“Exactly like that. What sort of suit is it? It has an opening so that he can rape people?”
“The suits are made like that,” Patricia said.
“What are they?”
“They’re bondage suits.”
“Oh.”
“Did he say anything else to you?” Isobel asked.
“No, just threatened me if I said anything.”
“Did he have a distinctive accent?”
“No, nothing I recognised.”
“Can you think of anything else?”
Kate looked at Conor.
He said, “Is this to do with Michelle Cavan’s death? Is that why you’re asking questions now?”
“Yes,” Isobel said. “We’re looking to see if the man who killed Michelle may have attacked other women before.”
Kate looked at her for a long moment. “It was the same man, wasn’t it?”
Isobel met her gaze but said nothing.
Kate whispered, “How many others?”
Isobel frowned.
Kate put her hand up to her mouth. “Oh my God!”
“May I ask a few more things?” Patricia said.
Kate gestured to her to go ahead.
Patricia consulted her notebook and asked about doctors, shoes, gyms, clubs. When she mentioned the physio, Conor said, “You didn’t go to the physio but, remember, I did when I hurt my back playing with Matthew.”
Kate nodded. “That’s right. I drove you the first time because you were so stiff and you didn’t feel safe to drive.”
“Have you the name?” Patricia asked.
“Yes, I recommend him to everyone,” Conor said. “Mark Brady. He was fantastic, sorted out my back in no time.”
Patricia wrote it down with the phone number. “That’s it.”
“If there is anything more I can do, will you let me know?” Kate said.
Isobel nodded. “Yes.”
“Please get him.”
Isobel stood. “We’ll do everything we can.”
“Absolutely,” Patricia said.
In the car Patricia said, “So after Nicky saw him off he moved over to Castletroy.”
“And to ensure the women’s silence he started threatening their families.”
“This guy learns from his mistakes.”
Isobel shivered.
“The physio is the same,” Patricia said. “Do you think he might be implicated?”
“I don’t know but this is the first real connection and I hope Alanna and Eoin are following up.”
Patricia said, “Will I text Eoin that the same physio, Mark Brady, has been mentioned again?”
“Definitely. Let him know.”
Patricia worked at her phone, sending a text.
It was eight o’clock.
“Why don’t we get an Indian takeaway from Hot and Spicey and go home and put our feet up with a glass of wine?” Isobel said.
Patricia laughed. “And celebrate this breakthrough. Yes, that sounds like a plan.”
Despite the relaxing evening Isobel found that The Shadow was invading her dreams.
She was walking on a path. It was dark. There were no lights and no moonlight.
As she walked she felt as if she were being watched. She walked on but the feeling of being watched remained.
She turned around, trying to see if someone was there. Nothing but an inky darkness that felt as if it was pressing in on her.
Suddenly, in the darkness to her left a disembodied pair of eyes appeared. She put her head down and hurried on.
More eyes appeared to her right.
She started to run.
As she fled more eyes appeared on either side.
She could feel her panic rising. Her breath came in gasps.
She ran until she had no more breath. She stopped. Chest heaving.
She turned in a circle. More and more eyes appeared floating in the air until they were all around her.
Her heart hammered against her chest.
Then everything went pitch-black again.
Chapter 25
Tuesday 25th June
Isobel rolled over. Her mobile was ringing downstairs. She knew she wouldn’t make it. She put on her slippers and ambled down the stairs. That half four early-morning drive to the airport always took it out of her. Thank God she had fallen back to sleep. The kettle on, she checked her phone. Alanna.
Isobel phoned her back.
“Hi, Alanna. You got our message about Mark Brady last night. What do you think?”
“This isn’t about him.”
“Oh. What is it then? Is the DNA back?”
“No, Isobel. It’s not good.”
“Oh God, another attack?”
“Another woman has been raped and murdered.”
Isobel sagged against the kitchen counter.
“Did you hear me?”
“Yes, yes. I heard. Where?”
“Castletroy. Can you come out?”
“Yes. I’ll be there in an hour.”
“Park in the university. I’ll get a garda to walk you in to us.”
***
An hour later Isobel saw Alanna and Eoin standing at the entrance to the field that Sarah had showed them. The area was busy with people in white crime-scene suits taking pictures, recording and looking at the ground.
Eoin saw her first and alerted Alanna.
“Where’s Patricia?” he asked as she reached them.
“She had to go back to London. She’s doing a course. She left this morning. What do you know so far?”
“Catriona Molloy. She is married to John and has two kids, ten and six. She was out for a run and then was going to the University Hotel sauna and then out for a night with her friends. Obviously, she didn’t make it. Her friends tried her phone a number of times – they thought it was just the kids and that she was delayed. It was only when she was an hour late and hadn’t been in touch that they checked with John. He hadn’t heard from her either so he rang the hotel spa. She hadn’t signed in. John was worried and got a neighbour to sit with the kids. He walked the path and didn’t see her. It was getting dark so he called the gardai. They also walked the path but, in the dark, didn’t see anything. This morning John went out at first light and he found her at about half seven.”
