The Tangled Lock (The National Crime Agency Series Book 3) Page 6

  ‘In as much,’ said Jo, ‘as those common factors represent a pattern of criminal behaviour that can tell us a great deal about the unidentified subject carrying out these murders, then yes, this is what the BSU is all about.’

  She realised that all three of her colleagues were gazing at her. Here was she, the newest recruit to the team, acting as spokesperson. To her relief Andy nodded in agreement, Max winked, and Ram just grinned. Neither of the GMP detectives seemed to have noticed.

  ‘So this is what we have,’ said Gordon. ‘All three victims are prostitutes. Specifically, street sex workers. Two of the three were drug users.’

  Jo was not surprised. Research had shown that in the UK between forty per cent and ninety-five per cent of street prostitutes, depending on location, were crack cocaine or heroin addicts. And it was a vicious circle. Addiction often led to prostitution as a means of supporting the habit. So-called survival sex. And prostitutes were much more likely to become drug users or to escalate to injecting drugs, either as a coping mechanism or because of peer pressure.

  ‘In all three cases the locations in which the bodies were left,’ Gordon continued, ‘which also appear to have been where they were killed, were areas of wasteland or woods close to roads and habitation. The modus operandi was the same in each case. The victims were strangled with a garrotte consisting of long twisted strands of human hair. Knotted locks of human hair were also found in the mouth and throat of each victim.’

  He looked up, and nodded towards Jo. ‘Following SI Stuart’s intervention and the PM this morning, I have asked for the bodies of Jade Scott and Kelly Carver to be re-examined to determine if any hair had been cut from their heads in the same way in which it was from Mandy Madden.’

  Gordon paused, sighed, and continued. ‘His most recent killing offers us our best hope of nailing this bastard. The city never sleeps. Someone will have seen him, even if they don’t know it yet. He had to get into, and out of, the killing zone. There are more cameras per square metre than I have eggs for breakfast. Somewhere there will be a picture. We just have to find it.’

  Jo hoped he was right. Her experience, however, had taught her that sometimes the best place to hide was in plain sight. Where better, for example, than in the warren of streets around the railway station?

  Gordon sat back, and rubbed his chin with the heel of his hand. ‘Right,’ he said. ‘Your turn.’

  Chapter 14

  ‘One thing that occurs to me,’ said Jo, ‘is that all three crime scenes are close to bodies of water.’ She pointed to each of the sets of photos in turn. ‘Victim one by Pearson’s Flash and Scotsman’s Flash, victim two close to Pennington Flash, and victim three beside the River Medlock.’

  ‘Your point being?’ said Max.

  ‘Might this be significant for our unsub? Or is it just that most wastelands, green spaces, and brownfield sites tend to be near water?’

  She had no idea how it might be significant, and was hoping that nobody would press her to explain. Fortunately Max had moved on.

  ‘I assume that you’ve noticed,’ he said, ‘that all three sites are very close to motorways or A roads, and that it’s almost as though the unsub is travelling from east to west in what is very nearly a straight line between Wigan and Manchester.’

  ‘Absolutely,’ said Gordon. ‘Our assumption is that he’s been working his way along the East Lancs Road. Which is why I’ve asked for resources to increase patrols, and set up covert observations in the red-light districts to the east of the most recent attack, out as far as the boundary of the Force area with Derbyshire.’

  That was some commitment, Jo realised, to try to cover the whole of East Manchester, Tameside, and Ashton-under-Lyne.

  ‘Presumably you’ll be giving specific warnings and advice to the working girls,’ she said. ‘After all, there is a real and present threat to life.’

  Gordon nodded. ‘Duty of care,’ he said. ‘DS Carter?’

  Nick opened a plastic box on the table beside him. He removed a bundle of white cards secured with a rubber band, removed four cards, one for each of them, and slid them across the table. Jo picked up hers. It had the GMP logo at the top, a series of bullet points, and Helen Gates’s name at the bottom. She read the bullet points.

