By now, Star and Anna were enjoying a stable relationship. Ted, Tom and Reginald, the security guards at the flats, knew Star as Jane Stevens and accepted her as a trusted visitor. A check phone call to Anna at work, and they would let her into Anna’s flat.
Star used those occasions to snoop, knowing she would soon have to make her move to steal the girl’s identity.
It was 7.30am and Star had stayed over. They had planned to go shopping as usual. While Anna was in the bathroom, Star made coffee and breakfast. She crushed and mixed several barbiturate tablets (which Max had taken from Alf) into Anna’s drink. There was no odd flavor; Anna liked the first coffee of the day strong and sweet. To avoid any possibility of accidental switching, Star left her cup with dregs as though she had finished it.
Anna came out of the bathroom and had breakfast; Star went in and left her to it. When she came out, Anna was in deep sleep on the sofa. There was no turning back now. Star ran a bath, just warm enough to dissolve bath foam, but not enough to unduly speed up after-death bodily processes.
She quickly removed Anna’s robe and undies, placing them on the bed. She was creating the scene where the depressed girl had got up, drugged her coffee, climbed into the bath, and at the last moment, slit a wrist.
By now, Anna was hardly breathing. It was difficult to carry the limp body and ease her into the bath without splashing water everywhere. The girl slipped down under the water for an instant, causing a spasmodic splutter. Star drained some of the bath water, so the girl stayed above it. There was a particularly sharp kitchen knife which Anna preferred. Star thought it was appropriate to use it now to slit the left wrist.
Wearing her vinyl gloves, Star leaned over the head end of the bath, placed the knife in Anna’s right hand and gripped it in place. She held up the left hand by the fingers, to expose the inside of Anna’s wrist. A quick, tentative slash, followed by a deep and more determined slash to the bone, ensured her blood vessels were severed. The girl’s limb fell into the water and the blood pumped out. Star had anticipated the spurt; in case things went wrong with her plan, she wanted the suicide to look genuine. Had she held the forearm, the blood spray would have been wrong.
Star packed a small bag with the clothes that Anna would have worn for shopping. She was a creature of habit.
She did all the washing up and put it away, except for items used by Anna. Star left the flat, walking through the foyer, apparently talking to someone on the phone. Reginald hardly glanced up at the familiar visitor, noted the event in his log and continued daydreaming.
Star had arranged to have a complete makeover at the salon Anna often used. She knew that the finer details would let her down if she attempted a perfect copy of Anna. Instead, she changed her eye makeup and the style and color of her hair. Now she looked just like Anna after a makeover and was confident that anyone who knew her by sight would notice the changes, and hopefully, overlook the detail.
It was now early Saturday afternoon, and the security shift would have changed. Ted, a sharp-witted character, would be on duty and this would be a crucial test of the impersonation. Star threw him Anna’s usual cheeky greeting, mimicking her voice and actions to perfection. He smiled, appreciating the changes she had made, a distinct improvement, softer and more feminine. He thought that perhaps she was growing out of her silly lesbian phase.
From the flat, Star made several phone calls. The first was to check the scheduled delivery of furniture, a large blanket ottoman for the bedroom. It would be delivered within the hour. As Ted had been informed about the delivery, he later escorted the men to the flat and supervised the placement in the second bedroom.
“Ted, I have to visit a friend and will be back tomorrow. Please make absolutely sure no one goes into my flat while I am away. No one at all,” Anna told him.
Ted was slightly surprised that Anna would mention this, but nodded his understanding. Access to the flats always required verification. Star then caught a taxi back to the bedsit.
Max looked up in surprise as she entered the room. “Hi! What does Anna think about your new look?”
“Well, she seemed OK with it, but she received some terrible news - wouldn’t say what the problem was, which is why I won’t stay over tonight. I’ve never seen her so upset.”
“Well, you said she’s a spoiled brat, so perhaps she couldn’t get her own way at work.”
“No, it’s more serious than that. I’m quite worried about her actually. I’ll phone her later this evening to make sure she’s OK.”
“I hope you are not wasting time and money on this girl, I can’t for the life of me see how you are going to steal her identity.” Star understood how the association looked from Max’s perspective, but he did not know what she knew.
It was about 9.00pm when Star phoned. “There’s no reply, Max. She can’t be out. Perhaps she went to bed early and is asleep.”
Max was deep in thought about the complex issues he faced. The big unknowns were the characters he would be dealing with and any unforeseen changes he might have to make to his grand plan, which he had not discussed so far with Star. He doubted she would cope with it and there were still so many details to resolve.
Preoccupied, he suggested “I think you should pop round early tomorrow and make sure she is alright.”