THE STORY SO FAR: Bernice is a model for a fashion agency but she uses this as cover for her real profession, a contract killer. After some attempts on her life she discovered that the other models in the agency are also hitwomen and the whole organisation is run by the agency’s owner, a lady known as ‘Auntie’ Jane. Bernice’s life was saved by a fellow model (Estelle) just as the murderess (Mirelle) was about to fulfil her contract. Bernice has now been ordered to complete her next mission in conjunction with Mirelle’s accomplice and lover, Madelaine.

The door opened tentatively and Bernice pushed the door opened and rushed into the room. In the blinking of the eye she had immediately spun round and had the weapon pointed at Madelaine. To her surprise Madelaine did not even react. She just stood there looking at Bernice who suddenly noticed the redness of the eyes where Madelaine had been crying. Bernice immediately lowered her gun knowing Madelaine was in no mood to take her revenge for Mirelle’s death

‘Aren’t you here to kill me Bernice?’ said Madelaine simply.

‘No Maddie, that is not why I am here. I just thought that after last night you might be waiting to finish me off. It so happens that Auntie Jane sent me along to arrange an assignment with you’.

Madelaine motioned Bernice to the sofa and offered Bernice a scotch from the bottle hidden behind the cushions. ‘It is only way I could get any sleep after what happened’ explained Madelaine. Bernice knew how she felt and gratefully accepted Madelaine’s offer of a rather large measure of Scotland’s finest.

‘It must be the Stage job’ said Madelaine as she sipped at the scotch. ‘We’ve been planning it for weeks. I thought I would be doing the job with Mirelle but I suppose they sent you to take her place’.

‘If it’s any comfort to you I am sorry about Mirelle. She always seemed so kind towards me. She is the last person I wanted to be involved in all this’.

‘I don’t blame you Bernice. Let’s face it, Mirelle was trying to kill you. Estelle however is another matter altogether. She has never liked me and I am guessing that the opportunity to screw me up by killing Mirelle was a godsend for her’.

‘She’s coming over with Gisela soon, don’t start anything with her. She is not worth it and after seeing her in action last night I wouldn’t rate your chances’.

A voice spoke from the doorway. ‘Speak of the devil and she will appear’. Estelle stood there with Gisela. Both women looked every inch of the fashion models they were. Estelle wore a long black leather raincoat which almost reached the ground whilst Gisela was dressed in a designer skirt and jacket. A bright turquoise chiffon scarf was the final detail to her outfit.

Madelaine took one look at Estelle and something within her snapped. Before Bernice could stop her she had sprung towards Estelle. The whole thing happened so fast that the rest of the confrontation was a blur to Bernice. Estelle had somehow avoided Madelaine’s charge, forced her to the carpet and now stood over her with a silenced automatic.

‘Don’t ever try that again you stupid bitch’. Estelle’s voice was a strange mixture between that of a hard nosed assassin and that of a confidante giving advise to a friend. ‘If you do you know what will happen’. Her aim was rock steady on Madelaine’s prostrate body and for a moment Bernice thought Estelle was actually going to shoot.

Gisela gently lowered Estelle’s gun arm to her side. ‘Not now Estelle, Auntie Jane wants her for the Stage job’.

‘Lucky for her’ said Estelle as she replaced the gun in the deep pockets of her raincoat from whence it had so mysteriously appeared. ‘Maybe next time Madelaine, but until then let’s get down to business’.

A few days later...

The first class cabin was almost empty and Madelaine and Bernice had no problem finding a place where they could talk privately.

‘We are going to kill William Stage?’ said Bernice incredulously. ‘Computer software, personal computers, he has to be the richest man in the world. There is no way we are going to get close enough to him to do this job.’

Madelaine smiled briefly and gave Bernice the look which had sent many a mans (and woman’s) heart into overdrive. ‘It won’t be easy but we are going to be a great team, I can just sense it Bernice’. Madelaine placed her hand just above Bernice’s knee.

‘I am not like that’ said Bernice as she gently but firmly removed Madelaine’s sure grip from her leg.

Madelaine smiled again. ‘Funny, that’s exactly what Mirelle said at first’.

Monday in the USA:

The two women stood in the shop and blinds on the windows ensured the privacy of the rather unorthodox transaction taking place within the establishment. It was two o’clock in the morning and well past the shops normal opening hours. There was no way Bernice and Madelaine could smuggle their tools of the trade onto a plane and through US customs so their only option was to re-equip at their destination. Bernice looked at Madelaine and wondered about the silver  wigs they were both wearing. She thought her own looked natural but had severe doubts about Madelaine's choice and the sunglasses she was  wearing.. Bernice sighed to herself.  'That is typcial Madelaine' she thought 'loud, proud and always wanting to be the centre of attention'.

