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 8
As soon as Martin got into his office, he asked Bob Matthews to come in for a discussion. Bob, as usual, had been the first one of the team to arrive and had prepared a note on the activities of the team during Martin's absence. Surveillance of the four suspects had continued but there was nothing of any great value to report from the previous day but Bob had prepared a summary for Martin all the same. As soon as he had handed this over to his superior officer, the Inspector asked Martin about his visit to Cardiff.
"It went well Bob, thanks. I have a couple of jobs for you. Davy Williams gave me a box of stuff to go along with the files from the Cardiff force. Look through all of it will you, see if you can find anything of interest or that might give us a lead. Do the files first, the box seems to be largely personal belongings of the dead kid, mainly notes on his work and a few newspaper clippings."
Martin handed the material over to Bob who looked genuinely pleased to have something to get his teeth into.
"I'll start right away, sir. Maybe the Cardiff lot missed something, you never know. Or maybe it'll only make sense in the context of what we now know." Bob turned to leave, but Martin stopped him,
"Before you go, Bob. There's another job. And I want you to give this priority. Can you find out how many of the victims were circumcised? I know they had their genitals removed but there should be other records about them - medical records. Find out and let me know. If you have to contact family relatives, although only as a last resort."
Bob looked slightly surprised at the request and Martin thought he deserved an explanation.
"We've been searching for something to link the victims but not yet found it. What if they were all circumcised? That would link them. We've surmised that there was something that triggered an angry response in the killer. Maybe something as simple as this could be the answer. There are people out there who are offended by circumcision and others who are jealous of it. A casual remark made partially in jest last night by Tom after Mark told mew that their boy was to be circumcised - his wife is Jewish as you probably know - set me thinking. On the tube it struck me again and it's an avenue worth exploring. I know it still doesn't tell us who the murderer is but if we go on digging we might find a linkage."
Bob nodded his head gravely acknowledging the delicacy of his task and left the room. Within moments Bob was on the telephone and gathering together the information Martin had requested.
Across London, Graeme Adams opened the curtains of his apartment and looked down to see which officer was tailing him that day. Graeme rather fancied one of the younger officers, a tall blond man of about his own age. It was indeed the young officer that Graeme fancied and he was tempted to give the young man a cheery wave. However, Graeme had other plans for the day as he regarded the surveillance operation on him as something of a game and he took great pleasure in outwitting the police. There would be time for that later because asleep in his bed was the naked form of another attractive young man in his early twenties whom Graeme had met at a bar the night before. It had not taken Graeme long to persuade the young man to join him for the night. The young man was stirring as the light streamed into the room and he regained consciousness.
"What time is it? It must still be early. Come back to bed Graeme I want to have you one more time."
Graeme smiled at the younger man's insatiable appetite and returned to the bed where he was bundled onto his back and for the third or fourth time impaled on the long thin cock of his latest lover. The young man's cock was hard and made its way unerringly towards the waiting hole. He had already covered its length with a lubricated condom and pressed forward to invade Graeme's love channel. Graeme moaned as the long thin tool entered him and easily slid up the well-greased tunnel. The young man began to move in and out with a slow rhythm, gradually picking up speed. Graeme responded by pushing back hard to meet the inward thrusts. Although he preferred being a top, Graeme was versatile and loved to be fucked from time to time. Graeme had already shot four loads that night and the way things were going a fifth was not beyond the bounds of probability.
"Oh yes!! Fuck me hard and deep, baby!!", Graeme crooned as the rampant cock drove into him relentlessly.
The young man also spoke between harsh intakes of breath,
"Feel my man tool ripping inside you!! Fucking you and driving you mad!!!"
