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

by Stephen Edger

  Someone familiar with police procedures and forensics, someone who could move around like a ghost, avoiding detection. Like a ghost…

  She stopped dead and stared up at the wall in front of her, up into the eyes of the man who’d looked down on her every day since she’d transferred to the unit. In his full-dress uniform, and his collar number shining brightly: Victor-Charlie-One-Six-Five-Three. It had been in front of her this whole time, but she hadn’t seen it until she’d heard the PC read out the number in single digits: 165.3 lbs or 75 kgs was the final clue he’d given them.

  But how could a man dead for six months murder three people in the space of a week? She knew it was insane, but she stared into those eyes that had been looking down on her from the day she arrived in Southampton and she knew it was him. He had to be alive.

  His messages echoed around her brain:

  DELIVER JUSTICE. CATCH A KILLER. THE ANSWERS ARE IN FRONT OF YOU. I’M WATCHING YOU.

  He had been watching her. Every time she’d looked at his commemorative plaque, she’d been flooded with feelings of inadequacy at her inability to live up to his legendary status. But he’d also been in her house, threatened her daughter and abducted her mother. If she was right, and he was alive, then she was his final victim.

  She marched over to the plaque, ripping the photo frame from the wall and smashing it into the corner of her desk, sending glass shattering to the floor. She ripped the photograph out, knowing what she’d find on the other side.

  COME ALONE.

  There was a six-digit map reference listed below the message, which she typed quickly into her phone, turning suddenly when she heard someone approaching.

  The ceiling lights flickered on, and Hendrix looked just as surprised as Kate. ‘Matthews, what the hell?’

  Hendrix was the last person she wanted help from, but she had no choice.

  ‘I know where Fenton is.’

  ‘I thought you were suspended.’

  ‘Do you want his location or not?’

  Hendrix nodded.

  ‘He’s at 13 Mawkes Close, near Ringwood. You need to get over there straight away, he’s not going to stick around for long.’

  ‘Why don’t you bring him in yourself?’

  Kate bit her tongue. ‘As you said: DSI Williams doesn’t want me around.’

  ‘What are you doing up here anyway?’

  Kate hid the photograph behind her back. ‘Just collecting some of my belongings. Will you let me know if you find him there?’

  Hendrix eyed her suspiciously, but nodded and turned from the room.

  Kate scribbled Laura’s name on an internal mail envelope and shoved Vaughn’s image inside. She placed the envelope beneath Laura’s keyboard, and left the room, gripping her phone tightly.

  73

  Turning left or right whenever the satnav told her to Kate stared out at the dark road ahead, without really seeing it.

  Her mind was a blizzard of emotion and disbelief as she replayed the past week’s events in her mind, from the call that a body had been found in the blazing wreck of a warehouse, to the moment she’d first been contacted by ‘John’ online. If she’d have come clean at that point, would she still be in this mess now? Would things have played out differently had she confided in her colleagues more rather than fearing they would think less of her?

  There was still a lot that she couldn’t make sense of, but she knew that seeing him in the flesh would make this real.

  The satnav beeped at her. She glanced down and saw she’d missed a turn and slowed while it recalculated the route.

  ‘Turn left ahead.’

  She didn’t bother to indicate as there was no sign of any other vehicles on the dark country lane. She could only see what lay ahead in the light offered from the headlights. Even the moon had cowered behind a cloud, not wishing to see what was about to unravel.

  They’d searched for a killer able to blend into the background, without being noticed or remembered. Someone comfortable with the level of violence required to kill dispassionately. Someone with a familiarity with police practices and emergency response times. Someone with motive to see Olivia Yen, Harold Watson, and Eleanor Jacobs dead.

  She’d assumed the killer had a specific vendetta against each victim and that’s why she’d missed the bigger picture. But now it was coming into full focus. It was as brilliant as it was sickening.

  There’d been nothing to connect him to any of the murders, but now it seemed so obvious that he’d been behind it from the very beginning. It even made sense why he’d chosen her to be the pawn in his game. She was the only one he could have used. How had he faked his own death? There’d been a coffin at his funeral and a death certificate. He’d fooled everyone.

