Glimpse Page 17

  I remember once, my manager, Ian asked what I found so funny when I noticed an elderly couple shuffling away from the meat fridges, a pack of my ‘specials’ in their hands. I shrugged it off by saying that the couple reminded me of a comedy sketch TV show I had seen over the weekend. He didn’t ask me further, just shook his head and went back to ignoring me. I learned a lesson not to laugh out loud again. I had to remind myself, that there was a reason for mincing the human meat other than my amusement. It assisted in getting rid of the bulk of the body. If I was to continue down this path, disposal was a very important problem, and I had resolved it.

  Driving home that night, I did give in to gales of laughter causing tears to stream from my eyes and down my cheeks as I imagined the old age pensioners that night eating their dinner. He would say something like “Here, Betty, these sausages are lovely, are they different ones?” And she would reply “No Bob, just the usual Old English Pork.” So, the old man, who clearly loved his wife, would end by adding: “must be the way you cook them, Betty.”

  Honestly, I had to pull my van over to the side of the road as I nearly wet myself laughing so hard.

  It was Halloween, when I took my next victim. I treated myself to a night at the movies in Midland. They were playing a triple feature of horror films including Scream 2, I Know What You Did Last Summer, and my favorite The Night Flier. I had gorged myself on salted popcorn and Cola and was in a fantastic mood as I drove home well after midnight.

  Imagine my surprise, when I saw stumbling along the side of the road, what looked very much like an actress from one of the films. She was quite young, she appeared from behind, walking in the glare from my headlights, and she was wearing either a very long T-shirt or a very short white dress. But what made it interesting was that the back seemed to have tears in it and blood dripping through those holes as if she had been stabbed a dozen or more times. Well, to say I was stunned would be an understatement.

  I pulled over onto the gravel shoulder of the road, jumped out of the van and ran back to her. From the front, I could see she had short spiky blonde hair and she was struggling to walk in a straight line. She must only have been eighteen or so. The front of her outfit also seemed to have stab wounds and blood too, and I remember thinking: how can she be still walking with all those wounds?

  “Are you all right?” I asked as we met in the red-light reflection of my tail lights.

  “I’m lovely,” she replied as if she didn’t have a care in the world. “Were you at the party?”

  Okay, call me stupid but, it was only then that it dawned on me she had been at a Halloween party, and the outfit she wore was fancy dress. I knew she was staggering along the shoulder of the road because she was under the influence of alcohol, or drugs, or both. I knew I had to have her. How ironic, to dress up like a murder victim, and then get murdered?

  “Oh yeah, I was there, with Jim, I’m Paul remember?”

  I was brilliant. She looked at me crookedly and nodded vaguely and I thought she didn’t remember me, but realized she was drunk and didn’t want to offend me. “I’m going this way; do you want a lift?” I nodded in the direction we had both been traveling in.

  “That would be great, yeah thanks.”

  And that was how easy it was. We walked to the van and when we got to the passenger side I pretended to drop the keys, as I bent to pick them up I pulled my jeans leg up and slipped the knife out of its sheath. I held it to her throat and made her get in through the sliding door. Perhaps it was the fact that she was drunk, but she even did as she was told and cuffed herself up.

  Would you believe, dear reader, when we got out of the van, which she did without prompting, she said: “Are we going to have sex?”

  That was such a delightful question to ask me, I almost spared her.

  Her name was Lola, and she lasted much longer than Angel. For the first week, I barely hurt her at all, but then, much to my surprise, I began to tire of the sex and light pain games and wanted more. I wanted to see and feel her fear, and that was when I began to enjoy myself. I managed to stretch her time out to almost three weeks, but by then, she was more of an annoyance with her constant whining. At least this time I had the pleasure of ending her life myself when she whined one time too many.

