Wild Thing: 'a chilling cold-blooded killer' (Ted Darling crime series Book 7)

by L M Krier

  Ted decided the remark on the tip of his tongue about putting powdered glass in the reporter's lager top might not be well received. Instead he made noises of assent without much conviction about them, then went upstairs to see the team for morning briefing.

  He ran through with them the details of what he and Megan had seen the previous day, without going into too much detail. He was quick to stress that he was not yet connecting the different cases, still at the stage of looking at the similarities.

  'Steve, this internet competition idea. Has it got legs or is it as far-fetched as it sounds?'

  'For the killings, I'm not yet sure, sir, I'm still looking into it. For the animal abuse, sadly, it is a possibility. There are some very sick groups out there, even on moderate social media sites like Facebook. They soon get reported and taken down, but they often start up again quite quickly in a new guise.

  'There is one way I would be able to find if there's a local link, but that would require me having access to the RSPCA photos of the animal victims. Then I could check to see if any photos similar to those had ever appeared anywhere on the internet.'

  'They're not pleasant,' Ted warned.

  'I appreciate that, sir, but surely it would be better to rule this line of enquiry out as soon as possible, if it's not relevant? And I could do that fairly quickly, with access to the photos.'

  Ted had never heard him so assertive, certainly not in a team meeting before. He was pleased. He'd always had high hopes for Steve, if he could overcome his timidity. It seemed as if he was doing so.

  'I'll get them forwarded to you for checking. I'm sure I don't need to say it, but they're not for general consumption. Your eyes only for now.'

  Ted spoke to the team at length about Professor Nelson's theories on a possible sexual motive for the animal torture and, by implication, if the cases were connected, for the killings. He was hoping he might have results from Forensics before much longer on anything from either scene. They had details of the footprints from the Tyler Bradbury case but it hadn't yet advanced them far. A top-selling branded trainer, marketed simply as a youths' style. Depending on its colour, it could well have been worn by a male or a female.

  'Boss, do you want me to carry on with the Luke Martin case for now?' Jezza asked him.

  'Yes, definitely. I'm just bracing myself for the next round of accusations that we didn't do enough with that case. I don't want anyone thinking we value the life of a black teenager any less than that of a little white boy. We all know that's not true. Incidentally, I'll just pass on from the Super that she acknowledges that we're doing all we can with the ongoing cases. She just, naturally, wants us to do a bit more.'

  Ted was planning a full briefing for Monday morning, if they didn't have any kind of a breakthrough over the weekend. He wanted to widen the range of house-to-house enquiries and was going to draw up a new list of questions to be asked. He planned to talk to Kevin Turner later in the day, and to get him, some of his officers and some of the PCSOs to attend on Monday. It was high time to take the investigation up to another level.

  'Is it worth trying another reconstruction on the Luke Martin case?' Jezza suggested. 'I know it produced nothing last time, but perhaps memories may just be jogged. If nothing else, it would show we're still working on it. And what about a reconstruction on the Tyler case?'

  'That would be tricky to do. We don't know enough of the circumstances to make it accurate. We don't know at what point Tyler ran into his killer. If we just show a little boy on his own running across the park, it might be completely the wrong image. It's something to keep in mind if we keep coming up blank, though.

  'Jo, I'm leaving you pretty much in charge of South Manchester for now. Shout whenever you need more bodies on that. And I really want to know what happened to the missing purse. I know we've searched everywhere for it, but let's search some more. I'm not dismissing Jezza's trophy theory yet.

  'Mike, CCTV from further afield, for the Tyler case. And before you ask, no, I don't know who or what we're looking for. Just get anything available gone through meticulously. Anything at all unusual, no matter how seemingly insignificant, flag it up and let's check it out. Jo, same for South Manchester, please.

  'Right, family and friends. You all know that murder by complete strangers is comparatively rare. There's usually a link to someone known to the victim. Maurice, you help with the digging on that. Start with a deeper background check on the mother and all her known associates than we've done before.'