Graeme groaned in apparent pleasure as the young man powered his way to yet another orgasm. As the dick throbbed inside his love channel Graeme worked his hand up and down his own rampant shaft and the pair reached their point of no return almost simultaneously. Graeme's cum had shot only a short distance out of his piss slit and trickled down onto his stomach and moments later his younger partner slumped forward on top of him, worn out by all his sexual activities. The young man rolled off Graeme and the pair lay panting side by side in the bed before slowly drifting off into a post-coital sleep. The pair slept for about an hour before Graeme once again was awake and his companion was also stirring. Graeme grinned at the young man and said,
"You are one insatiable fucker!! And I love it. I hope you'll stay over until tomorrow but first I have a job for you."
Over coffee and toast, Graeme explained his plan to the young man in great detail. Once he was sure that what was needed was clear and well understood, Graeme suggested that they prepare to carry out the plan at noon. The young man and Graeme showered together and although temptation came to the minds of both of them, Graeme ensured that their minds remained focussed on the plan he had just outlined. However, Graeme promised that there would be plenty of time to celebrate in bed once it had been successfully executed. Eventually, the pair emerged from the shower, dried themselves and got dressed slowly and then all was in place to put the plan into action.
Just before noon, Graeme watched as the young man - he still did not know his name, nor for that matter did he care all that much - left his flat and made his way down to the underground parking area. A few minutes later Graeme's car emerged from the ramp leading down to the garage and drove off down the road. Standing back from the window but still able to see clearly, Graeme watched as the police car parked down the street from his apartment block pulled out and followed the car driven by his young accomplice. 'So far, so good', thought Graeme who waited several more minutes before following the same route of his young lover. In the garage, Graeme got into a fairly undistinguished family saloon car and drove away in it. John, the young man driving Graeme's car, did exactly as he had been instructed and took a long detour until he got to the location where he had been told to leave the car, a multi-storey car park close to a shopping centre complex. Luck was with him as his police 'tail' was several cars behind him as he climbed the ramp into the car park. This gave John more time than had been expected to get to the top storey, park the car and go back down to the shopping area, as Graeme had instructed him to do.
The next part of the operation would make or break it. Graeme had gone a shorter way to the shopping centre and entered the car park about ten minutes later. He drove the second car round the top storey of the car park and checked that his tail was not there. Once he was certain he parked the saloon next to his other car, got into it and drove back to his apartment. He would have loved to see the lovely face of his favourite copper when the young officer realised that the car he was supposed to be following had vanished! Graeme made it back to his underground car park and, as expected, he waited several minutes before a second police car came down the road and officers went into the car park and returned to radio in the fact that Graeme was back at home. The young officer had, of course 'lost' the suspect, as he was not in the shopping centre. The poor officer had looked everywhere but to no avail, He returned to his car and was further upset by the absence of Graeme's car. The young officer did see a young man in a saloon next to the vacant parking space and went over to him.
"Excuse me, but you didn't see a big car parked here when you parked here?"
John, who really wanted to smile and give the game away remained straight faced as instructed by Graeme and replied,
"No mate. There was nothing here when I arrived in this car."
At this point the officer radioed in the news that he had lost Graeme as John listened rather smugly. John also noticed that the officer was quite attractive but he knew better than to press the point. In any case he had more things to do. John drove his car out of the car park and took it to a quiet street where it could be safely left and picked up after dark. Then, having changed into different clothes the young man returned to the apartment block where Graeme lived. He rang the buzzer and a triumphant Graeme was on hand to welcome him back into his flat and not long after into his bed for a celebratory session that lasted late into the night.
The other three suspects were nothing like as troublesome as Graeme. Although vaguely aware that they were being tailed none of them treated it as a game and at least two of them were slightly unnerved by it. Joe Smith had got up early, taken his mother her breakfast and then driven to his lorry. He had a two day round trip to north of Birmingham and wanted an early start. An unmarked police car followed him to the Lorry Park and then others followed him to his destination. Although uncertain which car was the police, Joe knew that they were there and this greatly curtailed his chances of a pick-up and sex on the way. This was disappointing because he usually managed to find a willing hitchhiker on this route. He comforted himself with the thought that what he conserved on this trip he would more than expend the following week when he was off to the West Country for a series of short haul jobs based on Bath. Joe liked Bath and the pickings there were always good and there was to be another disco there featuring that DJ he liked, Graeme Adams. Despite this outward bravado, Joe was greatly troubled by the surveillance operation.
