Lost Innocence

by M A Comley

  “Has he ever spoken about his victims?”

  “Not to me. I dug out his file yesterday after you rang me, and by all accounts, he’s had numerous dealings with shrinks over the years. They’ve never once broken through his barriers, though. He’s one of the most determined men I’ve ever had the misfortune of dealing with in my time in the prison service.”

  “Not what I wanted to hear, but thank you for the warning. Hopefully, I can change all that and make him open up to me.”

  “Good luck. I’ll show you to the interview room myself, if you’re ready?”

  “I’m ready and more than willing,” Sally replied as she left her chair and followed the governor out of the room.

  She walked deeper into the bowels of the prison, her legs and shoulders stiffening with tension. Shaking her arms out relieved some of that stress, but a certain amount still lingered when the governor showed her into a small room and gestured for her to take a seat.

  “I’ll get my men to bring Abbott through. Good luck,” Governor Ward said a second time.

  During the wait, Sally busied herself by getting her notebook out and making a few notes in the likelihood that she forgot anything once the prisoner joined her. Within minutes, the door opened. She glanced up to see a man wearing jeans and a T-shirt. His gaze latched on to hers instantly. His eyes narrowed and widened a few times in a couple of seconds and his gaze intensified, not only taking in her facial features, but travelling down the length of her body also.

  The prison officer accompanying him gave him a slight shove, enough to get him moving again. “In you go, Abbott.”

  Abbott entered the room, shuffling due to the chains around his ankles. Sally held the man’s gaze as he walked. The officer pulled out the chair on the other side of the table and ordered Abbott to sit.

  With a humph, he fell into the chair. He placed his cuffed hands on the table and twirled his thumbs around each other. “It’s about time they sent someone pretty to see me.”

  “Keep it respectful, Abbott,” the officer warned from his position behind Abbott’s chair.

  “Hello, Christopher. Is it all right if I call you that?”

  His right shoulder hitched up then dropped. “Why not? And you are?”

  “Detective Inspector Sally Parker.”

  His head tilted, and a glimmer of a smile inched his lips apart. “An inspector, eh? So, they finally decided to send in the big boys …oops, I mean big girls, in your instance.”

  “I’ve been put in charge of a cold case team, and your file ended up on my desk.”

  His chained hands flew up to his chest, and his eyes glistened with excitement. “I’m innocent. I’ve been telling these clowns that for years, and no one has listened to me. Thank you for finally believing me, Inspector.”

  Sally shook her head. “The evidence proves otherwise, as you know well.”

  He roared and tipped his head back. “It was worth a try. Good to see my acting skills are still on the mark.”

  “You didn’t fool me, Christopher. I’ve met your type dozens of times over the years.”

  “You have? How many years would that be, Sally?”

  The sound of her name rolling off his tongue made her skin crawl. She dug deep, refusing to reveal the effect he was having on her. “Too many to mention,” she replied evasively.

  “Why the secrecy? All I’ll do when you’ve gone is Google you.”

  “That’s your prerogative. Depending on how this interview pans out, I could always ask the governor to withhold your privileges.”

  The officer behind Abbott’s chair cleared his throat. “He doesn’t have those kinds of privileges, Inspector. He’s winding you up. ”

  Sally nodded at the officer. “Thank you for that.” She then asked Abbott, “Why lie? Where do these lies get you in the end?”

  “Extra time in here.”

  The man’s blasé attitude got to her. He had no right to be so nonchalant after all these years of being locked up. Where was the remorse he should have been riddled with? “You must like it in prison, Christopher. Is that what you’re saying?”

  “Read into my remark what you will, Sally.”

  “Don’t you want to revert back to living a normal life after years of being locked up?”

  “Not really. I get fed and watered in here at the tax payers’ expense. Even get a bit of pocket money when I’m a good boy.” He grinned, showing off his gleaming white teeth.

  “You do? I hear your time behind bars has been lengthened due to your bad behaviour.”

  “You’re well informed, Sally. Maybe I misbehave because I know where it will lead. Perhaps I have every intention of staying in here until the day I die.”

  “May I ask why you would want to give up on your freedom like that?”

  “Does there always have to be a reason in this life?”

  Sally’s eyes narrowed. “What are you afraid of? The families seeking their revenge?”

  He laughed and tipped his head back again. “Nope. Next scenario!”

  “Have you ever felt remorse for your actions, Christopher?” She used his name regularly, trying to desensitise the man.

  His hands rose to his chin, and he rubbed a finger and thumb around his day-old stubble as he contemplated her question for a few minutes. When it came, his answer was brief and to the point. “No.”

  Sally inhaled a deep breath. He was going to be a tough cookie to crack. “That’s a shame. Don’t you think the parents of the missing girls deserve to know where their daughters are?”

  “Nope.”

  “Put yourself in their shoes. What if a member of your family had gone missing and was presumed dead for years? Wouldn’t you want to learn the truth?”

  His mouth turned down at the sides, and he shook his head. “Nope. It wouldn’t interest me one iota. There is something that might change my mind, though. ”

  Her hopes spiked. “There is? What’s that?”

