Chapter 9

Doctor's diary.

Entry Date: Wednesday, 16th May, 2018.

'We've been back two weeks now and everything is back to normal. The new Torchwood seems to be running fine, with regular video conferences and emails for advice about their missions.'

'Rose was troubled with a bit of morning sickness so I made up a herbal remedy that should take care of it. She isn't really showing yet, just a little bit of roundness at the front, which is just as well considering the mission she's on at the moment….'

Rose's diary.

Entry Date: Wednesday, 16th May, 2018.

'Urgh. Threw up in the toilet this morning. It's funny that I never had any morning sickness with EJ. I suppose every pregnancy is different, or maybe this week of nights is messing with my hormones. John's given me some herbal tea which will keep the nausea under control, so that should be the first and last instance.'

'We are half way through our week of nights before we get a week off, and tonight we start a joint operation with the Met to try and catch the serial killer that's been targeting prostitutes….'

Torchwood One, London.

Wednesday, 16th May, 2018.

22:00.

"Good evening people," Captain Andy McNab said, giving his usually greeting to the assembled team of agents again. They settled into the Special Operations room with their usual cups of coffee and tea, ready for the briefing.

"Right, first of all I'd like to thank the members of Blue Watch for coming in early on their shift to help with this multi-agency operation."

"Andy clicked the remote for the media display screen. "Now, first up. Giant and Ace, I need you to nip up the M1 and baby sit a delegation of explorers from Justica. They are waiting for the repairman to come and tow them home." Andy clicked the remote and brought up the details on the media screen. Andre 'The Giant' Coultarde, and Craig 'Ace' Rimmer downloaded the details onto their tablet PC's.

"Next item, Detective Inspector Jason Fielding, who I think most of you know from operation Burke & Hare back in January, has joined us for this briefing to give us the latest intelligence on the Kings Cross Killer."

A young man in a suit stood and thanked Andy. "Good evening everyone. First I'd like to thank Torchwood for agreeing to help us on this investigation. Three women have already lost their lives, and we don't want to add any more to that tally."

He referred to his notes on a clipboard; he wasn't familiar with the Torchwood media board yet. "The profilers agree that he is a sexual predator, using prostitutes as easy, vulnerable targets to satisfy his cravings."

He flipped over a page. "The profile is that of a white male in his mid fifties. His parents will have split up in his early childhood and remarried. This gives a high probability that he himself will have been married, divorced, and in a string of relationships that will have produced at least two children."

Jason leafed over another page of notes. "He will have had a short spell in the armed forces where he would have acquired the habit of visiting prostitutes. Since leaving the armed forces he will have had a variety of non skilled jobs, driver, waiter, bar staff, that kind of stuff, and will probably have a gambling habit."

"How do those guys upstairs do that stuff?" Jake asked quietly.

Jason continued. "He will drive a Ford, either a Mondeo or a Focus, which is where he murders his victims. He drugs his victims with a short duration tranquiliser and handcuffs them. We then think he waits for them to wake up before stripping them, the feeling of terror will heighten his arousal. He then rapes and strangles them, before carefully laying out their bodies where they will be found without too much effort."

He turned the pages back and looked at the assembled agents. "We've had some courageous WPC's out there, trying to lure him out, without success. We are hoping that the tech that you use here will give us an edge."

He looked over to Andy. "Thanks Jason. Three agents have volunteered to act as 'ladies of the night' to try and bait this bastard." He looked to the back of the room, and Rose, Julia and Gwen stood and walked forwards, to whoops and whistles of approval.

Gwen was wearing a leather mini skirt, fishnet stockings, and thigh high boots, with a sleeveless leather top that showed her cleavage. Julia wore just a black latex dress with high heels, while Rose wore her blue mini kilt, fishnet stockings and knee high boots, with a white blouse knotted at the front.

"Right, quiet down you lot. Let's not forget that these ladies are your work colleagues and we are trying to catch a dangerous killer," Andy reminded them.

