The first thing she did when she woke up, regardless of the time, was make a coffee. She needed it to wake her up and get her mind going. She looked at the large selection of coffee pods neatly positioned in the rack, decided on a caramel latte, then grabbed a mug from the side and placed it on the ledge under the nozzle. She lifted the top of the machine and placed the pod into the holder, clamped it down, and pressed the button. A whirring sound filled the kitchen.
While she waited, she turned back and noticed the flyer on the worktop. She leaned forward to have a look at it to pass the time.
‘That’s cheap,’ she muttered to herself, then pulled her phone from her dressing gown, found her friend's number, then pressed CALL.
‘Hey, it’s Rachel…’
‘Hi, what’s up?’ said the voice on the other end.
‘You know last night we were talking about getting a hot tub for my birthday this weekend, then decided there wouldn’t be enough time?’
‘Yup?’
‘Just got a leaflet through the door. A company renting out hot tubs on short notice?’
‘How short is short notice?’
Rachel carefully lifted her mug from the holder and placed it on the side. ‘I don’t know. I’ll ring the number. If I can get one for Saturday, I’ll have you lot around.’
‘Brill. Let me know what they say.’ Her friend hung up.
Rachel typed the number into her phone and pressed CALL. ‘Hi, I’m ringing about hiring a hot tub.’
‘Hi. When’s it for?’ It was a man’s voice.
‘This weekend. Saturday. A party on the night.’
‘Yeah, there’s a couple available. How many people is it for?’
Rachel thought for a moment. ‘Five, possibly six.’
There was a long silence.
‘Hi, is anyone there?’ asked Rachel, frowning.
‘Sorry, I’m just thinking which one would be best suited for you. We have one. I can pop over on Friday to set it up so it’s all ready for the Saturday. Would that work for you?’
‘That would be great. I have the Friday and the whole weekend off,’ she said excitedly.
‘Great. Can I take a name and address?’
She told him.
‘I’ll be there Friday morning.’
‘See you then, Roger.’
Mackenzie Dilton smiled and hung up the phone. Roll on Friday, he thought, smiling to himself.
39
Tuesday Morning
Police Station
Byrd and Tanzy gave Linda Fallows their undivided attention, desperate to know what she was going to say and how she could help them with the investigation. So far, in terms of finding any substantial evidence, or a big enough clue to lead to an arrest, they’d come up short.
After she took a sip of coffee, she carefully placed it down on the table in front of her.
‘Nearly seven years ago, I was involved in something similar. Actually, at the time, I was a Detective Inspector before moving into the psychological side of things. The way criminals thought and acted. As well as my degree in criminology, I went on to study psychology. The way the mind worked and what made people tick excited me. To combine them was something my peers suggested a career in which I would thrive in. I’ll be honest, I loved being a DI, running my small team. As you guys know, every day is different and, let’s just say, every day can be very interesting.’
Byrd and Tanzy smiled and nodded, knowing exactly what she meant.
She continued. ‘It all started with the fire. It was horrific. A father, mother, and daughter were burned. Similar circumstances. Days after, we witnessed a drowning. The victim had been drowned in the bath, left there for several days until a concerned friend, who had arranged to do something with her the previous night, was suspicious when she couldn’t get hold of her, then went into her house using the spare key she had for emergencies, she found her in the bath, still with her eyes wide open, staring up at the ceiling. Several days after that, a man was found inside his car after leaving work after a late shift. Just after midnight, we learned that a man had crept up behind the car and climbed into the back seat just as the engine had been turned on, a deadly gas, according to the forensic team, had been released. The victim died quickly.’ She stopped for a moment. ‘And lastly, a male victim was found by a dog walker who passed him one morning, partially buried in the woods.’
Byrd and Tanzy absorbed her serious words.
‘Where did these events occur?’ asked Byrd, narrowing his eyes.
‘Places close to Essex, hence why our team picked it up.’
Tanzy nodded, then said, ‘Why do you think they are linked?’
