Into The Fire

4-4

“THIS IS THE KIND OF perverted poses this ‘STUDIO’ is getting girls to adopt, so they can make money off twisted sickos around the world who like to look at young girls. Over the years the studio has exploited dozens of girls, girls who have been abused and sexually exploited for financial gain, and the pleasure of a worldwide community of perverts and paedophiles who are willing to pay enormous sums to satisfy their sick lusts.”

As the angry voice ranted on the image changed to another of the studio’s models, also in a provocative pose.

“Eric Larsson is worth millions, and lives in a luxurious house, while his models are left with psychological damage that takes years to recover from. Just six months ago one of the models, exploited by the studio after being promised money and a national, perhaps even an international, modelling career, was murdered by a member of the studio’s staff. This staff member, supposedly a respected photographer, abused the girl, Ellen Powers, got her pregnant, and then murdered her, before committing suicide to avoid being arrested.”

Nathan stopped the video, which was displayed behind him on the large screen hanging on the wall of the briefing room. He saw that the video had stopped on an image of Ellen Powers, the murdered model, whose images had pushed the limits of decency further than any others, and quickly did something about that.

“The video continues for about ten minutes and is filled with assorted ravings and inaccuracies, some big, some little, outright lies, threats, both legal and physical, and quite a lot of nonsensical rubbish,” he told the officers who made up the team he had assembled in the briefing room. “It also talks about the vandalism that was done last night, and how it is the first step in a campaign to seek revenge for the girls. I want you all to watch it at your pleasure in case you can pick up anything from it. There’s also a whole bunch of emails, forum messages and recorded phone calls that need checking out.” He didn’t really expect anything to come of such work, but he knew it was always possible that one little thing, picked up by a single officer, might prove to be the thing that led them to the person responsible for the vandalism at the studio. “I’ve got the experts working on the tech side of things, they might be able to come up with something, but I want an analysis of every other aspect as well.

“Stephen,” he raised his voice so he could be heard in the outer office of the CID department.

A few moments were all it took for Burke to arrive in the briefing room. “I’m already working my way through the stuff you sent me,” he told his superior. “It’s going to take me a while to finish it up, though. I’ve got my own investigation to deal with.”

“I know,” Nathan said. “I was just going to ask you to call me if anyone comes up with anything significant.”

“You’re not sticking around?”

Nathan shook his head. “I’m going back home.” He was going to be almost useless for his next shift if he didn’t get some sleep, preferably at least eight hours. “Somebody,” he said, looking around the briefing room, “needs to pay a visit to the Herald and find out why they haven’t informed us they’ve received a communication from the perpetrator of a crime, and find out if they’ve received anything else they haven’t told us about.”

“Are you sure he contacted the Herald?” Stephen asked. He hadn’t had the time to do more than glance at everything Nathan had sent him, but he assumed there was something that at least suggested the video’s creator had been in contact with the local paper.

Nathan nodded. “According to Louisa, the email she got was sent to the Herald at the same time; one email, two recipients.”