DISCLAIMER:
This is a story. None of the characters in the story exist and the events that take place are purely imaginary. This is a detective story with sexual overtones. I hope that you like this as a piece of writing.
WARNING:
Do not read this story if you are in any way offended by acts of a homosexual nature.
Do not read this if you are under the legal age for accessing adult sites.
Always indulge in safe sex.
MARTIN ROBERTS INVESTIGATES
Chapter 5
Later on the Sunday afternoon after they had left South London and returned to Scotland Yard, Martin Roberts and his Inspector, Mark Jamieson, decided to go out to Essex to interview the other person Graeme Adams had mentioned. The journey was quite quick as the roads were relatively clear. As they drove along Martin and Mark conversed happily about other matters. Mark's wife, Ruth, was expecting a baby and Martin asked Mark how long it would be before the baby was due. Mark told him that it was due in about 10 days and both men agreed that they hoped that the case would be solved before then.
Within an hour they were pulling up outside Peter Collins' house in a leafy suburban street well within commuting distance of central London. Mark and Martin walked up the drive, crunching the gravel as they approach the front door. Mark rang the bell and a tall, elegant woman in her mid-30s came to the door. Mark introduced himself and his superintendent and asked to speak to Peter Collins. The lady at the door explained that her husband was away on business - he was sales executive - and had gone to Birmingham to help set up a trade stand for the following week's show at the National exhibition Centre. Mark used the same ploy as he had with Joe Smith's mother explaining that they wished to talk to Mr Collins about being a possible witness to an accident, Martin left his card and then the two men walked back to their car.
Walking back towards the car, Mark thought how sad it was that Peter Collins' wife seemed to be so unaware of her husband's bi-sexual nature. Mark was surprised that Martin had taken this information in without batting an eyelid. That Martin had noticed was undeniable but the superintendent was a man of the world and had, in his younger days, had several encounters with apparently happily married men.
So the two policemen walked back to the car in silence. However, once inside the car Martin let his frustration pour out,
"Fuck and Bugger it, Mark!! Well, that's about it then!! Every bloody person we need to see is in sodding Birmingham. I guess we'll have to go up there in the morning and try to track down these two people. Hopefully the traffic boys will have found Joe Smith's whereabouts by now."
Martin Roberts' temper was not improved by the news that the traffic boys had found no trace of Joe Wright. It was not until much later into the evening before the traffic police managed to establish that far from driving his lorry to Birmingham as they had thought, Joe Smith's vehicle was safely parked in his secure parking area near his home. Now it would be a case of trying to find where Joe's own private car was.
Martin went home where Tom, his partner, decided to keep well clear of him. Martin in a foul mood was not a frequent occurrence but when he was it was best, Tom had learned from experience, to keep one's head down. Martin roamed around the apartment like a bear with a sore head, tidying up, setting things straight and finally banging about in the kitchen. Every now and again Tom would hear a string of expletives emerge from his partner. Finally Martin emerged from his self-imposed rampage and smiled apologetically at Tom who knew that now was the time to offer comfort. Tom would have liked to forego dinner and spend some time in bed with martin, not necessarily engaged in sex but in comfortable cuddling and mutual reassurance. If truth were told Tom had had almost as bad a day as Martin but it would be inadvisable for him to mention this at the moment. Martin's cooked offering appeared and was better than it looked. They ate in companionable silence and Tom suggested that they retire after they had cleared their plates. Martin agreed but said that he needed to check back with the office at the Yard before he did so. The news from the Yard was not very encouraging but Martin decided there was nothing he could do right away so he went off to join his partner in bed.
The phone ringing just after five in the morning gave martin a sinking feeling as he struggled back to consciousness. The voice on the other end confirmed Martin's worst fears.
"Another body? Let me guess, in Birmingham?"