So too was Peter Collins. Peter had chosen to spend much of the previous few days working from home. He had deliberately not given his wife any indication that he had been interviewed by the police in connection with a murder investigation, but she had found out that something was wrong. The first indication that he was under surveillance had come soon after he had seen Martin Roberts and the closeness of this attention had unnerved Peter Collins. His wife, who often left the house before Peter was up and about, had reported to Peter that on leaving for work she had noticed an unfamiliar car parked close to their gate. It had been there when she returned. Stephanie, Peter's wife, had suggested that they call the police, as she was afraid that the car might belong to potential burglars. Peter suggested that maybe it was the police, who were probably keeping watch in case the burglars that had been operating in their area targeted the houses in their vicinity. However, when the burglars had been caught and the strange car was still there, this explanation fell apart. The following day, Stephanie's car was due to go in for servicing and she drove Peter's car to work and was rather scared to find that the car had followed her all the way to her office. She called Peter and again asked for the police to be informed, this time frightened that as a rich woman she might be the target of a kidnap attempt. Later Stephanie phoned Peter at home to ask why his car had been followed as the car driver would not have known he was not driving, but she could nor really believe that Peter was a likely kidnap target. Peter told his wife that he had called the police and that they had said that the car was one of their unmarked vehicles but that on the day in question it had been used for training purposes. The police apologised for the distress caused to Stephanie and promised it would not happen again. Stephanie was only slightly pacified by this explanation but accepted it and the police became rather more careful in the way in which they handled the surveillance of Peter Collins. Peter, however, knew that he would be followed everywhere and was, like Joe, concerned that his activities would be curtailed when he was next away. This trip was due to take place in a few days when he was set to attend a training conference just outside Bath.
The only one of the four that appeared to be either unaware of, or unaffected by, the surveillance he was under was Ed Wilson. He had carried on his normal routine. He had spent a couple of days on paperwork in his head office and had been on a sales trip around part of his area. One night had been spent in a motel. There Ed had managed to pick up one of the waiters in the nearby restaurant and the pair had engaged in a sexual romp for several hours after the restaurant had closed. (The police officer that reported this declined to add further embellishments to his report.) The young waiter had emerged from the motel in the early hours and driven away on his motorcycle and Ed had left before breakfast the next day. Ed had then spent a further day at head office in preparation for attending the same training conference as Peter Collins.
Martin read the surveillance reports and his displeasure at the merry dance his officers were being led by Graeme Adams was tempered slightly by a further report from Bob Matthews. Bob had spent a large part of the day following up medical records and other information about the victims. He was now in a position to report that every one of the victims had, indeed, been circumcised, although he was not entirely certain how this information would advance the enquiry. Martin nodded at Bob and thanked him for his speedy efforts. Almost to himself but also partially to Bob, Martin said,
"Well at least we know for certain now what it is that links the victims. All we have to do now is to find out how this links them to the killer."
"Should we get them in and ask them, sir?" Bob interjected.
"Not just yet, Bob. I don't think. We need to keep digging. There must be something about one of them that will give us a linkage. I don't think asking someone 'why are you angered by the sight of a circumcised dick?' is likely to bring us much of a result, do you?"
"No Sir. I was sort of thinking aloud. Another possibility might be to use a decoy, you know, someone who's circumcised to see if any of them react. Not me, I don't qualify but I'm sure there must be a few who do and who might be willing to risk it."
"Well, you may be right and I am sure there would be willing volunteers who do qualify as you put it but there are dangers even if we could find a suitable volunteer. He could not be protected as fully as I'd like and we might get ourselves embroiled in a charge of entrapment. I won't rule it out completely but again I think I'd rather hold back on this one for the moment. Thanks all the same."
