Virtual Justice

by MA Comley

  When Lorne turned her phone on again after leaving the church, Katy had left a message to call her.

  “Hi, Katy. It’s me.”

  “How did it go?”

  “It was sad, like these things usually are, especially if you’ve recently lost someone.”

  “I know. Chin up, Lorne. Can we meet up today?”

  “Yep, I’m pretty clear. I’ve got another meeting I’m dreading tonight, but apart from that, my day is fairly free.”

  “Tell me about that when we meet. Want to come to the station? Roberts has okayed you being involved in a meeting he’s called. We have the forensics reports back on different components of the case. It makes sense for you to be there as an advisor.”

  “Sounds ominous.”

  “Nothing major from what I can see briefly looking at the reports, but we’re throwing it open to see if anyone can spot anything out of the ordinary. You were, and are, the one with a keen eye for things like this. It was Roberts’s idea for you to sit in on the meeting.”

  “Really? That’s surprising. I’m not about to turn down an offer like that. What time?”

  “About eleven? I’ll even buy you a chocolate éclair. How about that?”

  Lorne laughed. “How could I refuse? That’s a deal. See you at eleven.”

  The uncomfortable meeting Lorne had referred to during her conversation with Katy was concerning Rusty. The evening before, a tearful Charlie had come down from her bedroom and announced. “If that Jeff wants to give Rusty a go, then I’m up for it—on one condition.”

  Amazed at her daughter’s decision, Lorne had asked, “What condition?”

  “That if he doesn’t do well in the training, we have Rusty back, and I keep him as a pet. I think that’s fair, don’t you? I couldn’t stand in Rusty’s way. He’s an exceptionally intelligent dog, Mum, unlike Henry.”

  Henry, who was lying on the floor, pricked his ears and whimpered when he heard his name mentioned.

  “Poor boy. Don’t pick on him.”

  • • •

  The bustling room fell silent when Lorne and Katy walked in. Sean Roberts was at the front of the room. He smiled and nodded as Lorne took a seat next to him.

  “Okay, people. Let’s get this show on the road. First, I’d like to introduce former DI Lorne Simpkins…‌I mean Lorne Warner. Some of you already know her. Those who don’t, well, she’s a woman of superior integrity. She’s here at my request, as an advisor.”

  Lorne scanned the room and only managed to pick out three familiar faces: Katy, Roberts, and AJ, who had been a computer whiz in her former team. The rest of the group looked as though they’d just left Hendon training centre and seemed star-struck by the case and their surroundings. No wonder Katy and Roberts had called her to assist them. She gave a brief wave to everyone else in the room.

  Roberts asked Katy to join him at the board. “Right, what have we got, Katy?”

  “Three deaths so far, sir, which seem to be connected. Two women and one man. We’ve managed to link all the victims back to either one or several online dating agencies in the London area. Our first victim, Karen Meldrew, had a conversation with this man and a subsequent meeting—or date, if you like—on or around the date Karen went missing. I’ve looked into his address, and it’s fake. I’ve also had forensics try to trace his ISP address, but they found it had been routed through numerous other countries. All very frustrating.”

  This was news to Lorne, and the knowledge that this man had channelled his address through other countries caused her to think they weren’t dealing with a novice killer or killers. This proved the crimes had been planned, meticulously.

  “What are you thinking, Lorne?” Roberts asked.

  “If he’s taken the trouble to disguise his ISP address, then this crime was premeditated. You say his home address is fake, too?”

  Katy nodded. “His name also. Morris Trotter does not exist.”

  “To become a member of these dating agencies, don’t you have to pay a fee?”

  “I already thought of that. Most of the agencies offer free membership for the first three months. When I challenged them about that, they all said that times were tough, and asking for membership fees from the start just put people off joining.”

  “Great. So, because of that loophole, this Morris Trotter pounced on it and started searching for women he could kill.” Lorne exhaled a frustrated breath.

  “Don’t forget one of the victims is a man,” Katy reminded her.

