Jack in the Box Read Online Free PDF

the strangling, and left it round his neck. The doll’s and Charlo’s eyes were scratchedwith the kitchen knife.’
    ‘Let me guess.’ She threw the rest of the pasta bake into the bin. ‘No prints on the doll or the knife.’
    ‘Except for Porteous’s. He stated he’d touched them when he arrived.’
    ‘What was his alibi?’
    ‘He was in a VD clinic. The clinic corroborates it.’
    So the killer’s pattern was already emerging. He’d been careful not to leave behind any trace of himself. But why had he brought a doll? She pressed the heels of her palms into her eyes. ‘And the third boy?’
    ‘Liam Mahoney. Found in the disabled lavvie round the corner from Tottenham Court Road tube station. It’s used extensively for cottaging. In the morning, the attendant saw the door ajar and looked in.’ He riffled through the report. ‘Similar details. Liam had had anal sex. Pants left down. No condom. The killer used string. No fingerprints on the doll. The blinding was done with a dirty pocket knife. May have been Liam’s.’
    Von stared at the photograph of the limp body lying on its side in an attitude of abandonment, the black curls not quite hiding the port-wine stain on the cheek. ‘Was there a mirror?’
    ‘Not inside the cubicle. The basins were outside and they did have mirrors.’ Steve looked up. ‘You think the mirrors are significant?’
    ‘They may be. So, the last one, the one who survived?’
    ‘Manny Newman. According to his statement, he was picked up at the Duke. They went to Manny’s place, a warehouse nearby. After sex, the man throttled him and blinded him with Manny’s razor.’
    ‘In that order?’ she said quickly. ‘Strangling and then blinding?’
    ‘Aye, he was certain about the order.’
    ‘Could he give a description?’
    ‘His attacker’s hair was cropped. He was neither tall nor short. And average build.’
    ‘Eyes?’
    ‘Surprisingly, nothing about the eyes.’
    ‘Not that surprising, Steve. Manny had just lost his, so perhaps the interviewer was being sensitive. Do we know the attacker’s age?’
    ‘Early to mid twenties.’
    ‘That would make him in his late thirties, or even forty, now.’
    ‘He wore jeans and a t-shirt. And a black leather jacket and gloves.’
    ‘If it’s the same man, then he intended to kill Manny because he killed the others. So why did he bungle it? They usually get better at it, not worse.’
    ‘DCI Harrower thought it was because they’d been surprised by the security guard. Manny heard his voice just before he blacked out.’
    ‘I don’t get it. Why blind the boys after they’re dead?’ She ran her hands through her hair. ‘Did the security guard see anyone?’
    ‘He was on his rounds, heard a noise and looked in. But the attacker had gone by then. The rest you can guess. No fingerprints, and no condom. The doll was scratched and covered with Manny’s blood. His attack was particularly vicious.’
    ‘Where is he now?’
    ‘No address. He was in hospital when the case went cold. Here’s a photo taken before the attack, supplied by his mother.’
    ‘What a beautiful boy,’ she murmured.
    ‘Aye.’
    ‘So what about CCTV? Were there cameras near the scenes of the murders?’
    ‘There’s a note to say that Harrower looked through CCTVfootage but found nothing conclusive.’
    ‘Around the Duke, then?’
    ‘There don’t seem to be cameras there.’
    ‘A pub that’s frequented by male prostitutes? In Soho?’ She stared at him. ‘I don’t believe it.’ After a silence, she said, ‘So, do you think there’s a link between these attacks and Quincey’s murder?’
    ‘We can’t rule it out. Strangling, blinding. And the doll with the mutilated eyes.’
    ‘Don’t forget the play. Max Quincey told me that Jack in the Box is opening next Tuesday. He was in London in 1985 when the play ran then.’ She nodded at the report. ‘Is he mentioned?’
    Steve flicked through the file. His expression changed. ‘I don’t