  Tyler's mother was not a suspect. But the team knew all too well that there had been cases where a spurned lover decided to exact the ultimate revenge by taking the one thing that was precious beyond measure to their former partner. It was an extreme theory for a motive, but they had all heard ones even more far-fetched.

  'Rob, I'm putting you in charge of that for the Tyler case. Anyone and everyone with knowledge of the little lad to be checked out thoroughly, please. Jo, the same for South Manchester. And Rob, first job for you is to check out the girlfriend of Max Newman, the school bully. Take someone with you.'

  Seeing the anxious look on Megan Jennings' face, he said reassuringly, 'You're excused, Megan, just in case she's another snake charmer. Rob, ask Inspector Turner if you can borrow one of his officers. If at all possible, I would like a sample of the nail varnish the girl wears for comparison to the trace that was found in the scratch on Tyler's body. See if she'll agree voluntarily. If not, we'll need to look at bringing her in and making it a bit more formal.

  'Let's hope this is the day for some real progress. Whatever happens, we'll be raising a glass to Virgil and his wife, and Daisy May, after work.'

  Back in his office, armed with green tea, Ted set about trying to pull together everything they had so far, which didn't amount to much in any of the ongoing cases. So often in modern policing, CCTV provided the first lead, but they had nothing at all for Tyler or Luke, and what they did have for the South Manchester case hadn't proved to be of much use. That and the lack of a vehicle in any of the cases. Sometimes a random sighting of a number plate on CCTV footage started the ball rolling.

  His office door opened and Kevin Turner came in, clutching an evidence bag which he tossed on to the desk in front of Ted with something of a triumphant gesture. Kevin didn't often venture upstairs. There were days he barely got out of his office.

  'A friend of yours, I think, Ted,' he said, taking a seat. 'One of my officers found it just now and brought it straight in.'

  Inside the bag was the missing flying Batman toy, slotted into the launcher and all ready for its next flight.

  'It was found not far from the mangled moggy scene. I'd flagged it up as of importance which was why it arrived back here pronto. And yes, I will have a brew while I'm up here, just none of your foul green stuff.'

  Ted was so absorbed with looking at Batman through the clear plastic that he hadn't even offered.

  'Teeth marks, you see? Sharp teeth, like a dog. Bobby the dog was right when he was helping me.'

  Ted looked up over the top of his reading glasses and saw the look Kevin was giving him. He laughed.

  'Sorry, I was getting a bit carried away there. One brew coming up. But this is an important advance. I'll need to speak to the officer who found it for full details and a report.'

  Kevin grunted towards Ted's turned back as he went to brew up for his visitor.

  'Good luck with that. It was young Gavin, so don't be surprised if his report contains a few “soz” and even a “LOL” or two. But at least he found it and had the gumption to bring it straight in. He's trying very hard to redeem himself and win a few Brownie points off me.'

  Ted handed him his drink and sat back down opposite him. It was a good chance to update him on the various theories they were turning over, and to fix up the expanded briefing for Monday morning.

  Ted's desk phone interrupted them. Kevin took the opportunity to stand up to leave as they were about done. Watching Ted's face react to what he
was hearing, he picked up the evidence bag and waved it in front of him. Ted understood the message and nodded his thanks, leaving Kevin to send it off to forensics for him.

  'Ted? Bill,' the familiar voice of the sergeant on the front desk. 'I have Luke Martin's parents here. They're insisting on seeing you. Won't take no for an answer. As you can imagine, they've seen Pocket Billiards' latest piece of slander and they're not happy.'

  He was speaking quietly, although Ted knew he would have positioned himself so the visitors couldn't hear what he was saying. Ted groaned to himself. He should have seen this one coming. He had been promising the couple for two years now that he wouldn't rest until he had justice for them and their son. Reading that he'd been spending his time investigating dead cats would inevitably have been upsetting for them.

