Chapter Sixty-Six
The doctor’s eyes snapped open as the television silenced below. Downstairs, Mandy’s chatter filled the air. He stiffened as he realised she was not alone. But she had to be. He had been standing in her room for a good twenty minutes, and she had not opened the door to anybody. Creeping to the window, he peered outside. Cars lined the street; empty shells devoid of life on this frost-stricken night. Nothing resembling the police presence he expected to see. He pressed his ear to the bedroom door, listening to the voice downstairs. Like a game of Jenga, any deviation from the plan could bring it tumbling down around him. His annoyance subsided as he realised that only one set of footsteps was climbing the stairs. It was only then that he understood that she was on the phone. Forsaking the cramped wardrobe, the doctor concealed his presence behind the bedroom door.
‘I’ll be fine,’ she said, hovering outside on the landing. ‘You have a good time.’ Soft laughter filled the air. ‘What’s there to feel guilty about? Those tickets cost a fortune. Don’t go spoiling it now.’ She giggled. ‘Well, OK, if you want to make it up to me I won’t try to stop you. Oh, and Aidan? I might not be here when you get back, I’ve got to pop down to the police station tomorrow.’ She breathed a sigh. ‘No, nothing to worry about. I’ll fill you in when you get back.’
The doctor’s heart was galloping now, a thin layer of sweat coating his brow.
Humming, she entered the bedroom, lightly pushing open the door. The room remained in darkness, lit only by the glow of the street lights outside.
The doctor’s nose pressed against the other side of the door. Muscles tensed, he prepared to pounce. He would have to act quickly. The amount of chloroform he had soaked into the cloth would ensure her silence for some time to come.
He could take her now, wash her in the bath and tie her to the bed, just as he had with Sharon. He would work through the night to make her realise her full potential. A smile touched his lips as he imagined what was to come.
Mandy stood at her dressing table, failing to notice the doctor’s form in the mirror behind her. He held his breath as he slid his hand over the chloroform cloth in his pocket. It was time to tear it from its bag and put her to sleep. A rush of excitement flooded his senses but creeping forward, he realised something was wrong.
As the woman spun around, he realised it was not Mandy at all. Cold liquid slapped against his skin and, for one horrific moment, he relived the acid attack all over again. He blinked furiously, staggering back as the unwelcome substance stung his eyes. But as he caught sight of the bottle in her hand he could see it was not acid, but nail varnish remover. Yes, it would sting, but there was no long-lasting damage to be had. Setting his jaw tight, he launched himself at her, only to receive a sharp punch to the face.
‘Hands on your head, you’re under arrest!’ the woman bellowed, her voice hard and commanding.
‘You’re not Mandy,’ the doctor said, swallowing the blood leaking from his nose. Steadying himself, he reached for the scalpel in his pocket.
‘I’m the sergeant of the police officer that you killed. Drop the knife. NOW!’
The words had barely left her mouth before he lunged at her with the blade.
Chapter Sixty-Seven
Clasping Doctor Tanner’s arm, Ruby’s fingers bit into his tendons as she tried to force him to release the scalpel. But he was stronger than he looked. Wearing thick-soled boots, he had an advantage over her as she slipped on the wet laminate floor. The clothes she had swapped with Mandy offered little protection, and the pumps on her feet were a half size too big. Ruby knew what Tanner wanted to do, and he voiced the fears taking centre stage in her mind.
‘If Mandy’s not here,’ he said through gritted teeth as he grabbed her by the hair, ‘then you’ll do instead.’ Kicking her legs from beneath her, he flung her to the corner of the room.
With a sickening thud, her head smacked against the corner of the wardrobe on the way down. Searing pain spiked her temple as stars flashed in her vision. Feeling the grasp of the doctor’s hand on her hair, she winced as he took a handful and shook. But as he threw the scalpel to the floor, she knew he was in no hurry to impose a quick death, unlike the one he administered to Ash. He would do to her as he did to Sharon; use her body for his pleasure before disposing of her in some undignified way.
