The Other Killer

by Noelle Holten

  ‘She never had a drink in her hand, and she basically stayed in the same spot most of the night.’

  ‘And you don’t recall her name?’

  ‘No, I’m really sorry. She seemed to know a few other people. I could give you their names, but I have no idea where they are now, and I honestly don’t want to know. If you could keep my name out of it, that would be great.’

  Maggie passed across a piece of paper and a pen. ‘If you could just write the names there, we can try to trace them ourselves. Can I ask you just one more thing, Miss O’Mara?’

  ‘Of course.’ Ellen shifted in her seat.

  ‘When you first heard your name on the news, or rather Zoe Bridle’s name, why didn’t you come forward?’

  ‘I was hoping you wouldn’t ask that.’ Ellen’s face flushed. ‘I was in a bad place then, but I wanted to sort myself out. When Bill Raven said he had killed me, I thought it was my chance to start again. I went back to using my real name, went away to rehab and changed my life. As far as I was concerned, Zoe Bridle did die back then. But then the guilt started eating away at me. I knew I was hurting my family, so I returned and swore them to secrecy. Threatened that I’d disappear if they said anything. That wasn’t fair on them. I know it’s awful, but I have a good life now.’

  ‘I understand, but I can’t make any promises. If the information you have provided leads to an arrest, you may be called to court. Thank you so much for your time. If you do think of anything else, here is my direct number. Please call me, OK?’

  Ellen took the card from Maggie’s hand and smiled. ‘OK.’

  Once Ellen had been escorted out, Maggie returned to the office with a spring in her step. The team were shocked when she relayed the news that Ellen O’Mara was Zoe Bridle. Then Bethany dropped the bombshell that Dr Vraines had been arrested for fraud.

  Brick by brick, Raven’s wall was crumbling.

  CHAPTER EIGHTY-ONE

  DI Rutherford had been on call over the weekend and had had to deal with a few alcohol related assaults, leaving her shattered. She still hadn’t caught up on her sleep. It was still dark when she had left her home this morning, and from the way her knee ached she sensed there would be rain soon.

  At her desk, Abigail immediately started up her computer knowing the team had a big day ahead of them. They had their answers in relation to who the murderer was, and it looked like Maggie was correct – Raven was working with someone.

  She heard a noise in the open-plan office. Looking up and through her door, she was not surprised to see Maggie at her desk.

  After Bethany had traced the names that Ellen had given to Maggie, the team learned that Sasha Thompson was in charge at the warehouse party. From what they could gather, the party had been arranged to choose the victims and drugs were used to control them in captivity. She knew that there were some details that they would not be able to fill in until they had their suspect in custody. Abigail invited Dr Moloney to attend today’s briefing and hoped that with all the information the team now had, she may be able to tie up some loose ends too.

  Looking at the time, she gathered her notes and headed to the conference room. Abigail felt confident that today would be a major turning point in the case and that an arrest was imminent.

  There was a buzz in the room and DI Rutherford greeted her team.

  ‘We have something more!’ Maggie shot up out of her chair before Abigail could say anything else.

  ‘It must be something big, judging by your reaction. Carry on then.’ She stepped aside and let Maggie take the floor.

  ‘Remember when Kate asked if Raven owned any other properties?’ The group nodded. ‘Well Bethany harassed social care and finally got us some details from their archived files. We got the address for Raven’s childhood home. Turns out it must have held some special memories for him because he worked very hard to buy it back from the couple who bought it off his grandmother. He used his mother’s maiden name, an alias he had used in the past. That’s why nothing flagged up before. He must have used the money his grandmother left him to purchase it, and have a guess where it’s located …’ Maggie went over to the evidence board where they had the geographical profiling map posted. She smacked the big circle in the centre. ‘Crinlock Chase! The anchor point we identified.’

  CHAPTER EIGHTY-TWO

  Francine

  Her head hurt, and she woke up feeling groggy. That last hit of gear made her heart race and her breathing came in short, sharp bursts.

