Playing the Devil's Music: A dark and twisted Swedish serial-killer mystery (The DI Stella Cole Thrillers Book 8) by Andy Maslen

Author:Andy Maslen [Maslen, Andy]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Tyton Press
Published: 2023-07-05T16:00:00+00:00

32

Taking great care to keep her hands well back from Ahlgren’s side of the table, Stella nodded at the photograph album.

‘Show me.’

Ahlgren glanced up from the album at her, eyebrows raised.

‘Please,’ she added, fighting down another urge to draw down on him.

Let’s see how fucking patronising he’d be staring down the business end of a nine.

He opened the album. Page after page filled with colour images of a much younger Ahlgren posing with members of the band. They all wore either outlandish makeup like Lyngstad, the lead singer, or grotesque masks, one with a mass of tentacles descending from the chin-piece. Must have been hellish hot to perform in.

He turned over a few more pages and then tapped a photo.

‘There she is! Lilith herself. Take a look.’

He spun the album round and pushed it towards her until his chain chinked sharply against the restraining eyebolt. She reached across the table, her hands heading for Ahlgren’s side. Behind her, she caught the sound of Magda’s feet shuffling. And a warning cough.

‘The rules, Stella.’

But Stella had anticipated Ahlgren’s move. Now it was her turn to raise her eyebrows. With a leer spreading across his face like slime on the surface of a stagnant pond, he slid his fingers off the cover and placed his hands in his lap.

She pulled the book of photos towards her. In the photo Ahlgren had indicated, a young woman, no more than twenty or twenty-one, surrounded by the five members of Sepülkå. She was tall, that was the first thing Stella noticed. Slim build, with a striking mane of crow-black hair. It signified very little, probably dyed.

The musicians’ eyes were glazed, lazy, lecherous smiles on their black-lipsticked mouths. Their long, lank hair was greasy or damp with sweat. Stella assumed the photo had been taken after a performance, although who was to know how death metal bands conducted themselves. Maybe a little light drug-taking and group sex was their way of psyching themselves up for a gig. Somehow she couldn’t picture this group of devil-worshipping rockers meditating or busting out a few downward-facing dogs.

In contrast, Anna Eriksson AKA Lilith, appeared completely sober. The look she bestowed on the camera – full lips curving in a half-smile, level gaze, chin lifted just a fraction – was full of self-satisfaction. Her arms were outstretched, her palms resting on the shoulders of the two young men flanking her.

To Stella she looked like a witch among her coven. She was saying, Look at me. I have everything I want. They think I follow them. But ask yourself who’s really in control.

‘Quite a piece of work, wouldn’t you agree?’

Stella pulled her eyes away from the photo. Ahlgren was leaning forwards, though he had taken care to keep his hands down.

‘She is certainly very striking to look at.’

‘Oh, it wasn’t just her looks that were striking. Young Anna had extremely strong and I would have to say, unusual, appetites.’

Coming from a certifiably insane psychotic serial killer, this veiled remark needed careful unpicking.

Stella glanced again at the photo.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.