  ‘Turn right and travel for two hundred yards. Your destination will be on the right.’

  She followed the instruction, pulling into a single-track road, surrounded by large, overhanging bushes. If she met an oncoming vehicle now, she’d have no way of avoiding an accident.

  It felt like a trap.

  She picked up the phone, but there was not a trace of signal this deep in the countryside. She was on her own.

  ‘You have reached your destination.’

  Slowing, she looked out of her window into darkness. There was a break in the hedges, an opening, but where it led was anyone’s guess. She pulled the car forward, and parked on an incline, unable to proceed further as a large green metal farm gate blocked the entrance to the plot of land. She left the engine running and stepped into the darkness, approaching the gate slowly, looking left and right at every slight noise; the crack of a twig, the rustle of an animal in the undergrowth.

  The gate was padlocked shut. If he had come this way, he’d made sure she would have to follow on foot. She glanced at the phone again, but it was useless to her. She returned to the car and killed the engine, but left the headlights on full beam to at least illuminate part of her journey.

  She rested a foot on the second rung of the gate, and threw her other leg over the top, dropping down on the other side. She could just about make out a grass verge off to the left, beyond that could be fields, but all she could see was never-ending, suffocating blackness. She moved forward across the concrete ground, eventually switching on the phone’s torch as the car’s headlight beam faded.

  She shivered.

  She should have called Laura, she knew that, but the message had said to come alone. She needed to know she was right before letting anyone else in. She’d made too many mistakes already.

  She kept edging forward, spotting the slight glow of a small outbuilding ahead. She could see it was a brick barn of some sort and, as she approached, the light emanating from behind the small wooden door lit the concrete approach. Parked next to the structure was a sports car with the licence plate ‘FEN70N’. So, he had got her message.

  Switching off the torch, she saw it was nearly midnight. She pushed open one of the doors; the room inside was so bright that it took a moment for her eyes to adjust. She blinked against the glare trying to take in as much of what lay before her as she could.

  All around her the walls were covered in images, and newspaper cuttings, strands of string criss-crossing overhead linking one article to another. It was like a three-dimensional version of HOLMES2 that somebody had taken a great deal of time and effort to piece together. She had begun taking pictures of it with her phone, when she heard a creak at her back. Turning, she saw a gaunt figure in a wheelchair rolling slowly towards her.

  He lowered his oxygen mask. ‘I was beginning… to think… you wouldn’t make it.’

  74

  He’d cheated death, but death was not far away from him now. He pressed the mask back to his face and took several deep breaths, his eyes smiling as they saw Kate notice the handgun in his lap.

  Crazy as it had seemed, she had been right. Part of her still hadn’t really believed he’d actually be at the address. She’d almost expected to see someone else pretending to b
e Vaughn; one more twist of the knife just to fuck with her. But here he was in the flesh, or what was left of him. The figure who had assaulted her at home in the early hours of yesterday morning had seemed so much more alive, but the effort must have really taken it out of him. The fear, the darkness, it must have exaggerated things. Eddie was now so weak he could barely wheel himself into the room.

  She gritted her teeth. ‘Eddie Vaughn, I am arresting you for—’

  He waved the mask vigorously, causing him to pant. ‘No, not yet,’ he growled. ‘I need… to explain… first.’ He returned the mask to his mouth.

  The gun was in his hand but rested on his leg. He was ten feet away, but she couldn’t be certain of getting to him before he fired. She needed to think quickly if she was going to escape with her life.

  Kate glanced around the room. ‘What is all this?’

  ‘It’s… for you.’

  She frowned. ‘I don’t understand.’

  ‘You will.’

  She suddenly remembered the car outside. ‘Where is Danny Fenton?’

  The smile spread wider across his face. He took several deep breaths, and dropped the mask to his lap. When he spoke, he was more composed. ‘You’ll have to forgive me. Wheeling this thing takes it out of me. I’ve dreamed about this moment, this conversation.’