Rather crestfallen, Bob responded,
"Well, perhaps I'd be better employed sifting through Darren Evans' belongings. I'll work over the weekend on it and see if I can find out anything at all and report back to you then. Will Mark be back soon?"
Martin nodded and then responded, not unkindly,
"Good idea, Bob. It's already late, why don't you take it home with you? Thanks for all you've done so efficiently you deserve a break. Yes, I believe Mark will be here on Tuesday. I'll know more tonight, Tom and I are going to see him and the baby."
A look of almost relief passed over Bob Matthews' face as the news of the imminence of Mark's return sunk in. Bob had enjoyed his time as chief assistant to Mark but he had found it a strain and he much preferred the duller more routine jobs. Bob would enjoy his weekend sifting through the box of belongings that was all that remained of Darren Evans' brief life.
Martin and Tom had been invited round to see young David Jamieson and his proud parents for later that evening. They had accepted with pleasure and Martin was keen not to break the date. He too wanted to get off early and, having ensured that everyone knew how to contact him had made his way home only a few minutes after Bob Matthews had left. Martin hoped that the weekend would be a quiet one, especially as he wanted to think over the next move in the hunt for the killer. He also hoped to have some time to talk things over with Tom, not just the about the case but also whether he had been serious about the question of children. On investigations, Martin found Tom a great help both because he was a good listener but also because he often had thoughtful insights that helped crack open the hardest issues. On the question of he and Tom adopting children, Martin was less certain. He was not against the idea but could think of a million practical difficulties that might arise. As yet Martin was not ready to retire from the police force and he was not convinced that Tom would be prepared to give up work either, despite his lover's assertion that he could work from home and be a consultant.
All this would wait until after their visit to see Mark and his family. Tom was already home when Martin got there and they prepared to leave for Mark's cosy family house in the suburbs, north of their own apartment. Fortunately the Friday evening traffic was going in the other direction and they were soon at Mark's house. Over drinks before supper, the four adults chatted amiably about the new baby, then asleep. The peaceful conversation was shattered by a loud series of cries from the adjacent room and the effective lungpower of David Jamieson was once again in evidence. Martin glanced at Tom and exchanged a look that implied that Martin doubted that Tom would be able to cope with such noisy interventions. Tom shrugged and moments later began to purr over the sight of mother and baby as they re-appeared in the room. The baby was less noisy now and seemed to be pacified by his mother's presence, no doubt implying that food and nourishment would soon be forthcoming. Ruth carried the child into the kitchen and all was quiet again.
Martin took the opportunity to fill Mark and Tom in on the developments in the case. Both agreed with Martin that Bob's suggestions were premature and that more work needed to be done before the list of suspects could be narrowed down. Mark also pointed out that at least one of the prime suspects, Graeme Adams, owed much of his good fortune and present position to a man of obvious Jewish origin. However, Mark's assertion that this could be regarded as evidence of no prejudice against circumcision was countered by Tom rather pointedly saying that Graeme's benefactor had died suddenly and that Graeme might feel deep resentment at this loss. At this point the conversation ceased as Ruth returned to the room and announced that now that the baby was fed, they too could now eat. Over the meal Ruth gave a brief account of the ceremony to be conducted on the following Monday and the role Martin was to play. Martin nodded and said he would do his best in unfamiliar surroundings and that he was looking forward with greater enthusiasm to the party afterwards.
