Chapter 21.
*BANG* *BANG* *BANG* *BANG* *BANG*
“Come on Grace, open the door, it’s me Maria!”
Grace came running out of the kitchen as fast as her little legs would carry her. She opened the door to find a very flustered Maria.
“Oh Miss De Luca, I’m so glad you came. She’s upstairs. She won’t come out and has even asked me to bring up a fresh bottle of Jack Daniels and coke.”
“It’s like, what? 11 am in the morning?”
“I know Miss De Luca, that’s why I had to say something. She’s been like this for the last year now. It’s been getting progressively worse though. She started off by going to the doctor and getting what she calls ‘happy pills’, then the drinking started in the evening, which wasn’t bad but then I would catch her the following morning having what she called ‘a hair of the dog’. Now, if she isn’t asleep she’s too drunk to notice.”
“Is she up in her room?” asked Maria.
“Yes Miss, but I must warn you that it’s not a pretty sight. Like I said she hasn’t bathed in over a week, washed yes, but bathed no. Her hair is all matted and she has food stained clothes on.”
“What the hell has my cousin been doing to her?”
“Honestly?”
“Yes I want to know everything.”
“He’s been raping her on and off for the last year and a half.”
“HE’S WHAT!?” screamed Maria.
“The trouble started after her attack. He wanted her to quit work because he was worried about her travelling home late at night. Now of course Liz categorically refused to give up her job. It was her independence see but somehow he made a few phone calls and she was removed from her position. This of course had an effect on her and she loathed him for taking away her independence. He would be away on business a lot and that’s when the pills and drinking started.”
“So she was going to tell me all of this but my dickhead of a cousin threatened to harm me if she did?” asked Maria.
“I believe so Miss. You see he came home from a business trip that hadn’t gone too well. Liz was sleeping upstairs. It was one of her good days. She’d gotten up, showered and was getting ready to go out but she fell asleep on the bed. Apparently he came home and ... and forced himself on her. I noticed a massive bruise on her face the following morning and I could hear her screaming,” Grace started to sob as the memories of that day came back to haunt her.
“I’ve ... I’ve tried my best to be supportive. I’ve even tried to get her to leave but he just won’t allow it. She’s so scared I just don’t know what to do anymore.”
Maria marched up the stairs.
“Don’t worry Grace, this ends today!” shouted Maria.
She stormed her way towards Liz’s room and tried to open the door but it was locked.
*BANG* *BANG* *BANG*
“LIZ, IT’S MARIA! OPEN THE DAMN DOOR!”
“GO AWAY!” shouted Liz. She couldn’t deal with Maria this morning. She was going to make sure she had a word with Grace when she was in a fit state.
“LIZ, I SWEAR TO GOD, IF YOU DON’T OPEN THIS DAMN DOOR I’M GOING TO PHONE MAX AND GET HIM TO BREAK IT DOWN!”
“FUCK OFF MARIA!” screamed Liz.
Maria felt a hand on her shoulder and she turned around to see Grace standing there with a bottle of Jack Daniels in her hand and some mixers.
“Tell her you have these. She’ll open the door for you then,” said Grace as she made her way back down the stairs.
Maria mouthed thank you.
“OHHHH LIZZZZZ, I’VE GOT YOUR DRINK HERE!”
“Shit!”
Liz had decision to make. She could allow Maria into her room, face a barrage of questions but get her hands on the liquid gold that made her pain go away or she could stay in her room and wait for Maria to give up.
She hated herself for what she was about to do.
“Come on in Maria,” said Liz dejectedly, as she unlocked the door.
“Oh my god!” said Maria as she got her first look at Liz since the weekend.
Liz walked to her bed and sat down on the edge.
“That’s why I didn’t want to see you Maria. I didn’t want to have to see that look on your face.”
Maria put down the bottle and mixers and went over to her friend.
“I’m not judging you Liz. Grace has explained everything. I’m so sorry that you’ve had to go through this alone.”
“She had no right to tell you that Maria,” whispered Liz as the tears started rolling down her face.
“You are not staying in this house a minute longer. You’re coming to stay with me.”
Liz whipped her head up to face Maria.
“I can’t leave Maria. That would be a big mistake. If he came home to find me gone there’s no telling what he’d do. I don’t want to put you at risk like that and of course there’s Grace. What would he do to her if he found out that she let me walk out of here?”
“You don’t worry about anything now Liz. Go and get a shower, put some fresh clothes on, pack a few things and we’re going to get you out of this hell hole.”
“But...”
“There is no buts Liz, move your skanky ass into that shower and get ready, we’re leaving today.”
Liz stood up and engulfed her friend in a massive hug.
“Do you really know what you’re getting yourself into?” asked Liz.
“I do know Liz but my cousin doesn’t know what I’m capable of either. We are going to get this awful situation sorted once and for all.”
“Okay.”
Liz went into her bathroom with a feeling of hope in her heart for the first time in almost two years.
After Maria heard the shower water running she went downstairs to find Grace.
“GRACE!”
Grace came out of the kitchen again.
“Yes, Miss De Luca?”
“Can you please help Liz pack some clothes and I want you to pack also. You are both coming to stay with me. Liz doesn’t think it would be safe for you to stay here when Mr De Luca came back from his business trip.”
“Excuse me for speaking out of turn Miss but I don’t think that would be a good idea. I know what Mr De Luca’s reaction is going to be and if I’m also gone it’s going to make it ten times worse.”
“Liz is afraid that he will take it out on you if she leaves.”
“Just let me worry about Mr De Luca. He won’t be bothered about me, he’ll be more interested in finding Liz.”
“Are you sure?” asked Maria, gently grabbing Graces shoulders.
“I’m sure.”
Maria gently kissed Grace on her cheek.
“I can’t thank you enough for telling me what was going on.”
“Just make sure she’s safe. Come on lets pack her things,” said Grace making her way up the stairs with Maria following.
When they both entered the room they could still hear the shower water running. Grace grabbed to large suitcases from the top of Liz’s wardrobe and started to pack a few things.
Conclusive Evidence (AU,M/L,ADULT) Chpt 30 (04/April/12)
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Janetfl
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Re: Conclusive Evidence (AU,M/L,ADULT) Chpt 30 (04/April/12)
A huge thank you to Ping for this siggie
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Janetfl
- Fan Fic Buff
- Posts: 200
- Joined: Wed Mar 25, 2009 7:26 pm
- Location: Bucks, UK
Re: Conclusive Evidence (AU,M/L,ADULT) Chpt 30 (04/April/12)
Chapter 22.
The next morning, 10:00 am...
Michael and Max pulled up outside the plush offices of Danson Private Investigations. They'd arrived in Michael's car due to the unofficial nature of their visit.
As they entered the offices, a beautiful, curly blonde haired woman sat behind the reception desk.
Michael watched as she virtually undressed Max with her eyes. It always astounded Michael how Max never really noticed women staring at him.
"Hello, I'm DCI Evans and this is my partner DI Guerin. We have an appointment with Mr. Turner at 10 am."
"He's expecting you. If you would just take a seat in the waiting area I will phone Mr. Turner to let him know that you have arrived."
"Thanks," replied Max as he walked towards the waiting area.
"No problem DCI Evans," purred the receptionist.
*******
Michael took a seat next to Max in the waiting area.
"So how do you want to handle this Max?" asked Michael.
"I'm not sure until I get in there; just follow my lead, okay?"
"Sure, I just hope you know what you're doing Max. This could get rather complicated."
"I know Michael and anytime you feel you want to back out, you just let me know okay? I don't want to jeopardise your career as well as my own."
"Noted," was the only reply Michael gave before their conversation was interrupted.
"Mr. Turner is ready to see you now. If you would follow me, I'll show you to his office."
"Thanks," replied Michael.
********
They followed the receptionist up a flight of stairs, through some glass double doors and then into a magnificent looking office. It was rather minimalist in its decor but the main feature was the floor to ceiling windows along one side of the office. This not only allowed a lot of natural light into the room but it also provided an excellent view of the surrounding farmland.
If it wasn't for that view the room would actually feel pretty cold and impersonal, the walls painted white and the floor covered with black marble tiles.
There was a massive glass work desk in the center of the room, a large black leather office chair and some impressive black and white photographs adorned the walls. In front of the glass desk was a large black leather sofa.
"Good morning, gentlemen. I'm sorry to have kept you waiting but I've been stuck in a meeting which has only just finished," said Mr. Turner.
He was a tall, thin man, with a triangular face, long but thin nose, thin lips and green eyes. He also wore tortoise shell rimmed glasses. He looked more like a collage professor than a private investigator.
"That's no problem Mr. Turner. I'm glad that you were able to fit us in this morning," said Max.
"This is DCI Max Evans and I'm DI Guerin," said Michael holding out his hand.
"Well what can I do for you gentlemen? You said something about Pam Troy?" said Jake.
Neither Max nor Michael failed to notice that Jake had refused the handshake.
"Please, sit down and make yourselves comfortable. Would either of you like a drink?"
"No thank you. We would just like to ask you a few questions and then we will be on our way. We don't want to take up too much of your time," replied Michael.
"Right well I do have a very busy schedule today, so ask away gentlemen."
"Well as discussed on the phone yesterday, you confirmed that you did have a Pam Troy working for you about two years ago, is that correct?" asked Max.
"Yes, that is correct."
"Can you tell us what position she held at this company?" asked Michael.
"Well she was a trainee investigator but unfortunately she didn't work out so I had to let her go."
"What do you mean by 'she didn't work out', surely she would have been partnered with someone while she was training?" asked Max.
"Yes your assumption is correct DCI Evans but she was almost at the end of her training so these cases where, how shall we say ... a test to her abilities. Unfortunately she failed miserably and I lost three clients."
When Jake saw the look of confusion on both their faces he explained.
"Well you see a lot of my business goes on word of mouth. The cases were due to start and I was overloaded with work so I gave the cases to Pam, they were simple ones, but she screwed them up."
"Screwed them up, how?" asked Michael.
"Most of our business comes from people who suspect that their partners are cheating or companies wanting us to investigate for embezzlement. Let's just say that Pam didn't understand the meaning of the word discreet."
"So she got caught tailing the target?" asked Max.
"Three times," replied Jake. "That's when I decided I needed to let her go."
"When was the last time you saw Pam?" asked Michael.
"The last time I saw Pam was about two years ago."
"Do you still have a personnel file on her?"
"Actually I think I do, just hold on one moment."
Jake pressed the intercom on his desk and spoke to his secretary.
"Can you get me the files on Miss Troy please?" asked Jake.
"Yes of course Sir. Would you like me to bring them straight into the office?"
"Yes please."
******
A few minutes later, a tall, thin, dark haired woman entered the room and placed a file in front of Jake.
"Here is the file you requested sir."
"Thank you," said Jake taking the file and waiting for his secretary to leave the office.
"Listen, I'm not so sure that I should just be handing this over to you. Personnel files are normally confidential and you should have a search warrant."
"Well we can always come back later with one Mr. Tuner."
"Can't you tell me in what manner her name was brought up? At least that way I know why I'm giving you this information?"
"I'm sorry Mr Turner but we are not allowed to discuss an ongoing case."
"Okay fine take a look at this file but as far as I'm concerned you were never here. I don't want to be sued for damages."
"That's not a problem Mr. Turner. To be honest the information on this file we probably already know but we want to double check to make sure."
Jake handed over the file to Michael, which was noted by Max.
"If you don't mind me asking Mr. Turner, how come the name of the investigation agency is Danson and not Turner?"
"I had a partner a few years back but he's retired now. Just up and left without a word. I reckon he's sunning himself in some hot country. I kept the name because it's well established as one of the best investigation firms. If I had changed the company name then I doubt I would have as many clients as I do. It's all about your reputation in this business."
"You say your partner just up and left?" asked Max.
"That's right. We knew he was retiring soon but one day he just didn't show up but I have received a few post cards from him."
Michael perused the personnel file of Pam Troy. Most of the information held on the file was also on their police report but there was one difference, the file had a new forwarding address. Michael made a mental note of the address and postcode so he could write it down in his notebook once he'd left the office.
"You said that the last time you saw Miss Troy was about two years ago?"
"Yes that's right."
"Well about two years ago, Miss Troy was involved in an incident which we can't go into detail about at the moment. Did she ever mention this to you?"
"Actually, yes she did, something about a woman getting stabbed by a robber."
"Did she give you any details?"
"No I'm sorry she didn't. She told me that a woman was attacked, Pam phoned the police and afterwards they found the guy who stabbed her, dead. Other than that there was no other information she gave me. She did say that the case was closed though, is that not so?"
"Yes Mr. Turner that line of enquiry is closed now. We just wanted to know if she'd mentioned it to anyone. Oh by the way do you know of or did Pam ever speak of a man call Mark Duffy?"
"Mark Duffy? Nope, never heard of him before and as far as I can remember, Pam never mentioned anyone by that name."
"We thought that maybe he'd worked for you at one point," said Michael.
"No never heard of him. Now, if you don't mind," said Jake standing and looking at his watch, "I have another client coming in now so here is my card if you need to contact me again but I must say that next time you want to look at my files make sure you have a search warrant with you."
"We appreciate your co-operation Mr. Turner."
Max and Michael left the office and made their way back downstairs.
*******
"You know Max there's something about that guy that I don't like. I think he was lying to us for some reason."
"Well maybe it was because he wasn't really supposed to give us that file. Did you notice anything relevant in it?"
"Yeah I did actually. She's got a new address, apparently she moved just before Mr. Turner sacked her for incompetence."
"Well that saves us looking at the database so the big wigs won't find out what's going on just yet.
There is something really bugging me about this whole thing Michael and I can't quite put my finger on it."
"Well somehow we think she was involved in the attack because of that nod she did in the direction of the perpetrator but she phoned the ambulance and police for Liz. Surely if she'd wanted Liz dead then all she had to do was walk away and claim she didn't see anything."
"Yes but instead she stayed with Liz right until she knew she was safe. It doesn't make much sense does it?"
"No, do you think that maybe we are reading too much in to that nod?"
"Maybe Michael, maybe but I learned a long time ago to trust my gut and my gut is telling me that somehow Pam is involved. I'm just not sure how yet."
"So what do we do now Max?"
"I think we should pay Pam a visit tomorrow morning."
"That could be risky Max. What if she contacts the police station?"
"Well then there is only one option open to us but I'm not happy about it."
"Tell me," replied Michael.
The next morning, 10:00 am...
Michael and Max pulled up outside the plush offices of Danson Private Investigations. They'd arrived in Michael's car due to the unofficial nature of their visit.
As they entered the offices, a beautiful, curly blonde haired woman sat behind the reception desk.
Michael watched as she virtually undressed Max with her eyes. It always astounded Michael how Max never really noticed women staring at him.
"Hello, I'm DCI Evans and this is my partner DI Guerin. We have an appointment with Mr. Turner at 10 am."
"He's expecting you. If you would just take a seat in the waiting area I will phone Mr. Turner to let him know that you have arrived."
"Thanks," replied Max as he walked towards the waiting area.
"No problem DCI Evans," purred the receptionist.
*******
Michael took a seat next to Max in the waiting area.
"So how do you want to handle this Max?" asked Michael.
"I'm not sure until I get in there; just follow my lead, okay?"
"Sure, I just hope you know what you're doing Max. This could get rather complicated."
"I know Michael and anytime you feel you want to back out, you just let me know okay? I don't want to jeopardise your career as well as my own."
"Noted," was the only reply Michael gave before their conversation was interrupted.
"Mr. Turner is ready to see you now. If you would follow me, I'll show you to his office."
"Thanks," replied Michael.
********
They followed the receptionist up a flight of stairs, through some glass double doors and then into a magnificent looking office. It was rather minimalist in its decor but the main feature was the floor to ceiling windows along one side of the office. This not only allowed a lot of natural light into the room but it also provided an excellent view of the surrounding farmland.
If it wasn't for that view the room would actually feel pretty cold and impersonal, the walls painted white and the floor covered with black marble tiles.
There was a massive glass work desk in the center of the room, a large black leather office chair and some impressive black and white photographs adorned the walls. In front of the glass desk was a large black leather sofa.
"Good morning, gentlemen. I'm sorry to have kept you waiting but I've been stuck in a meeting which has only just finished," said Mr. Turner.
He was a tall, thin man, with a triangular face, long but thin nose, thin lips and green eyes. He also wore tortoise shell rimmed glasses. He looked more like a collage professor than a private investigator.
"That's no problem Mr. Turner. I'm glad that you were able to fit us in this morning," said Max.
"This is DCI Max Evans and I'm DI Guerin," said Michael holding out his hand.
"Well what can I do for you gentlemen? You said something about Pam Troy?" said Jake.
Neither Max nor Michael failed to notice that Jake had refused the handshake.
"Please, sit down and make yourselves comfortable. Would either of you like a drink?"
"No thank you. We would just like to ask you a few questions and then we will be on our way. We don't want to take up too much of your time," replied Michael.
