The Other Killer

by Noelle Holten

  ‘No. You’re not. That’s the problem. What you are doing is muddying the waters. We have a killer out there and little to no solid leads. Bill Raven is in custody. He’s no risk to the public. By continually focusing on him, you are going to confuse the team. What if we miss something important because you’re inadvertently misguiding your colleagues?’

  ‘I take on board what you’re saying and although I’m not particularly happy with the threat of being removed from a case because I choose not to be blinded by Bill Raven’s manipulation – I’ll keep my thoughts to myself in future.’

  ‘And watch that mouth. I’ll have you for insubordination if you speak to me like that again.’

  ‘Apologies, ma’am. It won’t happen again.’

  ‘Damn right. Now go and find out what you can from Probation. Make sure this is the last time we have this conversation. Are we clear?’

  ‘Crystal, ma’am.’

  DI Rutherford watched Maggie leave and took a large sip of water to get rid of the dryness in her mouth. The review commission were still keen to speak with Maggie and follow up with some details after their first meeting. Maggie was one of her best officers and Abigail was hoping that she would apply for the permanent sergeant’s vacancy – but if she carried on like this, she would be lucky to remain a DC.

  She wouldn’t admit it out loud, but she also had concerns about Bill Raven and would keep a close eye on Maggie to make sure that no further mistakes were made in this case. The body parts were piling up and Abigail feared there were more to come.

  CHAPTER FORTY-TWO

  She threw her pen on her desk and kicked the three-drawer cabinet which sat neatly beneath it.

  ‘What’s with the face?’ Nathan walked towards her.

  ‘It’s the only one I have.’ She growled back. This was a standard joke between the two of them, but Maggie was in no mood for their regular banter today.

  ‘Okaaaay. I take it your meeting with the DI didn’t go well?’

  Maggie sighed. ‘I don’t know anymore. Maybe I just need to move on, but I have this horrible feeling. Every time I hear Raven’s name or think of these cases, it boils my blood …’ She collapsed into her chair. ‘He’s a serial killer, Nathan. The CCRC are dead wrong if they think that Raven is innocent. And we might be the ones to hand them his ticket to freedom.’

  ‘What happened to your no labels philosophy? We can’t turn a blind eye to new evidence, Maggie, and what if we were the ones who got it wrong in the first place? Could you live with that?’

  ‘Don’t be that guy, Nathan.’ She clenched her fists.

  ‘What guy?’

  ‘The prick DS who follows protocol so closely they fail to think outside the box.’

  ‘Hey! That’s uncalled for. Would you talk to any other DS like that?’

  Maggie lowered her head and shook her arms. It wasn’t Nathan’s fault. ‘You’re right. I’m sorry. But I don’t take back what I said.’

  ‘Regardless of what my gut is or isn’t telling me, our job right now is to follow the evidence. And it’s telling me that there’s a strong possibility that the J-man, or the guy from the Blackwood Estate could be responsible for the murders. What if they are one and the same?’

  Maggie frowned at the wall for a moment and then shrugged. ‘Who knows. So where do we go from here?’

  ‘Well to put your mind at ease, why don’t I get the prison to monitor all Raven’s visitors and post? If anything flags up, at least we’ll know about it. Bethany has already requested the CCTV from the prison to look at past visitors and she’s located three disused freight cargo cars; I thought we could check those out after we chase up the other leads. The landlord from Raven’s old address is trying to find the details of the J-man that Raven mentioned, but so far, it’s a dead end.’ Nathan smiled, and Maggie couldn’t help but smile back.

  ‘Sounds promising, and you’re right … monitoring Raven would ease my mind.’

  ‘Did you just say I was right? Did anyone else hear that?’ He looked around the room expectantly. Maggie burst out laughing.

  ‘I don’t know what you’re talking about.’ She winked. ‘Probation first, then Lorraine’s sister’s house and the fields if there is time? Is that the plan?’

  ‘Grab your bag and let’s get a move on.’

