Sean did contact her the next day and the day after.  Their love quickly blossomed.  It wasn’t long before she was spending the odd night at his house.  The sex was different but good and satisfying. 

It was kind, considerate and long.  With time and attention, they learned how to pleasure one another; whether it was the sensitive spot on Aimee’s neck or Sean getting his nipples sucked; they found ways to bring each other to an unconventional kind of orgasm. 

If only everything else in Sean’s life could have been so rosy.  The Ripper, although now quiet for what seemed a very long time was still at large.  The task force had been somewhat downgraded and he was mostly doing other work.  Yet, none of it could hold his interest the way The Ripper did. 

Billy was sniffing around again looking for more information.  Sean had tried to fob him off but he was becoming increasingly insistent and had enough on Sean to put him away for many years.  The last thing Sean wanted was to leave the force in public humiliation. 

So, it with great positivity that he embraced Aimee’s suggestion that they go on a holiday together.  She had intended they go somewhere in Ireland but Sean scoffed at that suggestion, thinking silently to himself that would be too close and Billy could still contact him. 

Somewhere in England for a week would be much better and they should go very soon.  At first, Aimee protested that she needed time to save up for such a trip.  But Sean insisted that he would be a good boyfriend and pay for it.  After all, he had told her that he was very serious about her and this was not just a frivolous relationship.  In any event, it was now early Autumn and the weather was predicted to be good, it could be their last opportunity to get away for some time. 

That night the internet research began.  They both liked the idea of a road trip; Sean had always wanted to drive through the United Kingdom so he quickly got quite excited at the prospect.  Aimee suggested going to Liverpool for the week but Sean wanted to go further.  However, they both agreed it could be one of the stops. 

It was after that agreement that Sean brought up the fact that he had always wanted to go to London; there was something mythical about the place – the history, monuments and great places to visit.  In particular, Sean had always wanted to see the London Eye. 

Aimee required some convincing though; it would be such a long trip.  But eventually, over a few days, Sean convinced her it was a good idea or at least, she went along with it, anyway. 

The internet proved to be an invaluable resource in planning the trip.  Surprisingly, they were able to organize everything to leave the following Monday.  The ferry, hotels they would be staying in and even the London Eye were all booked in quick succession.   

It was with some relief when the following Monday finally came along.  Billy had wanted to meet but Sean was able to tell him that he would be out of the country.  So, it was with a sense of glee that Sean set off on the trip with Aimee by his side. 

The first stop destination was Dublin port to get the ferry to Hollyhead.  Neither of them had been on the ferry previously so it was a new experience for both.  Unfortunately, there were quite big waves on the sea and Aimee quickly became unwell. 

Sean had more of a head for it though and relished the experience.  He left Aimee for a time to have a look at the amenities on the ship.  In one location you could take a seat and watch the latest film; in another, you could play games consoles or even go out the back of the ship to look at the sea. 

It was a short trip taking just shy of two hours to cross the sea to Wales.  That was the real beginning of the holiday.  The next few days were some of the best Sean ever had.  It wasn’t the trip though that made it special, it was Aimee.  There was nothing that matched waking up in the morning and looking into her beautiful eyes; to feel her soft skin pressed against his body; he never thought he would enjoy life so much. 

The London Eye was as special as he thought it would be.  It never came to a complete halt so you just had to wheel onto it at exactly the right time.  The view when the pod reached its maximum height was fantastically panoramic.  Sean and Aimee were able to look over the bustling city in perfect bliss.  The sound of the French students, who got on at the same time chatting away only added to the experience. 

Sean suggested they go for a few pints when they got back to the hotel, which was in the heart of the city.  Aimee quickly agreed; a few pints were needed after another busy day and they were both exhausted from pushing their wheelchairs around all day. 

The bar, which was on the ground floor of a six-story hotel and looking onto the street was busy but they managed to find a nice corner for themselves.   It was too crowded to move much, so they waited for a staff member to come their way.  This took a few minutes, but they didn’t mind as they were both happy just to relax for a while. 

Then the pints began to flow.  The staff were pleasant and made sure to check if they needed another one every so often.  Originally, they were supposed to be taking it easy but it quickly turned into a session. 

After Sean had his third pint, his tongue began to loosen and he started to strike up random conversations with those around him.  Being mostly tourists themselves, they were happy to chat away too. 

There were the students from Australia, the couple from Scotland and a group of South Africans.  Sean was in his element but Aimee being a much more reserved type retired back to their room after the first two hours to rest.  She told Sean that there was no need for him to rush back and to enjoy himself.    It was music to his ears. 

As he was talking to the group of South Africans, a man with a strong Yorkshire accent at another table interjected. 

“Sorry Sir, did you say you were a police officer from Ireland?” 

