Ugly Duckling

by Malcolm Allen

  'Do you mean hate crimes?' John interjected

  'Now there's a good sensible question from a senior officer' Wicks glared at Ian then turned back to John 'Yes, there have been a few hate crimes against some of the residents, but I don't think these are hate crimes, it just doesn't fit. There was no sign of forced entry at any of these murders, suggesting that the victims knew their attackers, the other two I've given you were much cleaner, not much of a struggle, and we believe in those ones the stomach wounds were post mortem, it was only on the third one that the intestines were actually removed from the body cavity.'

  There was a knock at the door and PC Barnett appeared with the bacon sandwiches

  'Ah, Barnett this is Detective Inspector Dickie and his side kick Cripp, They're here to have another look at the Kemp Town murders they think there may be a link to an ongoing investigation in Bournemouth. Give them as much help as they ask for but don't get in the way.'

  Barnett, still holding the stack of three sandwiches in their bags, sneezed 'Excuse me, think I might have a bit of a cold coming on' and he placed the sandwiches on the desk, John and Ian immediately claimed the bottom two. 'If there's anything I can do just holler like D.I Wicks does' he closed the door behind him as he left still sneezing.

  Wicks picked up the remaining sandwich and took a large bite, 'Now as I was saying, it was only the third victim that had his intestines removed from the cavity, the second one had been slashed down the abdomen and the wound had been forced open, but nothing removed and the first one, as I said, was just a stab wound, All three were Gay, but there was no evidence of drugs either in their homes or bodies' he turned again to look at Ian, when he turned back Ian silently mouthed 'What have I done' to John who had to put his hand to his mouth to prevent him from laughing.

  'Right, So I'll leave you two to have a good rummage through, see if you can find anything useful, if you need anything just shout' and with that Wicks bustled though the door and away.

  'Oh my god J.D what was that?'

  'Don't think he likes you, do you want a coffee?' John poured two cups from the filter machine and they settled down to study the files.

  ***

  PC Barnett bought in two super-burgers and chips and placed them on the table, peering over Ian's shoulder he could see that he was studying a crime scene photo from the third murder, the victim was laying on the floor in a pool of blood with his arms down by his sides, his stomach had been opened up his intestines removed and put in a neat pile to the side of the body, the victims throat had two clear cuts on it, one on either side of the trachea and the eyes were closed.

  'That was terrible that one,' Barnett said 'the stink was horrible.' he sneezed again

  'You ought to get yourself something for that' Ian said, wiping the back of his neck,

  'I'll get some night nurse later. Anyway enjoy your burgers, eat them while they're hot.' Ian watched as Barnett left the room.

  'J.D there's something bothering me about these, in all of them the wounds look clean, like a sharp knife was used, and certainly in the second two the throat has been cut twice, once on either side, just like Bill and even the Dog, but our first one was different, in that one the knife wasn’t that sharp and the throat was cut from side to side, why the difference?'

  'He was already dead?' John looked puzzled by this fact as well 'perhaps that one wasn't planned; maybe our killer was caught off guard with that one.'

  'And the other thing, all these were Gay but we know for sure that Bill wasn't can we be sure that we're looking at the same killer?'

  John thought for a moment then said 'The M O fits, so if its not the same killer we could be looking at a copycat, maybe that's why our first one wasn't as clean, they were just learning.' His face went blank and he drifted off into one of his trances. Ian went back to studying the case files while munching on his burger. An hour and a half later John suddenly said, 'it’s not a copycat, it is the same one. I'm sure of it' he'd come out of his trance state and as always when this happened he looked like he'd had a really good nights sleep and was raring to go again.

  'What makes you say that?' Ian was glad to have somebody to talk too again.

  'I just know it is, and Leon in his profile said that there would be others and that our killer would have built up to his present level, well here's the evidence of that in these three cases, gradually developing his skill, I'm not sure its important whether the victims are gay or straight, I think we should forget about that because I don't think that's why they were killed, there's going to be another connection, we just don't know what it is yet. Were there any people interviewed here that we can now place in Bournemouth?'