“Oh God.”
“Yeah, he’s in a bad way,” Alanna said. “His family is with him now.”
Isobel swung around. “This is the place that Sarah showed us on Saturday.”
Alanna exhaled noisily. “So the same hunting ground.” She shook her head.
“We’ve been on to the Super again about the information you’ve brought to the table. There’s a meeting this evening and he wants you to come.”
Isobel nodded.
Eoin looked at Alanna. “We also want you to come with us to see an expert we have consulted in previous cases.”
They walked back along the path to Eoin’s car.
Isobel sat in the back. As they drove she caught him looking at her in the rear-view mirror and studiously looked out the window as they traversed the city.
Eoin pulled into the curb along the Ennis Road and they walked up the path to a beautiful three-storey red-brick house. The doorbell was answered almost immediately by a tall redhead about Isobel’s age who welcomed them in.
“Eoin, great to see you.”
Isobel raised an eyebrow – obviously they knew each other well.
“And Alanna, the faithful sidekick.” The redhead embraced Alanna also.
Alanna smiled and said, “Yet we all know that I’m really the boss.”
The redhead turned to Isobel.
Eoin did the introductions. “Colette, this is Isobel McKenzie. Isobel, Colette.”
Isobel’s hand was encased in soft hands that were as warm as the welcome.
Colette led the way to the first room to the left of the entrance. It was set up like an office, with a desk, but also with some couches grouped around a coffee table. Colette chose
this area and the other three joined her.
Eoin said, “We’ve just come from a new crime scene. It’s another rape-and-strangulation murder.”
“Like Michelle?”
“It seems the same,” Alanna said. “So far forensics are saying that there is a similar pattern on the ground as if a sheet had been laid. Again most likely a condom was used and taken from the scene. They’ve bagged the victim’s hands to check for DNA but they are not hopeful.”
“Isobel says that it’s the same field as was used to rape another woman,” Eoin said.
“Yes, in September,” Isobel said. “And there were two other women raped in March and April last year along the same path. I suspect by the same man and I wouldn’t be surprised if it turns out to be the same place.”
“Eoin has told me that you’ve found out about a number of other rapes that share similarities,” Colette said.
“Isobel, please tell Colette all that you’ve found out,” Eoin said. “She might be able to help us.”
Isobel nodded. She outlined the subsequent attacks that she knew of. She described the outfit the man wore. Alanna provided the picture. Colette listened attentively without comment.
“Patricia and I have been working on a grid trying to find commonalities,” Isobel said. “Only some of the women are married, some single, some living with someone. Not all of the women have children. Obviously they all like to walk. They have bought their keep-fit footwear in different places or been given it. Some have gone to a physio, others have children or a husband who have consulted him.” Isobel paused. “That’s the most promising lead that we’ve found.”
Colette looked at Eoin and Alanna. “Anything you want to add?”
“The second death means that the powers that be are going to have to listen to the information that Isobel has collected,” said Eoin. “They have brought in a profiler. We are meeting with him tonight. And you know that that gobshite is going to have a field day with this – another great publicity stunt for him.”
Isobel looked from one to the other. “What gobshite?”
Alanna said, “The expert we use now, the profiler, likes to get his face in the papers. I’m sure he rang the Super looking for the job – he wouldn’t wait to be asked.”
“Well, the last expert you had proved to be too obsessed and unreliable on rape cases so what can you do?” Colette said. “I’m going to make tea and coffee while I think about all you have told me – which would you like?”
They all chose coffee and Colette left the room.
“What do you think of her?” Eoin asked Isobel.
“She’s a good listener – aside from that it’s hard to tell.”
Alanna grinned. “Eoin really rates her.”
Isobel smiled and said nothing. It sounded like Eoin and Colette were close. Isobel surprised herself by being a bit put out at that. To cover her discomfort she wandered past the desk to look out the window. She glanced at the certificates on the wall. One showed a degree in psychology, alongside other specialised courses in dealing with trauma and violent crime. There was a certificate from the USA that was very impressive and was related to profiling. Obviously, this woman was extremely well qualified.
Isobel looked out the window at the garden. There were roses along the window, all in bloom, in a palette of colours. Hearing the door open, Isobel turned around. As she did she was facing the working side of the desk and on it was a photo of Colette and Eoin laughing with their arms around each other.
Isobel smiled quickly at Colette entering.
Colette poured coffee and dispensed it to everyone. She had brought in some chocolate biscuits and Isobel helped herself to one.
“I’ve been thinking,” Colette said as she sat down. “This guy –”
“The Shadow,” Alanna said.
Colette rolled her eyes. “The Shadow – is a planner. From what you had already told me Eoin, Michelle Cavan’s death was unintentional. Her death has scuppered his plans. I think that he raped and murdered Catriona in his rage at being found out. If Michelle hadn’t died, he could have gone on with his rapes indefinitely.”
