Killer Soap.,............. Written by Vic Davey

 She stepped into the dimly lit hallway, the silenced Glock firmly in her hands and held out in front of her, finger poised over the trigger. The sound of a TV drifted out from a room at the end. She moved towards it, stealthily, silently, her footfall deadened by the well worn carpet. Reaching the door, she pushed it open with her foot. He was sitting in an armchair in front of a large, wide-screen TV, unaware of her presence. 

She stopped, planted her feet, raised the gun, pulled the trigger ...and then ducked. The front of the TV exploded in an ear shattering blast, sending out a shower of  glass and plastic which peppered his exposed body. She got up quickly from behind the armchair. He turned his bloodied, shredded face towards her, one eye hanging out of it's socket. She raised the gun and fired again......

DI James Watt arrived at the scene about an hour later. He slipped into the white hazmat suit and overshoes he carried in his car. His DC, Emma Sparks was waiting for him. "The Tech guys and ME are already inside," she said. He nodded and moved past her into the house and she followed him down the hallway. The Medical Examiner looked up as he entered the room. "Och well Jamie lad,' he said,  " Better late than never eh"?

Watt ignored the jibe. "What have we got David?" 

"A nasty one here, mind you, none of them are particularly nice eh?" He turned back to the body, slumped sideways in the armchair. "Male, mid fifties I'd say, badly lacerated all over when he got pebble-dashed by the TV when it blew out. Oh, and a bullet wound to his head. In through his mouth and out the back of his neck. Almost certainly the cause of death. I'll know more when I've done the PM."

" Pretty much the same as the others," muttered Watt, grimly. " That's the fourth in as many weeks. Same MO but no connection between them that we can find up to now. Different ages, different parts of town...." His voice trailed off. Just then one of the Tech guys working on the other side of the room called him over. 

"Got a bullet," he said, pointing to the wall. He photographed it and proceeded to prise it out. "Same as the others, a .9 Parabellum. Standard stuff, pretty common, could be from one of a number of weapons. We'll get it over to ballistics, see if they have any luck, but without the weapon to tie it to...." He shook his head. 

Watt turned to Emily who was standing behind him. "Start the usual, will you? House to house, see if anyone saw or heard anything, you know the drill." 

" Already on it, guv", she said, " house is empty on the right, away on holiday. Neighbour on the left is an old lady, deaf as a post, heard nothing. I have a couple of uniforms canvassing the rest. Seems the perp did the deed, let himself out the backdoor, over the fence and down the alley."  

" Who found the body?" 

Emma shook her head, slowly. " His son, visits his father a couple times a week since his mother died three years ago. He's sitting in the kitchen, pretty cut up." 

" Not surprised. Want me to talk to talk to him?" 

No, it's Ok," she replied, " there's a Family Support Officer on the way and he's in no fit state to be interviewed anyway" 

" Right then, I'm going back to the office. Call me if anything comes up".

" Sure, guv".

Watt entered the Incident Room and stood before the Whiteboard which was covered in scribbles and photos of the victims. "What's the connection?"  he said to himself. " All living alone, all different ages, 2 women and now 2 men." He picked up the three files and spread them on his desk. The estimated times of death were all within an hour or so of each other, between 7.30 pm and 8.15. and all on the same day of the week. He shook his head. His Super had already warned him he was getting pressure from above and, until now, they had managed to keep a lid on the Press but if they got hold of it, that there was a killer on the loose, the Town would be in panic mode and then some. 

He sat at his desk, staring at the Whiteboard, willing something to jump out at him... when something did, a thought, an idea which seemed ridiculous. He picked up his mobile and phoned home. "Lisa", he said when she answered.

"Oh, so you are alive and kicking", came the response. "I was beginning to think you had run off with that young DC of yours".

" I know, I'm sorry but this is important." There was a snort at the other end. 

" Isn't it always!" 

"For goodness sake Lisa, listen! What's on telly tonight, between 7 and 8?" 

" What sort of question is that? You would know if you were ever here! It's my Soap which I watch every week, the one you can't stand.....Friends". He had, literally, a Serial killer on his hands......