"Right well I do have a very busy schedule today, so ask away gentlemen."
"Well as discussed on the phone yesterday, you confirmed that you did have a Pam Troy working for you about two years ago, is that correct?" asked Max.
"Yes, that is correct."
"Can you tell us what position she held at this company?" asked Michael.
"Well she was a trainee investigator but unfortunately she didn't work out so I had to let her go."
"What do you mean by 'she didn't work out', surely she would have been partnered with someone while she was training?" asked Max.
"Yes your assumption is correct DCI Evans but she was almost at the end of her training so these cases where, how shall we say ... a test to her abilities. Unfortunately she failed miserably and I lost three clients."
When Jake saw the look of confusion on both their faces he explained.
"Well you see a lot of my business goes on word of mouth. The cases were due to start and I was overloaded with work so I gave the cases to Pam, they were simple ones, but she screwed them up."
"Screwed them up, how?" asked Michael.
"Most of our business comes from people who suspect that their partners are cheating or companies wanting us to investigate for embezzlement. Let's just say that Pam didn't understand the meaning of the word discreet."
"So she got caught tailing the target?" asked Max.
"Three times," replied Jake. "That's when I decided I needed to let her go."
"When was the last time you saw Pam?" asked Michael.
"The last time I saw Pam was about two years ago."
"Do you still have a personnel file on her?"
"Actually I think I do, just hold on one moment."
Jake pressed the intercom on his desk and spoke to his secretary.
"Can you get me the files on Miss Troy please?" asked Jake.
"Yes of course Sir. Would you like me to bring them straight into the office?"
"Yes please."
******
A few minutes later, a tall, thin, dark haired woman entered the room and placed a file in front of Jake.
"Here is the file you requested sir."
"Thank you," said Jake taking the file and waiting for his secretary to leave the office.
"Listen, I'm not so sure that I should just be handing this over to you. Personnel files are normally confidential and you should have a search warrant."
"Well we can always come back later with one Mr. Tuner."
"Can't you tell me in what manner her name was brought up? At least that way I know why I'm giving you this information?"
"I'm sorry Mr Turner but we are not allowed to discuss an ongoing case."
"Okay fine take a look at this file but as far as I'm concerned you were never here. I don't want to be sued for damages."
"That's not a problem Mr. Turner. To be honest the information on this file we probably already know but we want to double check to make sure."
Jake handed over the file to Michael, which was noted by Max.
"If you don't mind me asking Mr. Turner, how come the name of the investigation agency is Danson and not Turner?"
"I had a partner a few years back but he's retired now. Just up and left without a word. I reckon he's sunning himself in some hot country. I kept the name because it's well established as one of the best investigation firms. If I had changed the company name then I doubt I would have as many clients as I do. It's all about your reputation in this business."
"You say your partner just up and left?" asked Max.
"That's right. We knew he was retiring soon but one day he just didn't show up but I have received a few post cards from him."
Michael perused the personnel file of Pam Troy. Most of the information held on the file was also on their police report but there was one difference, the file had a new forwarding address. Michael made a mental note of the address and postcode so he could write it down in his notebook once he'd left the office.
"You said that the last time you saw Miss Troy was about two years ago?"
"Yes that's right."
"Well about two years ago, Miss Troy was involved in an incident which we can't go into detail about at the moment. Did she ever mention this to you?"
"Actually, yes she did, something about a woman getting stabbed by a robber."
"Did she give you any details?"
"No I'm sorry she didn't. She told me that a woman was attacked, Pam phoned the police and afterwards they found the guy who stabbed her, dead. Other than that there was no other information she gave me. She did say that the case was closed though, is that not so?"
"Yes Mr. Turner that line of enquiry is closed now. We just wanted to know if she'd mentioned it to anyone. Oh by the way do you know of or did Pam ever speak of a man call Mark Duffy?"
"Mark Duffy? Nope, never heard of him before and as far as I can remember, Pam never mentioned anyone by that name."
"We thought that maybe he'd worked for you at one point," said Michael.
"No never heard of him. Now, if you don't mind," said Jake standing and looking at his watch, "I have another client coming in now so here is my card if you need to contact me again but I must say that next time you want to look at my files make sure you have a search warrant with you."
"We appreciate your co-operation Mr. Turner."
Max and Michael left the office and made their way back downstairs.
*******
"You know Max there's something about that guy that I don't like. I think he was lying to us for some reason."
"Well maybe it was because he wasn't really supposed to give us that file. Did you notice anything relevant in it?"
"Yeah I did actually. She's got a new address, apparently she moved just before Mr. Turner sacked her for incompetence."
"Well that saves us looking at the database so the big wigs won't find out what's going on just yet.
There is something really bugging me about this whole thing Michael and I can't quite put my finger on it."
"Well somehow we think she was involved in the attack because of that nod she did in the direction of the perpetrator but she phoned the ambulance and police for Liz. Surely if she'd wanted Liz dead then all she had to do was walk away and claim she didn't see anything."
"Yes but instead she stayed with Liz right until she knew she was safe. It doesn't make much sense does it?"
"No, do you think that maybe we are reading too much in to that nod?"
"Maybe Michael, maybe but I learned a long time ago to trust my gut and my gut is telling me that somehow Pam is involved. I'm just not sure how yet."
"So what do we do now Max?"
"I think we should pay Pam a visit tomorrow morning."
"That could be risky Max. What if she contacts the police station?"
"Well then there is only one option open to us but I'm not happy about it."
"Tell me," replied Michael.
A huge thank you to Ping for this siggie
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Janetfl
- Fan Fic Buff
- Posts: 200
- Joined: Wed Mar 25, 2009 7:26 pm
- Location: Bucks, UK
Re: Conclusive Evidence (AU,M/L,ADULT) Chpt 30 (04/April/12)
WARNING: This chapter contains graphic descriptions of a dead body .... viewer discretion is advised!!!
Chapter 23.
"You're kidding me, right Max? There is no way you would sanction that, is there?" asked Michael, shocked that his friend had even mentioned it, walking back into Max's office and closing the door behind him.
Max had explained his plan on the drive back to the station. To say that Michael was surprised at what he'd come up with was rather an understatement.
"Look Michael, I can't see any other way around this, can you?" replied Max.
"No but she's going to know that the only person who helped her that night was actually in on the attack. How do you think that's going to make her feel Max? Hasn't she been through enough already?"
"That's why we're doing all this Michael. We're putting our careers on the line here, along with a lot of good people. We need a break in the case. This is the only way we can get the information from her without anyone getting suspicious."
"Fine, but you can be the one to ask her."
"Not a problem. I'm going to call her now and see if she can do it tomorrow. The sooner the better I suppose."
"You know Max we are going to have to be very careful how we handle this. One slip up and those bastard solicitors will get him off on a technicality."
"I know that Michael but Liz is the only one that can contact her without it looking suspicious."
"Then we've got to do it if we want to get anywhere with the case," replied Michael.
Their private conversation was interrupted by Max's phone ringing.
"DCI Max Evans," said Max into the receiver.
"Yes, when, where, of course, right away. Give us about 30 minutes."
Max put down the receiver and grabbed his coat of its hanger.
"Max?" asked Michael.
"There's been a murder, come on let's go."
Michael shot out of his chair, grabbed his coat from the back of his desk and followed Max out of the office.
********
There was a hive of activity as they reached the crime scene. People dressed completely in white suits, from head to toe were combing the crime scene for any forensic evidence.
Uniformed constables where taking statements from any witnesses that where still on the scene and there was a small crowd of onlookers gathering outside of the confines of the crime scene tape.
There was a yellow and white crime scene tent covering the body from prying eyes.
"You know it never ceases to amaze me how many people turn up to these things. I mean how morbid can people get," grunted Michael, watching as more people added to the gawping crowd.
"I never get the fascination myself," replied Max.
"Mind you if they really knew what was behind this tent half of them would probably throw up or have nightmares for a few weeks."
"Come on, let's go and see what we've got here."
Max got out his ID and showed the constable that was protecting the crime scene. He lifted the tape for both Max and Michael to go through.
"Who's in charge here at the moment?" asked Max.
"That would be Maggie, she's over there Sir."
"Thanks."
As Max and Michael headed closer to the tent the smell of death was ripe in the air.
“God I hate that freaking smell, all these years and I still haven’t got used to it!” said Michael crinkling his nose in disgust.
“Here,” said Max handing him a small pot of vapour rub.
“You carry this around with you all the time Max?” asked Michael.
“Yeah, just in case there is a newbie on the team. It normally helps them try not to throw up but it’s when they see the body ... nothing stops it then.”
They both steeled their stomachs for the sight they were about to see. No matter how long you'd been at this job, you never really got used to it. You coped a lot better the more bodies you saw but there was always one case that could get under your skin.
This was one of those cases for Max. As he looked at the dead girl in front of him, her legs placed wide open but out at funny angles, ligature marks around the ankles and wrists, jagged finger nails proving that she'd put up a damn hard fight, the face of the victim was swollen with decomposition gases after the cells in her body had started to break down, but even all of this didn't take away the shock of seeing that the girl looked very similar to Liz.
Max had to take a double take of the cadaver before he realised that there were small differences.
He released a breath he hadn't even realised he was holding.
"Jesus Michael, are you seeing what I'm seeing?" asked Max carefully.
Michael took a closer look at body and gasped when he realised what Max was going on about.
"She looks like Liz!"
"I know, it's not her though but it's damn close."
"You know this girl?" came a voice from behind them. They both jumped and turned around.
"You must be Maggie," said Max holding up his ID.
"That would be me!" she said far too cheerful considering her job.
"What can you tell us about the victim?" asked Max.
"Well I can give you a brief overview of everything I've found here but nothing more. I won't have any answers until I do the autopsy."
"Anything you can give us to go on right now would be helpful," replied Max.
"Okay, well as you can see rigor mortis has already set in. Her muscle tissue has already started to be digested by enzymes, so she’s reached the putrefaction stage. This green section on the lower part of her abdomen is caused by bacteria breaking down her haemoglobin into sulfhemoglobin, which is what causes it to turn green."
"ETD?" asked Michael.
"The estimated time of death? Well it’s a pure guess at the moment but the body temp, along with decomposition and other information would make me say around 5 to 6 days. I have to check the weather conditions so I can get an exact time of death but that would be my best guess."
"As you can see she's been sexually assaulted, quite brutally, actually. The perpetrator used some foreign object in her vagina that caused a lot of vaginal tearing...pre-mortem," she grimaced at the last part of her sentence.
"You mean he did it while she was still alive?" asked Michael.
"Unfortunately, yes. Now as you can see on the body, there are ligature marks on the wrists and ankles. She was definitely strangled with her own tights but again a full autopsy will tell us the actual cause of death. We believe that she may have been murdered somewhere else and then dumped here.
The lividity shows that she was on her stomach for a long period of time because that's where the blood has settled, yet she was found on her back. So either the killer left her on her stomach for a few days, came back to the body later and turned her on her back or she was murdered elsewhere and the body eventually moved and dumped here."
"Anything else you can tell us about the victim?" asked Max.
"That's about all I can give you at the moment DCI Evans. As soon as I've found anything out you will be the first to know. The forensic team has almost finished sweeping the scene so until then please stick to the metal plates."
"Do you know if there was any ID found on her?"
"As far as I'm aware they still don't know who this poor woman is," replied Maggie. "Do you need to see anything else? I want to move her to the morgue."
"No I think we've seen everything we need to. Anything else, we can check with you later."
Maggie went to fetch the gurney and body bag ready to move the dead body.
"Max, are you sure that's not Liz? It certainly looks like her?" said Michael carefully. He didn't want Max to get a shock if it was her.
"No, Liz has a birthmark on her left hip. This woman doesn't have the birthmark, but the similarity to Liz is uncanny."
"Max?" asked Michael raising an eyebrow. How did he know about a birthmark on her hip?
"None of your business Michael," warned Max.
Michael held his hands up in surrender.
"I wasn't going to say anything!"
*******
They spent the next hour talking to the person responsible for finding the body, talking to the constables who where first on the scene, getting snippets of information from the SOCO (scenes of crime officer) team and then finally headed back to the station.
Max and Michael finished off all the reports that they had to fill out that day and then headed on home.
Chapter 23.
"You're kidding me, right Max? There is no way you would sanction that, is there?" asked Michael, shocked that his friend had even mentioned it, walking back into Max's office and closing the door behind him.
Max had explained his plan on the drive back to the station. To say that Michael was surprised at what he'd come up with was rather an understatement.
"Look Michael, I can't see any other way around this, can you?" replied Max.
"No but she's going to know that the only person who helped her that night was actually in on the attack. How do you think that's going to make her feel Max? Hasn't she been through enough already?"
"That's why we're doing all this Michael. We're putting our careers on the line here, along with a lot of good people. We need a break in the case. This is the only way we can get the information from her without anyone getting suspicious."
"Fine, but you can be the one to ask her."
"Not a problem. I'm going to call her now and see if she can do it tomorrow. The sooner the better I suppose."
"You know Max we are going to have to be very careful how we handle this. One slip up and those bastard solicitors will get him off on a technicality."
"I know that Michael but Liz is the only one that can contact her without it looking suspicious."
"Then we've got to do it if we want to get anywhere with the case," replied Michael.
Their private conversation was interrupted by Max's phone ringing.
"DCI Max Evans," said Max into the receiver.
"Yes, when, where, of course, right away. Give us about 30 minutes."
Max put down the receiver and grabbed his coat of its hanger.
"Max?" asked Michael.
"There's been a murder, come on let's go."
Michael shot out of his chair, grabbed his coat from the back of his desk and followed Max out of the office.
********
There was a hive of activity as they reached the crime scene. People dressed completely in white suits, from head to toe were combing the crime scene for any forensic evidence.
Uniformed constables where taking statements from any witnesses that where still on the scene and there was a small crowd of onlookers gathering outside of the confines of the crime scene tape.
There was a yellow and white crime scene tent covering the body from prying eyes.
"You know it never ceases to amaze me how many people turn up to these things. I mean how morbid can people get," grunted Michael, watching as more people added to the gawping crowd.
"I never get the fascination myself," replied Max.
"Mind you if they really knew what was behind this tent half of them would probably throw up or have nightmares for a few weeks."
"Come on, let's go and see what we've got here."
Max got out his ID and showed the constable that was protecting the crime scene. He lifted the tape for both Max and Michael to go through.
"Who's in charge here at the moment?" asked Max.
"That would be Maggie, she's over there Sir."
"Thanks."
As Max and Michael headed closer to the tent the smell of death was ripe in the air.
“God I hate that freaking smell, all these years and I still haven’t got used to it!” said Michael crinkling his nose in disgust.
“Here,” said Max handing him a small pot of vapour rub.
“You carry this around with you all the time Max?” asked Michael.
“Yeah, just in case there is a newbie on the team. It normally helps them try not to throw up but it’s when they see the body ... nothing stops it then.”
They both steeled their stomachs for the sight they were about to see. No matter how long you'd been at this job, you never really got used to it. You coped a lot better the more bodies you saw but there was always one case that could get under your skin.
This was one of those cases for Max. As he looked at the dead girl in front of him, her legs placed wide open but out at funny angles, ligature marks around the ankles and wrists, jagged finger nails proving that she'd put up a damn hard fight, the face of the victim was swollen with decomposition gases after the cells in her body had started to break down, but even all of this didn't take away the shock of seeing that the girl looked very similar to Liz.
Max had to take a double take of the cadaver before he realised that there were small differences.
He released a breath he hadn't even realised he was holding.
"Jesus Michael, are you seeing what I'm seeing?" asked Max carefully.
Michael took a closer look at body and gasped when he realised what Max was going on about.
"She looks like Liz!"
"I know, it's not her though but it's damn close."
"You know this girl?" came a voice from behind them. They both jumped and turned around.
"You must be Maggie," said Max holding up his ID.
"That would be me!" she said far too cheerful considering her job.
"What can you tell us about the victim?" asked Max.
"Well I can give you a brief overview of everything I've found here but nothing more. I won't have any answers until I do the autopsy."
"Anything you can give us to go on right now would be helpful," replied Max.
"Okay, well as you can see rigor mortis has already set in. Her muscle tissue has already started to be digested by enzymes, so she’s reached the putrefaction stage. This green section on the lower part of her abdomen is caused by bacteria breaking down her haemoglobin into sulfhemoglobin, which is what causes it to turn green."
"ETD?" asked Michael.
"The estimated time of death? Well it’s a pure guess at the moment but the body temp, along with decomposition and other information would make me say around 5 to 6 days. I have to check the weather conditions so I can get an exact time of death but that would be my best guess."
"As you can see she's been sexually assaulted, quite brutally, actually. The perpetrator used some foreign object in her vagina that caused a lot of vaginal tearing...pre-mortem," she grimaced at the last part of her sentence.
"You mean he did it while she was still alive?" asked Michael.
