The Boudoir Butcher by Hayley Camille

Author:Hayley Camille [Camille, Hayley]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: SpearPoint Press
Published: 2019-01-30T22:00:00+00:00

Betty wheeled along the busy streets, browsing the stately apartments of the Upper West Side. She slowed to a stop at the neat little triangle of Strauss Park and hopped off her bicycle. In front of her, a bubbling fountain was set in front of the naked, reclining statue of a beautiful nymph. One of the statue's dainty brass feet hung languidly over the edge of the marble bench she rested upon, and her almond-shaped face was lost in silent muse. Betty smiled faintly, imagining what a tranquil delight it must be, to rest forever here, with the delicate fanned leaves of the gingko trees above in an autumn mass of rich green-turned-golden-yellow, surrounded by creamy white daffodils and curling tendrils of ivy. It was a tiny piece of perfection in the great, bustling city. Betty closed her eyes for a moment, blocking out the morning traffic of Broadway and West End Avenue on either side of her. Such perfection.

She sighed. Betty turned and unclipped the clasps of her Avon cosmetic bag strapped to the rack behind her bicycle seat, then pulled out a small piece of paper and read her own neat, cursive script.

307 West 105th Street

Only one block away. She looked briefly around, stuffed the note back into her bag, and took off on her bicycle once more. Pigeons fluttered between the branches of broad-leaved trees that lined the road, their branches dripping over the street gutters like warm candles in the sunshine.

It was a beautiful part of Manhattan, where many well-to-do Jewish families had long settled into a close-knit community. The majority of war-time business was booming, children were cherished, and ideals and intellectual conversation shared frequently over supper. Betty slowed down as she approached a tall apartment block flanked by decorative concrete pillars.

As she did so, she spotted a car parked about twenty meters further up the road. Betty brushed the thoughts of its occupants, to confirm her suspicions. Two undercover street-cops, were stretched back in their chairs, apparently bored with the inactivity of their long-standing assignment. One was thumbing through a newspaper, while the other watched pedestrians disinterestedly, an unlit cigarette spinning between his fingers and thumb.

Betty pulled her bicycle up to the curb as she reached apartment block 307. She stepped off and leaned it against a tree. Unstrapping her cosmetic case, she walked up to the front entrance to meet her quarry, set the bag down beside her, then rapped sharply on the knocker. Leaning to the side, Betty quickly checked her reflection in the small glass window beside the door. Perfect. Of course.

After a few moments, the heavy door swung open, revealing an elegantly dressed woman with glossy dark hair pulled neatly into a low bun. Her figure, undoubtedly willowy in youth, was now mature and soft. Her face was open and kind but bore the unmistakable lines of worry. Well, I’m certainly at the right house.

“Avon Calling!” Betty beamed at her, all bright eyes and cherry-red lipstick.

“Shalom,” the woman smiled politely. She looked at Betty, then past her into the street, curiously.

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.