[Kitt Hartley 05] - A Witch Hunt in Whitby

by Helen Cox

  A few moments later Halloran climbed into the driver’s side of the car and put his seat belt on.

  ‘Where are we going?’ asked Kitt.

  ‘Back to Whitby,’ Halloran said, a note of weariness in his tone. He started the engine and turned back onto the dirt track they had followed a couple of hours ago, leaving the officers from the local station to finish up with their search.

  ‘They’re not going to retract the charges against Cyril, are they?’ said Kitt reading the frown on Halloran’s face.

  ‘Not a chance,’ he said. ‘As far the chief’s concerned this only proves Cyril’s role. Banks has questioned him again and he has confessed to the murder of Glen Tucker. He said he didn’t confess to it before because he didn’t realize that we would visit the property in person.’

  ‘Did he know who Tucker was? That he was Justin Palmer’s son, I mean?’ said Grace.

  ‘He says he didn’t,’ said Halloran. ‘He said he’s never heard of the Children of Silvanus. He just saw a lonely house on the dales where he could operate from while setting everything up. He’d passed the house many a time on walks before he moved into Seaview and he never remembered anyone going in or out. He actually thought it was empty. When he found Tucker there, he befriended him, tricked him out of a great deal of money and then ultimately killed him. That’s the story he’s told Banks anyway.’

  ‘So the link to the Children of Silvanus, we’re supposed to believe that’s just a coincidence? That can’t be true, not after all we’ve learned.’

  ‘So far, the story checks out. There were several large sums of money in Cyril’s finances that he couldn’t account for – or should I say wouldn’t account for when we questioned him yesterday. We found evidence on Tucker’s online banking account that large sums had been withdrawn in cash.’

  ‘And you think Cyril used that money to pay Stella to put on the play?’ said Grace. ‘But that was more than three years ago.’

  ‘I know. We think that the killer was perhaps reimbursing themselves for the money they’d spent bribing Stella and buying the gargoyles, or, of course, were just using it as another way of framing Cyril,’ said Halloran. ‘I explained the link to the Children of Silvanus to Ricci but with none of the other victims having any obvious connections with the group other than a couple of them getting tattoos from Ayleen, the chief has chalked this up as a coincidence.’

  ‘Oooh,’ said Kitt. ‘Parnaby just wants Cyril to fit the bill no matter what. He just wants his golden media moment.’

  ‘Unless . . . maybe the Children of Silvanus aren’t a part of this,’ said Grace. ‘I’m not trying to knock off work early or anything but we’ve been basing this whole Children of Silvanus angle on Ayleen’s statement and after what she did she’s understandably paranoid. Maybe there is no link between them and the Vampire Killer.’

  ‘I suppose it’s possible,’ said Kitt. ‘But I’m still not convinced Cyril’s the man we’re looking for. You remember how we felt about this killer when we started the case? We didn’t know if we could solve it because the killer seemed to have thought of everything. At the beginning it seemed as though they had gone to great lengths not to get caught. Are you telling me that that same killer, the one we doubted we could outwit, leaves all the evidence the police could ever need sitting at the bottom of his wardrobe? Why would you leave all the evidence in plain view?’

  ‘Maybe he thought because he was seen as an older man suffering from a difficult illness people wouldn’t suspect him,’ said Grace. ‘People are always underestimating the older members of society. Ask any of them and they’ll probably tell you how little credit they get for anything. Maybe he never expected to have his room searched.’

  ‘But we didn’t search his room,’ said Kitt. ‘He admitted it and opened the wardrobe voluntarily. Giving himself up, just like that, after all the pains he had allegedly taken to cover his tracks.’

  ‘But he did have a rationale for that. He said he was relieved to get caught,’ Halloran argued. ‘It can sometimes work that way. That people who carry out acts like this are petrified of getting caught in the beginning and cover their tracks but then later, when the strain of deception is really getting to them, they feel differently. When an opportunity to bring it all to a close presents itself, they come to recognize the relief of being apprehended. They know they won’t be able to hurt anyone else. Contrary to popular belief, not every serial killer enjoys the experience of killing. For some of them it is a compulsion and for those people, being caught knowing they are never going to hurt anyone again can be an alluring prospect. That said, I do take your point about all the evidence being on plain view. It’s hard to believe that nobody caring for him caught a glimpse of any of those items in the last three months. But, as yet, there have been no red flags on any of the phone records or financials for people working at Seaview.’