As they drove home, Martin and Tom exchanged few words but sat in a comfortable silence. Once home they retired to bed and made love gently and quietly and then fell asleep with their bodies intertwined. The rest of the weekend passed in comparative peace until they had to return to work. As they got dressed and prepared to go to work, both Martin and Tom agreed that they had thoroughly enjoyed the relaxing weekend and that they regretted such weekends did not occur more often. As both Tom and Martin had already booked a half day off to be able to attend David's circumcision, they agreed to meet back at the flat and that Tom would drive them both to the ceremony and on to the party afterwards. Before he left Scotland Yard for his afternoon off, Martin had received two interesting reports. The first was the surveillance reports that indicated that three of the four suspects, Joe Smith, Peter Collins and Ed Wilson were on the move that morning and each of them seemed to be heading westwards. Further checking showed that the fourth suspect, Graeme Adams, was also due in Bath later in the day. Martin alerted the Bath police and left a contact number and also asked his surveillance teams to report in once they knew where the other three were staying. The second report was from Bob Matthews to say that he had been taken ill with a stomach bug at the weekend and had made little progress with sorting Darren Evans' belongings. Although Bob felt better (which to Martin's certain knowledge meant that the Inspector felt absolutely dreadful) he had decided to stay at home and come back in on the Tuesday but would call Martin if anything of significance turned up. Martin told Bob that he would not be at work after lunch but Bob could leave a message on his home number if anything urgent cropped up.
To their surprise the traffic was heavier than expected and Martin and Tom only just made it to the ceremony in time. Once the ceremony had been performed, the guests returned to Mark and Ruth's house where food and drink was freely available. Martin and Tom made good use of both especially as it avoided the regular need for one or other of them to cook. Before they left, Mark told Martin that provided there were no unforeseen events, he would be back at work early the following morning. Mark was unsure whether it was the case but he thought he saw a glimmer of relief flash over Martin's face. Then Martin and Tom thanked Ruth and said general goodbyes to the other guests before driving home. When they got in, Martin said that as Tom had been driving and had not drunk as much as he had, he would get his lover a well-deserved large glass of gin and tonic. Martin went into the kitchen and prepared another drink for himself and Tom, and then carried the two glasses into their living room. After a short while the couple decided that they would prefer to finish their drinks in bed and so retired to their bedroom. The lovers lay together sipping their drinks and interspersed this activity with playful foreplay in anticipation of further love making. Once the drinks were consumed, Martin and Tom made love before quietly drifting off to sleep.
It was not until the next morning that Martin noticed the answer machine was flashing something he had failed to notice the night before. He was about to run back the tape and listen to the message when the phone rang. Martin got a strange feeling as he answered the call, instinctively knowing that the news was not going to be good. At the other end of the line a West Country accent could be heard as Martin gave his name.
"Good morning, sir, Tomkins, Inspector from Bath City Police Station. Sorry to call at this early hour but we've found a body. Looks like your killer has struck again."
Martin groaned at the news. He was devastated that after a lull there had been another murder and that he would have to plunge Mark back into the thick of things far earlier than was reasonable. Martin told the officer in Bath that he would be there as soon as possible and that the local CID should secure the scene and preserve it until his more specialist team could arrive. Then Martin dialled Mark's number and broke the bad news to his favourite Inspector. To his relief, Mark was round to pick up Martin in under twenty minutes and a few moments later they were heading out towards the motorway and the run to Bath. At that time in the morning they could make good time and be there almost before the day for most people had started. On the way Martin apologised to Mark for dragging him out so early and asked him to pass on his regrets to Ruth. Mark reassured the Superintendent that his wife and child both understood and that he was quite glad to have something to get his teeth into as he would stop fretting about missing what his young son was doing. Mark, as usual, drove the car and drove fast and as expected they arrived in a very good time indeed. They went straight to the central police station in Bath and picked up all the details before being driven to the murder scene.
The scene was all too familiar and was similar in location to the other ones, in open country but obscured from the main road by a lay-by and some trees. Martin and Mark walked over to where an area had been cordoned off and tented and were shown to where the body was still lying. It was obviously another victim of the serial killer. The victim was a short man, slightly over weight with grey balding hair. The body was naked and the genitals had been completely removed. Martin noticed something strange: the victim was quite elderly, probably over sixty the Superintendent guessed, and considerably older than any of the previous victims. The doctor told Martin that he had been asphyxiated and then taken to the spot where he was dumped. Martin nodded. He turned to Mark and said,
"What do you make of the age?"
"Yes, sir, I noticed that. There was that guy in Birmingham, but he was almost twenty years younger than this guy I'd guess."
"Me too, Mark. How old do you think he was, doc?"
