by Lin Anderson
The detective answered almost immediately and launched into a disturbing story concerning Melanie Jones. It was the first Magnus had heard of the second death. Even as he listened to Bill’s account of Melanie’s mother finding the body, and the post-mortem confirming suffocation, Magnus was questioning his interpretation of the diary.
‘Is it possible,’ Bill was asking, ‘that Coulter was aware of some threat to Melanie and her baby?’
Magnus recalled Coulter’s watchful eyes. Had he been looking for a reaction to his use of the name ‘Melanie’ for the new doll?
‘I don’t know,’ he said honestly, no longer trusting his own judgement.
‘What if we’re right, and Coulter does have someone on the outside who’s feeding him information, or even acting on his behalf?’
‘You think Coulter could be controlling this from inside the prison hospital?’
‘It wouldn’t be the first time murders have been masterminded by prisoners. The questions are: how could Coulter achieve that, and why would he want to?’
‘I can tell you why, easily,’ Magnus said. ‘I don’t believe Coulter has changed, merely adapted his behaviour to suit his circumstances, a common skill in psychopaths. Everything he does is concerned with increasing hisposition and influence. He could be playing all of us, including Dr Shan.’
‘Well, not any longer.’ Anger crackled in Bill’s voice.
Magnus changed the subject. ‘I called you because I may have found something in Kira’s notebook.’ He explained about the Dionysos reference and the cult of the Maenads, then waited for Bill’s reaction, feeling a little foolish.
When Bill spoke, he sounded intrigued. ‘This Greek god, Dionysos – if you were fashioning a mask of him, what would it look like?’
‘A mask? Well, he’s often associated with wine, so probably a vine or grapes would be incorporated.’
‘We found one in Melanie’s room. Green, smiling, with bunches of purple grapes around his face.’
‘That sounds like it could be him.’
So his interpretation of the Greek references to Dionysos in the notebook might be correct. Magnus went on to describe the part that disturbed him the most – the story of Myrrha and her relationship with her father. He could sense the tension on the other end of the line as Bill listened without interruption.
When he finished, Bill said, ‘Thanks, Magnus. That’s one thing I hadn’t thought of. More fool me.’
35
Bill called the meeting to order. The men and women in the incident room had been working flat out for seven days without finding the missing baby, and they now had another dead girl.
Most already assumed Kira’s baby to be dead too. Bill hoped they were wrong.
He glanced round as silence descended, taking note of Magnus at the back next to Rhona. They were already aware that he would call on them as required.
The important thing was to try and present an overview of the situation, since so many of the team had been working on their own piece of the investigation. To keep up the momentum, everyone should be made aware of how important their own contributions were. Bill dealt with the most recent death first.
‘There were no signs of a break-in, and when Melanie’s mother arrived home, the front door was off the latch. Either Melanie had failed to lock it when she went for a nap, or she let her killer in because she knew and trusted them.’
They studied Roy’s recording of Melanie’s bedroom. Everything looked so normal, and in death Melanie appeared simply to be asleep on the bed. It was nothing like the horrific scene in the mirror maze.
‘Melanie was suffocated, probably with one of her pillows. There were no signs of a struggle. She was a slight girl, easily overpowered, especially if the perpetrator found her asleep. Hopefully forensics will tell us more when they’ve processed the material.’ Bill then brought up a photo of the mask on the screen, and asked Magnus to come forward.
Magnus explained about the Maths notebook as the relevant pages replaced the mask overhead. There were a few groans and mutterings from the assembled team about having been crap at Maths at school, but Magnus’s clear explanation and delivery soon had them all listening intently.
He showed them the opening message which he translated as ‘It begins’, then explained how he had pieced together the name Dionysos. He flicked the image back to the photograph of the mask and explained the cult of the Greek god and the young female Maenads who worshipped him.