  ‘What are we going to do?’ said Kitt. ‘If we don’t find the real killer soon I wouldn’t put it past Parnaby to make sure Cyril takes the fall for this completely. And even besides that, we need to find a way of keeping Ruby safe.’

  Halloran was about to answer, and likely reassure Kitt that they would think of something, when his phone rang.

  ‘Banks?’ he said, as he answered the call. ‘What? When?’ Halloran shot a look at Kitt that at once made her shoulders tense.

  ‘Well, she can’t do that, she—’ Halloran listened for a moment and then in a softer voice replied, ‘No, you’re right. Jesus. OK, I’ll see you then.’

  ‘What’s going on?’ said Kitt,

  Halloran took a moment to answer. ‘York Police Station have received a letter pertaining to be from the killer.’

  ‘A letter? The killer’s never sent a letter before. Are they sure it’s from the killer?’

  ‘There’s no way they can be sure but given the contents of it and the fact there are just days before the next murder is due to take place, they’ve got to assume it’s for real.’

  ‘Why . . . what does it say?’ asked Grace.

  ‘That if we don’t release Ruby from whatever safe house we’re keeping her in, he’s going to kill someone at random instead.’

  Kitt sighed and raked her fingers through her hair, trying with all her might to keep calm. ‘So no matter what we do someone is likely to die here?’

  ‘It gets worse,’ said Halloran. ‘On learning of the letter, Ruby has insisted that she can’t let someone else die in her place. She’s determined to come to Whitby tomorrow. She wants to use herself as bait and draw out the killer.’

  ‘What? She can’t do that,’ said Kitt. ‘That’s practically a suicide mission.’

  ‘We can’t hold her at a safe house against her will, or tell her where to go. The good news is she’s agreed to let Banks and Evie drive her to Whitby. They’ll meet us at the hotel tomorrow and together we’ll devise a plan.’

  ‘A plan?’ said Kitt. ‘You mean, you’re going along with this? You’re really considering using Ruby as bait?’

  ‘I have to, pet. I have to consider all avenues right now. If we don’t find a way to work with Ruby she might go off and get herself into trouble of her own accord, and even if we could talk her out of it, well then, another innocent person will die and we’ll be left in a position where we have no idea who the killer is, or when they will strike.’

  Twenty-Six

  The news that the Vampire Killer’s accomplice had been caught had made for a flurry of last-minute Saturday night bookings at the Elysium Guest House, and no doubt most other hospitality establishments across the county. The announcement had come just in time for the start of the spring goth weekend and it seemed regulars to the event needed no other incentive to make a dash to their favourite cultural gathering than a bit of reassurance that the police had the matter in hand. Ultimately, this meant that the only room left available to Evie and Ruby when Banks delivered them to
the Elysium Guest House on Saturday afternoon was their most expensive one: a deluxe suite situated in an extension to the original guest house building at the back. Reception were happy enough to put separate beds in there so Evie and Ruby could share and, given the price of the room, at least when compared to the humble quarters Kitt and Grace had secured, it was no surprise the management were so obliging.

  As it was a newer part of the building, the fixtures and furniture weren’t quite as old-fashioned as in the other rooms. The deluxe suite looked as though it had last been remodelled in the nineteen nineties rather than the eighteen nineties, and thus still satisfied Evie’s vintage tastes. It was adorned largely with luxurious coffee and cream shades that Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen would surely have approved of. Ruby, who seemed almost giddy at the prospect of no longer staying in the safe house, sat on the end of her bed, threw the large carpet bag she’d been carrying down next to her and sighed. ‘What a week, what a week,’ she said. ‘Oooh, I’ve never been so happy to have fresh sea air in my lungs. Mind you, I had hoped all this would be over by now.’

