Death Do Us Part (DI Damen Brook 6)

by Steven Dunne

  ‘The killer wanted them like that?’ said Banach.

  ‘More likely he encouraged it as part of his vision,’ put in Brook.

  ‘His vision?’

  ‘How he sees himself in the drama and what he wants to take from the act he’s committing,’ explained Brook. The less experienced members of his team took a moment to process his meaning, and he paused to let it sink in before nodding at Noble.

  ‘Blood spatter and pooling from the Breadsall victims, combined with the angle of the gunshots, indicated that Frazer and Nolan were shot from close range by a standing gunman, or gunmen, and died where they sat. Reconstructions suggest their killer was between five-eight and six foot.’

  ‘Narrows it down to about three million men,’ said Morton to a short burst of laughter from assembled officers.

  ‘And yesterday?’

  ‘Initial blood analysis suggests the same MO, though we don’t yet have a trajectory to confirm range or height of the killer.’

  ‘Frazer and Nolan were gay,’ said DC Smee. ‘That’s the biggest difference, surely.’

  ‘Of course,’ agreed Noble. ‘However, they were married, like the Gibsons, and at this stage we’re not fully convinced their sexuality was a factor. DI Ford’s squad—’

  ‘Ex-DI Ford,’ interrupted Brook.

  ‘Ex-DI Ford spent a lot of time and effort trying to flush out a jilted gay lover for the Breadsall killings, without success, and forensics also drew a blank on the usual indicators for a sexual motive. In fact, all four victims were unmolested and their bodies showed no signs of violence, apart from bruising on Frazer and Nolan’s chests and wrists as a result of restraint.’

  ‘So not a hate crime either,’ suggested Banach.

  ‘Given the lack of hate on display, I’d say no,’ said Brook.

  ‘Ruling out homophobia,’ said Morton.

  ‘And shooting is not the normal MO for a hate crime,’ added Banach.

  ‘It’s limiting if you want to express rage,’ agreed Brook. ‘It’s too cold, it lacks catharsis, and if a gun is ever a hate criminal’s weapon of choice, you’d expect to see more bullets fired.’

  ‘There would have been head shots as well,’ said Banach. ‘Hate crimes involve destruction of personality, and the face and head represent identity.’ Impressed, Brook flattened his hands to mime books and Banach smiled, embarrassed.

  Noble handed off the remote to DC Read, who loaded the next frame, showing a black handgun.

  ‘Me and Smee were seconded to DI Ford’s team for last month’s killings,’ said Read.

  ‘Ex-DI Ford,’ repeated Brook softly.

  Read smiled apologetically. ‘The weapons used on Frazer and Nolan were Glocks, one of the most popular handguns in the world because of its simplicity and versatility. It’s used by the British Army as well as our own Armed Response Units in divisions up and down the country, including Derbyshire.’ He loaded the next slide.

  ‘The Glock 17 is the original design and still popular. It has a polymer frame, which makes it light and durable, and it fires a standard nine-millimetre bullet, two of which were recovered from the victims in Breadsall. It’s hard to say which model was used because a lot of Glocks use the same ammunition, which is why it’s such a popular handgun.

  ‘But according to the ballistics boffins at EMSOU, the distinctive hexagonal filing in the barrel suggests both weapons were early-generation models. The original Glock 17 was first produced in 1982, but it could also be a Glock 18 or 19. Also, factory magazines will work in the 26 and the 34, and all generations of these handguns pack a nine-mill slug.’ He paused for effect and loaded the next frame. ‘Originally, DI … ex-DI Ford was thinking in terms of a lone gunman, but as you can see, the striations on the two bullets from Breadsall show they were fired from different guns.’

  ‘Two handguns,’ observed Morton. ‘Two killers?’

  ‘We’re keeping an open mind,’ said Brook. ‘Nothing is certain until we confirm.’

  ‘A single doer isn’t going to take a separate gun for each vic,’ insisted Morton. ‘Has to be two gunmen.’

  ‘It doesn’t make sense, though,’ answered Brook. ‘Especially for victims as compliant as the Gibsons.’

  ‘It’s excessive,’ agreed Banach.

  ‘Very,’ said Brook. ‘But it’s more than that. With multiple assailants there’s invariably an element of escalation in the violence, and that’s also missing from both scenes.’

  ‘They egg each other on,’ nodded Morton. ‘Show off.’

