settling in ok”. Fiona said looking across to Samantha.

  “Yes everything is fine, no problem”. Samantha said reorganising her pencils

  “Have you got OCD by any chance” Fiona said tutting.

  “Obsessive compulsive disorder Sorry I do have it a little” Samantha admitted

  “So have you had any interesting stories in Australia?” Fiona asked

  “Yes a few murders, but mainly missing persons and kidnappings” Samantha said

  “Good well you will be sent everywhere from here” Fiona explained

  “I read about one you wrote called ‘cracked porcelain’ about two models Pamela and Ruth lesbian women being pursued by a psychopathic killer that was a good story”.

  “You liked that one poor women were both abused as children that’s why I called it cracked porcelain it was mainly about Pamela and her being abuse as a child it happened to Ruth as well but Pamela was a child model protected by her disabled mother”.

  “And what about Jodie the Goth girl” Samantha asked

  “Yes poor Jodie got accused of a brutal assault on a young girl, she’s in jail right now, but personally I think she’s innocent” Fiona said

  “Wasn’t she bullied at school?” Samantha asked

  “Yes learned to defend herself and suffered for it” Fiona said

  “Meaning?” Samantha was asking for more information

  “Well when she took up self defence classes she only wanted to protect herself but she was drawn into fights and lost control”. Fiona explained

  “So you understand Jodie?” Samantha asked

  “Yes I do, its all about understanding Jodie and others” Fiona replied

  “My stories involved murders in the outback’s of Australia and city crimes in places like Melbourne and Sidney” Samantha explained

  Samantha followed up a few local stories around London before venturing further, she was eventually sent to Scotland on a missing person story. It was quite usual for a simple story to turn out to be major news; Samantha usually got assigned to such stories. She was asked to travel to a small place near North Berwick, close to Edinburgh and stay at this castle near the sea; she was to go with Stuart Elliot the photographer. The missing person was Susan Macgregor the niece of a wealthy landowner called Gordon Macgregor. Both Samantha and Elliot were to pose as distant relatives, who are up in Scotland on vacation visiting uncle Gordon who happens to be an old friend of the editor Bill.

  Samantha and Elliot set out by car and travelled through on the motorways of England until they reached the Scottish boarder. Samantha made Elliot swear not to sing on route after hearing him singing Scottish songs at the start of their journey. Even their taste in music varied so much and Samantha was not a very tolerant person, threatening to insert the radio into his anatomy. Elliot put it down to her time of the month but Samantha put her attitude down to her recent separation and her ex boyfriend being an asshole.

  Samantha and Elliot arrived in Edinburgh at 16.00 hours and caught the train to Berwick

  While at the station the other guests arrived in couples are as individuals, an eccentric couple waited on a bench the man wore a plain shirt, braces and a dickey bow with shorts and his partner wore a pale pleated skirt and a white blouse and pumps. They both had straw hats and between them stood out from all the other guests. Beside them stood a slim woman with short blonde hair she edged towards the couple and started to speak to them.

  “I take it your waiting for the minibus?” she said jovially

  “Yes” the man said “Going to Macgregor’s castle and the haunted weekend”

  “My name is Sharon” the slim blonde woman said

  “This is my wife Sylvia and I am Reginald or Reg” He said extending his arm to shake her hand.

  “Have you done this before?” Sylvia asked

  “Yes many times I go all over the country searching for ghosts”. Sharon admitted

  “Oh that’s nice have you ever seen any?” Reg asked

  “Oh yes many times its so exciting” Sharon replied excitedly

  “We have been a few times but not seen much” Sylvia said disappointedly

  Samantha and Elliot were in close enough to hear the conversation

  Samantha whispered to Elliot “We are in for a fun packed weekend with them” she said sarcastically

  They catch the minibus to Macgregor’s castle travelling through miles of countryside over a bridge and through woodlands. The guests w
ere discussing previous ventures on the way until they reached their destination seeing the castle on the side of a cliff overlooking the sea. It was like a picture postcard the whole scenery was beautiful and the castle was well kept. The castle was a typical fairytale building such as seen in a Disney movie with high towers and walls with narrow windows that would have been used for bowmen to shoot their arrows at their enemy

  They were taken to the main entrance and led into a main hall and asked to sit down on the many chairs that were placed neatly in one big circle. It was then that Macgregor made his entrance from another room; he was wearing a kilt and the rest of the attire typical of a true Scotsman. He was a tall man with ginger hair and a long ginger beard he was quite portly and had rosy cheeks and a slightly bent nose.

  He introduced himself and explained about the rules of the household

  “You are free to roam the castle but you are not allowed to go into that room” he pointed to the room by the main staircase “That room is private and I want all your phones and any other devices and I will lock them in my safe until you leave”. He looked at each of them “This is a special weekend of ghost hunting and so no contact with the outside world”. He noticed Samantha and smiled “We dine at six o’clock or 18.00 hours, so we will meet in the main dining room”. He pointed down the corridor “My servants will show you to your rooms and settle you all in, after which feel free to explore these rooms”.

  A few men who looked hard took Samantha and Elliot to their rooms and menacing one of them had a short beard and a rough voice. The other never spoke but just made grunting sounds each time the other man spoke. After settling in Elliot knocked on Samantha’s door, she fastened her clean blouse and headed for the door.

  “Oh it’s you” Samantha said sounding disappointed

  “I get the distinct impression you don’t like me” Elliot said smiling

  “Nothing personal I don’t like men at the moment” Samantha replied