‘Why is it your fault?’
‘If I hadn’t asked him to help, all this would never have happened. And now he might be dead because of me.’ Diane tugged harder at her hair, pulling a clump out.
Emma sprang out of the bed and grabbed her mother’s arm. ‘Stop it, Mum. You’re hurting yourself.’
‘I don’t deserve to live.’ Diane glared at Emma.
Such was the force of the glare that Emma took a step back and loosened her grip. Her mother had lost it. She had a manic look in her eyes. Without Emma’s hand to stop her, Diane returned to tugging her hair. Emma decided that, whether or not her mother approved, it was time to call for medical help.
She rummaged in her pockets for her phone, but it was dead. In all the upheaval she’d forgotten to put it on charge.
‘Damn,’ she said. She grabbed her clothes, pulled them on, let herself out of the room, closed the door behind her, and hurried along the corridor to tap on Ryan’s door.
‘What is it?’ Ryan was wearing black silk pyjamas that in other circumstances Emma might have thought glamorous.
‘I need to borrow your phone.’
‘What’s wrong with yours?’ Ryan started to close the door.
‘I need it, Ryan. It’s Mum, she’s completely lost it, and she’s pulling her hair out by the roots. We need to get help for her.’
‘Damn, that’s all we need. Give me a minute to get clothes on and I’ll be right with you.’
Ryan closed his bedroom door and a few moments later reopened it. ‘Let me have a word with Mum first,’ he said as they ran along the corridor. ‘You know how she is about seeing doctors.’
‘OK, but we need to hurry. I’m afraid she’s going to hurt herself.’
Emma opened the door to the room, but Diane wasn’t there.
Chapter Fifty
The first thing Kate saw when she strode into the team room was Bill slumped at his desk, with his head resting on his hands.
‘Should you be out of hospital?’ Her voice was more strident than she meant it to be.
Bill raised his head. ‘There’s nothing wrong with me. Besides, I can’t stand hospitals.’
Kate snorted. ‘I’m told that last night you didn’t look as if you’d make it until morning. Anyway, I suppose it will save me a journey, because the first thing on my agenda today, was questioning you.’
‘I reckoned you might want to do that, so I’ve been studying the file in order to make sense of what happened.’
‘Someone tried to kill you . . . that’s what happened.’ Kate pulled a chair over to Bill’s desk and sat. ‘All I need is a name, so I can make an arrest.’
Bill sighed. ‘It’s not as simple as that.’
‘You must know who stuck you full of heroin. Surely it hasn’t scrambled your brain that much.’
‘That’s the bit that doesn’t make sense.’ Bill tapped the pencil he was holding on the cover of the file. ‘That’s why I needed to study this.’
Kate felt like strangling Bill, and she didn’t disguise the exasperation in her voice. ‘Just tell me who.’
‘That’s it, you see. I’m not sure.’
‘Why?’
‘Well, I thought it was Emma who let me into the house, she looked like her. But when she came at me with the needle and syringe, it didn’t look like Emma at all. It was as if she’d changed into someone else,’ Bill hesitated, ‘and I wondered if it was Jade.’
‘If you’re right that means Jade must still be alive.’
Kate thought of the skeletal remains they’d found in the hut on Patricia Carnegie’s property. She’d been convinced it must have been Jade in that trunk, but maybe not, maybe it was a different child altogether. They wouldn’t know until forensic tests were completed.
‘Not necessarily.’
Kate groaned. ‘Make up your mind. Either it was Jade or it wasn’t.’
Bill opened the file. ‘That’s why I was reading the case conference reports in the file. Did you know Emma was seen on a regular basis by a psychologist after her sister disappeared?’
‘Go on.’
‘The notes are full, but what caught my eye were the ones where the psychologist reported times when Emma didn’t know who she was and insisted she was Jade. The psychologist put this down to guilt because her sister was no longer there, and she was.’
‘Are you saying that Emma may not be Emma? That she’s Jade.’
‘That’s one possibility.’
