Read 03-Savage Moon for Free Online Page B

top?'
    Rick smiled. 'Still taking yours black like some sort of frigging cowboy?'
    Jon stood, and as they shook hands, the other officers in the room turned back to their computers.
    'You're not looking that knackered,' Rick said, sliding over a chair.
    'Really?' Jon answered, aware that the purple smudges below his eyes seemed to have taken on the permanence of tattoos.
    'All right, I lied. You look shit. Happy though, but still shit.'
    'Cheers.' Jon tested his coffee and it nearly took the skin off his upper lip. 'Jesus! That machine must heat the water with a nuclear reactor or something.'
    Rick crossed his legs and took a sip from his own cup.
    'Wouldn't drink that stuff if they paid me. So you've got a witness to the attack?'
    Jon nodded. 'Here, you can listen to him.'
    He took a tape recorder out of the bottom drawer of his desk. A cassette with a recording of the 999 call was already in.
    Rick listened to it, eyes focused on the opposite wall. 'Sounds nasty. Are you checking registrations that correspond to the attacker's?'
    'Were. It wasn't the attacker who drove off, it was the victim.'
    'You traced him?'
    'This morning. He lives in Clayton. Thing is, he's bullshitting me about whoever jumped him. I think they knew each other. If I could trace the caller it would be a massive help.'
    Rick put his cup down. 'So you haven't contacted Stonewall or True Vision?'
    Jon opened his palms. 'Never heard of them. I put an A board up in the car park appealing for information, approached a few cars one evening. Nothing.'
    Rick raised an eyebrow. 'You hung out in the car park? I bet that was interesting.'
    Jon looked at the floor. 'You could say that. To be honest, the whole business of loitering in car parks is lost on me.' He glanced up. 'Apart from asking to get beaten up, why do they do it?'
    Rick sighed. 'They're not asking to get beaten up. Would you say that if it was a young lad and his girlfriend shagging in their car?'
    'I doubt it.'
    'So it's OK for heterosexual couples to have a bit of fun in a deserted car park, but not gay males?'
    Jon leaned back. 'All right, don't get arsey. But you've got to admit people are more likely to take offence to a couple of men doing it. Besides, they're not travelling there as couples, they're travelling there alone, looking for casual sex. Why do they do it?'
    Rick shrugged. 'The thrill of it I suppose. It's not my cup of tea, in case you're wondering.'
    Jon gave a quick shake of his head. No, but I wonder what is?
    'Besides, haven't you and Alice ever been tempted to indulge in a bit of outdoor action?'
    A memory of one Sunday afternoon on a remote hill in the
    Lake District flashed into Jon's head and he couldn't help smile.
    'Maybe, but I do know her for Christ's sake.'
    'But not knowing the other person is what it's all about for some people. Especially if they haven't come out. Anonymity would be vital for them.' He shot a glance at the computer.
    'What?' Jon asked, knowing something had just occurred to his friend.
    'There's quite a community for this. It's all linked up to the dogging thing that's been in the papers.'
    'Dogging? I thought that was men watching other couples have sex in their cars?'
    'It was originally, but it's more part of the swinging scene nowadays. All sorts are at it. Log on and I'll show you.'
    Jon typed in his password and moved his chair to one side, allowing Rick access to his computer. He went on to the internet, then typed 'Swinger's Haven' into the search field.
    A home page came up with a paragraph of writing in the middle. To the side was a panel of boxes. Jon leaned forwards to read them.
    Real Wife Swaps. Swingers Cafe´. Chat Room. Forum. Dogging Sites. Personal Pages. Sexual Health. Terminology. Contact Us.
    'Who runs this site?' Jon asked, reaching for his coffee.
    'God knows. I heard about it a while ago. I've never actually visited though.' He clicked on 'Dogging Sites' and an inner screen came up with a map of Britain inside.
    'Here we go,'