Without Remorse Ch. 08

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

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 girl walked past the blue boarded up area next to the quiet street where she walked along at two o'clock in the morning. She had been working on the late shift at the call centre and was tired as she made her way along to the main street where she knew a taxi rank was based to catch a cab home.

Seeing the drunken dirty looking vagrant stumbling towards her she slunk closer to the construction sites temporary wall trying to seem as small as possible. The drunk weaved towards her, muttering obscenities, his head hanging down, the black baseball cap shadowing his face, the only bit she could see his mouth. As he drew level with her she never saw the arm that rose up and hit her across her face knocking her momentarily stunned down to her knees. Feeling the hands of the man grab hold of her hair she started to scream only to feel one hand clamp around her mouth so that the scream was lost as he pulled her along the pavement towards an opening in the site wall and into the rubble on the other side.

Stars exploded in her head as she felt him hit and slap at her, the rough ground biting into the soft skin of her legs and back. Raising her arms to try to protect herself she felt him rip at her clothes, his grunts and her frantic pleas mingling into the night. The pain exploded in her groin where his knee knelt into her holding her still, his hands ripping apart her blouse, his fists grabbing and squeezing her breasts so that she cried out and tried to remove them from her. His body shifted, his knee left her and she felt him pull down her slacks. Kicking out at him she then felt the violent pain in her temple as his fist hit her there, partly knocking her out. Unable to get the strength to fight back she felt him push into her, the pain between her thighs and in her groin burning and sharp as he took her virginity in one violent thrust.

Uncaring he humped her until he came, and then just as suddenly as it had started, it finished, and he was gone.

*

Slipping in to the flat as quietly as he could, Mike moved into the bedroom and looked down at the passed out Kelly, a satisfied grin across his face. Slipping out of his own clothes he climbed into bed next to her and plumping the pillow settled down, the night's memories happily wafting through his mind as he drifted off to sleep.

*

Jakes wife climbed into bed holding their baby, the occasional small snuffle emanating from the small child as she placed it between her and her husband. Settling in under the duvet she looked across at him smiling, "As soon as he falls asleep again I'll take him back to his cot."

Jake rested his head on the crook of his arm, his finger on his other hand raised up and touched the small child's hand which grabbed onto it with small little fingers. "Sweetheart I just love these times, you, little Jamie and me all tucked up safe in bed together."

Jakes wife looked at her husband, so gentle, kind, brave and caring, her heart filled with love for him. Her man, the love of her life, he was everything to her.

*

The taxi driver at the front of the queue noticed her first as he stood sipping from his flask of hot coffee. Shocked at what he was seeing he stepped forward the hot drink forgotten as it fell from his fingers calling out, "Shit.....guys look....."

The drivers who were standing in a huddle turned to look. Crawling towards them on her hands and knees was a girl, her legs and buttocks bare, scratches and dirt clinging to them, blouse hanging open, blood dripping down from the wound on her head down the side of her face. She looked like she was barely going to make it as the men all sprung into action running towards her. One man pulled off his puffer jacket and placed it over her shoulders as she sobbed between words, "Help me......I've been raped....please help me."

"You're safe now....Ritchie call the Old Bill...get an ambulance...the girls been raped."

The men sprang into action, one of them asking if she could tell them who did this.

"A scruffy looking man....I think he was the Homeless Rapist."

A shocked silence fell over the men at her words and then a couple of them decided to see if they could find him and ran off towards where the young girl had crawled from.

*

The cell phone rang at the side of the bed and Jake grabbed it quickly, pressing to answer and climbing out of the bed to stand naked outside the bedroom door so as not to disturb his wife and child who had only managed to drop off to sleep half an hour before.

In a sleep roughened voice he said, "Jake Conway...."

He heard growled in his ear, "Jake, it's another one....a young girl....nineteen....get yourself and Kelly over to the building site on Maple Street. I'll meet you there."

Leaning his head against the wall he stood for a few minutes pulling himself together before pressing the fast dial on the phone and listened to it ring before the voicemail message picked up, "This is Kelly Wright, please leave your name and number......"

Leaving a message with a brief outline and of where to meet he poked his head into the spare room where Ben was sleeping. Calling out the sleeping mans name to wake him he watched as a rumpled head raised up and a deep voice croaked, "Yeah..."

"There's been another rape, you want in on this?"

"Clearing his throat Ben sat up rubbing his face with his hands, "Damn right."

Returning to his bedroom he quietly opened the closet to get out fresh clothes when he heard his wife's voice behind him, "Another one?"

"Shhh....go back to sleep....I'll see you tonight."

Laying back down she mumbled, "Be careful."

" 'Course babe...always am."