‘So what d’ye think?’ said the scrawny man.

‘I like this one’ said Bernice. ‘Nice action, light, very accurate’.

‘And you lady?’ said the man turning towards Madelaine.

Madelaine was examining and testing the whole gamut of weaponry laid out in front of her, everything from dainty women’s pistols through to fully automatic machine guns. Madelaine looked down the barrel of a large silvered pistol,  made her choice and smiled broadly at the shoopkeeper. ‘This one I think’. Madelaine hesitated and looked at the other guns in the collection. ‘And this one and just for good measure this one too’.

‘Are you kiddin’. Those don’t come cheap’ said the man.

Bernice showed the man the wad of banknotes. ‘As I said earlier, we can pay’ said Bernice. The man took a sharp intake of breath as he saw the roll of money. Madelaine flitted between the weapons she had selected and finally made her choice.

‘Are the bullets included in the price?’ said Madelaine.

‘They’re extra’ said the man.

‘Then have some back’ said Madelaine. The man turned and so did Bernice. Madelaine held the gun in both hands and stood sighting down the barrel. Though hidden behind her disguise her face was cold and hard, just like she had looked when she had visited Bernice’s bedroom a few nights before. She allowed the man a fraction of a second to appreciate the situation and without warning fired four shots in rapid succession. When they had entered the shop they had been ushered into a small firing range in the basement and Madelaine knew that its position and the padded walls would effectively dampen any sound to the outside world.

‘That wasn’t part of the plan’ said Bernice. ‘We’ve got plenty of money to cover expenses’.

‘We have a multi million pound contract here. There is no way I am allowing anybody to foul things up or identify us. Now pick up what you need and lets get going’.

Late Afternoon: The following Wednesday.

Bernice could barely believe it. Here she was in William Stage’s opulent house, set in grounds so expansive that a small city could be built within their acreage. And now she was about to talk to the man himself. William Stage was being introduced to a long line of fashion models by his sister Caroline, a rather mousy woman who had obviously made the effort to look glamorous and fashionable but who couldn’t quite pull it off. Bernice and Madelaine were at the end of the queue and had been waiting patiently for the great man to be introduced to them. He duly reached them together with his sister and a small entourage of flunkies.

Caroline looked at the typed list she held in her hands as she approached. She turned to her brother and spoke ‘And this is Bernadette and Magdelana from the ‘IT’ girl agency’.

‘Call me Maddie’ said Madelaine.

‘And call be Bernie’ said Bernice.

William Stage gave them a broad smile but seemed to reserve his flashiest smile for Bernice. ‘I am really pleased to meet you. Both myself and Caroline are really looking forward to our private fashion show in a few days time. It is for her benefit of course. We are both really pleased you agreed to be our guests until then’. Bernice had to pinch herself that here she was talking to one of the worlds richest men. She had often seen his image on TV and in the newspapers. Those images gave the impression of a rather nerdy computer geek and Bernice was pleasantly surprised when their ensuing conversation demonstrated this wasn’t the case.

The formal introductions were followed by a cocktail party with the guests being Stage’s personal entourage and the numerous fashion models hired for the exclusive fashion parade later in the week. Madelaine was getting into a deep conversation with a stunning looking model from a rival agency and Bernice decided to leave her to it. Whilst standing there William Stage approached and re-introduced himself. Bernice felt overly flattered for gaining his special attention and whilst they were engaged in conversation she briefly looked into his eyes and the thought came to her mind ‘it is a shame he has got to die’.

Later in the evening:

Bernice made her way to Madelaine’s bedroom. The room was like her own, enormous and expensively furnished. Madelaine was seated at a computer terminal obviously having difficulties dealing with the technology.

‘Bernadette and Magdalena from the IT girl agency?’ Bernice said. ‘Who thought that one up?’.

‘We are hardly likely to use our real names and real agency are we?’ Madelaine replied. She tapped a few more times at the keyboard but seemed to be getting nowhere ‘I bet William Stage is responsible for this piece of shit’ she said as she made several more futile attempts to get the email program to do what she wanted. Finally she gave up and threw the cordless keyboard onto the king-size bed.

‘So when do we do this’ said Bernice.

‘Whenever we get the chance’ replied Madelaine. ‘It isn’t going to be easy though. Did you see his entourage when he was going down the line?’