  She took a stride towards him, but he quickly raised the gun. ‘Don’t force me to use this on you. I may be frail, but I’m quick.’

  She raised her hands and took a small step backwards, her eyes already searching the room for another way out. ‘What do you want? Why lure me here?’

  ‘I needed to make sure we were alone; you have surpassed my expectations.’

  ‘Where is Danny Fenton?’

  He nodded to the wall over her shoulder, where a small television screen hung. ‘Watch,’ he said, turning the screen on with a remote control removed from his pocket.

  The screen slowly flickered to life to reveal Fenton, his face covered by a similar oxygen mask to the one in Vaughn’s hand.

  ‘What the fuck!’ She shook her head in frustration. ‘Eddie Vaughn, I am arresting—’

  ‘No,’ he barked. ‘Arrest me now, and you’ll never learn where he is. Like me, he’ll be dead soon. He is in an airtight box, with no means of escape. His only oxygen comes from that mask, which is connected to a canister that,’ he paused and looked at his watch, ‘will be empty in just under ten minutes.’

  ‘You’re fucking insane!’

  ‘On the contrary, my mind’s never been so clear.’

  ‘Why should I believe anything you say? Your whole life, and death, has been a lie.’

  ‘I served the force with distinction for thirty-four years,’ he spat. ‘I helped convict more criminals than you’ll ever accomplish. How old are you? Thirty-seven? I was upholding the law while you were still in nappies, so don’t you dare judge me on my life or career. I gave everything – everything! – to public service, and I didn’t regret a single day of it.’ He doubled over at the exertion and coughed painfully.

  She took a small step towards the wall, hoping to somehow gradually circle back to where she’d entered. ‘That legacy is over. All you’ll be remembered for now is murdering three innocent people.’

  He snorted. ‘Innocent?’

  ‘Yes, innocent! Innocent until proven guilty, at the very least. But who are you to judge them?’

  ‘I delivered justice where no one else would.’

  ‘Justice? You don’t know the meaning of the word.’

  He trained the gun on her. ‘I know you’re trying to rile me, but you should be thanking me. I could have killed you so many times. It is because of me that you’re still here.’

  ‘You’re sick. You belong in prison.’

  ‘We both know I will never see the inside of a prison cell. Even if I survive the night, I’ll never make it to trial. I might have faked my death, but I didn’t fake the cancer.’

  ‘Your reputation will still be in ruins.’

  ‘Do you really believe that? Do you really think Williams will let this get in the way of the department’s precious reputation? I’m a hero, the great Eddie Vaughn! All the supe has is my legacy; without me, he and his pathetic team are nothing. I’ve achieved more in the past week than half of them will do in their entire careers.’

  ‘Those people didn’t deserve to die.’

  ‘And nor do I, Kate.’ He took another long drag from the mask. ‘When I was diagnosed, I confided in the supe. I told him I would fight the cancer and would continue in my role as DCI. He told me not to bother. Can you believe that?’ He glowered. ‘He told me to take my pension and go and enjoy my remaining months. I wasn’t ready to give in. I knew I could fight it. I begged him to let me stay on, but he told me that due to budget cuts, the role of DCI was being disbanded across the Home Counties. He said I wouldn’t be replaced, but he would be allowed to recruit two new DIs in my place instead. After everything I gave the service, I was wiped. There and then I decided I would keep delivering justice, my own way, until the day I died.’

  Her hands felt clammy. ‘Justice for who? Who did Olivia Yen ever hurt?’

  ‘Yen knew that Corsky was a convicted paedophile. She didn’t have to save his life.’

  ‘She was a medical professional: it was her duty to save the life of a dying man, no matter who he was.’

  His cheeks reddened. ‘Nurses don’t take a Hippocratic oath like doctors. She chose to save his life. She could have let him die and the world would have been rid of one more sick predator.’

  Kate shuffled to the right, her eyes never leaving the gun. ‘She saved a man’s life, so you murdered her.’

