Dead to Me: A serial killer thriller (Detective Kate Matthews Crime Thriller Series Book 1)

by Stephen Edger

  Laura shook her head. ‘The appointment was made online, so he’d neither seen nor spoken to them. Science Services will try and trace the email address, but—’

  ‘The chances are the account has probably already been deactivated.’

  Laura shrugged. ‘We’ll know soon enough.’

  ‘Scout the area and see what local cameras there are. I have a feeling we’re going to need all the help we can get.’

  Laura nodded, and headed outside. Kate remained where she was, trying to picture just what kind of monster would do something like this, in a place like this.

  23

  Kate strode into the Incident Room and shouted at the top of her voice: ‘Right, ladies and gents, if I can have your attention, please?’

  The detectives nearest her looked up, but the rest remained focused on their own conversations and activities. Kate put two fingers in her mouth and whistled sharply. The high-pitch screech caused all heads to turn her way.

  ‘Thank you. Now, as most of you are probably aware, we’ve had a game of musical chairs, and everyone has been reassigned to new duties. They do say that variety is the spice of life, so on that note, I have posted a list of names by the door. If you’re assigned to me, please come next door, where we have set up a new Incident Room to run parallel with the two cases in here.’

  Kate marched confidently out of the room and into the corresponding one, where she picked up a marker pen and began to scrawl on the whiteboard.

  When she turned, she saw six faces staring back at her. ‘Where’s DC Rogers and DS Santiago?’

  ‘They were interviewing a witness for Underhill when the call went out,’ said one of the newer faces. ‘They should be back soon, ma’am.’

  Kate studied his face: barely a wrinkle, and clipped stubble; handsome, but he knew it. When he spoke, his Irish roots were unmistakeable.

  She tried to remember his name, but soon gave up. ‘Who are you?’

  He stood and offered his hand with just a hint of a smile. ‘I’m DC Quinlan, ma’am. Olly.’

  A handshake seemed a little formal, considering the environment, but she shook it anyway. ‘That’s right. Welcome to the team, Olly.’

  ‘Thank you, ma’am.’ He sat back down, his eyes never leaving her.

  She passed them each a printed image of the pub where the victim had been discovered. ‘We don’t have a name for our victim yet. No identification was found at the scene, but we’ve got prints and are hoping they show up in the system somewhere. She is approximately thirty to thirty-five, based on appearance, discovered this morning in a disused pub in Woolston. Suspected cause of death is suffocation by force-feeding; time of death is estimated between four and six this morning.’

  She relayed the information Ben had given about the porridge and length of time required to undertake the act.

  ‘Jeez,’ Olly offered.

  ‘Inspector Bentley will provide uniform support for door-to-door enquiries but I want two of you down there to coordinate. We need to make a note of anyone who isn’t at home and will require a follow-up.’

  Patel entered the room with a special nod in her direction to check things were okay, before taking a seat. ‘Sorry I’m late, ma’am, I was just handing over the Watson case to Hendrix.’

  She did her best at a reassuring smile in return. ‘That’s fine. You haven’t missed much yet.’

  He raised a hand before she could continue. ‘Uh, ma’am, Hendrix asked if she can have a chat with you after this.’

  Kate sighed. ‘Fine.’ She tried to regain her train of thought.

  ‘CCTV, ma’am?’ Laura offered.

  Kate snapped her fingers. ‘Thank you, Laura. Yes, CCTV: the pub is not far from the toll bridge over the River Itchen. There are plenty of local businesses in the vicinity, some of which are bound to have their own security feeds. Olly, I want you to handle that; give Laura a break from watching videos. Gather up what you can and start reviewing ASAP. I want you to focus on the area near the pub, and in particular any vehicles that appear more than once.’

  ‘Yes, ma’am,’ Olly said.

  ‘That’s another thing: I want someone to re-interview the letting agent who found the body. He was stammering when interviewed at the scene, and I want to be sure he doesn’t know more than he’s letting on. Also, check the backgrounds of the other agents in the company, and see if any of them are known to us.’

  Patel raised his hand. ‘I’ll cover that.’

