* * *
"Sis, it's me."
"John, thank God. Where are you?"
"Don't worry about me. I'll make this quick. I've arranged for you to stay at the Swallow Hotel for tonight. Don't go back to the flat, do you hear me? The cops'll be swarming all over it by now."
"What about the woman?" his sister asked, in a hushed voice, aware that her colleague was within earshot.
"My guess is they've already found her. They'll have no idea she's not the final one. I'll prove 'em wrong soon enough, you'll see. Stay safe, sis, we'll be together again soon."
Chapter Forty-Six
When Lorne arrived at work the next morning it was still dark. She could see some of the team were missing and presumed they were already at Scott's house going through the evidence.
"Nice of you to join us, Inspector," Sean Roberts said, as she burst through the door.
Glancing at her watch she saw it was only seven-thirty, the clock on the wall above Pete's head corroborated this. Pete shrugged when she glanced at him.
"As I was saying," Roberts carried on addressing her team. "Yes, we found Miss Sedark relatively unharmed, that doesn't mean we can start congratulating ourselves on a job well done. Until we have John Scott sitting in a cell, our job is far from over."
"Molly, step forward and tell the team what you dug up on J.S. and his sister."
Molly stood in front of the group. Nerves got the better of her and she dropped her notes on the floor. Motherly pride swept through Lorne as Molly prepared to speak. Despite their recent differences Molly had shone the past week and Lorne now regarded her as a key member of the team.
"First of all I checked into John Scott's background using the information Pete and the Inspector obtained from the school. When J.S. was eleven, a games teacher, that would be Jane Sedark, noticed bruises on his arms during a PE lesson. She queried the marks with him. At first, he was reluctant to tell her, but finally broke down and admitted his parents had been abusing him and his sister. She took the complaint to the headmistress, Doreen Nicholls, who passed the complaint on to a social worker, Sandy Crayford."
"Yeah, me and the Inspector figured all this out, Mol. Tell us something we don't know, will ya?"
"Well," Molly continued, embarrassed. "J.S. and his sister were removed from the family home and placed with separate foster families. He begged the authorities to keep them together but they ignored him. Back then, it was almost impossible to place siblings together. Before the disruption he was classed as a mediocre student with middle of the road marks. However, after he was placed in foster care and separated from his sibling, his grades went downhill fast — he went into his shell. He was sent to a counsellor, after a few months his grades picked up. About this time a fire broke out at the Scott's family home. His mother and father were both killed in the fire. I managed to trace the post-mortem reports. His parents were inebriated and incapable of escaping the fire.
"The fire was deemed to be an accident but again, J.S's school work appeared to improve just enough to deflect the school's concerns. Then I researched the foster families, the kids were never adopted. Both families said they were good kids and spent every weekend together, appearing to be quiet and withdrawn during the week but when the weekend arrived they'd come alive."
"Is it possible for an eleven-year-old boy to commit arson like that?" Lorne asked, perplexed.
"Take the Jamie Bulger case — eleven-year-olds are capable of a lot worse than arson," the chief replied, referring to the gruesome murder of a toddler by two pre-pubescent boys a few years earlier. Roberts urged Molly to carry on.
"That's about it, apart from one more thing. I rang Social Services and asked if they knew what happened to the kids after they left school. At eighteen J.S. fought for months to get custody of his sister. Katherine was fifteen at the time, he became her legal guardian and that's as far as their file goes."
"I've asked a friend of mine to pop by this morning, she's due about eleven. I'd like everyone to hear what she has to say," the chief said, after Molly had finished.
"What exactly do you mean by friend?" asked Lorne, puzzled.
"She's a Criminologist. She's coming in as a favour to me. I've given her the case facts and she's come up with a profile of the killer."
Lorne folded her arms across her chest. "With respect, sir, isn't that like locking the stable door after the horse has bolted? We already know who the killer is. We've just got to track the bastard down."
"Maybe, maybe not, Inspector. Just remain open-minded when she arrives. Using the services of a Criminologist is more plausible than using a psychic in a murder investigation, don't you think?"
Condescending bastard. Lorne narrowed her eyes, as he turned and headed out of the room. She pushed back her chair and went to follow him to his office.
Realising what her intentions were, Pete blocked her path with his large frame. "Leave it, boss. Come on, I'll buy you a coffee."
Lorne's frustration mounted as the morning dragged by. She thumped her hand on the desk, I should be out there, going through the bastard's flat. Instead she'd been ordered to stick around and wait for some shrink to tell her facts she already knew about a killer on the loose. A pointless exercise to accommodate one of Roberts' friends.
Eleven o'clock arrived and along with it, a smartly-dressed Susan Bywater. The woman, slim, with high cheekbones that emphasised her good breeding, oozed confidence as she strode across to the chief. Lorne rolled her eyes as he welcomed her with a sickly show of affection. She wondered if the over-the-top way he welcomed her was for her benefit.
