Killer Smile

by RC Bridgestock

  ***

  Dylan left the police station. With any luck he would get to the hospital in time to read Maisy her bedtime story.

  Jen was waiting for him outside Maisy’s room. ‘Dad’s leaving tonight,’ she said solemnly.

  ‘So soon, why?’

  ‘Seemingly Thelma has had her purse pinched and before she was aware it had gone missing a considerable amount of money has been withdrawn from her account.’

  ‘How?’

  ‘Cash card withdrawal at the max each day.’

  ‘Someone knew her number?’

  Jen shrugged her shoulders. ‘Watched her pin it in at some time maybe?’

  ‘How long before she was aware it was missing?’

  ‘A few days, it has only been reported to the police today after she told Dad.’

  ‘When did she last use it?’

  ‘She recalls having it last at the post office last week.’

  ‘And they’ve checked with them?’

  ‘Yes, she didn’t leave it there. Vince remembers her being in that particular day though because she collected her pension, paid for her papers and got quite a few groceries which is why she used her debit card. Her son Ozzy carried the bags home for her.’

  Ralph opened the door and walked into the corridor. He looked sad. Dylan shook his hand. ‘At least the little ’un is due home tomorrow, God willing,’ Ralph said.

  ‘Jen’s told me about the money. I’m sorry. I’ll make a call to the local nick to see what’s going on.’

  ‘There’s not a lot that can be done in reality though is there? The money, we’re not going to see that again. I don’t know what’s going on down there. They’ve had an attempted break-in at the post office this week too.’

  ‘How’d you know?’

  ‘Well, like I said I rang Vince to see if anyone had handed in Thelma’s card. I’ve known him and Jacqui his wife for years,’ Ralph’s eyes were watery. ‘They don’t deserve this bad luck, not with everything they do for our local community.’

  ‘But the culprits won’t have got anything. The safe, that’s on a time lock surely?’

  ‘Yes, the thieves didn’t get any money. They took cigarettes and drinks and left one hell of a mess trying to open the safe. The coppers are trying to obtain clues but it appears futile – they wore gloves.’

  ‘Crime Scene Investigation will be in there gathering any possible forensic.’

  ‘Frightening thing is that rumour has it they used a gun to shoot the lock out. A gun in Godshill for pity’s sake! Whatever next?’

  ‘I’ll go home with Dad to pack up his things if you’re okay here for a while? I’ll bring back some clothes for Maisy to leave hospital tomorrow,’ said Jen.

  ‘You do that. I’m fine here with Maisy.’

  Dylan sat beside Maisy. She was drawing and humming quietly to herself.

  ‘Time to go to sleep pet?’ he said looking at his watch.

  She nodded her pretty, tired, little head then looked up at Dylan and scowled. ‘I’m not a pet. I’m a big girl,’ she said. Maisy jumped under the covers, laid her head on her pillow and closed her eyes tight. A cheeky little grin spread across her face.

  Dylan watched and waited. A few seconds later she opened them. ‘Can you read me Hansom and Gretel please Daddy,’ she said. ‘I’m going home to see Max tomorrow you know.’

  ‘Hansel and Gretel darling. Yes, of course I can,’ he said as he fingered the books on her bedside table to find the chosen story. ‘I bet Max can’t wait to see you.’

  ***

  Dylan knew before long that both the murder enquiries would be subjected to an internal force review. This elected team would scrutinise what had taken place so far in the investigations. They would look at Dylan’s strategies and possibly assist with advice on future lines of enquiry they collectively deemed necessary to pursue.

  The review team consisted of an assistant chief constable, a detective superintendent, the divisional commander, a scenes of crime supervisor and a supervisor from the HOLMES team (the computer system used in all major incidents). Would their expertise assist in the investigation? Only time would tell.

  The team had been briefed and updated by Dylan. They were of course under no pressure in their deliberations as the detective and his team were. Their job was to look from the outside without physical contact, nor being on the ‘battlefield’ itself.

