by A L Fraine
“So, where are we, exactly?” Jon asked.
“This is Ranmore Common,” Kate replied. “We’re east of Guildford.”
“Right,” Jon answered. He was still getting his bearings and only had a rough idea of where he was in the UK.
Getting out, they were soon dressed in their forensic gear and shown along a rough path lined with police tape. Ahead, Jon could see a few people stood around, marking the location of the body a short distance off the beaten path.
“Once more unto the breach, dear friends,” Jon remarked as they approached the crime scene. Ahead, Jon could make out that someone who had been attached to a tree, their arms wrapped around it and secured in place by, what Jon was sure would turn out to be, handcuffs.
“It’s looking eerily similar,” Kate commented.
Walking around to the front, the girl was still dressed, as Harper had been, but wasn’t wearing a coat, which Jon noted was discarded a short distance away, and her sleeves had been rolled up. The girl had her back to the tree, her arms pulled behind her around the trunk. She’d slumped as she’d died, her muscles unable to support her weight anymore. Her head hung low, her ginger hair falling about her head, just like Harper’s had.
Stood in front of her, an older man held a clipboard and was scribbling on it while a photographer went about his work.
“Morning,” the man said in greeting. “Chilly one, isn’t it?”
“A little,” Jon replied.
“Not too cold, of course, but not warm either. Fresh, I think is the word,” the man continued. He had grey, receding hair and wore gold-rimmed glasses and a tweed suit without a tie.
“I’m not sure that’s the word I’d use,” Jon replied, waving his hand before his nose.
“Hmm? Oh, yes. Very good.” He chuckled gently.
“I’m DCI Jon Pilgrim.”
“Pat Chambers, police surgeon. A pleasure to meet you.”
“Likewise,” Jon replied, noting the old term for what was now known as the Forensic Medical Examiner.
“DS O’Connell, is it now?”
Kate smiled at him. “That’s right, Pat. I got the promotion.”
“Well done you. That’s great to hear. Well, I can confirm she’s dead, for you, so I think that’s me done here.”
“Excellent work, doctor.”
“Indeed. Well, she’s all yours. Looks like you have a serial on your hands. Hope you get him quick if this is the rate he’s offing them. See you later.”
Jon bid the man goodbye, as Sheridan walked through to join them with a couple of other SOCOs right behind her.
“You beat me to it,” Sheridan said.
“Just trying to keep you on your toes,” Jon replied.
“Looks like it might be the same killer as yesterday,” Kate added.
“Wonderful,” Sheridan muttered as she peered at the corpse. “Jeez, poor thing. She looks young.”
Jon nodded.
“She does,” Kate agreed.
“Right, let’s have a look, shall we?” Stepping closer, Sheridan went to work, examining the girl and the scene, and assigning tasks to her colleagues. Jon moved around the victim, looking at her from every angle, looking for bruises, marks, and other hints for what had happened to her. On the back of the tree, as he expected, the girl's hands had been secured with a pair of metal handcuffs that glinted in the morning light. They were partially covered with blood, from the obvious and painfully deep cuts on both forearms.
As with Harper, she was also missing two fingers on her right hand. The pinkie and ring finger, just as Harper had been.
“It’s the same MO,” Jon muttered. “Wrists slashed, cuffs, and fingers missing.”
Sheridan, who was crouched down beside the tree, looked up. “No, they’re here. Discarded, like with Harper.” She pointed to the two severed digits that lay in the grass and mud at the base of the tree. “I wonder why he doesn’t take them or do anything with them?”
“Because the act of removing them is the message, not the digits themselves,” Jon replied. “Once they’re removed, the severed fingers have no value.”
“I think you need to work out what message he’s trying to send,” Sheridan said. “I spoke with the pathologist yesterday after she’d examined the body. It looks like the fingers were removed by bolt cutters or shears.”
“Ouch,” Jon remarked, flexing his fingers as he imagined what that must feel like.
“Yeah, pretty nasty.”
Jon nodded and looked over to where Kate crouched a few metres away near the coat. “Anything?” he asked.
“I’ve got her coat, gloves, and her purse,” Kate replied. “We have a student ID card here, too. It belongs to a Mollie Hayes, a student at Surrey University in Guildford, according to this. She was carrying a bit of cash too. I think about seventy-five pounds?”
“A student? Hmm. No obvious link to Harper then.”
“Nothing that stands out,” Kate replied. “But it looks like we’ll have no issue identifying her and finding her family. I’ll get this called in and get Faith to head on over to her parents.”
“Good call,” Jon replied. “We’ll need to inform the university, too.”
With a sigh, Jon stepped away from the tree and moved a few metres away, before he turned and took a long look at the scene, trying to get a wider view, and wondering what the killer was trying to tell them.
Two girls, both young, killed through blood loss and missing two fingers—the pattern was clear, but what was he trying to tell them? Why was he doing this? It felt like someone was shouting at him but in a foreign language. He just didn’t understand what the killer was trying to tell them.
Looking around, he wondered about the location of the murder too. Was this wood important somehow? It was isolated and quiet, like the factory, but maybe there was more to it than that, but if so, what?