‘You mean his sister, the bodyguards, his personal assistant, his accountant and his ex-wife?’ Bernice replied.

‘My, you were busy during the cocktail party weren’t you?’ Madelaine replied. ‘By the way that is his wife, not his ex-wife. The divorce doesn’t come through for another two weeks’.

‘Still it does leave the field a bit open still doesn’t it’.

Madelaine glanced at her watch. ‘I will see you tomorrow Bernie. I am expecting someone later and want to get ready’.

‘Not that model you were speaking to earlier?’ Bernice said. Madelaine didn’t respond but just smiled.

Even Later in the evening:

When she had returned to her room she couldn’t sleep. For some reason the vision of Stage’s face kept appearing in her mind and she particularly remembered his boyish smile which belied his multi-billion pound status. Whenever she was going to do a job she always tried to visualise the moment she pulled the trigger in advance. She unzipped her make up bag and removed one of the pistols from amongst the assorted items of cosmetics. Slowly she raised the gun single handed and sighted down the silenced barrel. In her mind she imagined William Stage’s head positioned in the path of the bullet which would explode from the barrel of the gun. Once again she pictured the man she had talked to earlier and remembered his enthusiastic and witty conversation and his boyish charm. Her finger tightened on the trigger and though the gun wasn’t loaded she couldn’t pull the trigger. ‘My God, what has got into you’ she thought to herself ‘you are getting soft’. She placed the gun back into the cosmetic bag and zippered it shut.

There was a knocking on the door and Bernice hurriedly hid the bag amongst the rest of her luggage and went to the door. When she answered it the last thing she expected to see was Stage’s wife holding a revolver gingerly in both hands and pointing it rather uncertainly in Bernice’s direction.

‘You’re Bernadette aren’t you?’ said the woman.

‘Yes’ said Bernice. ‘Look, I don’t know what you are planning to do with that thing but you’d better put it down now’.

The woman strode into the room, her blonde hair hanging loosely over her dressing gown. There was no doubt she was a very beautiful woman but she looked slightly bedraggled as if she hadn’t slept soundly for a few days. She still held the revolver gingerly in her petite hands and Bernice feared the weapon would go off accidentally and she would be on the wrong end of it. ‘Now listen to me you tramp’ the woman said. ‘I’m Gina, Bill’s wife. I don’t want you nowhere near him. Do you hear?’.

The woman started shaking the gun up and down and Bernice was expecting the worst. ‘I SAID DO YOU HEAR?’ the woman screamed. Gina really never stood a chance when Bernice decided to act. The gun was out of Gina’s hands and in Bernice’s within seconds. Bernice decided to show Gina she was not a woman to mess with. She held the gun in one of her immaculately manicured hands before raising it to sight down the barrel. ‘I think you had better go’. Bernice clicked the safety catch to the off position ‘NOW’. The woman looked at Bernice momentarily then ran from the room.

A half hour later Bernice really was ready to get some sleep. She had just closed her eyes when once again

there was the sound of rapping at the door. ‘What now?’ Bernice thought to herself. She retrieved the gun she had taken from Gina earlier from under her pillow and hid it in the folds of her night-dress and went to answer the door. When she opened it she saw a man in a smart blue business suit. She remembered him from earlier at the presentation and recognised his sort straight away. As far as she was concerned he was a goon though his official title was a bodyguard. She noticed the bulge under his jacket, similar to that of the two bodyguards she had killed in Paris.

‘I believe you are Bernadette? Mr Stage has asked me to extend an invitation in joining hem for a night time aperitif’.

‘I really don’t think I am dressed for the occasion’ Bernice replied.

‘Mr Stage made it quite clear that this is not a formal event and you may come however you wish’.

A few minutes later Bernice found herself following the goon in the blue suit through the halls and hallways of William Stages mansion. It was only now that she really began to appreciate the size of the residence with its infinite number of rooms and grand stairways. They seemed to have been walking for ages but eventually the man stopped and declared ‘This is Mr Stage’s private area. I am sorry but all visitors must submit to a thorough search before seeing Mr Stage alone’.

‘I am not having you fondle me’ Bernice said defiantly.

