Without Remorse Ch. 03

This is a crime thriller with some romantic sex, and a smidgeon of violent non consensual sex and interesting by-play between various characters whom I hope you'll enjoy.

Ten chapters long it tells the story of an investigation into a cunning serial attacker running loose in London.

Definition of a Sociopath – someone unconcerned about the adverse consequences for others of one's actions and with a total lack of moral compass.

*

The man sat in his office flicking through a list of empty building sites or waste grounds on his screen that the company he worked for had put in bids to design new buildings on. He was looking for one that they did not get and went to another Architectural firm. One that was fairly isolated and in a part of the city that was close enough to where he knew the flotsam and jetsam of the street hung out and he could find his next victim.

Tomorrow he would pop into a Charity shop where they sold second hand clothes and find something he could wear to scope out the site and the next possible bitch he could rape.

No one really cared about these people, certainly not him he thought.

He cared for no one.

All his life he had felt superior to everyone. Contemptuous. No empathy.

From the moment as a young boy when his stupid weak mother would cower as his drunken bullying father would hit her he had learnt not to feel. And as he grew he had evolved into a self centred and cunning person who was a skilled and pathological liar who enjoyed living on the edge, taking what he wanted, taking a gamble with life and with no remorse.

Leaving his dysfunctional home at the age of sixteen he had moved around, sometimes abroad, sometimes in the UK, but always leaving behind chaos and problems.

Problems for others. Problems for the women he had met, for the people he had conned from and from the past. Always moving on.

Early on in his life he had learnt that others expected to him to act in a certain way, to have emotions that he did not have, to be like them. So he had managed to become what they wanted, feigning those emotions, and pretending to be what they wanted. He had become a manipulative and cunning actor, getting by conning others with a superficial charm.

At thirty eight he was now at his peak, dangerous, practiced and empty.

And he was the person that the newspapers had dubbed the Homeless Rapist.

And a lot more.

*

Jake and Kelly sat with the rest of the team and the Chief Inspector in front of the crime board showing all the victims and photos of the sites. A review of what they knew and what they all were going to do next was taking place.

"Any news on those sites yet? Any links."

"Yeah. Two of the sites, where the latest one and victim number two was found both have the same Architectural firm designing the rebuild." And looking at the notes in his hand Jake told his boss, "Secours and Noble Designs, based over in Battersea."

"Go there with Kelly. Check them out. See if they have anyone that has worked for them in the past or now that could be a likely suspect."

"What about the theory that it isn't a vagrant?"

"We'll re-go over the surrounding CCTV footage of all the rapes, checking to see if the same person turns up walking around the area that is not a tramp. It is going to take a long time as there is so much footage." Turning to another detective he told him, "Paul, I want you to carry on doing the checking. Look out for anyone who turns up more than once. I don't believe in coincidences. If they appear more than once in the footage taken months apart they become a person of interest. Man or woman."

"Any news on the DNA from forensics."

"Too early, should be with us tomorrow. But I don't hold out any hope there. The DNA has turned up clean from the other rapes. No sign in our database."

"Any sign of the girl."

Kelly groaned. "No. But I'm going to do a search after I've been to the Architects of the areas down by the embankment and the car park down by the Royal Festival Hall where they tend to hang out."

"Hit the back of Waterloo Station. There's an area there that they congregate."

Someone piped in, "I heard a lot of them hang around a park over by Vauxhall. There's a hostel there and once they're turfed out in the morning they hit the liquor stores and spend the rest of the day getting high in the park around the memorial."

"Jake go with Kelly. Hit as much as you can looking for her. We need a better description and statement from her."

The team all started to move, their agenda for the day set. Jake grabbed his jacket and slipped it on smiling at Kelly, "Your car or mine?"

"Oh definitely yours. I didn't get much sleep last night and I can get a little shut eye on the journey over to Battersea."

"Burning the candles at both ends?"

"Some of us are single and still looking, and that takes effort and time, and involves a lot of booze down at the local club."

"Thank God I'm married and past all that."

Reaching up and tightening Josh's loose tie she told him, "All the best one's are taken."