  I cleaned up Lola’s mess efficiently, and effortlessly. I had some music playing in the background, jazz, from memory, and whistled as I worked. I stopped every now and again, eyes closed as the music got to me, then when the solo finished, went back to work

  Once again, I took my lunch box filled with pieces of meat to work and sausage sales went on as per normal. But, dear reader, truth be told I was tiring of that, the humor didn’t have the same effect. I barely even smiled any more when I saw customers with my home brand Old English Pork, it just all seemed so…boring. I don’t know why, the sex had been fun, killing Lola even more so, but for some reason, I wanted more. Something was missing, but what?

  Over the next few weeks and months I gave my world some serious consideration and came to a few conclusions. What was the point in living if there was no risk? How could I continue to enjoy myself, but up the ante so there was more excitement in it? Another thing that was eating away inside like a cancerous growth was that I wanted a bit of recognition. Now, I’m not saying I was dumb and wanted to get caught, I’m not mad after all. But, I wanted people to fear me in general. I wanted to be Perth’s boogie-man, and that, right there, was when I thought I would put my considerable talents to some forward planning and gain the fame that I believe I so richly deserved.

  In Lola and Angel, I had committed the perfect crimes. No one even knew they were dead, they were just…missing, and where was the fun in that? I could have carried on forever, finding playmates, making sausages for Dalton’s and storing body parts with the victims just listed as missing, but, dear reader I wanted more. I wanted notoriety, fame even. What was the point of having a superior intellect if I didn’t show the world I possessed it?

  I decided my next killing would be more public, and so began a period of intense thinking how I could bring that dream to reality. Firstly, I needed a location. Was it fate, but that weekend I saw an article in the Sunday Supplement on the history of Lake Monger. It is a man-made lake just on the outskirts of Perth. What attracted me to this place as a premier site for my next killing, was the name of the place. Have you ever heard of a more dreadful sounding place?

  Once I had the location gurgling in my mind, I needed a victim, and in a blinding flash of inspiration I knew I wouldn’t do it just once, but twice. The papers would have a terrific title ready-made: The Lake Monger Murders. Dear reader, can you imagine my excitement? The Lake Monger Murderer; now there was a name to conjure fear.

  Chapter 13: An Assortment of Excerpts from Newspaper Articles

  West Australian Newspaper. Friday February 13th 1998:

  Jogger’s Body Found Murdered at Lake Monger

  Lake Monger has this morning been closed to the public as police and forensic investigators comb for clues in the horrific killing of a female jogger overnight at the popular lakeside jogging spot in Leederville.

  Marlene Hornborough found the victim’s body suspended upside down from a tree while walking her dog, which she did every morning before work. “It was like a scene from a horror film.” A visibly distressed Mrs. Hornborough said to this reporter. “There was blood everywhere; the poor girl had been hacked to death.” She went on to say before her husband led her away.

  Police are remaining tight lipped at this point, but sources say they are baffled. They believe the victim was a regular late night jogger, but they are not releasing her name until family have been notified. It appears she was attacked in a wooded area at the Northern end of the lake where the path left the lakeside and curved in between some trees. It is believed the killer laid in wait, hidden from view, until the victim ran by.

  West Australian Newspaper. Saturday February 14th 1998

  Body Identified in Lake Monger Murder<
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  Police this morning named the victim in the horrific Lake Monger Murder as 19 years old Hayley Martin. Hayley worked as a physical trainer in the Heart and Muscle Gymnasium in Leederville and was a regular late night jogger around picturesque Lake Monger.

  Police say Hayley was jogging alone around eleven pm on Monday when she was attacked. Internal sources had said that while Hayley’s acquaintances would be investigated, her killing showed all the hallmarks of a random attack. Why she was suspended upside down in a tree no one knows, though some people are theorizing it is some form of satanic ritual.

  Occult specialist, and lecturer in anthropology Theodore Van Neilson said that bleeding of a sacrifice would normally be done in an upside down state to collect the blood, which would then normally be used in rituals. A police spokesman scoffed at the suggestion of a ritualistic killing stating that the blood had not been collected, and Miss Martin had been killed before her throat had been cut. When asked why he thought her body had been suspended, he said: “Because the killer is a bloody madman, that’s why.”