  “Which brings us back to a possible twosome.” Lorne paused as something jumped into her mind. “Hang on. I’ve just remembered something. I mentioned the case to a friend of mine…‌Don’t look at me like that, Sean. You’re aware of this friend.”

  He frowned at her.

  “I’ll tell you later. Anyway, she mentioned the names Brady and Hindley.” She let the names hang there for a few seconds to see what everyone’s reactions were and was disappointed to see the names hadn’t sparked even the slightest bit of interest from the younger coppers in the room. “Oh, come on. Don’t tell me you’ve never heard of Ian Brady and Myra Hindley—the Moors Murderers.”

  “Okay, I’ll bite. They killed children, didn’t they? I don’t see the connection, Lorne.” Roberts gave her a perplexed look.

  “I know, but Hindley started out a churchgoer, into her catholic faith in a big way until she met Brady. She was infatuated with him, and he manipulated her, turned her into a killer. Originally, he had plans for them to rob banks together. He asked her to join a gun club, but things changed. The robberies never occurred—they turned to murdering children instead. Some believe it was for sexual gratification. My point is that maybe Morris met his accomplice online and somehow managed to turn her into a killer.”

  “You mean, maybe he has some kind of hold over her? Forces her to kill for him? Perhaps he’s holding a member of her family captive while she carries out the murders for him,” Katy rambled on as her brain kicked into gear.

  “Not sure it has gone that far, Katy, but along those lines. As far as we know, it’s the male who has killed at least two of the victims—the women. The male victim was sandwiched between. What’s the betting that they’re taking it in turns.”

  “If you’re right, Lorne, then by what you’ve just said, we could be looking at a male victim next.”

  Lorne shrugged. “It’s just an assumption. I’ll throw another thought into the mix. I don’t think the fact that Karen Meldrew was researching a book had anything to do with her murder. I used to think that was the case, but now I just believe she was in the wrong place at the wrong time.”

  “That’s a real shame if it’s true. Where do we go from here? I’d volunteer going undercover if I thought it would help, but there’s no distinctive similarities between the two women victims that we could use to help us trap the bastard—or bastards. Any suggestions, anyone?” Katy said as she turned to her team.

  The room remained quiet until Lorne spoke up. “So we don’t have any form of DNA from either of the victims?”

  “Not that Patti can find at the moment, no. We still don’t have a formal ID on the last victim. I’ve asked her to go over the cases again in case something has been missed, but you know Patti. She’s thorough and without fault, usually.”

  Lorne folded her arms. “All the murders have taken place within a certain area, haven’t they?”

  “Let me check. Yes, within a few miles of each other. What are you thinking?” Katy asked.

  “I’m just thinking if I was in charge, I’d maybe up the patrols in that area. Do we know if the crimes took place at around the same time? If so, it would make it easier to patrol the area within a certain time range, maybe put a couple of cars on it.”

  “I’ll sort that out when we finish here,” Roberts assured her.

  “It makes sense,” Katy piped up. “There doesn’t seem to be long between crimes.”

  “Which is why it should be a priority to stop hi
m or them. Has anyone got in touch with a psychologist? Sean, didn’t you have a friend who helped us, kind of helped us, in that taxi driver case a few years back? Maybe she could do a profile on this person.”

  Roberts cleared his throat. “I think she went abroad to live with her husband. I could double-check.”

  Lorne was already hatching a plan to drop by and see Jade’s psychiatrist. Maybe he had a psychologist friend in the area who would be willing to help. Or perhaps he could shed some light on how the murderer’s minds were working.

  The meeting came to a halt, and Lorne went over her plan with Katy during a cup of coffee and the chocolate éclair that Katy had used as a bribe to get into the meeting.

  “I’ll come with you, if you like?”

  “I don’t mind. Do you want to go now?” Lorne glanced up at the clock. It was approaching midday.

  “Why not? I’ll get my bag, and we’ll head off. How’s Jade getting on with him?” Katy picked up her bag, and they left the incident room.