Clearing his throat he looked down at her, "Some of us don't get much sleep due to screaming babies."

Patting his cheek she smiled, "Just give me the chance."

"Don't be desperate Kelly. Men can smell that a mile off."

Frowning and stepping away she told him over her shoulder, "Is that all it takes?"

Laughing Jake patted the pockets of his jacket for his car keys and followed her out the office and down to the car park and his car.

*

The girl called Janice had made her way over to the embankment to look for her friends. Finding Hanny standing on a street begging she went up to her.

"Janice!......so it's true.....you were attacked....what happened?"

Standing shivering, her arm in the cast, and her head with the bandage still on Janice broke down in tears, "Help me Hanny. I need somewhere to lie down. I feel weak."

Putting her arms around her friend's shoulders the girl led the injured woman over to the arches and placing her deep in the shadows on the makeshift bed, covering her with a dirty blanket. "You should be in hospital."

Grabbing the edges of Hanny's jacket Janice sobbed, "No...it's not safe.....please help me.....I just need to eat and then sleep. I'll be ok. Just keep an eye out for Charlie. Don't let him near me. Don't let the police know I'm here."

"It's ok Janice....I'll look after you." And getting up she went out into the street and walked up the road to the small café to spend the meagre amount of money she had got from begging this morning for a cup of coffee and a donut for her friend.

*

Jake and Kelly sat opposite one of the Partners of the Architectural Company that was involved in the two incident sites. David Noble was shaking his head, "I can't believe it. No one here could have done this."

"Can you provide us a list of your male employees, both present and any that have left, in say since you got details of the sites to do the quotes."

"Of course. I'll ask one of my staff to get it for you. Is there anything else we can help you with?"

"We'll need to speak to those on the list. If you could set it up for us to maybe come back in over the next few days. It will just be a matter of taking some details from them. Where they were the other night, that kind of thing...."

"Of course."

Looking across at him Jake asked, "....and where you were on Tuesday night?"

"Me? You're joking of course."

"No Mr Noble. You're part of the list, so where were you?"

"Tuesday night? At home with my wife, all night."

"Fine. We may need to get that confirmed in the meantime please can we have the list."

Getting up he went to the door and called out, Mike can you come in a moment."

Kelly and Jake watched as a man in dark trousers, white shirt, his sleeves rolled up, and well styled brown hair walked in. Smiling down at Kelly as he passed her, and then standing with a small smile on his strong and interesting face he asked his boss, "Yes Mr Noble?"

"I need you to get a list together of all the men that have worked for the company for the past year. These are Detectives Conway and Wright and they'll require the list and an office set up for tomorrow to interview everyone. Can you set it up please?"

Looking down at Kelly with a spark of interest in his dark brown eyes the man asked them, "What's this about?"

"We just need to find out where everyone was on Tuesday night."

Giving a slow look at the two detectives and then to his boss the man frowned, "Why?"

"You'll find out tomorrow, just get the list and the room sorted out."

And with a last look at Kelly he left the office.

*

Later that night Jake sat lounging on the sofa, his legs sprawled out in front of him, his wife snuggled up against his side. His right arm was around her, her head leaning against his shoulder, arm across his chest.

Turning her head towards him she kissed his cheek, "Fancy going to see the new George Clooney movie on Saturday. Heard it's good. Joan says she'll babysit, and we can go out for a meal before going."

"Yeah ok."

Lifting the remote up he pointed it at the TV and ran through the channels, "Nothing but crap on as usual. Crap and repeats."

Just then the sound of the baby crying came over the baby monitor. Sighing Joan buried her face in his chest and mumbled, "Damn I was hoping for at least one night of him sleeping through."

Untangling himself Jake stood up, "I'll go check on him." and climbing up the stairs went into the small back bedroom and leaning over the cot, smiled down at his little seven month old son and whispered to him, "Hello there little fella, looking for attention and food?" and scooping him up kissed his little forehead before wrinkling up his nose, "Phew that must be some dump you've done. Stinks to high heaven!"

Placing him on the table next to the cot he proceeded to change him.