‘Where would you start with the evidence we have so far?’ she asked
‘Well, firstly we should look at what we have. The killer abducted the young girl, this we know as her parents had filed a missing person report around sixteen hundred hours the day she went missing. So the killer may know that area well, may live or have lived there. They may have family, relatives and friends or work in that area. The first thing should be a door to door questioning, ask the locals for any information they may have. Check the local CCTV for any footage in and around the hours of her disappearance. It was a business day so she would have been going home from school. We need to establish the route she used and how often she used it. Look to see if there are any cameras on that route as the killer may have followed on foot or slowly behind in a vehicle.’ He paused to drink from the small glass on the table, the cool water soothing his throat.
‘I can say for definite that the killer used a vehicle, something with a deep boot space, possibly a people carrier or van of some sort. He would need one to transport a body in. We can look on CCTV or ask locals if they spotted a vehicle matching this description. It may seem like we have nothing to work off, but, we need to break this down as small as we can, we have to disseminate the information into small fragments and build a case. Yes it’s hard but it’s our job to catch this person, team work is a huge key to breaking this lock, we must work together……………thank you’ he smiled awkwardly.
Nathan stepped down and moved toward Jack who was resting his back against the magnolia wall. He adopted a similar posture and exhaled heavily.
‘Been a while?’
‘Four years Jack, I’d call that a while yeah!’ smiling.
Doctor Lime moved toward the rear of the room and dimmed the lights, the room gradually became darker. He aimed the small black remote control at the white canvas hanging just behind the briefing box. The room was filled with a brilliant white light as the projector started up.
‘Morning ladies and gentlemen’ he began. Nathan detected a slight lisp in his voice, the ‘s’ at the end of ladies dragged on a little too long, imitating a snake. William moved in front of the canvas and suddenly stepped back sharply, his hand held up to his face as the light blinded him. He decided to stand at one side.
‘Can I start by thanking Nathan for voicing his opinions, every little helps.’
Every little, thought Nathan, cheeky bastard!
‘I believe this person to be of a controlling nature’, he continued. ‘Due to the age of the victim we find that killers or sexual predators target young children as they are easier to manipulate and control. We can’t say right now that the killer is a Paedophile until the results come back from the coroner, but we can’t rule it out either’, he paused to re-position his glasses.
‘The footage you are about to see is what the killer had filmed themselves and sent to us, some may have seen this already but I can imagine that all of you will be watching it again at some point in the investigation, more than once.’
The room darkened again as the film began, the camera out of focus, gradually zooming in to display the girl bound to the chair. William froze the footage.
‘Just to let you know I will be pausing throughout to discuss certain aspects of the movie, things that display the behaviour of the killer and so on……do please feel free to take notes’.
Nathan watched the Psychologist as he addressed the audience, he imagined William feeling a sense of power and purpose as all the faces starred in his direction. His eyes scanned the doctor from head to toe. His Suede shoes, worn and fading at the toes. The brown Corduroy trousers clashed with his grey jacket, his shirt, un-ironed and starting to un-tuck its self. His small eyes were slightly sunken into his head and his fine framed glasses balanced at the tip of his stubbed nose. Nathan had lost count of how many times the doc had pushed them closer to his eyes, his nose scrunching and creating prominent creases as his finger glided over it.
He was never one to judge, but sometimes, when an individual wound him up just by their appearance he couldn’t help but dislike them. William Lime was one of those people.
***
The tapping sound caught his attention. The moth flew wildly into the light as it flickered to life. One by one the fluorescent lights illuminated the room. The Wolf stood and observed his den, the smell of bleach stinging his nostrils. He walked over to the chair which held his previous victim, the same wooden structure that will house his next girl……..and the one after that.
The blood had been scrubbed from the concrete floor, the bleach helped to break the dried speckles that littered around the main pool of crimson life. He lowered his athletic frame to one knee and stroked the palm of a hand over the place where the red stuff had formed…….dry, as he had expected.
Pushing his body up with the bent knee he regained his posture. His skin felt smooth as he brushed the small particles free from his hand with two fingers. He enjoyed the preparation before the abduction, the previous went exceptionally well. The next was to be the same…….better if possible.
Firstly he walked clockwise around the room from wall to wall, keeping the painted bricks to his left. He checked that the image he had painted himself was intact……it was. The decorating had taken him several weeks, the planning phase eating up two months in total. The bricks were hidden behind scenery of woodland and green fields. The trees stretched from the base of the wall to the ceiling, eight feet in height. The branches housed an array of leaves, green, red and orange. The sun hid behind the forest, the bright yellow ball peeking through the gaps of the branches. In the middle of the wood lay a faint path, the sign displaying directions:
To Grandma’s House
He gazed in ore at his masterpiece, a comforting setting for his girls to take in. In the centre of the room stood a large wooden cabinet, holding six shelves and an array of items. The cellar room appeared divided into two sections, the cabinet running length-ways and separating the room into two halves. The right side was where the chair sat, bolted to the ground to stop a young girl’s tantrum from tipping it over. The camera sat on a tri-pod several feet in front of the chair, perfect positioning enabling him to film his victim and his work. Behind the recording aid was a large map, a yellow and red pin stuck from two locations, both holding a number one, in black pen, upon the head. The left side was empty apart from a tall wooden coat rack. It stood alone in the far corner of the room. The knee length black coat was hung by a metal hanger and hooked over one of the arms that protruded from the thick pole. At the base sat a large pair of black work boots, the type worn on a construction site, the steel caps helping to absorb any stamping of little girl’s shoes. Following the rack to the top he laid his eyes upon the mask, his favourite item of clothing. Once donned, he was transformed into the thing of nightmares. Into the beast that crept in the depths of a dark night. He remembered the power that surged through his veins, the power that the mask gave, and the start of his becoming.