  The verdict they arrived at was in the form of a question. Why hadn’t Dylan given the media details of the victims’ teeth being extracted?

  Dylan had given this considerable thought from the outset and explained why when he gave his brief. He had gone to some lengths to assert the ‘for’ and ‘against’ argument in doing so. Dylan wondered if they had listened to a word he’d said.

  If the caller to the radio station was the murderer, what did he want, publicity, notoriety? Dylan thought about revisiting his earlier decision of updating the media on the teeth extraction subject. If he told the media that in his view the extractions had been less than professionally done, would that declaration annoy or anger the caller sufficiently enough to make him ring again? Once he had decided the way forward he would write up his policy book explaining his reasoning in relation to this matter. The policy log always felt such an inconvenience at a time that offered no respite, but Dylan knew what an advantage a well-documented policy log would mean to him, for court purposes, some eighteen months down the line when this murder investigation would be a distant memory, due to more recent cases.

  ***

  Dr Francis Boscombe entered Dylan’s office the next day with gusto! ‘What an interesting case,’ said the five foot eight, fifty something rotund man. Boscombe threw down his briefcase, slung his tweed jacket over the chair and proceeded to adjust his khaki green coloured baggy cord trousers. ‘This is not the norm, everyday serial killer Dylan,’ he said, sitting down opposite him. He leant forward. ‘This killer I feel will be taking the teeth as trophies and getting a great deal of satisfaction by removing them no doubt. In my opinion, the killer is thoroughly enjoying the thrill of this chase with you and trying to mislead the enquiry by sending you on these wild goose chases.’

  ‘You’ve confirmed my thoughts but what could the motive be? Based on what we already know?’ said Dylan.

  ‘The offender is, no doubt in my mind, a male with good local knowledge who also knows how to kill. Best educated guess would be probably that he has some military background or some connection to the services. I don’t believe that this is the first time he has killed and if you were to suggest that he was less than professional, I believe that yes, you’d get a response. What that would be, I hasten to add, I don’t know. What I am confident about is that he will kill again. The motive? I think it has to give him some sort of satisfaction. Why? I don’t know.’

  ***

  An ‘Action’, in police terms, is a paper enquiry. The action that Dylan would now create for this would be fed into the computer system to record the discussion with Dr Boscombe. The category created would be titled ‘Profiler’s Comments’. A line of enquiry is a paper trail that is recorded by the HOLMES system for comparison, retrieval, disclosure and ultimately preparation of a murder file.

  Victimology of the two deceased revealed very little, they had nothing in common in their lifestyles. They were a different sex. The attendant circumstances and cause of death were not the same and the location was fifteen miles apart. The obvious link was the teeth extraction.

  Dylan concluded from the available data that the victims were randomly selected, possibly due to their isolation at the time of their death. Was the killer an opportunist, did he know his victims or spend time observing his prey before moving in for the kill?

  Homicide is the supreme test for the investigator and this offender had started in earnest. He knew exactly what he was doing in Dylan’s mind. He was throwing down a gauntlet to Dylan, whilst pursuing some misguided self-indulgent fetish. In Dylan’s thoughts the killings were
not the main focus, merely the vehicle to gain access to the trophies – teeth. The attempts to disrupt the subsequent enquiries was all part of the killer’s game plan.

  ‘Chilling, ultimate, and full of menace with the dark suspicion that no one is safe until the killer is caught; murder calls out like no other...’ Dylan read from the plaque on his office wall. A gift from Peter Stonestreet when he had been promoted to Detective Inspector.

  The suspect criteria was wide open, all Dylan felt that could be reliably recorded was that the offender was a male, due to the strength required to render the victims helpless and he was most likely to be over the age of twenty-one, a calculated guess, based on his expertise.

