by M A Comley
Sally stepped closer to the body. “If you wouldn’t mind.”
“Well, the first and most obvious thing I’ve noticed is that the victim was strangled, and again, we have traces of semen on her thighs, just like the other victims. That means we can categorically say that we now have a serial killer on our hands.”
Sally sighed heavily. “I kind of suspected that after the first two murders. Why the break?”
“Sorry? I’m not with you, Inspector.”
“Almost six days between the second murder and this one, and yet the first two happened within twenty-four hours of each other. So why the break?”
“Maybe this one was killed around the same time, too,” Jack offered. “We’re off the beaten track here, so that’s possible.”
“Good point.” She turned to the pathologist. “Simon?”
“Well, I can assure you this victim was killed within the last twenty-four, more likely twelve hours, judging by the rigor that’s set in.”
“Ah, okay. I’ll keep quiet then,” Jack replied in a huff.
Sally glared at him, not that he bothered to look her way to see how annoyed she was at his stupid remark. Whether he had problems at home or not, his attitude wasn’t welcome during his shift, and especially not at a crime scene where everyone’s observations mattered.
“It was a reasonable remark, Sergeant,” Simon said. “Looking from here, I don’t think I’m going to be able to add anything of significance, Inspector. The all-important evidence will again be the semen and the relative DNA.”
“I get it. You’re telling us to take a hike and get on with trying to find the killer, right?”
“Indeed. Unless you want to hang around and watch us carry out the mundane tasks. To me, this appears to be an open-and-shut case until I can carry out a full examination. I can give you a call after that, unless you want to attend the PM?”
“I don’t think that will be necessary. All right, we’ll leave you to it and get started on tracking down what we can find out about the victim. My guess is she’ll turn out to be another barmaid. I’ll ring you later this afternoon.”
Sally marched out of the warehouse with Jack close on her heels. Once they were inside the vehicle, she paused and turned to him before she started the engine. “Either you tell me what’s bugging you, or I’m going to send you home. Now spill.”
Jack’s face clouded over. He ran an agitated hand through his greying hair and stared straight ahead of him.
Sally waited several more minutes then gently prompted, “Come on, Jack. You can tell me, mate.”
He exhaled a few more times and finally said, “I’m going to be a grandfather.”
Sally sat with her mouth hanging open, just staring at him.
“Yeah, it effing shocked the hell out of me, too.”
“But… Teresa is only sixteen, isn’t she? That is who we’re talking about here, isn’t it?”
“Christ, I bloody well hope so—Diane’s only eight, Sally. Do you think I’d be still walking around free if we were talking about Diane?”
“Nope, I guess you’d have murdered the guy responsible by now. Jeez… I’m not sure what to say, Jack. No wonder you’re ticked off.”
“Ticked off? That’s the bloody understatement of the millennium. It was bound to happen. That sounded bad, didn’t it? I didn’t mean she puts it about or anything like that. She’s been dating this older lad for a few months now.”
“Older lad? How much older?”
“Only two years, but he’s had dozens of girlfriends even at that young age.”
“Has he managed to get anyone else up the duff? Sorry, pregnant?”
“Not that I know of. Donna is bloody beside herself over this. Just when we thought Teresa was getting her life mapped out, this happens. She only told us last week that she wanted to be a vet. That’s seven years studying, I believe. Now this. Well, Donna and I told her there’s no way we’re going to give up our careers to bring up her kid.”
“I hope you said it more tactfully than that, Jack.”
He shook his head. “No, it all tumbled out in anger. Now she won’t talk to me; keeps blanking me when I’m in the same room. Why the heck do we have children, eh?”
“I really can’t answer that. I’ve never had the desire or inclination to have a child. You knew from the word go that your life would be full of moments of joy and a lot of trauma, didn’t you?”
“Maybe this kind of crap only comes from hatching female eggs.”
Sally laughed at his analogy. “Good to see there’s still a teeny-weenie bit of sense of humour buried in there somewhere.”
“It wasn’t a joke, boss. Unless my biology teacher lied to me at school, there are definitely eggs involved in the process.”
He had her there. “Okay, I see what you’re getting at. So, Donna’s as narked about this as you are then?”
“Too right, she is. She’s done nothing but sob her heart out since Teresa told us. She’s a total wreck. I’ve told her if she isn’t better by Wednesday, she needs to go and see the doctor.”
“Really? What good will that do?”
“That’s what she said. We can’t send the child back from where it came, can we?”
“Hey, if you want my advice, mate, you’d be wise to start thinking of the baby as a human being. It’s not the child’s fault that its parents didn’t practice safe sex. I take it she’s going to keep it?”
“She wants to, yes. You’re right, though—when the time comes, I’m sure I’ll be the proudest grandfather around. It’s just too much of a bloody shock to take it in at this moment.” He shuddered. “A granddad at forty, can you Adam and Eve it?”
“That is hard to believe. I’m truly sorry. Hopefully, now you’ve vented, things will seem a lot better. It’s never good to keep things bubbling out of control inside. I have an aunt who breaks out in psoriasis whenever she goes through a bout of stress. Plus there are so many stories of people having heart attacks circulating the station at present. I’d hate to see your name added to that kind of list.”
