Date: Fri, 14 Mar 2003 17:24:19 +0000 (GMT)
From: Steve Rose <cutrose40@yahoo.co.uk>
Subject: Martin Roberts - 12

DISCLAIMER:

This is a story. None of the characters in the story
exist and the events that take place are purely
imaginary. This is a detective story with sexual
overtones. I hope that you like this as a piece of
writing.


WARNING:

Do not read this story if you are in any way offended
by acts of a homosexual nature.

Do not read this if you are under the legal age for
accessing adult sites.

Always indulge in safe sex.


MARTIN ROBERTS INVESTIGATES
Chapter 12

Overnight, Tom had begun to have doubts about his role
in the events that would unfold that day. He was
concerned that it would soon become clear that he was
not a corporate lawyer and that one of the four
suspects might recognise him as Martin's partner. As
they drove towards Freddy's country mansion Tom raised
these doubts with his partner. Martin could see that
there might be a difficulty with the first issue and
thought that there was little chance of the second
being true. However, as a compromise, Martin suggested
that they simply say that Freddy and Tom had been
recently involved in a case and that Freddy had asked
him to come along to advise on off shore company
registration, which was something Tom's law firm dealt
with. On the second point Martin thought that his
partner was exaggerating and suffering from `pre-match
nerves'. Martin pointed out that he and Tom had never
been at events where any of the suspects had been, and
the couple made a point of never being photographed
together in public. In addition, although their names
were known in the gay community, it would take a very
bright person to connect the two of them at just one
meeting. Finally Martin pointed out that even if one
of them did make the linkage it would be too late by
that time. This was because the whole house and
grounds would have been sealed off as soon as the last
suspect had arrived. Tom was forced to concede that
his lover had more or less satisfied his concerns and,
as he knew that Martin really wanted him to be there
to assist if necessary, he let the matter drop.

The journey to Freddy's house was extremely enjoyable
taking the couple through the city of London and its
suburbs and then on into the green and pleasant
countryside beyond. Tom and Martin had left early and
the traffic was light. As the car approached the
village, on whose outskirts Eversley Hall lay, the sun
began to shine brightly and the whole area looked like
a picture postcard. Just outside the village they saw
a high stonewall which marked the outer boundary of
Freddy's land. They drove for quite a few minutes
before they saw the gates to the property. Tom stopped
the car and announced their names and the electronic
gates opened to allow them through. The roadway
leading to the house wound round in a gentle bend
until it widened out in front of a very imposing
mansion. The Eversleys had lived in the Hall since the
restoration of Charles II in 1660, a reward for their
loyalty to the exiled monarch. The Hall still
maintained some of its Tudor and Stuart heritage but
successive generations had extended and altered it.
Over the centuries the Eversley family had
incorporated an increasingly large area of land into
their ownership. Freddy had inherited the property
when his father died some fifteen years earlier. As
soon as he could, Freddy had reversed the decision,
taken by his grandfather, and opened the Hall to the
public. The Hall was still closed during the winter
months and Freddy entertained in the private part of
the house, which was accessed from a side entrance and
was permanently closed to the public. On his death,
Freddy, the last of the direct descendants, had
informally agreed to leave the property to the
National Trust, although a distant relative in
Australia had volunteered to carry on the family line
and ownership.

As soon as they parked the car down the side of the
property that was closed to the public, Martin and Tom
walked back towards the main portico. Freddy was
waiting for them as they got to the entrance to the
Hall and he ushered them through the grand entrance
hall and guided them to the room that they would
occupy. On the way Tom and Martin noted the fine
paintings on the walls and the faces of long dead
Eversleys looked down on them as they climbed the
stairs. Tom noticed that Brad was also there when they
arrived and the American academic waved to them from
across the hallway as Martin and Tom carried their
bags upstairs. The suite Martin and Tom were to occupy
was spacious was on the west side of the building with
views across the formal garden to the meadows beyond.
Apart from the main bedroom, the suite had a smaller
room off it as well as an en-suite bathroom. The room
had been carefully chosen so that Martin could be
hidden from view should any of the suspects decide to
pop in to see Tom for any reason. In addition, the
room was situated in such a way that Martin could
overhear what was said at dinner and be ready to
appear at the pre-arranged signal to make the arrest.
The Superintendent would also be able to alert his men
should any danger signals be overheard or one of the
suspects tried to leave. Tom had been briefed, as
would be the others involved in the party, on what to
do if the murderer for any reason began to get
agitated. In these circumstances, Martin and the
police officers hiding in the house would enter the
dining room immediately and secure the arrest.

By late morning it was clear that everything was going
to plan and that all the principal police contingents
had arrived. There had even been time before this
briefing started for a number of the key players to
have a tour round the house and grounds to identify
the best locations for the police deployment. It was
therefore possible for Martin to hold the briefing for
senior police officers from his own team, officers
from the local force, Tom, Brad and Freddy as
scheduled at two o'clock. The briefing was used to
confirm the arrangements that had been agreed
privately by Martin and his senior officers in
conjunction with Freddy, Tom and Brad. The local
police would be expected to be ready to move in and
seal off the grounds as soon as the last suspect had
arrived at Eversley Hall. Bob Matthews would be in
charge of their deployment in collaboration with the
local Inspector and either Bob or the local man would
communicate by radio with Martin to inform him when
all the police were effectively deployed and the
grounds secure. Meanwhile, members of Martin's own
team would be placed around the outside of the house
guarding all the doors and windows in order to cut off
any attempted escape. In addition, a small number of
officers would be inside the house disguised as
members of the catering staff employed by the company
that had been hired to supply the food. These officers
would also be on hand to assist with the arrest. Mark
Jamieson would be in command of this team and, like
Bob, would be in radio communication with the
Superintendent.

