by M A Comley
“We’re talking around eighty, boss. That’s going to be a lot of research; time consuming.”
“Might be worth having a word with the line manager to see if the women remained in one section working alongside the same people or if they were moved around from section to section.”
Stuart nodded. “I’ll get on that in the morning.”
“It might also be worthwhile revisiting the women and questioning them further, see if they can remember anyone having an eye problem at the time. Ask them discreetly, of course.”
“Again, we’ll kill two birds and revisit the factory, speak to the line manager and the three friends again tomorrow.”
“Sounds like a plan, Stuart. Okay, not sure about you guys, but I’ve had enough for one day. I know it’s early, but let’s go home, get some rest. I have a feeling once we have the results from the sketch artist it’s going to be a case of all hands to the pump.”
The team switched off their computers and left. Sally slipped into her office to collect her coat and handbag and emerged to find DCI Green standing in the outer office.
“Hello, sir. You startled me there for a second. Can I help?”
“Working part-time nowadays, Inspector? I don’t think that was in your renewed contract. If it was, I don’t remember seeing it or signing off on it.”
“Sorry, sir. This is a one-off. The team weren’t getting anywhere. We’ve got a few leads to follow up on but we’re waiting for the results of the sketch artist to come through before we can tackle anything major. They’re turning up early in the morning; they’ll make up the time over the coming days, I promise, we always do,” she added. Bloody cheek! How come he never shows up when we’re eating a takeaway at our desks at ten o’clock at night? Bloody sod’s law can do one!
“Yes, yes. I’ve heard on the grapevine that your cold case has overlapped a crime that has just been committed, is that correct?”
“It is, sir. We’ve been working all day with DS Brian Jessop. There are definite similarities to the Pickrel case, and I decided it would be better to join forces. I’m sorry, I never thought to run it past you first, sir.”
“Never mind, mistakes happen, Inspector. Do your best to avoid getting into bother in the future would be my advice.” His tone was stern and uncompromising.
“I’ll be sure to remember that, sir. Was there anything else?”
“No. Just thought I’d drop by to get an update on your case. I’ve told you numerous times to keep me in the loop, and yet you’re still failing to do that, Inspector Parker.”
“Sir, in my defence, if there was anything worth sharing with you, I would have. The investigation has been one fuelled by frustration so far. Hardly worth bothering you with, I promise you.”
He grunted and nodded. “I still expect you to keep in regular contact with me.”
“Sorry, sir. I will do from now on, even if it’s to share my frustration on a case.”
He turned on his heel and called over his shoulder, “You do that, Inspector. I want you checking in with me every few days.”
“Yes, sir,” she replied, giving him the finger as he left the room. Calm down. He’s not worth getting all het up about. It’s home time. Tomorrow is another day. Indeed it was. Sally hoped against hope that all the children in the area would be safe in their beds that night, with a child killer on the loose.
9
Sally’s alarm went off at seven the following morning. Sleepily, she slammed her hand on the button to shut the damn thing off, rolled over and flung her arm over Simon. She kissed his naked back. “Morning.”
He shifted in the bed to face her, pecking her head as he lifted it to place his arm underneath. “Good morning, darling. Did you sleep well?”
“Surprisingly, yes. Even though my dreams consisted of me chasing a bloody intruder caught in the act of smothering a child in her bed.”
“Ugh…not good.”
She inhaled a large breath then let it out slowly. “One night I can put up with. Can you imagine how the Pickrels feel, or Louie Pickrel in particular? He must relive that nightmare over and over again.”
“The poor man. The death of a child must be the worst thing ever; however, to witness that death and feel useless that you could do nothing to prevent it from happening must be absolutely crushing.”
“Agreed. Hopefully we’ll be able to give the family the news they’ve been longing to hear in the near future.”
“You seriously think the two cases are connected?”
She sat up and looked down at him, her hand placed on the greying fuzz decorating his chest. “Don’t you?”
“I’m prepared to remain open-minded on this one.”
“May I ask why?”
“Because of the years between the two crimes. As yet, no evidence has been found at the new scene, not that there was anything found at the original crime scene anyway. Oh, I don’t know, to me, something doesn’t feel right, and I can’t seem to put my finger on what that is. Maybe that’s my fault for spending too much time away from the lab.”
“Nonsense, your instincts are pretty spot on usually. So what if you’re not a hundred percent invested in the case. You’re entitled to have time off, Simon.”
“I know. I’ll get back into the swing of things soon enough.”
She kissed him, sensing his love for his career waning more than ever. “If your heart isn’t in it any more, love, you need to take a step back and seriously consider your future.”
“I’ve been doing that for a while, just not sure I’m willing to take the final step and give up on all that training.”
“It’s a decision not to be taken lightly; I know you’re not likely to do that. Give me a shout if you need to bend my ear, although the ultimate decision has to be down to you.”
“I know. I still have to weigh everything up. I’m fortunate in that I have two successful careers to choose from now. Maybe that’s the cause of the dilemma going around my head.”