"Now, to the equipment. You will be wearing standard ear comms for keeping in touch. The round earrings are stereoscopic cameras that will allow Technical Support to produce a 3D model of each subject for facial recognition. A new addition from Dr. Smith for this mission is a lipstick stunner. Take the top off, hold it on the target and press the end."

Rose, Gwen and Julia took out their lipsticks and touched up their 'lippy'. They had already been trained on the stunner by John earlier.

"Because of the degree of isolation of each agent, and the level of threat, all transponder tattoos will be active and tracked continuously. The three partners will be on trail bikes to offer high speed support in the event of a successful identification of the killer." Andy looked out at the faces of Blue Watch. "Any questions?"

John raised his hand. "What happens after they've been picked up by a punter? Aren't they going to be expected to 'perform'?"

Jason stood to answer. "This is where the joint cooperation comes in. Uniformed officers will be supporting detectives from the Vice Squad, and your field agents. To all intents and purposes it will be a routine operation to try and reduce the number of prostitutes operating in Kings Cross. Once money has changed hands, the deed is done and we move in to arrest."

"Okay. If there's nothing else, let's get kitted up and get this show on the road," Andy said as the agents started to rise from their seats.

Rose walked over to John and they grabbed a quick cuddle. "I hope you're going to keep that outfit on when we finish our shift," he said with a grin, waggling his eyebrows.

"Tell you what," she breathed, tracing her finger along the edge of the lapel on his uniform. "I'll wear my kilt if you wear yours." She nibbled his ear and kissed him teasingly on the lips.

"Ooh, that's a deal. I'll have to go and get my kit now, so I'll see you later," he said as they kissed. Rose headed back towards Julia and Gwen. "Oh, and Rose…," he called to her.

She turned and smiled. "Yeah?"

"Be careful Love." She grinned at him and winked.

Kings Cross Road on the corner of Acton Street.

Kings Cross, London

23:00

"My legs are cold," Julia complained as she rubbed them with her hands.

"Mine too," Rose agreed. "These fishnets are next to useless for keeping yer legs warm."

"I'm glad we went for warm jackets," Gwen said. "All those films that try to glamorise this life never show the girls freezin' their tits off, do they?"

"At least the pubs are chucking out, we should start to get some business soon," Gwen said. The Northumberland Arms up the road was a short walk away.

"Hark at you," Rose laughed. "You sound like a real 'pro'. Don't they say that it's always the quiet ones?"

"Let me at 'em, I'll have 'em for breakfast," Gwen replied.

All three were laughing when a group of lads walked past. "Oi luv. You got anythin' on under that rubber dress?"

Julia looked the handsome young man up and down. It was obviously the beer talking. "That's for me to know, and you to pay to find out." She winked at her Torchwood colleagues.

"Phwoar. Fancy a quick shag in the doorway?"

Julia seductively ambled over to him. "Number one, I don't do quick. It's like havin' a McDonalds when you're used to having a starter, main course an' a puddin'," she purred at him. "Y'know, foreplay, intercourse and the post coital ciggie."

She took a step closer, his mates started to snigger. "Two, I don't do doorways. It's like goin' campin' when you are used to stayin' in a five star hotel. I like room service to bring champagne in an ice bucket. And three, you couldn't afford me sunshine, cus I don't shag. I make knee tremblin', toe curlin' earth movin' lurrrrv," she purred in his ear. She rubbed her hand down the now bulging front of his trousers, grinned, said 'see ya' and walked back to Rose and Gwen.

"Heads up ladies," Danny 'John Boy' Walton said over their ear links. "Ford Mondeo heading your way. Time to strut your stuff." He was in the Mobile Investigation Vehicle, monitoring the CCTV cameras in the area.

"Who wants to be first then?" Rose asked as she opened her jacket to show off her cleavage.

"Go on then. I'll have a go," Gwen said as she unzipped her leather jacket.

Rose giggled as she made an observation. "There wouldn't 'alf be a lot of squeakin' if you were a real prozzie Gwen."

They laughed as Gwen sashayed to the kerb. She put her hands on her hips, put one leg forward and thrust out her bust. The green Mondeo came slowly down the road and pulled up next to Gwen, the driver's window winding down.