By the time Tom realised what was happening, his lover was almost halfway dressed and preparing to leave. Martin knew that with this murder taking the number up to four he would have to face awkward questions not only from his superiors but also from the press. Martin was confident that he could handle the senior officers and the press but it would be hard going and in any case he really ought to be in Birmingham. Before leaving the house, martin called Mark and told him the news and arranged to meet him at Scotland Yard. They both lived relatively close to the Yard and so it was not long before they had met and were driving up to Birmingham. Like Tom, Mark knew when not to talk and this morning was one of those occasions. They drove immediately to the place where the body had been found. Martin and Mark were briefed by the senior police officer in attendance and by the doctor. One look told them that this was the work of the serial killer. The doctor gave the opinion that death had occurred sometime between 1130 the previous evening and 2 o'clock in the morning, the victim was a young middle aged man of late thirties or early forties, who had been in good health. Martin nodded and turned to Mark,
"Same MO as before and again good cover. We need to find out who he is as soon as possible."
Then, turning to a local police officer, Martin asked how far the scene of crime was from the bar Graeme Adams had been working in the previous night? The news that the bar was less than twenty minutes by car away from the spot was both heartening and depressing. Officers had been following Graeme all the time and he had no reports of unusual behaviour from the DJ. Martin was still far from convinced that Graeme was the killer but he seemed to be always in the right place at the wrong time. He had also demonstrated a good ability to lose or shake off his tail.
Leaving the scene, Martin had a number of priorities. First he needed to know who the victim was; second he needed to talk to Graeme Adams and finally the two other people they wanted to interview had to be found. In addition to the priorities of the murder investigation, Martin had already been in contact with his superiors at Scotland Yard and was aware that a difficult press conference would take place later that morning. Martin and his Inspector, Mark, decided to leave the identification to the local police and go to find Graeme Adams as their first priority. Before he and Mark had reached the hotel where Adams was known to be staying, Martin had a piece of good news: the local police had identified the victim.
It turned out that the victim was a man aged 40, called Paul Laycock. Laycock was well known to the local police as someone who often hung around in local toilets soliciting for sex. It seemed as though the night before his death Laycock had solicited once too often and had been unfortunate enough to meet someone who wanted more than a quick bit of sex. One of Paul Laycock's haunts was a public toilet about a mile from where his body had been found and it was reasonable to assume that he had met his victim there. Martin might have been expected to return to the spot but to his Inspector's surprise he did not,
"No Mark. Let's go and talk to Graeme Adams. This time at least we can surprise him with the name. Look at his reaction."
They arrived at the hotel where Graeme was staying and reception rang through to his room. They walked quickly up the stairs and knocked on the door. The door opened quickly and a rather flustered young porter, hastily buttoning up his uniform, ran out into the corridor as Martin and Mark entered. The scene inside was one of hastily abandoned sexual activity as Graeme, naked and obviously half-aroused, lay on top of the bed. The bedclothes were in a complete mess and Martin indicated to Graeme that he should cover himself up and then he and Mark wanted to ask him some questions. Graeme put on a dressing gown and sat at the small table in the far corner of the room, Martin took the small armchair and Mark remained standing.
"Good morning, Mr Adams. Do you know a man called Paul Laycock?"
Graeme looked startled but then quickly recovered,
"No. I've never heard of him. Why?"
"He was found murdered this morning near the pub where you were performing last night."
"Well superintendent, as you know because your men were following me all last night, I came straight back to this hotel after I finished. It was not a good evening last night. I think your men put me off."
"You don't seem surprised to learn that this man is dead", Mark's voice broke in from the doorway.
"Well, Inspector. I didn't know him so why should I feel anything? But I will tell you something for nothing, I saw that Joe Smith at the gig last night. Are you going to speak to him?"
Martin nodded but then added,
"Very much we will but we're not sure where he's staying."
Graeme smiled and wrote the name and address of the hotel where Joe always stayed. He handed it to Martin and said,
"Best hurry. I expect he has a job on and will want to be off early."
"Thank you, Mr Adams, we will."
Martin and Mark left the hotel and sped off in their car to the hotel where Joe Smith was staying. They arrived just in time to catch him. Joe Smith was paying his bill in reception when the two police officers arrived and overheard the duty manager talking to him. The duty manager handed the receipt to Joe and said,
"There you go, Mr Smith, I hope you had a pleasant stay and we will see you again very soon."
Martin stepped forward and touched Joe on the shoulder,
"Joseph Smith? I am Superintendent Martin Roberts and this is Inspector Mark Jamieson. May we have a few words with you, in private, please?"