  ‘Thank you. As Quinlan so eloquently observed, this is a crime like no other we’ve seen. We need to start thinking hard about what kind of a monster we are dealing with here. Come on, shout out—’

  ‘Psychopathic,’ Laura offered.

  Kate scribbled the word on the board. ‘Good. What else?’

  ‘Calculated,’ shouted another voice.

  ‘Calm under pressure,’ said another.

  Kate continued to write. ‘Good, good. Yes, a lot of planning would have been required to undertake something like this: choosing the venue; gaining entry; moving around undetected. Patel, I want you to obtain a list of all prospective clients who have visited the venue in the last year: see if any are former offenders. Also, get on the phone to local specialist facilities to see if any of their patients have been recently released, or – heaven forbid – escaped. We also need to see if the MO has been used before. I’d be very surprised if this is the first time our killer has struck or attempted something like this.’

  ‘Do we know anything more about the victim?’ Patel asked. ‘It would help to know why he targeted her.’

  Kate checked her watch. ‘I’m meeting the forensic pathologist at the mortuary in a bit. I agree that identifying who she is will be the key to catching our killer. We need to know if she’s local to the area, where she worked, whether she’s been threatened recently, and where she was last seen. As soon as I have more, I’ll update the board. In the meantime, get your heads down and crack on. Thanks, guys.’

  The group dispersed, and Kate’s stomach grumbled. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d eaten.

  She was on her way down to the canteen to grab something when she heard her name being called from the first Incident Room. Turning, she saw Hendrix leaning out of the door.

  ‘Didn’t Patel give you my message?’

  Kate slapped her forehead. ‘Yes, of course, sorry, I was just going to get a sandwich.’

  ‘Good, I’ll come down with you.’

  Kate winced inwardly, but waited for her to catch up all the same, and then the two headed down to the large eating area in the basement. Neither spoke as they queued at the deli and ordered their baguettes.

  They found a table in a vacant corner of the room and sat across from one another. Kate was just about to bite into her baguette when Hendrix spoke. ‘I think maybe we got off on the wrong foot the other day.’

  Kate lowered her food. ‘Well, yes, I suppose—’

  ‘I believe in being honest, and I’ve been told I can come across as abrupt, but that doesn’t mean I’m not damn good at my job.’

  ‘I don’t doubt it. I’m sure you’ll put the Fenton case to bed sooner rather than—’

  ‘Oh, I intend to. Tell me, did you review the warrant request before it went before the magistrates?’

  Kate’s brow furrowed. ‘No, I trust my team.’

  ‘Well, I did look at what has been signed and it’s not worth shit.’

  ‘I beg your pardon.’

  ‘It’s useless. It lists Fenton’s home in Chilworth, his club in town, and the wreck of the warehouse that remains.’

  ‘And?’

  ‘And it doesn’t include the casino he has a stake in, or the offices he rents at an industrial estate in the north of the county.’

  Kate wiped her mouth with a paper napkin. ‘We weren’t aware of those additional properties.’

  ‘Which is why Detective Superintendent Williams should have let me take over the investigation yesterday, as I requested.’
/>
  ‘Maybe if you and your team had been forthcoming with the intelligence you’ve gathered on Fenton, we’d have had a better picture of him.’

  ‘Please don’t blame your shortcomings as SIO on me.’

  ‘How dare—’

  Hendrix leaned closer. ‘When was the last time you actually helped convict anyone, Matthews? You’ve been practically working for the other side since you came down here. Your slap-happy approach to major investigative work is an embarrassment to the force and to this unit. God only knows what mess you’re going to make of your new case. I’m sure once I’ve got Fenton behind bars DSI Williams will beg me to take it on too.’

  Kate’s chair growled as she pushed it backwards. ‘You think your team respects you? It’s bullshit. They fear you, and that’s not the same thing. You might not approve of my methods, and yeah, my recent record isn’t great, but I’ve got experience on my side, and I have solved murder investigations before. You haven’t. So, I suggest you focus on your own shortcomings before picking the bones out of me.’

  Kate stormed off, slamming her baguette into the nearest bin, before Hendrix could register a response. She’d never needed additional motivation to do her job, but with adrenalin flooding her body, she was more determined than ever to find her killer.

