THE THAMES PATH KILLER an absolutely gripping mystery and suspense thriller (Detective Rob Miller Mysteries Book 1)

by BIBA PEARCE

  “We’ll get you looked at just as soon as we can. You’ve got a nasty bump on your forehead too.”

  “The bastard hit me with a branch. Knocked me out.”

  “Okay, come on.” She got to her feet, her arm still firmly around his back. He leaned on her until he was sure his legs could take his weight. “I’ve got you.”

  Together, they walked unsteadily up the path to the car park, where a group of ambulances was waiting.

  “Let’s sit you down,” a paramedic said kindly. With Jo’s help, Rob fell rather than sat onto the ledge at the back of the ambulance. Immediately, the paramedic inspected his head wound. “That’s a nasty bump.”

  Rob nodded, then wished he hadn’t. He closed his eyes against the pain. “Thanks for finding us,” he said to Jo, who was standing in front of him looking rather pale herself.

  “It was the sniffer dogs. I wouldn’t have had a clue where you were. How on earth did you find them?”

  “I found his car and took the most direct route into the woods, then I left the path for the dense area on the high ground and shouted for Yvette. I think I got lucky, because she moaned before she passed out.”

  “Bloody lucky,” she hissed beneath her breath. “Any later, and . . .”

  He hung his head. “I know.”

  “Look into the light.” The medic shone a torch into his eyes. Rob blinked and tried to focus, but all he could concentrate on was the pain in his shoulder.

  “You’ve got a concussion,” said the medic. “And your collarbone is broken. I’ll have to take you to the hospital for treatment.”

  “What about the stalker?” Rob glanced at Jo’s face.

  She managed a tight smile. “You did quite a number on him. He’s not going anywhere except the morgue. I won’t say he didn’t deserve it, but there will be an enquiry.”

  Rob nodded. He had beaten the guy to death with a rock.

  “But, given your own injuries, you could claim self-defence. And considering the circumstances, I think you’ll probably get off with a minor suspension. I doubt it’ll mean the end of your career. I mean, you caught the Surrey Stalker, for God’s sake. That’s got to count for something.”

  Rob grimaced. “Yes, I did.” Before I killed him.

  “And we’ll be able to match his fingerprints to the partials we got from the duct tape. Not that it matters now, but that will prove he was responsible for Julie and Sara’s murders.”

  “It matters,” he muttered. Both women deserved justice. They all did.

  “I’m sorry I lost it,” he said. “If I’d controlled myself, he might have confessed to Bridget’s murder and Rania’s, and the Yorkshire girl, Greta. Now we’ve no way to link him to their deaths.” He thought about poor Ben Studley behind bars and sighed. He’d let him down.

  “Not necessarily.” Jo was harbouring a smug smile.

  “What do you mean? Have you found something?”

  “I sent a team over to Simon’s apartment. They’ve found a box of trinkets hidden at the back of a wardrobe.”

  “Trophies?” he asked.

  She nodded. “Looks like it. We’ll have to get them analysed, but with a bit of luck, there’ll be something there belonging to Bridget. She was his first victim, after all. The girl who started all this.”

  “His first love.”

  “In a warped way, yes.”

  “God, I hope so. For that poor bugger’s sake.”

  “Let’s get that arm stable.” The medic moved in. Rob let him put his arm in a sling and accepted some painkillers. Jo hovered nearby, keeping a watchful eye.

  “Thanks, Jo — for everything.” He reached out with his good arm and squeezed her hand.

  She didn’t resist. “Any time.”

  He grimaced, releasing her. “Let’s hope there’s not a next time.”

  A team of paramedics appeared out of the woods carrying a stretcher. Yvette lay in it, groggy but alive.

  “She’s going to be fine,” said Jo. She dropped her voice. “You could have told me you were engaged. I would never have—”

  “I know,” he interjected. He held her gaze. “I think that’s why I didn’t tell you.”

  She nodded and sat down beside him. They watched as Yvette was wheeled into an ambulance and secured in place. She looked so pale lying there, her eyes closed. Then the doors shut and the vehicle took off, sirens blaring.

  Lawrence strode up to them. “Well, Rob. I’ve just seen what you did to our suspect at the crime scene.”

  His crime scene. “I’m sorry, I . . .”

  “It’s okay, I know it was self-defence. I heard you took quite a beating. Are you okay?”

  Rob heaved a sigh of relief. “I’ll live.”