With one hand, he pulled the scarf over his nose before delving into his coat pocket and ripping the bag within. His breath heavy and rasping, he bent over her form.
‘Back off,’ Ruby coughed, the smell of sweat and urine infiltrating her senses. Then she saw it; the steely glint of madness in the doctor’s eyes which made her blood turn cold. The wisest thing would have been for him to turn on his heel and run but this was not a man who backed down. He smiled, his sharp yellow teeth glinting in the moonlight pouring in through the bedroom window.
Ruby groaned as she clawed at the wardrobe, a trickle of blood making a path down the side of her face. Her head injury brought double vision, and as she pulled her body upwards, the wardrobe handle broke off in her hand. The doctor was upon her now, the cloth in his hand filling her vision as it clamped tightly over her mouth and nose.
‘Shh now, don’t fight it,’ he said, swaying from side to side as she tried to fight him off. ‘Go to sleep. Soon it will all be over.’
Don’t inhale, she thought, the sweet smell of chloroform watering her eyes and burning her throat. It would be all too easy to submit, to shut her eyelids and let go. Easy for others who had nothing to live for and no way out. Ruby jerked back her head as Tanner’s fingernails pinched the sides of her face. She thought of Ash, whose life he had extinguished without an ounce of remorse. It stopped here… with her.
Grappling in the darkness, the doctor backed her up against the wall. She needed to put some distance between them to draw her gun. The thoughts of introducing such a lethal weapon made her blood run cold. She was concussed and dizzy. What if he turned it upon her? Unable to hold her breath any longer, she drove her stiffened fingers into the doctor’s eyes.
His howls filled the air, buying her enough time to roll to the side as his grip on the cloth weakened. Anger coursed through her as she thought of the innocent lives taken, and for what? A headline in the newspaper or some warped sense of revenge?
As the doctor clambered onto his hands and knees, he picked up the scalpel he had discarded.
‘Turn around. Put your hands against the wall,’ Ruby commanded. ‘You’re under arrest.’ Heaving for breath, she found her feet.
‘I’m not going anywhere,’ the doctor said, his knuckles tightening over the glinting blade. He nodded in the direction of the bed. ‘Why don’t you lie down? I’ve got a bedtime story to tell you.’
She was cornered, and the only way out was through the door he was blocking. That’s if she wanted a way out; what she wanted was to finish this for good. She pulled her pistol from the belt looped under the waist of her tracksuit bottoms. Gripping the handle, she clicked off the safety switch, her face determined as she held it in both hands. ‘I said, turn around, put your hands against the wall.’
Wide-eyed, the doctor inhaled a sharp breath. ‘You wouldn’t.’
Ruby’s lips thinned into a smile. ‘Don’t tempt me. Drop your weapon. NOW! Turn around, hands against the wall.’
Blood seeped from her forehead into her left eye, coating her vision in a red hue. Squeezing her eye shut, Ruby raised her gun as the doctor advanced upon her.
‘Drop your weapon or I’ll shoot,’ she said, swiping the blood from her forehead.
But picking up the cloth from the ground, the doctor took one step, then two. ‘You’re not going to hu—’
‘Thank God, you’re here,’ Ruby said, her relief evident as she stared at the door.
But as the doctor swivelled to see who had come in, she drew back her right hand. The doorway was empty, but the bluff afforded her enough time to distract her attacker. Metal hit jawbone as a sudden cracking noise filled the air
. In quick succession Ruby hit him a second time with the barrel of the gun. As he spiralled backwards onto the floor, she drew back her foot and kicked him hard between the legs.
‘That’s for Ash,’ she said, drawing back her foot a second time. ‘And that’s for the others.’
Wheezing and groaning, the doctor curled up into a ball.