There was one change to the original plan that all at
the briefing thought was a good one. Instead of trying
to arrest the murderer in the dining room it was
agreed that Martin should be waiting them on their
return to the drawing room for coffee and brandy after
the meal. The change of plan would give the suspect
little opportunity to escape but should still come as
a complete surprise. The change also meant that a
potential escape route through the kitchens, with all
its hot surfaces and sharp implements, would also be
cut off. Under the revised arrangement, once it was
clear that the meal was coming to an end, Martin would
leave his room and take up a position in the drawing
room, which would be out of the view of those coming
in. Once everything was ready, the Superintendent
would then give a signal to alert his teams that he
was about to arrest the suspect. The other arresting
officers would enter the drawing room and be on hand
to help detain the murderer. Although there was a
short discussion about this change of plan at the
briefing in general all the main participants seemed
happy with the revised arrangements that Martin had
outlined to them. For his part, the Superintendent
expressed his thanks to all concerned for the
cooperation. As he closed the meeting, Martin wished
everyone the very best of luck, a sentiment that was
reciprocated to him and the others by all those
present. The senior police officers present then left
the house to brief their own teams. When they had
gone, Martin and the people who would remain in the
house also dispersed to make their final preparations.
Needless to say all of those involved -- police, Tom,
Freddy and Brad -- now waited anxiously for the
suspects to arrive.

Back in London, the surveillance teams outside each of
the suspect's homes began to report movement. None of
the suspects had all that far to travel but the
weekend traffic could be heavy so they had all got up
reasonably early and left in good time. For once,
Graeme Adams did not pull any stunts, leaving in his
own large and very luxurious saloon car and driving
carefully and in full view of his tail all the way to
Eversley Hall. Joe Smith drove his own rather older
car over the river and north through the City of
London heading directly for Freddy's place. He was
aware that not far behind him there was an unmarked
police car tailing him all the way. It might have been
expected that Peter Collins and Ed Wilson would have
spent the night before together and then have
travelled together to Freddy's mansion. This was
especially so because, unlike Ed who had driven them
to the location before, Peter did not know the way and
his wife was away in America so he would not have to
invent an excuse. However, Ed had made an excuse and
had not been able to come over the night before but
suggested instead that Peter should come over early
the next morning and pick him up. Peter, who had been
slightly disappointed and upset by his lover's refusal
to spend the night with him, had indicated that, as it
was likely to be busy on the roads, it would be better
if they travelled separately. Ed had agreed with this
suggestion and added that, in any case, they would
have the rest of the weekend in which to enjoy each
other's company. By early afternoon, all four of the
suspects were well on their way and, according to the
police that were tailing them, were likely to arrive
at Eversley Hall at roughly the same time.

As it turned out, Joe Smith was the first to arrive as
he had been to Eversley Hall several time before and
knew the way very well. The lorry driver drove in
through the impressive gates opened after he had
announced his name over the intercom. Joe made his way
up the drive and found a good parking space away from
the trees that last time had dropped a sticky sap
residue onto his car that had taken him a long time to
clean off. At the front door, Freddy welcomed Joe as a
returning visitor to the house. The host had just
enough time to escort his guest to his room before
Graeme Adams arrived. The DJ was also familiar with
the route and had made good time. Graeme parked his
car next to Joe's rather more ancient vehicle, equally
aware of the need to avoid parking under the trees.
Once the two early arrivals had both had time to
settle in, Freddy suggested to Graeme and Joe that,
while waiting for the remaining guests to arrive, they
might like to stroll in the grounds before the whole
group met up for pre-dinner drinks. The two
unsuspecting guests seemed pleased with the suggestion
and wandered off to explore the spacious gardens and
the fields beyond. Martin had already agreed that
Freddy should encourage the guests to have free rein
in the grounds and the Superintendent had ordered that
his men should remain well concealed so that they did
not arouse any undue suspicion.

It was some time before the third guest, Ed Wilson,
arrived. Although he had been to Freddy's mansion once
before, Ed had got lost between the motorway and the
village but had managed to find an alternative route
that brought him to the gates of the estate from an
slightly unusual angle. Fortunately for Martin and his
team, Ed had been so concerned with concentrating on
finding his way and not getting lost again that he did
not notice the unusually large number of unmarked vans
parked around the back lanes close to Eversley Hall.
If Ed had noticed their presence then he might have
said something to the other members of the group that
would have aroused concerns and prompted awkward
questions. On Ed's arrival Freddy was as polite and
charming as ever as he welcomed the young sales
executive to his home once again. Ed was led upstairs
to a large double suite, the mirror of the one that
Tom and Martin were occupying and diagonally opposite
them on the east wing of the mansion. Freddy explained
to Ed that he assumed that he and Peter would want to
share a room over the weekend and that the one he had
chosen was one of his favourites with a magnificent
view of the surrounding countryside. Ed thanked his
host and began to unpack his bags as Freddy made his
excuses and left him to supervise the final
preparations for the evening.

The last guest to arrive was Peter Collins who had
never driven to Eversley Hall before and had got off
the motorway one exit too late. This meant that it had
been necessary for him to follow a somewhat
complicated and rather convoluted route back to his
destination. He arrived somewhat flustered and later
than the six o'clock arrival time. Charming as ever,
Freddy brushed aside Peter's apologies and was
suitably reassuring to his guest that the other
members of the party were not all waiting impatiently
for the last arrival. He led Peter to the room he was
to share with Ed, who smiled warmly when his lover
entered the room. Before Freddy left the two lovers
alone he pointed out that drinks would be served very
shortly in the drawing room. Once the door had closed
behind Freddy, the two lovers embraced and then hugged
each other tight before Peter eventually broke free
and said that they would gave to get ready for drinks
and dinner, adding that there would be plenty of time
for more intimate moments over the weekend.