  “Glad to hear it. Are you going to hospital? I can give you a lift if you like, I’m sure Yvette would like to see you.”

  “Yeah.” He got to his feet, still a little wobbly.

  “You sure you’re okay?” Lawrence frowned, supporting him under the arm. “You are entitled to your own ambulance, you know.”

  He chuckled. “No need, I’m fine. You heard the medic, it’s just a little concussion and a popped collarbone, nothing major.”

  The medic snorted. “Make sure you get yourself checked out.”

  Lawrence nodded. “Okay, tough guy. Let’s go.”

  Jo stood up. “Well, I’ll say goodbye. I’ve got to go back to the station and pack up. Case closed.”

  “Excellent teamwork, Jo.” Lawrence shook her hand. “And a great result. We bloody got him. I can’t wait to let the press know.”

  “Thank you, sir.”

  He moved away, giving them some space. “Whenever you’re ready, Rob.”

  Rob turned to Jo. “I’m sorry.” He nodded toward the departing figure of his boss. “I have to go to the hospital, Yvette needs me.”

  She waved him away. “Don’t be. I’m cool with it. You go and be with your fiancée, and I’ll see you around.”

  Still neither of them moved.

  “Can I at least give you a hug?” Rob didn’t want to leave her, but he knew he had to. He had to choose. Yvette was his fiancée, and she needed him more now than she ever had before. He couldn’t desert her. In sickness and in health.

  Jo broke into a grin. “I thought you’d never ask.”

  He wrapped his arms around her and held her close. “I don’t regret it,” he said softly into her hair.

  She clung to him for a moment, as if she also didn’t want to let go, but then she released him. “Go on now, and don’t forget to get your head and shoulder looked at.”

  “Yes, ma’am,” he said, and hobbled after Lawrence, who was waiting in the car. When he turned back to wave, she was already gone.

  Chapter 28

  Rob walked into the MIT headquarters to a burst of raucous applause.

  “Speech!” yelled Luke, grinning at him.

  He grimaced and held up his good arm. The other was in a sling across his body. His head hurt and he had a nasty gash on his temple, but otherwise he was fine. They’d kept him in hospital overnight for observation, but today he was given the all-clear.

  “Okay, okay.” He gazed at the crowd of officers. There was Celeste, beaming from ear to ear. Jenny was smiling at him, as were all the other officers who’d worked so hard on the CCTV footage.

  He scanned the room for Jo’s blonde head, or Graham’s bulk, but found neither. Not surprising. Why stick around? The case was over. They’d got their man. They’d be celebrating with their own team back at Lewisham MIT.

  “Settle down,” he said, his cheeks beginning to ache.

  They fell silent. Lawrence emerged from his fishbowl.

  “Firstly, thank you. But this isn’t my victory, it’s ours. I couldn’t have done this alone. In fact, if I remember correctly, I was pretty much unravelling at the end there. It was only thanks to you lot that I managed to keep it together and track down the stalker.”

  He saw a few nods and a lot more smiles.
<
br />   “In addition, I believe you’ve managed to tie Simon Burridge to some of his past victims, which is great news. Mallory, why don’t you update us?”

  Mallory joined him at the front. “This wasn’t meant to be a debrief,” he grinned. “But I’m happy to fill you in. DCI Jo Maguire sent a team round to Burridge’s address, where they found a box of items hidden behind a fake back in one of the wardrobes. It appears Burridge kept trophies from his victims.”

  There was a low murmur across the squad room.

  “We were able to tie him to the murder of Bridget Kane, his first victim, as well as Rania Mukhtar and Greta Ansley.”

  Rob nodded. That was great news. “Which means that Ben Studley, who was convicted of Bridget Kane’s murder, will soon be a free man.” And if he sued for wrongful arrest, he’d also be a very rich one. Not that any amount of money would make up for the loss of the last six years and what he’d had to endure in prison.

  Mallory continued, “Burridge’s DNA was a match for that found under Greta Ansley’s fingernails, and his fingerprints matched the partial we found on the duct tape used to bind Sara Bakshi. We also traced his movements on the day Julie Andrews was killed, and his mobile phone puts him in the vicinity of the National Archives an hour before she died. That, along with the blurry CCTV footage links him to her death as well.”

  More clapping.

  Mallory glanced at Rob. “By the way, Simon’s name popped up on the list of workers at Chatsworth House. He was part of a landscaping team hired to prepare the ground for the wedding season.”

  Another loose end tied up.

