by Marion Todd
‘No, I agree,’ Al Gibson said. ‘And water again.’
‘I know. Alison Reid found in the bath, Ingrid in the Kinness Burn and now Ruth Williams in her own bathroom sink.’
‘Any connection between the women?’
‘Oh yes.’
There was a silence then he said, ‘I’ll be up in the morning. We can chat about it then.’
‘Okay, thanks Al. I’m… er, I’m sorry to have interrupted your night.’
‘Don’t worry. Just a few drinks with a friend.’
* * *
As Clare drove home she mulled over that last remark. A few drinks with a friend. Was it one of the glamorous women in the skiing photos? Or someone else? Maybe he too had been on Attracto, but with more success than Clare.
She had ended things with Geoffrey Dark because it was going nowhere. They were on different paths. At least that’s what she’d told herself. But was that the only reason? Or, had she ended her relationship – such as it was – in the hope of rekindling things with Al Gibson? And, if so, had she left it too late? Had the DCI found someone to fill the gap left by his ex-wife? Perhaps she was better off not knowing.
As she turned left at the roundabout and began driving along the country road she flicked on her full beam, catching a startled rabbit in the headlights. She slowed as the rabbit ran this way and that until, finally, it chose a side and disappeared into the verge.
She approached the wood that bordered Daisy Cottage and stifled a yawn. It had been a long day. A long week, in fact. All she wanted was to get indoors, have some food and maybe soak in a bath. But then thinking of the bath reminded Clare she was hunting a killer of two – or maybe three – women. Who on earth was killing these women – and why?
Monday, 11th January
Chapter 36
‘Anything new?’ Clare asked as she entered the station.
‘Couple of things,’ Jim said. He picked up a sheet of paper from his desk. ‘Janey managed to find one of the WhatsApp group still living in the town. The rest seem to be further afield.’ He squinted at the paper. ‘It’s a Michelle Delaney.’
‘Address?’
‘It’s down there. But she works at Razor, top end of North Street.’
‘Hair salon?’ Clare said. ‘Think I know it.’
‘Yeah, that’s the one. They claim to have cut Prince William’s hair, but then half the shops in town claim he was a customer.’
Clare shrugged off her coat and went to hang it on a hook. ‘I’d forgotten he was a student here. How long ago was that?’
‘Oh, now you’re asking, Clare.’ Jim rubbed his chin. ‘Must be fifteen or twenty years ago I reckon.’
‘Okay. Anyone spoken to her yet?’
Jim shook his head. ‘I thought we’d wait and see how you wanted to play it.’
‘Good. I’ll call into the salon myself. I’m guessing it’ll open at nine?’
‘Suppose so.’
‘And the other thing?’
‘A DS from Dundee called for you.’
‘Corinne Sim?’
‘Aye, that’s her. Said she’d be in all morning if you want to call back.’
‘Great, thanks Jim. I’ve been trying to get hold of her. Erm…’ she stood, trying to collect her thoughts. ‘Any luck with those blondes? The photos Sara printed out from The Harvest Moon?’
‘Not yet. But I can chase it with the team.’
‘Thanks, Jim. Could you ask Chris to give me a shout when he arrives. And let the team know I’d like a quick catch-up before I head out.’
Jim nodded and Clare went into her office. She switched on her computer then sat down to telephone Corinne.
‘It’s a familiar story,’ Corinne said when Clare had related the contents of the document on Alison Reid’s laptop. ‘If you email me over the details we’ll have a look at it.’
‘Could you sit on it for a bit, Corinne? It may be related to a murder investigation. I’m just not sure yet.’
‘No problem, Clare. Just let me know when we can move on it.’
The door opened and Chris entered. He hovered in the doorway, shifting on his feet.
Clare put down her phone and regarded him. ‘Something up?’
He came into the room and closed the door behind him. ‘Don’t suppose you could have a word with Sara? She’s in a bit of a state. Thinking Ruth Williams killed herself because of her arrest. If you could maybe just reassure her…’
Clare glanced at her watch. She had emails to check, the team to brief and the hair salon would be open soon. ‘I’d rather leave it till this afternoon, Chris. One of the WhatsApp group works in a hairdresser’s in North Street. I’d like to be there when it opens.’