Things were not looking good, and time was passing. Would there be another body tomorrow?
He hoped not. All they could do was follow the clues and hope for some kind of breakthrough.
13
“So, did you get out for that drink with Damon, last night?” Kate asked as she drove towards Guildford and Mollie’s family’s home.
“I did,” Jon replied with a smile as he thought back to the visit to the local pub.
“You weren’t too worse for wear then this morning?”
“Nah. It wasn’t a heavy one. We just had a couple of pints and talked about our time back on the Nottingham force together. We had some good times.”
“And then he joined the National Crime Agency?”
“Yeah. Damon was an intelligent guy. Studied ancient history, theology, and mythology. He was always into that kind of stuff, and the NCA liked his insight into some fairly high profile cases and asked if he wanted to join them as a specialist. He’s been with them ever since.”
“Ah, sounds like someone else I know.”
“Oh?”
“Nathan’s kind of like that, but in a more, Fox Mulder kind of way.”
“The nickname,” Jon replied, making the connection.
Kate nodded. “He was always a bit of a conspiracy nut, apparently. Thought that there were these hidden groups, influencing society or government or just out to enrich themselves. But it started affecting his work.”
“I’m guessing that didn’t go well for him?”
“No,” Kate said, shaking her head. “He used to be a DCI. Bit of a hotshot by the sounds of things, but then he seriously screwed up a case because he was obsessed with his conspiracy theories and got demoted.”
“Looks like he’s working his way back up, though.”
“Yeah. When I joined the Murder Team, he was just a DS, and basically shunned by the others. They used him as a hazing ritual for new officers, by partnering them up with him to see how they did. Thing was, I kind of liked working with him, and as it turned out, at least in one respect, he was right. Nathan and I were tracking a group of wealthy people
who appear to be part of a group, a bit like a cult. They’d been killing people for who knew what reason and Mr Devlin was the last one of the group we caught.”
“Wow, that’s crazy. So you took the group down?”
“No, I don’t think so. But I think we put a sizable dent in their operation. We’ve not heard from them in a while. Anyway, it was through our investigation into that group that we met Damon.”
“I see. I wondered how Damon had gotten involved with you all.”
“Well, now you know.”
Jon nodded.
They made their way into one of the wealthy suburbs of Guildford, filled with large, well-kept houses with lots of garden space. This was a world away from the Sutton flat of Seth Bailey, and even from Iris Richards’ council estate house. Mollie’s parents were obviously well off.
“This is all very nice,” Jon replied as he marvelled at the inviting houses. “Which reminds me, I need to find a place of my own.”
“Where are you staying right now?” Kate asked.
“Premier Inn, Guildford. All my stuff’s in storage locally.”
“Yeah, you need a place of your own.”
“I wonder if I could afford a house like these?”
Kate laughed. “On a police salary? Not likely.”
“Figures,” Jon grumbled as Kate pulled in and parked up behind DC Faith Evenson’s car. “Let’s go and have a look inside, so I can get nicely depressed and lament my career choices.”
“Sounds like a solid plan,” Kate answered.
“Lead on then, Barry.”
Kate paused and looked over at him with a raised eyebrow. “That’s my nickname from now on, isn’t it?”
Jon raised his hands in surrender. “Hey, I didn’t choose the tea.”
She sighed. “Alright, Pilgrim. Let’s go.”
Jon nodded, followed Kate up the driveway to the house, and rang the doorbell. Faith answered and stepped outside.
“Guv, Kate,” she greeted them. “As you’d expect, they’re a mess, but they’re ready to answer your questions.”
“Good,” Jon replied.
“So, this is the same guy who killed Harper, is it?”
“Almost without a doubt,” he answered. “And if we don’t find him, I doubt it will be his last either.”
Faith nodded. “You’d better come in then,” she suggested and led them into the house. They found the parents in the living room, along with a teenager who was snuggled up to the mother. All their eyes were red, tissues littered the coffee table and the floor, and the haunted looks on their faces told him everything he needed to know about how this had already affected them.
This family would never be the same again.
He’d seen it happen many times over the years when someone was killed or some other huge trauma had impacted a family. Some pulled together and forged on, using the event as a way to grow and become stronger. Others, however, didn’t fare quite so well. If the relationships weren’t strong, events like this only widened those cracks and fractured the family.
He wondered how the Hayes would fare.
“Okay then, introductions,” Faith began as she stood to one side. “This is DCI Jon Pilgrim and DS Kate O’Connell. They’ll be leading the investigation.”
Jon nodded as they looked up at them. “I’m sorry for your loss,” he said.
The man stood and stepped up to him, holding his hand out. “Oliver Hayes, Mollie’s dad,” he said. Jon could hear the slight crack in his voice as he held his emotion in check as best he could. “This is my wife, Daphne, and my younger daughter, Flora.”
“Hello,” Jon said. He chose his words carefully. His instinct would usually push him to say something like, ‘nice to meet you,’ but he often felt such words were inappropriate during these times. Sure, it might be pleasant to meet new people, but this family was in shock and grieving, and he didn’t want to upset them.
