Disclaimer I don't own Dempsey and Makepeace. All copyright belongs to LWT/ITV. No copyright infringement is intended nor should be inferred
1
Rain battered the dark London streets as a small van parked at the curb. The driver lit a cigarette before killing the engine. In his late 50s the man looked out of place as he watched the small terraced house opposite. The van he drove was filthy, rusting and old it didn't look out of place next to the aged car it had blocked in but it did the job. He glanced up at the upstairs window, knowing his prey was in easy reach.
Xxxxx
Six hours later
The office was alive with ringing telephones and blaring television as the tap tap of typewriters being used added to the cacophony of sound that hit him as he walked in:
"Dempsey! Where the bloody Hell have you been?"
"Guv?" He shrugged his jacket off as Harry shot him a warning look. Spikings was about to explode. "Aw cmon, you know how it is?"
"Do I? Do I really!"
"It happened again. The bedroom killer."
"What?! Aw jeez."
Spikings crossed to his three senior officers. Dempsey fell silent, instantly in work mode he tried to analyse everything they knew.
"Victim was Claire Tracey Jones. Aged 39. Single. Lived alone. Died by strangulation." Spikings puffed his chest out, clearly angry. "The woman was a sitting duck. No house alarm, no forced entry. He walked in and killed her. Unchallenged."
"Any similarities with the previous victims?" Harry asked. Chas nodded.
"All three were white, middle class and had proper careers. Susan Donnelly worked in finance, Kelly Reid was a nurse and Clare was a teacher at the local private school. No kids, no men on the scene." He glared. "It's weird. Even the papers have given this scumbag a name."
"Don't they always?" Spikings snapped. "You two." He turned to face Harry and Dempsey. "Bring me some good news. This bloody Nightstalker is running amok. I want him under lock and key before another family has to grieve their daughter." He turned as Dempsey swore quietly. Echoes of the Thriller Killer went through his mind as he glanced at his partner. He just prayed history didn't repeat itself.
Xxxxx