Chris stood his ground. ‘It’ll take two minutes, Clare.’
She sighed. ‘I must be going soft in my old age. Go on, then. Wheel her in.’
A few minutes later there was a tap on the door and a white-faced Sara looked in.
‘In you come,’ Clare said, giving her what she hoped was a reassuring smile. She waited until Sara had sat down then said, ‘Chris tells me you’re still worrying about Ruth.’
Sara nodded but said nothing.
‘Look, Sara. I’m a bit pushed this morning and, when I have more time, we will talk properly. But, for now, let me say that, in my view, you treated Ruth with kindness and compassion. You probably don’t want to hear this but I’m glad it was you who arrested her. You were exactly the right person to deal with it. You didn’t make a fuss, brought her here and alerted me to your concerns. It was a textbook arrest.’
‘But then…’
‘Sara, I’m very much afraid that Ruth will turn out to be our third murder victim. I’d love to be wrong, but I’d bet money she was killed in the same way as the other two. But, even if she did choose to end her life, it probably would have happened anyway.’
‘You really think so?’ Sara’s voice was little more than a whisper.
‘I know so. Ruth’s shoplifting was a symptom of an illness. Her arrest was traumatic for her, but I think there was a bit of relief in there too. I believe she was glad we found out about it.’
‘You mean like a cry for help?’
‘Maybe. Obviously I’m not a doctor but I have met a lot of shoplifters in my time and Ruth certainly didn’t fit the profile.’ She smiled at Sara. ‘Does that help?’
Sara’s face cleared; the relief evident. ‘Thanks, boss,’ she said. ‘It helps a lot.’ Her eyes were bright and Clare thought she looked near to tears.
‘Go and get yourself a coffee. Get one for Chris too, and pass the word round – briefing in ten minutes.’
Sara escaped and Clare turned to check her Inbox. As the messages loaded she considered calling Neil Grant to see if the post-mortem on Ruth had been done yet; but it was unlikely. He’d said it would be late Monday or early Tuesday. All the same, she’d be happier once she knew how Ruth had died.
Her office door opened and DCI Alastair Gibson came in. He closed the door behind him and hesitated for a moment. Then he smiled and pulled out a chair and Clare was momentarily thrown. He was wearing a charcoal grey suit she hadn’t seen before and a pale blue shirt that seemed to set off his eyes. Those eyes. There was something disarming in their expression. Her mouth was suddenly dry and she reached down into her bag for a bottle of water. He was watching her and she held out the water, offering it to him.
‘Or a coffee?’ she said but he waved this away.
‘Maybe later, Clare. I… er, how are things?’
She could feel the colour rising in her face. Godsake – she really needed to get a grip. She was behaving like a teenager. ‘Yeah, fine, Al. You?’
He smiled again, and she found herself watching him. Studying his face. Thinking of what might have been – if only she hadn’t chosen Geoff.
‘Yes, thanks,’ he was saying.
She gave herself a shake and tried to focus on the case. ‘Sorry about disturbing you last night,’ she said. ‘You were out
…’ she added, before she could stop herself.
There was a tiny hesitation – a flicker of something. Then he said, ‘Yes. Just catching up with a friend. A few drinks. Erm, maybe we should…’
A friend. The glamorous skiing friend? Or someone else? Was he on a date? She saw him watching her and she made an effort to push thoughts of him and his skiing companion out of her head.
‘Yes, sorry, Al. The murders.’
‘So…’
‘The PM’s not been done on the woman we found last night but I am expecting her to be our third murder victim.’
‘And you said they were connected.’
She nodded. ‘They were all at primary school together.’
‘Okay. And leads?’
‘Actually, Al, I’m about to have a briefing with the team. If you sat in it would save me going through everything twice.’ She glanced at him. ‘If that’s okay…’
He looked at her and smiled. Those eyes again. ‘Of course.’
‘And if there’s anything you’re concerned about we could have a chat after the briefing.’