Bill lapsed into thought. ‘The other possibility is Emma is more disturbed than we realized, and both she and her sister are living within the same body. I think there’s a medical term for it.’
‘You think she’s suffering from Multiple Personality Disorder.’
‘It’s a possibility, because the person who injected me was nothing like the girl who let me into the house.’
‘They could be working together.’
‘I suppose so, but it doesn’t seem likely.’
Kate leaned back in the chair. Why was nothing easy?
If Bill was right, they needed a psychiatrist to assess Emma, or Jade, or whoever the heck she was. If Bill was wrong, and there were two of them, they could end up arresting the wrong girl.
Whatever she decided to do it had all the makings of being a disaster, and Kate could see her career vanishing down the tubes.
* * * *
Diane’s head ached where she’d torn her hair out. She hadn’t meant to tug so hard, but everything was piling up and getting on top of her, and she was tired after pacing the room all night. Her thoughts were jumbled and she couldn’t make sense of anything that had happened. How on earth had Bill got into her house? And who had done that dreadful thing to him? She had to get out of here, maybe if she had some fresh air she’d be able to make sense of the whole thing.
She knew Emma would try to stop her leaving so she continued to pace until Emma eventually left the room to consult with Ryan. And Diane knew what they would be discussing. They would be plotting and planning to bring in a doctor to see her. She didn’t want anything to do with doctors; she’d had enough the last time.
Emma was hardly out the door before Diane grabbed her coat and handbag. She eased the bedroom door open and waited until after Emma rapped on Ryan’s door, and while her daughter’s back was turned, she slipped down the stairs and out the front door.
It wasn’t far to walk back to her house. Blue police tape stretched between the gateposts and a policeman stood beside the front door. She hesitated for a moment because the car was parked right in front of him, and that was what she’d come back for. However, the police hadn’t impounded the car, so there was nothing to stop her taking it.
She took a deep breath and continued to walk. Reaching the car she inserted the key in the lock, nodded at the policeman, and drove off. She was turning the corner at the top of the road before she breathed freely again.
* * * *
Kate picked up the file from Bill’s desk. ‘You can’t continue with this case, I’ll take the file,’ she said.
‘But it’s my case,’ Bill protested.
‘Not any longer. Don’t you see, the minute you became a victim, you also became a witness. There’s no way you can remain involved with Diane Carnegie and her family.’
Kate watched Bill’s shoulders slump. She knew he had an investment in solving the case, but she couldn’t allow him to jeopardize the prosecution by remaining involved.
She laid a hand on his shoulder. ‘I’ll take responsibility for this case from now on, Bill.’ She had never used his first name before when addressing him, but somehow it seemed appropriate on this occasion.
‘You’re right, of course.’ Bill’s smile was forced. ‘I’ve marked the relevant passages.’
Kate retreated to her office and opened the file, following Bill’s markers to the parts he’d indicated. It made interesting reading and she made a note of the psychologist’s name and where she was based. It was too early to phone, but it wo
uld be the first thing she did once the team meeting finished.
A tap on her office door interrupted her thoughts. ‘Come,’ she said, closing the file.
‘Everyone’s here, ma’am.’
‘Thank you, Sue. We’d better get started.’
She rose from her chair, buttoned her jacket, and joined the team where they were gathered at the end of the room, in front of the whiteboard.
‘Coffee, ma’am?’
‘No, I won’t bother for now, let’s get on with it. Sue, will you mark up the board?’
Sue lifted a marker. ‘Yes, ma’am.’
‘Right, let’s start with the Carnegie investigation. Jenny, where are we with that?’
Jenny adjusted her spectacles. ‘The forensic team finished examining the kitchen where the assault took place before I left last night. They intend to return today to examine the rest of the house. I contacted the Housing Department, but they had no room in any of their Homeless Units, so they placed the family in a bed and breakfast establishment nearby. I’ve informed them we will have to talk to them again today, and I’ve added the address of the B&B to the board.’
‘What are they saying, so far?’
