From "The Smoking Gunners" by Ashley Lister one of the entries in The Book of Extraordinary Femme Fatale Stories Beatrix stood over the corpse, a smoking gun in her hand and a smile of almost comic regret playing on her lips. If not for the enormity of what she had done, Jim would have sworn she looked like a woman who wanted to say, "Oops!" or "fiddlesticks!" and then giggle as though the matter was of no consequence. Instead, she glanced at Jim and murmured, "This looks bad, doesn't it?" Not waiting for his response, flexing a diplomatic smile, she said, "But I promise you now: as bad as this looks, worse things have happened." Her features turned momentarily solemn as she added, "And we both know, too often, Wilkins has been the cause of those worse things." Jim wanted to scream. It was rare for anything about Beatrix to look bad, but this scenario was an exception. She was a strikingly attractive brunette with her hair sculpted into a fashionable shaggy bob. Her scarlet heels accentuated her long coltish legs.

The vibrant colour of her shoes complemented Beatrix's scarlet nail polish and lipstick. The black stockings, thong, suspender belt and balconette bra made her look as though she was posing for some tawdry photoshoot in a men's magazine. But, because she held a smoking gun as she stood over a still-warm corpse, he couldn't think of her as appearing desirable, sexy, or arousing. He could only concede that the scene looked bad. "It looks bad," he groaned softly. Operating to the procedure he knew he had to follow, Jim pressed a finger against his earpiece and spoke for the microphone at his throat. "Ambulance to floor eight," he snapped. "Urgent.

Also, I want a secure guard on all exits. Beatrix Geraghty must not leave the building." He glared at her and this time, looking as though he was saying it for her benefit, said, "Repeat: Beatrix Geraghty must not leave the building.".