Gwen put a hand on the roof and leaned forward, showing her ample cleavage to the prospective client. "Evenin' luv. Lookin' fer a bit a fun are ya?" The stereoscopic cameras recorded the driver's face and uploaded the data to Torchwood.

It was the right make of car, and the driver appeared to be in his mid fifties, but any other information would require her getting in the car and starting a conversation.

"What'cha got in mind?" the driver asked.

"Well, that all depends on how much you want to spend, don't it?" Gwen said with a smile.

"She's good," Rose whispered to Julia, who nodded in agreement.

"Okay. Hop in and we'll discuss the terms and conditions," The driver said.

Gwen walked around the front of the car and opened the car door. She gave Rose and Julia a grin before sitting in the seat and swinging her legs inside. She tugged her skirt down from her bum and wriggled into the seat before waving at her friends and closing the door. They saw her putting on her seat belt before the car pulled away.

As the Mondeo disappeared around the corner into Acton Street, an electric trail bike with a black clad rider came down the one way Kings Cross Road and followed in close pursuit.

"There goes Jack the pimp," Julia said with a laugh.

They chatted for a quarter of an hour about things that friends usually chat about, which in this case was mostly about Rose's pregnancy. Julia commented that the Travelodge and the hostel over the road would provide a fair bit of business for the girls that usually worked this patch.

"Are you two gonna stand there gossipin' all night, or is one of ya gonna give me a blow job?" a young man said though the open driver's window. "Preferably you Blondie. No offence to you love, but I prefer blondes and this one's hot."

'What a knob', Rose thought, and he was the wrong age group. "What'cha drivin' there mate?"

"A VW Golf. Why?" he replied.

"Oh that's a shame. I'm a Ford girl myself; the gear stick's more…. Stimulating," she said with a cheeky smile.

"Wha?" the young man said.

"She's sayin' 'no chance' sunshine. Sling yer hook," Julia said.

"What kinda hoares are ya?" he asked.

"Fussy ones that ain't goin' with you tonight. Now piss off," Rose said.

["Rose Smith! To think that you kiss me with that mouth,"] John thought to her. ["And I'm trading in the DeLorian for a Ford as soon as the showrooms open."]

Rose giggled and Julia thought she was giggling about the punter as he drove off. "That told him," Julia said with a laugh.

"Okay girls. Another Mondeo heading your way," Danny announced a while later.

"This one's mine," Rose said.

"Inspired by Gwen's performance?" Julia asked.

"Nah. Just want to get out of the cold."

"You crafty bugger."

The car pulled across the road, and the driver's window wound down. Rose unzipped her padded jacket and crouched down so that her cleavage was at the driver's eye level.

"Hiya," she said with her winning smile. "Lookin' for some action?"

"With you darling, definitely," the driver said. "Why don't you get in and show me your wares?"

"Okay Rose, we've captured his face. You can lay your moves on him now," Danny said.

'Lay my moves on him?' she thought to herself as she bounced up and trotted around the front of the car. She heard John mentally snigger to himself. Wearing the pleated kilt, she was a bit freer with her movements, and put her right leg in the car, sat down, and pulled her left in after her.

She looked over at the punter, who was getting an eyeful of her legs. She saucily crossed her legs and smiled as she fastened the seat belt.

"Hi. I'm Holly. Do you want to tell me your name?" Rose purred.

There was a flash of a lecherous smile. "Pleased to meet you Holly, I'm Dennis. Do you mind if I ask how old you are?"

"Rose. His name is Christopher Walker. We're just getting some background now. If he's our man, the age thing may be significant to him. The other victims were all under 25," Danny told her.

"No. I don't mind you askin' Dennis. I'm 21, is that important?" She heard John sniggering again in her head. ["Shut it you,"] she thought at him with a mental grin.

"It's just that I'm not a paedophile or anything, and you're young enough to be my daughter," he said as he started the car and pulled away from the curb. "Has anyone ever told you that you look like that celebrity? You know, the daughter of that Vitex millionaire?"