"Unfortunately, yes. Now as you can see on the body, there are ligature marks on the wrists and ankles. She was definitely strangled with her own tights but again a full autopsy will tell us the actual cause of death. We believe that she may have been murdered somewhere else and then dumped here.
The lividity shows that she was on her stomach for a long period of time because that's where the blood has settled, yet she was found on her back. So either the killer left her on her stomach for a few days, came back to the body later and turned her on her back or she was murdered elsewhere and the body eventually moved and dumped here."
"Anything else you can tell us about the victim?" asked Max.
"That's about all I can give you at the moment DCI Evans. As soon as I've found anything out you will be the first to know. The forensic team has almost finished sweeping the scene so until then please stick to the metal plates."
"Do you know if there was any ID found on her?"
"As far as I'm aware they still don't know who this poor woman is," replied Maggie. "Do you need to see anything else? I want to move her to the morgue."
"No I think we've seen everything we need to. Anything else, we can check with you later."
Maggie went to fetch the gurney and body bag ready to move the dead body.
"Max, are you sure that's not Liz? It certainly looks like her?" said Michael carefully. He didn't want Max to get a shock if it was her.
"No, Liz has a birthmark on her left hip. This woman doesn't have the birthmark, but the similarity to Liz is uncanny."
"Max?" asked Michael raising an eyebrow. How did he know about a birthmark on her hip?
"None of your business Michael," warned Max.
Michael held his hands up in surrender.
"I wasn't going to say anything!"
*******
They spent the next hour talking to the person responsible for finding the body, talking to the constables who where first on the scene, getting snippets of information from the SOCO (scenes of crime officer) team and then finally headed back to the station.
Max and Michael finished off all the reports that they had to fill out that day and then headed on home.
A huge thank you to Ping for this siggie
-
Janetfl
- Fan Fic Buff
- Posts: 200
- Joined: Wed Mar 25, 2009 7:26 pm
- Location: Bucks, UK
Re: Conclusive Evidence (AU,M/L,ADULT) Chpt 30 (04/April/12)
Chapter 24.
As he entered the door, there were no lights on and everything was quiet. You could hear a pin drop. As he looked up the staircase a sadistic smile came across his face.
Nothing seemed to be going right for him lately and it all seemed to be her fault. Ever since she’d been attacked nothing had gone right. Every time he left for business she would be on his mind. He was always worried that she was in another man’s bed and it would drive him nuts. After all, if he was bedding a multitude of women when he was away, what was to stop her?
This is why he’d been losing so much business. That bitch was making him lose concentration during the meetings. At the most crucial point of his presentation an image of her hot sweaty body writhing under some strange man while he brought her to completion would pop up in his head and he would blow the deal.
This is what always drove him to show her whose boss when he came home. The bitch was going to learn that she belonged to him and no one else. Plus if he was going where another man had been then she was only worthy of being his whore.
With determined steps, he made his way upstairs ... tonight she would really be afraid and that sent a jolt of pure excitement through his body and he grew instantly hard.
He was shocked when the lights were turned on and he spun around.
“Good evening Mr De Luca, welcome home,” said Grace.
“Evening Grace.”
“How was your business trip sir?” she asked. Right now she was so nervous. She knew the shit was about to hit the fan but there was no way she would show her fear. Liz had finally escaped and she was going to do everything in her power to protect her.
“Not so good Grace. Is Liz in her room?” he asked, as he turned and started heading up the stairs again. The bitch had decided to take her own room, not being able to stand the thought of what he did to her in their own bed. Oh tonight she was going to suffer.
Grace tried to keep the fear out of her voice. She squared her shoulders and stood up straighter than usual, if that was possible.
“No sir, she’s not.”
This made Sean stop dead in his tracks. He slowly turned, with a look of pure hatred on his face, towards Grace.
“What do you mean she’s not in her room? Where is she? Downstairs?”
“No sir, she left over two days ago and she hasn’t been back since.”
“Where the hell has she gone?” he asked his temper reaching new heights. Oh god was she going to pay.
“I’m not sure sir. All I know is that she went out and never came back.”
“Why the hell didn’t you phone me!” he screamed at Grace in a rage.
“You never leave where you can be contacted sir. If I’d have known I can assure you that I would have phone you sir.”
“Have you phoned the police?” he asked.
“No sir, I didn’t think you would want me to after the last time,” said Grace with a slight smirk on her face.
“No, yes, I mean you’re quite right. There is no need to bring them into the situation.”
There is no way he wanted that hack of a policeman in his house again. Liz always seemed to act differently around him, like he gave her the strength to go against him ... and he didn’t like it one bit.
He looked at Grace curiously.
“Do you know where she is Grace?” he asked with slight malice to his voice.
“If I did sir, you would be the first to know.”
“There’s only one place I know she would go, get Maria on the phone for me would you Grace?”
“Certainly sir.”
She knew that she couldn’t protect Liz for long but she tried to delay it as long as possible.
“I’ll be in my room. Put it through when you have her.”
Grace went to the kitchen and made the call.
“Hello?”
“Maria?”
“Yes.”
“It’s Grace, he’s back and he’s pissed. He wants to speak to you right away.”
“Put him through.”
She placed Maria on hold and then dialled the bedroom.
“Yes.”
“She’s on the line sir.”
“Thank you Grace.”
He waited until he heard the ‘click’ of Grace replacing the receiver before he started his tirade.
“Where the fuck is she Maria?”
“Where’s who?” she asked as innocently as possible.
“Liz, where the fuck is she?”
“She’s here with me so relax Sean.”
“I want her home now!” he shouted down the phone.
“Sorry can’t do that Sean. She’s resting at the moment. She’s not been feeling well the last couple of days so I said I would look after her. She’s only just gone asleep so I’m not disturbing her. Is there a problem?”
“What? No, not at all, I was just a little shocked to hear that she wasn’t here. The only place I could think she would go was to you.”
“Well yes, she’s here Sean. Do you want to come over and visit?” she asked, keeping her fingers crossed that he would refuse.
“No that’s fine. I’m just going to turn in for the night but I WILL be there tomorrow Maria.”
“Okay, see you tomorrow Sean,” she said, replacing the receiver.
She immediately picked up the phone and dialled the only number she could think of that would actually help in this situation.
“Hello?” came the gruff voice over the phone.
“Michael, I need your help.”
“I’ll be there in about twenty minutes.”
“Thanks Michael.”
It was extremely late in the evening but Michael only had to hear the fear in Maria’s voice and he decided to drop everything and go over there. For her to ask for his help? Well it must be serious.
He knew that Maria was as independent as they come, for her to reach out to him was something she wasn’t used to.
He quickly got dressed, throwing a few overnight things into a bag, just in case. He bolted out the door, locked it and then got in his car and drove off towards Maria’s.
At this time of night and with the speed that he was going; it didn’t take Michael long to reach Maria’s house. He jumped out of the car, locked the door and then ran up to her door and knocked.
Maria opened it with a smile on her face.
“Thanks for coming Michael. I’m so sorry to disturb you at this time of night...you’d better come in so I can explain what’s going on.”
She stepped to one side and allowed Michael to enter.
As he entered the door, there were no lights on and everything was quiet. You could hear a pin drop. As he looked up the staircase a sadistic smile came across his face.
Nothing seemed to be going right for him lately and it all seemed to be her fault. Ever since she’d been attacked nothing had gone right. Every time he left for business she would be on his mind. He was always worried that she was in another man’s bed and it would drive him nuts. After all, if he was bedding a multitude of women when he was away, what was to stop her?
This is why he’d been losing so much business. That bitch was making him lose concentration during the meetings. At the most crucial point of his presentation an image of her hot sweaty body writhing under some strange man while he brought her to completion would pop up in his head and he would blow the deal.
This is what always drove him to show her whose boss when he came home. The bitch was going to learn that she belonged to him and no one else. Plus if he was going where another man had been then she was only worthy of being his whore.
With determined steps, he made his way upstairs ... tonight she would really be afraid and that sent a jolt of pure excitement through his body and he grew instantly hard.
He was shocked when the lights were turned on and he spun around.
“Good evening Mr De Luca, welcome home,” said Grace.
“Evening Grace.”
“How was your business trip sir?” she asked. Right now she was so nervous. She knew the shit was about to hit the fan but there was no way she would show her fear. Liz had finally escaped and she was going to do everything in her power to protect her.
“Not so good Grace. Is Liz in her room?” he asked, as he turned and started heading up the stairs again. The bitch had decided to take her own room, not being able to stand the thought of what he did to her in their own bed. Oh tonight she was going to suffer.
Grace tried to keep the fear out of her voice. She squared her shoulders and stood up straighter than usual, if that was possible.
“No sir, she’s not.”
This made Sean stop dead in his tracks. He slowly turned, with a look of pure hatred on his face, towards Grace.
“What do you mean she’s not in her room? Where is she? Downstairs?”
“No sir, she left over two days ago and she hasn’t been back since.”
“Where the hell has she gone?” he asked his temper reaching new heights. Oh god was she going to pay.
“I’m not sure sir. All I know is that she went out and never came back.”
“Why the hell didn’t you phone me!” he screamed at Grace in a rage.
“You never leave where you can be contacted sir. If I’d have known I can assure you that I would have phone you sir.”
“Have you phoned the police?” he asked.
“No sir, I didn’t think you would want me to after the last time,” said Grace with a slight smirk on her face.
“No, yes, I mean you’re quite right. There is no need to bring them into the situation.”
There is no way he wanted that hack of a policeman in his house again. Liz always seemed to act differently around him, like he gave her the strength to go against him ... and he didn’t like it one bit.
He looked at Grace curiously.
“Do you know where she is Grace?” he asked with slight malice to his voice.
“If I did sir, you would be the first to know.”
“There’s only one place I know she would go, get Maria on the phone for me would you Grace?”
“Certainly sir.”
She knew that she couldn’t protect Liz for long but she tried to delay it as long as possible.
“I’ll be in my room. Put it through when you have her.”
Grace went to the kitchen and made the call.
“Hello?”
“Maria?”
“Yes.”
“It’s Grace, he’s back and he’s pissed. He wants to speak to you right away.”
“Put him through.”
She placed Maria on hold and then dialled the bedroom.
“Yes.”
“She’s on the line sir.”
“Thank you Grace.”
He waited until he heard the ‘click’ of Grace replacing the receiver before he started his tirade.
“Where the fuck is she Maria?”
“Where’s who?” she asked as innocently as possible.
“Liz, where the fuck is she?”
“She’s here with me so relax Sean.”
“I want her home now!” he shouted down the phone.
“Sorry can’t do that Sean. She’s resting at the moment. She’s not been feeling well the last couple of days so I said I would look after her. She’s only just gone asleep so I’m not disturbing her. Is there a problem?”
“What? No, not at all, I was just a little shocked to hear that she wasn’t here. The only place I could think she would go was to you.”
“Well yes, she’s here Sean. Do you want to come over and visit?” she asked, keeping her fingers crossed that he would refuse.
“No that’s fine. I’m just going to turn in for the night but I WILL be there tomorrow Maria.”
“Okay, see you tomorrow Sean,” she said, replacing the receiver.
She immediately picked up the phone and dialled the only number she could think of that would actually help in this situation.
“Hello?” came the gruff voice over the phone.
“Michael, I need your help.”
“I’ll be there in about twenty minutes.”
“Thanks Michael.”
It was extremely late in the evening but Michael only had to hear the fear in Maria’s voice and he decided to drop everything and go over there. For her to ask for his help? Well it must be serious.
He knew that Maria was as independent as they come, for her to reach out to him was something she wasn’t used to.
He quickly got dressed, throwing a few overnight things into a bag, just in case. He bolted out the door, locked it and then got in his car and drove off towards Maria’s.
At this time of night and with the speed that he was going; it didn’t take Michael long to reach Maria’s house. He jumped out of the car, locked the door and then ran up to her door and knocked.
Maria opened it with a smile on her face.
“Thanks for coming Michael. I’m so sorry to disturb you at this time of night...you’d better come in so I can explain what’s going on.”
She stepped to one side and allowed Michael to enter.
A huge thank you to Ping for this siggie
-
Janetfl
- Fan Fic Buff
- Posts: 200
- Joined: Wed Mar 25, 2009 7:26 pm
- Location: Bucks, UK
Re: Conclusive Evidence (AU,M/L,ADULT) Chpt 30 (04/April/12)
Chapter 25.
Michael didn’t waste any time when he entered her house.
“What’s going on Maria? I was getting worried on the drive over here.”
“Shhhh, please keep your voice down. Liz is sleeping upstairs. Come with me and I’ll fill you in on what’s been going on over the last couple of years.”
She took him into the living room and offered him some tea or coffee.
“Coffee would be good,” he said smiling at her.
“I’ll be right back,” she said, leaving to go and make him something to drink.
Michael followed her into the kitchen.
“Erm ... Maria, I kind of already know what’s been going on over the last couple of years with Liz.”
The shock that registered on her face was no surprise to him really.
“How the hell do you know that? I only found out a couple of days ago.”
“Liz ... well Liz ... had kind of a funny turn with Max and then told him everything that had been going on.”
Maria’s eyes narrowed.
“Are you telling me that you’ve known about this for a while and not bothered to tell me?”
“It’s not like that Maria. Liz told Max about what’s been going on. He wanted to kill Sean to be honest ... but we’re going about this the right way. We want to make sure that he never hurts her again.”
“Well that’s great Michael ... because he’s coming here tomorrow.”
“WHAT?”
“I took Liz out of that house, there is no way I’m ever letting her go back there Michael. That’s why I’ve asked for your help. I know he’s going to insist that she goes home. I can’t do that to her. I was hoping that if you were here ... well he might not insist she comes home.”
“Look Maria, I know how hard it was for you to call me. I’ll stay tonight so I’m here just in case he comes early BUT ... we need to let Max know Maria.”
“I know that Michael but she’s in a right mess right now. I’m trying to get her some help. I don’t think telling Max is the right thing to do just yet. I ... I just need some extra support.”
“I know he threatened you to keep her quiet Maria. Please don’t let this come between you and Liz. She was only trying to protect you.”
“I know that Michael. I don’t blame her for anything. I just want her to be safe. What can we do?”
“Well she can bring charges against him, but somehow I don’t think she is going to do that. She’s terrified of him.”
“I don’t know what to do Michael. I don’t know how to get her out of there. I’ve tried talking to her but she just won’t leave. He’s not only threatened me you know.”
Michael’s head whipped around to face her.
“What do you mean by that?” asked Michael through gritted teeth.
“Well the only reason Liz kept this quiet was because he not only threatened to come after me but threatened to go after other people she cares about. I just wish she had told me sooner. I personally can handle the bastard and he wouldn’t dare hurt me for many reasons but Liz doesn’t know that.”
Michael had known about the threat to Maria and wanted to kill the bastard because of it but this information was new to him.
“So you’re telling me that he’s threatened to go after other people she cares about not just you? Like who?”
“I don’t know Michael, she never really said. She just hinted that whoever she felt close to could get hurt.”
“You realise that there isn’t much I can do if he does come around in the morning except gently persuade him to leave. The only time I could do something is if he became physically violent with Liz but again that’s if she presses charges against him.”
“I understand that Michael but I do appreciate you coming over.”
“Want me to take the couch?”
“No I have another guest bedroom that you can use. I’ll take you up there now.”
*******
The following morning Liz awoke to loud banging on the front door. It took her some time to realise that she wasn’t in her own room but was, in fact, a guest in Maria’s house. She wasn’t sure how long she had been out of it, or even remembered how she got there, but she was grateful.
“MARIA, OPEN THE GOD DAMN DOOR!” screamed Sean.
Spending the night without his wife at home had given time for Sean’s anger to increase. By the time he reached Maria’s house he was on the verge of completely losing it. He was sure she was taking her time deliberately and that infuriated him even more.
He continued to bang his knuckles so hard on the door that they started to ache under the onslaught.
“I SWEAR TO GOD MARIA, IF YOU DON’T OPEN THIS FUCKING DOOR NOW I’M GOING TO...” he stopped as he heard the bolt being moved.
“YOU’RE GOING TO WHAT?” asked Michael.
It took all his strength not to smirk at the look of shock on Sean’s face.
“I...I was... what?”
“Look pal, it’s like what,” he looked at his watch “six thirty in the morning. I find this lunatic on my doorstep screaming about breaking the door down, threatening my girlfriend and he hasn’t even bothered to tell me his fucking name.”
Sean got his anger under control enough for him to finally be able to speak.
“I’m Sean De Luca, this is my cousin’s house and MY WIFE just happens to be staying here,” he gritted out.
“And again, I ask what the fuck you are doing here at six thirty in the morning?”
“I’ve come to collect MY wife,” sneered Sean.
“And how much does she cost?”
The look of confusion on his face was priceless. Michael was also aware that Maria was now standing directly behind him.
“WHAT?” screamed Sean, in confusion.
“Well the way you said you were here to COLLECT your wife, I was wondering how much she cost. I mean what is she, a piece of prized porcelain that you’ve collected many versions of or is she one of a kind?”