When the other members of their party arrived in the
drawing room, Freddy, Brad and Tom were already
standing close to a fine antique sideboard covered
with glasses and drinks. Graeme was the first to
appear, followed within minutes by the other three.
Tom and Brad were introduced to the guests and none of
the suspects showed any sign of recognition of Tom's
true identity or of his relationship to Martin. There
was an array of Brad's family wine available for the
group to taste and Freddy began to offer them to his
guests. None of the suspects, except possibly Graeme,
would claim to have any expert knowledge but all
declared themselves delighted by the quality of the
wine on offer. After about forty minutes and having
noted that the party had consumed an appropriate but
not excessive amount of Brad's wine, Freddy suggested
that they make their way to the dining room where
dinner would be served. A mixture of regular catering
staff and police served the food that was, as might
have been expected, of the highest quality. Each
course was washed down by several more bottles of
Brad's wine. Over dinner there was a brief general
discussion of the outlines of Brad's proposed business
venture but it was agreed that the details should be
discussed once the meals was over. When the meal was
coming to an end, Freddy suggested that they all
retire to the comfort of the drawing room where the
main business of the gathering could be conducted over
brandy and liqueurs.

Sitting alone in the room upstairs, Martin had been
brought some food by one of the Constables working in
the kitchen. Although the tray of food had smelt
delicious, Martin had only picked at it rather
nervously. As soon as he heard Freddy announce that
the diners should soon be moving back to the drawing
room, the Superintendent contacted the leaders of his
team to tell them that an arrest was imminent. Martin
then quietly left his room and crept down the stairs
to the drawing room and took up his position behind
the door. The Superintendent was just in time. Martin
had only just settled himself out of sight when he
heard Freddy's loud voice coming from down the
corridor as the dinner party walked back from the
dining room. Freddy, Brad and Tom led the other guests
into the drawing room and the host walked over to the
table where brandy and other after dinner drinks were
set out. The remaining members of the party arranged
themselves on the comfortable chairs around the room.
As soon as they were settled, Martin made his move.
Martin appeared from his place of concealment and
stood in the doorway. Once there, the Superintendent
began to speak,

"Good evening, Gentlemen. This is the first time I
have had the pleasure of seeing all of you together in
one place."

Martin paused for a moment and looked around the room
to see if the killer showed any sign of movement or
agitation. All four of the suspects, however, remained
still, presumably surprised and not a little shocked
by the sudden appearance of the Superintendent, who,
smiling at the party's host, quickly continued,

"Thank you Freddy for arranging things so well."

Freddy nodded and smiled nervously back at the Martin
as some of the other guests in the room turned their
heads to look at the host. For the first time it
dawned on the four guests that the party had been a
set-up. Martin drew the group's attention back to him
as he began to speak again,

"I have to tell you that I am here to arrest someone
in connection with the murders of eight persons, one a
considerable number of years ago and the rest in the
last few months."

Martin walked round the room slowly and stopped behind
the chairs of the suspects, who each looked rather
apprehensively up at the Superintendent. Having walked
past all the suspects, Martin then turned and walked
quickly back to stand in front of his target. With
great solemnity Martin announced,

"Edward Thomas Wilson, I am arresting you for the
murder of Darren Evans, David Brown, Christopher
Jarvis, Aaron Dunn, Paul Laycock, Steve Mason, Harry
King Busia and Timothy Owen. You are not obliged to
say anything, but it may harm your defence if you do
not mention when questioned something you later rely
on in court. Anything you do say may be given in
evidence. Do you understand, Mr Wilson?"

As Martin said these words the room filled up with a
large number of policemen led by Inspector Mark
Jamieson. This was to ensure that Ed Wilson would not
try to escape. One of the Constables who entered went
up to Ed Wilson and quickly slipped handcuffs over his
wrists. The reaction of the other three former
suspects was mixed. Joe Wilson sat staring blankly
ahead of him, almost at a loss to make anything of
what was happening. He gave no sign of understanding
for several moments before a look of relief came over
his face, although it was not immediately clear about
what he was so relieved. Graeme Adams gave out a
slightly nervous laugh, which he tried with difficulty
to suppress. He had sufficiently recovered to
recognise that the Constable that had handcuffed Ed
Wilson was none other than PC Rickwood, the young
policeman that the DJ had regarded as the most
attractive of those who until recently had been
keeping him under surveillance. Peter Collins gave out
a tiny cry of shock when he heard the Superintendent
charge his lover. A look, first of alarm and then of
incredulity, crossed Peter's face as he stared at Ed
and then his face changed to an imploring look as he
blurted out,

"It isn't true! It can't be true! Tell them, Ed,
they've made a mistake!"

Martin, while not unsympathetic to Peter Collins'
feelings, interrupted this outburst,

"I'm afraid it is true, isn't it, Mr Wilson?"

Peter again interrupted to warn Ed,

"Get a lawyer, Ed. Don't say anything until you are
legally represented."

Peter looked for confirmation from Tom who nodded his
head in agreement. Peter now knew that Tom was
involved with Martin in some way and that he was not
the right person to represent his lover, Ed. Despite
his partner's warning, Ed, who had been sitting almost
completely immobile since the Superintendent had
confronted him and he had been put in handcuffs, took
no notice. A strange and to Martin's eyes, a not very
pleasant hard look came over Ed's face and the
arrested man began to speak quietly,

"Yes, yes, it's true. It's all true."

During the arrest process, Freddy had been busy
pouring brandy into large glasses, which he began to
distribute among his shocked guests. Martin and the
other police present in the room refused the offer of
a glass no doubt on the grounds that they were on
duty. With the handcuffed Ed sitting motionless in his
chair, the other three guests had begun to recover
some of their composure. Joe took the offered glass of
brandy and drank the whole of it at once. Graeme also
took a large drink from his glass as he shifted in his
chair so that he could listen to what was being said
and, at the same time, feast his eyes on the
good-looking PC Mike Rickwood. Peter Collins was
naturally still the most shocked of all and had a look
of disbelief or denial on his face as he gratefully
took hold of the glass of brandy that Freddy offered
him. Once again Peter began to protest,

"Ed doesn't know what he's saying! He's confused! He's
in shock! It can't be true. I was always with Ed when
these recent murders took place. He couldn't have done
them if I was with him. So he must be innocent! You've
got the wrong man. I won't believe it until I hear it
from Ed's own lips."