“Gee, thanks. Well, if I wasn’t frigging depressed before, I bloody am now.”
She nudged him with her elbow. “You know what I’m getting at. It’s not worth getting stressed about something that is out of your control. By the sounds of it, Donna is doing enough of that on behalf of both of you anyway. Show her things aren’t as bad as they seem, and I’m sure you’ll both get used to the idea a whole lot quicker.”
“Ever the voice of reason, ain’t you?”
“I detect the scepticism in your voice and know exactly what you’re referring to. Let this be one of those situations where you do as I say and not as I do, eh? Anyway, you can’t poke me with that particular stick anymore, not since I divorced Darryl. So there.” She stuck her tongue out at him to lighten the tension in the car.
“Yeah, it took you bloody long enough to come to your senses on that score. I have a little under nine months to get used to this idea.”
“You’ll get there. All three of you will come through this. I have no doubt about that. One last question, and then we’ll have to head off.”
“What about the boyfriend? Is he intending to stick around?”
“As far as we know. We’ve got the daunting task of meeting his parents at the weekend to discuss the matter. Should be fun—not!”
“That’ll be good. Not every family would take those steps in this situation, Jack. They sound like pretty reasonable people to me.”
“We’ll see. The meeting was their suggestion, so they can’t be that bad.”
“Keep me informed. In the meantime, keep taking the chill pills. Got that?”
“Yeah, I’ve got it. You’ll have to excuse me if I go off on a tangent now and again, okay?”
“Sure. I guess I’ll have to give you a bit of leeway in repayment to the slack you’ve given me over the past few months, if not years. Hey, we’re partners, ain’t we? And partners stick together through thic
k and thin, right?”
“Yeah, yeah. Yadda, yadda! Do you think we should be going now?”
She winked at him. “On my way. Now quiet. I need to psych myself up to break the bad news.”
“Yeah, I’m glad you always take the lead on that one.”
The mid-terraced home on a small development in Drydon Close was a new construction. As she brought the car to a halt outside the property, Sally noted several other houses in the road were in different stages of development. “Hopefully, if she shares the house, the occupant is still around and hasn’t left for work yet.”
Sally knocked on the front door, and a few seconds later, a young woman opened the door. “Hello. I’m DI Sally Parker, and this is my partner, DS Jack Blackman of the Norfolk Constabulary.” Sally cast her eyes over the woman’s silk robe, which left very little to the imagination. “Is it all right if we come in and have a word with you for a few moments?”
The woman frowned and pulled her robe tight around her, clasping it with her clenched fist at the front. “About what? I haven’t done anything wrong, have I?”
“No, it’s nothing like that. Does Alexina Graham live here?”
“Yes, she does. Has Alex done something wrong?”
“No. Please, it would be better if we come inside to talk,” Sally persisted.
The woman walked back into the house, looking quizzically over her shoulder as Sally and Jack followed. Two large, comfortable leather sofas dwarfed the tiny lounge.
“Take a seat.” The woman gestured to one of the sofas.
Sally and Jack sat while the woman sat on the other sofa across from them.
“It is with regret that I need to inform you about the death of your friend, Alexina Graham.”
The woman’s clutched hand left her robe and covered her mouth. She dropped her hand to ask, “Where? When?”
“Her body was found in a warehouse close to the town this morning. I know this must be a shock, but anything you can tell us about Alexina’s last known whereabouts will help us a great deal in catching the murderer quickly.”
“Of course. Just let me get a glass of water.”
“My partner can get that for you. Jack, will you please?”
“What can I tell you? My God, this is unbelievable. We had dinner together last night, an early dinner, before she had to leave to start her shift.”
“Can you tell me where she worked?”
“Just round the corner, at the Royal Oak. Do you think one of the customers did this to her?”
“What makes you say that? Has she told you about anything specific that has occurred at work recently? Sorry, I didn’t get your name.”
The young woman shook her head. “It’s Lisa Cook. No, not that I can think of.”
“Nothing untoward… no accounts of either her work colleagues or customers pestering her, maybe following her home? Anything of that ilk?” Sally asked more out of hope than expectation.
The bewildered Lisa stared at a stain on the carpet and shook her head slowly. When she glanced up at Sally, tears were pooling in her eyes. “No. She would have told me if anything like that was going on. I’m all she has.”
Sally cringed. “Her mother and father are no longer with us, I take it?”
“No, they both died when she was sixteen. She was living on the streets for a while, got into bad company, and started selling her body to support her drug habit. She’s been clean for three years now. Finally getting her life together when something dreadful like this happens. Why?”
Sally smiled at the woman. “I don’t know why. It’s something we need to find out. Do you think someone from her old life might have contacted her recently? Would she tell you something like that?”
“Yes. I mean, yes, she would tell me, and no, she hasn’t. She never spoke about what her life was like back then. She was always too ashamed to revisit those times. I doubt she would have anything to do with the people she mixed with back then, given the choice.” She buried her head in her hands and started crying.