"What, Rose Tyler? Yeah, it's been mentioned. Actually I get to charge punters more if they want me to pretend to be her. Y'know, the thrill of shaggin' a millionaire's daughter."

"Maybe you could make a living as a look-a-like," Dennis / Christopher said.

Rose / Holly gave a bubbly laugh. "I never thought of that."

John was sitting on his trail bike in the back of the box van, chuckling at Rose's inventive conversation. Jake was on the bike next to him waiting for Julia to 'score'. Before he could ask John what he was laughing at, they got the call over their headsets.

"Rose is on the move John, off you go," Danny said. John powered up the bike as the tailgate lowered to the ground to form a ramp. The electric bike silently shot out of the back of the van and disappeared into the night.

"Do you know a good place to park up?" Dennis asked.

The three of them had been fully briefed by Jason about the areas where they should park up if asked. "Yeah. Take the second right into Frederick Street, and first left into Cubitt Street. There's a service area behind the shops that's nice and secluded." she said.

"Julia, Gwen is being dropped off around the corner by Clive for another go, her target was an ordinary punter," Danny reported. "Oh, and we've got a Ford Focus coming your way. It's your turn to have a warm."

Rose was trying to open a dialogue with the punter. After all, he could be a serial killer. He'd already lied about his name. "So Dennis, you know what I do for a livin', what do you do? You're quite well spoken."

"Aren't you the inquisitive one," he said with a smile as they turned into Cubitt Street.

She gave him her big, disarming smile. "I like to know the people I'm shaggin', makes it more sort of friendly and intimate, don't it? Oh, just here on the left."

"You seem like a sweet girl Holly, but I'm not much on talking. Now what can you do? You seem pretty fit." The car turned into a service area car park and parked up.

"Oh, okay then, the strong silent type eh? Well, I am WELL fit. I used to do gymnastics at school, so are you in for a treat."

John pulled silently into the service area, away from the lights with the lights on the bike turned off. He'd been driving using the head up night vision display on the visor of his crash helmet.

["I'm right behind you Sweetheart,"] he thought to her.

["Thanks Love. That's nice to know."]

"Ah, the gig's up for this one Rose. Christopher Walker, solicitor. No wonder he didn't want to give you his real name. He doesn't fit the profile of our killer," Danny told them.

"Dispatch to all units, move in on Agent Smith. Over," Stuart 'Irish' Sinclair said.

In the car, Rose was fending off her punter, who seemed to have more arms than an octopus. "I'm sorry Dennis, or is it Christopher? I think we should stop there."

"Chr…. Christopher? What's going on?" He jumped as John knocked on the driver's window. "What? Oh you're not going to rob me are you? Or blackmail me?"

Rose giggled. "No, it's nothing like that Christopher. You know that woman you think I look like? It's me, I'm Rose Smith and that's my husband John. We're part of an operation to catch a serial killer. The police will want to interview you about your movements on three previous occasions."

Blue flashing lights appeared behind them as the uniformed officers came to check Christopher's details. Clive 'Bart' Simpson pulled up behind them in a Torchwood car to take Rose back to Kings Cross. Rose got out of the car and had a kiss and a cuddle with her husband before going over to the car.

"I hope you've got the heater on in here," she said as she climbed in.

"Attention. Dispatch to all agents and all units. We have a positive ID on a suspect targeted by Agent De Graff. All agents and units make your way to Crawford Passage, off Ray Street immediately."

"Clive. Step on it, I'll handle Navigation and Comms," Rose said as he jumped into the driver's seat. She saw John leap onto his bike and speed off into the night. They followed him left onto Cubitt Street, and roared off to the junction with Pakenham Street.

They hit the speed bumps so fast that they were airborne for a good couple of seconds. It was a good job they were in a 4x4 with the 'jacked up' suspension. Rose saw the tail light of John's bike disappearing into the distance as she bounced back down into her seat.