“So he’s escalating?” Eoin asked.
Colette made a face. “Yes. I think he’s angry and he’s going to continue targeting more victims. And these two attacks are very close together and both fatal. My concern would be that he is losing control.”
Isobel frowned.
Colette leant back in her chair. “The rapes you have described to me, the attention to detail in terms of preventing forensic transfer, his knowing who to threaten in the women’s lives, all of that suggests meticulous planning. It suggests that this man is intelligent, ordered. He may well have a very responsible job. I know you don’t know how frequently he was attacking and raping women but I don’t think it was every week. From what you said, Isobel, about him sending a photograph to one of the women a week later, that implies that he watched the women after the attack also. And there is a suggestion that he did so before as well. That implies a slower rate. I think he has lost control of himself and is becoming increasingly impetuous. This may be because he is angry that he has been found out or having committed murder and not been found he now feels invincible. Either way, he is increasingly dangerous.”
Alanna sighed. “So we can expect more rapes and murders?”
“I think so.”
There was silence as they all digested that.
Colette continued, “You seem to think that the rapes started about eighteen months ago.”
Eoin spread his hands. “We don’t know that for sure. We’re basing that on Nicky’s attack which failed and the fact that it was after that the farmer in Corbally had to keep replacing the lock on the field but we could be completely wrong there.”
Colette nodded. “Let’s assume for now that you are right. Something would have happened to trigger this behaviour, this spree of attacks.”
“That makes sense,” Alanna said. “Even if we have the timescale wrong, it’s still true that there would most likely have been a trigger.”
Colette said, “I think what he has said to some of the women is important.”
“The threats?” Alanna said.
“Not just that. Isobel said that he talked about control to one of the women.”
Isobel nodded.
“I think it is possible that he is punishing these women for someone who had control over him. As a young boy that could have been his mother. Either he is being controlled by another woman, his wife or he is controlling her.” Colette pursed her lips. “The attacks are all about him imposing his control on these women he has attacked. It’s possible that the trigger event had something to do with control in his world changing and this is his reaction to that.”
“OK, but what sort of an event?” Alanna said. “And does this help us catch him?”
Colette stood up and paced back and forward. “An event, let me see.” She stopped. “The trigger could have been outside the home in a work situation. Maybe a woman boss where things are not going well, or a woman besting him in some work situation, a deal or something, and he is now reasserting his authority. Or maybe he was married and in control but then he lost control – maybe she had an affair or she left him. It could be something like that.” Colette made a face. “Yes, yes, a dynamic like that – either his marriage changing or a female superior and him clashing – either of those could be the sort of trigger for this series of rapes and attacks. And now, something is interfering with the rapes, and someone is going to have to pay.”
“And you don’t think that killing Catriona will be enough?” Eoin asked.
“Temporarily it will be but it won’t last. Alanna, you could be in the frame.”
“Me?” Alana looked shocked.
“Well, your name has been in the paper associated with the investigation so you represent authority.”
Alanna frowned.
“And you are directly involved in trying to stop him in his tracks. I’m not t
rying to frighten you. I just want you to be careful. The Shadow, as you call him, is now like a cornered rat, or an aggravated snake. He’s going to attack and then slink off into the undergrowth.” Colette looked round at their faces. “I’m sorry but I have to be honest. And you need to warn the women of Limerick of the dangers. Also you might want to tell Nicky to be careful – you too, Isobel. I know you’re only helping out but you did find the first body. The Shadow may not know how much you’ve contributed to the investigation but you need to be careful all the same.”
Eoin said, “I will pass on your concerns to the Superintendent.”
Colette raised her eyebrows. “That could go either way. Anyway, now Gregory Hayes is your new consultant and while he likes to court the limelight, if he issues a warning of future attacks, he will be right.” She set down her cup. “I have to go. I’m due at the hospital soon.”
“Do you work at the hospital?” Isobel asked.
Colette smiled at her. “I do part-time. I also have a private practice and do some consulting with the gardaí in Dublin and Cork.”
“In Limerick too,” Eoin said. “We’re consulting now.”
Colette made a face. “True, but officially it’s with Dublin and Cork.”
Isobel wondered if Eoin had been at the hospital to visit Colette at work the other day.
Colette shrugged. “You have to take the work where you can get it.”
Alanna stood. “Thanks, Colette. I always feel safer when we run things by you. We’ll make sure a warning goes out. I’ll call Nicky, and Isobel and I will be extra careful.”
Eoin stood too. He embraced Colette. “Thanks.”
“Let me know how the DNA turns out,” Colette said.
“Will do.”
“And, Isobel, keep talking to any women you can find. I have a feeling that The Shadow is not in the system. And he has worked damn hard to ensure that it stays that way.”
“It could be the opposite,” Alanna said. “He knows he’s in the system and that is why he’s been so meticulous about there not being evidence.”
Colette made a face. “I think I’m right.”
Eoin laughed. “As usual.”
Broken Silence: A tense psychological thriller Page 15