Martin looked grimly at the distraught Peter and said,
gently but firmly,

"But you weren't with him all the time, were you
Peter? There were times when you and Ed were apart. I
believe Ed used these opportunities to embark on a
series of killings."

Peter was not finished yet and he snapped angrily at
Martin,

"So why did he do it? Tell me that, Superintendent!'
and then, turning to his lover, Peter added, "Why is
the Superintendent saying you did it, Ed? Please say
it's all a mistake."

Joe and Graeme also stared at Ed willing him to
explain or deny what the Superintendent had alleged.
However, Ed remained silent and made no effort to deny
the charge. Martin thought that he even detected the
hint of relief in Ed's face. The Superintendent
decided that it was time to present his evidence
against Ed Wilson. Addressing the group, the
Superintendent embarked on his explanation,

"The key to this case was the photograph that I showed
you all the other day. Until then we didn't have a
motive but once we had enhanced the picture and seen
the likeness of the younger boy to Ed then that's what
got us onto him. Ed's cousin Gareth Thomas was the boy
in the picture and when his face was enhanced we
recognised the resemblance at once. We knew that
Gareth had had an adolescent affair with the first
victim, Darren Evans, who was a couple of years older
than Ed's cousin. It was nothing serious, just a bit
of mutual wanking and the occasional opportunity for
oral sex. After a while Gareth wanted more and for the
relationship to continue and develop but Darren didn't
want that. Darren was afraid that the teenagers would
be caught and that his parents, the swimming club and
the school would find out and then his chance of going
to Oxford would vanish. So, Darren decided to end the
relationship once and for all. When his older lover
left the swimming club, it broke Gareth's heart and
somehow his cousin, Ed here, found out. He could see
how upset his cousin was and he vowed revenge.

Ed discovered that at some point the truth had emerged
and that Darren had been forced out of his home when
his sexual orientation had become known to his
parents, so he tracked him down and probably
befriended him somehow. Darren did not recognise the
likeness but this was because Ed had grown a
student-like beard. I am sure that if we ask for
witnesses from that time we'll find that they will
recall a bearded young man who used the hostel's
facilities including the swimming pool. Ed engineered
a meeting with Darren and then somehow managed to lure
this bright but slightly gullible boy with promises
perhaps of a real adult sexual relationship and maybe
a holiday. Whatever it was that Ed said to persuade
Darren to go off with him, it worked. Ed met Darren
one night in that summer nearly ten years ago and then
he took him to a wooded area nearby that was known as
a gay haunt. It was secluded and, once they got there,
Ed started to make sexual advances towards Darren. As
soon as Darren began to engage in the sexual activity,
Ed killed him by asphyxiating the teenager with a
plastic bag. It's possible that Ed may even have told
Darren that the plastic bag would increase the
intensity of the sexual excitement and orgasm he was
about to experience. Once Darren was dead, for some
reason Ed tried to cut off the teenager's genitals but
the knife he used was too blunt and the job was
botched. Ed knew that he had to act quickly because
the area was likely to get busier as the evening drew
on. Ed moved the body into a denser part of the wood
and buried Darren's still clothed remains in a shallow
grave covered with a layer of earth and leaves before
he made good his escape. Darren was not missed
immediately and, in fact, his body was not discovered
until a considerable time after his death and so Ed
had got away with it, or so he thought. Isn't that
what happened, Ed?"

"Very good, Superintendent, not a bad attempt but not
entirely accurate. The facts about Darren's death are
almost right but, although I did not know it at the
time, the irony was that I'd killed the wrong person.
It was only later that I discovered that my vengeance
had been directed against the wrong man."

"OK then, Ed", the Superintendent said quietly, "tell
us what really happened and how you discovered that
you'd made a terrible mistake."

"Well, I found out the truth largely by accident. But
first let me tell you a bit about my relationship with
my cousin Gareth. I had always loved my aunt and uncle
in Wales, rather more than my own mother and even more
so after she died. I'd visit them a lot, especially in
the summer holidays. Although Gareth was younger than
I was, we got on well right from the start and I came
to regard him as a kind of younger brother. On one
visit when he was about 14 Gareth and I went camping
together and as we were getting ready to sleep he got
to see my naked body and especially my cock close to
for the first time. As I was a few years older than he
was, he started saying things that really shocked and
surprised me because at his age I had never been very
sexually aware. Gareth looked at my naked body and
told me that I had a nice big cock and that, as he'd
expected, it was uncircumcised like his was. We talked
for a bit and naturally the subject of sex and wanking
came up. I told him it was perfectly normal to wank
and that I did it all the time. Gareth said that he
did it quite often as well but that when he did he
thought a lot about other boys. He said he thought
that this made him gay. Then my cousin asked me what I
thought about when I wanked and whether I was gay as
well. I laughed and said something like I thought I
might also be gay and that there must be something in
our mothers' genes -- they were twins -- that made us
that way.

"Gareth then asked me if I wanted to fuck him with my
big cock. I was a bit taken aback and asked him if he
had ever been fucked before and he told me that he
had. On a previous visit Gareth had told me about his
best friend, a lad called Darren. It seemed to me that
he was now admitting that the pair of them had engaged
in sexual experimentation with each other. In the tent
that night, Gareth told me that the person who had
first fucked him did not have a foreskin and was
circumcised but that he had recently left the swimming
club and this had made my cousin very upset and
miserable. Gareth began to cry so I drew him closer to
me and put my arms around him to comfort him. However
I made it clear that I did not think we should indulge
in sexual activity that night. However I later
relented and agreed to a mutual masturbation session,
which we both enjoyed. Despite his confession to me
about his sexual activity, I thought that Gareth was
still very young and probably confused about his
sexual orientation and that he might still grow out of
this stage of sexual development. I did not want to do
anything that might encourage him towards the gay
life. I also knew that Gareth's parents would be
devastated at the thought of never having
grandchildren. Of course it turned out that I was too
late, but I did not know that for sure and I really
did want to give him a chance to go down the
heterosexual route if that was possible.