"Can't be precise, but I'd say late fifties to early sixties."
"Thanks, doc. What about time of death?" Martin asked, knowing that the answer would be just as imprecise as the previous response.
"Difficult to say. I'll be more precise after we have him properly examined but I'd say between 8 p.m. and 1 a.m. but I should be able to narrow that down in my report."
"Very helpful", muttered Martin, "I think we can move the body now if the scenes of crime guys have finished. Come on, Mark. Let's get back to the station and see if our surveillance team have any news for us and whether there's been any progress of identifying the body."
The two police officers returned to the station and were given an office out of which to operate. Waiting at the police station when Mark and Martin arrived was a rather nervous young constable. He was tall and blond haired and, Martin thought, quite attractive. This young officer, Michael Rickwood, was the representative of the surveillance officers and had spent much of his time attempting to follow Graeme Adams. He had been in hot water the previous day for losing contact with his target and was rather fearful of this encounter with the Superintendent. Mark looked at the constable and told him to hang on for a few minutes. He and Martin then disappeared inside their office and shut the door. On the table there was a message which asked martin to ring Bob Matthews which Martin read but decided to leave until a bit later, as he wanted to press on with the investigation of the latest murder. Later, he would admit to himself, it was an error of judgement that at the time seemed justified.
"OK Mark see if you can hurry the locals with an identity for the victim. I'll see this Constable Rickwood and get his report. Send him in, will you?"
Mark left the room and a moment later there was a light tap on the door and Michael Rickwood stepped nervously into the room.
Martin greeted him in a friendly manner,
"Come on in, it's Michael, isn't it?"
"Mike, sir, yes."
"OK Mike. I see you're the one that Graeme Adams has been giving a rather torrid time too. He's a bit of a bastard isn't he? I hope you've brought better news today."
"I think I have, sir but it's not all good. The other officers sort of elected me to report to you."
Martin nodded and the young Constable began his report. The positive side was that all four suspects had been successfully followed to their destinations. Joe Smith had arrived first, had undertaken a few jobs and after he had finished for the day and secured his vehicle he then had booked into a cheap motel. He had not left the motel until about ten in the evening when he went to a well-known gay disco bar and spent several hours there before returning to the motel just before one in the morning. At the disco Joe had been observed for most of the time but there was a short period of no more than twenty or thirty minutes when he could not be located but the constable believed he had gone to the toilets or outside with a younger man. Joe had returned to his cheap hotel and had stayed there all night. He had left early in the morning collected his lorry and was currently continuing with the work that he had started the previous day. He was still under observation.
Peter Collins had arrived at his conference hotel in bath in the middle of the morning and had checked in and taken part in the proceedings. He had been joined at lunch time by Ed Wilson and the pair had spent some time together in Peter's room before they went on to the afternoon sessions of the conference. The pair had joined other delegates at dinner but had left early. Peter had returned to his room and then gone to the car park where he drove off into Bath and then on to the gay bar. He had been seen in the disco where he was joined some time around eleven by Ed Wilson. Wilson had driven off in the other direction from Bath and had been lost for a short while in the narrow lanes. He had then driven back to Bath and parked near the disco where he joined Peter. The pair left the bar separately but within a few minutes of each other and returned to their hotel. Later in the night Peter and Ed had met in Ed's room and stayed there until the morning. The pair had breakfasted together and, having checked out, had gone off to the remaining session of the conference. A police observer had been at the conference all the time and they would be followed back after they had left for home, probably after lunch.
Graeme Adams had been the last to arrive in bath, having driven at high speed from London. He had booked into a hotel and had then gone to the gay bar where he set up his disco. He returned to the hotel, ate dinner - alone - and then returned to the bar. Apart from a break of about fifty minutes around half-ten, Graeme had been in the bar all night. He had disappeared during his break but his car was in the car park all the time and he had been seen disappearing towards some bushes with a young man. After he had completed his evening stint, Graeme had driven back to his hotel and remained there until the morning. He had been seen leaving for home shortly after nine and was being tailed by an unmarked car.
