Kieran eyed the clock on the mantelpiece. Three minutes to ten.
‘Why did you kill Angela? Shouldn’t you have killed Brian?’ Kieran said.
‘Dying isn’t a punishment. It’s nothingness. Living without the love of your life, that’s hell on earth. I wanted him to feel what I felt. I shot Angie so he’d have go through life without her, just as I have to live without Ruth.’
Kieran needed to keep her talking. Morton would work it out in time, wouldn’t he? ‘Okay, but what about Hudson Brown?’
‘He hated everyone who isn’t a straight white male. I couldn’t let that bigot live.’
Kieran couldn’t disagree. He wouldn’t have killed the man, but neither would he have pissed on him if he were on fire.
‘The old man, then. What did he do?’
‘Nothing. I didn’t even know his name. Wrong place, wrong time. He wasn’t long for the world, anyway.’
‘So, why did you kill him?’
‘That hospital is where they took Ruth. They didn’t save her from the gunshot. I wanted them to feel that pain, that helplessness. They tried to help this time, and the old man died.’
Kieran exhaled deeply. The pain in Maisie’s voice ran deep.
‘And Ed Teigan?’
‘I needed someone to jump, and he jumped.’
‘He killed himself?’ Kieran parroted.
‘Just like Dean Walker. He looked a bit like him. That’s why I followed him. When I saw him smoking on the roof, it was too perfect. I took this gun up with me.’
‘And said what?’
‘I said he had two choices,’ Maisie said. ‘I could shoot him, and he’d definitely die. Or he could jump, and he might live. He chose to jump.’
It was the perfect murder. Make a man kill himself, and the police would never have anything to go on.
‘And now me.’
‘Yes. Then my Ruthie can rest easy.’
‘Before you do, can I ask how you killed Angie King?’
‘Oh, that was easy. I know a lesbian when I see one. She saw me as hot young meat. She was no innocent in all this.’
‘I didn’t ask you why. I asked how.’
‘I know. It’ll be even more fun to send you to your grave without an explanation. Enjoy eternity in hell.’
Kieran looked at the clock. Nine fifty-nine. He shut his eyes and waited for oblivion.
Chapter 55: Out of Reach
Five to ten.
Morton sprinted as if his life depended on it. He ran along the track, minutes out from Kieran’s flat. There was no way he could get there in time. He knew Brian was closer, but ten o’clock was fast approaching, and Kieran’s life hung in the balance.
Trains whizzed by as he ran. If the killer wanted to kill Kieran, they had to be in the area. His track was the one with the derailer. The light was dim, and it was hard to see. Morton held his phone in front of him as he ran, illuminating ten feet of track at a time.
‘All units, the target,’ Morton panted, ‘is Kieran O’Connor. Repeat: the target is Kieran O’Connor. The derailer is nearby. All units, converge.’
Where was the Counter Terrorism Command? They had tens of thousands of men, but none had been assigned to the railway running through Camden.
Just as he was about to give up hope, Morton tripped.
‘Fuck!’
‘Morton!’ Rafferty’s voice crackled over the radio. ‘Morton! Are you okay?’
‘I just tripped.’
He looked down at his ankle. It was already beginning to swell, and he could run no further. That was when he saw what he’d tripped over. It had been painted black, and looked not much larger than a crowbar. It was the derailer. The flag had been removed, and the high visibility orange was gone, but this was it.
‘Brodie!’ Morton yelled. ‘I’ve got it. How do I take it off without electrocuting myself?’
‘Quickly!’ Brodie yelled. ‘You’ve got a train coming in less than a minute.’
Don’t touch the rail, Morton thought. He pulled at the top of the derailer. It didn’t budge.
The sound of a train horn made him look up. He had only seconds left to move it.
There was a twist lock on the inside edge. Morton pulled it, but it was too stiff. He heaved, his finger straining against the metal.
A shadow seemed to loom over him as the train pulled closer and closer. Morton placed his whole weight against the derailer, his hands clawing at the lock mechanism. It gave way, and Morton tumbled backwards, still clutching the derailer.