"When I discovered that Darren had left the swimming
club and that he was circumcised -- I saw him in the
hostel toilets one day after we had both been swimming
in the indoor pool there -- I put two and two together.
I vowed to revenge Gareth for the heartache he had
been caused by Darren. It was only later that I
discovered that there was someone else apart from
Darren, one of the coaches at the swimming club, a man
called Owen Griffiths, had also been having sex with
my cousin. It was he and not Darren that had taught
Gareth to fuck and had sent him down the road that led
to his death. Griffiths had also introduced my cousin
the idea of being fucked and, I'm afraid, he lost all
control. Much to his parents' disappointment, Gareth
gave up swimming something he was really good at and
his parents, my aunt and uncle, were bitterly
disappointed about it. He never told them about his
sexual orientation, it would have killed them.
However, after he left the swimming club he became
increasingly promiscuous and would have sex with
anyone he could find and, I later discovered, he never
took precautions.

"That's why I say that Darren's death was a mistake. I
guess I should have realised this sooner because, when
I finally met him, Darren was so innocent about gay
sex. When I asked him he was so keen to come away with
me for sex that I suppose I should have known he was
still a virgin. However, at the time I didn't think
about it. As you correctly said, Superintendent, I
took Darren to a local wood and told him that it would
increase his pleasure while I brought him off if he
was half asphyxiated. He was so trusting that he even
helped me to put the plastic bag over his head. When
he was dead I carried him deeper into the woods and
down into a small hollow where I could bury him. His
cock was still sticking out of his jeans and it made
me think about what Darren had done to Gareth with it
and I wanted to remove it. I tried to cut it off with
my camping knife but it was too blunt to remove his
cock and balls completely so I had to give up. As you
know, I left him in a shallow grave covered with a
layer of soil. I was amazed he was not found for such
a long time.

"Once I began to think about what happened and learned
more from Gareth about his relationship with the
coach, Griffiths, I realised my mistake and that
Darren had almost certainly been the wrong guy. After
that I tried looking for this coach Griffiths but he
seemed to have disappeared and I kind of lost
interest. I'd got away with one murder, but I might
not be so lucky next time. As time went by and I got
on with my life I did not do much more about looking
for Griffiths. Then Gareth told me that he was HIV and
once again I started thinking about finding that
bastard of a coach. But tracking him down was almost
impossible. He'd disappeared before I got onto what
was happening. Initially everyone said that they
thought that he had gone abroad, but my enquiries
suggested he was still somewhere in this country. I
did not realise until later that he had changed his
name. I also found out that he might have moved to the
Bath area, which ironically had been close to where I
was a student. However, until I got my present job
there was little chance of trying to find him."

Martin had been paying close attention as Ed made his
confession. Other police officers in the room were
busy recording what was being said. Thoughtfully,
Freddy had provided a tape recorder, which he had
switched on as Ed began to speak so that a full
transcript would be available. Peter Collins still had
a look of complete devastation on his face and was
being comforted by both Joe and, perhaps more
surprisingly, Graeme. As Peter fought back the tears,
each of the other two placed an arm round his
shoulders. When Ed paused in his narrative, the
Superintendent took the opportunity to speak again.
His voice was soft and not entirely unsympathetic but
he still had a job to do,

"Thank you for being so frank, Ed. I understand why
you behaved as you did but you know it can't be
condoned. I accept that for you the whole issue
started up again when Gareth became seriously ill from
AIDS and died earlier this year. Was that what
triggered you into a new spate of killings, Ed?"

Ed was about to resume his narrative when Peter again
began to speak. With tears streaming down his cheeks,
Ed's lover cried out,

"Don't say any more, Ed, please! You don't know what
you're saying. There must be another explanation. You
can't have done these things, you can't .. you just
can't!!"

Ed ignored these pleadings and began to explain the
most recent murders. In slow and measured tones Ed
gave an account of each one of the murders as the
other people in the room listened intently to his
words. There was a hint of remorse in his voice but Ed
made no attempt either to varnish the truth or to seek
exoneration for his actions. The remaining three
former suspects listened as intently as the police
each in his way relieved of a burden but also,
particularly Peter Collins, profoundly upset by what
they heard.

Ed began the next part of his story by saying that the
death of his cousin several months before had indeed
brought a new impetus to his desire to seek vengeance.
He became increasingly obsessed with the need to track
down the swimming coach that had first introduced
Gareth to the full extent of gay sex. Since his brief
and murderous encounter with Darren, Ed had rarely if
ever met a circumcised guy in England and of the few
that he had met he had avoided having sex with them
because they reminded him too much of the young man he
had killed. The death of his cousin had however set
off a raging anger inside Ed that he had fought an
ultimately unsuccessful battle to control. He had
somehow managed to control himself for several months
until the night in Manchester when he met the student,
David Brown, the first of his victims.