  “If you were to bring me photos.”

  “Photos? Of what? The victims?”

  He nodded slowly as if to emphasise his point. “The victims that were found. I want to see their bodies. More importantly, the crime scene photos.”

  “What? Why?” Sally was appalled by the eagerness that had risen in the man’s demeanour.

  His lips parted and spread into an ever-widening smile. “I miss them. I want to be reunited with them.”

  Sally was taken aback by his warped honesty. “How many did you kill?”

  “How many does it say on my file again?”

  “Six. Three bodies have been discovered so far over the years.”

  He raised his eyebrows and dropped them a few times, still grinning like a deranged clown. “Then six it is.”

  “Are you telling me there were more?”

  “You’re the detective, Sally. What do you think?”

  “I think you’re making it up just to get me going.”

  “What could I possibly achieve by doing that?”

  Sally glared at him. “It’s all about the mind games with you, isn’t it? That’s the challenge for you now that you’re unable to get your hands on another victim.”

  He shrugged. “It was never about the sex with the girls. I told the arresting no-mark officer that at the time. It’s not my fault he chose to disbelieve me. The girls had sex with me of their own free will. I never forced myself upon them at any time. It was their brains that stimulated me the most. All the girls I abducted were well educated and could hold an intelligent conversation when the need arose.”

  “So why kill them?”

  “Once they started whining that they wanted to go home, I grew bored with them and moved on to the next girl immediately.”

  Sally ran through the man’s file in her mind. She focussed on the date each girl went missing and realised there were inconsistencies. “Okay, so that means you abducted ten girls in total.”

  He inclined his head and nodded. “You’re good. I’ll give you tha
t. Of course, I’m neither denying nor admitting to any further crimes.”

  “You don’t have to. I’ve worked it out for myself. Where are the girls buried? ”

  His cuffs jangled as he raised his hands and placed a finger on his cheek. “Let me see now. Oh yes, you might want to take notes here, Inspector.” He paused until Sally had hurriedly opened her notebook to a fresh page. “The first one was buried at…”

  Sally raised her head to look at him. His eyes glistened with amusement. “You’re not going to tell me, are you?”

  “Nope. Where would be the fun in that?”

  Sally flipped her notebook shut again. “You make me sick.”

  “You’re not the first to utter those words, and I doubt you’ll be the last, either.”

  “Just tell me how many? Was I right thinking there were ten girls?”

  “You might have been.”

  Sally heaved out a large sigh. She had only one card left to lay on the table. “Okay, do you want to know the real reason I’ve come to see you today?”

  “I’m intrigued. Of course I am. No one from your mob has visited me in years. What’s altered?”

  Sweat broke out on her brow, and the palms of her hands became sticky under his watchful gaze. “I need to know where you disposed of Katrina Hathaway’s body.”

  “Why? Why her, and why now?” His eyes narrowed.

  Sally dropped her gaze to the table then raised it to meet his again. “Because her mother has terminal cancer, and she’s desperate to bury her daughter before she loses her own life.”

  “That’s a shame. Just think, she’ll soon be reunited with her again when her time comes.”

  “Do you have no compassion?”

  He shook his head. “Very little. It’s not something that was instilled in me as a child. Do you want to talk about what I went through as a kid?”

  “If it will help, then by all means, tell me.” She watched the changing emotions cross his face and, for once, felt as if she might be making some progress with him.

  “It all started when I was four. My whore of a mother took me into her bed and raped me. She laughed all the way through the vile encounter… You don’t seem shocked by that revelation, Sally.”

  “Over the years, I’ve dealt with many serial killers who have recounted a similar experience. ”

  “And have you shown your compassionate side when that has happened?”

  “No. I couldn’t. Every single person on this earth has had the misfortune to suffer at the hands of others at one time in their life. Not everyone chooses to let such vile events affect their future.”

  “Interesting take on things. So, what’s been your bad experience in this world, DI Sally Parker?”

  She shuffled in her chair for a few moments before finding her voice. “Having the misfortune to deal with people as bad as you.”

  “Is that it? Because I can see in your eyes that you’re telling me a lie. Be honest with me.”

  Sally slowly shook her head. “I guess we’re somewhat at an impasse then. I’ll reveal the truth when you tell me where you’ve buried the girls.”

  “I admire your persistence, Sally. Even though it’s a little misguided. I have the power, yet you continue to take me for a fool.”

  “You think it’s power you hold? I call it vindictiveness. These families have the right to know where their kin are buried.”

  “Who’s saying they’re all dead? Maybe a few of them pleaded with me to give them money so they could escape the confines of their family home.”

  “Is that true?”

  He shrugged. “You should ask the families what type of relationship they had with their daughters and go from there. You’re not stupid, Sally. You can see through people if you really dig deep enough.”

  “I’ll look into it. One last time before I leave. Please, I’m begging you. At least tell me where you’ve buried Katrina Hathaway, for her mother’s sake?”

  He glared at her. “What if she was one of the girls I was referring to, who pleaded with me to help her get away from her family?”

