‘Do you think he believes you?’
‘He can believe what he wants. I’m leaving it to you to make the decision what you tell him. I can get myself into enough trouble.’ Lowering her voice, she said, ‘I did remind him that I had fed in your suspicions about Dylan Wolfe and I could tell he was embarrassed by that.’
‘He’s certainly going to have to explain what he did about the information I’ve given. I’m going to play dumb myself about the packages and just say I thought that they were from a crank and that it wasn’t until last night that I realised who they might have come from and what the clues meant. Half of that is true. In my defence, I’ll tell the truth about him side-lining and ignoring me.’ Following a pause, Hunter continued, ‘Did you get a good look at those photos and newspaper articles pinned up on the back of the container where I found Rasa’s body? I only got a glimpse of them last night, but I thought they might have something to do with what he was involved in back when I caught him in nineteen-ninety-one. They certainly looked old from what I could see.’
‘Like you, I’ve only had a glimpse of them. Forensics are in there now and the container’s sealed off, so I can’t get a proper look. I’ve already asked them to get me some shots of them. I’ll get them to snap some on my phone, and then I’ll send them to you and you can have a look and see if they mean anything.’ Her voice dropped even lower. ‘St. John-Stevens is just heading my way so I can’t say anymore, but just one thing before I go. The burned-out car they found Rasa’s body in! They’ve done a chassis engine check and guess who it belongs to?’
‘No idea. Go on, tell me.’
‘None other than David Bannister. Your missing David Bannister.’
As Hunter spluttered, ‘What!’ before he could ask a further question, Grace ended the call and he was left looking at the dead handset with thoughts whizzing around inside his head.
Maddie caught his eye as she set down his mug of tea. ‘Something up?’ she asked.
Hunter told her what Grace had just said about David Bannister’s car. ‘I knew Dylan Wolfe was behind the Bannisters’ disappearance. What did I say, eh?’
Maddie nodded.
Hunter was about to say more when he became conscious of someone entering the office. He turned sharply, straining the stitches in his head again, causing him to blink at the sharp pinch of his skin. He was surprised by the appearance of Detective Superintendent Dawn Leggate, and he greeted her with, ‘Boss.’
‘Yes, boss it is,’ she responded, giving him a stern look. She set down her bag on his desk. ‘Under normal circumstances, I should be giving you a bollocking for your escapades last night, but given that you’ve caught us a killer, and you got a nasty and permanent reminder of your foolhardiness, I’ll leave it at that.’
Hunter watched his former boss’s face lose its serious look to be replaced with a slight smile. Puzzled by her presence, a feeling of nervousness crept into his stomach. He said, ‘This is a surprise.’
‘For me as well, Hunter. You and I have Mr Robshaw to thank for that.’
Hunter’s brows knitted together. ‘Sorry?’
‘He told me about your visit, what you told him about Dylan Wolfe and your hunch about his involvement in the disappearance of the Bannister family back in nineteen-ninety-one, and then we heard what happened last night, and the discovery of the Lithuanian girl’s body in the family’s burned-out car. I’ve been brought back to review the current investigation.’
‘Gosh! Wow!’
‘I’ve spoken very briefly with DCI St. John-Stevens and informed him what is happening, and now I want from thread to needle what brought you to the notion that Dylan Wolfe was involved in the family’s disappearance and what you did with that information.’ Dawn unbuttoned her coat, dragged up a chair and sat down. ‘Before that, though, I bring good news.’
‘I could do with some of that for a change.’
Dawn grinned. ‘They found Billy Wallace’s body yesterday on Sark. It was found washed up in a bay on the opposite side of the island from where you had your altercation with him. A post-mortem was done yesterday evening, and in spite of its state they are able to say that his injuries are consistent with the fall you described in your statement, and the pathologist has determined his death was by drowning, proving he was alive when he went into the water. I’ve spoken with a detective superintendent on Guernsey, and he assures me the investigation into Billy’s death is now formally closed pending the inquest, which you will be notified of. Oh, and they will be releasing a press statement to that effect to stop any further speculation as to what happened on Sark.’
