*FIRST DRAFT* The Cover of Darkness (DCI Morgan Chester Series)

Chapter Fifteen

The prison warden at HMP Belmarsh placed a disclosure form in front of Morgan after she reluctantly handed her gun and badge over. She signed on the dotted line and the door buzzed gaining her access. Another warden escorted Morgan through a private entry to the visitor room. A female detective in the prison would cause a stir with the inmates, especially ones she had put away. The visitor room was spacious with each table and chairs two meters apart. Morgan declined a drink when asked by the warden as she sat down.

Theodore Gracy was amazed when he was told he had a visitor. He had no outside contact since he was locked away twelve years ago. The calendar on the wall next to his bed had a large cross on each day marking his incarceration. He took his time to brush his grey hair, avoiding the bald spot that had recently started to form at the top. With his shoes tied and prison tracksuit straightened, he followed the guard out of his cell. Howls and wolf whistles erupted from the other inmates as he passed. Many knew what he was inside for. Some praised him, others wanted him dead. He looked down at the floor and a smirk played on his thin lips.

"Good morning." He announced as he sat down opposite her. The guard cuffed both his hands to the bars underneath the table. Morgan raised her eyebrows. "It's a precaution." He shrugged.

"Mr. Gracy, I am Detective Chief Inspector Morgan Chester from the Serious Crime Unit. I have come here to speak with you."

"Ah, you're one of Oliver Bruce's mutts." He chuckled and reclined in the stiff chair.

"Then I suppose you know why I am here."

"I can see a folder probably containing evidence, and the exhausted look on your face tells me there is a case you can't quite solve." He chuckled.

"That obvious huh?" She countered. His smile grew wider.

"Must be a bad one if you need my help."

Morgan pulled out the first set of photographs from the crime scene in Camden Market and placed them in front of Theodore. He reached and examined them as Morgan told him what happened. The next set of photographs were of Layla's brutal murder.

"I thought this would be your area of expertise. I mean, you used to do this to your victims."

"What I done was more professional, Detective." He mumbled as he traced his fingers lightly over the image of Layla's destroyed throat.

"You kidnapped and tortured people before you made stationary out of their skin." Morgan replied in repulse.

"Again, professional." He corrected her and straightened his spine in his chair. "First, I would like something from you."

She chuckled and rolled her eyes. "It's being prepared in the kitchen and you can have it after you give me what I want first."

Theodore admired the stubbornness she showed. She was attractive and he saw potential that he did not see in other law enforcement officers. He knew she would be a tough one to crack.

"I can wait. Question is, Detective, can you?" He mocked and she ground her teeth.

Beats of silence and she plunged.

"Why make journals out the skin?"

"It was a technique used in medieval times."

"They used animals, not humans." She argued.

"Everyone has different tastes." He chuckled.

A buzz filled the room and a warden entered with a bowl filled with custard and a jam sponge placed firmly in the middle, like a castle in a moat. Theodore smacked his lips and tucked in with a plastic spoon.

"Tell me Detective, how long have you worked with Oliver Bruce?" He asked as he took another mouthful. Morgan crinkled her nose.

"Nine years." She replied bluntly.

"And do you always ask a convicted man for help?"

"Only the twisted ones." Sarcasm dripped on her words and caused Theodore to smile.

"I will take that as a compliment." He carefully placed the spoon in the bowl and pushed it to one side. The warden scrambled to take it away.

"You've got what you wanted, now it's my turn." She told him and he chuckled.

"I don't think that really hit the spot." He mocked.

Anger boiled inside Morgan, she grabbed the evidence and stuffed it back in the folder. "This was a waste of time and effort." She got up from her seat.

"Sit down." Theodore ordered; his voice was rough. Morgan turned and glared at him. "Now."

"And what if I don't?" She teased, he smirked and reclined in the chair.

"The killer will strike again; you'll have another body but no leads. And I will refuse to help you." He smirked and mentioned for her to sit. Morgan pulled the chair violently causing for the legs to scrape the floor. She slumped back in the chair.

"I'm listening." She muttered and crossed her arms over her chest. He reached for the folder and she opened it for him.

"The first crime – he was prepared for only one. Instead he managed to get two. The blood lust took over and he lost control. Pissed off that one of the victims was alive, he went to finish the job. To silence her and keep himself safe."

"Why would he go on another kill spree when he has already killed two. Surely, that's enough to satisfy him."

"Have you ever felt the exhilaration of a rollercoaster ride and the disappointment once it's over? How the adrenaline floods your body and you want to go repeatedly?" He smirked and Morgan leant forward with her mouth slightly open.

"How do we find him before it's too late?" Her phone buzzed in her pocket. At a quick glance she saw a message on the screen from Hallie.

Anaesthetic found in Layla's blood. She was sedated before she was murdered. It read. Morgan's eyes widened.

"Could someone from a medical background be responsible? Toxicology found anaesthetic in the victim's blood." She questioned. His eyes lit up.

"Now you're thinking like a criminal profiler. Yes, I agree it is a medical professional. The wounds on the second victim are clean and precise. It was done with a scalpel." He pointed to the photograph of Layla from her forehead to her collarbone.

"This person possibly suffered abusive from his mother or female family members during childhood. Something could have triggered him to mentally snap." She shrugged and run her left hand through her hair in frustration.

"Think more Detective, the wounds inflicted on the girls was more rage. Why would he follow the first girl into the market?" He pressed.

"The victim told me he called her Emma and when she tried to walk away, he attacked her." She shrugged.

"This girl Emma could have meant the world to him and she broke his heart. Being turned down all over again, this time by someone who looks like an ex-lover, would reopen old wound, possibly be a trigger for the buried anger towards them." Theodore suggested.

Morgan nodded in agreement as she pulled her phone out. She ordered Hallie to run checks on the nurses and doctors on shift when Layla was murdered. Theodore smiled at her and started to collect the photographs and slid them into the folder for Morgan. She hung up the call and turned to him.

"Thank you, Mr Gracy. I have arranged for more jam sponge and custard to be served tonight." She muttered as she stood up. Theodore and extended his hand to her. Her eyes scanned his face to see if he is genuine. She took his hand and shook it cautiously.

"I hope to see you soon Detective Chester." He teased as she turned on her heel and left the prison.