The Whore

The Whore

The Whore Sylvia Cheng

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Words Checked: 4361 Words in Oxford 3000: 94%

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HStory IntroductionI There were some mysterious things which happened in the 19th century.

Especially in

England, when Jack the Ripper was well-known for murder.

People still don’t know who the

real killer was. Although Jack the Ripper had killed many whores, I am not going tell you a story related to him.

It happened in 19th century when more and more women depended on their body to maintain their livelihood. The main character in this story, Kim, was one of them. However, she was just a poor woman who was played by men. Fortunately, she didn’t lose her soul, but the strong desire in her soul led her to a difficult position and them she wanted to take revenge on 3

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those people by hook or by crook.

The natural

beautiful soul of her was hidden by her strong hatred.

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HContentsI xStory Introduction.................................... 3~ 4 xContents ................................................... 5 xAbout the author...................................... 6~ 7 xPeople in this story ................................... 8 xChapter One.................................. 9~26 Í An unexpected visit Í The death of Kim Í Kim’s neighbor Í Kim’s twin sister xChapter Two.................................. 26~39 Í The sender of the pictures Í Kim’s daughter? Í Mitch, the pimp Í The story of Kim Í Mitch’s death xChapter Three ............................... 39~47 Í Des Kenny, the merchant Í Fay came to London? Í A great improvement xChapter Four ................................. 47~54 Í Visit Fay again Í The killer Í The truth 5

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HAbout the AuthorI Sylvia Cheng born in 1987 is just normal girl.

In her life, there are many struggles and problems which always lead her to a difficult situation.

Actually, friendship is the most

difficult thing for her to understand because she often thinks that she is always suffering from her friends.

This is not the first story she has written, but it’s the first English novel she has done. Before this story, she has written some homosexual stories in Chinese.

In fact, she always wants to

try to write a detective story, and this time her dream comes true.

Most of the girls might ask

their parent to buy a cute and beautiful book as their first books, but Sylvia is totally different.

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Her first book is about an abnormal murder.

The last thing she would like to say is that enjoy yourself while reading this book.

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HPeople in this storyI Kim, the whore Hugh, the detective Kent, Hugh’s best friend, a police officer Alice, Kim’s neighbor Des Kenny, a merchant in France Mitch, Kim’s ex-boyfriend, a ponce Fay, Kim’s twin sister

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HChapter OneI Ă? An unexpected visit

It was quiet on the street.

It was a very cold and quiet night in the winter.

There was small rain on the street and you only could hear some cats crying on the roof. The most intelligent detective, Hugh, usually stayed 9

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at home at this time. Last month he just solved a series of murders in Edinburgh. It took him a lot of time and energy to do that so he would like to relax these days. He sat in the armchair in his study, read the newspaper and drank some coffee.

Suddenly, a woman with a scarf and a heavy black coat rushed into knocking on the door.

She looked tired and scared. Her hair was tied untidily and she whispered something.

Hugh

opened the door, looked at the woman and asked, ‘Is there anywhat I can help you?’

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The woman looked like crying and said, ‘Only you can help me in this world.’

So Hugh asked her to come in, she did and gave her a hot coffee to warm her body.

‘What’s your name?’ asked Hugh.

‘I am Kim. I depend on my body to maintain my livelihood,’ the woman replied.

‘What do you want me to help you?’

The woman slowly took out a bundle from her bag. She unfolded it and said, ‘Someone sent these pictures to me continued for one month, one picture per week. They are portraits

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of a woman. I am sure that it’s me.’

Hugh put on his glasses and looked at these portraits carefully. Then he said, ‘Have you noticed any strangers during this month?’

‘There are always strangers around me,’ said Kim bitterly. ‘Do you have any idea who might send these to you?’

‘No, I have no idea.’

Hugh continued to examine the pictures and didn’t say a word. After a long pause, he said, ‘The woman in these pictures was bright and beautiful at the beginning but they became

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dark and ugly.’

‘Maybe the person wants to kill me. Would you help me find out who it is?’ said Kim. ‘You don’t worry too much. I promise you I will find this person.’ Hugh asked Kim to write down her address and told her that he would contact her when he found out who the sender was.

Next morning Hugh woke up early and went to visit a police officer, Kent. Kent was a young, clever police officer in London. He and Hugh have known each other since they studied in the

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university and became best friends. They have given each other a lot of information, help and resources when they handled cases.

‘What brings you here, Hugh?’ said Kent.