“Please, take a seat,” Oliver suggested after greeting Kate as well. He took his place beside his wife and put his arm around her. He made sure his wife was ok with a quick whisper, before looking over at Jon and Kate with an expectant look on his face. Daphne looked up too and waited.
“I’m sorry for the terrible news today,” Jon began. “I know this must be a living nightmare for you right now, but we need to ask you some questions so that, hopefully, we can find the man who did this to your daughter.”
“You’re sure it’s her?” Daphne blurted out. “You’re sure it’s Mollie?”
“We’re very sure,” he replied. We’re still waiting on a primary identifier, which I think will be dental records, but she’d been carrying her photo ID on her at the time, which all seems to match. Also, the university has confirmed she’s not there. She went out last night and never came back.”
Daphne whimpered, and Flora sobbed.
“Can you tell us about her?” Kate asked.
“She was a wonderful girl,” Oliver replied. “Just such a lovely young woman. She had her whole life ahead of her. Why would anyone want to do this to her?”
“That’s what we will endeavour to find out,” Jon replied.
“So, she was at university?” Kate asked.
“Studying Law,” Oliver replied. Jon picked up a note of pride in her father’s voice.
“And you don’t know any reason why someone would want to do this to her?”
“None,” Oliver replied.
“No, of course not,” Daphne added. “She was always good with people. She’s got some great friends. I can’t think of anyone or any reason why someone would want to murder my baby.” Daphne’s voice broke as she came to the end of the sentence.
Beside her, Oliver pulled her close, and all three remaining members of the family supported each other. It was heart-wrenching to see, but there was a good, loving relationship there, which gave Jon hope that they would get through this with each other's support.
Jon and Kate continued to ask questions, finding out a bit more about Mollie’s life, but there was little there in terms of anything suspicious. She was popular, a diligent student, and had a supportive family without anything that would typically give Jon pause.
As he walked out of the house, Jon felt bewildered and a little lost.
“I might be missing something obvious here, but there really wasn’t anything there, was there?”
“No, you’re right,” Kate replied. “She seems well-liked and loved, and at least at first glance, there doesn’t seem to be any link to Harper.”
“That’s what I thought. Shit. Now what?”
14
Jon watched the girl walk in and approach Kate.
“Rupa, thanks for talking to us,” Kate said, shaking her hand, and placing her other on the back of it. She gave Rupa a reassuring smile. She looked emotionally drained, with puffy eyes that glistened with tears yet to fall.
Watching Kate with the girl and how dedicated to the job she was, he couldn’t quite believe that he’d considered taking her off the case yesterday.
Kate was professional and dogged in her hunt for this killer, as he’d hoped and expected her to be. Clearly, he’d been a little rash in his thinking, and although he’d not acted on it, he felt bad that he’d considered it at all.
Right now, he couldn’t think of anyone else he’d rather have by his side on this case.
Having greeted Kate, Rupa looked up at Jon and shook his hand too.
“You have my condolences,” Jon said.
“Thank you.”
“How are you holding up?” Kate asked.
“I’m alright, I suppose. All things considered. I just can’t believe she’s gone. She was my best friend.” She pulled out a tissue and dabbed at the tears that had formed in her eyes. “If there’s anything I can do to help you find the killer, please, just ask.”
“Well, you were her best friend, according to her parents and the staff here,” Jon said. “Can you think of any reason why someone would do this to her? Anything at all
?”
“Spurned advances by a guy?” Kate added. “Jealousy from a peer? Anything?”
“No, absolutely not,” Rupa replied. “You didn’t know Mollie. She was just the loveliest girl you’ve ever met. She’d do anything for anyone. Everyone liked her. Like, everyone. I don’t know anyone who’d say a bad word about her.”
“You’re sure?” Kate pressed.
“Positive. Just ask anyone.”
“We are doing,” Jon replied. He’d already brought Rachel and Nathan over to help with the seemingly endless list of people to interview. He and Kate had spoken to several members of staff before her friends had been brought in, and it seemed that everyone’s opinion was universally positive. Not only that, from what he could tell from the records of the classes she took, and her friends and their families, no one had an obvious link to Harper or Seth.
Just one more dead-end in a seemingly endless series of them.
“Okay, so tell me what you know about what happened last night,” Jon asked.
“We’d planned to hang out,” Rupa replied.
“Who had?”
“Me, Mollie, and Brad. We were going to meet up in Mollie’s room and just… chill, you know?”
“Chill? What do you mean by ‘chill’, exactly?”
“What? Well, I… Oh, you mean…? No! Not that,” Rupa replied. “We’re just friends. We’d have a few drinks and stuff, chat, maybe watch a film. Nothing very exciting. We’ve all got a load of work on from our courses, so we don’t get out as much as we used to.”
“Okay, but at some point, Mollie went out. Do you know why?”
“Supply run, probably?” Rupa shrugged. “I didn’t even know she’d gone. I had work to catch up on.”
“What kind of supplies?”
“I don’t know.”
“She had seventy-five pounds on her, that’s quite a lot for a student,” Kate pressed.
Rupa flushed slightly. “We all pitched in earlier on. Mollie offered to go buy some stuff because she had less work to do last night.”