  'None that are leaping off the paper at me'

  'And our first one, I think I'm right on that, our killer didn't plan that one, just used what ever he could get hold of at the time, but that still begg's the question. Why? What was different? And where do you get hold of a semi sharp kitchen knife at that time of night?'

  'From your Kitchen?' Ian offered

  'Oh you just crack me up sometimes, you really do, you funny fucker. But you're right, if we assume it was a kitchen knife, chances are our man took it from his kitchen, for some reason he didn't have time to get his usual kit, then he walked with the knife to the pier. Now, did he walk with the victim or did he meet the victim there?'

  'If we come back to the Gay thing, it could have been a Gay liaison'

  'It could have been but that still doesn’t tie in with William Broom. I really don't think it’s a gay thing'

  'What then?'

  'I don't know, but I think our Jeremy Green has more to tell if we look in the right places.'

  There was a sneeze outside the door and PC Barnett knocked and entered,

  'Sorry to disturb you but there's somebody calling herself Jenni Everitt here to see you inspector Dickie.'

  John followed Barnett to the front desk where Jenni was waiting,

  'John, how are you' she rushed up to John and kissed him firmly on the lips.

  'As nice as that was Jenni we don't do that sort of thing while I'm working, it’s not very professional'

  'He doesn't mind, he's probably just a bit Jealous' Jenni was looking at PC Barnett.

  'Anyway Jenni I'm fine, glad you got here ok, there's a pub just across the road shall we meet there in, say, two hours?'

  'OK. I'll go and browse around the antique shops till then, Can’t wait' she went to kiss John again but he backed away raising his hand to stop her. 'I'll save it for later then' Jenni winked at John as she left the station.

  John returned to the office leaving Barnett staring at Jenni leaving, 'She's way out of your league son' he said as he passed.

  Two and a half hours later John was sat with Ian in the pub, they had decided to take copies of the relevant information back with them to Bournemouth so that the entire team could look at them and had arranged for the post-mortem reports to be sent to Liz, Jenni came rushing in with arms full of shopping bags, 'Sorry I'm late! Got a bit carried away, there's some fantastic shops around here'

  'Can I get you a drink Jenni?' Ian asked 'John and I are just having one more then we've got to head back'

  'Back! Are you going back to Bournemouth John? I thought we were going to make a night of it' Jenni looked angered by the news.

  'Sorry Jenni, We've got some stuff here we need to get back and I really need to be there first thing in the morning to speak with the team and Liz'

  Jenni let out a sulky sigh 'Liz! You're either always talking about her or she turns up at your place, I'm surprised you don't carry a picture of her around along with the one of your dead wife!'

  John considered Jenni and the comments she had just made but very slowly and calmly he said ‘I think that was a bit uncalled for. This is my job Jenni and Liz is a very important part of my team as well as a long standing friend, So I'm sorry if it seems we're together too much or I'm always talking about her, I'll try not to mention her when I'm with you, tha
t is if you still want to be with me.'

  Jenni softened, she could tell John was serious 'No, its me that should be sorry, I've got a bit jealous over Liz, and I was looking forward to jumping your bones again tonight, but I know you have a job to do, but when its over I'm going to make your dick red raw' she smiled that same sweet smile John had seen when they first met.

  'So, Erm, did you want that drink?'

  'Sorry Ian, yes please, just a coke then. I may as well drive back to Bournemouth tonight as well. Did you want a lift back with me John?'

  'Thanks Jenni, but no. We still have a load of stuff we need to discuss on the way back. Tell you what though, How about I meet you tomorrow night in the pig, couple of drinks and back to your place? That way neither of us have to drive'

  'That sounds good to me; I'll have my best bed sheets on.' Liz stood leant over so that John got an eyeful of her breasts and kissed him sweetly and softly. This time John raised to the occasion, as Jenni pulled away she looked at the bulge in his trousers 'Hold that thought till tomorrow.' as she left she glanced back at John and blew him a kiss.