Was he insinuating that Sean though of his wife like a prized possession? Sean drew his fist back ready to throw a punch at the arrogant bastard that had answered the door when his arm was grabbed mid swing.
“I wouldn’t do that if I was you pal.”
“Really? Why the hell not?”
“Because I’m a police officer and I will arrest you for assault if you follow through,” said Michael as he slightly twisted Sean’s arm before letting go.
“I want to see my wife!”
“Look...” Michael was just about to lose his temper with Sean when he felt a hand on his arm.
“Michael, it’s okay I need to speak to Sean alone.”
“Liz, I don’t think that’s a good idea...”
“Michael, I need to do this.”
Michael sighed but walked back into the house taking Maria with him.
“What are you doing here Sean?”
“I’m your husband and you’re asking me what I’m doing here? You’re coming with me now!” said Sean, as he grabbed Liz’s wrist and yanked her outside.
“I’m not even dressed!” hissed Liz, as she yanked her arm away from Sean.
“I don’t give a shit you little bitch; you’re coming home with me now.”
“NO! Not anymore. I’m leaving you Sean. I can’t do this anymore.”
“Don’t be ridiculous. You’ve got nothing without me. You are nothing without me. What are you going to do Liz? If you think I’m going to just let you go that easy, you’re sadly mistaken.”
“I don’t care what you do to me anymore Sean. I haven’t been living for over two years now. I’m filing for a divorce today.”
“I’ll fight you every step of the way. You think anyone will touch your case when they know you’re going up against me?”
“God can’t you come up with anything new? How long have you been using those threats against me Sean? I’m not afraid of you anymore.”
“You will be,” said Sean, as he turned and went back to his car. “This is far from over Liz. I’ll be back to collect you when you’ve come to your senses.”
With that said, he left in a cloud of dust. Liz collapsed on the floor and sobbed. It was Michael who found her that way a few minutes later.
“Did he hurt you Liz?” asked Michael, in what he hoped was a gentle tone.
She shook her head.
“I’m so tired Michael. I’m just so tired.”
“Come on, let’s get you inside,” he said, gently helping her to stand.
Liz leaned her full weight on him, fearing she would collapse, once again, if she didn’t.
“I’m going to take you back upstairs. You need to rest Liz.”
She nodded her head. Right now she just felt so tired, like all the fight had finally left her body, like she was about to give up.
“You did the right thing out there Liz. You had to stand up to him sooner or later. Max and I will do our best to help you out of this situation, okay?”
“Okay,” whispered Liz, as Michael laid her down on the bed and pulled the duvet over her.
Michael met Maria outside of Liz’s room.
“Is she okay?”
“Yeah, she finally did it Maria.”
“I know but Sean won’t take this lying down Michael, it’s about to get a whole lot worse.”
“I need to let Max know what’s going on Maria.”
“I know. I’m sorry for dragging you into this.”
“It’s not a problem. I’m sure things wouldn’t have gone so smoothly if Sean wasn’t thrown off guard by my appearance at the door. Something tells me he won’t be so calm next time.”
“My fear exactly Michael.”
Michael didn’t waste any time when he entered her house.
“What’s going on Maria? I was getting worried on the drive over here.”
“Shhhh, please keep your voice down. Liz is sleeping upstairs. Come with me and I’ll fill you in on what’s been going on over the last couple of years.”
She took him into the living room and offered him some tea or coffee.
“Coffee would be good,” he said smiling at her.
“I’ll be right back,” she said, leaving to go and make him something to drink.
Michael followed her into the kitchen.
“Erm ... Maria, I kind of already know what’s been going on over the last couple of years with Liz.”
The shock that registered on her face was no surprise to him really.
“How the hell do you know that? I only found out a couple of days ago.”
“Liz ... well Liz ... had kind of a funny turn with Max and then told him everything that had been going on.”
Maria’s eyes narrowed.
“Are you telling me that you’ve known about this for a while and not bothered to tell me?”
“It’s not like that Maria. Liz told Max about what’s been going on. He wanted to kill Sean to be honest ... but we’re going about this the right way. We want to make sure that he never hurts her again.”
“Well that’s great Michael ... because he’s coming here tomorrow.”
“WHAT?”
“I took Liz out of that house, there is no way I’m ever letting her go back there Michael. That’s why I’ve asked for your help. I know he’s going to insist that she goes home. I can’t do that to her. I was hoping that if you were here ... well he might not insist she comes home.”
“Look Maria, I know how hard it was for you to call me. I’ll stay tonight so I’m here just in case he comes early BUT ... we need to let Max know Maria.”
“I know that Michael but she’s in a right mess right now. I’m trying to get her some help. I don’t think telling Max is the right thing to do just yet. I ... I just need some extra support.”
“I know he threatened you to keep her quiet Maria. Please don’t let this come between you and Liz. She was only trying to protect you.”
“I know that Michael. I don’t blame her for anything. I just want her to be safe. What can we do?”
“Well she can bring charges against him, but somehow I don’t think she is going to do that. She’s terrified of him.”
“I don’t know what to do Michael. I don’t know how to get her out of there. I’ve tried talking to her but she just won’t leave. He’s not only threatened me you know.”
Michael’s head whipped around to face her.
“What do you mean by that?” asked Michael through gritted teeth.
“Well the only reason Liz kept this quiet was because he not only threatened to come after me but threatened to go after other people she cares about. I just wish she had told me sooner. I personally can handle the bastard and he wouldn’t dare hurt me for many reasons but Liz doesn’t know that.”
Michael had known about the threat to Maria and wanted to kill the bastard because of it but this information was new to him.
“So you’re telling me that he’s threatened to go after other people she cares about not just you? Like who?”
“I don’t know Michael, she never really said. She just hinted that whoever she felt close to could get hurt.”
“You realise that there isn’t much I can do if he does come around in the morning except gently persuade him to leave. The only time I could do something is if he became physically violent with Liz but again that’s if she presses charges against him.”
“I understand that Michael but I do appreciate you coming over.”
“Want me to take the couch?”
“No I have another guest bedroom that you can use. I’ll take you up there now.”
*******
The following morning Liz awoke to loud banging on the front door. It took her some time to realise that she wasn’t in her own room but was, in fact, a guest in Maria’s house. She wasn’t sure how long she had been out of it, or even remembered how she got there, but she was grateful.
“MARIA, OPEN THE GOD DAMN DOOR!” screamed Sean.
Spending the night without his wife at home had given time for Sean’s anger to increase. By the time he reached Maria’s house he was on the verge of completely losing it. He was sure she was taking her time deliberately and that infuriated him even more.
He continued to bang his knuckles so hard on the door that they started to ache under the onslaught.
“I SWEAR TO GOD MARIA, IF YOU DON’T OPEN THIS FUCKING DOOR NOW I’M GOING TO...” he stopped as he heard the bolt being moved.
“YOU’RE GOING TO WHAT?” asked Michael.
It took all his strength not to smirk at the look of shock on Sean’s face.
“I...I was... what?”
“Look pal, it’s like what,” he looked at his watch “six thirty in the morning. I find this lunatic on my doorstep screaming about breaking the door down, threatening my girlfriend and he hasn’t even bothered to tell me his fucking name.”
Sean got his anger under control enough for him to finally be able to speak.
“I’m Sean De Luca, this is my cousin’s house and MY WIFE just happens to be staying here,” he gritted out.
“And again, I ask what the fuck you are doing here at six thirty in the morning?”
“I’ve come to collect MY wife,” sneered Sean.
“And how much does she cost?”
The look of confusion on his face was priceless. Michael was also aware that Maria was now standing directly behind him.
“WHAT?” screamed Sean, in confusion.
“Well the way you said you were here to COLLECT your wife, I was wondering how much she cost. I mean what is she, a piece of prized porcelain that you’ve collected many versions of or is she one of a kind?”
Was he insinuating that Sean though of his wife like a prized possession? Sean drew his fist back ready to throw a punch at the arrogant bastard that had answered the door when his arm was grabbed mid swing.
“I wouldn’t do that if I was you pal.”
“Really? Why the hell not?”
“Because I’m a police officer and I will arrest you for assault if you follow through,” said Michael as he slightly twisted Sean’s arm before letting go.
“I want to see my wife!”
“Look...” Michael was just about to lose his temper with Sean when he felt a hand on his arm.
“Michael, it’s okay I need to speak to Sean alone.”
“Liz, I don’t think that’s a good idea...”
“Michael, I need to do this.”
Michael sighed but walked back into the house taking Maria with him.
“What are you doing here Sean?”
“I’m your husband and you’re asking me what I’m doing here? You’re coming with me now!” said Sean, as he grabbed Liz’s wrist and yanked her outside.
“I’m not even dressed!” hissed Liz, as she yanked her arm away from Sean.
“I don’t give a shit you little bitch; you’re coming home with me now.”
“NO! Not anymore. I’m leaving you Sean. I can’t do this anymore.”
“Don’t be ridiculous. You’ve got nothing without me. You are nothing without me. What are you going to do Liz? If you think I’m going to just let you go that easy, you’re sadly mistaken.”
“I don’t care what you do to me anymore Sean. I haven’t been living for over two years now. I’m filing for a divorce today.”
“I’ll fight you every step of the way. You think anyone will touch your case when they know you’re going up against me?”
“God can’t you come up with anything new? How long have you been using those threats against me Sean? I’m not afraid of you anymore.”
“You will be,” said Sean, as he turned and went back to his car. “This is far from over Liz. I’ll be back to collect you when you’ve come to your senses.”
With that said, he left in a cloud of dust. Liz collapsed on the floor and sobbed. It was Michael who found her that way a few minutes later.
“Did he hurt you Liz?” asked Michael, in what he hoped was a gentle tone.
She shook her head.
“I’m so tired Michael. I’m just so tired.”
“Come on, let’s get you inside,” he said, gently helping her to stand.
Liz leaned her full weight on him, fearing she would collapse, once again, if she didn’t.
“I’m going to take you back upstairs. You need to rest Liz.”
She nodded her head. Right now she just felt so tired, like all the fight had finally left her body, like she was about to give up.
“You did the right thing out there Liz. You had to stand up to him sooner or later. Max and I will do our best to help you out of this situation, okay?”
“Okay,” whispered Liz, as Michael laid her down on the bed and pulled the duvet over her.
Michael met Maria outside of Liz’s room.
“Is she okay?”
“Yeah, she finally did it Maria.”
“I know but Sean won’t take this lying down Michael, it’s about to get a whole lot worse.”
“I need to let Max know what’s going on Maria.”
“I know. I’m sorry for dragging you into this.”
“It’s not a problem. I’m sure things wouldn’t have gone so smoothly if Sean wasn’t thrown off guard by my appearance at the door. Something tells me he won’t be so calm next time.”
“My fear exactly Michael.”
A huge thank you to Ping for this siggie
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Janetfl
- Fan Fic Buff
- Posts: 200
- Joined: Wed Mar 25, 2009 7:26 pm
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Re: Conclusive Evidence (AU,M/L,ADULT) Chpt 30 (04/April/12)
The source of information contained in this chapter is from wikipedia.
WARNING: This chapter contains graphic descriptions of a dead body ... viewer discretion is advised.
Chapter 26
“Max, I need to talk to you urgently,” said Michael, as he popped his head around the office door.
“You can talk to me on the way,” replied Max.
“What? Where are we going? I’ve only just got here.”
“There’s been another murder Michael.”
“Same place?”
“No, found in a field about 20 miles away, but still in our jurisdiction.”
“That’s two in less than a week. I don’t like the sound of this,” said Michael.
“Me neither Michael, me neither. We need to get going, Maggie is waiting for us.”
“I’ll grab my coat and then I’m right behind you.”
*******
As Max and Michael got into the car and started to drive towards the crime scene, Michael wondered whether this would be the best time to tell Max what had gone on the day before. He knew how wound up Max got over murder cases. It usually meant heat from the big brass (bosses) and Max had an almost perfect record of solved cases.
“What did you want to talk to me about?”
“I don’t think now is the right time Max.”
“Something is bothering you and there is no way you would come straight into my office, when you first arrived, if it wasn’t important.”
“It has to do with Liz.”
This certainly got Max’s attention.
“What about Liz?”
“Maria phoned me the other night asking me to come over. She sounded so scared that I went over without even asking what was wrong. It turns out that Liz has finally left Sean and is staying at Maria’s. The thing is; he showed up at six thirty in the morning, banging on the door, demanding to see his wife.
Now of course he was a little thrown by the fact that I was standing at the door but eventually went to hit me. I gave him a warning and then Liz came out to talk to him. I found her a few minutes later, sitting on the cold concrete ground, in tears. It’s almost like she’s giving up. She doesn't have much fight left in her Max and that worries me.”
Max could very well believe that Sean had meant to intimidate Liz to coming back to him. His reaction to Michael being there pretty much proved that fact. There was no way in hell he was going to let him get his hands on her again. Not now, she had finally gained the courage to walk out on the bastard.
Some way, somehow, he was going to make Sean pay for what he had done to Liz.
“How do you mean, giving up?”
“Like, it’s not going to take much more to push her over the edge Max. She was in a terrible state. I felt awful leaving Maria to deal with it. Do you know that she’s been doing drugs on a regular basis and been drinking away most of the day and night? It was only the fact that Grace, one of the servants, called Maria that she even got out of that house.”
“She’s coming to stay with me Michael. I don’t want that sick bastard to get his hands on her again.”
“You know that could cause some trouble Max. Although we aren’t really supposed to be investigating her case, we still are. You being personally involved with her would raise a question of prejudice against anything we get on Sean. You realise that, right?”
“I don’t give a damn anymore Michael. She’s been through enough! I’m not going to sit on the sidelines any longer. Do you think Maria might be able to get us something on Sean? Maybe she can get hold of his bank records. We need something to start with.”
“I’ll ask her, but I won’t be happy about it. What about Liz going to see that Pam Troy woman? Are you still going to send her?”
“I’m not sure until I’ve seen Liz. If I don’t think she can cope with it then no I won’t send her.”
Max slammed his fist on the steering wheel.
“This case is seriously starting to piss me off. We’ve got nothing but suspicions. We can’t prove anything at the moment.”
“I’ve got a few friends in high places Max. I’m going to put the feelers out and see if we can’t come up with something...”
*******
“Oh shit!” shouted Max, as he parked close to the murder scene. “Fucking great, now I have those idiots to deal with. The brass is going to want results and fast with this amount of coverage!”
Max had seen a swarm of reporters all clambering over each other trying to get an exclusive interview. He hated the media.
As soon as they both left the car they were inundated with the flashes of cameras, microphones shoved in their faces and reporters shouting their questions.
“DCI Evans, is this murder connected with the other body that was found twenty miles from here? If so, do you have any leads yet?”
“Have you managed to identify the victims yet?”
“DCI Evans, could this be a serial killer or maybe even a copy cat?”
“I think it’s a little too early on in the investigation to be asking those kinds of questions. I’m sure that once there is anything to report our press office will call a conference. In the mean time could you step back and let me get on with my job.”
Max held up his badge to the Constables that were guarding the crime scene. He headed straight for the murder tent where he knew Maggie would be.
As they approached the crime scene the foul stench of death met their noses. Michael had to cover his mouth and nose with his hand, even with the vapour rub underneath his nose.
“Max, good to see you again,” nodded Maggie, in greeting.
“You to Maggie, so what do we have here?”
“First of all, I’ve brought you a copy of the previous autopsy. I knew you wanted it as soon as possible and I knew you would be attending this crime scene so I brought the copy with me,” said Maggie, handing over a copy of her report.
“Secondly, I hate to say this, but we’ve got another one.”
“Oh crap,” said Michael, “I knew this wasn’t going to be good.”
“Just one more, then the press will have a field day,” said Max ominously.
Maggie stepped out of the way. Max and Michael went to take a look at the body. This time it was worse. They couldn’t even recognise the features. There were swarms of writhing maggots coming out of her mouth, ears and well every other orifice.
“As you can see this cadaver has gotten to the Black Putrefaction stage of decomposition. This means that the body loses the bloated look as the abdominal gases escape, the body darkens to black and, as you can see, attracts the majority of insect and larvae activity. ”
“So it’s been here longer than the previous body?” asked Max.
“Well the time frame is 10 to 20 days from actual death occurring, but again I’m going to have to check on what factors will affect the decomposition rate. Things like temperature, cause of death, access of scavengers, trauma, humidity, rainfall and how much clothing the body had on. It’s difficult to give you an ETD until I’ve done the autopsy. My guess is this body was dead before the one we found the other day.”
“What about the lividity?” asked Michael.
“Unfortunately, the same as before. This body was dumped here after lividity had already set.”
“So this bastard is keeping them somewhere and then dumping them?” asked Michael.
“It seems so yes, but there is another problem.”
“Which is?” asked Michael.
Michael was surprised that Max hadn’t asked any of the pertinent questions yet, but he noticed that something had caught his attention.
“I’m not a forensic scientist but it looks like the same foreign object was inserted into this person, post mortem.”