As Hunter’s eyes rested on his boss’s face, a huge feeling of relief washed over him
‘Now show and tell me what you have on the Bannister family’s disappearance and what connects Dylan Wolfe to it,’ Dawn said, opening up her journal and clicking her pen.
Hunter took out the duplicate file and the crime scene photographs, spread out the photos in the order he would be delivering his information, and then repeated what he had told Michael Robshaw yesterday, slowing the pace whenever he saw Dawn making notes. As he came to the end of his account, he took out of his desk drawer the items from the two packages he had been sent, laying them out in their evidence bags over the top of the crime scene photographs.
Dawn stopped writing at this point, roaming her eyes over the items. When Hunter finished relaying how he had come by them, pointing at the tied-up doll, she asked, ‘What action have you taken regarding these?’
‘Well, I got the first package six days ago. At first, I wasn’t sure what they were related to and if they had come from some nut-jack or other. It took me a couple of days to fathom out that it may have been related to the Rasa Katiliene, so initially, I didn’t do anything, except bag them as evidence. Then, I learned from probation that Dylan Wolfe had been released on licence and had done a disappearing act from his hostel in Sheffield, and so I spoke with Grace and showed them to her and discussed the possibilities of the package coming from Dylan Wolfe. She knew about the review I was doing into the Bannisters, and the theory I had about him possibly being involved in their disappearance, and so I discussed with her the possibility that he could have been involved in Rasa’s disappearance as well, and that the note and items I’d been sent were related to that. She told me that the investigation into Rasa’s possible abduction and probable murder was focussed on a convicted sex offender who had been the last to see Rasa. I told her I would hold onto them as exhibits, and asked her to feed Dylan’s name into the enquiry, which I know she did.’
Dawn held up her hand to stop him there. ‘Why didn’t you feed it in yourself and hand over the evidence?’
‘Under normal circumstances, I would have done. But Mr Robshaw’s probably told you the issues I’ve been having with DCI St. John-Stevens. I’d already been told by him to stop the review into the Bannisters’ disappearance even after I’d put forward Dylan Wolfe’s name as a person of interest and shared my theory with him. I knew it was pointless approaching him, and I hoped Grace would be able to encourage the team to have a look at Dylan. When the second package came yesterday, I immediately sent the images to Grace and asked for a meeting to discuss what the clues meant. I’d fully intended handing all the exhibits over, but then, as you know, it came to me last night what they might mean and I couldn’t resist going out for a look myself.’
‘And I won’t dwell any further on what my thoughts are about that.’
Hunter blushed. ‘I wouldn’t have needed to go out and do what I did if you’d have been in charge of the enquiry. I know you would have listened and actioned someone to look at Dylan Wolfe.’
‘Well, I’m not going to respond to that. DCI St. John-Stevens is still heading up the investigation into the murder of Rasa Katiliene now we have found her body. My role is to conduct a review and nothing else. What I can say is that her body has been found in the boot of a car that once belonged to David Bannister, prior to his disappearance
, which I’m guessing you probably know, given Grace is at the scene…’ She broke off, smiling, and then continued, ‘…and that the work you have done as part of your review into the Bannister family’s disappearance will now be handed over to MIT as part of their current investigation. Michael has told me, from your conversation with him yesterday, that the samples that were originally taken by SOCO in nineteen-ninety-one from the Bannister home are with forensics. I will be recommending, now we have Dylan Wolfe in custody, that those are now fast-tracked for examination.’
Hunter let out a happy sigh, shooting a sideways glance at Maddie, who had put just as much effort into the review as he had. Her face was glowing.
He returned his gaze to Dawn. ‘Do Maddie and I get to be involved?’