‘Not only can I see the four elements here, but there’s a bigger similarity.’
The detectives waited.
‘They were uploaded to the internet. After each event happened, a day later, a video was uploaded online for the world to see. We tried our best to track it, but we couldn’t. We even had our best IT guys on it. They said the user name couldn’t be tracked or the person who uploaded it had installed some type of blocker.’ She shook her head. ‘I can’t remember the technical term they used.’
Byrd took a deep breath. ‘Did you identify the suspect seven years ago?’
She shook her head again. ‘Unfortunately not. But the username of the person who uploaded it was ‘Rcarl20’. The name will always stay with me. Since then, I’ve looked for anything about fires, drownings, and people being gassed. When I saw the article on the house fire and the woman falling that happened in the same town within a few days, it got me thinking. Then when the article mentioned the videos that had been uploaded, it’s all I thought about. The last thing I wanted to do was get involved. I have a quiet life now, I’m retired. I’ve put all the crime scenes and insane people this country has to offer behind me. But…’ she stopped, looking at the table for a moment.
‘But you decided to request the files of our investigations anyway?’ Byrd was annoyed at her but at the same time, didn’t blame her. He thought about what he’d do if it was him.
‘I can’t let the man responsible get away with this again,’ she replied firmly. ‘If it is him, he’s ruined so many lives. I can’t let him do it again. So, Detectives, what I want – or should I say, need – is for you to believe that you have witnessed the fire and the gas. Very soon, you may well be witnessing water and earth.’
‘In what way?’ Tanzy asked curiously.
‘That I don’t know. But if what I believe is true, then you’re going to have more deaths on your hands very soon.’
Byrd hung his head, lost for words. Tanzy didn’t say much either, letting the silence fill the room, which was broken when there was a knock on the door. They all turned towards it when it opened.
‘Boss?’ It was DC Leonard, breathing heavily.
‘What is it, Jim?’ Tanzy said.
‘Something has been found on the A66, in the middle of the road. We need to go.’
40
Tuesday Late Morning
A66, outside of Darlington
Before Byrd and Tanzy had left the station, they went to see Fuller, telling him what they’d been told. He immediately logged off his computer, jumped up, and left the office. Byrd asked him about Linda Fallows, about what they’d do with her, after explaining very briefly what she’d said and what an asset she could be for them. Fuller had agreed to allow her to go along, if of course, they were happy with that. Maybe she could assist in assessing whatever they were about to see.
They joined the A66. Byrd put the X5 into third gear and put his foot down. Tanzy was riding shotgun, holding the phone to his ear, speaking with DC Leonard who was already there, getting a few minutes head start. Fallows was in the back, sitting in the middle, leaning forward, anticipating what was waiting for them.
‘Only a mile or so from the roundabout,’ Tanzy said, relaying the info, then ended the call, lowering the phone to his lap.
Byrd nodded, maintained a stea
dy sixty. They passed a temporary sign position on the side of the road saying, ‘Incident Ahead – Route Diverted’.
Up ahead, Byrd eyed two marked Peugeots parked diagonally to prevent any traffic getting through. In front of the cars, there was tape that had been fixed to the central reservation to a tree on the opposite side. A few metres in front of the tape, was a large sign positioned in the centre of the road, stating ‘Diversion’ with an arrow pointing to the left. Next to the sign, PC Amy Weaver stood with her arm permanently outstretched towards Darlington Road, directing vehicles through Sadberge.
Byrd slowed gradually, watching the car behind him, making sure the driver of the red Clio had noticed his brake lights in the bright sun that was shining down in their direction, then angled over into the right lane and came to a gradual stop just beyond the sign. Weaver immediately recognised his car and moved to the left so she could direct the cars that came behind him.
‘We stopping here?’ Fallows said from the back seat, staring through the windscreen at the tape set up and the cars parked diagonally.