  She thought – no, wished – it was the end for her. If only her captor had misjudged the amount of gear and accidently overdosed her. No such luck.

  There was that smell again. Cologne or one of those deodorant sprays. So strong it burned her nostrils through the cloth bag that covered her head. She coughed but her mouth was still covered with tape.

  She wasn’t alone.

  Without warning, the bag was removed from her head. She could tell it was daytime because of the light that was seeping through the corner of the tape that covered her eyes.

  Her captor tore the tape from her ears roughly, catching her hair – she stifled a scream. Next, the tape was being removed from her eyes.

  Oh my god. This is it.

  The tape clung to the side of her head. She had to blink twice, the light was so bright. And then she saw …

  You?

  YOU!

  Chaos erupted above as Francine heard muffled shouts and a loud bang.

  What the fuck was happening?

  Oh Christ!

  What the fuck was happening?

  CHAPTER EIGHTY-THREE

  DI Rutherford had pulled some strings and eventually the team had got their warrant for Raven’s childhood property.

  Maggie was going to ride with Nathan and the remainder of the field officers were going to meet them there. Maggie reached under her desk for her trainers, as they would be more comfortable if she had to give chase.

  Pulling on her stab vest, she checked the pouches to make sure she had her baton, personal radio, PAVA spray – an incapacitant similar to pepper spray – cuffs and Taser. She wasn’t taking any chances. ‘We ready, Nathan?’

  ‘Two secs. If you head down and get the car sorted, I’ll be with you shortly.’

  Maggie made her way down to the enquiry desk and signed out the car. Nathan made a mistake by asking her to do it; with the keys in her hand, she would be the one driving. She smiled to herself and got behind the wheel, adjusting the seat and mirrors while she waited for Nathan. He arrived within ten minutes and before he had even buckled himself in, she was off.

  ‘Where’s the fire?’ he joked.

  ‘Well if Sasha is there, I want to be the one to arrest her.’

  Nathan shrugged. ‘I don’t care who does it. I just want to get her into custody and hope to God we don’t find another woman dead.’

  Maggie took that as a cue to speed up. She laughed to herself as she noticed him reach out and grab the dashboard.

  ‘Just get us there in one piece.’ He scowled.

  ‘I’ll do my best … boss.’

  The drive took a little over forty minutes and a few other officers were already there. They had waited as instructed for Maggie and Nathan to arrive. Nathan gathered them together and explained the plan.

  ‘Maggie and I will go in the front with you and you.’ He pointed at the relevant officers. ‘You two go around the back and make sure no one gets out that way. Take either side of the property and keep a look out. We all clear?’

  They nodded.

  The grass was overgrown and the team had to make their own path to the doorway. Cobwebs hung like curtains from the windows and the house was covered in ivy.

  Maggie felt the adrenaline rush through her. She followed Nathan to the front door. He knocked: three hard, forceful knocks. ‘Police, open the door,’ he shouted. They waited for a couple of minutes before Nathan gave the nod for the battering ram. Maggie took a step back to clear the way for the officer. It was a s
turdy door and took a few goes before they heard a crack and the lock broke.

  Two officers made their way upstairs while Maggie and Nathan searched the ground floor. The living room was clear, as was the dining room and kitchen. Maggie noticed a familiar smell, but she couldn’t place it until she spotted the can of Lynx on the kitchen counter.

  She looked around the room for any other tell-tale signs of someone being in the property, but there was nothing. Maggie looked out back, through the kitchen window. There was no shed or anything else that would potentially hold a person, but there was a significant area of land beyond the garden fence. The ground looked uneven, but it was too far away to see anything more. Something niggled at Maggie but she couldn’t figure out what … or why.

  Kate had told them to look for a cellar. Maggie searched the kitchen floor, hoping to find a hatch of some sort, but there was nothing. She looked in the living room. Tapped the walls, in case there was an entryway easily missed if you didn’t know what you were looking for. Nothing.

  She returned to the hallway; this would be where you would expect to find a cellar entrance. She scanned the area and her eyes stopped short at the bookshelf against the wall. It looked odd, and as she got closer, she could feel a draught.