  ‘We thought it might be,’ said Halloran. ‘But the letter posted to York Police Station was received while Cyril was in custody, which means, whether he’s using Cyril as an accomplice or not, the real killer is still out there, and we need to be very careful about any public appearances on your part. We only want the killer to know you’re here when it suits us and we have half a chance of apprehending him.’

  ‘Oh no,’ said Ruby fanning herself with her hand, ‘tell me I’m not confined to this room until then. I felt so cooped up at that safe house I thought I was going to scream. DC Wilkinson didn’t seem convinced by any of my stories so my only entertainment was seeing how many tricks I could play on DS Redmond. If he asks, I’ve got the power to raise zombie bats.’

  Everyone chuckled at the idea of Ruby convincing DS Redmond of such things. And that Wilkinson, who was some years younger than Redmond, had exhibited less naivety.

  ‘Redmond needs to get a clue,’ Banks said. ‘Honestly don’t know how he passed his training sometimes, given how gullible he can be.’

  ‘On a serious note,’ said Halloran. ‘It would be better if you could stay here at least until we launch our plan to apprehend the killer tomorrow night.’

  ‘Can you – er – make me stay in ’ere, like?’ Ruby said.

  ‘No,’ Halloran admitted. ‘If you choose to go outside that’s up to you but it does make it more likely the killer will discover your hiding place.’

  ‘Well, I’m not being funny but we all know tomorrow could be the last day I’m alive. I won’t do anything rash like stand at the bandstand with a megaphone . . . although now that I think about it . . .’

  ‘Ruby . . .’ Kitt said with a small smile.

  ‘I told you I’m not afraid to go if my time is up, lass, and I’d rather not spend me last day here staring at the same four walls. In this life, you’ve got to make the most of every minute while you can.’

  ‘I believe I have a solution to your dilemma,’ said Evie, pulling her suitcase up onto her bed and unzipping it.

  Kitt watched closely as her friend pulled a long, black wig out of her suitcase and turned around to the group with a wide satisfied grin.

  ‘Your Morticia Addams wig from three Hallowe’ens ago?’ said Kitt. ‘How is that going to help anything?’

  ‘It’s a disguise,’ said Evie, plonking the wig down on Ruby’s head and rearranging it until it sat straight.

  ‘I hardly think that’s going to convince anyone,’ said Kitt with a chuckle.

  ‘Well, unless you want to stay indoors for the whole of tomorrow you’ll have to come up with something similar,’ said Halloran. ‘Ruby isn’t the only person being targeted by the killer. Or have you forgotten the attempt on your life?’

  ‘I’m not staying inside at a time like this,’ said Kitt, suddenly sympathizing a little more with Ruby’s resentment over being coddled.

  ‘Don’t worry,’ said Evie. ‘I’ll give Kitt a makeover worthy of the goth weekend. Nobody will recognize her once I’m through.’

  ‘Oh, thanks a bunch for putting that idea in her head,’ Kitt said to Halloran.

  Banks chuckled at Evie’s antics but a moment later she’d corrected her expression. ‘Sir, although we’re focusing on the letter sent by the killer just now, you should know something’s come to light that I think might be relevant to the whole Children of Silvanus angle.’

  ‘What is it?’ asked Halloran. ‘Something to do with Penelope Baker? Have you found any leads on her yet?’

  ‘No, sir,’ said Banks. ‘After she left her foster parents she seems to have just disappeared off the face of the planet. I will keep looking into it but what I have found out is to do with the second victim, Roger Fairclough.’

  ‘The ex-police officer?’ said Halloran. ‘What about him?’

  ‘With the Children of Silvanus being dispersed for some years, I went back in the victims’ address history to see if there was any crossover with the group.’

  ‘Things like that haven’t already been looked at by other stations when the killings have happened in their areas?’ said Kitt.