He scraped back his chair. ‘Sure – let’s get on with it then.’
As they walked through to the incident room, he said, ‘Been to any parkruns lately?’
Clare shook her head. ‘Not since last month. But I could do with shifting the Christmas weight.’
‘Clare! You always look great. I didn’t mean it to sound like that.’ He stopped just outside the incident room, his expression warm.
She flicked a glance at him, but now wasn’t the time. Stuck for something to say she muttered thanks and pushed open the door. The room was stiflingly hot, even allowing for the growing number of officers and laptops, and she made a mental note to ask Jim about the thermostat.
‘Morning all,’ she called and gradually the chatter subsided as they turned to face her. ‘For those of you who don’t know him, this is DCI Alastair Gibson. He’s overseeing our investigation so expect to see him from time to time.’ She paused for a moment and the DCI nodded to the officers. Then she carried on. ‘We had another suspicious death last night.’ She glanced at the board and saw that Ruth Williams’s photo had been pinned up next to Alison and Ingrid.
‘Same MO, boss?’ Janey asked.
‘Still waiting for the PM report, Janey. Probably tomorrow but the victim was found sitting at the bathroom sink, her head submerged.’
‘Weird,’ someone said.
‘I know.’
‘Like it was staged?’ Janey asked.
‘Possibly. I certainly don’t think it’s an efficient way to drown yourself. I’m not even sure it’s possible. So,’ she glanced back at the photos, ‘for now, we treat Ruth’s death as if it is connected to the other two.’
‘Rohypnol?’ someone asked.
Clare spread her hands. ‘Too early to say. But she was found fully clothed so I doubt she’s been sexually assaulted.’
‘Wasn’t she in here the other day?’ Erin, one of the officers from Glenrothes, asked.
Clare glanced at Sara who was staring at the floor. ‘She was, Erin. On suspicion of shoplifting but we hadn’t charged her at that point.’
‘Any intel from her phone?’ Janey asked.
‘Diane has her phone and laptop and she’s prioritising them this morning. So, if anyone takes a call from her, I want it buzzed through to me immediately.’ She glanced round the room and Bill caught her eye. ‘Bill?’
‘Next of kin?’ he asked.
Clare scanned the room. ‘Who was on that?’
Nita raised her hand. ‘Me, boss. There’s a daughter – Megan. I spoke to her late last night. Understandably upset. Wants to know when she can go to the mortuary. I’m keeping in touch with her.’
‘Thanks, Nita. So, all three women were in that school WhatsApp group. Alison and Ingrid both had private messages from Jessica Peters suggesting they join the dating website. Once Diane gets into Ruth’s laptop, we’ll know if she too had a message from Jessica.’
‘Don’t forget the reunion,’ Chris said, and Clare nodded.
‘As we know, Jessica Peters was trying to arrange a class reunion. And the restaurant she had contacted was The Heron’s Nest. The proprietor, remember, had been a client of Alison Reid’s then moved his business to Sharp and Lafferty. Now, Chris and I visited the restaurant yesterday and the owner showed us two emails from Jessica enquiring about a booking. Chris had a look at the header info in the emails and she’s either jetting around the world or she’s using a VPN to disguise her location. And that makes me suspicious.’
Erin raised her hand. ‘Is Jessica Peters a suspect, boss?’
Clare shook her head. ‘Not at this point, Erin. But she is a person of interest so if anyone does manage to track her down bring her in, please.’
Bill raised a hand. ‘Did you get the message about Michelle Delaney, boss?’
‘Yes, thanks Bill.’ She glanced at the DCI. ‘Michelle Delaney is also in the WhatsApp group and still lives in the town. Chris and I will see her this morning as soon as we’re done here.’
DCI Gibson nodded at this but didn’t speak.
Out in the main office the phone began to ring and Jim slipped out of the room to take the call.
‘Could this Jessica have a grudge against the others?’ Bill asked. ‘Some long-held resentment?’
Clare considered this for a moment then said, ‘It’s possible; and it would explain why she’s at pains to disguise her location. But even a bad case of school bullying would be a pretty thin motive for murder, particularly twenty-odd years later.’
