by Simon Wright

Created on: June 14, 2009   Last Updated: June 28, 2009

Novel: Pure as the driven snow

Extract from chapter one: Screwed:

I briefly alluded to the fact that Alex's father was a serial killer in-the-making. That is to say, a man who has taken that all important first step; notched his first kill and in all probability is just itching for the opportunity to add to the tally. On discovering this fact, (an information snippet Alex calmly and kindly flung my way mid coitus - God, did she think that would in some way heighten our sexual conflagration?), my hitherto buoyant disposition was suitably deflated. "Huh? What?! The Hell he is!" My retort lacked a certain eloquence, but did the job of capturing my surprise, alarm, and scepticism at her plain statement of fact ("My daddy's in jail. He killed a man."). She quickly disabused me (after our coitus session had well and truly been interrupted) of any notion that she might be winding me up. Even showed me the prison mug-shots, and let me tell you never has a word been so apt, this was one mutt-faced thug of a man, neck as wide as the Hudson river, body almost entirely covered in tats, the kind of man you'd give a wide berth on the sidewalk; not the kind of man you'd want as a potential future father-in-law.

So, of course, I quizzed her pretty hard about how this sad occurrence could have come to pass? Was it a case of mistaken identity? Or a conspiracy maybe, surely he was innocent? Her facial expression (bored 'I've heard this before' eyes, coupled with tersely pursed lips) told me otherwise. Ok, maybe it was in self defence? Killed a burglar who threatened his darling daughter? But no, it wasn't. Couldn't get the grisly details but I did discover that it had happened in Boston, Massachusetts. So, I drove all the way there to see if I couldn't unearth the truth. I'm impulsive, like that. A search at the city's central library produced clippings from the local news rags. 'Local mobster gets life! Gangster ringleader, Lenny Moretti, guilty of gruesome murder of pizza delivery boy. Victim, Jake Lomas (25) was discovered in a garbage dumpster, minus his head.'

Now, let me tell you, these are not the words you want to read in reference to your sweetheart's daddy. Gangster. Murder. Minus his head? The word though that kept ringing out inside my head, waking me in a cold sweat in the middle of the night, was "Motive". What was the motive? And why a pizza boy? What, was he slow to deliver?! Did he mess up the order?! Maybe demanded a tip? I'm afraid to say I became obsessed.

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