On the day in question, Ed's lover, Peter, had been
delayed on his way up to Manchester where the two
sales executives had planned to spend a couple of
nights together. They had both been invited to one of
Graeme Adams' famous parties to be held after his
disco performance and the two executives were due to
drive on to Leeds a day or so later. Both lovers had
regarded it as a great excuse to spend some time
together. However, because of Peter's delayed arrival
on that fateful evening, the couple had agreed to meet
at the disco rather than the hotel as originally
planned. While waiting for Peter to arrive at the
disco, Ed had seen David Brown at the bar and they had
chatted and drunk a beer together. After a short
while, David invited Ed to dance and they had found a
dark corner where they could get more physical. When
he pushed the older sales executive's hand firmly into
his crotch, David indicated that he wanted to have sex
with the older man. Ed could feel the student's hard
cock through the material of his jeans and suggested
that they move somewhere quieter. David had willingly
agreed to this suggestion and he led the pair of them
to a secluded area behind the car park. As they were
preparing to have sex something came over Ed and he
pulled a plastic bag out from his pocket and
asphyxiated the student. In retrospect, Ed said that
he thought it was the fact that David was circumcised
and a looked a bit like a slightly older version of
Darren that set him off. Having killed the student, Ed
quickly got his car, placed the body inside and then
drove off to look for a suitable place to dispose of
it. Having found a place not far away that was
secluded from the road, Ed left the body in an area
that was screened from the road by some trees. Just
before he left the body, Ed had stripped the student
of his clothes and, somewhat as an afterthought, had
removed the young man's genitals with a sharp knife.
Ed dumped the clothes in a skip he had seen by the
roadside and then had thrown the genitals and plastic
bag into a local canal before he drove back to the
disco. To his relief the younger sales executive
arrived back at the disco before Peter appeared and
together the two lovers had gone off to Graeme's
party. Throughout the rest of this visit to Manchester
Ed had acted as if nothing out of the ordinary had
taken place.

As Ed completed his account of the first murder,
another gasp came from the audience and Peter Collins
could be heard once again sobbing uncontrollably as
his lover revealed a side of his character that the
older man had never even imagined possible. Freddy had
thoughtfully provided a second round of drinks, which
he had distributed to the gathering, including Ed. Ed
then began again giving an account of the murders of
Christopher Jarvis and Aaron Dunn. The motive was
similar in each case, as the Superintendent had
already surmised. Ed had murdered these two while
offering them sexual favours. In the case of Aaron
Dunn he had noted the American waiting for a lift to
Graeme's party and had decided to pick him up and
murder him instead. He knew that Aaron was circumcised
and by now he was prepared to kill any such person
that he found. He had got away with three murders, the
police did not have a clue and he saw no reason why
they should catch up with him. In the case of
Christopher Jarvis Ed had gone off with him and he had
murdered him like the first victim in a car park.
Aaron Dunn had died shortly after he got into Ed's
car. Both bodies had been disposed of quickly and
their clothing and genitals removed and got rid of. Ed
spared the others the full details but it was clear
that he had developed a pattern to his killing. The
only tricky murder, Ed explained, had been that of
Steve Mason, and Harry King Busia, both of whom he had
been murdered on the same night. As Martin had
thought, they had been killed separately but disposed
of together. Ed described how he had lured first one,
then the other, to their death and spoke
dispassionately of the disposal of their bodies,
clothes and genitals. At this point, Ed spared the
assembled group much of the detail of the four
killings by taking a break from telling his story.
Martin knew that at subsequent and more private
interrogations, Ed would have to explain in more
detail the circumstances of the five most recent
killings. However, the Superintendent did want to
learn more about the remaining two killings and felt
that the others in the room also wanted to know about
them as well. Martin used the momentary silence to
interject a question,

"One thing is puzzling me, Ed, and it is this, why did
you kill Paul Laycock? You surely didn't think he was
coach Griffiths?"

Peter stopped whimpering for a moment and began to
whisper softly,

"He couldn't have killed that man Laycock, I .. was ..
with  .. him .. that .. nig .."

Peter's voice tailed off and the Superintendent again
interrupted him,

"No you weren't. It was the night you both had a row.
You stormed off, Peter and Ed told you and us that,
apart from getting a drink from the bar he stayed in
his room and was there when you got back but that
wasn't true. I think that during the time you were
away, Peter, Ed slipped out of the hotel and found his
next victim. It was a gamble but, as it turned out, Ed
had plenty of time to murder Paul Laycock and get back
to the hotel before you reappeared. So why him, Ed?"

Ed shrugged his shoulder slightly and began to
explanation,

"As you know, Superintendent, I was angry when I got
to the hotel, I'd lost a valuable contract and Peter
was a convenient punch bag. I had no plan to kill
anyone, to be honest, I never did actually plan the
killings, they sort of happened if you know what I
mean. Circumstance, place, opportunity all seemed to
occur at certain times and I took them. I'm sorry
about Paul Laycock, he was just a poor guy in the
wrong place at the wrong time.

"The first piece of my statement was true. I did get a
drink from the bar and took it to my room. However
when I'd finished it and Peter was not back, I went
out in my car. I knew I had been followed to the hotel
but somehow I managed to get past the surveillance
team without them seeing me. I needed to get away from
the hotel, to get some fresh country air and to clear
my head so I drove around the area for a while. I
thought I would go to the pub where the disco we had
planned to attend was taking place to see if Peter was
there, but he wasn't. I stayed for a short while and
had a drink and was joined by that guy, Joe, over
there. He did not recognise me as he had only seen me
very briefly once when Peter and I came to a party
here."

Ed paused for a moment and Martin looked across at Joe
whose face showed that he had suddenly remembered the
meeting and the fact that now he could put a name to
the face that he had met back in Birmingham. Then Ed
resumed his account,

"Joe offered to buy me a drink but after he had gone
to the bar and was away for some little time I changed
my mind and decided to return to the hotel in the hope
that peter would be back. However, the drinks I had
already had went straight through me and quite soon I
needed to take a leak. I noticed a signpost indicating
a toilet and parked the car near to the entrance and
went into this rather sordid old toilet. I knew it was
the kind where Gareth used to go to find men to have
sex with and I did not want to go in, but I needed to
piss so badly. When I went in, there he was, this
stranger, just standing at the urinal with his
obviously hard, circumcised dick on full display. He
kept looking at me but I stood at the urinal and
refused to acknowledge him. In the end, however, I did
look at him. He gave me the nod and I indicated that
he should follow me. I led him back to my car and he
got in the back. I told him I'd needed to get a condom
and he accepted this. I found a plastic bag in the
glove compartment and picked it up and joined him in
the back of the car. Like the others, it was easy to
kill him, one quick move and he was trapped. After he
was dead, I drove to the next convenient and secluded
lay-by and got rid of the body in the usual way. As I
said, his death was not really planned, he just was in
the wrong place at the wrong time. Again luck was on
my side as I was back at the hotel and in bed before
Peter returned."