‘That won’t be necessary’ the man replied and from almost nowhere another figure appeared. This figure also wore a business suit but without the jacket. Another distinguishing feature was that this bodyguard was most definitely female. A golden cascade of hair flowed to her shoulders and she moved swiftly to frisk Bernice for weapons. Her weapon was displayed more obviously within the shoulder holster positioned professionally across her curvaceous body which Bernice knew could be drawn within seconds if needs be.  Fortunately Bernice had decided not to go armed for this soiree and was allowed to enter William Stage’s inner sanctum. Like all the other rooms of the house it was enormous and had a dazzling array of computer hardware which indicated that this room was used for business as well as pleasure.

When she entered she noticed that his sister was sat in an opulent arm chair and Stage was deep in conversation with his accountant and personal assistant.

‘Ah Bernie’ he said ‘allow me to introduce Mr Mellow and Miss Wei, my accountant and PA. You have met my sister Caroline already I believe.’ Caroline and Mr Mellow gave Bernice a brief smile whilst Miss Wei just sat there impassively. ‘We are just finishing some business Bernie then I will be with you shortly’.

Whilst she waited Bernice quickly took in the dimensions of the room and tried to assess the people within it. Caroline was obviously older than her brother and though she could hardly be described as beautiful she still had a certain charm and sophistication which many men would find attractive. Most of the conversation seemed to be about finances and Mr Mellow was patiently and politely informing Stage of his company’s trading status over the past few weeks. Every so often Mr Mellow stole a quick glance at Bernice and gave her a weak smile. Miss Wei appeared to be the perfect PA, taking notes of the meeting and providing documentation and computer hardcopy as and when the situation demanded it. Miss Wei was petite, well dressed in a smart business suit and had the very delicate features of a classic woman with Chinese heritage . ‘Madelaine would like to meet her’ Bernice mused. It was only Bernice’s trained eye which drew her attention to the gun hidden beneath the skirt which had slightly ridden up and the almost imperceptible bulge on her waist where a holster was discreetly concealed.

When the meeting finally adjourned Bernice found herself alone with Stage. They sat on a large sofa in another area of the room and Bernice accepted a vintage brandy from Stages amply stocked drinks cabinet. As it happened the brandy had a mellowing effect on Bernice and she soon found herself in deep conversation with one of the worlds most powerful men. Normally Bernice hated these situations as many men thought that because she was a model she was ready for sex at the drop of her hat. She was pleasantly surprised that Stage wasn’t like that and he spent the next couple of hours talking in ever more detail about his life and his hopes for the future. She wondered whether to tell him about the visit from his wife earlier that evening but she decided the poor man had enough on his plate without worrying about a neurotic ex wife to be. By the time she had left to be escorted back to her room Bernice had almost forgotten about the death of her boyfriend a few days previously and was looking forward to the future again.

Midday the Next Day:

Madelaine and Bernice were lounging around in the outside swimming pool. The sun was shining and some of the other models had also taken advantage of the pool to cool down from the hot midday sun. Madelaine sat in a sun chair and briefly smiled and winked at one of the passing models, the one she had been flirting with at the cocktail party the previous night. She was typically tall and beautiful and tanned. Madelaine stood up and whispered a few words in the girls ear before playfully patting her on the cheek.

‘Maddie!’ said Bernice.

‘Its all right I know her. Her name is Monica, we met last night at the cocktail party whilst you were casing out Stage. We spent the night together’.

‘Very nice for you’ Bernice replied acidly. ‘Whilst you were enjoying yourself I was researching the set up here. I know where he hangs out and I know his inner circle. We need to watch out for Miss Wei, his PA. She looks demure and fragile but she packs a couple of pieces. She gives the impression of being an efficient PA but she is more than that. I have seen eyes like that before, she is an efficient killer as well’.

‘I’ll take care of Miss Wei’ said Madelaine.

‘You are going to kill her?’

‘Bernice, I will let you in on a secret. I have never, ever killed a woman and thought I never would, but I have booked Estelle in to be my first. No, I have other plans for Miss Wei’

As luck would have it Miss Wei suddenly appeared in the poolside area dressed in a black satin dress which, true to Miss Wei's character, effortlessly crossed the bounderies between East and West  She sat down at one of the vacant sun chairs and was in the process of finishing a phone call on the mobile phone she carried with her. Madelaine smiled briefly at Bernadette and strolled over to the Chinese woman. Miss Wei looked up and placed the phone on a sun table. Madelaine gave her the full benefit of her famous smile ‘Hello I’m Maddie’...

That Night:

Madelaine lay in the bed. She knew William Stage was even at this moment entertaining Bernice to another night time drink but there was nothing either of them could do at this moment. Bernice was unable to smuggle a gun past security at this conjuncture so the killing would have to wait until a more suitable opportunity arose. Miss Wei’s room was adjacent to Stages personal quarters and Madelaine was still contemplating the best method for finishing this job when Miss Wei returned from her bathroom and slid under the silk sheets to join Madelaine.