  “She seems to like him. She says that he’s spoken about her childhood with her at length. Not sure he’d find much there, apart from her being a spoilt brat.” Lorne chuckled.

  “I suppose they’ve got to get down to the nitty-gritty. Most of the criminals we deal with blame the way they’ve turned out on their childhood.”

  Lorne knew only too well the truth behind that comment. “I’ll take my car and meet you there. I can go straight home, as it’s on the way.” She gave Katy the address of Dr. Lamont’s office.

  • • •

  When they arrived at the doctor’s office, the waiting room was empty except for the plain-looking receptionist sitting behind her desk.

  Relieved, Lorne asked, “I wondered if we could have a quick chat with the doctor if he’s not busy?”

  The receptionist smiled. “You’re in luck. He’s with his final patient before lunch. If you take a seat, he shouldn’t be long.”

  “What’s he like?” Katy asked quietly once they’d sat down.

  “He seems nice enough. Not sure I’d say he had a nice bedside manner, but would you really want that from a psychiatrist?”

  Katy smirked and shook her head. “I guess not. I hope he’s not going to be too long. I need to get back and start chasing up some loose ends. I want to see how the uniformed officers got on with Bella Croft’s statement.”

  “Yeah, I’m not totally sure what to think of that one.”

  Just then, the door opened, and a young lady with slightly mascara-stained cheeks stepped out of the office ahead of the doctor.

  “Remember what I said about putting your needs first, Madeline. I hope things work out for you over the weekend at your family gathering. Make an appointment for next month before you leave.”

  “I will, doctor. Thank you for your kindness,” the patient said shyly.

  Lorne stood up. A look of recognition filled the doctor’s eyes. “Mrs. Warner, isn’t it?”

  “That’s right, Doctor. Mind if we have a word?”

  He held up a hand. “If it’s about your sister’s treatment, then I’m afraid my lips are sealed. I never discuss my patients’ treatment with family members.”

  “It’s not.” Lorne smiled before adding, “This is DS Foster. We’re working on a case and wondered if you could give us some professional advice, or at least point us in the right direction who to go to for help?”

  The doctor shook hands with Katy and pointed to his office. “Please come in. I’m intrigued to know about your case.”

  Lorne waited for everyone to sit before she began. “I’m not sure if you read the newspapers or not, Doctor, but we’re investigating several murders which have happened over the last week or so.”

  “Ah, I think I might have read about them, yes. How can I help?”

  “We need to get some kind of profile of the murderer or murderers and wondered if you could help at all?”

  “It’s not usually my field, but I’ll see what I can do. Murder or murderers, you say?” The doctor relaxed back into his chair and linked his hands together in front of him.

  “Yes, to date, we have two female victims and one male. We believe the victims were contacted by the killers, shall we say, through Internet dating sites,” Katy told him.

  The doctor bounced forward and placed his hands on the edge of his desk. Lorne noticed his hands clenching the desk then slipping as if his hands were wet. “Really? Well that’s new. Not heard of that before.”

  “We’ve had one or two cases in the past, mainly where women have been fleeced by ‘prospective husbands,’ if you like. However, dealing with murder cases connected to these sites is definitely a rarity.”

  “Can you tell me something about the victims? It would help to draw up a picture.”

  “Two of them yes, the latest victim is yet to be identified. The first victim, we’ve since found out, was writing a book and researching the ins and outs of these dating sites. She was in her early thirties, attractive. No similarities whatsoever to our latest female victim. They had different hair colouring. Their heights were very different. The only thing comparable was that they were both fairly attractive.”

  “And the male victim?”

  “Well, I suppose I’d regard him as handsome with a good physique,” Katy said, going through her notebook.

  The doctor went quiet for a moment or two. “I see. Well, I can certainly understand where your frustrations are coming from—you have very little to go on. Not sure I can be of any further assistance, really.”

