No Going Back by Casey Kelleher (black male authors TXT) 📗

Overcome with a rush of love that she’d never experienced in her life before, she felt a lone tear of happiness escape down her cheek. ‘I’m going to look after you, always. I promise.’

11

‘Okay! If everyone can please gather round again. We’ve had some developments on Operation Maple.’ DS Morgan’s voice carried across the CID room. ‘I’m sure everyone here is aware that we wanted to rule out any connection with the knife attack on Shelby Cooke, which happened just after midnight last night over at the Griffin Estate, and the murders that happened last week over in Richmond Park,’ DS Morgan continued.

As his colleagues gathered round in front of his desk for this morning’s briefing, he was met with a sea of faces. All detecting the seriousness of his tone: what he was about to deliver to them wasn’t going to be good news.

‘Originally, the Operational Command Unit over at Richmond Park thought that the attacker might have been known to the victim. A jilted lover or boyfriend perhaps. The father of the child? A jealous acquaintance.’ Morgan paused, looking around the room and making sure that he had the team’s full attention. ‘At least at the earlier stages of the investigation, they were treating those murders as a domestic-related incident. However, the investigating sergeant has informed me that all of those lines of enquiry have been exhausted. And given the evidence that we now have, and in light of this second attack last night, we do now believe that these incidents are both linked. And that Shelby Cooke’s assault wasn’t an isolated attack.’

The room was silent then. Every officer in the room giving their superior their full attention. Because this information changed everything. It confirmed what they’d all been dreading.

‘So, you think it’s a serial killer, Sarge?’ Holder asked now, wondering if this morning’s victim had been his next target until she’d managed to get away.

‘It’s not quite that simple… we don’t think his motive was to kill. At least, not for killing’s sake.’ DS Morgan shook his head and then gestured to the man standing to the right of him, clearly deciding to let his colleague explain further.

Dressed in crumpled grey trousers and a plain white T-shirt, the stranger’s casual attire was in stark contrast to the stern expression he wore on his face.

‘Some of you are familiar with my good friend here, Zack,’ Morgan said, introducing the man. ‘And for those who aren’t, Zack Lownrey is a forensic psychologist. He has been working on profiling the murderer since last week, and he’s been fully briefed on last night’s developments too. So, I thought it would be a good idea to let Zack give you a run-down of his thoughts from here on in,’ DS Morgan said, stepping back and letting Zack take the floor.

‘Hi everyone,’ Zack said, clearing his throat before continuing. ‘As DS Morgan just explained, we had already ruled out that the attacker was known to their victim, and in light of this second attack we did consider the attacks to have been targeted and to be some kind of deranged fetish perhaps, or acting out on a feeling of hate and repulsion towards women. However, further to some evidence that was left at the scene of the crimes, we now have reason to believe that there is an even more sinister motive behind these attacks…’

‘What’s more sinister than stabbing a pregnant woman?’ Holder muttered under his breath loud enough for Lucy to hear.

Though Lucy didn’t respond. She couldn’t. All she could think about was the sight of her mother. Sprawled out on the bed. Covered in blood. Focus! she told herself.

Trying to stay calm and not react to the news, she stared intently ahead. Only by doing so, she’d unwittingly caught Zack’s eye. Holding his gaze as he looked back at her and continued talking, she hoped that he couldn’t tell just by looking at her that she was struggling to control her quick and raspy breath as she fought the onslaught of a panic attack.

Breathe, Lucy. Breathe.

‘This bag was retrieved from the scene of last night’s attack.’ Stepping forward to the desk, Zack held up a photo of a plastic evidence bag, containing a black rucksack. He looked at Morgan then, giving the sergeant his cue to fill his team in on what the two men had already privately discussed.

‘It was dropped on the ground after the victim fought the attacker off and before the offender fled. We found some disturbing items inside.’

Zack held up the other photos of two smaller evidence bags as DS Morgan continued.

‘The bag contained some surgical implements such as a pair of operating scissors and a scalpel, alongside a baby blanket and a large bath towel.’

The two men paused then, letting that information sink in and hoping that the team understood where they were going with this. Though they knew that the reality of this crime would be a tough conclusion to come to even for these experienced officers.

‘We now believe that the attacker was attempting a foetal abduction…’ Zack said finally.

‘A foetal abduction?’ Lucy muttered quietly, shaking her head as if unable to comprehend what the forensic psychologist was telling them. She glanced over at Holder, hoping to gauge his reaction to this news. But the look of genuine horror on her colleague’s face, and the fact that Holder was now rendered completely silent like the rest of the team in the room, only reiterated to Lucy how messed up this attacker’s attentions had been.

‘What do you mean by a foetal abduction?’ Lucy said, her voice coming out louder than she’d intended. Unable to comprehend her worst fears. It couldn’t mean what she thought it did, surely?

‘I don’t understand. He didn’t mean to kill the first victims. Is that what you are saying? That it was a kidnapping gone wrong?’

Lucy shifted uncomfortably as the room full of her colleagues all turned to look