  Ian had returned carrying a coke and two half's of beer. 'She didn't want this drink after all then?'

  Chapter 21

  The following day both John and Ian were early into the briefing room, they had some information from Brighton but, almost more importantly, they had new ideas they wanted to share with the rest of the team.

  'So J.D had any more thoughts?'

  'Not really, I just think we need to have another really close look at Jeremy Green, We're missing something on that one I'm certain of it. I also want somebody looking through the name's from Brighton, whether they were suspects or not, anybody that we could now place in this area, and we need to be out on the streets again asking for any witnesses that were in the areas of the attacks and lets not forget or neglect the dog, whatever they saw or didn't see, if they were anywhere near the areas concerned we need to talk to them. We really need to crank this up Ian because if we're right he will kill again and I'd rather stop that than have to stare at another body. I'll get an appeal put out in the press, but I want everybody we can get on this.'

  'OK J.D I'll get everyone we can on it'

  'There's something important I need you to do first though Ian'

  Ian knew what John was going to say

  'Don't worry bacon sarnies on their way.'

  John Smiled 'that's good but it’s not what I was going to say. I need you to sort a bloody car out for me, mine will be in the repair shop for weeks, see if you can source a decent pool car for me would you? You get on better with those guys than I do, if I went I'd end up with a fucking Mini or something. In the meantime I need to speak to Liz to see if she's noticed anything about the Brighton cases and get Leon to come in and have a look over the files, he might be able to give us a bit more.

  Ian could sense a new feeling of urgency about John. It was almost as if he'd woken up from his dream and really now wanted to get things moving, it was good to see, he knew it meant a busy day and in addition he needed to ask around about Jenni, he still had an uneasy feeling about her.

  The morning briefing had gone well, Ian had been the perfect support for John, Whipping the team into a more determined and focused unit, they all felt they now had a better sense of direction and purpose, there was no delay after the meeting in the team leaving the room, some to get out on the streets asking for witnesses, some back to their desks scrolling through and comparing lists of names from Brighton, tracking them down and trying to trace their movements. Others collecting and examining any CCTV they could get their hands on, looking for clues. It was almost as if they had rewound to the first day of the investigation again. The whole place seemed to be buzzing.

  John had already called Leon's office and asked him to come in. 'Come on! Answer the bloody phone will you!' he had been continually dialling Liz's number for 15 minutes now with no luck. Ian knocked and entered John's office

  'J.D everyone's out doing their stuff at full pelt, so I thought I'd go and give a hand, ask around a bit, people around the common and pier that sort of stuff, unless there's anything else you needed at the moment'

  'That's fine Ian, no problem; I'll call if I need anything. Did you get a car sorted out'

  'They said they'd bring the keys up once it’s been checked over, about mid afternoon they said.'

  Liz appeared in the doorway 'Hello, thought I'd come over to see you. Make sure you're ok. You didn't get much of a tan, wasn't the weather very good in Brighton?'

  'Liz! Come in, I've been trying to get you all morning. There was no time for bloody sunbathing; you should've seen the thickness of those files.'

  Ian left the office keen to get on, wanting to find the break they needed, and wanting to investigate a certain other individual.

  'So how are you after all of your adventures?' Liz was referring to the car crash as much as the Brighton trip and was genuine in her concern for John, something he noticed and was very flattered by.

  'I'm fine thanks Liz; it was just a bit of a bump. Sorry Liz but I don't have time for a chat. Have you had a chance to look through the stuff I sent?' John was keen to get on with the business in hand and although Liz wanted to chat more personally with John she appreciated he had a job to do, in fact it was nice to see him having some urgency about his job again.

  'I've only had a quick scan through; I needed to know what you want me to look for.'