‘Not directly, I’m afraid, Hunter.’ She saw his crestfallen expression and added, ‘But that doesn’t mean you are not involved as such. I will ensure your old team get the up-to-date file on the Bannisters, and that they liaise with you, so you won’t be out of the loop. What I’m conscious of is that I don’t want your relationship with St. John-Stevens to jeopardise the work that needs doing. Between us three and these four walls, the area I will be critical of in my report is that St. John-Stevens didn’t take into account the information you had given him about Dylan Wolfe, delaying his arrest.’
Hunter nodded thoughtfully. After a few seconds of silence, he asked, ‘Has Dylan said anything since he was caught last night?’
Dawn shook her head. ‘Not as far as I’m aware. They will have bedded him down for the night. It’s going to be lunchtime, I guess, before they do the first interview. He’ll no doubt want a solicitor. My next job is to go and liaise with DCI St. John-Stevens at the scene and see what they have, and also break the news to him about bringing the Bannister case into the investigation. He’ll probably already know that, with Rasa’s body being found in David Bannister’s old car. In the meantime, I want you to bundle the file and all the new exhibits you’ve got from Dylan Wolfe and prepare a full report for the MIT team. Okay?’
Hunter nodded, a self-congratulating smile spreading across his face.
It took Hunter two hours to compile his testimony detailing Dylan Wolfe’s attack on him, after which he spent a further two hours going back through the Bannister file and his journal. He categorised the old and new evidence, handwriting a series of notes in preparation for drafting a new report and finished by bundling the exhibits from the two packages Dylan Wolfe had sent. At 12.15 p.m., with his head mashed, he put down his pen and announced to Maddie he was going for an early lunch and made his way down to the canteen.
Upon his return to the office, Maddie said, ‘Grace has rung. She says can you ring her back.’
Hunter picked up the phone and called Grace’s mobile.
She answered straight away with, ‘Sorry I haven’t rung. I’m still at the scene. It’s been manic. They’re just about to remove Rasa’s body to take it to the mortuary and a low-loader’s here to take David Bannister’s car to the forensic drying room for examination. And Dawn Leggate’s here. She’s with the DCI.’
‘Yes, I know. She was here to see me earlier. I didn’t tell you when I messaged you yesterday, but I went to see Mr Robshaw on my way home from work, and told him about what had gone on with St. John-Stevens, and how he’d told me to close down my review of the Bannister case. I also mentioned that I’d earmarked Dylan as a suspect and asked him for some advice. After what happened to me last night and the finding of Rasa’s body in David Bannister’s old car, he’s brought in Dawn to conduct a review of the investigation.’
He heard Grace let out a short laugh. ‘No wonder the DCI’s mooching around with a face like a smacked arse.’ Breaking off for a second, she continued, ‘The reason I’ve rung you is because of the photos and newspaper articles that are taped to the back of the container. I haven’t been able to get a close look at them yet because of CSI working in there, but they have photographed them on my phone and I’m going to email them across to you. I’ve had a quick glance at the photos and they certainly raise questions as to whether Dylan might be involved in other attacks. The newspaper articles are referring to some missing women back in ninety-one. The names don’t mean a thing to me. There are also a number of photos with them, which look as though they might have been taken by him. Many of them are discoloured with age and damp has got to them, but it does appear to me at first glance that in a few of the photographs the women are dead. There are a couple of them laid on the ground and from the way they’re positioned, they certainly don’t appear to be alive. There’re also the local paper’s pieces relating to those women that were raped back then, including that one you and I went to on the Craggs that night. Elizabeth Barnett.’
Hunter remembered that. He and Grace were not long into their probationary period as constables and had got called to attend a woman found unconscious on Barnwell Craggs. She was Dylan Wolfe’s third victim. It transpired he had tried to rape her, that she had fought back and he had bashed her with a rock. For a week it had been touch and go whether she would survive or not. In the end, she gave evidence against him in court.
Hunter was about to respond when Grace said, ‘I’m going to email everything to you and you can be having a look through while I’m finishing up here. I’ll liaise with you when I get back to the office. Now Dawn’s on the DCI’s case, he won’t be able to say anything when I pop in to see you.’ On that cheery note, she hung up.