‘They claim to have no knowledge of what happened in their house, and appear mystified. Diane Carnegie, the mother, claims to have arrived home with her daughter, Emma, and says that was when they found the body,’ Jenny looked apologetically at Bill, ‘in the kitchen of their home. Furthermore, Diane Carnegie claims she had just returned from Broughty Ferry, where apparently she’d been walking in the vicinity of the beach and castle. Emma Carnegie claims to have been at a lecture at the university, and she returned home by bus. She met her mother at the bus stop and they walked home together. Ryan Carnegie arrived home before his mother and sister, but said he went straight upstairs to shower. He saw a light on in the kitchen and assumed it would be his mother or sister. He did not look in the kitchen.’
Sue marked the information on the whiteboard. ‘Ryan arrived home first? Do we have approximate times?’
‘None of them are sure, but they all think it was round about 7pm. However, one of the neighbours has given us fairly accurate times. According to him, Ryan arrived home sometime between 18.15 and 18.20 hours. Mrs Carnegie and Emma arrived at 19.00 hours.’
Kate frowned. ‘Any possibility one of them could have been in the house earlier, left and then returned?’
‘It’s possible. Ryan claims to have been with a friend, Kara Ferguson, up until a few minutes before he arrived home. Emma, claims to have been at a university lecture, but couldn’t give the name of anyone who saw her. While Mrs Carnegie doesn’t seem to have an alibi at all.’
‘The alibis need to be checked.’ Kate stood and walked to the board to study it more closely. ‘We also have DS Murphy with us. I’m sure we’re all pleased he’s returned from the dead, so to speak. So we have an eye witness to what happened. Unfortunately for Bill, he can no longer be involved in the murder investigation because he is now a witness. I’ll speak for him. I’ve interviewed him and there is confusion in his mind about who assaulted him. He thinks it was Emma who let him into the house, but is not convinced it was Emma who committed the assault. Whoever it was, she looked like Emma, but there were significant differences in manner, and he thinks it may have been Jade who attacked him. However, he has an interesting theory that Emma may be suffering from multiple personality disorder. I’m not totally convinced of that, but I’ll be speaking to the psychologist who treated her five years ago.’
Kate studied the board. ‘Now for the update on the Megan Fraser case. Sue, would you like to talk it through? Jenny can mark up the board.’
Sue handed the marker to Jenny.
‘After an examination of Paul Carnegie’s computer it became apparent he had some involvement with Megan Fraser’s disappearance. Images of girls were found on his hard drive, and among them were images of Megan. There were also images of his daughter, Jade, who supposedly went missing five years ago. On examining the images it was detected Megan was trussed up in what looked like a garden shed. On the balance of probabilities we obtained a search warrant for Patricia Carnegie’s house and grounds. A search was set in motion and we found the shed where Megan had been held, however she was no longer there. During an interview with Mrs Carnegie, we had reason to believe she might have set Megan free and directed her to run to the other side of the wood where she knew there was a quarry. By the time we reached Megan she’d fallen into the quarry and had to be rescued by the RAF mountain rescue team. She was taken to Ninewells Hospital. There are other developments in relation to this case which are not directly linked to Megan, although they are linked to Paul Carnegie. A search of the shed revealed evidence of Megan having been there, but it also led to the finding of skeletal remains enclosed in a large wooden trunk. Forensics intend to examine the scene this morning.’
‘Thank you, Sue.’ Kate faced the team. ‘With reference to the assault on DS Murphy, I want Jenny and Blair to check out the alibis for the Carnegie family. Check the university for anyone who saw Emma at the lecture, and also check in Broughty Ferry to see if anyone saw Diane Carnegie. Get the local uniforms to do a door to door in the area. Find out which bus drivers were on both routes and see if they remember anything. And question Ryan Carnegie’s lady friend. I’ll talk to the psychologist in relation to Emma, and we wait until all the information is gathered before we do anything.’