  Friends of Hayley’s are in shock, though one said she had repeatedly warned her not to jog alone late at night. She said, Hayley had loved life, and loved to exercise in the open, with the city lights and water as a backdrop.

  Family are in deep mourning and have asked for privacy at this tragic time.

  Police spokesperson Nicola Landon, said joggers should always be vigilant, and not do it alone, especially late at night. She went on to say police patrols would be stepped up in the area, and that an arrest would come quite soon.

  Sunday Times. Thursday 19th February 1998

  Police re-enactment and Lake Monger Memorial for Hayley Martin

  Family and friends are joining in prayer to celebrate the life of Hayley Martin today on the banks of Lake Monger following the televised re-enactment last night of the events leading up to her murder.

  Hayley’s mother and father will attend the memorial and spoke briefly at the press conference, appealing for witnesses to come forward. “Hayley was a beautiful innocent soul, who had everything to live for,” Sally Martin said.

  Detective Sergeant Daniel Travers admitted they were no closer to an arrest after the brutal murder almost a week ago, and asked that anyone who saw Hayley jogging, to come forward. They were very keen to speak to anyone who was in the park between eight and midnight. Inspector Travers said that they have been very pleased with the response so far by the public, but he said that someone would have seen the killer, and often it could be a small detail that leads to an arrest.

  Turn to page sixteen for pictures of Hayley, and of the actress who dressed in the sports clothing for the re-enactment.

  West Australian Newspaper. Friday 27th February 1998

  Police No Closer to an Arrest in Lake Monger Murder

  Detective Sergeant Daniel Travers, in charge of the Hayley Martin murder investigation, admitted today that police were so far not able to make an arrest in the brutal killing, despite a televised re-enactment.

  “We have interviewed hundreds of witnesses, but we still have no clear idea who the murderer is,” he said outside Police Headquarters today. “It would appear to be an opportunistic, random attack, and this type of killer can be extremely difficult to catch without significant input from the public.” He went on to say: “Someone out there saw something. They may not know they saw the killer, but if there is anyone who was in the park on that night that has not made a statement we are pleading for them to come forward now. Also, if anyone has had a bad experience in the past while out alone at night, please call the hotline number and report it.”

  West Australian Newspaper. Thursday May 16th 1998

  Lake Monger Murderer Strikes Again

  A second woman has been found stabbed to death and suspended upside down from a tree only two hundred meters from the location where Hayley Martin’s body was discovered, three months ago.

  While Police refuse to divulge the identity of the latest victim it is believed the young woman was last seen in the Northbridge night club and restaurant precinct and taken to Lake Monger where she was murdered.

  Forensic medical examiners have confirmed blood analysis shows extremely high concentrations of alcohol which would have made her more easily abducted. Previous victim Haley Martin was jogging around the lake when she was attacked.

  Both victims had been stabbed repeatedly, until death. Then a pulley and winch arrangement used to suspend the bodies upside down from a limb of the tree.

  Police are refusing to speculate whether this is the same murderer or a ‘copycat’ killing until all evidence has been examined. They have promised a press conference later today.

  West Australian Newspaper. Monday May 20th 1998

  Where Have all the Joggers Gone?

  The once bustling pathways around picturesque Lake Monger remained deserted over the weekend. Where once hundreds if not thousands of locals would walk, run, or skate around the Lake when weather permitted, only ducks, swans and this reporter dared tread despite twenty-nine degrees Celsius sunshine.

  Occasional police patrols broke the stillness, but the feeling I had was that the man dubbed The Lake Monger Murderer was nowhere to be seen. Perhaps he has moved to the banks of the Swan River, or the foreshore at Cottesloe; he would be hard pressed to find a new victim here.