‘Something you might think interesting. You see these pictures,’ replied Hugh.

After a while, Kent started to say, ‘It seems a warning. What do you think?’

‘Like you. A woman took these pictures to me last night. She was a whore. She was scared by these and wanted me to help her. Someone has sent her these portraits for one month.’

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‘It’s mysterious,’ said Kent. They discussed that for two hours. Then Hugh left. Í The death of Kim After a few days, while Hugh was examining the pictures again, the phone rang. Hugh took the phone, ‘This is Hugh Jackson.’ It was Kent.

‘Hugh, you must come to my office now and quickly. The woman you want me to help has been found dead.’

‘What? It’s impossible,’ shocked Hugh. So Hugh flung his coat on and called a taxi.

Within a half hour he arrived at the police

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office. He ran into Kent’s office and shouted, ‘What happened? How did she die? Tell me all the details.’

‘Calm down, my friend,’ Kent was trying to pacify Hugh’s emotion.

‘Ok, but tell me what caused her die?’ sighed and said Hugh.

Kent found a file on his desk and took out some papers which were about Kim’s death. He said, ‘She was found dead this morning at the riverside by a boatman. It’s easy to see there are a lot of wounds to her body. The main cause of

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her death was the cut through her heart by a knife. Unfortunately we couldn’t find the knife.’

Hugh looked at the picture of Kim thoroughly and said, ‘It seems that the murderer hated her very much.’ After a brief moment, Hugh continued, ‘Have you started to search for evidence?’

‘Not yet. I just called you immediately,’ answered Kent. ‘Have you guessed who the murderer was?’

‘Maybe this is related to those pictures.’

Hugh stud up, looked toward Kent and said,

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‘I think we should ask the woman’s neighbor and search her room first.’ Then they hurried to Kim’s lodging and searched for the first clue. Í Kim’s neighbor They hurried to Kim’s dwelling. She lived in a poor area in London. The residents there were jobless people and some drug dealers. The environment was abominable and dirty. They searched her room for a period of time. Then Kent shouted, ‘Come here, Hugh. I found something.’ They were some letters from France.

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The sender named Des Kenny. They just seemed like some normal love letters.

Hugh was examing something.

‘Maybe this person would give us more information about Kim,’ said Hugh. After searching for a long time, they didn’t find anything more related to their investigation.

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Then they visited Kim’s neighbor, Alice.

Alice moved here a half year ago and worked as a bartender.

‘It was sad news for me. Kim, who such a good person even though she was a whore,’ cried Alice.

‘What do you know about her? Tell us as much as you can,’ asked Kent.

‘She usually stood at J.P. Street waiting for her customers. She usually was tricked by some customers. Once I saw a man, like a pimp, asking her for money and hit her. She had said

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that she has a sister who lived in Bath but I’ve never seen her sister.’ ‘Do you know who Des Kenny is?’ asked Hugh.

Alice thought for a moment and answered, ‘I don’t know much about him, but Kim had told me that he is her big customer. He is French but comes and goes between France and England.’

‘Could you tell us a little more information about him?’

‘Sorry, I just know those.’

After asking Alice for a while, Kent and Hugh left.

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They went back to Kent’ office and tried to find out Kim’s sisters address. After searching the booklet of each registered residence, they found her address. It was too late that day so they decided to visit her sister tomorrow. Í Kim’s twin sister They knocked on the door and waited for somebody to answer. In a short time, the door opened. Kent and Hugh were shocked.

‘Are you Kim?’ they shouted. The woman looked exactly the same as Kim but she dressed well. She smiled and said, ‘Sorry, I am

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not. I am her sister, Fay. Are you looking for her? I don’t know where she is now.’

‘I don’t come for her. I am a detective and he is a police officer.’

The woman frowned and said, ‘What’s wrong with her?’ ‘She was found dead yesterday.’

‘What? What did you say? She was killed!’

‘Yes, so we need your help.’

‘Come in first.’ Fay took them inside the house.

They sat in the living room. While Fay was preparing some tea for them, Hugh looked

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around the house and examined the decorations of the room carefully. It was very different from Kim’s room. Her sister seemed to live well. Fay gave them tea and said, ‘What do you want to know from me?’

‘You seem to live better than your sister and are not familiar with her.’

‘Our parents left this house to us after they died. Actually I haven’t seen Kim after she moved out.’

‘Why did she move out? This place is better than hers.’

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Fay hesitated whether if she should tell or not.

