Briguella

Chapter Four – DCI Beckley

Chapter Four – DCI BeckleyThere is not a single crime scene that I don't recall. Each photographed tableau is divided and stored in sections of my brain overriding my own soul, acting as a constant vivid reminder.

No matter how hard I try to erase them from my memory they remain etched there. Nicole and Cheryl's faces are the latest to join my corpse library, and sadly they won't be the last.

Nicole's tormented eyes reach out to me from the plasma screen with pure, unadulterated terror. Her face stripped of smiles and laughter, pupils locked with fear. The image makes me feel dead inside. My fists clench angrily, every nerve ending tinging with unease. Panic bubbles inside my chest and I break into a cold sweat, visualising other victims. A deathly silence lingers in the air, interrupted only by my uneasy breaths.

Criminal psychologist Victoria Archer shatters the stillness of the conference room.

“Is it the same MO?” She's dressed in a black suit with leather stilettos.

“The injuries are consistent. Blunt force trauma to the head, neck bruising consistent with strangulation, and a stab wound to the heart. She bled out after enduring a vicious beating,” Shelton answers.

Her blood-tarnished scrubs have been replaced with skinny jeans and a baby pink jumper.

“Four fingertips were severed. Nicole Hall was missing three. This could suggest the killer is numbering his victims and taking their fingers as trophies. The stab wound is consistent with the weapon used in Miss Hall's attack. Severs to the distal phalange also appear similar in nature,” Shelton states firmly.

“The victims were not sexually assaulted and there was no evidence of ejaculate,” Delaney interjects.

“The killer must gain s****l excitement from the experience of attacking and killing women. Rather than fantasising over a consenting partner, he wants to dominate and act out extreme aggression against strangers.”

Archer describes an offender profile; her demeanour exudes confidence.

“Your theory is highly possible. The offender is likely to suffer a sexually deviant-based personality disturbance. Creating terror and inducing pain would give the killer immense pleasure; it's a substitute for s*x. He may feel sexually inadequate and lonely. Loneliness can lead offenders to develop a s******c fantasy life, involving a violence context. By stabbing them in the heart, he experiences vengeance,” Archer states.

“The wounds indicate the assailant is physically strong. He's becoming more vicious, brutalising his victims. He's daring, too. Both victims were attacked out in the open. There was a huge risk of being caught. This suggests he was highly aroused and willing to take the chance,” Shelton conjectures.

Delaney's teeth gnaw and grate on the tip of his biro, his mind digesting the facts.

“Pre-crime factors that precipitate murderous actions include everyday pressures; job loss, relationships, money worries or bereavement. Most people cope with such stressors. The killer creates a fantasy world where his anxiety is relieved. But the pressure mounts, he dreams about committing a violent act until something triggers him to cross the line. The fantasised attack becomes real. He went on a homicidal test run, re-enacting his dreams. Once this threshold is crossed the offender reaches the point of no return. He was frightened and thrilled, experiencing a state of heightened arousal. But his relief was short lived during the cooling-off period. The urge to kill caressed his mind and he struck again. It's become a compulsion,” Archer elaborates.

Fear slithers through me like snake venom, weaving its way through the blood in my veins.

“So, this is just the beginning?” I ask. My jaw locks with anticipation.

“Once a killing cycle is triggered it's rarely broken. He will continue to act out his s****l dominance and s******c tendencies through aggression. By numbering his victims, he's telling you there will be more bodies to come. It also suggests another two victims lie undiscovered.”

Nicole's stare plagues me. I hear her heart beat against the icy pavement she lay upon.

“Who is he?” I whisper.

“He's a sociopathic male. Not a loner though, that character would have stood out on the estate. He's mature, aged 30-50. I'm suggesting the likes of Ted Bundy; popular, attractive and deceptive. He could be in a relationship or is single, and he has i*********e. It just isn't enough to satisfy him. Each kill was planned, he's meticulous and is therefore a person with above average intelligence,” Archer states.

“The offender has developed hatred toward women and has a predilection for young, blonde, attractive girls. This detestation could stem back to his childhood. It's likely he endured a harsh upbringing or suffered emotional a***e. Revenge can manifest itself in many ways and simmer for lengthy periods until something triggers the offender to act out. He wants to dominate women as a form of punishment,” she continues.

Perpetrators are all the same in my experience; screwed up because of a warped childhood involving a***e. That doesn't warrant the excuse to t*****e and kill. A vivid image of my wife Jen supersedes the victim; her blonde hair framing her concave cheek bones and her mouth, which seeps blood. I blink, obliterating the morbid hallucination and return my attention to the victim before me.

“Is there any workable evidence?” I ask. Foster stares wide-eyed.

“No, we have nothing of significance. He's astute and forensically aware. It's going to be tough to apprehend him,” Foster warns.

* * *

The killer is inside my head; he's all I think about. I suspect he's been fantasising for some time, but something triggered him to graduate from an observer to a perpetrator. Nicole Hall endured the least violent attack. He rushed, got it over with quickly to relieve his impulses. But the urge remained, he craved the feeling again, which prompted him to kill Cheryl Gray.

Overhanging branches either side of the carriageway create the illusion of a tunnel. I mull over the case, wondering where the other bodies are. If the women are not connected, what made him choose them? Nicole Hall, 28, was a receptionist. Cheryl Gray, 27, a trainee nurse. Their places of employment were in different locations, miles apart, and each lived separate lives. The only connection is their similar profile and their place of death.

Their social media profiles indicate both took pride in their appearance, though their clothing could be conceived as a little provocative. Both wore short skirts and low plunged tops when they were stabbed. Perhaps he chose them because of his own preconception of the type of women they were. He's turned on or infuriated, by their revealing dress sense. Maybe he judged them to be cheap and therefore, in his twisted mind, they asked for it.

The sun is obscured by dense cloud. It's 1pm. I'm hungry and agitated. The congested traffic moves slowly nearing Hampton. I bypass the Greek restaurant where I took Jen for her birthday. A dull ache swells inside me as I recall her disappointment; I was called out to a fatal shooting. It was my job that ruined us and our four-year marriage. I regret that deeply. My life is full of regrets; losing the best thing that ever happened to me. And the lives of the Harroways.