Madelaine felt the holster on Miss Wei’s leg. ‘Do you have to wear that? Guns scare me silly’ Madelaine lied.

‘It is part of my job Maddie. There are a lot of people who want to hurt William. I am here to protect him as well as do his paperwork. Just forget that it is there and lets enjoy ourselves’.

The early hours of the following morning:

The feline feminine figure was dressed all in black. She carried a variety of tools and picks on her but her most unusual accessory was the Luger pistol carried on a holster strapped to her waist and to her shoulder. The drop from the outside of the building must have been 50 foot but that didn’t bother the athletic form which had already descended from the roof via the drainpipe to the balcony outside William Stages bedroom window. She checked the glass, bullet-proof. She retrieved a picklock and began fiddling with the lock to the balcony door. Once the door was forced the figure removed the gun from its holster and expertly began attaching a silencer onto its barrel with her gloved hands.

Madelaine stirred from her slumbers, rolled over in bed and reached out for Miss Wei who wasn’t there. Over the years Madelaine had developed a sixth sense for trouble and what she was sensing now was so strong it almost gave her a headache. She made her way to William Stages quarters and listened outside the door. It was the sound of two silenced shots she heard first. To anybody else the sounds would have been almost inaudible but to Madelaine’s trained ear the sound of a silenced gun was unmistakable. She waited to hear what would happen next and the answer wasn’t long in coming.

Inside the room the woman dressed in black smiled to herself. This was the easiest half a million dollars she would ever make. ‘I’ll just make sure’ she thought to herself. She moved onto the bed and sat astride the figure hidden beneath the bedclothes. This time she pressed the gun deep into the torso and once again fired two more bullets into the hidden body only this time from point blank range. Once again she heard the satisfying noise of bullet entering flesh.

From outside it sounded as if all hell had broken loose and from the inside the effect was the same. The woman in black just about had time to register the opening of a door at the far end of the bedroom and the sudden flash and bang of two gunshots. Although hit the woman in black was a professional and managed to fire off a shot towards the woman she saw framed in the doorway. Unfortunately the woman in black was not quick enough or accurate enough in this instance. Miss Wei fired four more shots at the figure in black and allowed herself a brief smile of satisfaction as the figure slumped on top of the already dead body under the bedclothes.

Miss Wei moved to the bed and checked that the other woman was indeed dead. She lifted the bedclothes to see the other lifeless body. ‘He won’t receive his bodyguards salary this month’ she thought to herself. Outside Madelaine decided she had to make an appearance. She ran into the room only to see Miss Wei’s trained eye follow her every move with the small evil looking automatic which was no longer nested in its holster on Miss Wei’s leg. Madelaine glanced at the woman in black.

‘Monica!’ she exclaimed.

Miss Wei showed no sign of affection or mercy in her small face as she pointed the business end of her small automatic towards Madelaine ‘Maddie, do you know this woman?’ she asked.

Later the next day in Madelaine’s Bedroom:

‘God, you don’t know what a morning I have had trying to persuade Miss Wei and her goons that I knew nothing about Monica and her attempt to kill Stage. Somebody really wants him dead by having us here AND employing Monica as well’.

Bernice frowned ‘She believed you though?’.

‘Yes, lets just say that Lin, that’s her first name by the way, and myself know each other pretty well now. She is just happy that it was the bodyguard sleeping in Stage’s bed that got the bullets rather than the man himself. Still it has given me an idea though. During the day he is surrounded by his goons and trying to kill him in bed is useless because from what I heard he changes his sleeping arrangements every night and only his bodyguards know where he will be from one night to another. However Lin’s room is just a few doors away from where you have your little chats with him I reckon I can smuggle a gun into that room and hide it for you to use on him later’.

Bernice looked at her watch. ‘I’ve got to go. I’ll speak to you later’.

Madelaine grabbed Bernice’s wrist. ‘Bernice, this is important. We have millions resting on this. What do you think of my plan?’.

‘Its fine. Now if you’ll excuse me Bill has invited me to lunch and I don’t want to disappoint him’.

As Bernice scurried off Madelaine’s exquisite features creased into a frown ‘Bill???’ she mouthed silently. She then picked up the cordless computer keyboard she had been using a couple of nights previous and once again tried to catch up on her electronic correspondence. She tapped a few keys and jiggled the mouse. A message box flashed on the screen; ‘General Protection Fault @ 1432:3433’ it announced almost proudly. She cursed and threw the keyboard to the floor in frustration. She would much rather have put a bullet through the screen but that would have aroused too much attention.