Joe Smith looked startled and, Mark and Martin thought, guilty as he stammered,
"Yes, I'm Jo .. Joe Smith. What ... what do you want to talk to me about?"
Mark looked at the duty manager enquiringly and he indicated that they could use a small room behind the reception area and the three men walked inside. Joe started to speak again,
"Honestly officers, if I'd known Billy was under age I would never have touched him. I'm not a paedophile. I like them young but I don't go in for very young boys honestly."
A look of distaste had crossed Mark's face as Joe was speaking and then he realised that Martin was also about to say something.
"I don't know what you are talking about Mr Smith but I advise you to say no more about it. We are here investigating a murder and we understand that you have attended parties given by Mr Graeme Adams on a number of occasions. Is that correct?"
Joe looked slightly shocked and then nodded,
"Yes I've been to his parties. I saw him last night. But what murder are you talking about?"
Martin told Joe that he was heading an investigation into the serial killing and mutilation of a number of gay people. Another body had been found that morning near the hotel where Joe was staying and other bodies had been found near venues where Graeme Adams and his friends sometimes went. Joe was looking even paler after this explanation and stammered,
"Y .. You d .. don't think I had anything to do with these dreadful murders, do you?" "Well we need to ask you some questions to eliminate you from the enquiry. OK?"
Joe nodded and Mark now took over. The Inspector hardly concealed his distaste for the man they were interviewing,
"Now .. sir, can you tell us where you were between ten o'clock last night and five o'clock this morning?"
Joe told them everything, explaining his picking up of Billy and the return to the hotel and then how he had dropped him off at a lay-by and then driven back to the hotel. Joe described in detail the journey and the two policemen soon realised that Joe Smith had actually placed himself at the scene where the body had been found. What was unclear was whether this was bravado or ignorance. Martin asked a few questions to confirm the information already given,
"What time did you say you dropped this young man, Billy, off?"
"He had to be home by 1130 so I guess it was shortly before then."
"And you drove straight back to the hotel from there?"
"Yes."
"Did you see anything suspicious while you were dropping Billy off or any other cars/"
"No."
"Will Billy confirm your story? Did he see you leave the car park?"
"I'd rather you didn't involve Billy."
"Look, Mr Smith, this is a murder investigation, can Billy confirm your story or not?"
"Yes, I believe he can."
"Do you know his full name or his address?"
"No I'm afraid I don't but he said he lived just round the corner from where I dropped him off."
"Thank you, Mr Smith. You're free to go - for the time being."
Joe Smith left the room looking very shaken. Martin looked at Mark and shook his head slowly. Mark was not sure whether this was at the thought that Joe Smith was their man or at his foolishness in having sex with an under age teenager. It was only later that the Inspector realised it was neither of these but the fact that he had allowed his personal feelings to become so obvious in his treatment of the interviewee. Martin did not mention this at the time but was quickly calculating his schedule in his head.
"Look Mark. I really have to go to this blasted press conference and get myself hung out to dry. Can I leave you to follow up on this Billy lead? If he is from where he said he was, he should turn up from the house to house contacts the uniform boys have been doing in the area. Oh and ask him to make a witness statement and handle him gently. If possible wait to talk to him until after I get back. Should be here again about 4."
Mark nodded and Martin left to keep his appointment at the press conference. Martin looked slightly out of place surrounded by the Deputy Commissioner of the Metropolitan police and the Assistant Chief Constables from various police areas where the murders had taken place. Martin answered the questions as factually as he could. After he had finished Martin heard his superiors express full confidence in his investigation a vote of confidence he was not sure was as full or as unrestrained as it appeared. He knew that they wanted results and they wanted them fast and if he did not produce something soon he would be replaced. The press conference ended inevitably with a prediction that an early breakthrough and arrest was anticipated. Inwardly Martin's heart sunk at this assertion, knowing full well that such a promise was a hostage to fortune and, in present circumstance unlikely to be deliverable. He also was not certain that this was the right message to be sending to a psychopathic serial killer. It could spur the murderer on to more crimes and hopefully a mistake before too long, but equally it might send him into his shell until the trail and investigation went cold. In private after the press had gone Martin expressed this view to his superiors who seemed to understand his point but take the view that they had to say such things at these press conferences.