  ‘Nathan …’ she whispered, ‘come here.’

  When Nathan was beside her, she pointed to the bookshelf. ‘Can you feel that?’

  Nathan moved closer to the shelf. ‘Feel what?’

  ‘The draught. I think this is a door.’ They both looked at the shelf more closely, and Maggie moved a few books aside. ‘Shit. There’s a handle!’

  ‘Nice spot. I’ll open it on three. One, two … three …’ Nathan pulled the handle down and pulled the bookcase to the side.

  The smell hit them like a wall and left them gasping for breath. Bleach, metal and something more pungent. The stairs were battered; there was a single bulb above them. Maggie felt alongside the wall for a switch and when she felt it beneath her fingers, she flicked it on and prepared for the worst.

  CHAPTER EIGHTY-FOUR

  Maggie waited as Nathan radioed the two other officers who were in the house. They needed to be prepared for whatever waited for them at the bottom of the stairs. When the pair arrived, Maggie took a deep breath and followed Nathan down the stairwell. The steps were old and every now and then one would creak. Maggie took out her flashlight, even with the light on, the room was dim and damp. That smell …

  When they reached the bottom, they were met with a scared, bound and gagged female. She looked emaciated. Her eyes were wide and there was a piece of silver gaffer tape hanging from the side of her head. It looked like she was trying to say something as her eyes darted to the back of the room and then back to them.

  ‘I’ll call it in.’ Maggie used her radio and called for an ambulance. The other two officers headed to the back of the cellar where there was a door. She looked around and noticed the windows were covered with dirty blankets, keeping any source of light to a minimum. Maggie quickly touched base with DI Rutherford while Nathan began to untie the female on the bed. Just when he was about to remove the tape from her mouth, something … or someone darted out from the shadows. Maggie heard two thumps as the officers fell to the ground. Before Maggie could get to them, she heard Nathan scream in pain.

  ‘Maggie, they have a knife. Look out!’ Nathan fell to the floor.

  As the shape came towards her, Maggie attempted to radio for backup while taking out her PAVA spray. She aimed it at the person coming towards her. It was a woman.

  ‘Drop the knife or I’ll will spray you.’

  The figure continued towards her with a strange look in her eyes. Maggie emptied the can into her face and heard a wail of pain. Despite being sprayed in the face, the woman rammed into Maggie, knocking the wind out of her. Maggie used the stair behind her to push herself up, ducking out of the way as the woman waved the knife around. Maggie grabbed her wrist and pushed it back. The knife dropped to the floor and Maggie kicked it against the wall. The woman tackled Maggie to the floor and got in a punch before Maggie rolled over and grabbed an arm, then twisted it behind her back. Resisting the urge to smack her face into the concrete floor, Maggie grabbed the other arm, placed the cuffs on the woman and pushed her flat to the ground.

  ‘Sasha – I’m arresting you on suspicion of murder, kidnapping and assaulting a PC. You have the right to remain silent but anything you do say can be used against you …’ Maggie continued to explain the details of the arrest to Sasha.

  Two field officers appeared before Maggie. ‘Take her away, and make sure you tell the ambulance that we have a female who needs immediate medical attention, two officers who sustained blunt force trauma to the head as well as an officer with a stab wound.’ They nodded and pulled Sasha up – surprisingly, she didn’t struggle.

  After checking that the other two police officers were OK, Maggie walked over to Nathan and bent down. ‘Are you OK?’

  ‘It’s only a graze. This is Francine Xander. She says she’s not sure how long she’s been here, but she is definitely dehydrated. She’s drifting in and out of consciousness.’

  ‘Look here.’ Maggie pointed to the floor where a large plastic sheet lay. ‘It looks like we were just in time.’

  Maggie was desperate to open some windows. The stench of bodily fluids mixed with infected wounds stuck in her nose. She noticed a bedpan, a plate with a half-eaten, mouldy sandwich on the floor and an empty bottle of water. Sasha was feeding them the bare minimum to carry out her evil plan.