  Banks shook her head. ‘It’s incredibly rare for a murder motive to stretch back as far as this one would have to for the Children of Silvanus element to be significant. When a murder takes place, most of the time we focus on the victims’ more recent activity and relationships. On the whole that’s where you’re going to find your evidence. But in light of Glen Tucker’s body being discovered yesterday afternoon, and Penelope’s disappearance a decade ago, I went back much further than we would ordinarily and found that in the late eighties and early nineties Roger Fairclough had lived out on the dales and worked in Sandersdale. He left the area before either Penelope or Ayleen joined the Children of Silvanus but we don’t know exactly when the group was founded.’

  ‘So Roger Fairclough could have been working in Sandersdale when the Children of Silvanus were active?’ said Kitt. ‘Did he have any run-ins with Justin Palmer?’

  ‘I don’t know yet,’ said Banks, ‘the files are not digitized. They’ll be at the nick in Sandersdale.’

  ‘I’ll put a call into them and see if they can send over what they’ve got,’ said Halloran. ‘With Palmer’s son dead and Fairclough being linked to Sandersdale, it looks as though we can’t quite rule out the idea that the Children of Silvanus might yet play a part in all of this after all.’

  ‘Especially given that the letter we received was postmarked in Sandersdale,’ said Banks. ‘And I got Stella Hemsworth to hand over the fragment of the letter she received. The paper and the handwriting are a match.’

  ‘Any DNA?’ said Halloran.

  ‘We’re still waiting on results from the letter we received yesterday, sir. I doubt we’ll hear anything back before tomorrow night but if we apprehend someone and there is DNA on the letter, we’ll be able to make a match.’

  ‘Ruby, are you all right?’ Kitt interrupted. The woman had an extraordinary expression on her face. More extraordinary than usual, and when it came to Ruby that was really saying something. If Ruby thought she was getting messages from the beyond, her face could often contort in ways both unexpected and alarming, but Kitt had never seen her look like this before.

  ‘What does Justin Palmer have to do with this?’ she asked.

  ‘We don’t really know yet,’ said Grace. ‘Other than he was the leader at the Children of Silvanus. Why? Do you know him?’

  ‘So he set up a cult?’ Ruby said, shaking her head sadly.

  ‘Have you come into contact with this man?’ Halloran pushed.

  ‘Not in forty years. But even after forty years, that name is burned into my memory.’

  ‘Why?’ said Kitt. ‘How did you know him?’

  ‘I used to read his tarot cards back then. That kind of thing was
still hush-hush in those days. Occult people knew how to find each other – usually by wearing a piece of jewellery with one symbol or another – but there weren’t all these online forums and organizations like there are now. Anyway, I forget exactly how, but I crossed paths with Justin Palmer at some little meeting or other and he wanted to have his cards read. So for a while, once every couple of months he’d slip me twenty quid and I’d lay out a spread. I had quite a few clients back then on the quiet, before the age of internet psychics.’

  ‘Did something happen between you?’ said Kitt. ‘Something that might make one of his admirers come after you?’

  ‘Not that I recall,’ said Ruby. ‘When I first started reading his cards, he was friendly enough but over time I started to notice some worrying trends in the cards that came up, or the interpretations he wanted to draw from them didn’t sit right with me. He’d always take his ideas to the extreme. The last reading I did for him was one of the most frightening I have ever done. It still strikes terror into me heart now as I stand ’ere.’

  ‘What did the cards say?’ said Evie, completely involved in Ruby’s story. Kitt did her best not to roll her eyes. Though she had no doubt Justin Palmer was an intimidating presence, Ruby could be quite dramatic when it came to describing her ‘psychic’ experiences.

  ‘The cards were plain as day. I’ll never forget them. First he drew the Emperor reversed. Then the King of Swords reversed. And lastly the Chariot reversed.’

  ‘And that’s . . . bad?’ said Banks who, unlike Evie, had had a distinctly dubious look on her face ever since Ruby had started talking about tarot cards.

  ‘He’d mentioned he was interested in setting up a spiritual group. He hadn’t got a name for it yet, I suppose it must have become the Children of Silvanus. And all of the cards were about abuse of power and a subversion of the greater good. Authoritative power taken too far to the point of cruelty and extreme manipulation. I warned him that setting up his collective would send him down a dark path. One that he wouldn’t easily be able to turn back from once he’d started on that course.’