Clive drove straight over a three way junction into Phoenix Place, his foot never eased off the accelerator pedal. Julia's life could depend on them being there sooner rather than later. The road passed through a dimly lit, run down industrial area, until they passed a brightly lit yard full of red British Mail delivery vans.

"Whoah! Watch out for roadwork's on the bend," John warned over the headsets. They hit more speed bumps, shot over another junction into Warner Road, passed under Rosebery Avenue and skidded left into Ray Street.

Rose saw blue flashing lights lighting up the interior of the car from behind, and saw police cars approaching from the other direction. Clive swung the car into Crawford passage and saw a red Ford Focus parked off the road on the left. The three trail bikes were already there, and Rose could see John on one knee tending to an unconscious Julia in the passenger seat. She leapt out of the car and joined her husband, looking past him into the car.

"Oh God. JULIA!" Rose shouted, kneeling down. "Is she….?" She was afraid to finish the question in case she got the wrong answer.

"Dead? No. Unconscious? Yes," John said in a matter-of-fact tone.

"Will she be alright?" Rose asked.

"Yeah. According to the CCTV footage from her earrings, Danny reckons a fast acting tranquiliser was administered by an aerosol spray." John took out his sonic screwdriver and unlocked the handcuffs behind her back.

"Where did the suspect go?" Jack asked.

Jake cleared his throat. He was obviously feeling guilty about letting his partner down. "When Danny alerted me to the aerosol, I shot around the corner. The driver's door was already open and I heard footsteps going that way." He pointed further along the narrowing passageway.

"Danny, download the suspects face to everyone, we need to find him," John said.

"I've already done it John. Steven Wright has just become Britain's most wanted," Danny told him over the headset.

"Dispatch to all units, suspect Steven Wright's details are available on the network server. Familiarise yourself with the data as soon as possible. Over," Stuart said.

"John," Rose said, grabbing his arm. "The paramedics are here to take Julia back to Torchwood."

"Good. Now let's see if we can find this psycho and end this. Clive, which way did he go?"

"I'm just checking the CCTV playback. As soon as I sounded the alarm he legged it. Crawford Passage narrows to a footpath up ahead, I'll try and track him as you go."

There was a whispering drone and everyone looked up in time to see the Torchwood Airship passing almost silently overhead.

"This is Airship One taking over this search. Over." It was 'Welsh' Pete Davies.

"Great!" John said. "Pete, start scanning the area, see what you can pick up. Everyone spread out from the car like spokes on a wheel and scan ahead of you as you go. Rose, grab a helmet, we're going for a ride."

"Here, have mine," Jake called, throwing her his helmet. "I'm going with Julia in the ambulance."

Rose caught the helmet and nodded to Jake. She cocked her leg over the bike and sat pillion behind John and pulled the helmet over her head.

["Hold tight Love."] He gunned the throttle as Rose gripped around his waist, her kilt fluttering in the breeze. The bike disappeared up the narrowing passageway, narrowly missing a single bollard.

"John, cross Bakers Row and head down that gap between the buildings with the trees," Pete told him. John 'wheelied' the bike to avoid the curb, bouncing down the path onto Topham Street and onto Rosebery Avenue.

"Where'd he go Pete?" John asked urgently.

"I've got nothing on infra red. I'm having to review the CCTV."

John and Rose sat impatiently on the bike looking left and right. How could he disappear? This time in the early hours of the morning, all the buildings were locked so he couldn't get off the street.

"OF COURSE!" Pete shouted. "The number 38. He's on the bus heading west!"

John opened the throttle and spun the wheel to twist the bike to the left, and off they went in hot pursuit. They could hear Pete alerting all units to intercept the the number 38 bus.

John could see the bus in the distance where it had stopped to take on a passenger. "Rose, use the helmet visor to study the face of the suspect. I'm going to overtake the bus and we're getting on at the next stop," John said.

They quickly overtook the bus and arrived at the next stop. Rose sprang off the back and John pulled the bike onto the pavement and parked it behind the metal and Perspex shelter. He stood with his arm around her shoulder, and she with her arm around his waist.