  24

  Ben was waiting at the slab when Kate entered the lab. In truth, she didn’t need to see the body again, but it would be a difficult task and she’d always said she would never send her team to do a job she wasn’t prepared to undertake herself, and in this case, she needed to know who the victim was, first-hand.

  Ben looked different with his afro covered by a green hat, and the lower half of his face hidden beneath a white mask. It was hard to tell if he was smiling or scowling.

  ‘What’s the difference between an onion and a corpse?’

  Kate sighed and shrugged. ‘I don’t know.’

  ‘I don’t cry when I cut up a corpse.’ His laughter was muffled beneath the mask.

  Kate forced a thin smile, before pulling the straps of a face mask behind her ears. ‘I bet you’ve been working on that all day.’

  ‘I read once that the quickest way to a woman’s heart is through comedy.’

  ‘Is that right?’

  ‘Yeah, but personally, I find a scalpel works better.’

  Kate could feel her lips curling into a smile, but quickly shook it off. ‘What can you tell me about my victim?’

  ‘Oh, of course. As I said earlier, she’s female, and in her early thirties. Hair is naturally dark. I estimate her weight pre-attack as approximately 156.6 lbs—’

  ‘Please, doc, I’m a metric girl.’

  ‘Of course, that’s…’ He looked at the ceiling as he calculated. ‘Uh, about 71 kgs, give or take.’

  ‘So, was she overweight or underweight?’

  ‘She’s five feet four or 162.6 cms, so slightly overweight, but within the boundary of the national average.’

  Kate jotted the information into her notepad.

  ‘Are you ready to take a look at her?’

  ‘Sure.’

  Ben lifted the sheet, and Kate almost swallowed her gum with a sharp intake of breath. ‘Oh my God, I know her!’

  Ben frowned. ‘The victim?’

  ‘Yeah. Wow. I did not expect that.’

  ‘I’m sorry. Was she a friend of yours?’

  She snorted. ‘Hardly!’

  ‘I don’t follow.’

  ‘That’s Eleanor Jacobs.’

  ‘I’m sorry, should I recognise that name?’

  ‘Not unless you’re in law enforcement or about to stand trial at the Crown Court. She’s a barrister; rather, she was a barrister. My God! How could I not have noticed at the scene?’

  ‘To be fair, she had that sleeping mask covering most of the top half of her face. Did you know her well?’

  ‘Our paths had crossed a couple of times, not that any of those occasions were pleasant, particularly Monday’s encounter with her in court. This is the woman who has been a thorn in my side since I transferred down here. She’s a defence barrister; meaning, for the right price she’ll defend any scumbag we have on the hook.’

  ‘I’m sensing you’re not that upset she’s dead?’

  ‘Well, of course I am. I mean, I didn’t like the woman; couldn’t stand her, in fact. But I wouldn’t wish this on anyone.’ She paused, looking down at the woman she once knew. ‘Tell me.’

  Ben folded the sheet and then proceeded to explain what he’d discovered during the examination. ‘I removed the stomach, and was amazed at just how much he’d managed to feed her. The average stomach weighs a couple of pounds when empty, but hers was nearly 5 kgs in weight. That means he made her ingest close to five litres of porridge before she died.’

  ‘Jesus.’

  ‘I also found traces of stomach lining in with the contents, so as feared, he did re-feed her what she managed to expel. God only knows what was going through her mind as he did this.’

  ‘Time of death?’

  He hesitated before continuing. ‘As I explained at the scene, this wouldn’t have been a quick procedure. The stomach is an organ that stretches and contracts, so it wouldn’t have been possible just to keep shovelling the food in. He would have had to have been methodical, allowing breaks between each run. We’re talking hours rather than minutes. The stomach actually split, and she probably went into shock before death. I hazard death occurred shortly after five this morning.’

  ‘The appointment with the letting agent was at eight a.m., so he didn’t leave much time to get away. The appointment was scheduled yesterday morning; is it possible he could have known yesterday what time she was likely to die?’

  Ben folded his arms and rested his chin in his hand. ‘It’s interesting you ask that. I have sent a sample of bloods to be tested for various toxins.’

  ‘But I thought you said she died of shock?’