Lunchtime:

Bernice sat at the huge dining table directly next to William Stage. The only other person at the table was Gina, his wife though a couple of bodyguards discreetly guarded the entrance to the hall. . Both Gina and Bernice had made some effort at dressing for dinner but this formality did not extend to William Stage who was casually dressed in designer jeans and shirt. The welcome from Gina was frosty. ‘So you are making me have lunch with your sluts now’ Gina grumbled.

William Stage looked hurt and said to his wife gently ‘Gina please. This is a precisely the reason why we have to divorce. I just can’t live with your paranoia and psychoses any longer. I have made sure you will get a generous settlement’.

‘I want half’ Gina hissed.

‘We’ll discuss this later. In the meantime Bernadette is my guest and we should be pleasant to her’.

Bernice looked down at Gina and surreptitiously joined her index and adjoining finger into the form of a gun. When William Stage wasn’t looking she pointed her fingers directly at Gina’s head and made sure she got the message. Gina was uncommonly quiet for the rest of the meal. Bernice was surprised that when the meal had finished it was Gina was ushered from the room. Stage turned to Bernice and said ‘I won’t be a second Bernie’.

He picked up a distinctively coloured mobile phone and spoke without dialling ‘Miss Wei, can you send George to see me this afternoon. I am not happy about the figures he gave me this morning. Thank you’. He turned his attention back to Bernice and smiled. ‘Its always business. Sometimes its good to get away from it all and just look at things of beauty’. He looked directly into Bernice’s eyes and she averted his gaze.

‘Your wife’ she began.

‘Gina and I have not been together for years. We got married during my student days long before I became this all important computer geek, or whatever it is the press calls me. Since then she has become more unreasonable and paranoid about who I see and what I am doing. I did love her once and I think she loved me but not anymore’. He poured himself a drink. ‘You heard about last night?’ he asked.

‘Yes, its awful’ said Bernadette.

‘The funny thing is if I had died last night Gina would have got nearly all my money under the terms of my will. Some would have gone to my sister of course but Gina would have got the bulk. Once we are divorced I can leave my money to whom I like’.

‘You don’t think she had something to do with it?’.

‘You can never tell with Gina what she is going to do’. Bill moved closer to Bernice and their lips were almost touching. ‘Bernie, despite my wealth I am a very lonely man. Over the past couple of days I have enjoyed your company very much. Tonight I really want us to have a nice quiet meal together. Nobody else there apart from me and you. No bodyguards, no Miss Wei, no Gina and no Caroline’. Bernie could feel his warm breath on her face and momentarily closed her eyes waiting for the feel of his lips. At that moment the door slammed open and George Mellow, his accountant walked in. ‘And no bloody accountants either’ William Stage muttered underneath his breath. He turned back to Bernice ‘Is it a date?’.

Bernice smiled. ‘It certainly is. Shall we say nine o’clock?’

‘Nine o’clock it is’. Stage turned back to George Mellow. ‘Now about these figures you showed me this morning...’.

Seven o’clock:

When Bernice explained what was happening Madelaine could hardly believe their luck. If Stage was with Bernice then she could be with Lin which would give her the ideal opportunity to leave a gun for Bernice to use later in the evening. She walked to her suicase and removed the false bottom. Inside were the guns she had taken from the grubby little man in the shop. ‘I think Bernice will like this one’ she said to herself. The pistol was long, elegant and had a shiny nickel finish. The silencer fitted to the end of the barrel made it a perfect tool for Bernice to use. Madelaine checked that the gun was fully loaded and ensured that the safety catch was on. A thought struck her. ‘I might need one myself’. Once again she lovingly gazed at the array of firearms and picked a smaller more compact model for her own use. She balanced it expertly in her fingers and felt reassured by its weight and potency. She closed the case and transferred the two chosen weapons to her vanity bag. An array of make up, lipstick, perfume and other toiletries were placed on top of the bag to disguise the deadly payload contained therein. Madelaine took one final look at herself in the mirror. ‘God, you are beautiful’ she thought to herself and hurried from the room towards Lin Wei’s apartments.