Sally crossed the divide between them and placed a comforting arm around Lisa’s shoulder. “I’m so sorry. We hope to have a positive outcome to the case soon for you and the other victims’ families.”
Puzzled, Lisa turned to face her, pouncing on Sally’s slip of the tongue. “There are others?”
“I’m afraid so,” Sally reluctantly agreed.
“That’s awful. Why haven’t you caught the person yet?”
Feeling an affinity to the woman, Sally told her more than she should have about the case. “We’re doing our best to remedy that. These things take time to process.”
Lisa frowned. “I’m sure you know your job.”
Sally nodded.
Lisa’s eyes widened as if a thought had just occurred to her. “Was Alexina raped?”
“It would appear so, yes. I’m sorry, Lisa. You can see why we’re eager to catch the culprit ASAP.”
“Will you be asking the people for their help? You know, on TV and in the newspapers?”
“We’re hanging fire on that at the moment. In our experience, suspects often take flight once the case is aired through the different media channels. The longer we keep quiet about this, at least until the DNA results come through, the better.”
“I see. And when is that likely to be? How many more women will have to lose their lives or be raped in the meantime, Inspector? Sorry for being so frank.”
“I completely understand your concerns. The DNA results are imminent. That’s all I can tell you. One last question before we leave, if I may?”
“Of course.”
“Did Alexina have a boyfriend?”
Lisa shook her head. “No. She was a free spirit in that respect. I don’t mean that she slept around—she just didn’t relish the idea of being at someone’s beck and call.”
“Thanks, that helps.” Sally rose from the sofa, and Jack followed suit. “We’ll head over to her place of work and see if anyone can tell us what went on at the pub last night. Will you be okay? Can I call a member of your family to come and sit with you?”
“No. I’ll get through this by myself. Just promise me you’ll catch the bastard who did this to Alexina.”
“That’s the aim. We’re certainly going to do our best, Lisa.”
Sally and Jack left the property and headed off to the Royal Oak pub.
“Do you think the fact that Alexina used to be a prostitute could be a contributing factor?” Jack asked after a few minutes of silence.
“I don’t think so. The link remains the same to me: the fact that the women were all barmaids. Let’s hope we get some joy from staff on duty last night at the Royal Oak, because this case is getting to be more than a tad frustrating.”
“Yeah, it’s as though this guy just swoops in, sets his sights on the girl behind the bar, and swoops out again without anyone ever seeing him.”
Sally pondered her partner’s suggestion for a minute or two. “Maybe we’re missing something really important here. What’s the possibility of the murderer using some form of disguise?”
“Perhaps. But that doesn’t alter the fact that no one remembers either of the first two victims talking to anyone in particular, whether wearing a disguise or not.”
“You have a point there. Let’s hope some good news lies ahead of us then.”
CHAPTER EIGHT
After questioning the staff at the Royal Oak, they had the same outcome as they had at the first two pubs. No one had noticed anything out of the ordinary the previous evening. Driving back to the station, Sally said, “So, if there were no strangers at the pub last night, does that imply that we’re possibly looking for a regular, a local in the area?”
“It would certainly suggest that to me. All three crimes are located within a ten-mile radius, give or take a few miles, of each other. Someone knows the area well enough to take these girls to places off the beaten track. Would you do that if you were a stranger in the area?”
“No, I
wouldn’t. If that’s the case, then why hasn’t anyone recognised who the girls were talking to at three separate pubs? Is it possible that we’re dealing with some kind of stalker? Maybe the guy didn’t go into the pubs at all.”
“Then we’re up shit creek if that’s the case, with no CCTV footage to trawl through.”
“Indeed. Right, we’re going to the lab and not leaving there until we get those bloody results. It’s the only positive lead we have, and someone is screwing with us by deliberately sitting on the results.”
“You think?” Jack asked, looking shocked.
She chuckled. “No, I didn’t mean it. Although it does feel like that at times. I was just venting. You’re my partner. It’s in the rules for you to listen when I vent, right?”
“Yeah. I must say, you seem to vent rather a lot.”
“Cheeky sod! I’ll pay you back for that uncalled-for remark.”
They arrived at the lab, and after Sally’s conversation with the lab technician handling the sample became heated, his superior finally intervened. “What’s going on here, Inspector? Can’t you see the amount of stress my people are under? Look around you. No one is sipping copious amounts of coffee, wasting valuable time.”
Are you insinuating that’s what coppers do? Sally smiled sweetly at the man, who was in his late fifties. “I can see that, Doctor. We’re also under a huge amount of stress at our end. The quicker we get those results and act upon them, the quicker we’ll get a murderer off the streets. He’s now killed three women to our knowledge. That doesn’t sit well in my conscience. Not sure if it would in yours, either.”
“You’re right—it doesn’t. You have my word that the results will be with you by the end of the day, five o’clock at the latest. Now if you’ll excuse us, we have a vast backlog of samples to work our way through.”
“Of course. Thank you.”
Sally and Jack left the lab. Sally kicked out at a waste bin in the car park. “Damn. That didn’t exactly go according to plan, did it?”