“So this guy carries something with him to assault the women with?” asked Max.
“It seems so.”
“And?” asked Max, sensing that Maggie was holding something back.
“Max you know I can’t give you my opinion until we know for sure.”
“I know Maggie but like you said, you’ve been doing this job for twenty years. I trust your judgement and if we can work off something to give us a lead now instead of six weeks then I’m willing to risk it.”
“Well, from what I could see of the body, the tights wrapped around this girls neck, was tied exactly the same way as the previous victim.”
“So you’re thinking the same killer,” said Michael.
“Like I said, I’m not a forensic scientist but it does seem likely.”
“Are you thinking what I’m thinking Maggie?” asked Max.
“One more Max, that’s all it will take.”
“And then we’re in deep shit.”
WARNING: This chapter contains graphic descriptions of a dead body ... viewer discretion is advised.
Chapter 26
“Max, I need to talk to you urgently,” said Michael, as he popped his head around the office door.
“You can talk to me on the way,” replied Max.
“What? Where are we going? I’ve only just got here.”
“There’s been another murder Michael.”
“Same place?”
“No, found in a field about 20 miles away, but still in our jurisdiction.”
“That’s two in less than a week. I don’t like the sound of this,” said Michael.
“Me neither Michael, me neither. We need to get going, Maggie is waiting for us.”
“I’ll grab my coat and then I’m right behind you.”
*******
As Max and Michael got into the car and started to drive towards the crime scene, Michael wondered whether this would be the best time to tell Max what had gone on the day before. He knew how wound up Max got over murder cases. It usually meant heat from the big brass (bosses) and Max had an almost perfect record of solved cases.
“What did you want to talk to me about?”
“I don’t think now is the right time Max.”
“Something is bothering you and there is no way you would come straight into my office, when you first arrived, if it wasn’t important.”
“It has to do with Liz.”
This certainly got Max’s attention.
“What about Liz?”
“Maria phoned me the other night asking me to come over. She sounded so scared that I went over without even asking what was wrong. It turns out that Liz has finally left Sean and is staying at Maria’s. The thing is; he showed up at six thirty in the morning, banging on the door, demanding to see his wife.
Now of course he was a little thrown by the fact that I was standing at the door but eventually went to hit me. I gave him a warning and then Liz came out to talk to him. I found her a few minutes later, sitting on the cold concrete ground, in tears. It’s almost like she’s giving up. She doesn't have much fight left in her Max and that worries me.”
Max could very well believe that Sean had meant to intimidate Liz to coming back to him. His reaction to Michael being there pretty much proved that fact. There was no way in hell he was going to let him get his hands on her again. Not now, she had finally gained the courage to walk out on the bastard.
Some way, somehow, he was going to make Sean pay for what he had done to Liz.
“How do you mean, giving up?”
“Like, it’s not going to take much more to push her over the edge Max. She was in a terrible state. I felt awful leaving Maria to deal with it. Do you know that she’s been doing drugs on a regular basis and been drinking away most of the day and night? It was only the fact that Grace, one of the servants, called Maria that she even got out of that house.”
“She’s coming to stay with me Michael. I don’t want that sick bastard to get his hands on her again.”
“You know that could cause some trouble Max. Although we aren’t really supposed to be investigating her case, we still are. You being personally involved with her would raise a question of prejudice against anything we get on Sean. You realise that, right?”
“I don’t give a damn anymore Michael. She’s been through enough! I’m not going to sit on the sidelines any longer. Do you think Maria might be able to get us something on Sean? Maybe she can get hold of his bank records. We need something to start with.”
“I’ll ask her, but I won’t be happy about it. What about Liz going to see that Pam Troy woman? Are you still going to send her?”
“I’m not sure until I’ve seen Liz. If I don’t think she can cope with it then no I won’t send her.”
Max slammed his fist on the steering wheel.
“This case is seriously starting to piss me off. We’ve got nothing but suspicions. We can’t prove anything at the moment.”
“I’ve got a few friends in high places Max. I’m going to put the feelers out and see if we can’t come up with something...”
*******
“Oh shit!” shouted Max, as he parked close to the murder scene. “Fucking great, now I have those idiots to deal with. The brass is going to want results and fast with this amount of coverage!”
Max had seen a swarm of reporters all clambering over each other trying to get an exclusive interview. He hated the media.
As soon as they both left the car they were inundated with the flashes of cameras, microphones shoved in their faces and reporters shouting their questions.
“DCI Evans, is this murder connected with the other body that was found twenty miles from here? If so, do you have any leads yet?”
“Have you managed to identify the victims yet?”
“DCI Evans, could this be a serial killer or maybe even a copy cat?”
“I think it’s a little too early on in the investigation to be asking those kinds of questions. I’m sure that once there is anything to report our press office will call a conference. In the mean time could you step back and let me get on with my job.”
Max held up his badge to the Constables that were guarding the crime scene. He headed straight for the murder tent where he knew Maggie would be.
As they approached the crime scene the foul stench of death met their noses. Michael had to cover his mouth and nose with his hand, even with the vapour rub underneath his nose.
“Max, good to see you again,” nodded Maggie, in greeting.
“You to Maggie, so what do we have here?”
“First of all, I’ve brought you a copy of the previous autopsy. I knew you wanted it as soon as possible and I knew you would be attending this crime scene so I brought the copy with me,” said Maggie, handing over a copy of her report.
“Secondly, I hate to say this, but we’ve got another one.”
“Oh crap,” said Michael, “I knew this wasn’t going to be good.”
“Just one more, then the press will have a field day,” said Max ominously.
Maggie stepped out of the way. Max and Michael went to take a look at the body. This time it was worse. They couldn’t even recognise the features. There were swarms of writhing maggots coming out of her mouth, ears and well every other orifice.
“As you can see this cadaver has gotten to the Black Putrefaction stage of decomposition. This means that the body loses the bloated look as the abdominal gases escape, the body darkens to black and, as you can see, attracts the majority of insect and larvae activity. ”
“So it’s been here longer than the previous body?” asked Max.
“Well the time frame is 10 to 20 days from actual death occurring, but again I’m going to have to check on what factors will affect the decomposition rate. Things like temperature, cause of death, access of scavengers, trauma, humidity, rainfall and how much clothing the body had on. It’s difficult to give you an ETD until I’ve done the autopsy. My guess is this body was dead before the one we found the other day.”
“What about the lividity?” asked Michael.
“Unfortunately, the same as before. This body was dumped here after lividity had already set.”
“So this bastard is keeping them somewhere and then dumping them?” asked Michael.
“It seems so yes, but there is another problem.”
“Which is?” asked Michael.
Michael was surprised that Max hadn’t asked any of the pertinent questions yet, but he noticed that something had caught his attention.
“I’m not a forensic scientist but it looks like the same foreign object was inserted into this person, post mortem.”
“So this guy carries something with him to assault the women with?” asked Max.
“It seems so.”
“And?” asked Max, sensing that Maggie was holding something back.
“Max you know I can’t give you my opinion until we know for sure.”
“I know Maggie but like you said, you’ve been doing this job for twenty years. I trust your judgement and if we can work off something to give us a lead now instead of six weeks then I’m willing to risk it.”
“Well, from what I could see of the body, the tights wrapped around this girls neck, was tied exactly the same way as the previous victim.”
“So you’re thinking the same killer,” said Michael.
“Like I said, I’m not a forensic scientist but it does seem likely.”
“Are you thinking what I’m thinking Maggie?” asked Max.
“One more Max, that’s all it will take.”
“And then we’re in deep shit.”
Last edited by Janetfl on Wed Apr 04, 2012 1:11 am, edited 1 time in total.
A huge thank you to Ping for this siggie
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Janetfl
- Fan Fic Buff
- Posts: 200
- Joined: Wed Mar 25, 2009 7:26 pm
- Location: Bucks, UK
Re: Conclusive Evidence (AU,M/L,ADULT) Chpt 30 (04/April/12)
Chapter 27
“So what now Max?” asked Michael, as they pulled away from the crime scene.
“Now, we pay a visit to Pam Troy.”
“WHAT!” shouted Michael.
“We’re going to pay a visit to Pam Troy. Once we get back to the office I’ll read over the autopsy report of the first victim and then we’ll split the team in two as soon as we have an I.D. on the second victim. I want them to talk to family, friends and colleagues first. Once we have any information I want it collated so we can see if there is a link somewhere. I have a feeling Maggie’s assumption is correct Michael but we need to do this by the book.”
“By the book? Then why the hell are we going to see Pam Troy? I know Liz is important Max and I’m worried about her too but we can’t just ignore that there are two murder cases to solve. We should be doing Liz’s investigation on our own time.”
“You’re just going to have to trust me on this one Michael, I know what I’m doing,” replied Max.
“Fine, but don’t say I didn’t warn you Max.”
“Do you remember her address,” asked Max.
“Yeah, she used to live in a place called Amersham, in one of those housing association houses. Now she’s in a private residence in Prestwood,” replied Michael.
“That’s it!” shouted Max, almost swerving the car onto the other side of the road.
“What the hell is wrong with you!” shouted Michael.
“I KNEW IT. I knew there was more to this case. Why the hell didn’t I put that together the first time we investigated Liz’s attack.”
“Put what together?” asked Michael, a little confused.
*******
“Are you sure about this address?” asked Max, as he pulled up outside the private estate, set back from the main road.
“Yep, see here I’ve written it down,” said Michael, showing him his little note book.
“So she’s gone from an Association house to this?” asked Max, incredulously.
“Apparently so. It seems a little strange that she moved not long after that attack on Liz, don’t you think?” said Michael.
“You know, this case is really starting to piss me off. How could we have let Liz down so badly?” asked Max, as he pushed the intercom on the gate.
“Yes, who is it?” asked the disembodied voice from the intercom.
“This is DCI Evans, I wanted to talk to a Miss Pam Troy please.”
There was a pause before an answer came.
“Okay, I’m in the first house on the left.”
The electronic gates swung open to allow the car into the private estate. As Max and Michael pulled up to the house they both whistled.
“Now I know something’s not right with this. Either she got married to someone rather rich, or...”
“Come on, let’s find out,” said Max, his tone grim.
As they approached the house the front door was opened by Pam Troy.
“Yes gentlemen, how may I help you?”
Max and Michael both got out their I.D. and showed it to Pam.
“My name is DCI Evans and this is DI Guerin. We’d like to ask you a few questions if that’s okay?” said Max, trying to be as polite as possible.
“What’s this about?”
“Well two years ago you were a witness to an attack on a woman at Beaconsfield train station,” said Max.
“Yes, that’s right,” said Pam, frowning. “But I thought that case was closed.”
“That’s correct but there’s some new evidence that has been brought forward so we have to check it out,” replied Max, the lie just slipping from his mouth with ease.
“Oh, s-some new evidence, oh right, of course come on in. I’ll try and help you as much as I can but I don’t think there’s much I can add to what I already gave the police back then,” replied Pam, stepping aside to let them in.
“Why don’t you go and sit down in the living room and I’ll make some tea,” said Pam, hoping to make a quick phone call. She had not expected this to happen after so long.
“That’s okay Miss Troy, this shouldn’t take long. We only have a few questions for you and then we’ll be on our way,” replied Max.
“Okay, let’s sit down shall we?” said Pam, pointing to the sofa for the men while she sat on one of the chairs.
“We noticed that you were working for a Private Investigator when the attack happened, is that correct?” asked Max.
“Yes that’s correct but what does that have to do with the case?”
“Do you know a man named Mark Duffy?” asked Michael.
“Who? No I’m sorry I don’t know anyone by that name. He might have been a client but to be honest I don’t remember their names. It was two years ago,” explained Pam.
“Oh I don’t think he would have been a client of yours,” said Michael.
“Then no, I’m sorry I don’t know the name.”
Max knew that she was lying. He’d seen the slight show of fear on her face as his name was mentioned. Oh she was good, but not that good.
“Can you tell us what you were doing on the day the attack happened?” asked Michael, knowing what Max was thinking.
“What? No not really that was like two years ago. Of course I remember the attack but not really what I was doing on that day. The attack was so shocking it’s the only thing that really registered,” replied Pam, hoping they would believe her. She thought she was doing a pretty good job so far.
“Can I ask you why you waited so long to phone the police?” asked Max.
“Excuse me?”
“Well, if I saw someone being attacked the first thing I would do is phone the police. You didn’t do that,” explained Michael.
“Look can you tell me what this is all about. I was a witness. I came forward and gave my statement. I don’t understand why you are asking me questions like this. Quite frankly I find your tone rather offensive. I did the best I could in a very bad situation. It’s not every day I see someone getting attacked.”
“I’m sorry, no offense was intended. You acted very honourably during that time. Most people would have just walked on and not got involved,” replied Max, trying to ease the tension.
“Did you get on the train at Marylebone station?” asked Michael, trying to catch her out.
“No, if I remember correctly I got on at Harrow on the Hill. I think I was returning from finding something out for Mr. Turner.”
“Can you remember what you were working on?” asked Max.
“No, I don’t I’m afraid.”
“So you got on at Harrow on the Hill and got off Beaconsfield?”
“Yes that’s right.”
Max and Michael both looked at each other and smiled.
“Okay, thank you for your time Miss Troy,” said Max, standing and heading out towards the front door.
“That’s it?” said Pam, relieved.
“That’s all for now, yes.”
“If you need any more help just let me know.”
“There is one more thing,” said Michael, just as he was about to walk out the door.
“Yes?”
“I was just wondering how you moved from an Association house to this,” said Michael, waving his arm around.
“I don’t think that’s any of your business,” snapped Pam.
“I was just wondering,” said Michael, smiling to himself as he headed towards the car.
Pam slammed the door shut and immediately made that phone call.
“What the hell is going on here? I’ve just had a visit from the police about that attack two years ago. You told me it was finished with.”
“It is,” the reply came.
“Well it doesn’t seem like it. They just asked questions about where I got on the train AND they mentioned Mark Duffy!”
“I’ll handle it, don’t worry.”
“You better. I’m not going down for this shit. You promised me no one would find out. I went out on a limb for you.”
“I SAID I WOULD HANDLE IT!”
Pam pulled the earpiece from her ear and cringed. The last thing she needed to do was piss him off. He was dangerous; she of all people knew that.
“Okay sorry, my nerves are a little frayed that’s all.”
“Understandable. I promise you I’ll deal with it, okay? You have nothing to worry about. Now tell me exactly what you told them and the questions they asked.”
After Pam had explained everything there was silence at the end of the phone.
“Are you still there?”
“Yes I am. That’s all you told them, nothing else?”
“That’s it. I’ve told you everything,” explained Pam. She started to get nervous at his tone of voice.
“DAMN IT!” he suddenly shouted. “This should NOT be happening that case was closed.”
“I know that but they said new evidence had been produced. God knows what that could be.”
“I think someone is getting sloppy. I’ll handle it. I’ve got to go.”
“Okay and thank you. Sorry to bother you after all this time."
“So what now Max?” asked Michael, as they pulled away from the crime scene.
“Now, we pay a visit to Pam Troy.”
“WHAT!” shouted Michael.
“We’re going to pay a visit to Pam Troy. Once we get back to the office I’ll read over the autopsy report of the first victim and then we’ll split the team in two as soon as we have an I.D. on the second victim. I want them to talk to family, friends and colleagues first. Once we have any information I want it collated so we can see if there is a link somewhere. I have a feeling Maggie’s assumption is correct Michael but we need to do this by the book.”
“By the book? Then why the hell are we going to see Pam Troy? I know Liz is important Max and I’m worried about her too but we can’t just ignore that there are two murder cases to solve. We should be doing Liz’s investigation on our own time.”
“You’re just going to have to trust me on this one Michael, I know what I’m doing,” replied Max.
“Fine, but don’t say I didn’t warn you Max.”
“Do you remember her address,” asked Max.
“Yeah, she used to live in a place called Amersham, in one of those housing association houses. Now she’s in a private residence in Prestwood,” replied Michael.
“That’s it!” shouted Max, almost swerving the car onto the other side of the road.
“What the hell is wrong with you!” shouted Michael.
“I KNEW IT. I knew there was more to this case. Why the hell didn’t I put that together the first time we investigated Liz’s attack.”
“Put what together?” asked Michael, a little confused.
*******
“Are you sure about this address?” asked Max, as he pulled up outside the private estate, set back from the main road.
“Yep, see here I’ve written it down,” said Michael, showing him his little note book.
“So she’s gone from an Association house to this?” asked Max, incredulously.
“Apparently so. It seems a little strange that she moved not long after that attack on Liz, don’t you think?” said Michael.
“You know, this case is really starting to piss me off. How could we have let Liz down so badly?” asked Max, as he pushed the intercom on the gate.
“Yes, who is it?” asked the disembodied voice from the intercom.
“This is DCI Evans, I wanted to talk to a Miss Pam Troy please.”
There was a pause before an answer came.
“Okay, I’m in the first house on the left.”
