Townhouse on Coventry - April 28

[Guest]

He smiled politely as he was shown into the parlor. “Mrs Brynn. I was honoured to receive your invitation.” He was fond of the hat he was wearing today and it was so hard to find properly fitting hats so he removed it from his head and carefully settled it on the bureau just to the right of the door. With his hat carefully deposited like that he stepped forward to the hostess. Bowing low he held out the box of chocolates he had brought along. “I hope you do not find this humble offering unworthy.”

 

“No, no, I mean yes. I mean thank you, I’m grateful.” Mrs Brynn accepted the box of chocolates with a smile that proved that she did have a sweet tooth. “Do take a seat. Conrad will be back with tea any moment now.”

 

He smiled and bowed again. Choosing a seat opposite of Mrs Brynn he brushed a bit of lint from his sleeve and looked around a room. Brynn had left a comfortable nestegg to his wife so it was a nice room, a very nice room indeed, with well-used but comfortable furnishings. The room was a bit to ocrowded with furniture for his taste he noted and decided that he would need to clear it out a bit later when he got started on his business. But the smell of freshly made apple pie wafting in the air and Mrs Brynn’s white crocheted handiwork gave it a warm and homely feeling. “There is Conrad with the tea.” Mrs Brynn gazed adoringly at the butler and servant in one as he efficiently set to pouring the tea and settling a plate of crumbling cookies into the middle of the table. The affection was obviously returned as Conrad sat on the couch next to Mrs Brynn, his knee just touching hers.

 

Mrs Brynn squeezed Conrad’s arm warmly and then turned to her guest. “Now how exactly might I assist you?” “Oh my. Peppermint tea. Takes me back to my childhood. My mother used to love sipping on some peppermint tea while working.” He closed his eyes and enjoyed the taste of the tea, no milk one sugar cube, as he basked in the situation; enjoyed knowing what was to come. “My request really is very simple. All you have to do is die.” As he said the final word he flung his tea cup with its scalding contents into Mrs Brynn’s face and agily jumped at Conrad. The element of surprise and strength were on his side. It took just one blow to Conrad’s temple before he sagged unconsciously. The second blow sent Mrs Brynn into dreamland as well, silencing the woman’s shrieks.

 

“That was a very good start you two. I have high hopes for us.” He said approvingly as he bent to kiss Mrs Brynn’s soft cheek. With efficiency that proved this wans’t the first time he did this he walked across the room to where he had left his bag and extracted two bites of rope and a filet knife. Swiftly tying the couple up he then set upon first order of business. Prying the mouths of first Mrs Brynn and then Conrad open he cut out their tongues; the pain of it shocking both back into consciousness. He did enjoy the cacophonic music man’s screams could produce but this wasn’t the time or place for those. He didn’t want to spoil the beauty of the day for the neighbours.

 

“Don’t you two go anywhere. I will be back soon,” he assured the couple. Taking his knife with him he did a quick tour of the house to make sure there wasn’t anyone else there and locked the front and back door. Returning to the parlor he returned to his original plan and set to work pushing the furniture to the sides of the room to give him space to work with. Once the two victims had been gently laid out to the center, he stripped leaving himself in only his breeches and then fishe dout his gear. As he nailed first Conrad and Mrs Brynn to the floor (but so that their fingers could just touch for he wasn’t cruel) with stakes just like Christ had been nailed to the cross he started to sing an Italian opera, displaying a surprisingly fine voice.

 

“First the eyes. There’s that game children like to play. Pin the Tail. Do you know it Conrad? I used to love it so much that I developed a game of my own. I call it pin the eye. AH! Now look what you did. I didn’t manage to catch the center of your pupil. Don’t look around that much while I deal with the other eye. Don’t worry Mrs Brynn, I haven’t forgotten you either.” He carried on working as he sang; every now and then pausing to encourage or admonish his helpless victims. The coppery smell of blood, burnt flesh and sulphur filled the room as he tortured them, too familiar with the task to let either die too swiftly.

 

It was fourty minutes later that he suddenly stopped and sniffed the air suspiciously. “Mrs Brynn, did you wet your underskirts? You naughty, naughty girl. That’s no way for a woman to behave.” He sent an admonishing look to the woman although she couldn’t see it anymore. “Alright then say your final words to each other then. Oh nothing to say? Very well then. Just let me get the big stakes. Let’s get you moving on.” He slit both of their throats from ear to ear; death bringing its own mercy. He was far from finished, for another two hours he cut and carved, dissected and examined. Finally deciding he had enough he stood, wiped the blood off himself and redressed. After picking up the item he had came for from the mantlepiece he took care to take all his tools and his hat along he turned to leave, only to turn back at the last minute.

 

“I almost forgot.” Pausing at the table he picked one of the chocolate treats he had brought and closed his eyes as he ate them. “Excellent. Just as the shopkeeper promised.” Stepping next to the corpses he closed their eyelids over the empty holes in their skulls and left, leaving no sign of his presence or reason for this bloodshed.