  “Bloody well done,” boomed Lawrence from the back. “It’s a pity DCI Maguire and her team can’t be here to celebrate with us.”

  Rob nodded guiltily. He would have liked to have seen her, but it was complicated. Yvette was in a bad way, and as soon as he’d had a glass of champers with his team, he was heading back to the hospital. She was suffering from trauma associated with her kidnapping, and she didn’t want to be alone.

  Lawrence made his way to the front. “I’d like to say a few words, if I may?”

  No one was going to contradict him. Rob held his breath. Perhaps now he’d get that promotion he’d been gunning for.

  The DCI turned to Rob. “I know this was a difficult case for you, but you did a sterling job. I understand you’ve got a few things to sort out before you go on leave, so we won’t keep you, but I just wanted to congratulate you and DCI Maguire on a job well done. The deputy commissioner sends his warmest regards.” He held out his hand.

  Or not.

  Rob gritted his teeth and shook it. “Thank you, sir.”

  He had beaten in the perpetrator’s head with a rock. He’d been cleared of any unlawful killing, though. He’d spent the last two days being interrogated by the Independent Office of Police Conduct and they’d accepted his explanation of self-defence. The post-mortem on Simon Burridge had backed up his story and that of the eyewitnesses present at the scene.

  Lawrence lowered his voice. “I’m sorry if you’re disappointed. You’ve only been here two years. This is your first solo case. Give it another year and reapply. I’ve no doubt you’ll get it next time.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  He knew what Lawrence said was probably true, but he couldn’t help feeling deflated.

  Lawrence patted him on the back. “Cheer up, Rob. You caught the Surrey Stalker. You’re a national hero. Haven’t you read the papers?”

  Rob forced a grin and accepted a glass of bubbly from Mallory. The DCI went back to his office.

  “You know, they found a bunch of wigs and fake beards at Burridge’s house, along with his trophies,” Mallory said. “He was an expert at disguising himself.”

  “That’s why we never found a full facial shot of him on CCTV,” said Rob. “When he wasn’t out hunting in his hoodie, he was in disguise. Even the facial hair was fake.”

  Mallory held up his glass. “At least we got him, guv. He won’t be hurting anyone else now.”

  No, he certainly wouldn’t. Rob had made sure of that. He clinked glasses with Mallory, then said, “I’ve got to make a quick phone call.”

  Mallory grinned. “Moorcroft?”

  Rob nodded.

  “I read about it in the paper this morning,” came the Yorkshire detective’s voice down the line. “Congratulations. I’m going to have a large scotch tonight to celebrate. You did the world a favour by taking out that evil bastard.”

  Everyone was celebrating, except him. He wondered what Jo was up to, then forced the thought from his mind. That chapter was closed. As soon as Yvette was feeling better, he was taking them away for a much-needed holiday. He owed her that much.

  As soon as he could, he slipped away from the celebration. Promotion be damned. The important thing was they’d caught a serial killer and got justice for his victims and their families. That was why he did this job.

  Lawrence was right, there’d always be another chance. That was one thing he knew for sure, working for the Major Investigation Team. There would always be another murder, and another chance to make it right.

  THE END

  Acknowledgements

  Although writing The Thames Path Killer didn’t take very long, fine-tuning it did. Firstly, I’d like to thank my family for their never-ending support and encouragement, especially my teenage son who has to fend for himself when I get too embroiled in writing the novel and lose track of space and time, as well as my mum who painstakingly reads every one of my manuscripts before I submit them.

  I’d also like to thank the unnamed reader at Joffe Books who loved my manuscript enough to bring it to the attention of the acquiring editor. And a huge thanks to Emma Grundy Haigh and Jasper Joffe for taking the series on. A special mention must go to my copy editor, Cat Phillips, and proofreader, Matthew Grundy Haigh. Their patience and attention to detail has without a doubt elevated the book. I’d also like to thank Nebojša Zorić for the amazingly eye-catching cover.

  A special thanks goes to former detective and police advisor Graham Bartlett for his help with the police procedural aspect of the story and for helping me make it sound authentic.

  Finally, I’d like to thank my team of beta readers, who gave me such great feedback on the book, as well as for their kind words and enthusiasm. I couldn’t have done it without them.

  ALSO BY BIBA PEARCE

  DETECTIVE ROB MILLER MYSTERIES

  Book 1: THE THAMES PATH KILLER

  * More by Biba Pearce coming soon!

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