If someone asked him that question in a pub back in Ireland, it would make Sean nervous.  The conversation would quickly take a nasty turn to speeding fines or the like.   But Sean felt comfortable enough about it in London. 

He turned around to face the man who was having dinner with a woman, then smiled and said that he was. 

“Do you hear that Maggie, imagine that!  This guy’s a copper from Ireland.  I’m a police officer too, from here in London.  Just having dinner and some pints here with the wife.  My name is Jim,” he replied in a jolly tone. 

Police officers always have a great affinity for one another even when they’re from different countries.  There’s a sense of brotherhood about fighting crime, no matter where or when it is.  But it turned out they were both detectives making it all the greater. 

For the next few hours, they became engrossed in conversation with Maggie saying she would pick up her husband later in their car.  There was just so much to discuss.  The differing staffing and crime levels between the two jurisdictions, not to mention the details of how Sean came to be in a wheelchair. 

Inevitably though the topic of the “Irish Ripper” came to the fore.  Sean was surprised that Jim had heard very little about him, save for remembering a brief mention on the news one night. 

Sean slowly brought him up to speed about the murders and their savagery as well as the different theories about who might be behind them.  Jim was surprised that there was not more about them on this side of the pond. 

But Sean told him that there was very little talk about Ireland in the UK full stop.  It might as well be on the other side of the globe.  If you wanted to know what was happening in Ireland, you had to buy an Irish paper as if it was some curious special interest. 

Sean then told Jim that what really fascinated him was how the Ripper just suddenly appeared from nowhere, and yet was in so proficient at what he did.    Nobody in Ireland could quite figure it out.  It seemed like he could break into anyone’s house without leaving any clues. 

Jim stopped and looked into space for the moment as if he had suddenly become lost in his thoughts.  After a moment, Sean quizzed him about what was on his mind. 

“It’s just what you’re describing reminds me of a case here in England a few years ago.  Except, he was mostly a rapist.  He terrorized Reading and got the moniker of the Reading Rapist.  No matter what we did, we couldn’t stop him.  Then he just stopped the attacks.  To be honest, there was just a huge sense of relief. 

Maybe like what happens with many police operations, we merely moved him on to a different area,” he said in somewhat of a distraught tone. 

Although by now quite intoxicated, Sean suddenly became focused. 

“What do you mean by mostly a rapist?” 

Jim explained that a couple was murdered as the attacks came to an end but there were differing opinions about whether they were the same man as the rapist.  It might have just been a coincidence. 

For the next hour, nothing was discussed except “The Reading Rapist”.  It was obvious that he was a psychopath, but was he a killer? 

He was a ghoul with no understanding of the concept of remorse.  Of particular disgust he was known to phone his victims months after the attacks, taunting them on the phone and telling that he wasn’t quite finished them yet causing them further huge distress.  Jim had seen the aftermath once himself with a woman sobbing uncontrollably in his arms.  The local police had never encountered anything like it before.  The sheer nastiness of the fellow, he simply loved the despair of others. 

They had little knowledge of what the rapist looked like, he always wore a ski mask and gloves.  Some of the women stated that he had a small penis, though that did nothing to alleviate their suffering.  There was one peculiar thing about him though, he took pubic hair from his victims as some sort of trophy. 

Sean seized on this information; this is something that could have been missed on the autopsies of victims in Ireland.  He needed to take this information back home.  It could help to crack the case. 

For a brief alcohol-infused moment Sean felt like he had special powers, that he could see things that others just couldn’t; imagining his future appearance on the RTE news explaining how he had caught “The Irish Ripper”. 

A fellow drunk then interrupted the conversation and the topic changed to rugby and which country had the best team.  It would last a further hour before all finally agreed that it was time for bed.  Well, that and the fact that no further alcohol was going to be served. 

Jim rang his wife for the lift home but not before sticking a calling card into Sean’s pocket; Sean then began the long, arduous process of heading up to his room and into bed.  The wheelchair felt so much harder to push over the hallway carpet after a few drinks.  Fortunately, he just about managed to open the door of his room and get into the bed. 

The next morning came far too quickly for Sean.  Aimee, who for the first time on the trip was less than impressed with him insisted on drawing the curtains once she was up in a passive-aggressive manner.  It was the first time he had seen this side of her. 

“Is there something wrong?” he innocently asked, before regretting it almost instantaneously. 

She was disgusted with him coming into the room so drunk.  This was supposed to be a romantic holiday, not a booze-up.  Sean apologized but she abruptly left the room.  He would have to do a lot of sweet-talking later. 

As he lay on the bed thinking about the night before, trying to remember what had happened, he suddenly remembered meeting Jim and their long conversation about the Reading Rapist and The Irish Ripper.  It gave him a sudden burst of energy to get up and write down all the important points into his notes.  They would be so interested to hear all about this back in Dublin, he was sure of it.