He lifted his helmet out at arms length to stop the bus, and the doors opened. They stepped onto the bus, and the driver looked at their bike helmets suspiciously.

"Our bikes broken down," Rose said sheepishly. "I guess we'll have to use our travel cards." She took her Torchwood ID out of her shoulder bag and showed it to the driver, putting her finger to her lips to indicate that he shouldn't say anything. The doors closed, and the bus slowly pulled away from the stop.

"Do you see him?" John asked as Rose looked at the few faces on the lower deck.

"No. He must be upstairs."

"Okay. I've got an idea. Give me your helmet and go and sit next to him. Y'know, pretend to try and pick him up as a punter. I'll come up a few seconds later and sit behind you. If you get the chance, check your smudged lipstick," he whispered.

"My lipsticks not smudged."

Oh that was too easy. John pulled her in close and proceeded to give her lipstick a thoroughly good smudging. "There we are," he said with a grin. "Now off you go." The grin stayed on his face as he watched his wife's bum waggle up the stairs under her very short kilt.

["He's sittin' up the corner at the back lookin' out the window,"] Rose thought to him.

John was taking off his utility belt and hiding it in the helmet. Now he looked like a biker rather than a soldier. ["Okay. You sit by him and I'll take the seat in front. Remember he's probably still got that aerosol so be careful."]

He climbed the stairs and looked around. There were a couple of people at the front of the bus and Steven Wright at the back, now being joined by Rose. He walked along the aisle and swung into the seat in front of them.

Rose had sat close to the suspect and provocatively crossed her legs, showing a hint of the top of her fishnet stockings. She took a compact mirror out of her small shoulder bag and started to tease her hair into shape, before examining John's efforts on her lipstick.

"Oh would you look at that?" she said as she took a tissue out of her bag. "That last punter got a bit enthusiastic in the old lip department." She started wiping the smudged lipstick from around her mouth. She noticed that Steven had glanced at her lips and her legs before returning his gaze to the window.

John was sat on the seat in front, smiling to himself. Rose took out the special lipstick and started to apply it, making the odd faces that ladies do when applying lippy. She pressed her now cherry red lips together and then pouted. Wright was watching through the reflection in the window.

She ran her tongue seductively over her top lip and then bottom lip. "Mmmm. Tastes of cherry." She tilted her head down and looked at Wright from under her lashes, giving him her teasing smile. "Would you like to taste it?"

He turned to look at her. "Er, no. No thank you," he said turning back to the window. Rose noticed his hand fumble in the right hand pocket of his zip up jacket.

["I think the aerosol is in his right hand pocket."]

[Right. Let's do this as quietly as possible. We don't want to cause a scene. It'd be bad for publicity."]

["Y'know, we never had to think about stuff like that in the old days."]

["That's because we could bugger off and let someone else clear up the mess. These days it's our mess and we have to clean it."]

["Yeah, I suppose so. So, what's the plan?"]

["I've got an idea. Can you smell cigarettes on him?"]

["I don't know. Hang on."] Rose leaned in close to Wright. "Are ya sure you don't want a taste of my lipstick?"

"I've already said once, no," he replied slightly annoyed. He was obviously on edge.

["Yep! Smells like an ashtray close up."]

John turned in the seat to look over at them. "I'll have a taste if ya like. I love cherries me." He slapped his pockets as though searching for something. "I'm dyin' fer a fag. You ain't got a light have ya luv?"

"Nah. Puts the punters off if yer smell like an ashtray," Rose replied, seeing where this was going. She held her lipstick between her first and second fingers, her thumb poised on the base.

"Excuse me mate. You wouldn't happen to have a light would ya?" John asked him. Wright let go of whatever was in his pocket and reached inside his jacket. Rose quickly placed the lipstick on his neck and pushed the base with her thumb. Wright convulsed as though he'd been defibrillated and slump back onto the seat.

["Nicely done Wife."]

["Thank you husband."]

She rummaged in the jacket pocket and removed a small black aerosol canister with a nozzle on top. She leaned towards John and popped it in his breast pocket. John leaned over the seat and attempted to smudge her lipstick again.