She flung back the quilt and left the bed. “I value our marriage, so I’m going to take a step back while you make up your mind. I know whatever decision you make it’ll be the right one for you and ultimately for us.”
He smiled at her. “And that’s why I love you; your support never fails to amaze me. Other women would be frantic, tearing their hair out, forcing me to hurry up with the decision-making process.”
She grinned. “In case you hadn’t noticed, dear husband of mine, I’m not, and never will be, like other women. I believe a person has the right to make up their own mind about what’s important to them in this life. I’ll be here if you need guidance but that’s as far as I’m prepared to go. Whichever career you decide on is down to you. I’ll be behind you all the way.”
“As long as the money rolls in, is that it?” His eyes sparkled as he teased her.
She pointed a finger at him. “I’m going to forget you ever mentioned that.”
“Good. It was meant as a joke, not a dig in any way.”
“As long as I have the love of a good man, money is immaterial to me. A quick question for you.”
He tilted his head, inviting her to go on.
“Any idea where I’m going to find this good man?” She laughed and ducked into the bathroom, narrowly missed by the pillow he’d aimed at her.
“I’ll get you for that, Mrs Bracknall—when you’re least expecting it, I might add.”
“Whatever,” she replied, stealing the word she hated the most from her partner.
Sally was still smirking when she arrived at work an hour later.
Pat greeted her with a warm smile from his post behind the reception desk. “Morning, ma’am. Nice to see you looking so cheerful.”
“I’m always cheerful, Pat. All quiet overnight?” she asked, bracing herself for the answer.
“As far as I know, yes. That’ll be a relief for you, I know.”
“It is. See you later.” She ran up the stairs to find Jack and Joanna chatting over
a cup of coffee. Judging by the fullness of Jack’s cup as she passed his desk on her way to the vending machine, he hadn’t been there long. “Morning, both. Ready for some hard work today?”
“All primed and ready to go, boss,” Joanna stated, pointing at her lit computer screen.
“Always ready for hard work. It never seems to come our way, though,” Jack complained. “I hate the mundane side of our job, especially working these damn cold cases. I suppose you’ll be going out and conducting further enquiries with Jessop today? When he eventually shows up.”
“We’ll see how things go, Jack. ‘Why the long face?’ as the bartender said to the horse sitting at his bar waiting to be served.”
“That one is as old as the hills. You need to find better jokes to add to your repertoire.”
“It’s all I had to hand. Maybe it would be more appropriate if you came to work without wearing a damn scowl now and again and then I wouldn’t have to resort to digging deep for a joke to come up with to boost your bloody morale.”
He poked his tongue out at her. “Ain’t gonna happen anytime in the near future.”
Sally shook her head and continued on her journey to the vending machine. She opted to ignore his jibe. She was in a good mood and wasn’t about to let him bring her down. Brian Jessop joined them a few minutes later, followed by Stuart and Jordan.
“Grab yourselves a coffee, gents. We’ll spend the first twenty minutes going over the plans we briefly mentioned yesterday.”
The team gathered around, all with a drink in their hands. “Brian, first thing, I need you to chase up the sketch artist, if you would?”
“Already made a mental note to do that, boss.” He sipped his coffee.
Sally’s glance slipped to Jack who was quietly mimicking what Jessop had said. She shook her head and rolled her eyes when he caught her staring at him. He had the decency to look ashamed by his conduct. A grown bloody man in his forties? You could have fooled me.
“I pondered overnight how to proceed and think we should put the interviews on hold in the Pickrel case until that image comes through. Is everyone agreed on that?”
The team all nodded.
“Makes sense to me,” Brian added.
“Stuart, I need you and Jordan to go back to the factory and reinterview the women and the line manager. Maybe you showing up two days on the trot will force someone to cast their minds back and come up with something useful. Still tread carefully until a positive connection shows up.”
Both men acquiesced with a brief nod.
“Jack, I want you and Joanna to help Stuart and Jordan with their case for now. There’s very little we can do on the Pickrel case until that drawing comes our way.”
“You want us to go over the medical files, is that it?” Jack asked.
“Yes, it’ll be a start. Maybe you should begin with Mick and Lucinda, see if either of them had any problems with their eyes and go from there.”
“That could take days to sort out,” he grumbled, eyeing Joanna.
She seemed far more upbeat about things, however, and her smile remained in place.
“It could. I’ll hold your hand through the process, Jack,” Joanna teased.
His cheeks coloured up as the other male members of the team all jeered and whistled. Sally had to suppress a laugh that was on the verge of erupting.
“That’s it then, folks, let’s make it a productive day. I’m going to deal with the post in my office, then I’m going to ring the prison, see if Seb Randall has had any contact with the outside world since we paid him a visit.”
“You think he might have contacted someone on the outside and instructed them to kill that child?” Jack asked in disbelief.
“I don’t know, Jack. I’m just trying to think outside the box, cover every possible angle. It can’t hurt, right?”
He shrugged, and she prepared herself for what he was about to say next. “Whatever.”
“I’m out of here,” she said, walking into her office. She closed the door behind her and sat behind her desk. After looking up the number of the prison, which she should know off by heart by now, she rang Governor Ward.