Martin could not wait to get back to the investigation and drove quickly back to Birmingham and the investigation team. Mark was waiting for him and the smile on his face suggested that they had found Billy.
"Uniform are bringing him in. He was at home on his own and he lived where he said he did."
"Does he know what it's about?" Martin asked.
"Well a little bit. He knows about the murder and he's willing to make a witness statement, so I am told. I haven't seen him yet but he should be here in a few moments."
"OK. Let's get a room organised and bring him straight through when he gets here."
On the way to the interview room, Martin relayed some of the flavour of the press conference. Mark smiled grimly and said,
"So not too bad then!"
"Could have been worse I suppose - but not much."
Mark filled Martin in with the latest information - mainly post mortem examination confirmation of the cause of death and an approximate time. He also had a piece of good news. They had located the whereabouts of Peter Collins and he was being kept under observation. There was a good chance that they would be able to question him later that evening. Martin smiled at this news although his heart sank at the prospect of having to stay overnight in Birmingham. Martin did not dislike hotels but he preferred the bed at home much better and even more the prospect of having his lover, Tom, cuddled close beside him. These thoughts were interrupted by the news that Billy Cranfield had arrived at the entrance to the police station. Mark asked for the young man to be brought to the interview suite.
As soon as Billy Cranfield entered the room both Mark and Martin realised why it was that Joe Smith had been fooled into believing him to be older than he was. The teenager was very tall and had a mature look that would make him pass for nearer 21 than his true age of 17. Martin indicated that the teenager should sit down and then introduced himself and his Inspector. Billy had a serious expression on his face, no doubt aware of the seriousness of the circumstances of his interview. When asked to confirm his identity by Mark, the teenager replied in a strong voice, which again belied his youth. Martin tried to identify the accent he could detect in the voice and concluded that it was a kind of transatlantic twang. Looking at the preparatory notes, Martin realised that Billy had lived in Canada in his early years and this explained his accent. Finally, before the formal statement was discussed, Martin confirmed that Billy was present at the interview voluntarily and only to make a witness statement. He also added that Billy was not under arrest although he had been formally cautioned as a protection to himself and that the teenager was free to leave at any time. Then Martin began the questioning which enabled him to confirm Joe Smith's account of the evening before. The details given by Billy matched those of Joe almost exactly. Martin then turned to the events after Billy had been dropped off at the lay-by.
"Billy, did you go straight home?"
"Yes, I did not want to be late. My parents don't know about me and I didn't want to have to answer too many questions. If I was late they would be bound to ask."
"But you did see Joe Smith drive out of the car park and there was no other vehicle or person there at the time?"
"Yes .. Yes, I did."
At this point Mark who had been taking notes on what had been said then produced a photograph of Paul Laycock the latest victim and placed it on the table in front of Billy who looked slightly shocked.
"Do you know this man? Have you ever met or seen him?"
Billy stared at the photo for a few moments and then replied,
"Yes I know who he is .. I mean was. Why would anyone kill him? He was harmless."
Billy then told the officers of his few encounters with the late Paul Laycock. It appeared that Billy had first encountered Paul a year or so before his death. Billy and a friend from school had got an early bus from school and had walked through the park near their home and at Billy's suggestion had slipped into the toilets for a quick wank. They had been wanking themselves for a few minutes when the other boy noticed someone watching them from inside one of the cubicles. This boy had alerted Billy and had bolted from the toilets, followed more slowly by Billy. The second time Billy had been alone at the same toilet and Paul had been there and had watched as Billy wanked himself off. The final time had been a few weeks prior to Paul's death when a third encounter had taken place. Again Paul had watched as Billy wanked off but this time had also wanked himself off as well. At no time did Paul threaten or ask to touch Billy and Billy had concluded that Paul just liked to watch and sometimes be watched himself. Billy had not seen Paul since that time and certainly not on the night of his death and he could think of no reason why anyone would want to kill someone as harmless and lonely as Paul.