The clanging of metal objects rang in his ears as the bag was lifted from a shelf and placed on a small metal wheeled trolley. He pulled the zip back slowly, the contents displaying themselves to his eager eyes. One by one he removed the tools and placed them down carefully upon the shiny surface, the low clinking sound filled the quiet room as the metal to metal contact was made. The scalpel glistened like a majestic weapon, the highly polished surface reflecting the light above. He ran a finger across each tool, feeling its power. His finger stopped at the last instrument, his most fondly. Powerless to his urge to play with it he lifted the self-made weapon carefully from the cart, twisting it slowly to cast the light upon it. The glove was a hard-wearing suede material. He had added a thick plastic plate to the top section, stopping where his knuckles sat. Glued to the plate was a piece of animal fur he had flayed from an old hunt, the fur was a greying colour, the colour of a wolf. His hand gently entered the glove, his fingers spreading into their homes. Pulling it tight he then secured it to his hand w
ith the buckle, another extra he had added when making. The glove felt heavy, he had been sure to use the lightest materials possible so that his hand would not feel weighed down when needing to attack. Attached to the tip of each finger was a razor blade. One end wedged into a rectangular chunk of plastic to hold it in place and secured to the bottom of the finger with a small strap stitched tight. The other end of the razor glimmered as it remained free, waiting to rip into the flesh of his next victim. He moved over to the coat stand and reached for the mask. Carefully sliding it onto his head he began to feel the transformation……his face………his hand. He was becoming the monster he yearned to be. The howl echoed and bounced off the walls of his studio. This was the place of his becoming.
Chapter Four
The room was silent. The onlookers made an effort to quieten their breathing as they sat in anticipation. The sound of seats shuffling seemed louder in the silence of the briefing room, the Wolf had moved into view of the camera. He was the star of his own movie. Doctor Lime increased the volume with the remote device, the whimpering pleas of the young girl sending shivers through the audience’s skin. Some had failed to notice that the Wolf had disappeared out of view as their eyes were fixed on the fearful expression of the ten year old. The quick flash blinded the camera lens for a second, the focus re-adjusting its self again. The Wolf had taken the first picture. He moved in a relaxed manor to the cabinet at the left of the screen and placed the bulky Polaroid camera down on a shelf. He moved toward the girl and leaned into her ear.
The girl began moving violently, attempting to break free of her binds. The Wolf’s mask was close to her face, the pointed nose touching her skin. The girl continued to thrash wildly, the chair remained still as her body moved in fits of spasms. Nathan noticed several members of the audience placing their ands close to their eyes, waiting to block a violent image that they were expecting. The Wolf had moved out of view for the second time, collecting the Polaroid camera on the way. There was another flash……another second of pure white light…..another photograph taken. The killer remained out of view for several seconds, mild sounds had been picked up by the camera’s microphone but they were un-clear. The girl’s whimpers and groans from behind her gagged mouth drowned all other sounds.
The booming of an acoustic guitar vibrated through the briefing room and William Lime grabbed for the remote, quickly reducing the volume. The speakers crackled until the volume was low enough. Nathan felt his heart beating violently from inside his chest and he imagined everyone else felt the same way. The howl followed closely behind the acoustic intro. The song was being played on a stereo out of view from the lens.
The Wolf had entered from behind the girl, his chosen song for a dramatic entrance. She jumped as he reached a gloved hand over her face and cut the gag free from her mouth. Her screams were just heard over the music and the Wolf began circling her bound body. He had stopped after the third lap, his body blocking the view of the girl. He stood motionless.
The gloved hand collided with her face and a stream of blood ejected to the right of the killers body. Dark red dots scattered to the walls and floor. The movie was paused as the girl’s painful screams over-powered the lyrics of the song.
William Lime moved with speed toward the light switch as if the beast from the film they had just watched was lurking in the dark corners of the briefing room. Eyes were startled by the sudden illumination.
‘Right, I don’t think we need to see anymore’ he stated, clearing his throat beforehand. He waddled back to the front of the class, pushing his glasses from the tip of his nose.
‘I think it’s clear to say that this killer is a psychopath’ he stated.
‘Say again’ Nathan pushed himself off the wall with his shoulders.
‘Sorry?’ Lime stuttered, confused by the sudden question.
‘I said say that again’.