  Brook gestured at Read to continue.

  ‘Last month we started tracking down all the nine-millimetre Glock firearms licensed to members of various gun clubs in the Derby area. All were legitimately held and securely stored. Nevertheless, DS Caskey had us collect them and send them for test-firing. So far EMSOU has found no match to the bullets removed from Frazer and Nolan.’

  ‘How many guns are we talking about?’

  ‘Fourteen,’ said Read. ‘We know that Matthew Gibson, Mr and Mrs Gibson’s son, is a member of the Swadlincote club, but he wasn’t spoken to because his weapon was decommissioned.’

  ‘Any ex-army or police on the Boulton Moor estate, Dave?’ asked Noble.

  ‘Police?’ exclaimed Morton.

  ‘Frazer and Nolan were restrained with handcuffs before being tied and the cuffs were subsequently removed,’ explained Smee.

  ‘Anybody can get hold of handcuffs these days,’ observed Cooper.

  ‘But not anybody can get hold of a Glock,’ said Brook. ‘And that’s what Authorised Firearms Officers in Derbyshire carry.’

  ‘It’s not like they can sign them out for a bit of freelance serial killing,’ objected Morton. ‘Security is tighter than a gnat’s chuff.’

  ‘Well someone talked their way into the Gibson house at the weekend, probably late at night and with a gun as backup, so it’s possible they posed as a figure of authority.’ There was a murmur at Brook’s pronouncement.

  ‘And there’s no one with more authority than a police officer,’ observed Banach.

  ‘We’re just throwing things out there at this stage, but with three pointers, we have to at least consider it,’ said Noble. ‘And for obvious reasons, this line of enquiry is not to be aired outside this room until we can discount it. Not even with family and friends, and especially not work colleagues. Understood?’ There was an outbreak of nodding. ‘Dave.’

  ‘I’ve not managed to find any residents with links to guns in Breadsall,’ replied Cooper. ‘Although there are a number of retired police officers in the area, none of them were or are AFOs. Also no coppers living near the Boulton Moor crime scene. However, in the next street to the Gibsons there’s an ex-soldier, David Fry.’

  ‘Soldier?’

  ‘Infantry, to be specific, so comfortable with weapons.’ Cooper took a moment to load a mugshot of the man Brook had seen the day before taking a keen interest in the Gibson crime scene. In the photo, he had a black eye and looked the worse for wear.

  ‘He was hanging off the boundary tape yesterday,’ said Banach.

  ‘He’s local, so that may not be significant.’

  Read nodded towards the mugshot. ‘But he’s clearly got form.’

  ‘Fry returned to Derby from Afghanistan eighteen months ago, after leaving the army. Since being demobilised, he’s amassed a jacket for drunkenness and affray but nothing with extreme violence and no suggestion that he has a weapon.’

  ‘Veterans always have a weapon,’ said Morton. ‘Even if it’s just a souvenir.’

  ‘Service record?’

  ‘Not got that far,’ said Cooper.

  ‘Employed?’ said Brook.

  ‘Officially unemployed.’

  ‘Put him down for a follow-up, John,’ said Brook.

  ‘Bring him in?’

  ‘No need. We know where he lives.’

  Brook nodded at Read, who waved a hand at the display boards. ‘Anyway, I put a list of the local Glock owners on t
he boards and in the record, for what it’s worth, but it’s looking like the guns used in Breadsall were either rogues or out-of-area. We’re putting out feelers to other forces asking them to follow up question marks on the database about missing Glocks in Surrey, Hertfordshire and Scotland. Slim chance of a comeback, so a rogue is favourite. Somebody who’s reactivated a weapon illegally or smuggled it into the country. There’s quite a healthy trade in Northern Ireland because the army and the PSNI both carry Glocks, and when they get decommissioned it’s not unknown for them to show up on the black market here.’

  ‘In other words, any Glock used in a murder is likely to be illegal.’

  ‘Afraid so,’ confirmed Read.

  ‘What about Gibson’s gun?’ said Noble.

  ‘He’s still not found it,’ said Smee. ‘Went round the whole house, but no sign.’ He shrugged. ‘Seemed genuinely put out.’

  ‘Get a search warrant and have a proper look,’ said Brook. ‘What about his gun club?’