  ‘I did. I mean she did. But I have to rule out other things. Her pupils were dilated, there were brown stains on her nightgown, and we knew she’d vomited. These are all symptoms of shock as well as poisoning. Colouring of the skin is another telltale sign, but given her darker skin tone it’s harder to tell. A full workup of bloods will confirm one way or another.’

  ‘But if he planned to poison her all along, why go to all that effort to force-feed her?’

  ‘I’m afraid I can only offer fact and opinion.’

  ‘Is there anything else I should know?’

  ‘I found traces of wood beneath her fingernails, consistent with the scratches on the tabletop, but there were also skin cells. I’ve forwarded the lot to SSD for forensic analysis. If you’re lucky, she scratched her attacker and the DNA will lead you to him.’

  ‘I think that’s the best news I’ve heard all day.’

  ‘I thought you’d be impressed.’

  ‘I am impressed, Ben. It appears I underestimated you.’

  He looked up, hopefully. ‘Impressed enough to let me take you out for a drink tonight?’

  ‘Listen, it’s kind of you to ask, but—’

  ‘Please don’t make up an excuse. I promise I’m a real hoot outside of these four walls. Try me.’

  ‘I’m sorry. I’m sure you’re a lovely guy, but you and me just isn’t going to happen.’

  ‘You know, I won’t give up trying until I succeed.’

  ‘I need to phone this in to my team. Is there anything else before I go?’

  ‘Not at this time.’

  Kate thanked him and had her phone to her ear as soon as she was back in the corridor. ‘Laura, can you gather the team together in the Incident Room for another catch-up? There’s more they need to know. We have an ID on our vic.’

  25

  ‘We have our victim’s name,’ Kate proudly declared to her team, writing it above the image she’d already stuck to the board. ‘I’m sure this face will be familiar to a couple of you here.’

  The team’s sudden intake of breath was al
l the confirmation she needed.

  ‘The post-mortem confirms that she died from shock, either from being forced to digest up to five litres of porridge or from an as-yet unidentified poison. We need to find whoever it was did this to her. I want you to focus on five questions:

  ‘Firstly, who: who was Eleanor Jacobs? I want background. We know where she worked, so let’s get in and speak to her colleagues. Find out who liked her, and who didn’t like her; add my name to that list. I want to know who her clients were; did any of them have reason to bear a grudge? What about the victims in the cases she worked on? Could any of them have taken it upon themselves to rid the world of one less lawyer? Find out where she lived, and who she was seeing, as I don’t believe she was married. Who’s her next of kin? Are her parents still alive? Does she have any brothers or sisters? Hobbies too: we need to know what she did when she wasn’t fighting to keep the bad guys out of prison. I know some of you will be glad to see the back of her, but that doesn’t mean we won’t give this case our full attention and effort – is that clear? There are no shortcuts with something like this. This is a high-profile killing. It’s not the usual thing we see around here. This was methodical: the killer is sending us a message. He clearly wants our attention, and we are going to give it to him.

  ‘Second question: what: what happened? Work with SSD to build a timeline of the events of the last two days based on forensic evidence. We know he killed her in the dining area of the pub, but did he spend any time in any other part of the building? What car did he drive? It had to be big enough to transport her and his equipment. What was she doing the day she went missing? We need to find out the last time anyone saw her. I’ve checked the missing persons database, and nobody has reported her missing so far. Was this a robbery as well? Her handbag was discovered at the scene, but there were no cards or driving licence found in her purse. Did the killer want to keep her identity a secret, or is he trying to provoke us?’

  She paused to make sure they were all making a note of her comments. ‘Next question, where: we know where she died, but where was she taken from? Did she agree to meet our killer somewhere, or did he snatch her from the street? Was he waiting at her home and took her with him? Or was she passing by and opportunity struck? Where did our killer go after he left the pub? Time of death is between five and six a.m., but closer to the latter. By that time of the morning, people are starting to get up. The pub is surrounded by local businesses, but residential streets are a stone’s throw away. We need to go door-to-door to all the houses on that and the neighbouring streets to find out if anyone saw anyone or anything suspicious. Let’s put some signs up on those streets too, appealing to anyone who was around at that time. Maybe a passing dog walker saw our killer leaving the building.