The electronic gates swung open to allow the car into the private estate. As Max and Michael pulled up to the house they both whistled.
“Now I know something’s not right with this. Either she got married to someone rather rich, or...”
“Come on, let’s find out,” said Max, his tone grim.
As they approached the house the front door was opened by Pam Troy.
“Yes gentlemen, how may I help you?”
Max and Michael both got out their I.D. and showed it to Pam.
“My name is DCI Evans and this is DI Guerin. We’d like to ask you a few questions if that’s okay?” said Max, trying to be as polite as possible.
“What’s this about?”
“Well two years ago you were a witness to an attack on a woman at Beaconsfield train station,” said Max.
“Yes, that’s right,” said Pam, frowning. “But I thought that case was closed.”
“That’s correct but there’s some new evidence that has been brought forward so we have to check it out,” replied Max, the lie just slipping from his mouth with ease.
“Oh, s-some new evidence, oh right, of course come on in. I’ll try and help you as much as I can but I don’t think there’s much I can add to what I already gave the police back then,” replied Pam, stepping aside to let them in.
“Why don’t you go and sit down in the living room and I’ll make some tea,” said Pam, hoping to make a quick phone call. She had not expected this to happen after so long.
“That’s okay Miss Troy, this shouldn’t take long. We only have a few questions for you and then we’ll be on our way,” replied Max.
“Okay, let’s sit down shall we?” said Pam, pointing to the sofa for the men while she sat on one of the chairs.
“We noticed that you were working for a Private Investigator when the attack happened, is that correct?” asked Max.
“Yes that’s correct but what does that have to do with the case?”
“Do you know a man named Mark Duffy?” asked Michael.
“Who? No I’m sorry I don’t know anyone by that name. He might have been a client but to be honest I don’t remember their names. It was two years ago,” explained Pam.
“Oh I don’t think he would have been a client of yours,” said Michael.
“Then no, I’m sorry I don’t know the name.”
Max knew that she was lying. He’d seen the slight show of fear on her face as his name was mentioned. Oh she was good, but not that good.
“Can you tell us what you were doing on the day the attack happened?” asked Michael, knowing what Max was thinking.
“What? No not really that was like two years ago. Of course I remember the attack but not really what I was doing on that day. The attack was so shocking it’s the only thing that really registered,” replied Pam, hoping they would believe her. She thought she was doing a pretty good job so far.
“Can I ask you why you waited so long to phone the police?” asked Max.
“Excuse me?”
“Well, if I saw someone being attacked the first thing I would do is phone the police. You didn’t do that,” explained Michael.
“Look can you tell me what this is all about. I was a witness. I came forward and gave my statement. I don’t understand why you are asking me questions like this. Quite frankly I find your tone rather offensive. I did the best I could in a very bad situation. It’s not every day I see someone getting attacked.”
“I’m sorry, no offense was intended. You acted very honourably during that time. Most people would have just walked on and not got involved,” replied Max, trying to ease the tension.
“Did you get on the train at Marylebone station?” asked Michael, trying to catch her out.
“No, if I remember correctly I got on at Harrow on the Hill. I think I was returning from finding something out for Mr. Turner.”
“Can you remember what you were working on?” asked Max.
“No, I don’t I’m afraid.”
“So you got on at Harrow on the Hill and got off Beaconsfield?”
“Yes that’s right.”
Max and Michael both looked at each other and smiled.
“Okay, thank you for your time Miss Troy,” said Max, standing and heading out towards the front door.
“That’s it?” said Pam, relieved.
“That’s all for now, yes.”
“If you need any more help just let me know.”
“There is one more thing,” said Michael, just as he was about to walk out the door.
“Yes?”
“I was just wondering how you moved from an Association house to this,” said Michael, waving his arm around.
“I don’t think that’s any of your business,” snapped Pam.
“I was just wondering,” said Michael, smiling to himself as he headed towards the car.
Pam slammed the door shut and immediately made that phone call.
“What the hell is going on here? I’ve just had a visit from the police about that attack two years ago. You told me it was finished with.”
“It is,” the reply came.
“Well it doesn’t seem like it. They just asked questions about where I got on the train AND they mentioned Mark Duffy!”
“I’ll handle it, don’t worry.”
“You better. I’m not going down for this shit. You promised me no one would find out. I went out on a limb for you.”
“I SAID I WOULD HANDLE IT!”
Pam pulled the earpiece from her ear and cringed. The last thing she needed to do was piss him off. He was dangerous; she of all people knew that.
“Okay sorry, my nerves are a little frayed that’s all.”
“Understandable. I promise you I’ll deal with it, okay? You have nothing to worry about. Now tell me exactly what you told them and the questions they asked.”
After Pam had explained everything there was silence at the end of the phone.
“Are you still there?”
“Yes I am. That’s all you told them, nothing else?”
“That’s it. I’ve told you everything,” explained Pam. She started to get nervous at his tone of voice.
“DAMN IT!” he suddenly shouted. “This should NOT be happening that case was closed.”
“I know that but they said new evidence had been produced. God knows what that could be.”
“I think someone is getting sloppy. I’ll handle it. I’ve got to go.”
“Okay and thank you. Sorry to bother you after all this time."
A huge thank you to Ping for this siggie
-
Janetfl
- Fan Fic Buff
- Posts: 200
- Joined: Wed Mar 25, 2009 7:26 pm
- Location: Bucks, UK
Re: Conclusive Evidence (AU,M/L,ADULT) Chpt 30 (04/April/12)
Warning: Scenes of a violent nature (murder) is described in this chapter. Viewer discretion is advised.
Chapter 28
Pam Troy got up from the sofa as soon as she heard him approach the door. She didn’t want to let him down after all this time but she needed some help with what to tell the police.
As she opened the door she saw a huge smile come across his handsome face.
“Wow, you’re as gorgeous as ever,” smiled Pam.
“Thanks.”
“I’m sorry about calling you but I had no choice. I don’t want to screw anything up so I thought I’d better check with you first,” said Pam, turning her back on him, walking towards the kitchen.
That was always her biggest mistake, being too trusting.
Pam suddenly saw a flash of something out of her peripheral vision and then she felt something cutting into her delicate neck.
She could feel her lungs begin to burn with the lack of oxygen. She tried her hardest to gasp for air but it was no use. She felt as if her lungs would explode at any moment.
“Why?” she managed to choke out.
“Because you stupid whore, you already gave the police what they needed. I told you never to say anything to them unless you’d spoken to me first. Now they will reopen the investigation! If you’d just kept that big mouth shut we would be home free!”
The angrier he became, the harder he pulled on the garrotte.
Pam didn’t understand what she had said to the police that would make them reopen the case but then it was hard to think when your brain and lungs were starved of oxygen. Her muscles felt so weak she could hardly stand, she had a tingling sensation all over her body, she could hear a strange buzzing sound in her ears and she could taste something metallic in her mouth. Her ears, nose and mouth were bleeding.
She panicked feeling her life slowly slipping away. She started to kick out her legs, pushing back, hoping to destabilise the man behind her. All she needed was one break and she could run but the harder she fought him the more the garrotte cut into her skin. Her muscles were too weak to provide any type of leverage against her attacker.
She could feel the burning sensation of the wire as it dug deeper into her muscles and tissue; then her world went black.
As her body fell to the floor and started convulsing; the man just smiled, turned and left through the front door shutting it quietly behind him.
********
“So you got the meaning behind the station where she got on?” asked Max, as they pulled up outside the police station.
“Yep, if she’d gotten on at Harrow on the Hill, that train takes her to Amersham and Aylesbury. That’s right near where she used to live but instead she ends up on the Chiltern Line and getting off at Beaconsfield.”
“So she does have something to do with what went on with Liz,” said Max.
“Well, that’s if she didn’t just make a mistake Max. She might be a little confused after two years but I doubt it.”
“We need to get her damn bank records. How the hell did she go from an Association house, into a private estate? Those houses cost anywhere between five hundred to seven hundred and fifty thousand pounds, especially in a place like Prestwood.”
“I’ve put the feelers out Max but you know how the banks are. They keep everything private in fear that the client will sue. I’ve got a few buddies that could help but it depends on what bank she’s with. We need that court order.”
“DAMN IT! How could we have let Liz down so badly!” yelled Max, as he got out of the car and locked it.
“Look man, it wasn’t our fault. We were getting pressure from the brass to close the case. If we’d had time to investigate it properly then we might have stood a chance,” replied Michael. He knew that Max was blaming himself but at the end of the day it was beyond both their control.
“Well right now we need to concentrate on those other two murders. I don’t think we’re going to have any time off soon. Do you think Maria will be okay with looking after Liz?” asked Max.
“I think Maria is fine with Liz staying with her but I’m not so sure what she will do if dickhead turns up and demands to see her.”
“Okay, when we get back to the office I want you to phone Maria. Tell her to get Liz to go to the flat in London. Sean doesn’t know she still has it. She’ll be safe for a few days until I can get to see her then I’m hoping she’ll agree to stay with me for awhile until we sort this mess out.”
“Seriously Max, is that wise? If we do manage to reopen the case then you being involved with Liz won’t look good. You’ll lose your job over it and possibly hurt the case if it ever gets to court,” said Michael, explaining his fear to his long time friend and boss.
“What else can I do Michael? You said yourself that she’s close to giving up. I can’t risk that. If he gets his hands on her after leaving him there’s no telling what he’ll do to her. I can’t have that on my conscience.”
“As long as you know the risks Max, that’s all I’m pointing out here. I don’t want you throwing your whole life out of the window if it’s not worth it,” explained Michael.
“Anything to do with Liz is worth it Michael. I’m not letting her down again.”
“Then I’ll do what I can to help you.”
“Thanks Michael but I want you to come out of this unscathed if I can help it. I’ll take all of the risks; you just work in the background for me.”
*******
Once Max had finished reading the autopsy report he felt slightly queasy. It never ceased to amaze him how vicious another human being could be. The worst part was the invasion of her body with a foreign object. At least this was post mortem instead of pre-mortem. The other victim wasn’t so lucky, if you could even call it that.
Max stood up and opened the door to his office.
“Michael, come and read this then we’ll call a team meeting,” said Max.
“Sure Gov,” replied Michael, as he stood and made his way towards Max’s office.
Once Michael had finished reading the report he looked up at Max.
“So what does this autopsy tell you Michael?” asked Max.
“The first victim found, Annie Coleman, was actually the second victim,” replied Michael.
“Why?”
“Well the body we looked at today was more decomposed and the sexual assault with a foreign object happened post -mortem, with Annie it was pre-mortem.”
“So that could mean?”
“Well we’d have to wait for forensics to confirm everything but one more murder and we’ve got ourselves a serial killer,” replied Michael.
“Okay, gather the team together in conference room one and we’ll go through everything. At the moment I want everyone out checking family, friends and colleagues. When or if we get an I.D. on the victim that was found today, we’ll split the team in two. You head Annie Coleman’s case and I want DI Williams to head the other one. You will both be responsible for collating the information to see if there is a connection besides being similar in looks. I think it’s also time to call in a Criminal Profiler.”
********
Once the group had gathered in the conference room Max placed a photo of Annie Coleman up on the board and underneath it began to write the information they had so far.
“Now although we are investigating this as two separate murders at the moment we believe Annie Coleman to be the second victim due to the sexual abuse being pre mortem and the condition her body was in. The first victim, which is the one we visited this morning, was abused post-mortem and her body had gotten to the Black Purification stage.”
“So are we talking possible serial killer here?” asked DI Mary Williams.
“It’s a possibility, even likely but I don’t want any assumptions made until we get a definite confirmation from forensics.”
“So you’re saying do this by the book but keep in mind that they are connected?” asked another DI.
“Exactly, once the information has been gathered we can collate it and see if we can find another connection apart from their looks,” explained Max.
“How long will it take for forensics to come through?” asked another DI.
“Your guess is as good as mine. You know how backed up they are but we’ve requested a rush on the results, so I’m hoping a few weeks. I want you to split into teams of two and find out as much information you can on Annie. Talk to friends, family, colleagues and anyone else that pops up during the course of the investigation. At the end of each day we’ll come here and discuss everything we’ve found out. Are there any questions?”
“Nope, got it,” said one DI while the rest just shook their heads.
“I want DI Mary Williams to head up the team. She can decide who goes where. I think time is of the essence here people so the sooner we get going the better. I have a feeling that these aren’t the only bodies we’re going to find. We’ve already requested a Criminal Profiler to come in and assess the crime scenes.”
One of the DI whistled.
“How did you manage that considering we’re treating them as separate cases at the moment?”
Max just smiled. “Is there anything else?”
When nobody responded Max nodded his head as an indication the meeting was over and they all piled out of the room, except for one person.
“Why did you put me in charge?” asked Mary.
“Because I need people I trust heading this investigation.”
“You know there are going to be some DI’s who consider themselves senior to me who should have been picked.”
“I’m sure you will deal with them Mary. I don’t think you’re going to have a problem. The men respect you here. They know how hard you’ve worked to reach where you are today. Everything will be fine, trust me.”
“Thanks for giving me the opportunity,” said Mary, as she left the conference room.
“You know she’s probably right Max,” said Michael.
“I’m sure she is, but she can handle herself. You’re going to need someone you trust one day Michael.”
“What the hell does that mean?” asked Michael.
“This thing with Liz, if it ever gets out Michael I’m finished here and I want my team ready to take over once I’m gone. I thought Mary would be best as your right hand woman. She’s the one we both trust more than anything or anyone.”
“Max, you’re starting to freak me out here. What the hell is going on? Do you know more than what you’re letting on?”
“No, I just want everyone to be prepared that’s all.”
Michael gave Max a look that said ‘yeah right, do I look like an idiot’ but Max simply walked out of the room.
Chapter 28
Pam Troy got up from the sofa as soon as she heard him approach the door. She didn’t want to let him down after all this time but she needed some help with what to tell the police.
As she opened the door she saw a huge smile come across his handsome face.
“Wow, you’re as gorgeous as ever,” smiled Pam.
“Thanks.”
“I’m sorry about calling you but I had no choice. I don’t want to screw anything up so I thought I’d better check with you first,” said Pam, turning her back on him, walking towards the kitchen.
That was always her biggest mistake, being too trusting.
Pam suddenly saw a flash of something out of her peripheral vision and then she felt something cutting into her delicate neck.
She could feel her lungs begin to burn with the lack of oxygen. She tried her hardest to gasp for air but it was no use. She felt as if her lungs would explode at any moment.
“Why?” she managed to choke out.
“Because you stupid whore, you already gave the police what they needed. I told you never to say anything to them unless you’d spoken to me first. Now they will reopen the investigation! If you’d just kept that big mouth shut we would be home free!”
The angrier he became, the harder he pulled on the garrotte.
Pam didn’t understand what she had said to the police that would make them reopen the case but then it was hard to think when your brain and lungs were starved of oxygen. Her muscles felt so weak she could hardly stand, she had a tingling sensation all over her body, she could hear a strange buzzing sound in her ears and she could taste something metallic in her mouth. Her ears, nose and mouth were bleeding.
She panicked feeling her life slowly slipping away. She started to kick out her legs, pushing back, hoping to destabilise the man behind her. All she needed was one break and she could run but the harder she fought him the more the garrotte cut into her skin. Her muscles were too weak to provide any type of leverage against her attacker.
She could feel the burning sensation of the wire as it dug deeper into her muscles and tissue; then her world went black.
As her body fell to the floor and started convulsing; the man just smiled, turned and left through the front door shutting it quietly behind him.
********
“So you got the meaning behind the station where she got on?” asked Max, as they pulled up outside the police station.
“Yep, if she’d gotten on at Harrow on the Hill, that train takes her to Amersham and Aylesbury. That’s right near where she used to live but instead she ends up on the Chiltern Line and getting off at Beaconsfield.”
“So she does have something to do with what went on with Liz,” said Max.
“Well, that’s if she didn’t just make a mistake Max. She might be a little confused after two years but I doubt it.”
“We need to get her damn bank records. How the hell did she go from an Association house, into a private estate? Those houses cost anywhere between five hundred to seven hundred and fifty thousand pounds, especially in a place like Prestwood.”
“I’ve put the feelers out Max but you know how the banks are. They keep everything private in fear that the client will sue. I’ve got a few buddies that could help but it depends on what bank she’s with. We need that court order.”
“DAMN IT! How could we have let Liz down so badly!” yelled Max, as he got out of the car and locked it.
“Look man, it wasn’t our fault. We were getting pressure from the brass to close the case. If we’d had time to investigate it properly then we might have stood a chance,” replied Michael. He knew that Max was blaming himself but at the end of the day it was beyond both their control.
“Well right now we need to concentrate on those other two murders. I don’t think we’re going to have any time off soon. Do you think Maria will be okay with looking after Liz?” asked Max.
“I think Maria is fine with Liz staying with her but I’m not so sure what she will do if dickhead turns up and demands to see her.”