‘Yeah.’ Byrd turned off the engine and opened his door. Tanzy climbed out of the passenger door and stepped down onto the road. They turned, looking back along the A66, watching the cars approach and slow under PC Weavers instruction and the diversion sign. Tanzy, for a split second, imagined the feeling of being catapulted into the air by a car that didn’t slow and plough into him, wasting no time in moving around the front of Byrd’s X5. A moment later, he was joined by Byrd and Fallows, who, instead of appearing confident like she did when speaking to them at the station, looked a little apprehensive. Maybe the thought of witnessing the third kill she’d told them could happen very soon.
From one of the parked Peugeots, PC Josh Andrews opened the door and smiled at Tanzy as he made his way over to them.
‘You got here fast,’ Tanzy said to him.
‘Not fast, ya last.’
Tanzy smiled at the small joke between them.
Andrews was a tall guy and in good shape from recent gym visits. He was good-looking, his hair was always gelled and brushed over. His clean-shaven face made space for his square jaw and good posture, making him appear taller than he really was, which was a modest six foot one, an inch under Tanzy, but an inch taller than Byrd.
‘What’s the story?’ asked Tanzy.
‘Just up ahead, sir. A call came in from a man who was driving along with his missus. The rear doors of a van that was driving in front of them opened, and something hit their windscreen. They almost veered off the road and came to a sudden halt. The guy got out and found the object that hit them.’
‘Where is he now?’ Tanzy asked, looking around, seeing no sign of the man and woman in question.
‘Parked at the petrol station further down the road. Anne is speaking with him and his wife.’
‘How far down is the road shut off?’ Byrd asked, knowing there was a turn off not far away.
‘We’ve blocked off Stockton Road that joins the A66. For the moment, we don’t know how far down we need to look.’
Byrd agreed that should be a sufficient distance.
Tanzy peered around him and saw the rear of the forensics van that was parked further down. ‘Who’s here?’
‘Tallow, Hope, Forrest. DC Leonard and DC Cornty. Think Cornty was first here.’
Tanzy nodded, and turned, hearing footsteps behind him. He introduced Linda Fallows to Andrews. They shook hands briefly and shared polite smiles, although Andrews had no idea who she was or the reason for her being there.
Byrd and Tanzy and Fallows ducked under the loose plastic tape and passed through the small space between the front of the cars, then walked down the empty road. It was surreal in a way, the road that was usually filled with passing cars was silent and still. The sun was shining above them, beating down in waves.
Once they reached the forensic van, they went around it, and wasn’t long before they noticed Jacob Tallow thirty metres up, dressed in white coveralls and wearing a face mask, kneeling at the right side of the road. His attention was on something near the kerb. Byrd and Tanzy could see the object but not quite make out what it was.
Beyond him, roughly twenty metres down, over to the left, were Emily Hope and Amanda Forrest, dressed the same. Hope was bent over with Forrest standing beside her, a camera in her hand, snapping whatever Hope was looking at down on the road.
A hundred metres along, Tanzy noticed DC Leonard and DC Cornty slowly walking along the edge of the road, one either side, peering down at the grass verge.
‘What have they found?’ Fallows asked, slowly trailing Byrd and Tanzy, but intrigued by the sight of forensics. She then stopped, experiencing a series of mixed feelings. The excitement of a crime scene, along with the familiar sicky feeling in her stomach that she’d never quite managed to deal with. But today was different. Today, she felt not only that, but she felt a deep sadness. The realisation that what she’d done in her career, however many criminals she’d caught, or killer’s minds she’d gotten into, that the world moved on. And there were criminals still out there, doing this to people. She only hoped the butterflies in her stomach would lead to finding some evidence that she could use to catch the killer she failed to catch seven years ago.
‘You okay?’
Fallows looked up, snapped out of her lost gaze, and smiled at Tanzy. ‘Yeah, sorry.’ She started walking again and once she levelled with them, they carried on.
Upon their right, the senior forensic tech, Jacob Tallow was still kneeling at the side of the road. He heard footsteps and looked to his right, eyed Byrd and Tanzy, then noticed Fallows a step behind them.