*

The phone inside Kelly's handbag rang where it lay just inside the front door of Mike's apartment where she had dropped it hours before. Passed out in bed, the remnants of the drink and the drugs were draining out from her bloodstream, and it would be a while before she would be alert and come round.

Mike slept the sleep of the unworried next to her, his plan for a watertight alibi complete; after all he had just spent the night in bed with a detective on the case. The morning sun beginning to rise up outside the window, soon the alarm would go off and he would get up and go to work.

*

"The girl told the Police Officers who arrived on the scene before she was taken off in the ambulance that the rapist wore a dark baseball cap, dark hoody with the top up and was about in his early to mid thirties.... she thinks."

"Either he's changed his MO or it's a different rapist."

"Why? Because he's raped someone who's not homeless! Could be a mistake. Remember the Yorkshire Ripper.....murdered prostitutes....all except one of them...a young University student....mistaken for one....same as our new victim perhaps."

Standing in the centre of the roped off area Jake and Ben looked at each other, Ben telling the other detective, "Something not quite right here. I don't think it's a mistaken victim. It just doesn't feel right."

Nodding Jake agreed, just then the CI asked him where Kelly was.

"I phoned and left a message for her. Not sure boss. I guess she's on her way."

"Well when she gets here tell her to get going down to the hospital and take a statement from the rape victim, get the rape kit over to forensics, and make sure this victim doesn't vanish."

Striding away they heard him shout over his shoulder, "And find the fucking missing fifth victim. Can't be that hard, London isn't that big and someone must have seen the stupid cow somewhere."

*

Hanny stood begging as usual beside the underground entrance, desperate for more money and worried about the state that Janice was deteriorating into. Last night had been bad, with Janice throwing up the small amount of food that Hanny had managed to get from scavenging in the bins behind one of the restaurants in the area. She knew she needed to get help soon for her friend, but whenever she had mentioned it to Janice the girl had acted so frightened that she had dropped the suggestion.

Approaching a smart dressed man who was trying to ignore the scruffy girl she never noticed Jake and Ben as they walked up to her until it was too late. Flashing his ID Jake spoke asking her, "Do you know the chemist over by the Embankment Gardens on Villiers Street?"

Stepping back as if she was going to run, Ben moved around to stand behind her.

"Yeah..."

"Did you go over there yesterday morning to buy some strong painkillers?"

Biting her lip and clearly agitated, Hanny nodded, "So what about it? I got pains like anyone else? I'm entitled to spend me money on whatever I want!"

Pulling out the photo of the missing witness Ben stepped forward, "Do you know this girl, seen her anywhere recently."

Shaking her head she started to step away.

"You know her tell her to call this number," and giving his card to her Ben continued, "tell her I promise to keep her safe, that she's got nothing to worry about, that we need her to testify. If we don't get McShaunassy put away she will never be safe. Tell her that."

Hanny scurried off and Jake asked Ben, "Shouldn't we follow her?"

"She's too street smart to go straight to her and lead us to where ever she is. We'll come down here later and find her, and then without her realising we are following her, let us lead us to the witness, if she goes to her."

"And if not?"

"We keep on searching."

*

Kelly woke up, her head pounding, feeling slightly nauseous. The note from Mike lay on the pillow next to her head. It read, 'Didn't want to wake you, help yourself to whatever you want for breakfast, see you."

Looking at the bedside clock she gasped. Nine o'clock. She had really overslept and her boss was going to go ape shit. She had never had such a hangover from drinking the amount she had like this she thought. Climbing out of bed she made her way to the bathroom and turning on the shower stepped in trying to shake off the feeling of lethargy that seemed to be running through her blood.

*

David Nobles wife sat on the edge of the sofa, her hands grasped in her lap, obviously nervous. Jake sat opposite, his arms on his splayed out thighs, his keen mind and eyes observing her as she answered his and Ben's questions.

"So you definitely confirm that you were at home with your husband on Tuesday night."

"Yes."

"All night?"

"Yes."

"He never went out, not once."

".......No."

But hearing the slight hesitation in her voice he asked again. "You're sure?"

Biting her lip and looking down at her lap the tears started to seep out. "He did slip out for about half an hour that night. Most nights he's been slipping out or coming back from work late. He told me to tell you that he was in all night Tuesday but he wasn't. I think he's having an affair or something."

"About what time on Tuesday was he out?"

"About nine thirty to quarter past ten I think."

"Did he seem agitated or different in any way when he returned?"

"No. But he told me he went out for a bottle of wine, and the store is only five minutes down the road by car, and it shouldn't have taken that long."

Getting up Jake told the crying woman thank you for her help and then he and Ben left the house, "What do you think? He had access to all the site plans, was out on Tuesday night, asked his wife to lie for him with us."

"Three quarters of an hour isn't long enough to get over to the crime site, rape the girl and get back."

Nodding agreement he sighed, "Shame."