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The conference was held the morning after. All the major newspapers and news stations in the vicinity were present, each trying to squeeze as much information that they possibly could from us. The only paper that had no representation was The Valiant because we had identified the last murder victim as Mrs Eesha Water, the wife of JJ Waters, the owner of The Valiant. As soon as he found out that his wife had been killed by a murderer who was known for killing women who cheated on their husbands, he decided to stop running stories on the ‘Phantom Throttler’, which saved us from suffering a lot more stress.
Turlock, Jennings and I were in attendance at the conference to answer questions. Peters was supposed to be here with us, but he hadn't shown up. He was going to be in big trouble with me later. The whole conference was almost chaotic, with all the various reporters shouting out questions and of course, the blinding white flashes of the cameras. Fortunately, with the help of a few more officers, we managed to maintain some form of order in the room.
As we stepped out of the conference room, all three of us breathed a sigh of relief simultaneously. If it hadn't been for the pounding in my head, I would have laughed at how comical the scene was. I bade goodbye to the officers left in the station, planning to go home to spend the rest of the day with my family. But unfortunately, my plans were cut short when I received a phone call over an hour after I had left.
I was driving back from shopping for dinner when the call came. It was Turlock. I put my phone on loud speaker so I could answer it and drive at the same time.
“What is it Dave?” I asked.
“We have a few problems, sir.” His voice was grave and I prepared myself for the worst.
“Oh God, what is it now? And don’t you even dare tell me that there’s been another murder!”
I heard Turlock's gulp. “No sir, but close.” I groaned. “The husband of Barbara Lewis, our third victim, had a fatal heart attack earlier today after he was told that his wife had been murdered.”
I slammed my hands on the steering wheel in frustration. “Oh bloody hell! Who told him that?!” I yelled.
“His doctor, I’m afraid sir.”
“Well that’s just typical isn’t it!” There was silence on the other end. After a few moments, I sighed. “The man was terminal for crying out loud, what moron tells a dying man that he has out lived his perfectly healthy wife. And that she was murdered, no less!”
I knew that eventually he would have to be told of what happened to his wife, but I was already angry and so tired from a string of nearly sleepless night. This little piece of news just pushed me over the edge. I sighed again as I stopped at a red light and shook my head to clear it before. Turlock was still silent on the other end. I really appreciated his understanding.
"Look Dave, I'm really sorry for going off on you like that-"
“That’s alright sir, but the second thing I have to tell you I’m not sure how bad it is, but Peters has gone missing.” Turlock cut me off before I could finish my apology.
I felt my jaw clench. “What do you mean by ‘gone missing’?” I asked as I accelerated as the light turned green.
“He’s gone. He won’t answer his phone and he wasn’t at home when Morgan called round during the press conference.” This sparked some intrigue in me because I had no idea that they had sent someone out to his home to find him. “We believe he’s gone on the run.”
“Why the hell would he do that?” I questioned as I turned onto my street.
“I'm not really sure, but I think it would have something to do with Peters being caught on CCTV going to the fourth floor of the Imperial on the night of both murders within the kill time. If he were the killer, then it would also explain how the papers go hold of so much information and why there is so little evidence left at the crime scene." Turlock paused for a moment. "Sir, I don’t like even thinking that it is a possibility but we have to cover all bases.” There was a resignation in his voice, telling me how serious the situation was becoming.
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To Catch A Killer
Mystery / ThrillerFour years after the death of his Ex-wife DCI Thomas 'Tommy' Smith is investigating a murder that is extraordinarily similar and not just because the victims were both women. Questions arise when another woman is found strangled by her hair. Was the...