  He went down to the front desk himself. He wouldn't dream of delegating the task. He asked Bill to find someone to arrange drinks for them and led them through to a vacant interview room.

  The couple seemed to have aged since he saw them last. Mr Martin had more grey hair than Ted remembered, and his wife was looking ten years older than her actual age. They had been to hell and back, and their journey was not yet over.

  They had always been a reserved and dignified couple, tender and supportive to one another. They were staunch churchgoers and their faith seemed to have been some sort of comfort to them through their ordeal.

  Ted couldn't begin to imagine how upsetting the news article had been for them. Despite it, they remained calm and polite. It was Mr Martin who spoke, his tone patient and reasonable.

  'Inspector Darling, I must say at the outset that you have always treated us with kindness and compassion, and we've never lost our faith in you. You've always said that you would find whoever killed our boy and we have always believed you and trusted you. But this, Inspector. This. Is it true that you've been dealing with the case of a dead cat, whilst our boy's killer is still out there, free?'

  Ted measured his words carefully before he said anything. He knew that this interview could go badly wrong if he didn't, with potentially disastrous consequences. He didn't want to be delivering platitudes but at the moment, that was about all he had. Above all, he was anxious to reassure the parents that he and the team worked to the maximum on all cases. None was given more attention than any other.

  'Mr and Mrs Martin, I've just come from a team briefing. I have new members on my team now, ones who were not here at the time of Luke's death, so they're looking over the case with fresh eyes in the hopes of uncovering any angle which we have not yet explored.

  'Your son's case is still very much open and we're still doing, and will continue to do, everything in our power for all of you.'

  The boy's father looked intently at Ted who held his gaze unflinchingly. Whatever he saw in Ted's hazel eyes appeared to satisfy him, for now.

  'Thank you, Inspector. Please rest assured that my wife and I have no intention of going to the papers. Our private life has already been picked over far too much in the media in the wake of Luke's death. We have no wish to throw any more fuel on that particular fire.'

  When Ted went back upstairs, he found a nervous-looking PC Gavin Jackson lurking about outside his office, clearly waiting for him.

  'Sir, Inspector Turner said you wanted to speak to me and I should come and find you.'

  'Yes, thank you, Gavin, come in and take a seat.'

  The young officer looked surprised. He had clearly expected to be left standing to attention in front of the senior officer. Almost everyone in the station was taller than Ted so he liked to make it less obvious by having them sit in his presence when he could.

  'I believe you found Batman. Well done for that, and for bringing him straight in. Can you tell me where and how you found him?'

  'It was about fifty metres from where the cat was, sir. Further on, in some more dense undergrowth. We'd been asked to help search for anything, and I found the toy.'

  'Tell me exactly how you found it. By that, I mean what position was it in? What was the first thought that came into your head when you saw it?'

  The young PC hesitated, clearly thrown by the question.

  'You're my eyes on the scene, Gavin. I wasn't there to see it for myself, so I need you to talk me through it. Don't worry about how it sounds, just tell me what you saw and what you thought. You already know I work in some eccentric ways.'

  'Well, sir,' he was still hesitant, but Ted nodded encouragingly. 'It was propped up against the stump of a tree. It looked as if it had been put there like that for some special reason. I don't know ...'

  He shook his head, but Ted encouraged him to continue.

  'I know it sounds daft, sir, but it reminded me of a religious statue. Propped up against an altar.'

  He was fishing for his mobile phone as he spoke. He scrolled swiftly and skilfully through its contents then held the screen up towards Ted.

  'I took some photos of it, sir, and the area where it was, before I touched it. I'm sorry, should I have left it there and called you to see it?'

  Ted took one of his cards out and slid it across the desk to him.

  'You did absolutely the right thing, Gavin. Good work. Can you send copies of all the photos you took to my mobile. I agree with you. It makes me think of some sort of shrine. Just one more question. Is there any chance, do you think, that it could have ended up in that position if an animal, say a fox, or a dog, had been carrying it and had dropped it?'

