It was an early morning in mid-July when I got the call from the boss’s office at Warrington Police Station saying that he wanted to speak to me about my latest case. I’d been working for the past month on a series of connected murders stretching between the boundaries of Warrington, Manchester and Liverpool. All of the killings seemed to have the hall markings of being the work of just one individual – a serial killer we had nicknamed The Sewer man, due to most of his victims being dumped near or in various sewer systems. As I put down the ‘phone on my desk with a sigh, Joe sitting at the desk opposite me gave a wry grin.

“You in trouble again Frank? What is it this time – one arrest too many, eh?”

It was just typical of him to bring that up again…

“Aw, c’mon Joe – gimme a break!” I griped, “How was I to know that little wise-ass was the Superintendent’s ruddy son? Anyway, as far as I’m concerned he got what he deserved! It’s nothing to do with that anyhow – it’s about The Sewer man…”

“Say, how are you getting on with that case by the way?” he asked.

“He’s a slippery little sod!” I groaned, “Works fast too…there was another one found around about 5 am this morning blocking up the main outlet at Wharf Street by the Manchester Ship Canal. Same M.O. as the others…partially dismembered in the stomach region with full decapitation. According to forensics – and this is the really scary part – the corpse’s neck muscles were fully retracted!”

“Fully retracted? Uh, what significance is that, then?”

“It means the victim had their head sawed off whilst they were still alive…”

“Urg, yuk!” Joe winced, “That’s – that’s ugly!”

“Yeah, it’s a new development. Perhaps this time around The Sewer man wanted his talents to be appreciated by a captive audience” I joked.

“You’re a sick puppy, Frank – d’you know that?”

“Thanks” I grinned, sliding from behind my desk. I picked up the copies of my main case-files and toddled off to the boss’s office, wondering if there had been any more new developments on the case in question.