  'Anything really Liz, Any errors in the processing. Can you say, in your professional opinion, what the odds are that this is the same killer? Any observations that you think might be useful. My gut feeling is that it is the same killer, but there are peculiarities. These ones occurred in the victims homes, our ones outside, these ones were all Gay, our ones not, at least as far as we know. So there are similarities but also differences we need to figure out why the difference. I'll be speaking to Leon later to see what he can offer, but I need your input as well if we're going to crack this.'

  Liz looked at John, He was back. Back to the John she knew, admired and loved, she felt a buzz run through her body seeing him like this. She decided she wasn't going to give up her chances to some jumped up overly demonstrative nymphomaniac without a fight. 'OK John I'll get back and have a really good look for you, if I get anything I'll let you know straight away. I'm glad you're ok.' She left the office still feeling a buzz, 'God he's so sexy when he's like that' she thought.

  John settled down to study the case files once again paying particular attention to their first one, Jeremy Green. This was the one he felt held the answers; it was different, the age, blunt knife, heart attack. What was it about this one, the American Connection, was there something else about that, the Americans were going to re-examine the case, did they have suspicions about it? If so what were they? If the third victim wasn't the son, who was it? And were there more connections with Jeremy? And if it wasn't the son who died, what happened to him? He was sure this one held the answers, find them and he'll find his killer.

  Chapter 22

  It was a lovely day and the sun was shining brightly on Bournemouth, people were out strolling around the promenade and pier as well as the town centre, which Ian was pleased to see, it meant there were plenty of people looking at the posters they had erected appealing for help. And the chances of people remembering something, or mentioning it to someone else who would remember something, where increased, it all added to the new sense of urgency that had been installed into the investigation. Ian had visited several of the sites where the posters were located with a uniformed officer, but as yet nothing had materialised. Standing at the bottom of Horseshoe common he spotted Phil passing and called him over.

  'Hello Ian, Been demoted back to the beat?

  Ian laughed 'No just fancied getting out of the office, lend a hand with the enquiries at ground level. On a slightly different note, I wanted to ask you about Jenni'

  'Who?' Phil asked

  'Jenni, the one
J.D’s taken a shine too. What do you know about her?'

  'Nothing much Ian, I remember seeing her before the re-fit, with that bloke that got murdered. I think she's a journalist or something, always has her camera bag and laptop with her, but other than that I don't know her that well. It's not that I haven't tried though' He winked 'know what I mean?'

  'Yeh I know what you mean, have you ever seen her with any other men?'

  'Apart from John and the dead bloke? I don't think so. Why are you asking is she a suspect?'

  Ian Laughed 'God no! I'm only trying to look after J.D He seems really taken with her, I just don't want him to get hurt, especially as she's the first one since Sonia'

  'She always seemed OK to me, but if you like I'll ask around the regulars, perhaps someone might know a bit more about her than I do'

  'I'd appreciate that Phil, but don't mention it to John will you'

  'Mum's the word Ian' Phil held a finger to his lips 'perhaps see you later?'

  Ian was about to answer when suddenly and out of the blue an elderly woman came rushing up to him

  'Are you a policeman?' she asked

  'Yes Madam, I'm D.S Cripp is there some information you have for us?'

  'What?' the lady looked confused 'No. I was just wondering if you could tell me the way to the winter gardens.' Ian forced himself to smile at the sweet little old lady stood in front of him,

  'I'm sure this constable will be able to help you madam.' ushering the uniformed officer in front of him he turned and started walking back to the station. Choosing to cross the common he stopping at the flyover, looking back towards the uniform he had just left still trying to explain to the old lady directions to the winter gardens, he stood and observed the scene for a while, arms flaying in all directions a map almost blowing away in the wind, all the while the good old British bobby keeping his cool, politely trying to help the great British public 'I'm so glad I'm not still in fucking uniform' he thought to himself.