  The various suspect categories were building in the computer system, recent releases from prison, people with mental challenges who had returned to the community, dentists that had been ‘struck-off’, local dentists, including those who had retired, sex offenders... the list continued as Dylan scanned the screens. This done Dylan was satisfied that the net was cast far and wide; he was working through the investigations methodically keeping to the tried and tested strategies. Dylan agreed with the offender profiler it wasn’t about, ‘if he killed again, but when’.

  Since the murderer had struck the first time there had been no breakthrough, other than the call made to the radio station. The good news from his initial telephone enquiries was that the call was found to be from a local phone booth which was situated midway between murder scenes.

  ***

  Dylan’s mood was sombre but significantly lightened by the fact that Maisy was home.

  ‘Six, seven, eight, nine, ten, eleventeen,’ she squealed, counting her stickers when Dylan walked in. She was pale but her eyes were bright and she was clearly very happy to be home. She leant up against Max, throwing her arms lovingly around his, big, thick Golden Retriever neck periodically. Being the accommodating soft animal he was he soaked up the adoration.

  No matter how Dylan tried to be upbeat Jen could tell by her husband’s persona that he was making no headway in the murder enquiries.

  ‘Every line of enquiry completed, every person eliminated is one step closer to catching the killer. That’s what you tell me,’ Jen said to him when Maisy had gone to bed and they sat together on the settee that night.

  ‘You’re right,’ he said, relaxing in her arms. ‘It’s good to have you back home where you belong.’

  ‘I wonder how Dad is getting on? He should have arrived home, but he hasn’t let me know. That is so unlike him.’

  ‘No doubt he’s enough on his plate. He’ll be in touch as soon as he is fully appraised as to what’s gone on,’ said Dylan.

  The longer the investigations remained undetected the more the pressure increased for Dylan and his team. The feeling in the community was as if a dark cloud hung over them. People were nervous. No one felt safe, not until the killer was caught. The fear seemed to be gathering momentum day by day.

  ***

  Dylan, Jen and Maisy’s annual dental check-up was upon them and Jen gently reminded Dylan at breakfast.

  ‘I don’t think I can make it. I’m far too busy. Give my apologises,’ Dylan said as he popped a piece of toast in his mouth. He gave a piece of crust to Max who sat at his side.

  ‘Oh yes you can. You can spare half an hour today. I checked with Lisa. You have nothing pressing in your diary this morning. And stop spoiling the dog. Toast is not good for him. Have you seen the size of his belly.’

  Dylan moaned. ‘But, you know I hate going to the dentist.’

  ‘No, you don’t, do you?’ Jen said between clenched teeth. Maisy looked up at her mum’s face and then to her dad’s. Dylan pulled a funny face at his daughter and she giggled.

  ‘Actually,’ said Dylan to Maisy, ‘Daddy is really looking forward to going to the dentist today.’ His smile stretched from ear to ear.

  ‘Nah... Not convincing... Try harder,’ said Jen. ‘You are such a whimp Dr Eklund is lovely.’

  ***

  Dylan held Maisy in his arms. The smell he associated with the dentist hit him as soon as Jen opened the door and his stomach clenched. He must have flinched as Maisy looked at him, took his face in her little hands, turned his head towards her and kissed him. ‘It’ll be okay Daddy,’ she said, holding him tight. Jen offered their names to the receptionist. Maisy patted Dylan on his back soothingly, like she would her baby doll.

  Jen shook her head and smiled.

  ‘Aww... She’s so cute,’ the receptionist mouthed.

  Dylan and Maisy found the contents of the display cabinets in the dentist’s waiting room fascinating. Maisy because there were some huge animated teeth on display in one and Dylan because there were some antique dentistry instruments in another.

  ‘Bet you’re glad you came now aren’t you?’ said Jen looking over his shoulder.

  ‘Gruesome looking aren’t they?’

  With the antique dentistry implements in mind, Dylan took an unprecedented interest in the present day tools Karl Eklund was using. They were thinner, shinier, smaller.

  The dental assistant put a bib on Dylan which Maisy found highly amusing, laid him back in the chair and Dr Eklund, with his mask firmly in place hovered over him. ‘Open wide for me,’ he said.