Martin acknowledged Billy's account with a curt nod and then Billy asked,
"Will Joe get into trouble over what I've told you? I hope he won't and I hope I won't either. I want to help solve the murder not get a kindly man into trouble. I led him on you know."
"I think you've said enough, Billy. Strictly speaking he has committed a crime", replied Martin, "but whether anything is done about it will be down to the local police. Now before you leave let's get this statement written out and signed."
Billy nodded and started to write out his account of the events of the night before. Once this had been completed and signed, Martin gave Billy his card and said that if the teenager thought of anything else, however trivial, he should contact him immediately. Billy readily agreed that he would. Once the formalities had been completed and Martin warned him that they might need to speak to him again it was arranged for a police car to take Billy home. After the teenager had left, Mark looked at Martin and they seemed to agree that the youngster had been as honest as he could and genuinely wanted to help. Neither of them discussed the possibility that both Billy and Joe could be in trouble over their activities of the night before. Instead Mark got up and said to his superior officer,
"Well, sir, how about a cup of tea and then let's go and talk to Peter Collins? What do you say?"
Martin nodded his agreement and a little later the two police officers were drinking large mugs of canteen tea. As soon as they had finished, they walked back towards their car and made good progress through the heavy afternoon traffic towards the Exhibition Centre and their confrontation with Peter Collins. At the Centre the two senior officers made themselves known to the plain-clothes officers that had been keeping Peter Collins under observation.
"Hasn't really done anything suspicious, sir. Looks quite at home and not a care in the world. Had a few interested parties on his stand and talked with his colleagues. In fact, nothing unusual to report at all sir."
"Thank you, constable", said Mark, "you can go off now. The Super and I will take over from here."
"Thanks sir."
Mark walked forward and spoke to Peter Collins and Martin from the side of the stand saw the colour drain from the sales executive's face. Mark walked Peter to where Martin was waiting and the superintendent indicated that he was happy to wait until the exhibition formally closed before speaking to Peter Collins.
"That's OK, Mr Collins, we'll wait until five o'clock and then we'll speak to you. If your colleagues ask, tell them we want to talk about you being a witness to a road accident."
Mark and Martin sat down in a refreshment area near to where Peter Collins' stand was. They each took time to assess him. Peter Collins was about 40 years old, strongly built, tall, dark and handsome. He was in both their minds a far more likely suspect than Joe Smith had been. Collins could easily have overpowered a victim and carried them to their final resting place, whereas Joe was rather more slightly built and gave the impression of little physical strength. As they sat together Mark raised an issue that he had wanted to raise before but had only just decided he could do so in safety.
"Sir, do you know what's bothering me about all this?"
"Let me guess, Mark', replied Martin. "if I were you I would be wondering about three things. First where are the victims' clothing? Second, where are the missing genitals? And, finally, how easy is it to carry a body to the locations in which they have been found?"
"Absolutely, sir. Plus what connects the victims and what is the motive for the killings. The killer's obviously angry but what about?"
"I guess my answer to these questions is that when we know the answers we'll know who the killer is."
"Do you have any ideas yet sir?"
"Not really, Mark. But here are some thoughts. If as we assume our killer travels around a lot I guess it should be easy to dump the clothes somewhere on the way. Little risk of being caught really, especially if it is miles from the scene of the crime. Body parts are harder but again plenty of canals, rivers, lakes, even the sea to choose as a dumping ground. You'd need strength to carry the body to its dumping ground but he's been careful to choose places where he can park in safety and have cover and access to open ground. Probably wears some form of boiler suit or other protective clothing and disposes of that after each murder, just in case there are any clues. He's clever and resilient, resourceful and above all ruthless. As to motive, well anger at his victims for some reason, anger with himself for being gay, something from his past. Up until tonight I might have gone with the idea that it was anger at the young: all the victims have been under 30 but Paul Laycock wasn't. Also it doesn't answer the question about the removal of the genitals. What do you think?"
"Can't say I disagree with that analysis so do we have a suspect that fits the bill? In my view Joe Smith is not a serious contender, he's too small and weedy to carry a body and did not give the impression of being angry about very much. Graeme Adams and our friend over there, Peter Collins I think they could do such a thing. However Adams has always managed to have an alibi of sorts and we've yet to hear from Collins. If this is the choice I think I'll pass at this stage."