  CHAPTER FORTY-THREE

  They arrived at the Probation Office in Markston forty-five minutes later. The reception area was full for a Thursday and Maggie headed straight to the desk. ‘Hi there. I’m DC Jamieson and this is my colleague, DS Wright. We’re here to see Sarah Hardy.’ The receptionist asked them to take a seat while she called through to Sarah. There were none free, and Maggie could almost feel the daggers being thrown their way from the offenders in the waiting room.

  ‘Friendly crowd, eh?’ Nathan whispered to Maggie. ‘I can see two people who I’ve had previous dealings with, how about you?’

  Maggie gave Nathan a look. ‘Let’s not give them a reason to kick off. We won’t be welcome back if they do.’

  The door clicked open and Sarah greeted them. ‘Come through! Great to see you guys.’

  Maggie and Nathan followed Sarah through the open-plan area and into the secure offices. They would be discussing Lorraine Rugman’s details and didn’t want anyone to overhear.

  ‘Wow. Bit cramped in here?’ Nathan laughed.

  ‘Ha! It is, but we generally sit out in the open-plan area where we also see the offenders. This is just the quiet space, if we need to focus on reports and stuff.’

  ‘Well it’s certainly different from how I remember Probation.’ Nathan looked around and Maggie watched as he took in the white walls filled with motivational posters.

  ‘With the separation of Probation into the public and private sectors, we got these fancy offices, more flexibility and secure laptops. Though I think most of us would rather they spent the money on staff instead of new chairs or worktops. Anyway, enough politics, would either of you like a drink before we start?’ Sarah smiled.

  Looking at Nathan, Maggie answered for the both of them. ‘That would be great. Can we have coffee, please?’

  As Sarah walked into the kitchenette behind them, Maggie and Nathan settled in the available chairs and took out their notepads. Sarah returned with the drinks and booted up her laptop.

  ‘So, while we wait for this to wake up, what exactly are you looking for? Might save some time trawling through the records. Lorraine was well known to Probation due to her substance misuse and her past history as a sex worker.’ Sarah typed in her password.

  Maggie took a sip of her coffee. ‘First we want to know if Lorraine mentioned any hassle or trouble from anyone?’ Maggie looked at Sarah’s screen.

  ‘I’ve just pulled up her OASys, which is our Offender Assessment System. If she said anything that was of concern, it would have been noted there.’ Sarah scrawled down to the bottom. ‘Ah, here we go. She mentions being hassled for money a few times by someone named Adrian Harrison. Does that name ring a bell?’

  Maggie and Nathan shared a look. ‘Does she say anything else about Adrian or anyone for that matter?’

  ‘She mentions that she thought someone was following her, but she doesn’t give a name. This assessment was the last one we did before she disappeared, so I’ll just check her case notes to see if she shared anything else. Given it was over two years ago, and her Probation Officer from that period has moved on, I can’t ask them what they remember.’ Sarah minimized the screen and opened Lorraine’s case records. ‘So, she told her officer that she thought Adrian Harrison might be watching her as she owed him money, but when she confronted him, he said she was being paranoid. Her officer noted in brackets symptom of cannabis misuse so I’m guessing that Lorraine was a poly drug user.’

  Maggie tapped her pen on her notepad.

  ‘Paranoia is common in cannabis and amphetamine users. Lorraine enjoyed both of those things, along with heroin and crack.’ Sarah continued to scroll through the records. ‘Her
e she mentions getting into an altercation with someone named Imran Patel. Doesn’t look like the officer pushed her for any more information on this. Maybe you can see if the police were called?’

  Maggie noted the second name and highlighted a PNC check for the relevant dates. ‘Anything else you think might help?’

  ‘Nothing more jumps out at me, but she was on a DRR – oh sorry that’s a Community order for Drug Rehabilitation Requirement – so you might want to see if her keyworker can add anything. They’re based around the corner from Markston Police Station.’ Sarah wrote down the keyworker’s name and number, passing the information to Maggie. She radioed Bethany and asked her to follow up.

  ‘You’ve been really helpful. Do you think you can just do a quick check for any relationships that we should know about?’ Nathan interrupted.