  Sally rose from her chair, surprising Abbott. “I don’t believe you.”

  His cuffed hands reached out to her. “Wait! I’ll do a deal with you. Bring me the crime scene photos from the three girls you found, and I’ll tell you where she’s buried.”

  “Are you telling me that she is dead?”

  His gaze dropped to the table, his eyes finally breaking contact with hers. He’d slipped up, and he knew it .

  Her voice softened when she pleaded, “Do the right thing for once in your life. Don’t you think Miranda and the other parents have suffered enough over the years? What do you hope to accomplish by not revealing the truth?”

  When his eyes met hers again, a strange malevolence had appeared in their depths. “Officer, I’m ready to go back to my cell now. We’re done here.”

  The officer shrugged when Sally glanced at him as he helped Abbott to his feet. The prisoner swivelled sideways and shuffled away from her.

  “Please, wait! Don’t go yet. I have more questions that need answering.”

  “Next time…when you bring the photos.”

  Dumbfounded, Sally watched the officer escort him from the room. She’d got so much out of him during the interview, yet so little.

  How can that be? He’s got me by the short and curlies.

  The prison officer who had been on guard outside the room poked his head around the door. “Are you ready to go?”

  Reluctantly, she pushed back her chair and stood. After gathering her notebook and pen, she followed the officer through the hallways and back to the governor’s office to apprise him briefly of how the interview had gone. With the governor brought up to date, she returned to her car and drove back to the station. During the journey, she replayed her time with Abbott and the lost opportunity.

  Chapter 5

  The team all turned her way when she entered the incident room.

  “Well?” Jack urged before she’d barely taken a few steps.

  “Give me a chance, partner. Better still, you could welcome me back with a cup of coffee. I clearly haven’t trained you well enough over the years.”

  Jack mumbled a complaint under his breath and sprang to his feet. Sally winked at Joanna and pulled out a chair close to Jack’s desk. He returned with the coffee and placed it grudgingly in front of her.

  “Well?” he repeated, falling into his chair.

  “Well, that was an experience and a half. One that I’d rather not have to repeat anytime soon. Except I’m going to have to.”

  “Do you have to be so cryptic with your answers all the time?” Jack demanded impatiently.

  Sally laughed. “Hardly all the time, partner. What’s rattled your cage while I’ve been out?”

  “Nothing. Will you please tell us what went on during your visit?”

  Sally rolled her eyes, took a sip of coffee and exhaled a large breath. “Apart from him hinting there are more bodies out there than the original inquiry suggested…”

  “What? He told you that?”

  “No, he didn’t openly come out and say it. He stated that once he got rid of one girl, he abducted another one virtually straight away. I need to check the timelines of when the girls were reported missing to corroborate what he said. However, most of the dates stuck in my head, and I tackled him about the gaps that leapt to mind. I’m thinking he murdered in the region of ten girls as opposed to the six he was charged for, but that’s going to take a lot of delving into. Jordan, do you want to work with me on this one? ”

  Jordan glanced up from the notes he was taking at his desk and nodded. “Sounds like an intriguing case, boss. I’d love to work on it.”

  “Okay, I’m going to need you to trawl back through the archives around the time of the other girls’ deaths and reports of when they went missing. Try and match up any gaps with any possible missing person reports at that time in the same area.”

  “Will do.
How far do you want me to extend the area to?”

  “Again, go by what we know with the other girls’ locations and make the judgement call yourself. I wouldn’t go farther afield than say ten or fifteen miles, if I were you.”

  “Leave it with me. I’ll get back to you as soon as I find anything significant.”

  “Good man.” She turned back to Jack and asked, “What have you guys managed to find out in my absence this morning?”

  “Joanna has worked wonders. You tell her, Joanna.”

  “I’ve been trying to track down the names on the list, boss, and I have some good news about the mother of Jeff Ryland.”

  Sally eagerly sat forward in her chair. “You have? What’s that?”

  “She’s still alive. Now living just over the border in Suffolk, not too far.”

  “I don’t blame her selling up. Any idea when she moved out of the area?”

  “When she sold the house to Vera Harris. Soon after she reported her son missing.”

  Sally frowned. “How strange. It’s definitely not something I would do in the circumstances. Would any of you?”

  There was a collective shake of the head as she glanced around the team.

  “Maybe the trauma of waiting for the doorbell to ring with news grew too much for her,” Jack chipped in.

  “Maybe. Then why didn’t she inform us? Perhaps she did, and someone neglected to update the file. What a cock-up!”

  “Hey, I guess we’ve got to be thankful that she’s still alive after all these years. It doesn’t always turn out that way.”

  “Where exactly does she live, Joanna?”

  “On the coast at Lowestoft.”

  Sally nodded and worked out the distance in her mind. “What’s that? About an hour’s run from here, Jack?”

  “Give or take five minutes, I’d say. What are you thinking? ”

  “That I should drink this quickly, and we should pay her a visit before the news breaks on TV.”

  “But the body hasn’t formerly been identified as yet. Are you truly willing to put her through all that trauma, boss?”