  'No, sir, not at all. It was sort of pushed a bit into the soil to make it stand up straight. It couldn't have been like that by accident, I don't think.'

  'Excellent work, Gavin. Now, footprints?'

  The young man's face regained its earlier anxiety as he admitted, 'Sorry, sir, I wasn't thinking about that. I just walked in and picked it up, in a bag so as not to contaminate it.'

  'Don't worry, everything else you've done has been exemplary. We can work round that. Right, I'll need to get Forensics over there sharpish to see what they can uncover. So can you make yourself available to show them where you found it?'

  By the time he'd wrapped up all the loose ends, Ted felt he'd made a bit of progress, at least. After taking the time for a quick drink with the team and with Virgil, who popped in to show his face, he was once again late home and facing a chorus of reproach from the cats. He'd picked up a takeaway, too tired to think of cooking, but that would have to wait until they were all seen to and settled down for the evening.

  He hoped Trev would call rather than text. He wouldn't talk about work with him but it would be nice to hear his voice at the end of another long and testing day.

  He realised he'd actually nodded off in front of the news channel when his ringtone jerked him awake.

  'Hey, you,' Trev's warm voice was just the balm he needed. 'How was your day?'

  'Oh, you know, same old policeman stuff. I bet yours was more fun. Tell me.'

  'Mine? You'd hate it! Sunshine, parties, wine. I won't have time to phone tomorrow. There's a massive wrap party and I intend to make the most of it. But I'll see you on Sunday, and I can't wait.'

  'What time are you flying back?'

  Nothing so mundane as a scheduled flight for the fashionistas Trev was with. They were travelling in a chartered jet.

  'I'll let you know as soon as I know. See you soon. Love you.'

  Chapter Seventeen

  'Right, everyone, listen up.'

  It was how Ted often started his morning briefings. This time, the expectant faces looking up at him were all feline. Blue, amber and green eyes studied him in fascination. The reason for their rapt attention was that he was busy opening sachets of gourmet cat food which smelt tasty, even to him, and putting the contents into six clean bowls.

  'I'm going to be out all day today and I might be late home again. So here's some special treats for breakfast, and I'll leave you plenty of crunchies. Look, Roger, trout and sardine. That's your favourite, isn't it?'

  Sapphire eyes looked
in disdain from the dish to Ted, the chocolate-coloured nose and dark-tipped cream whiskers twitching in disgust.

  Ted sighed.

  'No? Well, it was last week. There's plenty for everyone so just sort it out between you. I promise I'll be home early tomorrow because Trev's coming home and I want to get the house looking ship-shape. Then we'll all be all right again. Everything will be back to normal.'

  Ted intended to spend a chunk of his day at his desk once more. But first, he planned on revisiting the scenes of all the current crimes they were investigating, including the historical arson, in case there did turn out to be a link.

  He'd been back to Hallam's Passage countless times since Luke Martin's tragic death there. There was nothing to see. Nothing to mark the spot where a bright and talented young man had lost his life. Often Ted would walk the length of the curving passage, with its high, red brick walls, as if he could somehow absorb something, some tiny grain of a clue, by his mere presence. But there was nothing, and never had been. Officers had done a painstaking fingertip search the entire length of the passage and the surrounding roads, but they had not uncovered a single item to advance the enquiry.

  Ted went first to the park where, at his request, the area where the Batman toy had been found was still taped off. It wouldn't keep the curious out, but at least it made it easier for him to identify the place where PC Jackson had found it.

  The forensic team had been all over the site, on Ted's instructions, taking casts of any footprints, collecting soil samples for analysis to allow for cross-checking between sites. There was no need for Ted to cover up; it no longer mattered if he contaminated the scene. He simply ducked under the tape and made his way into the trees. He couldn't resist a glance round the park first, half expecting to see the same nosy man in a cap. It was still early and still drizzling. Only a few hardy souls were out and about. A couple of dog walkers, some younger teenagers on bikes, a solitary jogger.