At that precise moment Bernice was also looking in the mirror and to be honest she didn’t like what she saw much. The beauty was still there and the ravishing clothes and every hair was perfectly positioned but there was something in her eyes she didn’t like anymore. She adjusted the expensive jewellery around her neck and flattened out a minute crease in the formal gown she intended taking to the meal later in the evening. She looked in her cosmetic case and saw the pistol she had brought with her together with the revolver she had taken from Gina earlier in the week. She had half decided to try and hide one of the weapons about her person. Surely no bodyguard would bother searching her designer gown for hidden weapons. Then she remembered what had happened previously and decided it would be foolish to risk it. After all Madelaine would be leaving her a weapon in the pre-arranged location anyway.

Madelaine walked towards Lin Wei’s quarters. She proceeded to the long corridor which led to both Lin Wei’s and William Stages suite of rooms. Outside the immediate entrance to Stages rooms stood a male and female bodyguard but slightly to the left, which is where Lin Wei lived, there was nobody. Madelaine smiled to herself. ‘All these people guarding the front entrance and I am going in via the back’. She knocked on the door and Lin Wei told her to enter.

Lin Wei ushered Madelaine into her suite of rooms. ‘Glad you could come’ said Lin Wei as she guided Madelaine towards her private dining room. The range of cutlery on the dining table indicated that the meal would be sparser than the sumptuous feast William Stage was planning for Bernice. She had abandoned her traditional Chinese style of dress and instead wore a full length black leather dress. Once again she had effortlessfully crossed the bridge between Oriental delicacy and Western flamboyance. Madelaine could tell that Lin had been eagerly awaiting her appointment and could imaginel how Lin wanted their soiree to end. Lin Wei looked suspiciously at the various packages Madelaine had brought with her. ‘What’s in there?’ she asked.

‘A surprise. Close your eyes’.

‘I never close my eyes on anyone’ Miss Wei replied.

‘Trust me just this once’ Madelaine said. ‘Don’t open them ‘til I tell you’.

Lin Wei closed her eyes and they remained that way for several minutes. When Madelaine told her to open them again Lin Wei could hardly believe her eyes.   Madelaine had spent the few minutes changing into a black leather suit which she guessed a woman like Lin Wei would find irresistible. Lin Wei’s pupils widened as she registered the beauty and sexuality of the woman in front of her.

‘Thought you’d like it’ said Madelaine. ‘I’ll just go next door and apply the finishing touches’ she said referring to her make up. She could almost feel Lin Wei’s anticipation at what Madelaine was promising her for the rest of the evening.

Madelaine entered the bedroom together with the cosmetic case which held its hidden cargo. She quickly locked the door and looked for the other door Lin Wei had used the previous night to get to William Stage’s bedroom and gun down the intruder. Once through that door Madelaine ran quickly but quietly through William Stage’s private quarters until she came across the room where Stage and Bernice were to have their romantic meal, the intimate candlelight and array of wine buckets making recognition easy. She removed the safety catch and taped the gun to the underside of the dining table before running back to Lin Wei’s bedroom.

With her experience of being an international model the time Madelaine took to apply some make up was considerably less than it would have been for an ordinary woman. Her final touch was the appliance of some bright red lipstick to her already sensuous face. She unlocked the door and prepared to have her meal with Lin Wei. As Madelaine re-entered the room to Lin Wei’s dining quarters she could see her hostess’s face break into a huge smile. Madelaine walked up to Lin Wei and brushed her cheek. ‘You know Lin’ said Madelaine ‘this is the first time I have seen you smile. You should do it more often’.

Bernice took one last look in the mirror and left her room. She was not looking forward to finishing this assignment and somehow she felt very cheap despite the riches completing the job would provide.

At the end of the meal Madelaine put down her fork and looked at Lin Wei. ‘Lin, that was the best Chinese meal I have ever had bar none’.

Lin Wei smiled again and motioned Madelaine towards to sofa. ‘The best part is yet to come’ she replied.

After the formality of being searched by the female bodyguard Bernice was ushered into the candlelit dining room. William Stage was standing there in a formal dining suit and he had taken great care in his appearance which was unusual for the man whose byword was informality.He looked at Bernice in her formal dress and her dark shoulder length har. ‘Bernie you look absolutely ravishing’.

Bernice looked at the man she had come to kill and swallowed hard. ‘I could say the same about you’.

‘Let’s eat and talk a bit more’ he said. ‘I’ll pour the wine’.

Bernice looked at her jewelled watch. One hour to the appointed time.

‘Are you ready for bed?’ Lin Wei asked.

‘All in good time. The tease is often as good as the real thing. Let’s leave it a little longer’. Madelaine looked at her watch. Five minutes to the appointed time.