  A. You may be aware that three sex workers in this region have been murdered over the past three months. The person responsible has not yet been identified, and is still at large. I am therefore obliged to warn you that there is a real and credible threat to street sex workers such as yourself carrying out their profession within, or close to, what are often referred to as red-light districts.

  B. There are things that you can do to minimise this threat:

  Cease working on the streets.

  If you do continue to work, you should avoid unofficial red-light districts.

  A colleague should always accompany you, and on no account should you separate.

  Be especially aware of your surroundings, and of the people around you.

  Do not get into a vehicle alone, or allow yourself to be led to a place that does not have a potential escape route.

  Never travel to and from work alone. If you have to, then vary both your route and the time that you travel so that you are not a predictable target.

  Carry with you a police-approved personal attack alarm. If you do not possess one, your local community officers will be happy to provide one.

  You may also wish to carry a legally approved self-defence criminal identifier spray. When deployed, these sprays will mark the attacker’s clothes and skin for up to 7 days. More importantly, they have been found to prevent attacks from escalating, and allow time for you to escape.

  Please note that the carrying of weapons for self-defence, and the use of pepper sprays, are illegal in the UK, and will result in prosecution. There is also a serious risk that your own weapon will be used against you.

  If you do see anything suspicious or believe that you have any information that may help us to identify and arrest the perpetrator, please let us know immediately, either by dialling 111 or by phoning or texting Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

  Helen Gates,

  Assistant Chief Constable,

  Greater Manchester Police

  This is a group Osman warning,’ said Jo. ‘That was brave of ACC Gates. I wonder how the right-wing press are going to react when they find out.’

  ‘Not her problem,’ Gordon replied. ‘It was the Chief Constable who signed it off.’

  ‘Only right and proper,’ said Max. ‘Though I doubt it’ll change anything. Most of them – especially the addicts – won’t take any notice, and the others will look elsewhere to ply their trade. That’ll disperse the problem, and make it more difficult for you to police.’

  ‘I don’t disagree,’ said Gordon. ‘It’s a no-win situation. We’re damned if we do, and damned if we don’t.’

  ‘I’ve been running a series of filters on the list of known sex offenders on the HOLMES 2 system,’ said Ram.

  ‘Which filters?’ Jo asked.

  ‘Attacks on prostitutes between eighteen and thirty years of age; on any women where there was known to have been an attempt to employ manual strangulation or garrotting; any attacks where human hair was placed in any orifice; and any who have in any way cut their victim’s hair. I then ran the same filters against all reported crimes – not just sex offenders – and all ages of victim.’

  He opened the folder he had brought with him, and distributed one sheet of A4 paper.

  ‘There were thirty-two matches to one or more of the filters. As you can see, there were only three that matched both category one and two. One of those is dead. The other two are still in prison. And before you ask, I did check. Neither involved the use of a garrotte. There were a further two who were convicted of sexual assault that involved use of a ligature – a scarf in one case, and a belt in the other, which was repeatedly used to briefly stop the victim from breathing before reviving them again. One is three
years into a seven-year sentence; the other is seventy-six years old, and living in Pontypridd, in the Rhondda. Nevertheless I’ve requested a local police check on his whereabouts at the relevant time for our three murders. None of the above involved either the placement of human hair or the cutting of human hair in the commission of the offence. There were twenty-seven cases of the illegal removal of a female’s head hair by cutting with scissors or a knife. Seven of those – two of which are female – were classified as actual bodily harm to a child occasioned by a relative or friend, in which the perpetrator either cut the child’s hair themselves or took them to a hairdresser without the custodial parent’s approval. Ten cases were for commercial gain, in which tresses were cut for sale.’