  ‘Had she allowed fate to take Corsky that night, he wouldn’t have recovered and he wouldn’t have been free to abduct and abuse two boys who delivered newspapers to the neighbourhood where he lived.’

  She froze. ‘What?’

  ‘He was under investigation the night he died. We were building a case against him, but all that got dropped; the CPS don’t like to waste taxpayers’ money convicting the dead. So those two young lads will never see justice brought against the monster who stole their innocence. He died peacefully when he should have suffered as they did. Someone had to pay.’

  She moved again as he coughed. ‘Why behead Watson?’

  ‘Watson was a snake, and that’s how snakes should be disposed of. He infected the city with his evil, and do you know what the top brass did? They let him go free because he had grassed up his co-conspirators. What kind of justice is that?’

  She was only seven feet from him now. ‘You tortured Eleanor Jacobs.’

  ‘Don’t tell me you feel any sympathy for a bitch who made a living out of setting scumbags free; her house and car were paid for by the villains she sided with. Lawyers were created to ensure that those tried in court received a fair trial. These days, they are hired to find loopholes and flaws. How many times have you watched a guilty man go free on a technicality? It doesn’t mean the sonofabitch isn’t guilty. Jacobs was just as guilty as the men she saved from prison.’

  Kate looked back at the television. Fenton’s breathing was becoming more rapid, the beginnings of panic clear in his eyes. She nodded to the screen. ‘What about him? You told me he’d killed Yen, Watson, and Jacobs, when all the time it was you. If he’d ended up in prison—’

  ‘We both know Fenton is as guilty as Watson. So what if he’d wound up in prison for the wrong reasons? The ends would have justified the means.’ He turned the wheelchair to face her and cocked the gun. ‘I’m not stupid, Matthews, I know you’re hoping that support arrives before it’s too late, but they’ll never find him in time. He’s done for, but you still have a chance to save yourself. Are you ready?’

  75

  ‘Ready for what?’

  He shuffled, wincing, into a more comfortable position in the chair. ‘You were quite the maverick in the Met from all accounts. It must have hurt when they kicked you out.’

&nb
sp; She glared at him. ‘I voluntarily transferred.’

  He grunted. ‘Ha! We both know they made you their scapegoat and you dutifully obliged. The thing is, I studied that case, and as far as I’m concerned you did nothing wrong.’

  ‘Yeah, well, that’s all in the past. Cut the crap and tell me where Fenton is.’

  ‘I read a lot about your life in London. Your triumphs far outweighed what happened with your last case. I mean, if you did such a bad job of catching that serial killer, how come the two SIOs who’ve been put in charge since your departure haven’t managed to catch him either?’

  ‘Where is he?’

  He took a drag on the mask. ‘Sending that young DC undercover was an inspired decision.’

  ‘She died,’ Kate whispered.

  ‘She knew what she was taking on when she accepted the role. It wasn’t your fault—’

  ‘I had operational command. It was my fault. I never should have used her.’ She shook herself. ‘Why are we even taking about this? Time is running out, either shoot me or tell me where Fenton is.’ She looked back at the screen, desperately searching for a clue as to where the box might be.

  ‘That’s what I admire about you, Kate. It’s the reason I knew you were the perfect candidate: you put everything on the line in the name of justice. Just like me.’

  She turned back to him in disgust. ‘We’re nothing alike.’

  ‘I disagree. How far would you go to finally bring Amy’s killer to justice?’

  ‘Where’s Fenton?’

  ‘He only has five minutes left. You’re delaying things further by not answering my questions. Fenton is a cheating, manipulative, criminal mastermind. When he dies, it’ll be a gift to the world.’

  She growled, taking a step backwards, closer to the screen. ‘We have a duty to protect everyone, no matter what their crimes. We don’t have the right to pick and choose who lives or dies.’

  ‘Amy Spencer’s killer is still out there. Wouldn’t you give anything to stop him killing again?’

  ‘Of course I would!’ She stilled. ‘Are you trying to tell me you know who it is?’

  ‘I can give you his name, but I expect something from you in return.’