Bernice felt exhilarated. Here was the worlds richest man serving the food and attending to her every whim. His conversation was witty and charming. She felt light headed and at the same time humbled. She looked at her watch once again and drew a deep breath. Two minutes to go.

‘Just a few more finishing touches for later’ said Madelaine winking to Lin Wei. ‘I will be back in a minute’. Madelaine once again went into Lin Wei’s bedroom closing the door behind her and slightly opening the other door in the room. She stood just inside of the ajar door straining to hear the mild report of Bernice’s gun. She looked at her watch. One minute to go.

Bernice felt under the table and found the gun which Madelaine had hidden earlier. She continued to smile as she loosened it from the tape which bound it to the underside of the table and as her host outlined his plans for the future.

‘That’s my big dream Bernie. To set up a fund so that every man, woman and child has the chance to share in the information age. It really is the dawn of a new era. If you can educate people you can do away with the old hatreds and rivalries. I tell you Bernie, I see a bright future for this world’.

Bernice lifted the gun from under the table and pointed it at him. She tried to say ‘But not for you’ but the words choked in her throat. At first he didn’t react and then there was a stunned silence. Bernice looked at his face and for the second time in as many weeks tears welled in her eyes. She pushed the barrel of the silenced gun a little closer to the intended target.

Madelaine looked at her watch. ‘Hell, this should have been over five minutes ago’. There was a knock on the other side of the bedroom door and the sound of Lin Wei’s voice showing concern and maybe just a hint of panic.

‘Maddie, what the hell are you doing in there? Let me in NOW’.

Madelaine grabbed the small pistol she had reserved for her own use and darted through the door that led into William Stages quarters. She quickly retraced her path into the dining area. When she got there she could hardly believe what she saw. Bernice was there still holding the gun but appeared to be in a trance. There were tears rolling down her cheeks and she stood like a statue just pointing the weapon without squeezing the trigger.

‘Do it for heaven’s sake’ screamed Madelaine.

William Stage looked up at Bernice. ‘Well Bernie, what’s it to be?’. Bernice didn’t say a word and just stood there the gun looking totally incongruous in her delicate gloved hands.

Madelaine, still dressed in her leather suit, walked further into the room and glared at Bernice. ‘Do I have to do everything around here?’ she hissed. For a fraction of a moment she half thought she saw Bernice’s gun being turned in her direction but decided it was just a trick of the candlelit room. Maddie strode forward a couple more steps and faced William Stage. ‘Mr Stage, I have just one thing to say to you. Your software stinks’. She lifted her pistol and fired. The first shot had been enough to kill the man outright but Madelaine was taking no chances. Before the body had even hit the floor she had fired off another three shots into her victim.

‘Bye bye Mr. Crap Software’ she cooed and theatrically blew a kiss to the body which lay face down on the floor.

Almost instantaneously Madelaine heard a voice behind her and felt a gun jammed into the small of her back.

‘Maddie, what have you done?’ said Lin Wei.

Madelaine dropped her gun and looked at Bernice who looked in a state of shock. Once again the voice behind her spoke almost sorrowfully ‘Oh Maddie, I wish you hadn’t done that’ and she heard the click of the hammer being pulled back on a gun and in a fraction of a second the contents of her rather remarkable life flashed before her.

There were two barely audible ‘pffts’ and Lin Wei fell to the floor just behind Madelaine. Smoke funnelled from the barrel of Bernice’s gun. Madelaine gasped. Given the relative positions of the three women in the room Madelaine felt a sneaking admiration for Bernice’s marksmanship. She heard Lin Wei groan almost silently behind her, turned and knelt down beside the petite Chinese woman who, had things been different, would have been her lover that evening. She gently supported Lin Wei’s body as she took her final breaths.

‘I am sorry Lin, I wish it hadn’t ended this way’ Madelaine said and kissed her on the lips.

Lin Wei briefly opened her eyes and looked directly at Madelaine’s face ‘So do I’. She fell limp in Madelaine’s arms.

Madelaine gently allowed Lin Wei’s body to fall to the floor and scooped down to retrieve her gun. She turned to her companion. ‘Its over Bernice. We will talk later, let’s go’.

EPILOG:

The rest as all the newspapers said at the time is history. The murderers of William Stage made good their escape and were never caught. No trace was ever found of Bernadette or Magdelana of the ‘IT Girl’ fashion agency. Somewhere, somebody was gloating over the death of the worlds richest man but what happened after these events is a story for another time.

THE END (Until the next [and final?] instalment).