“Okay, when we get back to the office I want you to phone Maria. Tell her to get Liz to go to the flat in London. Sean doesn’t know she still has it. She’ll be safe for a few days until I can get to see her then I’m hoping she’ll agree to stay with me for awhile until we sort this mess out.”
“Seriously Max, is that wise? If we do manage to reopen the case then you being involved with Liz won’t look good. You’ll lose your job over it and possibly hurt the case if it ever gets to court,” said Michael, explaining his fear to his long time friend and boss.
“What else can I do Michael? You said yourself that she’s close to giving up. I can’t risk that. If he gets his hands on her after leaving him there’s no telling what he’ll do to her. I can’t have that on my conscience.”
“As long as you know the risks Max, that’s all I’m pointing out here. I don’t want you throwing your whole life out of the window if it’s not worth it,” explained Michael.
“Anything to do with Liz is worth it Michael. I’m not letting her down again.”
“Then I’ll do what I can to help you.”
“Thanks Michael but I want you to come out of this unscathed if I can help it. I’ll take all of the risks; you just work in the background for me.”
*******
Once Max had finished reading the autopsy report he felt slightly queasy. It never ceased to amaze him how vicious another human being could be. The worst part was the invasion of her body with a foreign object. At least this was post mortem instead of pre-mortem. The other victim wasn’t so lucky, if you could even call it that.
Max stood up and opened the door to his office.
“Michael, come and read this then we’ll call a team meeting,” said Max.
“Sure Gov,” replied Michael, as he stood and made his way towards Max’s office.
Once Michael had finished reading the report he looked up at Max.
“So what does this autopsy tell you Michael?” asked Max.
“The first victim found, Annie Coleman, was actually the second victim,” replied Michael.
“Why?”
“Well the body we looked at today was more decomposed and the sexual assault with a foreign object happened post -mortem, with Annie it was pre-mortem.”
“So that could mean?”
“Well we’d have to wait for forensics to confirm everything but one more murder and we’ve got ourselves a serial killer,” replied Michael.
“Okay, gather the team together in conference room one and we’ll go through everything. At the moment I want everyone out checking family, friends and colleagues. When or if we get an I.D. on the victim that was found today, we’ll split the team in two. You head Annie Coleman’s case and I want DI Williams to head the other one. You will both be responsible for collating the information to see if there is a connection besides being similar in looks. I think it’s also time to call in a Criminal Profiler.”
********
Once the group had gathered in the conference room Max placed a photo of Annie Coleman up on the board and underneath it began to write the information they had so far.
“Now although we are investigating this as two separate murders at the moment we believe Annie Coleman to be the second victim due to the sexual abuse being pre mortem and the condition her body was in. The first victim, which is the one we visited this morning, was abused post-mortem and her body had gotten to the Black Purification stage.”
“So are we talking possible serial killer here?” asked DI Mary Williams.
“It’s a possibility, even likely but I don’t want any assumptions made until we get a definite confirmation from forensics.”
“So you’re saying do this by the book but keep in mind that they are connected?” asked another DI.
“Exactly, once the information has been gathered we can collate it and see if we can find another connection apart from their looks,” explained Max.
“How long will it take for forensics to come through?” asked another DI.
“Your guess is as good as mine. You know how backed up they are but we’ve requested a rush on the results, so I’m hoping a few weeks. I want you to split into teams of two and find out as much information you can on Annie. Talk to friends, family, colleagues and anyone else that pops up during the course of the investigation. At the end of each day we’ll come here and discuss everything we’ve found out. Are there any questions?”
“Nope, got it,” said one DI while the rest just shook their heads.
“I want DI Mary Williams to head up the team. She can decide who goes where. I think time is of the essence here people so the sooner we get going the better. I have a feeling that these aren’t the only bodies we’re going to find. We’ve already requested a Criminal Profiler to come in and assess the crime scenes.”
One of the DI whistled.
“How did you manage that considering we’re treating them as separate cases at the moment?”
Max just smiled. “Is there anything else?”
When nobody responded Max nodded his head as an indication the meeting was over and they all piled out of the room, except for one person.
“Why did you put me in charge?” asked Mary.
“Because I need people I trust heading this investigation.”
“You know there are going to be some DI’s who consider themselves senior to me who should have been picked.”
“I’m sure you will deal with them Mary. I don’t think you’re going to have a problem. The men respect you here. They know how hard you’ve worked to reach where you are today. Everything will be fine, trust me.”
“Thanks for giving me the opportunity,” said Mary, as she left the conference room.
“You know she’s probably right Max,” said Michael.
“I’m sure she is, but she can handle herself. You’re going to need someone you trust one day Michael.”
“What the hell does that mean?” asked Michael.
“This thing with Liz, if it ever gets out Michael I’m finished here and I want my team ready to take over once I’m gone. I thought Mary would be best as your right hand woman. She’s the one we both trust more than anything or anyone.”
“Max, you’re starting to freak me out here. What the hell is going on? Do you know more than what you’re letting on?”
“No, I just want everyone to be prepared that’s all.”
Michael gave Max a look that said ‘yeah right, do I look like an idiot’ but Max simply walked out of the room.
A huge thank you to Ping for this siggie
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Janetfl
- Fan Fic Buff
- Posts: 200
- Joined: Wed Mar 25, 2009 7:26 pm
- Location: Bucks, UK
Re: Conclusive Evidence (AU,M/L,ADULT) Chpt 30 (04/April/12)
Chapter 29
As a stream of light came in through her slightly parted curtains, Liz groaned. She’d been in such a lovely sleep that she didn’t want to wake up but when she felt the warm rays of the sun hit her face she sat up and rubbed her eyes slightly. A massive yawn came and then she swung her legs over the edge of the bed.
It was the first time in a long time that she hadn’t woken up in fear of him being in the house and she started to feel free for the first time since she married that bastard.
“Hey Liz, are you up yet?” shouted Maria, though her door.
“Come on in Maria!”
As Maria entered, Liz smiled.
“If I wasn’t awake then I certainly would be after you shouted the house down.”
For the first time, in what seemed like years, Maria actually saw her friend genuinely smile.
“Are you taking the piss out of me?” asked Maria, on eyebrow arching.
Liz was about to retort when they both heard the phone ring.
“I’ll be right back,” said Maria, running down the hallway to get to the phone.
“H-hello,” said Maria, slightly out of breath.
“Maria, it’s Michael.”
“Hi Michael, how are you?”
“Busy, got a big case we’re working on at the moment but that’s not why I called.”
“What’s going on Michael,” asked Maria, slightly worried.
“I can’t really talk about it Maria but it means that we’re...”
“Michael wait, can I meet you somewhere?”
“What?” asked Michael, confused at how quickly she changed the conversation.
“Can I meet you somewhere?”
“I don’t think it’s possible Maria, I’ve...”
Maria rolled her eyes. Did she have to spell it out to him?
“CAN. I. MEET. YOU. SOMEWHERE?” she said, through gritted teeth, as if talking to a five year old.
Michael was still confused about what she was asking but knew Maria had her reasons.
“Yeah sure, remember where we spent the morning after the club?”
“Yeah, I’ll meet you there in an hour.”
“Okay, I’ll see you there,” said Michael and then hung up the phone.
He quickly grabbed his coat off the back of his chair and ran into Max’s office.
“Max, I’ve got to pop out for about two hours. I’ll be back a soon as I can.”
“Wait a minute Michael,” said Max, as his friend was about to walk out of his office. “We have two cases on the go, what’s so important.”
“I’m not sure yet. I’ve just had a really strange conversation with Maria. I’ll let you know what’s going on as soon as I do,” replied Michael, walking out of the office so Max couldn’t ask him any more questions.
********
Maria pulled up outside the cafe that they had gone to after the club to get some much needed caffeine. As she walked into the cafe she saw Michael sitting in the corner drinking a small cup of espresso.
“That bad huh?” asked Maria, as she sat down.
“You have no idea Maria. What was so important that you couldn’t tell me over the phone? I really should be at work,” said Michael, a little concerned.
“I don’t know whether Sean has managed to put a bug on our line. If not he certainly knows a few people that can directly tap into the telephone line,” replied Maria. “I’m just taking precautions.”
“Tap into your phone? Are you serious?”
“I wouldn’t put it past him Michael. He has the ability to do it. Now what were you trying to tell me over the phone?”
“We have two cases on the go at the moment which means we’re not going to be able to do much on Liz’s case for a while. Max wants her to go to the flat in London where she’ll be safe.”
“That won’t be safe for her Michael. Although Sean doesn’t know about it yet you can bet he’ll find out. Liz has never given him a reason to doubt his control over her. With her leaving him it proves that she’s willing to defy him. He won’t like that one bit. He’ll start to search into her past to see what else she’s been hiding from him,” explained Maria.
“Maria, if he was this bad and you knew it why the hell would you let Liz get involved with him in the first place?”
“He wasn’t this way at first Michael. He was so in love with Liz. He wanted children with her and it really hurt him when she wouldn’t even consider it.”
“Can you blame her?” asked Michael, incredulously.
“Hell no! Maybe she could sense that something wasn’t right with him, I don’t know, but as soon as this baby topic came up everything started to go wrong. Liz was attacked. He forced her to give up work and then eventually controlled every part of her life except, of course, her getting pregnant.”
“Do you think that’s why he rapes her?” asked Michael.
“I think it has gone way past that point Michael. I think it all started when the attack happened. He tried to have sex with Liz while she was still injured, which obviously upset her a great deal after the doctor told her not to do anything too strenuous. From there on, she never wanted to be near him again. Or that’s what he told me. I never knew he was raping her. Now though I think it’s all about control with him,” whispered Maria.
“So you’re telling me that all this shit started to happen after Liz refused to have children?” Michael asked.
“Yeah, pretty much.”
“I know this is hard for you Maria because you’re split in the middle. I have one more question for you and then I’ll have to get back to the station.”
“What’s the question and what about Liz?”
“I’ll get Max to phone you this evening. We may be able to sort something out, as for my question? What reason did Liz give Sean for not wanting to have children just yet?”
“Oh that’s easy. She was concentrating on her career Michael. She’d studied for a long time and finally earned her chance at one of the top Advertising agencies in London. You can’t blame her for wanting to do that first before she truly settled down to have a family. Hell if I had her qualifications I would have waited myself.”
Michael thanked Maria for answering his questions, agreed to meet her as soon as he had time off and then left to go back to the station.
*******
Max was silently cursing Michael under his breath when he received the call from Maggie. She wanted them both down at the morgue. She had rushed through the autopsy for them and also had some news.
“Why the hell does he have to pick today to disappear!” ranted Max, as Michael walked into his room.
“Where the hell have you been?” asked Max.
“Oh believe me Max, when you hear what I have you will understand why I left for a couple of hours. What’s got your boxers in a twist?”
“Just received a call from Maggie, she wants us down at the Morgue pronto, she has some interesting news for us apparently.”
“Well let’s go,” replied Michael.
*******
“So what was so important that you had to leave in the middle of a murder investigation?” asked Max.
“Liz,” was his only reply.
“What about Liz?”
“I was phoning Maria so that she could move Liz to the apartment in London but before I could get anything out she pointedly asked to meet her somewhere. She believes that it’s not past Sean to have her phone tapped now that he knows Liz is staying there. Apparently his whole attitude changed towards Liz when she refused to give him children because of her career.”
“So what, he’s raping her in the hope she’ll get pregnant? Surely he can’t be that stupid.”
“I don’t think it’s about that Max. Think about it for a minute, Liz suddenly gets attacked on her way home from work. He calls up her office and gets them to remove her from her position threatening to take away business. Then all of a sudden she is completely dependent on him. Why wouldn’t she give him children then?”
Max whipped his head around to look at Michael.
“You think he had the attack arranged so she wouldn’t go back to work?”
Michael nodded. “It backfired on him though because Liz is stronger than he thought. She wasn’t going to let some attack ruin her life or career.”
“But she still didn’t want to give him children so why didn’t he stop then?”
“I think by that time the power he had over her was more enticing than actually having children. I don’t know Max but Maria thinks that after the child discussion everything went south from there. Knowing what a complete control freak he is, the fact that she denied him the one thing he wanted most, an heir to his fortune, made him finally crack.”
“So we need to find out some way of re-opening that investigation or there’s no way we can help Liz.”
“That’s the way I see it Max.”
*******
It was a solemn Max and Michael that walked into the Morgue.
“I thought you two would be a lot happier that I pushed the autopsy through,” said Maggie, with a smile on her face.
“We are Maggie and we can’t thank you enough. We’ve just got a lot going on at the moment,” explained Max.
“Okay, here is the autopsy report but I’ll run down my findings now and you can look at that later. The victim is called Janice Wilson. She was about 5, 5”, brown hair and eyes, twenty five years old. The ETD is fifteen days. Her father reported her missing sixteen days ago. She was identified through her dental records. No criminal record what so ever, not even a parking ticket to her name. She was sexually abused by a foreign object, post-mortem, as stated at the crime scene and I can tell you now that the knots were tied exactly the same way. It’s called an Anglers Knot or True Love Knot and is commonly used by Anglers. She has ligature marks around her ankles and wrists so she couldn’t put up much of a struggle. There were some defensive wounds on her arms but that was probably when he was trying to subdue her enough to put on the binds. We have taken slides but as you know the cause of death won’t be official for another 4-6 weeks but right now I’m going with Death due to Homicide.”
“Okay thanks Maggie. So he murders them on the day or day after they’re taken?”
“It seems that way but remember it’s only an estimated time of death. I had to take in to consideration all the other elements that could affect the decomposition of the body but fifteen days is my educated guess.”
“Now we start gathering the information on this victim. I appreciate you putting a rush on this.”
“No problem Max.”
As a stream of light came in through her slightly parted curtains, Liz groaned. She’d been in such a lovely sleep that she didn’t want to wake up but when she felt the warm rays of the sun hit her face she sat up and rubbed her eyes slightly. A massive yawn came and then she swung her legs over the edge of the bed.
It was the first time in a long time that she hadn’t woken up in fear of him being in the house and she started to feel free for the first time since she married that bastard.
“Hey Liz, are you up yet?” shouted Maria, though her door.
“Come on in Maria!”
As Maria entered, Liz smiled.
“If I wasn’t awake then I certainly would be after you shouted the house down.”
For the first time, in what seemed like years, Maria actually saw her friend genuinely smile.
“Are you taking the piss out of me?” asked Maria, on eyebrow arching.
Liz was about to retort when they both heard the phone ring.
“I’ll be right back,” said Maria, running down the hallway to get to the phone.
“H-hello,” said Maria, slightly out of breath.
“Maria, it’s Michael.”
“Hi Michael, how are you?”
“Busy, got a big case we’re working on at the moment but that’s not why I called.”
“What’s going on Michael,” asked Maria, slightly worried.
“I can’t really talk about it Maria but it means that we’re...”
“Michael wait, can I meet you somewhere?”
“What?” asked Michael, confused at how quickly she changed the conversation.
“Can I meet you somewhere?”
“I don’t think it’s possible Maria, I’ve...”
Maria rolled her eyes. Did she have to spell it out to him?
“CAN. I. MEET. YOU. SOMEWHERE?” she said, through gritted teeth, as if talking to a five year old.
Michael was still confused about what she was asking but knew Maria had her reasons.
“Yeah sure, remember where we spent the morning after the club?”
“Yeah, I’ll meet you there in an hour.”
“Okay, I’ll see you there,” said Michael and then hung up the phone.
He quickly grabbed his coat off the back of his chair and ran into Max’s office.
“Max, I’ve got to pop out for about two hours. I’ll be back a soon as I can.”
“Wait a minute Michael,” said Max, as his friend was about to walk out of his office. “We have two cases on the go, what’s so important.”
“I’m not sure yet. I’ve just had a really strange conversation with Maria. I’ll let you know what’s going on as soon as I do,” replied Michael, walking out of the office so Max couldn’t ask him any more questions.
********
Maria pulled up outside the cafe that they had gone to after the club to get some much needed caffeine. As she walked into the cafe she saw Michael sitting in the corner drinking a small cup of espresso.
“That bad huh?” asked Maria, as she sat down.
“You have no idea Maria. What was so important that you couldn’t tell me over the phone? I really should be at work,” said Michael, a little concerned.
“I don’t know whether Sean has managed to put a bug on our line. If not he certainly knows a few people that can directly tap into the telephone line,” replied Maria. “I’m just taking precautions.”
“Tap into your phone? Are you serious?”
“I wouldn’t put it past him Michael. He has the ability to do it. Now what were you trying to tell me over the phone?”
“We have two cases on the go at the moment which means we’re not going to be able to do much on Liz’s case for a while. Max wants her to go to the flat in London where she’ll be safe.”
“That won’t be safe for her Michael. Although Sean doesn’t know about it yet you can bet he’ll find out. Liz has never given him a reason to doubt his control over her. With her leaving him it proves that she’s willing to defy him. He won’t like that one bit. He’ll start to search into her past to see what else she’s been hiding from him,” explained Maria.