Kate drew breath. ‘Bill and I will work the Megan Fraser case. Sue, I want you to take charge of the Carnegie case. But first I want you to talk to Megan, find out what she remembers, and find out who helped her get out of the shed and what was said. If I’m not mistaken, Patricia Carnegie had a hand in that, and if that proves to be the case I want her arrested as an accessory. Jenny and Blair, you will report back to Sue. Bill, you’re with me.’
Chapter Fifty-One
Kate drummed her fingers on the desk as she waited for the phone to be picked up at the other end. It seemed to be taking forever.
‘How can I help you?’
Kate stopped drumming her fingers. ‘This is Detective Inspector Rawlings. Can I speak to Dr Murdoch, please?’
‘I’ll see if she’s available.’
Kate couldn’t place the music playing while she waited. She wasn’t in the mood for soothing music, although her fingers tapped in time with it.
‘Dr Murdoch, speaking.’ The voice was soft, polite and female.
‘I’m Detective Inspector Rawlings, Dr Murdoch, and I’m phoning in relation to Emma Carnegie. I believe you treated her a few years ago.’
There was a short silence. ‘I haven’t seen Emma for several years, but you must know I cannot give you details concerning a client.’
Kate struggled to keep her voice pleasant, even though she wanted to demand the doctor tell her what she wanted to know. ‘Yes,’ she said, ‘but I wouldn’t dream of asking you to disclose anything that wasn’t already a matter of record. I’ve got the file on the investigation of Emma’s sister Jade, in front of me, and I wanted to check out one or two things from the case conference minutes at the time.’
‘I see.’
‘Some of the statements you made at the time you were treating Emma, referred to times when she was confused about who she was, there are also references to times when she claimed to be Jade. I wondered about that.’
‘This is typical survivor guilt.’ Dr Murdoch’s voice was guarded.
‘I understand that, but it did make me wonder whether it might be Multiple Personality Disorder.’
‘Hmm, an interesting supposition. It did cross my mind at the time, but the episode did not last long, and Emma lapsed back into her own persona. I had no reason to label her with a Dissociative Personality Disorder label, or as you prefer to call it MPD.’
‘Thank you,’ Kate said. It was evident no more was to be obtained from Dr Murdoch, but it was enough.
‘May I ask why you are requesting this information?
’
Kate was tempted to play the doctor at her own game by saying she could not disclose details, however, that would get her nowhere. ‘We have an ongoing murder enquiry with a survivor who claims to have been attacked by either Emma or Jade, and we are investigating the possibility Jade has made a reappearance, or that Emma has assumed Jade’s persona.’
‘I see.’
‘I don’t suppose there’s a possibility you could see Emma on a professional basis?’
‘Only if the family, or their GP request it, I’m afraid.’ There was a brief silence. ‘However, if the court were to request a report I would have to supply it.’
Kate replaced the phone after thanking Dr Murdoch for her help, then leaned back in her chair to consider what her next option would be.
* * * *
‘Damn!’ Emma bit her lip. ‘I should have watched her. There’s no knowing what she’ll do in her present frame of mind.’
‘Maybe she felt cooped up and stepped out for a breath of fresh air.’
Emma snorted. ‘The way she was talking? It’s more likely she’s headed for the Tay Bridge.’
‘You don’t think . . . ’
‘You didn’t hear her. You weren’t in our room this morning.’ Emma breathed hard, fighting to keep the tears at bay. ‘Why do you think I want a doctor to see her? And now it’s too late. She’s gone.’
Ryan grabbed her arm and shook it. ‘We have to find her. She can’t be long gone. It only took me a few minutes to throw my clothes on.’
‘You’re right. If we hurry we might catch her. I bet she’s gone home.’
Ryan let go of her arm and ran down the stairs. ‘Come on, then.’
Emma grabbed her coat from the clothes rail which served as the room’s wardrobe, and hurried after him, not bothering to shut the door behind her.
The street outside was deserted, except for Ryan who was running along it. Emma, who had one arm in the sleeve of her coat, hurriedly thrust the other one in and ran after him.
Missing Believed Dead Page 26