"This is Susan Bywater. You have everyone's attention, Susan, so when you're ready."
"Thanks, Sean." She gave him a smile that had an unspoken message attached to it. "After studying the notes, my profile for the killer is this. The man has a great deal of anger. He absorbs hostility until he can take no more. Then he kills the women in the midst of a violent rage." Ms Bywater looked down at her notes and then continued.
"To look at him, he gives the impression he's a loner. Dresses in clothes that relate back to his childhood, shying away from today's fashionable trends. Sexually abused by a female member of his family, probably his mother. He's punishing his victims for their gender and for letting him down in the past. It's possible his anger killed his mother and this served a purpose for a number of years. Recently an incident has brought the anger to the surface again. Something has triggered memories from his childhood, unwanted memories. They're causing pain that he's determined to prevent destroying him again." She cleared her throat.
Roberts handed her a glass of water and she went on.
"He's anti-social. Gets all the companionship he needs from a sibling, maybe a sister. She's the key. Bring the sister in and you reel him in. He's a protector, her protector. His home is meticulous, he's probably OCD. He has little or no sexual interest in women. Possibly impotent, unable to perform…"
The phone on Tracy's desk interrupted the woman's evaluation.
"Just a minute. Ma'am, it's Dr Arnaud for you."
"Hello, doctor? You're kidding … That's fantastic, we'll be right over." When she replaced the phone, she ran into her office and emerged seconds later shrugging her coat on.
"Inspector, where do you think you're going?" Roberts frowned and walked towards her.
"It's urgent, sir. Dr Arnaud has the results of a test I asked him to carry out. His team have enhanced the photograph of J.S's sister for me. Ms. Bywater just told us if we pull the sister in, we hook Scott. So I'm going to the path lab to see who the woman is. Then I'm going to bring her in for questioning. If that's all right with you?"
Blowing out a breath, Roberts relented. "Very well."
Yes, result! "Let's go, Pete."
When they were settled in the car, Pete said, "What a load of bollocks that was."
"I thought it might be. Give me Carol Lorde any day. Hey, at least she led us to a murder scene."
"Did the Doc
give you any clues about the woman?"
Lorne shook her head as she changed down a gear. "He just said the results were back and the picture was excellent. Let's hope we can identify the woman."
Jacques was waiting in the hall outside his office when they arrived. Lorne's heart pounded and she couldn't tell if it was because of seeing Jacques or because of the possibility of closing in on Scott's sister.
"The image is in my office," Jacques said, nodding at Pete and smiling at Lorne.
Lorne's hand shook when Jacques handed her the photograph. "Jesus, I knew it. I had a feeling about her. Thanks, Jacques, you've done it again." She pecked him on the cheek and sprinted up the hallway with Pete close behind her.
"Good luck, Inspector," Jacques called after her, in amusement.
"Hey, hold up, boss. Are you gonna tell me who this woman is?" Pete called after her, breathlessly trying to keep up.
"You'll find out soon enough. Come on, chunky."
Chapter Forty-Seven
The rain lashed quicker than the windscreen wipers could cope with, and in her haste to reach their destination, Lorne manoeuvred the car through deep puddles on side-streets and back lanes.
When she pulled up on the double yellow lines a few yards from the building, Pete quipped, "Hey, you begging for a parking ticket?"
"Ha-bloody-ha. You want to park a mile down the road and battle this bloody weather without a brolly?" She poked his upper arm and added, "As if you've never pulled a yellow double-liner."
"Okay, okay, point taken," he mumbled, head moving side to side like a metronome. When she turned off the engine, he said, "So when are you going to tell me who you think J.S's sister is? The suspense, as they say, is killing me."
"You'll find out soon enough. First, I need to ask a few questions, find out who took the call when Jane Sedark ordered the taxi for her and the two children." She unzipped her bag and plonked her keys into it. "C'mon, let's make a run for it," she said, and stepped out of the car.
Holding her bag above her head, she ran to the front door of Toni's Taxis.
Pete stayed by the door while Lorne ventured farther in to the office.
The two women seemed surprised to see them, but Toni managed to smile while Mary peered at Lorne and her partner. She sure doesn't like officers of the law, that one.
"Hello, Inspector, what can we do for you this time?" Toni asked, pouring herself a coffee.
"We thought you might be able to help us locate one of your drivers?"
"Oh. Which one?"
"John Scott," Lorne said, in a calm voice, despite the adrenaline pumping round her system.
"He rang in yesterday, said he wanted to take a few days off. Has he done something wrong?" Toni's eyes drifted between Lorne and her employee, who was fidgeting at her desk.
"I don't know. Maybe, we should ask Mary?"
"How the hell should I know?" the overweight controller snapped back.
Lorne's eyes narrowed, "Surely, as radio controller, you should be aware of his every move, shouldn't you?"
"What's going on, inspector?" Toni said.