"Very wise, Mark. Don't let's jump to conclusions or eliminate anybody just yet. Ah, good, the exhibition seems to be closing let's go and talk to Peter Collins."
As the two police officers approached the cheerful expression on Peter Collins' face faded but he forced a smile and told his colleague that he would see them at the bar in a few minutes. Then Peter Collins looked at the policemen and said,
"Where shall we go. I'd rather we were private."
"So would we, Mr Collins', responded Mark.
Mark had already arranged for a small office to be available for him and Martin and they walked the short distance to it in silence. Once they had reached the office and settled in the not very comfortable chairs, Mark began by explaining why they wanted to speak to Peter and how they had tracked him down to Birmingham as a result of talking to his wife. Somewhat reluctantly Peter Collins confirmed that he had attended one of Graeme Adams' parties and that from time to time on his travels he had gone to gay clubs and pubs. Peter also confirmed that this secret life was not something his wife was aware of. Mark asked Peter about what he had done the previous night. Peter explained that he had arrived at his hotel (which proved to be the same one where Joe Smith was staying) and had gone to his room. At this point Peter became somewhat agitated as he obviously fought with himself over whether to tell the police everything. He decided on honesty. The room he had booked was a double room and he had booked it in order to spend the night with another rep in an entirely different line of business. The other man, Ed Wilson, had arrived shortly after Peter and they had planned to spend the evening together: having dinner and then a night in bed together. They had done this before on several occasions but on this particular evening Ed had arrived in a foul mood and they had argued and in the course of the argument Peter had felt the need to leave. Peter had left Ed in the room and gone out to his car and had driven around for some time. He had ended up at a pub and had a drink and then driven back to the hotel. He did not know exactly what time it was, probably after midnight when he had got back. He had gone to his room where Ed was still there, very contrite and they had made up and sealed their reconciliation with lovemaking.
Martin leaned forward and asked quietly,
"What was the argument about, Mr Collins?"
Peter Collins looked slightly startled, hesitated for a moment and then responded,
"Everything and nothing. Everything I said, he said the opposite; everything I suggested we do, he wanted something else. Finally he said that I was not really interested in him as a person and all I wanted him for was sex. I was so hurt and angry at that remark, I wanted to hit him, but I didn't. I got up, slammed the door and went out."
Mark's took over the questioning,
"Do you know the name of the pub that you went to? Did anyone see you there to confirm when you were there?"
"Only the landlord but I don't remember the name of the pub. I know I drove for quite a while and that I drove to the south. I was very upset. I had calmed down by the time I got to the pub. It took me a long time to drive back to the hotel I do remember that."
"On your travels, did you see or meet this man?" Mark showed Peter a photograph of Paul Laycock.
"No. I did not see him last night. I've never ever seen him in my life."
"You say you got back to the hotel some time after midnight and had sex with Ed Wilson on your return." Mark tried hard to conceal his disapproval and almost succeeded. "Will he be able to confirm that?"
"Of course."
"Good, will he still be at the hotel tonight?"
"No, he was due back in London tonight. He left after breakfast. I suggest you call his office, they will know where he will be."
Peter Collins wrote the number on a piece of paper and handed it to Mark. Mark took it and fished in his pocket for his card.
"Here's my card. If you remember anything else especially the name of the pub give me a call."
Martin nodded at Mark and then rounded off the interview,
"Well that's all for now, Mr Collins. Oh, except, would you mind if we looked in the boot of your car?"
"It's full of junk and rubbish I 'm off to another exhibition back in North London later this week and then I'll be visiting clients, but if you want to, of course you can."
Peter led the police officers to the car park and pointed out his Volvo Estate car. He opened the back and it looked like a tip in there. Mark tried to make an examination of the contents but the boxes were heavy and full. Peter looked on,
"Are you looking for anything specific?"
"No, that's fine, Mr Collins." Mark replied.
Martin smiled at his inspector and then turned to Peter Collins,
"Thank you Mr Collins, you've been very helpful."