  ‘Sure thing.’ Sarah paused as she searched the computer for the details requested. ‘Looks like she was previously married, but the marriage was riddled with violence. It broke down ten years ago, so we won’t have any information on that. Also notes she had a child but he was adopted out and she never maintained any contact with him. She was single at the time she was on probation. Ex-sex worker – she seemed to have stopped about five years before, though she might have still done it occasionally for drugs and not been caught.’

  ‘Perfect. We’ll head off now and leave you to get on. Would it be OK to call you if we have any further questions?’ Maggie pocketed her notebook.

  ‘Of course. Always happy to help when I can.’

  CHAPTER FORTY-FOUR

  The car ride to Lorraine’s sister’s house on the outskirts of Stafford was silent as they both gathered their thoughts. Bethany had come back to her and advised that after speaking to the keyworker over the phone, he had nothing of interest to share. Maggie sighed.

  ‘What’s the sister’s name?’ Nathan broke the silence as he stared ahead.

  ‘Rachel Nichols. Early forties. No previous convictions.’

  ‘Wonder how close they were? Do you remember anything about their relationship?’

  ‘From what I can recall, she was trying to keep Lorraine on the straight and narrow. The rest of Lorraine’s family had disowned her years before and had nothing to say. She stole from her family to fund her drug use.’

  ‘Fucking hell. I bet they went through a lot.’

  Maggie could see the hurt on Nathan’s face. His younger sister had died of a drug overdose when he had first started in the police, so he knew first-hand what drugs could do to a family.

  ‘You OK?’ She reached across and squeezed his arm.

  ‘Yeah, sorry.’

  ‘We’re almost there. That went quick!’ The squeak in her voice was noticeable, though it made Nathan smile.

  ‘Not as much traffic going this way. I can drop you back at the station after this, if you need to get your car and we’ll call it a day.’

  ‘I’m on the train these days.’

  ‘Oh yeah, I forgot. I’ll drop you home then.’

  ‘It’s well out of your way.’

  ‘Not taking no for an answer. We’re here.’ Nathan indicated and pulled over beside the kerb outside Rachel’s house.

  They got out and walked up to the door in unison, the gravel path crunching beneath their feet. Maggie looked around as Nathan knocked. It was clear from the area that Rachel and her sister lived totally different lives.

  Maggie wondered what had taken Lorraine down the path of drugs and sex work.

  A teenaged girl opened the door and looked at them cautiously. ‘Yes?’

  ‘Hi. I’m DC Jamieson and this is my colleague, DS Wright. Is your mother in?’

  In typical teenage fashion, the girl didn’t respond and instead turned around and shouted down the hall. ‘Mum. It’s the police.’ They watched her walk away, and Maggie looked at Nathan with a shrug. Within minutes, a woman appeared.

  Rachel Nichols looked younger than her forty-some years. ‘Sorry about my daughter. Come in, please. But take your shoes off – I’ve just had the carpets cleaned.’

  Maggie gently shoved Nathan through the door and followed. ‘Of course, thank you for seeing us.’ She slid her feet out of her shoes, grateful that there were no holes in her socks today and followed Rachel into the living room.

  ‘Tea, coffee or water?’

  ‘I’m actually OK.’ Maggie looked at Nathan.

  He held his hands up. ‘Nothing for me either. Wouldn’t want to keep you any later than necessary.’

  ‘Shall we make a start then, Mrs Nichols?’ Maggie sat down in a comfortable leather chair.

  ‘Rachel. Please call me Rachel.’

  ‘Thank you, Rachel. As you know, we’ve reopened the investigation into the murder of your sister, following a recent discovery.’

  ‘Body parts … yes, I know. No need to sugar coat it. Lorraine was virtually dead before she was murdered. The drugs made sure of that.’ Maggie could see a glisten in Rachel’s eyes.

  ‘We’re so sorry for your loss, but yes, following the discovery of Lorraine’s arm and torso we now want to speak to anyone who knew her. I’m sure this was all explained to you by the FLO, but we also believe she’d been held captive somewhere for a significant period of time before she was murdered.’

  ‘Christ.’ Rachel held her head in her hands. ‘I really thought she had just buggered off somewhere before that guy confessed. And now … why didn’t I try and find her? Report her missing …’

  ‘You can’t blame yourself. You did all you could.’ Maggie tried to comfort her.