Bill interrupted, seeing that the team were wondering what this had to do with Melanie’s murder, and filled them in on the drunken teenage parties and the girls’ apparent obsession with pregnancy. Then he ran through the details of their meeting with Coulter.
‘We think someone may have been feeding Coulter inside information about the case. Ian, Sarah, you’ve been looking into this – what have you come up with?’
DC Ian Murphy looked embarrassed to be put on the spot and stumbled a bit as he stood, to catcalls from the floor.
Bill raised his hand to silence them.
‘Let’s hear it.’
Murphy cleared his throat, then read from his notebook. ‘Geri Taylor, Coulter’s former partner and the mother of the infant he killed, is still in contact with him. In fact, she has visited him twice in the last month.’
That pronouncement sent shocked whispers around the room. Murphy waited until they subsided.
‘Apart from Ms Taylor, eleven women write to him regularly, one more frequently than the others.’
‘Who is she?’ Bill asked.
‘Her name is Caroline Sweet.’
Someone hummed the opening bars of Neil Diamond’s ‘Sweet Caroline’, causing some slightly sheepish laughter. Bill ignored it.
‘Address?’
‘A post office box, Sir.’
‘Coulter said someone called Caroline suggested he send me his diary,’ said Magnus.
‘OK, we need to find this woman. What about phone calls?’
‘He makes one every fortnight, to Geri Taylor.’
‘That’s it?’
‘Yes, Sir.’
‘No sign of a mobile?’
‘Not yet, Sir.’
Bill didn’t doubt that Coulter was using means other than the official PIN-controlled calls to keep in touch with the outside world.
‘What about the workroom? He may have hidden the components of a mobile phone among the doll material,’ Magnus suggested.
‘Was the workroom searched?’ Bill asked Murphy.
‘Dr Shan says it was.’
‘I want that room searched again, forensically this time.’
Bill turned back to address the room. ‘The doll found in the park was modelled on Kira as a child and bought by Mrs Reese-Brandon, who says it went missing from her house. Kira knew about the doll, so she may have mentioned its existence to the other girls or to David. We need to know who was aware that doll existed. Also, Coulter says he’s working on a Reborn he calls Melanie. He made a point of telling us the name.’ He paused. ‘If Coulter knew about these girls, I want to know how and why.’
Rhona was next up. She came forward, and Bill thought how pale and tense she looked; McNab’s murder had hit her hard, and he wasn’t convinced she’d dealt with it yet He’d wanted to talk to her but had held off, hoping that his own discreet enquiries about Kalinin and SOCA might soon bear fruit. He made up his mind to have a quiet word with her on her own as soon as possible.
Rhona began, her voice clear and steady. ‘We retrieved yak hair from under Kira’s fingernail, which is often used in making high quality wigs for clowns. Kira was known to have had a phobia about clowns.’
Bill nodded. ‘If there was anyone dressed as a clown in the vicinity that night, I want to know about it.’
Rhona went on. ‘The blood from the umbilical cord proved that David Murdoch was not the father of Kira’s baby, although we recovered two dentricles from his jeans. Shark skin dentricles, probably from the knife used to section K
ira after she was rendered unconscious using chloroform.’
Someone at the back raised a hand. ‘How would the boy have known how to perform a Caesarean section? Do we know if he had any medical training?’
Rhona shook her head. ‘We don’t think so, but full details of the Caesarean method, particularly the older version, are available on the internet. Butchers’ knives and hunting knives, both of which often have rough shark skin handles to prevent the hand slipping in blood, can also easily be bought online.’
Bill allowed a few moments for all that to sink in, then clapped his hands together decisively.
‘OK, I want David Murdoch, Sandie Stewart-Smith and Owen Hegarty brought back in. I also want all the kids known to have attended these parties to be fingerprinted and swabbed.’
Bill dismissed the team, aware of Magnus’s curious eyes on him. Bill had decided to ask the professor not to mention the Myrrha angle to the team yet. It was too explosive. Rhona and Magnus followed him into the office and he closed the door behind them before he spoke.