Martin nodded at this news and asked a few questions but it was clear that there were some gaps in the surveillance and any one of the suspects had the opportunity, albeit at different times, to have met and killed the latest victim. Nevertheless, although it had not been perfect Martin indicated that he was happy that the police officers had done their best. It was obvious to Martin that because every minute of each of the suspects could not be accounted for, any one of them might have committed the murder. His inclination would have been to haul them all in for an interview but the news that most of them had already left Bath or were away from the city on business meant that this pleasure would have to be postponed. Despite his disappointment, the Superintendent thanked the young Constable Rickwood for his report and the officer blushed slightly as he made his retreat, relieved not to have been given a harder time.
Mark was waiting outside as Michael Rickwood came out and Martin motioned for the Inspector to come in and nodded at the retreating figure of the young officer.
"Quite a good lad that. Intelligent and thoughtful and, above all, honest. Gave me a 'warts and all' account of the surveillance and no covering up. When we have time I think we'll get him into the team and give one or two other officers a refresher course on the art of surveillance!"
If Mark had not liked Martin quite so much he might have put into words the thought that the young officer was rather good looking and that this lay at the heart of the Superintendent's suggestion concerning him. Martin paused for a moment and then went on,
"So, what have you found out Mark?"
"Well, sir, we think we have the identity of the victim but there's something strange about him. We think his name is Timothy Owen. He lived a reclusive life out in the country but was reported missing by the postman who could not get an answer when he tried to deliver a parcel this morning. There were lights on in the house and the door was ajar but no sign of Owen. He told the local bobby who got onto the boys here. Photos from the house confirm that he is the victim."
Martin nodded, acknowledging that they had at least got a name but then Mark continued,
"The strange thing is this. He's been in the area about nine years but nobody knows where he came from, or anything about his past. He seems to have few friends, occasionally drinks in the local pub, almost invariably alone and then one drink and off. Village gossip says that he worked abroad and came back but nobody seems to know much at all."
Martin listened to this information, thought to himself that there might be other explanations for the absence of any history, and then said,
"Sounds like a job for Bob Matthews. He loves a good ferret about digging into dark corners and turning up all sorts. I'll call him now and then I can find out what he wanted to tell me earlier."
"I agree, sir. Bob's good at that sort of thing and, by the way, he's rung again. Sound like it could be important."
Martin nodded and dialled the number. Bob Matthews answered at once and recognised Martin's voice. Before Martin could say anything, Bob exclaimed,
"At last, sir. I've been trying to get you since last night. I think I've found something in Darren's papers. I can't explain over the phone, you'll need to see it for yourself as soon as you get back to London!! I think it could be an important clue, maybe even the breakthrough we've been looking for!!"
"Sorry, Bob. I did get your message in Bath but we were tied up with this latest killing. Mark and I will settle things down here and we'll be back in London as soon as possible. We'll come straight to the Yard and meet you there."
Mark who had been listening on the speaker phone, looked at Martin and expressed in words what his superior officer was thinking,
"I wonder what Bob has found that is so important."
"Well, Mark", Martin responded, "the sooner we get back to London the sooner we'll find out."
Less than an hour later, having asked the local police to dig up anything they could find on the latest victim both before and after his arrival in the Bath area, Mark was driving Martin back to London. They were approaching the end of the motorway where the road narrows to two lanes prior to the elevated section when the traffic in front of them ground to a halt. It was the tail end of the rush hour and a vehicle had broken down and the tailback was very long. There was nothing to do but wait until it cleared so Martin used the in car radio to contact Bob Matthews and say that they were going to be late. Bob was still there but explained that he was already going to be late for a family engagement and Martin told him to get off and leave the information for him on his desk. Bob said that he had already written a short covering report and that it would be waiting for him and Mark when they eventually arrived.
TO BE CONTINUED...
If you liked this part of the story let me know cutrose40@yahoo.co.uk