Martin acknowledged the full and frank nature of Ed's
confession even though the Superintendent found it
hard to feel much sympathy for the arrested man. The
Superintendent also noted another lapse by his
surveillance team, a defect that he would ensure was
remedied when he held his debriefing session with the
team back in London. However, Martin needed one last
piece of the jigsaw before the session could be ended.
In a gentle, but not very warm, tone Martin asked his
final question,

"And then you found out the new identity and
whereabouts of the man you believed was ultimately, if
indirectly, responsible for your cousin's death, the
man who called himself Timothy Owen, but who you knew
to be Owen Timothy Griffiths. Will you tell us what
happened in this case, Ed?"

Ed looked around the room. He was the centre of
everyone's attention and a slight smile crossed his
lips as he again began to speak in a quiet but also
confident tone.

"Yes, Superintendent. I did a fine detective job in
tracking him down. I hadn't realised how close I had
been to the man when I was a student in Bath. If I'd
found him then, maybe the other deaths would have been
avoided. However as a student I found other things to
do with my time. It was only once Gareth was really
ill that I began my search again. As I told your
earlier, I found out that Owen Griffiths had not left
the country as most people thought but had merely
moved across the Bristol Channel. I can't remember how
I found out, but I think it came from my aunt or one
of her friends. I think I overheard a conversation in
which someone mentioned that they'd heard Griffiths
was living near Bath. Of course, my interest was
aroused by that information and I began to search for
him again. My investigation was helped by my work,
because my regional management responsibility included
Bath.

"Pinpointing exactly where Griffiths lived was more
difficult than I expected but nevertheless I think I
did an excellent job. I began by tracked down all
people in and around Bath with the surname Griffiths.
Unfortunately I had to accept that none of those I
found in the area was the person I was looking for. So
then I widened my search and began looking for
different combinations of his name. I finally found my
man after several days of very intensive work. All I
had to do then was to contact him and arrange a
meeting. My chance came with this conference near Bath
as it was not far from where he lived. My attempt to
locate and kill Griffiths was complicated by being
under surveillance but I thought I could manage it
somehow. I had a fall back plan that involved using
Graeme's decoy plan. I'd overheard him describing it
to someone at one of his recent parties and I made a
note of it but as chance would have it I only needed
to use it when I got rid of the body during the early
hours of the morning.

"I planned the killing of Griffiths very thoroughly
but I did not expect that I would be able to do it
while the conference was being held. My plan was that
I would contact Griffiths and pretend to be Gareth. I
could do a good impression of him and after all this
time I doubted that Griffiths wouldn't know it wasn't
him. Also I banked on him not knowing that Gareth had
died. As far as I knew Griffiths had not maintained
contact with people in Cardiff since he left, no doubt
for fear of getting the Police interested in him
again. I telephoned him the first time shortly after I
got to the hotel. I told him that I was Gareth and
asked if he remembered me and said I hoped so as I
still remembered the fun we had had at the swimming
club all those years before. I think Griffiths was
slightly shocked to hear from me and by the fact that
I had discovered his whereabouts but he seemed
genuinely pleased to hear from the person he believed
to be Gareth. I told him I really wanted to see him
again and hoped we could have fun like we did in the
old times. He was a bit wary at first and said that
all that had been a long time ago but in the end he
agreed to meet me. I don't think he had any idea I
wasn't really Gareth or that I was luring him into a
trap. I explained to him that I was attending a
conference and that I might not be able to meet him
until the following morning but if I could get away
earlier I would telephone him and let him know.

"As it turned out, that evening Peter said he wanted
to have a look round Bath, so I told him that I would
meet him later at the disco. I said that I wanted to
use the opportunity to look for somewhere to live in
the Bath area but in reality I knew it was an
opportunity to find and, if possible, kill Griffiths.
Once Peter had left the hotel, I made up my mind that
I would go and see if I could locate the village where
Griffiths lived. I looked for it on the map and it was
a bit tricky but the windy roads might give me the
chance to shake off your surveillance team,
Superintendent. I drove off knowing I would be
followed but luck was on my side. I managed to shake
off the tail in the narrow and winding lanes. I had
thoroughly checked the route and, once I knew I was
clear, I phoned Griffiths from the car. I told him
that I would toot my horn and wait for him in the car
when I got to his house. As soon as I arrived and blew
my horn, Griffiths came out of the door of his cottage
to meet me.

"He started to ask me inside but as he leaned into the
car I quickly fitted a bag over his head and bundled
him into the back. He was dead in seconds. I then
drove round in a circle and as I came back out of the
next village on the lane leading to the main road I
saw your men, Superintendent, looking for me. They
more or less escorted me back to the disco, unaware of
what I had lying in the back of the car. I went into
the disco and then after it had finished Peter and I
drove back in our cars to the hotel. Once back at the
hotel I joined Peter in our room. We went to bed and
had sex and Peter fell asleep quite quickly after
that. Once I was sure he was dead to the world, I was
able to slip out quietly without disturbing him. I had
arranged for one of my team to leave his car nearby. I
told the guy that I needed some samples he had stored
in his boot so he left his car in the car park close
to where I was parked and gave the keys in for me to
collect from reception. I moved Griffiths' body easily
from my car to the other one and then, keeping my head
down, drove past the watching police. Once I knew I
was not being followed, I found a secluded place that
I had located before I arrived at the hotel that
morning and left Griffiths' body there. After I had
disposed of the bastard's clothes and his genitals, I
drove back to the hotel, re-parked the colleague's car
and went inside to re-join Peter in bed for the rest
of the night. I was with him when he woke up the next
morning completely unaware of what I had been up to
while he was sleeping. It all turned out to be so
easy, so very easy. I felt really satisfied when I
killed Griffiths it was like an enormous weight had
been lifted off me."