Then she opened her mouth and said, ‘She moved out because of her ex-boyfriend, Mitch.

He is kind of the black sheep. I don’t know her exact situation but I’ve heard that Mitch stole her money after they started living together.

When the money ran out, he forced her to make money for him. Then she became a prostitute. I only know those.’

After asking Fay some questions, they went back to Hugh’s place and ordered all the information they have got. They decided that

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Kent should search the sender of the pictures again and Hugh should go to France to find Des Kenny. Next day Hugh hurried to France.

HChapter TwoI � The sender of the pictures When Hugh went to France, Kent continued searching for the sender of the pictures. After few days inquiring about the person, he found the sender. He was a poor young painter in London, named Will. The police took him to Kent’s office. Kent asked him why he had sent those pictures to Kim.

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‘I don’t know. Somebody gave me money and asked me to do that.’

‘Who asked you to do that?’ asked Kent.

Will looked nervous and sweat a lot.

‘I really don’t know who it was, and I am not the murderer.’ Kent observed Will for a period of time and said, ‘Ok, I believe you.

You can go now but you have to help us if we need you.’ Í Kim’s daughter?

While Kent was working in his office, someone rushed in. It was Hugh. Kent was surprised and

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said, ‘Why are you here? You are supposed to be in France.’

Hugh looked tired, sat down and said, ‘I’ve been to France but I didn’t find Des Kenny. His servant said that he went to Italy on business.’

Kent gave him a coffee. Hugh drank a little and

continued,

‘However,

I

found

out

something interesting. Look at this picture.

Have you found anything special?’

It was a picture of a little girl. Kent looked at the picture carefully but shook his head.

‘She was Des Kenny’s daughter but Des

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hasn’t been married. And look at the girl’s face carefully. She is like Kim. Maybe she was Kim’s daughter.’

‘How can it be? And Kim’s neighbor didn’t tell us that?’ asked Kent.

‘I know but her neighbor just moved there a half year ago and the girl is about three or four years old.’

Kent thought for a while and said, ‘Maybe we could get some news from Kim’s ex-boyfriend, Mitch. I just discovered where he is now.’

After making an appointment tonight, Hugh

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went home to take a rest and Kent continued to finish his work. Í Mitch, the pimp When Kent and Hugh arrived at the bar Rose, they decided to have a meal first. After the meal, they asked the bartender about Mitch.

‘Do you know Mitch?’

The bartender replied, ‘Yes, he worked here.

Do you want to find him? He is at the back door.’

They saw a young untidy man with a beard smoking next to the back door. He was talking

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with somebody. When he saw Kent and Hugh, he started to run. They ran after him and finally caught him.

Mitch was running and tried to escape.

‘Take your hands out of me!’ shouted Mitch.

‘Why did you run when you saw us? Or

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maybe you know something?’ asked Hugh.

‘I know nothing. Nothing!’

Hugh and Kent looked at him for a period and said, ‘What’s your relationship with Kim?’ ‘Kim? I don’t know who a person named Kim.’ said Mitch and tried to escape. Because Mitch wouldn’t tell them anything, they decided to release him and ask him next time.

They got no information from Mitch, so they started to enquire about more details about the relationship between Kim and Mitch.

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� The story of Kim After enquiring about Kim, Kent and Hugh learned more information and felt great sympathy for Kim. Kim met Mitch five years ago after her parents’ death. She fell in love with Mitch quickly. Then she decided to move out and live with Mitch in London. They lived happily together at first. However, after three months, they ran out of money and Mitch began to show his true colors. Actually, Mitch was a deceiver.

He was a pimp before he met Kim. He only

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cared about Kim’s money and didn’t love her.

So he forced Kim to be a whore and to make money for him. If Kim refused, he would just beat her. Those days with Mitch were just torture for Kim. A year later, Kim met Des Kenny, a merchant, while she was waiting for her business. Des Kenny fell in love the first time he saw Kim. Even though she was a whore, he still loved her and rescued her from Mitch’s evil hands. They lived together after that. They even had a baby.

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While Kim was thinking that she could have a happy life from that time, Des left and took the baby with him. So she became depressed and started doing her old business again. Í Mitch’s death A week later, somebody rushed into knocking on Hugh’s door. Hugh was still sleeping in bed.

After a while he got up and went to open the door. It was Mitch. Hugh was confused that why Mitch went approaching. He looked horrified and scared of something. So Hugh asked him to come in first and called Kent to

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come over immediately. Hugh thought there must be something that had happened to Mitch.