‘We’re going back to see Kira’s parents. I want them both swabbed.’
‘Are they suspects?’ Rhona said.
Bill turned to Magnus. ‘Tell Rhona what you told me.’
36
‘Is this really necessary?’
Ronald Reese-Brandon had aged ten years since their last meeting. The arrogant façade had dissolved, allowing a glimpse of the tortured soul beneath.
‘It’s useful for elimination purposes.’
Kira’s mother sat on the sofa, clasping and unclasping her hands, occasionally looking up at her husband as though for guidance, which was never forthcoming. Mr Reese-Brandon finally gave in and slumped down beside her.
‘OK, let’s get it over with.’
Rhona produced the mouth swabs. Kira’s mother looked as though she might burst into tears at any moment and her husband was grimly silent, but both of them submitted to swabbing.
When it was over, Reese-Brandon quickly rose.
‘Now can I get back to work?’
‘Can you spare a few more minutes? I wanted to ask you both a couple of questions about the doll your wife bought.’
His pale face flushed.
‘What doll?’
‘Your wife told us she purchased a Reborn doll, made to look like Kira as a baby.’
Reese-Brandon turned on his wife. ‘I told you not to do that. I forbade it.’
She cringed.
‘You were unaware she had bought the doll?’ said Rhona.
‘We discussed it. I told her it was a terrible idea. The doll would only remind Kira of the baby. We wanted her to forget it and get on with her life.’
‘Nevertheless, your wife did purchase the doll and showed it to Kira.’
‘I never knew this.’ He threw his wife a look of contempt.
‘We found the doll in the park not far from the funfair. According to your wife, she thought it was still here, in a box in her wardrobe.’
Reese-Brandon had regained some of his strength.
‘I had no idea the doll existed, here or anywhere else.’
‘So you didn’t remove it from the wardrobe?’
‘How could I, when I didn’t know it was there?’ His tone was exasperated.
‘You’re sure about that?’
‘Of course I’m sure.’
‘I also need to take your fingerprints.’
‘This is ridiculous!’
‘Dr MacLeod will do it here, or you can come down to the station.’
‘My daughter’s been murdered and you spend your time hounding us instead of looking for the culprit?’
Bill didn’t answer. Reese-Brandon couldn’t refuse, no matter how much he blustered.
When Rhona had finished processing the prints, Kira’s mother looked as though she could take no more, but Bill had to harden his heart and keep questioning her.
‘Melanie told me that Kira was afraid of clowns. Is that true?’
Mrs Reese-Brandon raised her head wearily. ‘Yes, she was terrified of them. I don’t know why, but it started when she was very young. If she went to a birthday party and they had a clown, we would have to leave.’
‘So if someone wanted to frighten Kira, that would be the way to do it?’
‘She would have had a panic attack. It was the only thing that truly scared her.’
‘What did you think?’ Bill asked Rhona, once they were in the car.
‘The father was dominant. The mother submissive, although not averse to going against his wishes in secret.’
‘Did he know about the doll, do you think?’
‘He looked pretty disgusted when the subject came up,’ replied Rhona.
‘If the doll was in the cupboard, then only a few people had access to it. Kira, possibly David, maybe the gang, and of course, her parents.’
‘I didn’t get any prints from the doll, but there was a partial on the mobile.’
‘I’d like that checked against everyone who went to Kira’s parties.’
‘I’m not sure we have enough, but we can give it a try.’ Rhona paused. ‘Most people wouldn’t willingly give their mobile away. Even to a friend. It’s much too personal.’ She bit her lip anxiously. ‘Can you drop me at the lab?’
He nodded. ‘There was something I wanted to talk to you about before you leave.’ Bill watched her jaw tighten, but her voice was deliberately casual.
‘Oh, what?’
‘I’ve been making some discreet enquiries about the Kalinin case,’ he said, avoiding McNab’s name.