  He looked up at the rest of the group. ‘I know,’ he said. ‘Hard to believe. Apparently it’s common in Eastern Europe and right across the Middle and Far East. Three were pranks under the influence of drink – a hen night, a stag do, and an office party. That left seven in which a definite sexual/fetish motivation was recorded. They are highlighted in bold at the end of the page. One is under fifteen, three are in their sixties. Of the other three, one lives in London, one in Belfast, and one in Somerset.’

  ‘Thank you,’ said Gordon.

  Jo could tell from his tone and expression that Gordon was far from happy. None of these people looked promising, but all of them would have to be interviewed as part of the meticulous elimination process of a murder investigation. That was a lot of favours to call in from other forces, and precious GMP resources would be tied up for as long as it took.

  Chapter 15

  ‘That just leaves the crime behaviour analysis,’ Gordon said. ‘Please tell me you’re going to make my day.’

  ‘I am afraid not,’ said Andy Swift.

  ‘Better hang on tight then,’ said Nick, grinning broadly.

  ‘What?’ asked Gordon.

  ‘A frayed knot?’

  Gordon shook his head, more in sorrow than irritation. ‘The only reason DC Hulme gets away with crap jokes like that,’ he said, ‘is because we know he can’t help it. This is a triple-murder investigation, Nick, not open mic night at The Comedy Store. Please carry on, Mr Swift.’

  Andy Swift pushed his spectacles up the bridge of his nose with his index finger. ‘The first thing to say is that in my opinion we are more likely to be dealing with a psychopath than a sociopath. My initial, and inevitably tentative, analysis is based on that assumption. I have a copy of my analysis for each of you, which I will distribute in a moment.’

  Ever the lecturer, Jo reflected. At least this time he had chosen not to stand up.

  ‘I have divided the analysis into three parts,’ Andy continued. ‘The first is a very quick reminder of the general characteristics of psychopaths. The second relates to those characteristics specific to the behaviours exhibited in these three murders, from which certain conjectures can be made. The third relates to those things about the unsub about which we can be certain.’

  He opened the folder, and removed a typed sheet of paper.

  ‘Recent research has confirmed a general perception that psychopaths are born, not made. Brain scans of known psychopaths in the criminal justice system have discovered a significant deficit in a linkage between two areas of the brain that regulate behaviour and aggression. It is believed that this deficit explains the following behaviours.’

  He paused to pour some liquid from a flask into his beaker. He screwed the top back on, and took a drink before continuing.

  ‘Psychopaths tend towards extreme egotism. The world revolves around them, and them alone. If they are extrovert, they will like the sound of their own voice, and often think of themselves as comedians. They will appear confident and boastful, but their arguments will be shallow and superficial. They are all inveterate liars, and they use their lies to manipulate others. They will say whatever they think it is that others want to hear in order to gain their confidence, respect, or support. They will often contradict themselves. They may exhibit unusual patterns of speech. They have no sense of guilt, remorse, or empathy. Despite their own lack of feeling and emotion, they read others well, just as predators do in the animal kingdom. They are impulsive. When threatened or insulted, they are prone to short explosive outbursts, which may include physical assault. They tend to be excitement junkies, driven by the anticipation of a thrill. As a child they may have a history of antisocial behaviour, and cruelty to animals. They do not share universal moral or ethical codes. They play by their own rules, which they will often make up as they go along. It is this, above all, combined with the absence of any sense of responsibility or conscience, which makes them so successful in life, and so dangerous. We all know psychopaths. Most of them are successful businessmen and women or political leaders.’

  He looked up from his notes and scanned the room. ‘Remind you of anyone?’

  He waited until the comments died down. ‘Thought so,’ he said. ‘Which brings us to part two. The unsub has chosen vulnerable females in their twenties as his victims, has used considerable force to kill them, and has taken a trophy most commonly associated with a sexual fetish. The absence of foreign bodily fluids or hairs with an identical DNA on the three victims means there is no evidence that the unknown subject had either consensual or non-consensual sex with any of his victims.’

  ‘Might he be impotent?’ Nick asked.