‘Remember the photo,’ Chris said, and Clare nodded.
‘There was an old photo Chris and I found in Ingrid McKinnie’s house. It’s of five children aged around nine or ten. Four girls and a boy.’
‘Any idea who they are?’ Nita asked.
‘Yes, I think so. Names are written on the back.’ She hesitated, then said, ‘three of the names are Alison, Ingrid and… Ruth.’
‘Do we know if it’s our victims?’ Bill said.
Clare shrugged. ‘I’d be surprised if it wasn’t.’
‘What about the other two?’ Janey asked.
‘According to what’s written on the back, a boy called John and a girl called Lexy. Now, the friendship between our three victims might have nothing to do with the murders but it needs looking at.’
DCI Gibson eased himself off the desk he’d been perching on. ‘If it is the same Ruth, then finding John and Lexy is a priority. Have you been onto the school?’
‘Yes,’ Clare said. ‘They’re trying to put me in touch with a retired head teacher but nothing so far.’
‘Better get back onto them then,’ he said. ‘Before we have another victim.’
‘Michelle Delaney might recognise the kids in the photo,’ Chris said.
‘Let’s hope so.’ Clare broke off and stood thinking for a moment. ‘Anything else? Or is that it?’
‘Stoneman,’ Bill said. ‘Still trying to track him down.’
Clare turned to the DCI. ‘Our first two victims have links to the same three men on the dating site. Two of them have checked out but the one who calls himself Stoneman is using someone else’s photo.’
‘Any idea whose photo?’ DCI Gibson asked.
Clare saw Chris try to catch her eye and shake his head and she realised he wouldn’t want Sara to know he’d been to the hotel. She’d probably want to know why he was there, Clare thought. She gave him a slight nod then turned back to the DCI. ‘Yes, I think so. I’m going to check it out today.’ She looked round the room again. ‘Meantime, I want as many of you as possible doing house-to-house. Start with the streets where our victims lived and spread out from there.’
The door opened and Jim came back in, holding a notepad. ‘Diane,’ he said.
‘And?’
‘Ruth’s laptop wasn’t password protected and she was logged into WhatsApp.’
‘Anything significant?’
‘Only this: she also had a message from Jessica Peters suggesting she join Attracto.’
‘And did she?’
Jim shook his head. ‘No. She replied saying it wasn’t her thing, that she was fine on her own. Diane’s gone through Attracto and she can’t see anyone using Ruth’s email address – or anyone who might be her. She’s uploaded all the private chats from Messenger and WhatsApp to the network. But she said the school group seems to be the only thing that connected Ruth with the others.’
‘Pretty significant connection,’ Chris said.
‘I agree,’ Clare said. ‘Let’s hope Michelle Delaney can shed some light on it.’
Chapter 37
Razor was at the top end of North Street and Clare drove slowly along, eyes flicking left and right for someplace to park.
‘Here,’ Chris said, indicating a diagonal space just in front of the Younger Hall, the town’s concert hall and graduation venue.
‘I’ve always liked this building,’ she said, admiring the high neo-Classical columns and tiered side sections. ‘It’s an odd mix of styles. Geoff said…’ and then she stopped herself. She turned her back on the building and stepped out into the road, waiting for a gap in the traffic.
‘Clare…’ Chris hesitated.
She waited while a taxi whizzed past then began walking smartly across. ‘Razor’s about fifty yards further along.’
He caught up with her. ‘You sure you did the right thing, finishing with Geoff?’
She stopped for a moment, not meeting his eye. Then she said, ‘Yes, Chris. I am sure. It’s just going to take a bit of time…’
‘Okay. As long as…’
‘Chris, I said it’s fine!’ And she began walking along. ‘So Michelle Delaney – any thoughts?’
He shrugged. ‘Not really. I mean there’s nothing to suggest she’s involved in this.’
‘Except that, of all the members in that group, she’s the only one we can find who still stays in the town.’
‘So, what you thinking?’
‘I think,’ Clare slowed her pace as they approached Razor. ‘I think we show her the photo first and see what she has to say – before we mention the murders.’