‘And?’
‘My contact at SOCA says that Fergus Morrison’s dead.’
Rhona turned to him, her eyes wide. ‘You . . . you know that for certain?’
‘No, but I plan to ask the Super outright.’
‘Oh, Bill.’
‘I know,’ he said. ‘Morrison was the only remaining witness to the skip murder.’
She seemed to be struggling with herself, as though she wanted to say something.
‘I’m sorry,’ he said.
She turned abruptly away.
‘I’ll do my best to find out more.’
‘No, don’t,’ she snapped.
‘But, Rhona, we agreed we wouldn’t give up on this.’
She was staring blindly out of the rain-splattered window.
‘We can’t bring McNab back, whatever we do,’ she replied.
Rhona was surprised to find the lab deserted, then realised that it was Sunday. Chrissy would be home with Sam and baby Michael. She briefly felt a pang of jealousy mixed with regret, then dismissed it. If she were at home now, even if she had someone to share the day with, she would do nothing but think. Not a pleasant prospect. She was better off here, and she had promised Bill a speedy return on the Reese-Brandons’ DNA tests.
Hopefully the task would keep her mind off other matters. Bill’s revelation that Fergus Morrison was dead had confirmed Petersson’s story; she hated to admit it, but a high percentage of what he’d suggested so far had turned out to be true.
McNab had been revived in the ambulance, his post-mortem results were not available and Fergus Morrison was dead, presumably assassinated by Kalinin to prevent him from testifying. She’d wanted to ask Bill if he knew whether Misha and his sister were OK, but had stopped herself, realising that once she began, she would have been unlikely to stop.
Now, worry began to nip at her. Petersson hadn’t wanted Bill involved, as he suspected someone on the inside. Bill was discreet, but if the informer – whoever it was – got to hear of Bill’s continuing interest in the case, what would they read into that? Would it serve only to reinforce the idea that McNab was alive and they were hiding him to testify later?
No. Bill had openly mourned McNab. No one could believe his anger and determination to discover the truth stemmed from anything other than a desire for his killer to be brought to justice.
She imagined Bill’s reaction if she had dared to suggest that
McNab was still alive. He would have thought her deranged, or ill; unable to face up to death. He might have been right.
37
Twenty frightened kids, plus at least the same number of angry or worried parents. Bill had asked that they all be sent to wait in the biggest space they had, the canteen, and provided with tea, coffee and whatever teenagers were drinking these days if alcopops and cheap cider weren’t on the menu.
David Murdoch and Owen Hegarty were the only kids not attending a private school in the city. Kira had spread her net wider than Bill had thought, at least for the parties. He suspected, though, that the inner circle had been restricted to the Daisy Chain and David.
When he entered the room, all heads turned his way and a couple of the parents made an attempt to approach him. Bill held up his hand and asked for quiet; fortunately for him, they obeyed. He suddenly realised what it must be like for teachers in front of an unruly class, and had a moment of sympathy for his wife.
‘Thank you for coming along today,’ he began. ‘I’m sure you’re all anxious to help in our enquiries into the murders of Kira Reese-Brandon and Melanie Jones, and of course the abduction of Kira’s baby.’
He looked around at the parents’ faces. For the most part, these people were law-abiding. In fact, a few of them might be involved in upholding the law themselves. He was counting on the fact that they would go along with him on this.
‘All of you children’ – there was an indignant rumble from the assembled teenagers, which Bill ignored – ‘were friends or acquaintances of Kira’s. As such, you attended parties that Kira organised. It’s important therefore that we eliminate you from our enquiries. You can do this by giving us your fingerprints and a sample of your DNA.’
More muttering, louder this time. One man, dressed in a smart grey suit, stepped forward.
‘I assume the DNA samples and prints will be removed from your database afterwards?’
‘If no charges are brought.’
‘And my son’s record will be clean?’
‘Under those circumstances, yes.’