  ‘Or have a sexual aversion to women?’ Max suggested.

  ‘Or used a condom, and shaved his body hair?’ said Jo.

  ‘All are possible,’ the psychologist replied. ‘I am inclined to think he is sexually immature. As to his age, he is probably in the twenty-to-forty age range. Towards the younger end if these are his first offences. Older if he has offended before, has managed to remain undetected, and only now decided to exhibit his handiwork publicly.’

  Jo knew that was possible, however unlikely it seemed. As many as twenty in every thousand people in Greater Manchester went missing every year. The majority were female. Two per cent of them remained unaccounted for. The last time she checked, there were fifteen unidentified bodies or human remains in GMP morgues. They were the ones that had been found.

  Andy was moving on. ‘Given the manner in which he has left his victims, he is both egotistical and arrogant. The taking of hair as a trophy, and the placement of the knotted locks of hair in the victims’ mouths indicate a sexual fetishist. The use of a garrotte and the absence of evidence of penetration or climax place him in the category of a power/control killer. Such killers are driven by a contradictory combination of egotism and feelings of inadequacy.’

  He looked up from his notes, and peered over his spectacles. ‘He is clearly comfortable in the loci of the “take”, the “kill”, and the “dump”, and given the absence of defence wounds on the victims, we can assume that they feel comfortable in his presence. Taken together with the distance between the three crime scenes, I believe he has taken the time to research those areas and the movement of street workers within them, possibly to establish himself as a familiar presence within them.’

  Jo raised a hand. ‘Do you think this means he may be someone these women might expect to be approached by, such as a social worker, community volunteer, police community support officer, even a police officer? Or be comfortable masquerading as such?’

  Andy nodded. ‘Absolutely. He could be pretending to be what he is not. Although his behaviour is somewhat contradictory, overall I would say that he is an organised and non-social predator with an IQ in the normal to above-average range. Quite possibly educated to further or even higher education level. He would make a very convincing imitator.’

  ‘I take it he’ll be watching with interest to see what we’re doing,’ said Gordon.

  Andy’s sigh was the first sign that the interruptions were irritating him. ‘He will be watching the investigation as it unfolds through the media reports. He may engage anonymously with social media, including our GMP and NCA Facebook and Twitter
accounts. He might even return to the scene of his crimes either as an onlooker or in the professional guise that he may have created for himself.’

  He removed his spectacles, and made a show of cleaning them with a microfibre cloth that he magicked from his back pocket. ‘I would appreciate it,’ he said, ‘if you could wait until I have finished before asking any more questions. I am nearly there.’

  He replaced his glasses, had a sip from his beaker, and picked up his notes. ‘The murders all took place at the weekend – a Friday, a Saturday, and a Sunday. This strongly suggests that he is employed, possibly working nights. On the other hand, there may be something about weekends that facilitates his crimes. He is socially adequate, by which I mean that he is not the classic introverted loner we associate with a disorganised psychopath. It is possible that he may be married or have a long-term partner. In either case that person may not be aware of his fetish. Given what I said earlier about his being sexually immature, it is more likely that he has short-term unfulfilled relationships.’

  Andy put his notes down, and held up his hand. ‘There are only five things about the unsub that we know for certain.’

  He counted them off on his fingers. ‘He is murderous. He has a trichophilia fetish, in which he finds human hair both erotic and sexually arousing. He is playing with the police. He is escalating his attacks. Oh, yes, and he is right-handed. As I explained, everything else in this analysis was merely informed conjecture.’

  Jo believed that a lot of that so-called informed conjecture could help in eliminating some potential suspects, and zeroing in on others. The tricky thing was that you had to have them down as suspects in the first place. Both the Yorkshire Ripper and the Suffolk serial killer were interviewed or spoken to by police on multiple occasions without raising suspicion. An analysis such as this one of Andy’s might well have identified them both as prime suspects much earlier, and saved lives.