  ‘I was in denial at the time. I’ve always felt guilty when it came to Lorraine. I owed her. It’s because of me that she ended up the way she did.’ The tears began to flow.

  ‘What do you mean by that?’ Maggie leaned forward.

  ‘It’s all my fault. She was just protecting me, because of what he did to her. She started using drugs and then selling her body to pay for them. I’d never give her money, and she never stole from me. I think she’d come to me when she just had enough. She would go cold turkey and I’d watch her suffer the withdrawal – sweats, shivering, throwing abuse at anyone who came near. Whenever she couldn’t take it or the memories became too much, she left. Presumably to get drugs. And I would just wait until the next time she came. But one day, there was no next time.’

  ‘Who hurt her? And how long were the gaps normally, between you seeing her?’ Maggie had always suspected some form of abuse. Many of the women she came across, sex workers and drug users – or both – had been abused when they were young. It was their way of dealing with the pain. She waited for Rachel to respond.

  ‘Our dad.’ The words were spat out of Rachel’s mouth and she went silent.

  ‘What did your dad do?’ Maggie handed Rachel a tissue.

  ‘I’d rather not talk about it.’

  ‘We understand, but it may give us more insight into Lorraine and who she may have ended up with.’

  ‘I’m sorry, but I’m not going into details on what that pig of a man did.’ Rachel started rocking and Maggie stayed quiet.

  ‘OK. Did Lorraine tell anyone about the abuse?’

  Rachel sniffed. ‘When Lorraine told our mother what happened, our dad left, and our mum moved on. No police involvement – everything was brushed under the carpet like it never happened. I’ve no idea where he is and I don’t want to know. Lorraine usually contacted me every few months. When she didn’t, I just buried my head in the sand. I was waiting for the police to come by and say she was found dead somewhere. Overdosed. Then I saw the news, when that guy had confessed to killing her and not knowing where the body was because he had dumped the bags all over Staffordshire. How the hell is he allowed to appeal? How could someone be so cruel and make something like that up? He must know something. You need to be speaking to him again, make sure he never gets released.’

  Maggie looked at Nathan. ‘We’re looking into it. Was that your stepfather who attended court with you and your mum?’r />
  ‘Yes. And before you ask, he never hurt us. He’s a good man.’

  ‘Did Lorraine ever tell you she was afraid of anyone? Or did she owe any money to anyone?’

  ‘Ha! Lorraine owed money to loads of people. She was always in arguments with one person or another. Thankfully, she never brought any of that to my doorstep. My husband would be furious, and we tried to keep our daughter out of it, but she knew more than she let on. She was very close with Lorraine. She’s still in counselling for her grief.’

  ‘Did Lorraine mention any specific names?’ Maggie coaxed.

  ‘I’m sorry. I’m not trying to be difficult, but I can’t remember yesterday let alone over two years ago. I gave all her stuff – mobile phones, a notebook with mainly gibberish and sketches in – to the police at the time.’ She shook her head.

  ‘OK. Nathan, do you have anything further to ask?’ Maggie turned and faced him.

  ‘Just one thing, did Lorraine ever mention an Adrian Harrison or Imran Patel to you?’

  ‘Oh. Imran, she called him, Immie. Said he was her boyfriend, but I think he was her pimp. I remember him because she had known him for years, mentioned him a lot and her words were not always complimentary, if you know what I mean. But she always went back to him.’ She shook her head. ‘Wasn’t the other guy something to do with Bill Raven? I thought they shared a flat. I remember him leering at us in court, always sat as close to Raven as he could get. Still gives me shivers. Why are you asking about him?’ She wrung her hands together.

  ‘We’re trying to put together a more accurate picture of her last movements.’

  ‘I see.’ Rachel looked at the floor.

  There was a long pause. ‘I’ll leave you my card.’ Maggie placed it down on the coffee table in front of her. ‘And if we need to clarify anything else or we have any new information, we’ll be in contact.’

  ‘Thank you.’

  Maggie and Nathan followed Rachel out and shook her hand as they were leaving.

  Back at the car, Maggie slumped back in her seat and stared at the house.