  ‘First place we went after we checked his house,’ said Smee. ‘It wasn’t in his locker or cabinet, but last night I spoke to the president of the club …’ he consulted a note, ‘a Mr Graham Warburton, and he confirmed he’d seen Gibson’s gun at a social event at his Ticknall home and remembered the weapon was deactivated.’

  ‘But presumably it can be reactivated,’ said Brook.

  ‘By someone who knows what they’re doing, sure.’

  ‘What about Gibson’s financials?’ asked Noble.

  ‘He’s a property millionaire twice over,’ said Banach. ‘He owns twenty-three houses around the city and county including his own, so no obvious financial motive.’

  ‘Maybe he’s overstretched,’ suggested Morton.

  Banach shook her head. ‘Far from it. He acquired the bulk of his portfolio in his twenties and thirties, so debt repayments and mortgage liabilities are very low. His finances and cash flow are sound.’

  ‘Another motive bites the dust,’ remarked Noble.

  ‘It doesn’t mean he didn’t kill his parents,’ said Morton.

  ‘Not without a motive I can believe in, Rob,’ said Brook. ‘One that explains the champagne and the music. If Gibson wanted his parents gone, the simplest thing to do would be to batter them over the head and ransack the place, make it look like teenage thrill killers or burglars. Instead we have an envelope full of cash with Gibson’s prints on and two shots fired from a model of gun he owns …’

  ‘… all of which implicates him,’ said Noble.

  ‘He’s a retired accountant and property millionaire,’ said Brook. ‘I may be giving him too much credit, but if he had a motive, he’d plan it a lot better than that.’

  A few heads nodded reluctantly.

  ‘Speaking of champagne and music,’ said Noble. ‘This morning we reinterviewed the neighbour of the Breadsall house, the one who found Frazer and Nolan.’ A few brows furrowed and Cooper glanced at his watch. ‘Don’t ask,’ said Noble. ‘She confirmed that both victims were partial to champagne, and we found several bottles in their wine rack, as well as an empty one. Forensics showed Frazer and Nolan had consumed alcohol before they died.’

  ‘There were no empty bottles or champagne glasses in view,’ said Smee.

  ‘If Breadsall was the first kill, we could be dealing with an emerging MO,’ said Brook. ‘Frazer and Nolan could have been drinking when the killer arrived and he may have decided to make it a feature of future killings.’

  ‘Where was the empty bottle?’ said Morton.

  ‘In the wine rack.’

  ‘So the killer tidied it up?’

  ‘Unless Frazer and Nolan had finished it before he got there,’ said Brook. ‘But fledgling serial killers are often chaotic in their thinking. Their first slaying is a basic model, which succeeding kills build on.’

  ‘They keep going until they get it right,’ nodded Cooper.

  ‘So adding the champagne is a tweak,’ asked Banach.

  ‘It’s possible.’

  ‘What about the music?’ said Smee.

  ‘We think the killer may have been thwarted by technology,’ said Noble. ‘The neighbour, Maureen McConnell, said there was no music playing when she entered the house; however, she was certain the iPod was on.’

  ‘So something might have been playing while they died,’ said Banach.

  ‘But why wasn’t it continuous like at the Gibsons’?’

  ‘Different technology,’ murmured Banach. ‘There was a CD player at the Gibsons’; maybe the killer tried to put music on repeat for Frazer and Nolan but didn’t know how.’

  ‘Meaning someone older,’ said Cooper, nodding.

  ‘Matthew Gibson’s age,’ offered Morton.

  ‘It’s not Gibson,’ said Brook.

  ‘You keep saying that, but he still hasn’t given us a solid alibi,’ said Morton. ‘Also he touched the CD player and the money and was positive for GSR.’

  ‘He’s a member of a gun club,’ argued Brook.

  ‘That doesn’t alibi him just because he told us about it,’ insisted Noble. ‘He owns a missing Glock and he has a key to the second crime scene.’

  ‘It doesn’t give him motive for the first killing.’

  ‘Both scenes are organised,’ argued Read. ‘Points to a mature perp.’

  ‘It’s because his parents’ murder was organised that he didn’t do it,’ retorted Brook.

  ‘Not if he organised it as assisted suicide,’ suggested Banach. ‘They both had health issues, after all. Maybe they decided their time was up. They want to go together so they ask their son to kill them. Gibson agrees and takes champagne to celebrate a happy life and plays them their favourite track as they die.’