  Lorne nodded. “As I suspected. Do you have a colleague who might be able to offer any further insight into the kind of killers we’re after?”

  “Not really, no. I’ve only been in the area a few months and have yet to venture out to professional functions. All I can say is that I stumbled across some new information they have discovered about serial killers the other day. Now, where did I find it?” He stood up and moved over to the bookshelf on the far side of the room. “I think it was in this book…‌yes, here it is. I’ve marked the page. Apparently, they’ve discovered there are seven types of serial killers. The one you’re describing, where there are two culprits, could be associated with hedonistic serial killers. This category can be split into two headings—lust killers, where the killer gets sexual kicks out of a murder, or thrill killers, where they kill for thrills, the sheer fun of it, but not before they’ve inflicted a lot of pain on their victims. Some crimes cross over into several categories, making it far more difficult for the police to analyse and come up with a suitable offender.”

  Katy turned to look at Lorne. “And to think I thought a serial killer was just someone who killed more than five people. Who’d have thunk it?”

  Lorne looked back at the doctor, who was studying Katy through narrowed eyes. Lorne suspected he didn’t appreciate being interrupted.

  “Please go on, Doctor?”

  “If you are talking about a couple of killers, different gender killers, then you could be looking at a Folie a deux, which translates to ‘madness of two.’ Usually, the male dominates the female to the extent of deciding what she wears and who she spends time with, to the way she talks and the hobbies she indulges in.”

  “That’s certainly something to look out for. I think we have enough to be going on with, don’t we, Katy?”

  Katy pulled a disappointed face. “I’d like to know more, but if you think that’s enough, then that will do. Can I ring you if we stumble across anything else that might change the dynamics of this duo, if we’re talking about a couple, Doctor?”

  “Of course.” Dr. Lamont handed Katy one of his cards. “Any time, I’m on call day or night.”

  “That’s kind of you. Thanks for the insight you’ve given us,” Katy said, holding out her hand for him to shake.

  As she and Katy stood up and turned to leave the office, Lorne felt the doctor close behind her. He was so close that she could feel his breath on the back of her neck. Instinc
tively, she shuddered.

  “Your sister will be okay, given time,” he said quietly.

  Lorne turned sharply to face him. “That’s good to know, Doctor. Let’s hope that it’s sooner rather than later. I’m not sure Luigi will be keen to fork out on psychiatrist fees much longer.”

  “Surely he understands that these things take time? Some of my patients come to see me for years.”

  “You mean it becomes a kind of addiction?” Lorne asked sarcastically.

  The doctor raised an eyebrow. “If you want to call it that. Some patients get dependent on my help. That’s really what I meant.”

  “And you do little to avoid that. Is that what you’re saying, Doctor?”

  “I suggest we agree to differ on that point, Mrs. Warner, before this conversation gets out of hand.” He smiled briefly, but Lorne noticed the smile never reached his eyes.

  They all shook hands before Lorne and Katy walked leisurely out to their respective cars.

  “Does that guy give you the creeps?” Lorne asked, leaning against her car.

  “Not really. Your view of him is probably tainted because of the money he’s taking off Jade.”

  “Yeah, maybe. I better get back home. Charlie will think I’ve got lost.”

  Katy’s mobile rang, and she held up a finger to tell Lorne to wait a minute while she answered it. “Hi…‌yep. Okay…‌at least that’s something. Next of kin? Got an address for me? I’ll call around there now. Thanks.” Katy hit the end call button and screwed her nose up. “We’ve got an ID on the last victim, a Susan Samuels. I’m going over to break the news to her mother now. I don’t suppose you want to tag along, do you?”

  “In other words, you could do with some moral support,” Lorne said.

  Katy replied with a broad grin.

  “Let me ring Charlie and square it with her first.”

  “I’ll get the route sorted out on the GPS while you’re doing that.”

  Lorne rang home, and an out-of-breath Charlie picked up after six rings. “Hello?”

  “It’s me, love. Everything okay?”