Then Hugh gave Mitch a cup of coffee and let him calm down. While waiting for Kent, Hugh noticed that there were some scars on Mitch’s hands.

‘What’s wrong, Hugh’ asked Kent.

‘It’s Mitch. So would you tell us what happened now?’ said Hugh.

‘I saw Kim again. How? She is dead but I saw her. She hated me so she wants to take revenge on me. No…’ said Mitch with a very

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low voice.

‘Maybe the person you saw is her sister, Fay.’ ‘No, I am sure it’s her and her sister lives far away from here. Fay is frail so she wouldn’t come here.’

‘So you have met Kim, but why you rejected that you didn’t know her when we asked you earlier?’

Mitch looked pale and weak.

‘I was worried that you might think I was the murderer,’ said Mitch. ‘But I am really not the murderer. I haven’t seen Kim since she moved

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to live with Des.’ Then Hugh asked some questions about the scars on Mitch’s hands. He told them that he met Kim at night the day before yesterday when he was on his way home. He was scared of her and wanted to run away. However, she chased after him and looked crazy. She scratched him and said, ‘This is a warning.’ Then she left.

Mitch said he didn’t see the woman’s face clearly, but he was sure that it was Kim. Mitch left after Kent and Hugh asked Mitch some questions and promised him that he would be

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safe.

A few days later, the phone rang in the early morning while Hugh was still sleeping. He put on his clothes quickly and rushed to J.R. Street.

Mitch was found dead this morning. No one saw the killer. Mitch held some hair in his hand.

It seemed that he tore it of someone. The case became more difficult and complicated.

HChapter ThreeI � Des Kenny, the merchant Hugh was stuck after Mitch’s death. He was confused who wanted to kill Mitch. There was

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no suspect. The one who hated Mitch most, Kim had already died. Who would possibly kill Mitch? After discussing that with Kent for a long time, Hugh decided to go to France and to visit Des again.

Hugh was lucky this time. He found Des. Des looked very rich but a little pale. He seemed tired all the time. He had very short brown hair and wore glasses. He felt sorry for Kim’s death but didn’t talk about her much.

‘I have never seen her after I came back to France,’ he said. ‘Your daughter is very pretty

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and looks like Kim,’ said Hugh observing Des’s expression.

Des didn’t say anything at first. After a long pause, he said, ‘Yes, she is Kim’s child but she has never seen her.’

‘Why did you leave Kim? People said you loved her very much,’ ‘I don’t love her. Yeah, I did love her, but she lied to me. She is a bitch,’ Des shouted out angrily.

Hugh thought about Des Kenny’s words on his way back to London. Kenny said he had

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loved her and treated her very well. He hadn’t minded that she had been a whore before and even wanted to marry her. Unfortunately his dream broke. One day, when he came back to their apartment, he saw Mitch. He heard clearly that Kim told Mitch to leave quickly because Des was coming back. She said Des would be suspicious of her when he saw Mitch, and she gave Mitch some money. Later Des asked Kim about that. Kim refused to tell him anything.

They had a quarrel and then Des left her. He also took their baby with him.

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Í Fay came to London?

One day, while Hugh was having dinner with Kent in a restaurant, they saw something strange but it threw a light into this case. They saw Fay walking with a man on the street. The man was Des Kenny. Both Hugh and Kent felt that there must be some secrets so they followed them.

They saw them go into a small flat.

‘Why is she here, Kent?’ asked Hugh.

‘I don’t know. Maybe there is something we have missed.’

Next morning Kent asked his fellow to 43

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investigate if the woman was Fay or not. Hugh went to the ship company and checked up Des’s entrance records. He discovered something interesting. Í A great improvement In the afternoon, they decided to investigate Kim’s flat again. When they arrived, they saw Alice lying on the floor unconscious. They moved her into her place and woke her up. She looked scared and began to cry when she got up.

‘What happened?’ asked Kent.

‘I saw Kim. I was scared at the time. When I wanted to scream, someone hit me from the 44

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back and I lost my consciousness.’

‘Are you sure the woman was Kim?’ asked Kent.

‘Did you see who hit you?’

Alice sobbed and said, ‘I didn’t see the person.’

After comforting Alice for a while, they went to Kim’s apartment.

‘Kent, somebody had come in here,’ shouted Hugh.

‘Yes, and the letters from Des have disappeared.’

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Hugh didn’t say anything for a long time and focus on one thing.

‘What’s wrong?’ asked Kent.