Ed paused for a moment and then looked up at the
Superintendent, a slight smile crossing his lips as he
began to speak again,

"After I killed that bastard who ruined my cousin's
life, I knew I had exorcised my demons,
Superintendent. I also knew that I would not need to
kill again. Gareth's death had been avenged and the
man responsible for ruining his life had paid the full
price!! I hoped that I would get away with it; that I
would not be a suspect. I recognised the danger signs
when I saw that you had managed to get hold of a copy
of the photograph with Darren and Gareth on it.
However it was of such poor quality that I hoped you
would not be able to make the connection. I'd
forgotten about the photograph's existence to be
honest. I'd also forgotten about modern computer
technology that can enhance the quality of almost any
photograph however poor its quality. In the end it's
the unexpected little things that trap you, isn't it?
Have I told you all you need to know, Superintendent?"

"I think so, Ed, you've made a very full confession.
There are details of the other murders that I will
need to clear up but those can wait. I think everyone
here has heard more than enough for today."

All the listeners in the room were silent for a moment
as Ed's confession came to an end and Martin took this
to be a sign that they agreed with his last remark.
Mark Jamieson stepped forward with a Constable and
indicated that it was time for Ed to be taken into the
waiting police van and driven away to the Police
Station for formal interview. Ed walked slowly past
the others in the room and paused for a moment by
Peter's chair. Ed's lover sat still, too shocked and
upset to say anything but Ed placed his hand on
Peter's shoulder and said softly,

"I'm sorry, Peter. I really did love you .. I do love
you .. but this had to be done. I didn't mean to hurt
you or involve you and I am truly sorry that I have."

Through his tear covered face Peter forced a smile and
nodded as his lover was led away. Slowly the police
that had filled the room also began to drift away
until only Martin and the former suspects were left.
Martin spoke to each of them in turn offering his
regrets that they had been involved and explaining
that, until almost the end of the investigation, he
really did not know for certain which of the four was
guilty. He also said that he might need to speak to
some or all of them again but not immediately. Joe
nodded his understanding and mumbled his thanks.
Graeme also smiled slightly and accepted that the
Superintendent had acted in the only way possible
under the circumstances. Martin wished them all well
for the future and hoped that they would soon recover
from the unpleasant ordeal they had been through.
Peter continued to stare blankly ahead of him. The
Superintendent spoke softly to Ed's distraught lover
but he knew that there was little he could really say
that would be of any comfort. Despite his devastation,
Peter manage to say a few words before Martin left the
room,

"What happens now? What will happen to Ed?"

Martin looked sympathetically back at the shattered
sales executive and replied as soothingly as he could,

"Well, he'll be charged of course and interviewed.
He's admitted the offences, which is a good start.
What happens after that is not up to me, it's up to
the Court, but if I was to guess, I doubt if he'll get
less than a life sentence and a long minimum sentence
to serve."

Peter acknowledged that his worst fear had been
confirmed but did not speak again. Martin thanked
Freddy and Brad for their role in the arrangements and
for the use of Eversley Hall but said that he would
have to leave, as there were things to be seen to back
at the Police Station. Brad smiled and nodded at this
and Freddy accepted the thanks with a dismissive wave
of the hand. Freddy walked with the Superintendent and
Tom to the door of his mansion. At the door the three
men shook hands, Freddy lingering as he said goodbye
to Tom. Tom wondered what it would have been like if
he and Freddy had ever got together seriously. He
might have lived in this stately home but then he
dismissed the thought, life with Martin was much, much
better in every way.

As soon as Martin and Tom had left the room, Freddy
returned to the remaining guests and began dispensing
yet another round of drinks. The genial and generous
host was fully aware that it would take more than a
few kind words of apology and sympathy to heal the
wounds. Freddy was determined to help in any way he
could. He would see that Brad's wine venture got off
the ground and that Peter and Joe benefited from it.
Freddy would also use his influence to ensure that
Graeme's career was not permanently affected by the
adverse publicity he had received.

After he had returned to the Police Station and
reported the arrest to his superiors back in London,
Martin was allowed to make a brief press statement
announcing Ed Wilson's arrest. Next Martin thanked the
whole team for all their efforts, mentioning almost
all the officers involved by name and finding
something good to say about their contribution. Before
he had left his home, Freddy had asked whether Martin
and Tom would like to stay on at Eversley Hall that
night but the Superintendent had declined this offer
as well. Martin gave Freddy a number of reasons for
this decision. First it would not be politic to be in
the same house as some former suspects and now
potential witnesses. Second, there was still work to
be done to complete the case before it could be
brought to a conclusion. Ed needed to be interviewed
formally and invited to make a full statement on the
record and with his legal representative present. Once
he had the chance, Martin wanted to take a short break
away from it all and spend some time with his lover,
Tom. The couple had postponed a decision on whether to
pursue the idea of children but that decision could
not be put off forever. Whatever they decided would
change their lives forever and it could not be rushed.
It had been a gruelling few weeks and Martin knew that
he and the team as well as those close to them,
including Tom, now needed to be given priority. Tom
agreed with Martin and decided he would return to
London as soon as he could. Martin told his lover that
he would follow him home later and watched as Tom
drove off back towards London. After Tom's car had
disappeared from sight, the Superintendent sighed and
slowly walked back inside the Police Station.

If you have any comments on this story, please let me
know cutrose40@yahoo.co.uk