He sounded pleased to hear from her. “Hello, Inspector. What can I do for you?”
She explained the situation, and he sounded shocked by the news. “I don’t understand. You’re suggesting that Randall had something to do with this little girl’s murder?”
“The truth is, I don’t know, sir. I’m covering all the bases until something concrete comes our way. Do you know if he’s had any contact with the outside world?”
“I do and I can categorically say, he hasn’t. However, in the circumstances, I will speak to my staff, see if any of them have seen him placing a call within the last forty-eight hours, how’s that?”
“Excellent news, I was hoping you’d say that. I’ll wait to hear from you then. Thanks again for being so obliging.”
“No thanks needed. Speak to you soon, Inspector.”
Sally ended the call and sat back, contemplating how feasible it would be for Randall to make such arrangements with the guards watching his every move. She didn’t hold out much hope of the governor coming through for her.
She tried to get on with some paperwork while she waited for the governor’s call—it proved to be pointless.
Governor Ward rang back twenty minutes later. “DI Sally Parker. How may I help?”
“Inspector, it’s me.”
“That was quick, Governor. Do you have any news for me?”
“Yes, however, I don’t think it’s the type of news you’ve been expecting.”
“Don’t tell me. Randall hasn’t set foot near a telephone in weeks.”
“You’ve got it. Sorry to disappoint you. Good luck with your investigation.”
“Thanks for getting back to me so promptly. No doubt our paths will cross again soon in the near future.”
“I’ll look forward to that.”
She could hear the smile in his voice and ended the call. Leaving her paperwork to one side, she returned to let the team know. Brian was no longer in the room.
“Your attention please, folks. I’ve been on the phone to the prison. We can cross Sebastian Randall off the list of possible suspects. He hasn’t made contact with anyone in the outside world in weeks.”
“I thought you were chancing your arm with him,” Jack replied, folding his arms.
“It needed to be checked all the same, Jack.”
Sally had to bite her tongue. His attitude was ticking her off. If she let rip at him now, though, there was no telling what he was likely to do. She needed every available team member on this one. In some ways, she regretted giving Stuart and Jordan the other case to work on. But then, they’d progressed well on it, and she sensed that case would be wound up soon enough, then she’d have the full team at her disposal again to check through the alibis of the other witnesses.
Although, if Jack persisted in acting like a child, she’d be eager to leave the office just to put some distance between them. She walked over to the machine and bought herself a coffee. Brian came barging into the room, waving a sheet of paper, stopping her in her tracks as she was returning to her office.
“We’ve got it,” he shouted excitedly.
“Let me see.” Sally rushed to have a look, almost spilling her coffee in her eagerness. “Jack, get the E-FIT from the Pickrel case, will you?”
He grunted and searched the edge of his desk in no great hurry.
Brian handed her the sketch artist’s drawing, and Sally gasped. She didn’t have to make a comparison. Both pictures were exactly the same. She glanced up at Brian. His enthusiasm had dimmed once he’d studied her expression.
“It’s not possible,” she muttered.
Jack held out the original E-FIT, and Brian looked at it.
“No way!” Brian murmured in disbelief.
“Are you going to let me and Joanna see that damn picture?” Jack demanded impatiently.
&nbs
p; Sally turned the picture to face the two team members, and they had the same reaction she had.
“Bloody hell, that can’t be right. There must be some mistake,” Jack said, shaking his head.
“It’s the genuine article. That’s who the neighbour saw,” Brian told them. He collapsed into the nearby chair. “What does this mean?”
Sally took both pictures and pinned them side by side on the noticeboard. “I have an interpretation for you, but you’re not going to like it.”
“Go on,” Jack said, “Surprise us.”
“Someone is intent on messing with our heads,” Sally revealed, her heart sinking as she said the words out loud.
“Seriously?” Brian asked. “Why?”
She shrugged and perched her backside on the nearest desk as she contemplated her response. She failed to come up with anything suitable. “I haven’t got a clue.”
“Mind games…it’s feasible. Or is it? The neighbour gave every detail of the same face that hasn’t changed in the nineteen years since the first crime was committed.”
“I’ve got a theory, if you want to hear it,” Jack announced churlishly.
“We’re all ears, Jack.”
“What if the neighbour saw the TV programme the other day and the E-FIT image stuck in his memory and he’s gone from that?”
Sally ran a hand over her face. “It’s possible. We need to ring the TV station, see if the E-FIT was shown the night the show aired. Jack, can you do that for me?”
“Roger that.” He picked up the phone on the desk and placed the call. The answer, when it came, was negative and had them all foxed once more.
“Nearly twenty years, and his features haven’t changed. It’s inconceivable, isn’t it?” Sally asked, shaking her head.
“It is to me. What now?” Brian asked, matching her bewilderment.
“I need to get out of here,” she muttered. “Come on, Brian. I wasn’t going to do this personally, but the walls are suddenly closing in on me.”
Brian’s gaze drifted first to Joanna and then to Jack.