  Maggie stood by Nathan. Forensics were on their way and the ambulance would be here any minute. ‘Can you walk, Nathan?’ He nodded. ‘Why don’t you go up and get some fresh air? You can wait for the ambulance and I’ll stay here with Francine and those two.’

  Nathan stood up and limped his way slowly up the stairs.

  ‘Hey sweetheart. You’re safe now. Is there anyone you want me to contact?’

  The woman shook her head. She was shaking.

  ‘I’m thirsty.’ Francine struggled to sit up and winced with each movement she made.

  Maggie looked around and noticed a bathroom in the far corner where Sasha, or someone, must have dumped the contents of the bedpans when they were full. There were three other camp beds but she didn’t go over to them as she didn’t want to risk contaminating the crime scene. She radioed to a colleague upstairs and asked him to find some water and bring it down. Within a few minutes the water was there, and Maggie held the glass while Francine gulped it down. When the ambulance arrived, Maggie held Francine’s hand while the paramedics did a quick check and placed her on the gurney. She followed them up the stairs and watched while they positioned Francine in the ambulance. Nathan went with her, so he could get himself checked out. The other two officers were taken to the hospital by a colleague.

  When forensics arrived, Maggie spoke briefly to the duty SIO and then left them to it. DI Rutherford had called Maggie back to the station and she was looking forward to interviewing Sasha.

  Parking the pool car outside the station, she raced inside and dropped the keys off at the enquiry desk before sprinting up the stairs.

  She popped in to see DI Rutherford who was on the phone. The DI held a finger up. Maggie stood by. Once the guv hung up the phone, a smile crossed her face briefly. ‘Well, I heard you had an eventful time at Raven’s house. Bloody lucky that social care gave us the address of his childhood home.’

  ‘I know. If Claire hadn’t got hold of those archives when she did, it would have been Francine’s body parts we found next. Sasha was prepping for it before we arrived. The poor woman was tied to a bed. Nathan was injured while he was helping her, and the two field officers may have a headache for a few days. Luckily, it seems Sasha only grazed his leg with the knife.’

  ‘I know. I just spoke to him on the phone. It looks like Francine was drugged. She was covered in bedsores and bruises. As well as being dehydrated and definitely underweight, the hospital seems to th
ink with medical attention she’ll be OK physically. You reached her just in the nick of time. God knows what psychological scars she will carry with her though.’ DI Rutherford shook her head.

  ‘When can I interview Sasha?’

  ‘She started kicking off when she arrived here. Screaming she had been blinded and attacked without reason. She’s in a cell now, waiting for the doctor. It’ll probably be tomorrow before you can interview either her or Francine. It’s late. You may as well get yourself home as it is going to be a very busy day tomorrow.’

  Maggie turned and was on her way out the door when the DI called her back.

  ‘Good job, Maggie.’

  ‘Thanks. I’ll see you in the morning.’

  CHAPTER EIGHTY-FIVE

  Maggie arrived early to prepare herself for the interview with Sasha Thompson. She didn’t bother going to her desk first; instead, she headed straight for the incident room.

  Maggie looked at all the information they had collected while she waited for the rest of the team to arrive. A late-night email from DI Rutherford had informed them that the initial forensic report was back after Dr Blake’s team, despite the staff shortages, worked around the clock. There were also some additional details to share with them. Maggie hoped that this would be enough for the CPS to proceed with the case against Sasha and keep Bill Raven behind bars.

  Maggie only wished they’d had the archive details from social care sooner. She should have realized that the bungalow his grandmother left him had only been bought ten years ago. She could have kicked herself for not pushing the matter. On reflection, Raven had given the illusion that he was residing permanently in the flat and no one bothered to check that Raven’s grandmother had been in a care home in the last few months before she died. Had they done so, they may have looked deeper into her property and realized that she had owned another home before she downsized. There was no evidence to suggest that the Doxley residence had any links to the murders. She and the team would have to deal with the consequences of this oversight once the case was closed.