  I spoke to Tracy Onscott and her friend Frederica Hapstadt, who used to jog the lake every evening for over five years: “We won’t be going to the Lake anymore, it’s too dangerous.” Feelings seemingly echoed by lots of other people.

  Since police admitted they were investigating their belief that the two killings were committed by the same person, Lake Monger has been left like a ghost town.

  ****

  And so, I was famous.

  Oh, the joy of discussing the murderer with co-workers, and agreeing that the perpetrator was a monster. I found myself becoming such an expert on the subject that I wrote several letters to the editor of the newspaper, criticizing the police for not keeping our parklands safe. Then I pulled what I consider to be my masterstroke. I suggested to the editor, that might it not be one and the same killer who had murdered Carly Biddle all those months prior?

  I had no family or friends, but my fans through the letters to the editor wanted to know me. I’m quite sure of that.

  I had to decide what I was going to do next. It had to be something even more audacious. Something so bizarre, everyone would sit up and take notice. I spent a lot of time thinking what my next move would be.

  Chapter 14: A Troubled Soul Laid Bare

  The squad room was a hive of activity when Rick arrived in the morning. Extra uniformed officers had been brought in to man the phones, which had been located along five trestle tables joined together to form one very long desk along the back wall. Detective Sergeant Micky Macklin was overseeing that operation. Much like a triage nurse, his job was to prioritize the detectives time. A TV plea for help, always brought hundreds of calls, and sorting the timewasting ones from the occasional vein of gold, was an important job.

  The Detective Chief Inspector allocated jobs, based on Mickey’s recommendations, as the case had now grown well above the authority of a Detective Sergeant, even though it was well accepted that Rick was the senior lead.

  Before he could sit at his desk, he heard his name being called though the open door of the DCI’s office. He walked in and was taken aback by the amount of paperwork scattered all over the desk. Rick noted his boss looked haggard; as if he had aged ten years.

  “Grab a seat, Rick. Tell me straight, what’s the deal with this Patricia Holmes?”

  “What do you mean, Boss?” Rick first thought was that she had complained about him, and he was going to be reprimanded.

  “She phoned me first thing this morning, she wants to work with us. She did not have your mobile phone number so got me through the switchboard. Apparently, she has been up most of the night reading the files you took over and wants y
ou to go to her house to go over them with her. She is taking some leave of absence to help us, because she says you have her hooked. Specifically, she mentioned working with you. Anything I need to know here, Rick?”

  Rick smiled, “I’m delighted to have someone of her caliber working with us, she will be an asset.”

  He nodded, clearly deep in thought. “Rick, we are fortunate that we have the support of Commissioner Monkton, otherwise I’d never get permission to have a psych attached to a major murder investigation. None of the other states have a psychologist on their payroll.”

  “Pat doesn’t want to be on the payroll, and she certainly doesn’t need the money. If this case didn’t interest her, she wouldn’t want to do it. I say we snap her up I think she will be invaluable.”

  “If we do this, there has to be some rules. We must control her in terms of information, and not have her control us to further her career. Once we have the killer, she can write as many papers and books as she likes. If we are going to give her carte blanche with case files and the like I need to know she is on our side. She can observe and advise with interviewing suspects and witnesses but not actively take part in them. I’m not having some smart lawyer using her involvement to get a case dismissed. I also think for her protection, she needs to have an officer with her full time, and clearly you have the rapport with her. How do you feel about coming off all other duties and working with her until we catch the guy, or she leaves to go back to her day job? I’m thinking we bring her on board for seven days.”

  Rick took a moment to think about things. On the plus side this was a new initiative and one he felt was interesting rather than the run of the mill police work. If they were successful in unmasking the killer, and saving June Daniel’s life, it could make his career, and herald a new era in criminal investigation in West Australian Law Enforcement. He also enjoyed Pat’s company, and found her an interesting, intelligent, and very perceptive person. Even if they failed he knew he could learn a lot from working closely with her. Then, of course, was the undeniable fact that if they failed, he could be ridiculed, so possibly the move could be a career ender.