“Back to the plan to kill Jonathan. As far as I can tell that is the point at which the Mr. Roberts character appeared. At first neither knew about the other, but now they do. It has made Roberts become psychotic in his determination to get at Cotter, and Cotter is terrified he will.
“It’s quite a horrific thought, but he is being hunted by himself. I have no idea if they will ever be able to confront each other, but Mr. Roberts wants Cotter dead. Heaven knows what will happen if he succeeds.
“What is fascinating is that there are genuinely two people in there, that sort of thing is incredibly rare, and, if I dare say it, incredibly interesting.” She noticed the stares she was getting. “Speaking as a psychologist and doctor, finding new conditions is always rewarding.”
Hooley had been listening closely. “I have enough trouble with me. I’d hate to think there was a worse version of me in there as well.” He tapped his forehead. “I wouldn’t wish that on my worst enemy, although Cotter does seem to have brought it on himself. What’s going to happen long term?”
“Well, I think that will be talked about at the meeting this afternoon, but I don’t think they can just close this down because there are too many murder victims. Those families need some sort of closure from this.”
“They’re looking at some sort of secret trial at the Old Bailey,” said Mayweather. “The families can know some of what happened, at least that Cotter is the killer, but not much more. Cotter or Mr. Roberts, is clearly not fit to stand trial and will be sent to a secure hospital.”
Roper piped up. His voice still sounding weak. “Was I right in thinking Cotter was stealing industrial and military secrets?”
“You were bang on the money. He had stolen some especially valuable software programmes that are worth millions. Not that I can tell you that.
“The Cotter character also revealed that poor Tom Bennett had his own invention used against him. He has told us where to find all the surveillance tech he hid around the man’s home.
“He was able to manipulate his position at GCHQ to do that, but should never have been able to. That also allowed him to hack Scotland Yard computers so he could keep an eye on you and your team.” This last statement was aimed at Mayweather.
Sharples added. “It’s caused quite a stir in the security section. The head man is off to spend more ‘time with his family’ and his deputy has taken over. So hopefully the next mad man won’t get so far.”
She turned back to Roper and fixed him with a warm smile. “As you can imagine Jonathan, with all that on their plates, the decision to let you off for a bit of email hacking was quite easy. So now you’re home free. What are you going to do? If you’d like to start again at GCHQ you’d be welcomed with open arms, but maybe you’d like a break?”
Hooley intervened. “Before you decide that I’m guessing you will be coming back to my place for a few days? Give yourself a chance to recover. I’ve already got enough food in to feed a football team. Should last a couple of days.”
Mayweather looked over at Roper. “We’ve all been talking about you. The view is that after what you’ve been through it might be best if you came back to the Yard for a little while. That way Brian and I can keep an eye on you.” She stopped. “Does that sound OK to you?”
Roper could only nod. He seemed to have got something in his eye.
Thank you for reading my second novel in the Jonathan Roper Investigates series.
I love the character of Jonathan Roper because he really is a hero with a difference. His autism gives him a distinctive approach and my sense was that Roper would be a great fit for the modern world. I was heavily influenced by my son, who has a diagnosis of autism. He is non-verbal and has had to almost create his own way of communicating to be understood. Despite his difficulties he has persevered and it has been heart-warming to see him develop; partly down to the brilliant support of many people, but also because of his own determination. This determination is a trait he shares with Roper. While my book is primarily intended as “page turning thriller” I hope it offers some small insights into the autistic world. I’m certainly not trying to come up with answers to some pretty complex questions. I am a firm believer that to truly understand autism, you will need to truly understand the human brain. Now that is a prize worth fighting for.
If you would like to read more in the series at this low price, I’d really appreciate a review on Amazon. The number of reviews a book accumulates daily has a direct impact on sales. So just leaving a review, no matter how short, helps make it possible for me to continue to do what I love … Writing.
All you have to do is follow this link: I Can See You by Michael Leese
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Also available in the Jonathan Roper Investigates series
Going Underground
Jonathan Roper is a new type of detective; young, gifted and autistic.
He’s a wonderful analyst but not so good with people. Many of his Scotland Yard colleagues were delighted after he was suspended for misconduct. Now those people are going to be disappointed because he’s being brought back by the bosses of his elite unit. Not that Roper is concerned with office politics. He’s got a case to solve and that’s all that matters. In this compelling thriller Roper uncovers a dark conspiracy leading to murder and human trafficking. As good as he is, the stakes are so high he needs the support of veteran Met detective Brian Hooley: soon the pair discover they are in the firing line
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I Can See You: Autistic British Detective: Jonathan Roper Investigates Book 2 Page 22