Pushing the gun back into the band of her tracksuit, she panted as she stood over him, feeling the satisfaction of a job well done. ‘You weren’t worth the price of a bullet,’ she said, pulling the belt from a dressing gown, which lay on the bed. Tying his hands behind his back, she glanced around the room. Her eyes focused on the trinkets and ornaments taking up shelf space on the dresser. ‘That’ll do,’ she said, taking the thick glass ashtray and pressing it down on his bloodied face. She examined the surface, satisfied contact had been made, and dropped the ashtray to the floor.
Plucking her phone from inside her bra, she dialled 999 and waited for backup to arrive.
Chapter Sixty-Eight
‘Funny about old Tanner, wasn’t it?’ DI Downes said as he stood with Ruby at the back of the police station.
‘Everything about that old fucker is funny,’ Ruby said, sliding a cigarette from the pack. ‘Want one?’
Downes shook the offer away. ‘Let’s head out for a wee dander…’ Guiding her by the elbow, he turned her away from the eyes and ears of Shoreditch police station.
‘Sure,’ Ruby shrugged.
Dawn seeped through the sky; the sounds of the birds drowned out by the traffic gaining momentum as early-morning commuters travelled to work.
‘So, are you gonna tell me what really happened?’ Downes said.
‘It’s all in my statement,’ Ruby replied, her words peppered with smoke.
He snorted. ‘Do you think I came down the Lagan in a bubble? That statement’s a work of fiction. C’mon, tell me the truth.’
Ruby resisted a smile. ‘I told you. I was given an address by my sources. I didn’t expect anything of it, so I was surprised when Mandy opened the door. I offered safeguarding, but she declined. I persuaded her to spend the night in a hotel. We agreed that she’d come to the station in the morning.’
‘And you just happened to swap clothes before she left? She’s around the same height as you, same colour hair. You could easily mistake who’s who on a dark night.’
Ruby took another drag of her cigarette, buying some extra seconds as she figured out what to say. Mandy was open to the idea of trading places, and Ruby had been thrilled when Doctor Tanner took the bait. Coming in through the unlocked kitchen door was a risk he had been foolish enough to take, and she had listened from the living room as he crept upstairs. She even went as far as chatting in an imaginary phone call to cement his belief that it was Mandy, not her. But if it hadn’t been for her gun, things could have turned out very differently.
‘Mandy and I share the same taste in clothes,’ Ruby lied. ‘I was at home when I got the address from an informant. I didn’t bother changing out of my casual gear for a quick call to her door. After she left, I heard someone prowling around the back of her house. It turned out she’d left the door insecure.’ She threw Downes a sideways glance. Brows knitted, he was staring at the pavement as they walked along. ‘I crept up to her bedroom and found Doctor Tanner there. We struggled, he assaulted me, and I whacked him across the face with an ashtray. End of.’
‘That’s not what he’s saying.’
‘I’m surprised he can say anything with a broken jaw,’ Ruby grinned.
‘He’s not, but I caught the words “gun” a couple of times. And his injuries appear more consistent with being pistol-whipped than being battered with an ashtray.’
‘Oh that,’ Ruby said, stubbing out her cigarette before flicking it into a bin. ‘It was dark in the room. I said I was armed. It was worth a shot, pardon the pun. But when he came for me I grabbed the ashtray and hit him with it.’
‘Sent him into next week more like. Remind me never to piss you off.’
Ruby laughed. ‘Then stop asking questions. It’s all good. He’s in custody, and Mandy’s gonna be OK.’
‘How’s the head?’
Ruby touched the egg-shaped bruise which was rising on her temple. ‘Sore, but no lasting damage.’
‘I was hoping it would knock some sense into you, but given that pile of tripe you’ve just fed me, I can see it hasn’t.’
Shoving her hands in her pockets, Ruby turned back to the station. ‘I think this is the point where you praise me for a job well done.’
DI Downes fished out a set of car keys from his pocket. ‘No, this is the point where you dispose of whatever heat you’re packing, go home and get changed into your own clothes. Take the job car. You might fancy taking a spin past the canal – I hear the water’s very deep over there.’