Mark and Martin turned away and walked back towards their own car. Mark looked at Martin and said,
"Do you buy his story. I don't think he's in the clear at all."
Martin nodded,
"Very thin alibi and nothing to support it. Yes I agree we can't rule him out. He had time to kill Paul Laycock and get back to the hotel even on his own account of what happened. He's also got a temper and he's a strong man."
"Yes", replied Mark "and someone with a secret that he may feel guilt over. But why Paul Laycock and not Ed Wilson?"
"Wilson would eventually lead back to him but I agree we are a long way from finding a motive."
The two police officers had by now reached their car and they drove back to the police station to see if there had been any further developments. Mark also telephoned Ed Wilson's office and was informed that he was on the road and would not be back and available to meet the police until later in the week. Mark and Martin had tacitly agreed that they too would return to London unless there was something pressing to keep them in Birmingham or send them further north. As there was not, they prepared to return south. Mark was pleased to be going home. He wanted to see his wife Ruth who was due to give birth at any time. Mark was concerned that he would not be in time to get to the hospital for the birth. Martin was aware that Mark wanted to be present at the birth of what would be his first child and had promised the inspector that if at all possible he would ensure that he was. Mark telephoned his home and spoke to his wife Ruth who assured him that all was well and that there was no sign of the baby yet.
Meanwhile Martin also wanted to get back to see Tom. Like Mark, Martin telephoned home to tell Tom that he was on his way. Tom was not in so Martin left a message. The rest of the journey was spent in comparative silence, each man digesting the events of the day and the information that had been gathered. Once back at Scotland Yard, Martin told Mark that he could go home and look after his wife. Martin, however, needed to talk to his superiors and discuss the next move. He had things to report and still the lead to Ed Wilson to follow up but he had to admit that there was no real breakthrough. Martin had several suspects but not an ounce of proof. The superintendent was certain that the killer would make a mistake, eventually. However, the problem was how many more victims would there have to be before he did. Martin was convinced that the killer was a man even though there might be the possibility of a woman such as a scorned wife in the case of Peter Collins. Martin had a long debrief with the Commander and felt reassured that his immediate superior still believed he was the best man for the job and that nobody could have do or would do more to catch the killer. Martin was cheered by this news and as he made his way home he was in a far better mood that he had been for some time. Martin bought a bottle of quite expensive wine, which he intended he and Tom should drink over dinner before they retired to bed and the chance to have some sexual release.
When Martin arrived home, Tom who had got his message and was already cooking one of his special meals. Martin and he embraced in the kitchen and then Martin opened his bottle of wine and he sat watching his lover cook as they both sipped their drinks. The meal was superb and the wine complemented it extremely well but both men were anxious to move on. Rather like their early period together or like indulgent teenagers the pair began to entwine themselves around each other in the living room. Tom lay back on the sofa and pulled Martin on top of him, roughly undoing his older lover's belt and unzipping his trousers. Martin opened his legs wider to give Tom full access to his already rampant prick. Tom groaned with pleasure and whispered to Martin how much he had missed him as his hands delved deeper inside and sought to free the throbbing meat from the material that covered it. Martin was also attempting to strip Tom at the same time and so there was a confusion of arms and legs that only ended with both men falling off the sofa onto the floor in fits of giggles.
Martin took advantage of this moment as he recovered first and quickly removed Tom's clothes, exposing the younger man's hard uncut cock. Martin engulfed the head between his lips and used them to slowly roll back Tom's foreskin. As he did so, Martin skilfully licked out his lover's piss slit and began to smear the exposing glans with a mixture of his saliva and the pre-cum. By now Tom had managed to strip Martin and he was responding to the treatment he was receiving by mirroring the action on Martin's prick. Tom loved the velvety feel of Martin's cut cock as it entered his mouth between his thick lips. Martin had worked his mouth down the length of Tom's cock and had taken first one, then the other ball into his mouth before moving on to lick along the ridge that led to the entrance to Tom's love channel. Tom pushed Martin down onto the floor and repositioned himself so that he could kneel with his cock and hole within easy access of Martin's mouth. Tom loved to be rimmed and knew that the treatment he was about to receive would be a prelude to a slow fucking. Tom leaned forward so that he could resume his oral ministrations to Martin's dick and prepare his lover's man tool for entry into him. Both men were naked and moaning and Tom, after years of practice, knew exactly the right moment to change positions. Sensing that the moment was imminent, Tom quickly reversed his position. The younger man hovered for a moment over the stiff missile that pointed up from Martin's groin and then lowered himself onto it.