‘I think it’s clear, by what we just watched, that this monster is a psychopath’ the sentence containing slight hesitation between words.
Nathan moved toward the canvas that displayed the frozen image of the Wolf at work.
‘Why is this person a Psychopath Doc?’ his finger resting upon the killers back
Lime shuffled his feet, the uneasy feeling of conflict between himself and Nathan on show to the curious eyes of the class.
‘Look at the footage Mr Cawley. Did you not see what we all witnessed?’
‘I did, and I didn’t see a Psychopath Doc’
‘Oh I’m sorry, I didn’t realise you were also a Criminal Psychologist!’ the words once again slurred into Nathan’s face.
‘Oh, don’t apologise Doc. I didn’t realise that you had also managed to catch three of the most violent serial killer’s in the UK when no one else was able to!’ Nathan was now toe to toe with Lime.
‘Don’t try to insult or undermine me Doc, I’ve been doing this a lot longer than you and I’m a hell of a lot better at it too. What I didn’t see in that footage was a Psychopath………what I saw was a very dedicated killer with an exceptional attention to detail who also plans to kill again and again…..you know why I know this?’ the question aimed toward the class.
The blank faces told Nathan he needed to give an example, a small kick up the backside or shove in the right direction. He collected the small remote control and began rewinding the footage. The class watched as the killer performed his ritual backwards with speed. Nathan played the movie as the first photograph was taken by the Wolf, he then paused the screen.
‘Ok, what can we see……look hard’
Silence answered him.
‘Right, what I want from you guys are answers, they may be wrong but I don’t give a shit…….I would like you to tell me what you see!’
‘He’s organised’ the answer coming from Jack’s mouth.
‘Yes’ Nathan’s finger aimed towards Jack, his face still starring into the rows of confused faces.
‘Look at the picture. He has an organised work space. We can see shelving with objects placed upon it in a tidy manner. We can see a small trolley type object with items placed upon it neatly. The room is tidy with no obstructions to slow his movement……………..the killer is organised and tidy………he has planned this murder for some time, making sure everything is correct and orderly.’
‘The walls are painted’ the words fired out from the crowd
‘Yes……….look at the walls, what can we see on the walls?’
‘Tree’s’ another voice from the team
‘Exactly……a scenery, we see a wood with multi-coloured leaves, grassy hills and a clear blue sky…….anyone care to add a suggestion why?’
‘To put the girl at ease, relax her?’
‘Was that an answer or are you asking me?’ Nathan quizzed
Silence again.
‘You’re right………this killer has painted the walls to relax his victim, for them to look around and take in their surroundings. Maybe it is to help trigger a fond memory they have of playing outside or in a wood with friends or family…….it is to relax them so that when he appears wearing what he is in the footage, it scares the shit out of them!’
Jack smiled. He knew Nathan was onto something, he could tell as he had seen it before, many times.
‘The same tactic has been used by terrorist cells within the Middle East and Afghanistan. I’m sure you will have seen the footage of a beheading. The terrorists perform the same ritual over and over, to confuse the victim in captivity, to get them used to their surroundings. They do it many times, possibly twice a day, until the unlucky sod believes that the next is going to be exactly the same as before….sometimes it is…..until the day they remove the head. That day is when the ritual changes, they progress further with words, a speech that is rehearsed with the victim present so that he begins to get used to it. Once they realise that the rehearsal is different they begin to panic, scream and attempt to break free, that is fear overwhelming them, then, the head is removed!’ the faces befo
re him, more stunned than before.
‘So to paint that scenery on the walls by hand may have taken several weeks, so once again we come back to the killer being organised’.
‘Sir, is it possible that he kept the girl there for a long time?’
‘Explain’.
‘Well, to go through all the effort to paint the walls, I can’t see them doing that just to kill the girl the moment they got her in there!’
‘Good……. starting to think now……this is what I’m looking for! To elaborate on what you just said, yes it is more than likely that he kept the victim in that room for several days before he made this footage……which now leads us to where this room could be located’.
He looked to the team for answers.
‘It could be a garage or storage place of some sort’ the answer coming from the front.
‘Farm building?’ from the back
‘Could be a cellar!’
‘All are possible locations, yes. Looking at the size of the room and brickwork I would be more inclined to say a cellar of some sort. It would have to be sound proofed or deep enough to quieten the screams’.
Nathan grabbed the glass and drank the remaining water.
‘To summarise on what we have is a killer who has planned the execution of the abduction and kill to a very high standard. They are well prepared and organised. They use a room which is under ground or hidden from any persons living close by. This tells me that the first victim is not the last, not by far. They have taken a long time in preparing this and one kill won’t fill their hunger’.
‘I would also suggest that this killer is male and that, depending on the results of the autopsy, the attack is driven by a sexual need. Opposites attract and in the case of a serial killer this normally happens, the male gender prey on the opposite and younger as it is easier for them to overpower and manipulate their prey’ he paused and scanned the room,’ This is good, this is what we call rooting the investigation, so now we have our roots…….lets grow and catch this bastard’.
Little Red Page 3