A Body in the Lakes by Graham Smith (great books of all time .TXT) 📕

four pictures. They were screenshots from the Cumberland News’s website and each one had a picture of Forster in his ceremonial robes with a stunning woman on his arm.

The lawyer had made his point, and as much as she wanted to bend his point back and use it as a fishhook to gouge out his eyes for the disrespect he’d shown the victims, Beth found it hard to argue with his logic.

That didn’t mean she wasn’t going to try.

‘Perhaps what you say is true, and perhaps your client raped these women so he could get something from them he wasn’t getting from the women he was dating. However, you couldn’t be more wrong about rapists targeting victims who are out of their league. Rape isn’t just about sexual gratification, it’s about power, exerting control over them, dominating the victim until they surrender. The only reason I can think of for you being so wrong, is that you’re naive to the mind of a rapist and, considering your profession, that doesn’t reflect well on you.’

‘Please, Constable, explain what you think he was getting from the women he’s alleged to have raped that he wasn’t able to get elsewhere.’

‘The women were all raped anally as well as vaginally. For a man such as your client, I don’t suppose there is a shortage of offers for normal sexual intercourse, but as for anal, well that could be a different matter altogether.’

‘I’m sorry to burst your bubble, but I have no interest in anal sex.’ Forster’s face backed up his words. ‘The very idea is abhorrent to me. Please, you have to believe me, it’s not something that appeals to me.’

O’Dowd arced an eyebrow. ‘If you were female I’d say you doth protest too much.’

‘It’s bad enough that you’re accusing me of rape and murder, to also suggest that I’d kill just so I could have something I don’t want is twisted.’

‘Really? You think it’s twisted, do you?’ Beth kept her tone level, but made sure she got her message across with the questions she asked. ‘What about the fact that four women were raped? What about them being murdered? What about the fact that they were all strangled? Can you imagine their last hours? I’ve been thinking of little else since we got this case. Let me tell you what I imagine their last hours being like: they’d be terrified, confused probably. Everything they feared happening to them, would happen. They’d be violated against their wishes.

‘You’re a man, so the odds of you being raped are a lot smaller than they are for a woman. You’ve probably never worried about a situation, never walked home with your keys in your hand in case you’re attacked. Just about every woman I know takes these kind of precautions all the time. We don’t live in constant fear of rape, but for women it’s an ever-present threat that we have to be aware of. You maybe don’t ever think about it, but the thought of someone forcing themselves onto me terrifies me.’

The horrified look on Forster’s face wasn’t enough to stop Beth continuing. ‘I can see you’re starting to understand; well, when you’ve got your head round the rape, try imagining what it must be like to be strangled to death. It’d be a slow process; you’d feel your throat being constricted until it was impossible to breathe. Your vision would blur at the edges as your brain was deprived of oxygen. You’d feel your limbs weakening. Maybe you’d be begging for your life, or trying to escape. It wouldn’t work. Perhaps the last thing you’d see would be the face of the man who killed you. Tell me, Mr Mayor, how scared do you think those women were? And you, Mr Vaughan, the next time you open your mouth, you should show a little respect for the dead.’

‘I said, that’s enough, Beth.’

Beth felt a hand on her arm. O’Dowd was pulling her back into her seat but she had no recollection of rising to her feet.

‘That’s okay, Inspector. Your colleague is right: as a man I have no idea how women fear rape. As I’ve stated all along, I’m innocent and will be proven so. When investigating crimes of this magnitude, it’s right that the investigating officers are fired up and passionate.’ Beth felt the power of Forster’s charisma being directed her way. ‘When this is over, I’d like to do more to help victims of violent sexual crime. Maybe set up a local charity or something like that. I know you see me as the enemy right now, but once it’s proven I’m not, I’d love someone with your passion to be involved to help women, in particular, feel that their attackers have been made to pay for their crimes. That scar on your face would instantly give you credibility when speaking to victims.’

Beth kept her mouth shut.

She had to.

If she said another word, she’d wind herself up further and would end up either being taken off the case or possibly facing a formal disciplinary hearing.

Forster had made light of her rant and had done the rich-man thing of identifying a problem, and finding the solution in his wallet. In doing so, he’d also managed to appear gracious when attacked by her vehemence. Beside Forster, Vaughan was failing to keep the smugness off his face.

That last line about her scar rankled her more than anything else. So far as she was concerned her scar didn’t give her victim status, it showed that she was a survivor, that she could face adversity and triumph against it.

O’Dowd suspended the interview, and as Beth was trudging out of the room after her, she was cursing herself. She’d known before beginning the interview that it would be a battle and she’d failed to keep a lid on her temper. Worse, she’d lost the plot and had been on the point of insulting the solicitor. She knew that she’d been lucky O’Dowd had interrupted her before she said something