  ‘And being officially a murder and not a suicide, their life insurance is still valid so they can leave something to the grandchildren,’ said Morton. ‘Add in their savings and you’re looking at over a hundred grand.’

  ‘Works for me,’ said Cooper.

  ‘But not only does Gibson not need the money, he doesn’t inherit,’ said Brook.

  ‘No, but his brother does, and if his parents are desperate to go, Gibson might see it as a good way to preserve the inheritance,’ said Banach.

  ‘So they have a little party and he kills them quickly,’ nodded Morton, his enthusiasm rising. ‘The insurance coughs up and everybody’s happy. I like it.’

  ‘Well I don’t,’ said Brook. ‘Right now he’s a person of interest, no more. And in case you’ve forgotten, it was Gibson who told us the music was playing. Why tell us that if he put it on? In fact, why not remove the disc altogether when he turns off the CD player?’

  There was silence as Brook’s objections sank in.

  ‘A hundred thousand pounds butters a lot of parsnips where I come from,’ said Smee. ‘Even if the whole bundle goes to the son in Australia, Gibson gets the house back and his parents avoid a miserable old age – everybody wins.’

  ‘All arguments to revisit if the two murders are unconnected,’ said Brook. ‘Meanwhile we execute the search warrant on Gibson’s house, and if it throws up something, all well and good. But if we get a match on the weapons from both crime scenes, then we’re looking for a serial killer.’

  ‘And he’s out there looking for his next elderly couple to kill,’ said Banach.

  ‘Why elderly?’ asked Read.

  ‘Emerging MO,’ said Brook. ‘The Gibsons were a lot less trouble than Frazer and Nolan.’

  ‘And they didn’t have an iPod,’ added Banach.

  ‘What if we can connect Matthew Gibson to Frazer and Nolan in some way?’ said Cooper.

  Something in his voice made Brook sit up. ‘Can we?’

  Cooper flipped his terminal round. ‘This just in. Matthew Gibson, fifty-four years old and a confirmed bachelor until this spring.’

  ‘Confirmed bachelor,’ said Brook, narrowing his eyes. ‘Are you telling me he’s gay?’

  ‘He married a James Trimble in April, so I’d say yes. He’s gay.’


  ‘That’s not much of a connection,’ said Banach, first to speak after a moment’s silence.

  ‘It’s more than we had before,’ said Noble.

  ‘There’s more,’ said Cooper. ‘Gibson’s got form. He’s originally from Derby but left home at sixteen and moved to London the same year, 1978. A year later, he was cautioned for soliciting in Piccadilly Circus, and he has a string of related misdemeanours over the next eighteen months, including possession, affray and public indecency. That last offence was with a senior civil servant, who lost his job and subsequently killed himself.’

  ‘Gibson was a rent boy?’ said Smee.

  ‘Reading between the lines.’

  ‘Anything else?’ asked Brook.

  ‘Nothing,’ replied Cooper, tapping his keyboard. ‘He seems to have cleaned up his act after that. Went to college to study for his A levels and became an accountant. He bought property in London, then sold up and moved back to Derby to start building his portfolio here. Now has his own property company and website. Nose clean ever since.’

  Brook was deep in thought. ‘Check Frazer and Nolan’s laptop and phones again. Dig deeper into any social media they subscribed to. Matthew Gibson, too. And get moving on that warrant, Rob. Dave, I want more background on Gibson’s misdemeanours. Also check on the family in Australia. Try to get a hint about relations between Matthew and his parents, and text John as soon as you have anything. It’s time we filled in the blanks on Gibson’s alibi.’

  ‘I think we can guess, can’t we?’ said Noble, following Brook to the door.

  ‘Since when did we start guessing?’

  ‘Aren’t you forgetting about Terri?’

  Brook glanced at his watch. ‘I’ve got time.’ He hesitated, then glanced surreptitiously back at Cooper. ‘Meet you at the car, John.’ Noble extracted a cigarette and headed for the stairs.

  ‘Dave, I forgot to mention phone records.’

  ‘John got me on to it last night,’ smiled Cooper. ‘Nobody rang the Gibsons over the weekend to arrange a visit, certainly not Matthew. Still waiting for the paperwork on his mobile, but if he did go to see his parents, he didn’t ring ahead.’ Brook nodded his thanks but didn’t move off. ‘Something else?’