Martin groaned with please as he felt Tom's hole open to receive him and even more so as he felt his lover slide down the pre-cum soaked shaft until he was completely inside. Tom looked down at martin and grinned and then slowly but surely he rose up the shaft until only the head remained inside him before slamming down again. Martin loved this position and always enjoyed it when Tom rode him in this way. Martin reached up and ran his hands over the chest and teasing the Tom's erect nipples as his lover's body rose and fell. Martin wondered if there was any way that he could manage to get his body in position to take Tom in his mouth, something he had been able to do years before. Now his body seemed less supple than in days gone by but somehow he managed to conjure up a position from which he could take just the head of Tom's cock in between his lips. Every time Tom's body slid up and down his lover's prick, Martin's mouth was getting a gentle fucking also. Their breathing was getting more ragged, Tom was hitting Martin's prostate with regularity and making the older man's dick throb and both were beginning to feel the electric start of impending orgasm. Martin began to wank Tom's shaft as an indication that he was himself close to shooting. Tom went faster up and down and squeezed Martin's shaft feeling the telltale sign that he was about to be filled with his lover's ball cream. Martin tried to grip the head of Tom's throbbing cock tighter with his lips and then he felt his piss slit widen, his balls tighten and spunk began to shoot all over the inside of Tom's love channel. Seconds later Martin tasted the response from tom as the younger man fired ropes of jizz into Martin's swallowing throat and over his tongue. The intensity of the moment seemed to last for several minutes but in reality for far less before both men fell back exhausted but satisfied.
Later, as they lay contentedly in each other's arms, Martin related to Tom the most recent details of his investigation. He did not hold back anything certain that anything he did tell Tom would be held in strictest confidence. Tom listened intently to what was being said and then offered some comments of his own.
"So far, Marty, (Tom was the only person on earth that Martin would allow to use this diminutive) you have only considered three potential suspects -- four if you include the guy you haven't spoken to yet -- what if the killer is someone completely different?" Martin smiled and replied,
"Yes I thought of that possibility, but I am convinced that the gay clubs and pubs is where the killer goes to find his victims. If that is so we need someone who can travel and knows his way around the gay scene. Yes, a straight gay basher or killer is a possibility and I haven't completely discounted it, but again I think it less probable."
"OK but you've also considered the possibility that the killer is angry, possibly at himself for being gay and that he takes his guilt out on his victims. What if you reversed that and asked yourself what if it's the victims' fault and that they may have made the killer angry? What, for instance if they came on to him and he reacted to their advances? I don't know got a hard-on looking at him or something"
"I did consider that but I cannot find anything to suggest that the victims did not met their killer willingly."
"OK do the victims have anything in common that might have cause him to get angry?"
"Not really. So far they have all been white and until the last victim under thirty. I thought initially it was an old/young thing but the last death changed that."
"Could Paul Laycock's killing have been an accident, an aberration, a mistake or a red herring?"
"On balance, I don't think so. The details were too precise for a copycat killing or an attempt to disguise it as something it wasn't. And I think that goes for your other suggestions. I'm sure it was the same guy and if I could crack why they are being killed it might help me find the killer. I think there must be something these victims have in common but we'll just have to keep digging until we find it -- or until our man makes a mistake."
"Well, let's both sleep on it and maybe it'll seem more hopeful in the morning."
Tom leaned over and kissed Martin full on the lips and Martin responded. Neither was in the mood to take this any further and as they parted they both lay back and slipped slowly into sleep. Tom as usual slept deeply but Martin's rest was more fitful as he turned over in his mind what possible connection there was between the victims. He was sure there was one and that it was not all that difficult to spot but as he finally fell unconscious no simple solution had yet come to him. His final thought was that maybe something would turn up from the interview with Ed Wilson later in the week.
TO BE CONTINUED...
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