‘You see the comb.’

Kent thought there was nothing important about a comb.

‘The hair on the comb is the same as the hair in Mitch’s hair.’

‘You mean, the person who killed Mitch is Kim. It’s impossible. Kim was already dead,’ laughed and said Kent.

‘Yes, it would be impossible. How about she

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hasn’t died?’

HChapter FourI Í Visited Fay again Hugh and Kent waited about one week until Fay came back to Bath. They visited her again. They told her they still had some questions and wanted to solve that with her.

‘You had been to London last week?’

Fay looked a little shocked when Hugh asked her this question. She said she went to London for some business. Hugh continued asking, ‘Had you ever met somebody?’

‘No!’ Fay became nervous and edgy.

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Then they asked to search her house. When they were searching her house, Fay looked paler than before. Hugh took a medicine bottle and asked Fay, ‘What is this for?’

‘It’s just some sleeping pills.’ After searching the house for an hour, Kent and Hugh left. Í The killer One week later, Hugh asked everyone to come to his house. He said he knew who killed Kim and

Mitch.

Four

people

would

present

themselves, but there were only three, Alice, Des and Fay. Kent arrived late and asked, ‘Where is Will?’ Hugh replied that he would not 48

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come.

‘I know you guys must be eager to know who killed Kim and Mitch,’ said Hugh. He took out three small bags and asked everyone to look at them carefully. ‘The hair in bag A and bag B is Kim’s. The hair in bag C is her sister, Fay’s.

‘Mine?’ Fay looked surprised.

‘No, it’s Fay’s, not yours. Am I right, Kim?’ Everyone was surprised except Kent.

‘How can it be? If it’s true, who is the dead Kim?’ Alice said.

‘It’s her sister, Fay. I don’t know why you

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killed your sister. I found the hair in bag A from Kim’s comb in her flat, and I found the hair in bag B from Mitch’s dead body,’ said Hugh.

Fay became pale and trembled. She said, ‘That doesn’t prove anything.’

‘I found the hair in bag C from your house.

Actually it’s your sister’s house. Even though you are twins, the colors of your hair are a little different. Do you know how I made sure of your identification? It’s this.’ That was the medicine bottle from Fay’s house. Fay looked confused.

Hugh continued, ‘When I asked you what it was,

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you said they were sleeping pills. Actually, it’s medicine for your sister’s heart.’ Then Kent said, ‘You killed your sister and pretended that you were her. Why did you do so?’

Fay laughed and said, ‘As you are so smart why don’t you guess by yourselves. You are right. I am her.’ She lost her reasons. Des held her and tried to calm her down.

Later Hugh continued to say, ‘Kent, the next thing I’m going to say even you don’t know.’

‘Oh? What’s that?’

Hugh looked at Des and said, ‘Actually the

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man you see now is the poor painter. That’s why the painter disappeared.’

Des was shocked and said, ‘How did you know that?’

‘When I saw you with this woman, I felt very strange. So I went to find your entrance records.

When I first went to France to visit you, your servant told me you had gone to Italy, but I found out that you were in London at that time.

Don’t you think this was coincident?’ Í The truth Later Hugh explained why Kim and Des wanted to kill Fay and Mitch. Kim met Des again one 52

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year ago and she told him how she had met Mitch and why she gave him money. Actually, Des misunderstood her and she hadn’t betrayed him. When they lived together four years ago, Mitch began to force her to give him money and conspired with her sister, Fay. After Des understood all of these, he felt sorry for Kim and started to plan to take revenge on Fay and Mitch. First, Kim came to Hugh asking for help in order to confuse Hugh. Then she made an appointment with Fay and killed her. The she started pretending as Fay. Des pretended as the

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poor painter, Will, who sent these pictures to Kim. These were all their tricks. Then they killed Mitch together.

It was a kind of tragedy. Both Kim and Des could live happily if Des hadn’t unjustly blamed Kim. Actually if they didn’t want to take revenge on Fay and Mitch, the ending wouldn’t be like this.

When Kim finally was taken to the jail, she whispered, ‘If I was not a whore…If I hadn’t Kim was crying sadly.

been a whore… If I…’

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The Whore It happened during the nineteenth century. A woman rushed into knocking on a detective’s door. She seemed that she had something important to tell him.

However, one early morning she was found dead. Who was the killer? Was it her ex-boyfriend or the poor painter? Nobody knew about it. Could the detective, Hugh, solve this murder and find out who the real killer was?

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