The Sister(62)
The activities of the Midnight man were traceable as far back as early 2001, when a series of 'creeper' burglaries began to take place all over the country. He never struck more than two or three times in the same town. The next victims would not be anywhere close, not in an adjacent town, or even county; they would be many miles away. He could strike in Scotland one day, Cornwall a week later, Essex after that. There was no discernible pattern. It was just as likely he’d strike on a council estate, as in middle class suburbia. Because he wasn’t a ransacker, most victims wouldn’t discover the robbery until the next morning, or even later. This type of robbery was a creeper burglary because the offender usually gained access to the properties while the occupants were asleep. It took a disturbing change in his modus operandi for his activities to attract the coordinated attentions of the police.
In early January 2005, a woman woke to find him leaning over her, masturbating furiously; he ran off. She said in her statement that he wore household gloves and a lycra outfit, similar to what cyclists or joggers wear; it could have even been a black ski suit. In the dark, she couldn’t tell. She couldn’t see his face either; he was wearing a three-holed, black ski mask. It would be only a matter of time before the Midnight Man raped someone.
The police did not publicise specific details for obvious reasons. The sheer number of victims involved in the robberies made it difficult to contain. Inevitably, someone leaked information about his habit of striking around midnight, leading to his soubriquet in the press.
The methods of entry varied from fishing for keys through letterboxes, to using specially shaped pieces of metal to reach in with and undo night latches. Sometimes, he’d simply pop a tiny piece of leadlight glass in a window and get in that way.
Usually, he only targeted the homes of single women, widows and divorcees. Mostly he took things that fitted easily into pockets, typically cash, jewellery and watches. Sometimes, and for reasons known only to him, he’d choose certain items that the owners wouldn’t miss straight away, leaving Detectives baffled at his motives.
One thing was common to all the later cases; he telephoned the victims afterwards, to tease or torment them about their missing property, offering to return it in exchange for sexual favours. Sometimes he would taunt the victims with information he’d gleaned from their private paperwork, or intimate photographs he found inside their homes. He had a talent for locating hidden objects in wardrobes or drawers. He reserved a special brand of abuse for those who had sex toys, pornography, or fetish wear stashed somewhere in their homes. On occasion, he was also known to provide matchmaking services, tricking victims into contacting each other because he’d planted A’s possessions at B’s house.
Oh A, you’re just going to love B, you have such similar interests, all you have to do is talk to each other, he would croon and then supply each with the other’s contact details. Attempts at blackmail and extortion were also reported in a few instances, but the true number was suspected to be much higher because the victims were too scared, or embarrassed to report them.
He secretly recorded himself having sex with one of the victims in a guest room at a cheap seaside hotel, after agreeing to return a few sentimental items. As the victim later attested: In return for a f*ck, and if you are a smart girl and keep your mouth shut, no one else need know about this. He’d worn a ski mask throughout her ordeal and rewarded her, by delivering a copy of the film to a national newspaper anyway. If he hadn’t done that, the victim would have probably never come forward.
Detectives scrutinised the short film; he wore a blue lumberjack shirt and jeans. No identifying marks or tattoos were visible in any of the shots. He never spoke the entire time, just a series of guttural grunts. The victim was scared, but more than cooperative. She kept looking in the direction of the camera as if aware of the filming. At the end of the film, once he’d finished, she could be heard asking, ‘Will you give my things back now?’
He responded with one word. ‘Huh?’
Dozens of occupants had used the room since the shoot, contaminating any evidence that might have existed. Detectives concluded that he’d put the camera on the dressing table below the fixed mirror on the wall, probably concealed in a case or bag, with the lens facing the bed. A closer inspection would have revealed a disc shaped blemish in the lowest part of the mirror, patched up from behind with mirror film. If they had seen that, they might then have discovered the frame surrounding it unclipped at one end, allowing the mirror to slide, exposing the cavity, which housed the hidden camera and proof of the room’s use for secret filming on many occasions.
No forensic evidence was uncovered, or at any other investigation scene either.
Kennedy finished reading his copy of the file on the Midnight Man.
He closed it. The suspect remains at large.
He summoned Tanner to his office.
‘You wanted to see me, sir?’
‘What’s the latest with the shop?’
Tanner could tell he wasn’t in the best of moods. ‘The good news, which I think you might already know, is that we caught a few scumbags, house breakers and muggers. We’ve nailed a few for receiving, busted a handful of druggies. The bad news is we’re no closer to catching this guy.’
‘Guy?’ Kennedy regarded him with disdain. ‘That cuddly son of a bitch we throw onto a bonfire?’ Kennedy held him in his sights. ‘You never have any good news, do you?’