The man with the false name put his feet onto the low table and sipped at his drink. Today had gone far better than he’d expected it to. His act of charity had borne the sweetest of fruits for him. His generosity in offering to do a good deed had presented him with a gift.

Not just any gift, a missing link in his chain. He’d been trying to find a candidate but none had presented themselves. Then from nowhere, one had dropped into his lap.

He now had the next part of his project. All he had to do was offer her up and he could move on.

Caitlin was the gift. Not only was she the right fit, but the way she’d been standing alone at a deserted junction meant he’d been able to get her into his Range Rover without any witnesses.

To make things even sweeter, her break-up with her boyfriend, and the way she’d been speaking indicated that she was the kind of person who did what she wanted, when she wanted. Her boyfriend wouldn’t know she was missing as she’d dumped him and stormed off. Her folks wouldn’t be worried about her, because as far as they knew she was with the boyfriend. The impression he’d got of the young man from her comments suggested he wasn’t likely to contact her parents to make sure she’d got safely home.

The evening news had been full of the investigation into his project. There had been footage of a press conference, where the dumpy copper who’d spoken to him had sat beside someone and failed to answer any questions without humming and hah-ing at every turn. The journalists didn’t let the coppers deliver their statements, they just wanted news on the investigation into the murders.

Except they weren’t murders, not in his mind. They were necessary sacrifices. An offering to earn appeasement and prove the worthiness of a son who’d never been loved by his mother. By recreating the dragon that Mother was, he could prove himself worthy of her love.

He knew that if she was alive and aware of what he was doing, she’d be furious. As always, she’d want to manifest her anger both physically and verbally as she puffed on cigarettes and used him as her ashtray. Regardless of the years that had passed since her death, he’d never forgotten the pleasure in her eyes as she ground the cigarettes into his skin.

He had two issues to deal with on his immediate horizon: the date he’d asked Sarah on and the missing link between Caitlin and Sarah.

The plans he had for Caitlin would send a message to the world in general and the dumpy detective in particular. He just wasn’t sure the copper was smart enough to recognise what he’d be saying in his unspoken message.

The date was something he was dreading. He’d have to make small talk. Feign interest in her likes and dislikes.

He would, of course, be the perfect gentleman; he’d hold doors for her, stand when she came into the room, and make her feel every bit as special as she probably thought she was. To him she was only special because she’d be a part of his project. At least he could use the time spent with her to find out her routines. That way he could engineer a way to capture her. Like the hitchhiker, she’d get into his car without hesitation.

At the end of the night he’d drop her off at her home and leave her there. Any offers to go in for a coffee would be refused. Sarah appeared to be a sexual woman, if her clothes and behaviour towards him were any kind of indicators. The last thing he wanted to do was find himself in a position where he was expected to sleep with her.

Rather than go on a second date, he planned to capture her and keep her locked up until he was ready to use her for his project.

It was the link between Caitlin and Sarah that troubled him. He needed another darling. He contemplated the one person he’d met who would fit, but as delicious and fitting as it would be to use her, she could be the hardest of them all to capture. She would be more wary, have greater awareness and take more precautions than the average person. But still she was perfect. And she would be the most fitting tribute.

It would begin with surveillance. He’d recognise her routines, find a time when she was alone. Then he’d pounce.

A smile crossed his face. Perhaps he should double her up with Sarah. A pair of beautiful women together. He could sacrifice them at the same time in order to keep his project on track.

His eyes closed in pleasure as he thought of the impact their deaths would have. How they’d move his project so much closer to completion.

DC Young would be the perfect darling.