The train whistled past, seconds from crushing Morton to death.
He exhaled deeply. He’d done it. London was safe.
Except for one man: Kieran.
Chapter 56: Instinct
Brian King left his partner, Abby Fields, trawling the track. He had discarded his body armour for speed, and ran carrying his Glock 26 in the direction of Kieran O’Connor’s building in Mornington Crescent. He found the building quickly enough, but from the track side.
He tossed his gun over the fence, careful to leave the safety on, and clambered up. Razor wire on the top tore into his flesh. By the time he landed heavily on the other side of the fence, he was dripping blood.
He picked up his gun, switched the safety back to off, and ran. The apartment block was enormous, and after what seemed like an eternity, he found the front door – but it was locked. He hit every doorbell.
The buzzer went off, and in he ran.
‘Brodie!’ he yelled. ‘What flat number?’
‘Ninety-five.’
King cursed. It was on the ninth floor, and the sole lift was marked out of order. Three minutes to ten. He swore and ascended the stairs three at a time. His lungs burned. His muscles screamed.
The door to 95 was visible from the stairwell. He ran forward. One minute to ten.
He heard voices inside.
‘Before you kill me, can I ask how you killed Angie King?’
‘Oh, that was easy. I know a lesbian when I see one. She saw me as hot young meat. She was no innocent in all this.’
Anger rose up inside him. Something snapped. He kicked the door without a second thought, held his Glock in front of him, and fired.
***
Kieran heard the gunshots rather than felt them. If this was what dying felt like, it wasn’t so bad after all.
‘Open your eyes,’ a voice commanded him. It was almost comforting.
‘Do I have to?’ he murmured.
‘You’re not dead, idiot.’
His eyes snapped open. Brian King was standing before him.
At his feet lay Maisie Pincent’s body, riddled with bullets.
He didn’t know why, but he stepped toward Brian King and hugged him.
‘Get off me, you daft eejit.’
Chapter 57: Evaluation
Silverman was waiting when Morton arrived back at New Scotland Yard at nearly midnight.
They had sent officers to Maisie’s home to look for evidence, and the result was on Silverman’s desk. The tech team had found a 3D printer. By reprinting the last file from its memory, Brodie had cracked Angie King’s murder: Maisie had 3D-printed a gun, hidden it inside a long-range camera lens, and used it with the frangible copper bullet that Morton had discovered with Chiswick. It was an ingenious solution that left no gun, no striae, no bullets, and no paper trail.
‘You got lucky,’ Silverman said accusingly.
‘We got lucky. This was your cock-up as much as anyone else’s,’ Morton said, smiling sweetly. ‘You should never have assigned those two murders to Rafferty, and you should never have relegated me to teaching duty. Without both of those mistakes, fewer victims would be dead.’
‘How dare you!’ Silverman screamed. ‘You arrogant, self-centred, narcissistic son of a bitch. This is the second case you’ve screwed up under my watch.’
‘Difficult circumstances demand difficult decisions. May I remind you that we stopped a train from being derailed today, we prevented the murder of a
prosecutor, and we stopped a serial killer.’
‘You mean you had a rogue officer shoot a serial killer.’
‘No,’ Morton said slowly. ‘I’m sure I remember you specifically authorising Brian King to work with the task force.’
Silverman looked at him dumbfounded, and Morton had to resist the urge to smile. ‘Oh, yes, and when exactly did I do that?’
‘Right after you illegally redacted the pathology report on Hudson Brown, and right before you reinstated me.’
If looks could kill, Morton would have died on the spot. He could see the cogs turning in Silverman’s brain.
‘Fine,’ Silverman said through gritted teeth.
‘I’m glad we had such a productive meeting.’ He spun on his right foot and hightailed it from her office.
He was back.
Also by Sean Campbell...
Thank you for reading The Morton Murder Mystery Box Set. I hope that you enjoyed Dead on Demand, The Patient Killer and The Evolution of a Serial Killer.
For more Morton, head to your favourite book store now and ask for Cleaver Square, Ten Guilty Men, Missing Persons, and Double Blind.
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