He stood up, stepped away from the grass.
‘Hey, Max. Hey, Orion.’
‘Pleasant day for it,’ commented Tanzy, stopping near him.
‘Just got a whole lot better.’
Byrd smiled at his sarcasm, then turned his body towards Fallows and said, ‘This is Linda Fallows, a retired criminal psychologist of Essex Police.’
Tallow nodded and pulled down his mask. ‘A pleasure to meet you.’
Under different circumstances, they would have shaken hands, but they were both professional to understand the situation they were in and formalities could come after.
‘What have we got, Jacob?’ said Tanzy, looking away to where Tallow had just been kneeling.
‘See for yourself,’ he replied.
Byrd and Tanzy, side by side, came forward to see the cylindrical object. It was quite thick, roughly a foot wide and at least ten inches long. The outside part was pale white, but the ends were more of a pink colour with specks of dark red and white hard bits.
‘What is it?’ asked Byrd, frowning.
‘Pathology will have a better idea but if I were to guess, I’d say it was the top of someone’s leg.’
41
Tuesday Afternoon
A66, outside of Darlington
Over an hour after Byrd, Tanzy, and Linda Fallows had arrived, the forensics team had collected a total of fourteen body parts. Each part had been photographed in the exact position they’d been found and carefully picked up and bagged for further testing.
Knowing each part could potentially make up the anatomy of a human body, Tallow cleared a space in the rear of their van and placed a plastic sheet down. Then, with each body part, placed it in the position he thought it would go.
So far, they had both feet, both calves, one knee, both thighs, both hands, two separate pieces of flesh that resembled the stomach, a forearm, and two upper arms.
‘What’s missing?’ asked Byrd, appearing at the rear of the van. Tallow looked down at the separated body and said, ‘The head. One of the arms. Chest. Shoulders.’
Byrd said nothing. Mainly because he was speechless. Who on earth would do this?
‘Can you see a similarity here, Mrs Fallows?’ asked Byrd, turning his head towards her.
‘Please, call me Linda.’ It was the second time she’d said that.
Byrd could hear by her tone she didn’t want to say it a third time.
‘Sorry, I’m used to formalities.’
They exchanged a brief smile.
‘No, Max. If I’m being honest with you, I can’t.’ She looked back to the neatly positioned parts in the back of the van, then at Tallows who studied them for a moment, feeling slightly attracted towards him. Tallow wasn’t typically good-looking, but he was tall and thin. He had a slightly bigger nose than usual, but it made him look different. And, what she found sexier than anything, was his level of concentration. The sun beat down hard. The day had warmed to the high twenties but Tallow didn’t seem fazed by it.
She angled her gaze back to Byrd. ‘Can I have a word?’
Byrd nodded. ‘Sure.’ They stepped away from the van far enough so their conversation was between only themselves, but Tallow left the van and wandered back down the road; they were still missing parts to search for.
‘What is it, Linda?’ said Byrd.
‘There’s no link here to what happened in Essex.’
‘How can you be sure?’ Byrd frowned at her. Not in a questioning, I-don’t-believe-you way, but more in a curious way, hoping she’d explain.
‘I can’t see the elements here. As we know, we’ve seen fire and air. There’s no water or earth here. This, in my opinion, Max, is something entirely different.’
Byrd listened but with a pinch of salt. Regardless of what she’d seen or hadn’t seen before, it didn’t have any effect on his thoughts. He would, like he did with every case or crime scene, focus on the facts, disregarding presumed speculations, which more often than not, led them down the wrong path.
‘Okay,’ he said. ‘We’ll see how Orion is doing down there.’
She nodded and followed his lead. They passed Hope and Forrest who were rummaging through the grass verges down on the left. Further down, PC Timms and PC Grearer were over to the right. They waved a hand as Byrd passed.
No One's Safe: DI Max Byrd & DI Orion Tanzy book 3 Page 13