‘But. . .’ Ruby said. She had yet to tell him she was in the process of moving home.
‘No buts. You’ve done all you can today. Go home, get some sleep and report to work as normal tomorrow.’
As Ruby nodded, she knew that rest would not come until she had tied up the last loose end. It was not enough that Doctor Tanner was in police custody, because he had not been working alone: it was time to speak to his accomplice.
Chapter Sixty-Nine
A twinge of regret made itself known. Ruby had progressed the investigation without fully exploring who had implicated Nathan in the crimes. Her team had covered the basics, checking out alibis and speaking to all involved. But she should have done more. She had hoped that by capturing the doctor a connection could be made.
It was only now that answers were forthcoming, and Ruby did not like what she’d found. Tweedy’s comment about not wanting her death on his conscience replayed in her mind. His explanation that he had visited her out of concern had only muted the alarm bells ringing. There was nothing to disprove his statement, which said he was at home that night. Cross-checked with the account given by Fingers, the police believed that Nathan was responsible for hiding the evidence beneath his bed. That was until the investigation took a turn and Doctor Tanner was caught for the crimes. Given his ingenuity, it seemed acceptable that Tanner had gained entry into the Crosby home. As if he would return to the very people responsible for his injuries. It was all too convenient and that morning, as Ruby visited the working men’s club, she knew what she had to do.
In the tiny back office she was left alone to view the CCTV. Sitting amongst cardboard boxes full of junk and out-of-date newspapers, she prayed her suspicions were wrong. She could not bear for her old school friend to be lying to her. How would she break it to Nathan? The level of trust he carried in his heart would shrink even smaller. Ruby drew in a sharp intake of breath. There, in black and white was a figure she recognised. Propping up the bar was Nathan’s employee, Fingers, and the time and date matched when he was supposed to be covering for Tweedy Steve. She pressed the pause button, leaning in for a better look.
‘No,’ she whispered.
It changed everything. If Fingers wasn’t working, Tweedy had been lying about his whereabouts that night. Ruby felt like she had been punched in the gut. Tweedy could get time in prison for perverting the course of justice. Then there was Lenny Crosby to think about – what would he do to Tweedy if he found out? This wasn’t just a murder investigation, this was a serial killing, a high-profile one at that. It came down to one thing: could her old school friend have been working with the doctor to set Nathan up? Had he got in over his head and was unable to escape? This was something she would have to deal with herself.
* * *
Ruby gathered up all her strength as she knocked on Tweedy’s door. He did not appear surprised to see her as he allowed her inside.
‘I know why you’re here,’ he said flatly, as her stern expression relayed that this was not a social call.
‘Best I come in then,’ she said, wiping her boots on the doormat in the hall.
‘You know about my alibi, don�
�t you?’ Tweedy said. ‘I knew I was taking a risk coming to the nick to warn you, but I couldn’t let you walk into danger knowing that I had a part to play in it.’
Ruby shook her head, unable to comprehend what she was hearing. ‘How could you? After all Nathan’s done. Were you jealous of his success, was that it? Or were you being blackmailed? What sort of trouble have you got yourself into, Steve?’ She dropped the nickname; such things were reserved for friends, and their friendship had been broken in two.
Steve crossed his arms, tucking his hands under the armpits of his sweater. ‘It’s not what you think. I knew that you’d get Nathan out of it eventually, and it did him some good getting away from his family. We never really talk much when he’s at home. When he stayed here, he really opened up.’
‘Your bromance is very touching. How about you tell that to the victims’ families?’ Ruby inhaled a deep breath as she calmed her rising temper. ‘You directed Tanner to the girls so he could get his revenge. Then you told him you’d protect him in exchange for Ellie’s organs, and I’m guessing you stole Nathan’s watch. It makes me sick to the stomach. Yet here you are pretending to be his friend when all along, you planted the evidence under his bed.’
‘You’ve got it all wrong,’ Steve’s face paled. ‘I never intended for any of this.’
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