“Maria, if he was this bad and you knew it why the hell would you let Liz get involved with him in the first place?”
“He wasn’t this way at first Michael. He was so in love with Liz. He wanted children with her and it really hurt him when she wouldn’t even consider it.”
“Can you blame her?” asked Michael, incredulously.
“Hell no! Maybe she could sense that something wasn’t right with him, I don’t know, but as soon as this baby topic came up everything started to go wrong. Liz was attacked. He forced her to give up work and then eventually controlled every part of her life except, of course, her getting pregnant.”
“Do you think that’s why he rapes her?” asked Michael.
“I think it has gone way past that point Michael. I think it all started when the attack happened. He tried to have sex with Liz while she was still injured, which obviously upset her a great deal after the doctor told her not to do anything too strenuous. From there on, she never wanted to be near him again. Or that’s what he told me. I never knew he was raping her. Now though I think it’s all about control with him,” whispered Maria.
“So you’re telling me that all this shit started to happen after Liz refused to have children?” Michael asked.
“Yeah, pretty much.”
“I know this is hard for you Maria because you’re split in the middle. I have one more question for you and then I’ll have to get back to the station.”
“What’s the question and what about Liz?”
“I’ll get Max to phone you this evening. We may be able to sort something out, as for my question? What reason did Liz give Sean for not wanting to have children just yet?”
“Oh that’s easy. She was concentrating on her career Michael. She’d studied for a long time and finally earned her chance at one of the top Advertising agencies in London. You can’t blame her for wanting to do that first before she truly settled down to have a family. Hell if I had her qualifications I would have waited myself.”
Michael thanked Maria for answering his questions, agreed to meet her as soon as he had time off and then left to go back to the station.
*******
Max was silently cursing Michael under his breath when he received the call from Maggie. She wanted them both down at the morgue. She had rushed through the autopsy for them and also had some news.
“Why the hell does he have to pick today to disappear!” ranted Max, as Michael walked into his room.
“Where the hell have you been?” asked Max.
“Oh believe me Max, when you hear what I have you will understand why I left for a couple of hours. What’s got your boxers in a twist?”
“Just received a call from Maggie, she wants us down at the Morgue pronto, she has some interesting news for us apparently.”
“Well let’s go,” replied Michael.
*******
“So what was so important that you had to leave in the middle of a murder investigation?” asked Max.
“Liz,” was his only reply.
“What about Liz?”
“I was phoning Maria so that she could move Liz to the apartment in London but before I could get anything out she pointedly asked to meet her somewhere. She believes that it’s not past Sean to have her phone tapped now that he knows Liz is staying there. Apparently his whole attitude changed towards Liz when she refused to give him children because of her career.”
“So what, he’s raping her in the hope she’ll get pregnant? Surely he can’t be that stupid.”
“I don’t think it’s about that Max. Think about it for a minute, Liz suddenly gets attacked on her way home from work. He calls up her office and gets them to remove her from her position threatening to take away business. Then all of a sudden she is completely dependent on him. Why wouldn’t she give him children then?”
Max whipped his head around to look at Michael.
“You think he had the attack arranged so she wouldn’t go back to work?”
Michael nodded. “It backfired on him though because Liz is stronger than he thought. She wasn’t going to let some attack ruin her life or career.”
“But she still didn’t want to give him children so why didn’t he stop then?”
“I think by that time the power he had over her was more enticing than actually having children. I don’t know Max but Maria thinks that after the child discussion everything went south from there. Knowing what a complete control freak he is, the fact that she denied him the one thing he wanted most, an heir to his fortune, made him finally crack.”
“So we need to find out some way of re-opening that investigation or there’s no way we can help Liz.”
“That’s the way I see it Max.”
*******
It was a solemn Max and Michael that walked into the Morgue.
“I thought you two would be a lot happier that I pushed the autopsy through,” said Maggie, with a smile on her face.
“We are Maggie and we can’t thank you enough. We’ve just got a lot going on at the moment,” explained Max.
“Okay, here is the autopsy report but I’ll run down my findings now and you can look at that later. The victim is called Janice Wilson. She was about 5, 5”, brown hair and eyes, twenty five years old. The ETD is fifteen days. Her father reported her missing sixteen days ago. She was identified through her dental records. No criminal record what so ever, not even a parking ticket to her name. She was sexually abused by a foreign object, post-mortem, as stated at the crime scene and I can tell you now that the knots were tied exactly the same way. It’s called an Anglers Knot or True Love Knot and is commonly used by Anglers. She has ligature marks around her ankles and wrists so she couldn’t put up much of a struggle. There were some defensive wounds on her arms but that was probably when he was trying to subdue her enough to put on the binds. We have taken slides but as you know the cause of death won’t be official for another 4-6 weeks but right now I’m going with Death due to Homicide.”
“Okay thanks Maggie. So he murders them on the day or day after they’re taken?”
“It seems that way but remember it’s only an estimated time of death. I had to take in to consideration all the other elements that could affect the decomposition of the body but fifteen days is my educated guess.”
“Now we start gathering the information on this victim. I appreciate you putting a rush on this.”
“No problem Max.”
A huge thank you to Ping for this siggie
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Janetfl
- Fan Fic Buff
- Posts: 200
- Joined: Wed Mar 25, 2009 7:26 pm
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Re: Conclusive Evidence (AU,M/L,ADULT) Chpt 30 (04/April/12)
Chapter 30
After returning from the morgue, Max called another meeting and gave all the information they had on both victims to the teams. Max decided that Michael would head up the team for Annie Coleman and DI Mary Williams would handle the Janice Wilson case.
After the meeting convened Mary had the unfortunate task of informing the father of the murder victim about his daughter’s death. It wasn’t something she was looking forward to. Mary had done this many times before with crash victims or natural deaths. This was the first time she was going to tell someone that a beloved had been murdered.
As she rang the bell on the door she looked towards her partner, DI Campbell. He had done this many times before but he still had a look of dread on his face.
“I guess this doesn’t get better with time or experience?” said Mary.
“No. It’s one part of the job I hate the most; the other is attending the murder scene. It’s not something that you can prepare yourself for because you never know how the person is going to react,” explained DI Campbell.
Mary was about to comment when the door suddenly swung open revealing a rather short dumpy looking man, with silver hair but the most intense blue eyes Mary had ever seen.
“Mr Patrick Wilson?”
“Yes?”
“I’m DI Mary Williams and this is my partner DI John Campbell. Do you mind if we come in?” asked Mary, both DI’s showing their ID badges.
“Does this have to do with my missing daughter?” asked Patrick.
“Yes sir, it does,” replied Mary.
“Come in,” instructed Patrick, opening the door wider for them to enter.
“Would you like a cup of tea? I’d offer you something stronger but I know that you are on duty,” said Patrick, as he showed them into the living room.
Mary took a quick look a DI Campbell and he slightly shook his head.
“No thank you Mr Wilson.”
“Please take a seat. Now what can I do for you?” asked Patrick.
“Mr Wilson, I’m terribly sorry to inform you that a body matching your daughter’s description was found yesterday.”
Patrick sat quiet for a few minutes before gently responding.
“Are you sure it’s my daughter?”
“Yes, almost positive. The dental records gave us a positive identification plus the clothes she was wearing when she was found match the description you gave in your missing persons report,” explained Mary. “I’m sorry to ask you this Mr Wilson but would you be prepared to come down to the morgue to confirm the identity?”
“Yes, of course. Um, just let me get my coat, it must be cold outside,” said Patrick, standing to get his coat.
Mary looked out of the window and saw that the sun was shining brightly.
“He’s in shock,” whispered Mary.
DI Campbell just nodded his head.
As Patrick put on his coat he couldn’t help the intense shiver that coursed through his body. He was freezing. He wasn’t really registering anything around him. He felt as though his mind was detaching from his body.
As the two DI’s, who he couldn’t even remember the names of, came out of the living room he looked towards them.
“Did she, did she suffer? How did she die?”
“She was strangled Mr Wilson,” replied DI Campbell.
“Why? Why would someone do that to my baby girl?” asked Patrick, tears pooling in his eyes.
Mary shot DI Campbell a look of disgust.
“We’re not sure Mr Wilson but we’re going to do our best to find that out,” said Mary.
Patrick opened the door and showed the two police officers out of his house. He then firmly shut the door and locked it, making sure he checked it wouldn’t open twice.
“What the hell were you thinking telling him that?” hissed Mary, to DI Campbell, when they walked towards the car.
“He needed to know what to expect when he views the body. It’s not going to be pretty Mary.”
“No cadaver is pretty John but now he knows his daughter suffered.”
“He will hear it on the news Mary. At least now he will be prepared for it.
“I guess you’re right. God I hate this part of the job!”
“Yeah, me too,” replied DI Campbell.
*******
It was a very sombre group that approached the morgue. Maggie had prepared the body for view the best she could but it was still going to be a shock for the poor father. She waited, behind the glass partition, for the curtains to open. This was the part of her job she absolutely hated.
Maggie had trained her mind and body to switch off when she was doing her job. Although she treated the body with the respect it deserved her job was to find out what had happened to the poor soul. That alone helped her become detached. There were the few odd cases that got under her skin though.
The voice that came from the intercom disrupted her internal musings. She pulled the cord and could see DI Williams and DI Campbell standing to the side of, who she assumed was, the farther of the victim.
She removed the sheet that was covering Janice’s face but was careful not to show too much of the neck.
“What’s wrong with her face?” asked Patrick.
“Um, is it your daughter Mr Wilson?” asked DI Campbell. He didn’t see any point in dragging this out.
“Yes, that’s my daughter. Who would do something like this to my baby girl? She was a good girl, never got into any trouble, always phoned if she was going to be late and never went out without letting me know where she was going. I taught her to be careful. She was an adult but always considered my feelings. Why did this happen?”
Patrick was rambling more to himself than the officers surrounding him. He suddenly fell to his knees and started to sob uncontrollably.
“WHY? WHY!” he yelled, rocking his body.
He felt the hand on his shoulder but nothing was registering with his brain.
DI Campbell rushed forward to help Mary get Patrick off the floor. They helped him into one of the chairs and waited for him.
Once he had finally composed himself, he apologised for his outburst.
“Mr Wilson, I don’t know how I would react if that was my daughter over there. I don’t think I would have handled it as well as you did. We all deal with our grief in different ways. You will be sent some information on victim support. Don’t hesitate to call the number if you are finding it difficult to cope.”
“I’ll be fine. I’m just dreading telling her mother.”
“If you don’t mind me asking Mr Wilson, where is Janice’s mother?” asked DI Campbell.
“We divorced about five years ago. She met someone else and moved to Spain with him.”
“Does she know that your daughter was missing?” asked DI Campbell.
“Of course she did,” snapped Patrick. “What kind of farther do you think I am?”
“Sorry, I meant no disrespect. It’s just that I thought she would have caught the first plane back once your daughter was reported missing.”
“No. She’s a selfish bitch and doesn’t really care. She told me if anything turned up to just phone her. She was sunning herself by the pool at the time.”
“Mr Wilson, I’m afraid we need to ask you some questions about your daughter,” said Mary.
“Of course, anything I can do to help you catch this bastard!”
After returning from the morgue, Max called another meeting and gave all the information they had on both victims to the teams. Max decided that Michael would head up the team for Annie Coleman and DI Mary Williams would handle the Janice Wilson case.
After the meeting convened Mary had the unfortunate task of informing the father of the murder victim about his daughter’s death. It wasn’t something she was looking forward to. Mary had done this many times before with crash victims or natural deaths. This was the first time she was going to tell someone that a beloved had been murdered.
As she rang the bell on the door she looked towards her partner, DI Campbell. He had done this many times before but he still had a look of dread on his face.
“I guess this doesn’t get better with time or experience?” said Mary.
“No. It’s one part of the job I hate the most; the other is attending the murder scene. It’s not something that you can prepare yourself for because you never know how the person is going to react,” explained DI Campbell.
Mary was about to comment when the door suddenly swung open revealing a rather short dumpy looking man, with silver hair but the most intense blue eyes Mary had ever seen.
“Mr Patrick Wilson?”
“Yes?”
“I’m DI Mary Williams and this is my partner DI John Campbell. Do you mind if we come in?” asked Mary, both DI’s showing their ID badges.
“Does this have to do with my missing daughter?” asked Patrick.
“Yes sir, it does,” replied Mary.
“Come in,” instructed Patrick, opening the door wider for them to enter.
“Would you like a cup of tea? I’d offer you something stronger but I know that you are on duty,” said Patrick, as he showed them into the living room.
Mary took a quick look a DI Campbell and he slightly shook his head.
“No thank you Mr Wilson.”
“Please take a seat. Now what can I do for you?” asked Patrick.
“Mr Wilson, I’m terribly sorry to inform you that a body matching your daughter’s description was found yesterday.”
Patrick sat quiet for a few minutes before gently responding.
“Are you sure it’s my daughter?”
“Yes, almost positive. The dental records gave us a positive identification plus the clothes she was wearing when she was found match the description you gave in your missing persons report,” explained Mary. “I’m sorry to ask you this Mr Wilson but would you be prepared to come down to the morgue to confirm the identity?”
“Yes, of course. Um, just let me get my coat, it must be cold outside,” said Patrick, standing to get his coat.
Mary looked out of the window and saw that the sun was shining brightly.
“He’s in shock,” whispered Mary.
DI Campbell just nodded his head.
As Patrick put on his coat he couldn’t help the intense shiver that coursed through his body. He was freezing. He wasn’t really registering anything around him. He felt as though his mind was detaching from his body.
As the two DI’s, who he couldn’t even remember the names of, came out of the living room he looked towards them.
“Did she, did she suffer? How did she die?”
“She was strangled Mr Wilson,” replied DI Campbell.
“Why? Why would someone do that to my baby girl?” asked Patrick, tears pooling in his eyes.
Mary shot DI Campbell a look of disgust.
“We’re not sure Mr Wilson but we’re going to do our best to find that out,” said Mary.
Patrick opened the door and showed the two police officers out of his house. He then firmly shut the door and locked it, making sure he checked it wouldn’t open twice.
“What the hell were you thinking telling him that?” hissed Mary, to DI Campbell, when they walked towards the car.
“He needed to know what to expect when he views the body. It’s not going to be pretty Mary.”
“No cadaver is pretty John but now he knows his daughter suffered.”
“He will hear it on the news Mary. At least now he will be prepared for it.
“I guess you’re right. God I hate this part of the job!”
“Yeah, me too,” replied DI Campbell.
*******
It was a very sombre group that approached the morgue. Maggie had prepared the body for view the best she could but it was still going to be a shock for the poor father. She waited, behind the glass partition, for the curtains to open. This was the part of her job she absolutely hated.
Maggie had trained her mind and body to switch off when she was doing her job. Although she treated the body with the respect it deserved her job was to find out what had happened to the poor soul. That alone helped her become detached. There were the few odd cases that got under her skin though.
The voice that came from the intercom disrupted her internal musings. She pulled the cord and could see DI Williams and DI Campbell standing to the side of, who she assumed was, the farther of the victim.
She removed the sheet that was covering Janice’s face but was careful not to show too much of the neck.
“What’s wrong with her face?” asked Patrick.
“Um, is it your daughter Mr Wilson?” asked DI Campbell. He didn’t see any point in dragging this out.
“Yes, that’s my daughter. Who would do something like this to my baby girl? She was a good girl, never got into any trouble, always phoned if she was going to be late and never went out without letting me know where she was going. I taught her to be careful. She was an adult but always considered my feelings. Why did this happen?”
Patrick was rambling more to himself than the officers surrounding him. He suddenly fell to his knees and started to sob uncontrollably.
“WHY? WHY!” he yelled, rocking his body.
He felt the hand on his shoulder but nothing was registering with his brain.
DI Campbell rushed forward to help Mary get Patrick off the floor. They helped him into one of the chairs and waited for him.
Once he had finally composed himself, he apologised for his outburst.
“Mr Wilson, I don’t know how I would react if that was my daughter over there. I don’t think I would have handled it as well as you did. We all deal with our grief in different ways. You will be sent some information on victim support. Don’t hesitate to call the number if you are finding it difficult to cope.”
“I’ll be fine. I’m just dreading telling her mother.”
“If you don’t mind me asking Mr Wilson, where is Janice’s mother?” asked DI Campbell.
“We divorced about five years ago. She met someone else and moved to Spain with him.”
“Does she know that your daughter was missing?” asked DI Campbell.
“Of course she did,” snapped Patrick. “What kind of farther do you think I am?”
“Sorry, I meant no disrespect. It’s just that I thought she would have caught the first plane back once your daughter was reported missing.”
“No. She’s a selfish bitch and doesn’t really care. She told me if anything turned up to just phone her. She was sunning herself by the pool at the time.”
“Mr Wilson, I’m afraid we need to ask you some questions about your daughter,” said Mary.
“Of course, anything I can do to help you catch this bastard!”
A huge thank you to Ping for this siggie