"Why don't we ask Mary or should I say, Katherine Scott about that?"
"Bloody hell!" Pete's voice bounced off the walls.
Lorne turned, and, for a minute, wanted to laugh at Pete's god-smacked face.
Toni shook her head, confused. "Mary, are you related to John?"
"What about it?" the woman shouted, her upper lip raised, baring her uneven teeth.
"You told me your name was Matthews. Why would you do that?"
"I think I can answer that one for you, Toni," Lorne told the bemused woman, but kept her gaze fixed on the controller. "It was much easier for her brother to abduct the women on his hit-list," she said, then looked at Toni, "if they deceived you." She addressed Mary again, "You doctored the dockets, made sure another driver's name was on the docket instead of your brother's. Am I right?"
"I don't know what you mean," Mary snarled.
"Where are the dockets from yesterday, Toni, and I'll show Mary exactly what I mean?"
"I'll get them for you. I put them away this morning."
While Toni located the dockets, Lorne glanced back at Pete, who's eyes and facial gestures told her he was itching to come through and question Mary, also. She threw him a don't you dare stare.
Toni removed the final shoe box from the top shelf of the unit behind her and handed it to Lorne. "Here you are. What specifically are you after, Inspector?"
"There should be a pickup from Ashleigh High School at around four, maybe four-fifteen, in the name of Sedark. Can you tell me who the driver was?"
"Let's see. Ah, here it is. The call came in at four-ten and the driver who picked her up was Wacko." Toni studied the docket and frowned.
Lorne tilted her head. "Something wrong, Toni?"
"You could say that, Inspector. Wacko wasn't on duty until nine o'clock last night."
"Perhaps you can tell me who was on control when the call came in?"
"It was you, Mary, wasn't it? What the hell is going on? Why would you put Wacko's name on a docket, when he wasn't even on duty?"
"I can answer that one for you, too, Toni. It was intentional. John Scott picked up Jane Sedark and two kids. Thankfully, the kids managed to escape, but Miss Sedark wasn't so lucky. We discovered her a couple of hours later in the cellar of his flat. Naked and tied to a chair. She suffered multiple fractures but is relieved to be alive. Unlike John Scott's previous victims. That's right, isn't it, Mary, er … I mean, Katherine?"
The controller glared at Lorne but remained silent.
"I'm so sorry, Inspector. I had no idea. Get your things together, Mary. You're finished here, and that goes for your skanky brother, too."
"Yes, Mary, gather your things, you're coming down the station with us. Pete? Will you do the honours of escorting this person from the premises?"
"Will do, boss …"
"Just one more thing, Toni, is the car Scott drives a company car or his own?"
"They all have their own vehicles, Inspector. I'd soon go out of business if I had to supply the cars."
"Thanks for your help, Toni. I hope you find a new controller and driver soon."
The colour continued to drain from Toni's face and she asked, "Do you have any idea where Scott is?"
"Let's just say we're closing in on him."
A loathsome smirk appeared on Mary's face and remained there throughout the journey back to the station.
* * *
They put the woman in interview room one. Pete and Lorne nipped next door and observed her through the two-way mirror. The whole time she glared at the uniformed officer guarding the door.
"You were right. You said there was something fishy about her. She's one hell of an evil bitch."
"Let's hold fire on the congratulations. Wait 'till we've got her brother in custody, shall we? I'm chancing my arm here, Pete, but you know your mate, 'Stinger' on the local paper? Do you think he could run a story for us? Maybe he could let it slip that Mary was being held for questioning. If J.S. knows we're holding her, it might bring him out in the open or at least force him to contact me."
Pete glanced at his watch. "If I'm quick, the story could make the late edition. I'll see what I can do. What about her?" He jerked his head in the direction of the interview room.
"I'm going to let her stew in there for a couple of hours. It might make her crack quicker."
* * * *
Lorne replaced the receiver as Pete marched into the office twenty minutes later.
"Phew, that was a close one. Half an hour to spare. Stinger lapped up the story. They want to see this bastard caught as much as we do. Who were you on the phone to?"
"Gordon Sedark. Checking to see how Jane is. She's out of hospital, still shaken up, but coping remarkably well considering what has happened to her. He wanted me to pass on his thanks to the team."
"Did you tell him about Scott's sister?"
"Not yet. So,
now we sit and wait. Scott will be in touch soon, I have no doubt about that. Fancy grabbing a quick bite before we try and break down mardy Mary?"
"Did you tell the chief we've brought her in?"
"I have. He's still in a mood. Insists you should question her while I observe."
Pete pulled a face at the suggestion.
"Don't worry, I'll prompt you through the ear-piece if needed, but I'm sure you'll be fine."
"Oh great. It'll be like 'Big Sister' watching over me while I'm questioning 'The Big Sister'," Pete grumbled on the way to the canteen.
Cruel Justice (DI Lorne Simpkins (Book one)) Page 27