  Dylan looked at the map of Harrowfield and surrounding areas on the ceiling above him. He concentrated on the areas they were covering on the murder enquiries. The dentist prodded a few of Dylan’s teeth, mumbled numbers and letters to the dental assistant who was inputting the data onto the computer. No sooner had Dylan located Tandem Bridge on the map than Dr Eklund started to raise Dylan’s chair to the sitting position.

  ‘All done,’ said the dentist displaying a brilliant white, toothy smile.

  Dylan was unusually quiet as he sat with Maisy on his knee and watched Karl Eklund working on Jen. Were there any striation marks on the victims’ gums, jaws or lips which may determine a size and or age of the tools the killer had used, he wondered? If they found the tools the murderer had used could they match the tools to the victims? His mind was buzzing as they stood at the counter to pay. Jen used her debit card. There wasn’t any craft for the robbers of today to learn. There was nothing hard about standing over an unsuspecting victim and noting the number they tapped in.

  ***

  With a fresh focus Dylan marched through the incident room, sat at his desk and picked up his phone.

  Professor Stow wasn’t available but the pathologist at the mortuary confirmed it was possible to get striation marks from tools that had been used to extract teeth from victims if they could find the tools used.

  Dylan created the necessary action to be put on the incident room computer system – HOLMES.

  The new line of enquiry lifted Dylan and the team when in debrief he announced that Professor Stow had agreed to re-examine the victims’ jaws and the sockets where the teeth had been removed for possible fresh evidence.

  ‘I will meet you at the mortuary tomorrow morning and bring CSI Jarvis along with you,’ Stow had said.

  The debrief otherwise was an insignificant one, with nothing of note and the TIE enquiries (trace interview and eliminate) were a continuous stream of lines of necessary, prioritised investigations.

  ***

  The next morning, booted and suited with Professor Stow at the examination table in the mortuary the two bodies were brought out of their respective fridges.

  Dylan spoke to Stow about Dr Eklund’s cabinet, displaying the antiquarian dentistry tools.

  ‘I wondered if there was a possibility that we could age the tools that the murderer used?’ said Dylan.

  ‘You don’t want a lot, do you?’ said Stow.

  ‘I know it’s a lot to ask,’ said Dylan. ‘But, if you could just indicate to us if the striation marks that are present on the gum and jaw are the same, this means we can link them based on the same principle as marks found at scenes are from the same knife, screwdriver...’

  ‘The odontologist could n
o doubt help us further but I’ve brought a rather nifty piece of equipment with me with a rather powerful magnifying eye piece. Additional lighting Jarv might help?’ he said.

  CSI Jarvis manipulated the lights to give Professor Stow the best sight of the wound.

  ‘I’ll remove the mandibles, the lower jaws, take them back with me to the lab and dependant on how that goes I may need to examine the maxilla cavities too.’

  The stance that Stow took could only be likened to a jeweller examining the quality of a diamond. All the pair heard from him was the occasional grunt. Dylan and Sarah Jarvis waited patiently.

  Fifteen minutes later Professor Stow asked for two exhibit bags as he independently dislocated and cut through adjoining tissue to release the mandibles. He now had two lower jaws in plastic bags which were clearly marked.

  ‘I hope I don’t get stopped en route Inspector. They’ll think I regularly break the jaw if they find these two.’ He laughed at his own joke heartily. ‘Break the jaw! Get it?’

  ***

  The three sat in the office, a cup of tea in hand. Dylan was happy to see Professor Stow had regained his sense of humour. Albeit very corny.

  ‘Well?’ Dylan said. ‘What are your thoughts?’

  ‘I don’t want to build your hopes up, they need to be looked at with a keener eye I would suggest but what is interesting for me, from this initial examination, is that there may be, and I emphasise may be, some reoccurrence with the way the teeth have been extracted and what they have been extracted with... there is definitely something different about the particular instruments used that’s pretty unique.’