Within a minute the images taken on Grace’s phone came through as several attachments to an email. Hunter counted eight in all and he clicked on the first jpeg file. It showed the montage of the dozen or so photographs together with the same amount of cut-out newspaper articles he had first sighted on the back wall of the container. It reminded him of an incident board when a major case was running, except there was no time-line sequence and there were no spidery lines connecting each piece. He enlarged it to get a closer look, but the photographs and newspaper cuttings lacked definition and so he was unable to read any of the headlines or get a more detailed view of the photographs.
He closed it down and opened another attachment. This one was of the front page of the Chronicle, and it featured the investigation into the death of sixty-four-year-old June Waring, instantly sparking a ghostly memory. It had been Hunter’s first sudden death upon starting his career in 1991. A neighbour had called the police because June hadn’t been seen for a few days. The rented terraced house she’d lived in had been locked when Hunter had arrived with his tutor, Roger Mills, and they had broken a downstairs window to gain access. Hunter had found her upstairs, tucked up in bed, dead. It was his first sight of a dead body, and June Waring’s face had haunted his dreams for several nights thereafter. Following the discovery, he and Roger had begun enquiring into her lifestyle, quickly learning that June was an alcoholic with a history of mental and physical problems and initially it had been treated as a straightforward sudden death. Until the post-mortem. During that, the pathologist had discovered that June had been raped vaginally and anally shortly before her death, the brutal attack bringing on a cardiac arrest, killing her, and it had become a murder investigation. June Waring had been Dylan Wolfe’s first victim. He had raped her, tucked her back up in bed, locked up the house and posted the key back through the letterbox to make it appear as if her death had been the result of a heart attack in bed. Had it not been for the thoroughness of the pathologist, Dylan might well have got away with it.
Closing down the attachment, Hunter opened a few more that featured articles from the local Chronicle. Among these attachments were stories relating to Dylan’s second and third victim, sixty-six-year-old Anita Thompson, who had been battered and raped in her home, though she’d survived, and fifty-eight-year-old Elizabeth Barnett, whom Dylan had attacked on the Craggs when she’d been taking a shortcut home — the case he and Grace had got involved in. In these last two incidents, Hunter remembered how both witnesses had described their attacker as wea
ring a ski mask, and it had been that which had been his undoing. Hunter had been called to a domestic incident, after Dylan had attacked his girlfriend and fled, and he had found a ski mask hidden away in a wardrobe, sparking a major hunt for him. In an act of revenge, Dylan had returned to his girlfriend’s flat and stabbed her several times, then he’d gone on the run.
A week later, Hunter had received a tip-off about where Dylan was hiding out and he and Barry Newstead had tracked him down and captured him. Visions of all those events flooded Hunter’s thoughts and for a moment he found himself being transported back to 1991. It had been his first experience of encountering sleepless nights thinking about a case, a hardship that was to return time and time again and something that still occurred even with nineteen years’ practice behind him.
Hunter finished looking at those attachments and opened a couple more. These were photographs. Twelve in total. They depicted what appeared to be elderly women in street scenes. From the background he recognised they were local. Five of the photos appeared to be of the same woman. There were two of her walking past some shops. In another two she was standing at a bus stop and in the final one the woman was coming out of the front door of a house. The door was green and Hunter tried to zoom in on the number, but it was just a blur. The other seven photographs appeared to be of a different woman and they all appeared to have been taken at various locations along Barnwell High Street. He recognised many of the shops in the background, the majority of which were now owned by different traders. Like the other photographs, the images were not of good quality and he was unable to identify who the woman was. She didn’t look like any of the three victims he had been involved with. Closing that down, he opened the next jpeg. This was another newspaper article. The headline was a simple one — MISSING? — and he zoomed in on the opening paragraph, reading it quickly.
Police in Barnwell are appealing for anyone to contact them regarding the whereabouts of 79-year-old Alison Chambers, who has not been seen for seven days. She was last seen at a bus stop, a quarter of a mile from her home, after telling a neighbour she was catching a bus to Rotherham to do her weekly shopping.
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