Missing (The Cass Lehman Series Book 3)

by Melanie Casey

  ‘I’m never going to eat steak again,’ I said.

  ‘Even if it is homeless people killing each other, I doubt it’s a whole group like Dave suggested. It might be one or two individuals. I’ve never come across killers who work like a pack.’

  ‘But wouldn’t the killer or killers need access to a car to dump the remains? That doesn’t sound like homeless people to me.’

  ‘Council rubbish trucks and commercial skip operators dump at the site too.’

  I lapsed into silence. What did it say about our society if there were people out there who were so desperate, hungry and mentally ill that they were eating each other to survive? I took a sip of my wine, feeling irrationally guilty for being fed, loved and warm in front of my own fire.

  ‘I don’t want to stay in Adelaide,’ I said.

  CHAPTER

  26

  ‘Just phone in, would you?’ I said.

  Ed had looked at the blank screen on his phone at least twenty-five times in the short time since we’d left home.

  ‘No. I’m here to look after you. Work comes second.’

  I smiled. ‘I appreciate what you’re doing but honestly, I’m fine. Why don’t you drop me off to see Gran for an hour, pop into the station and see what’s happening, and then come back to pick me and Mum up?’

  ‘But I promised.’

  ‘You promised you’d be here for me, and you have been. Honestly, I don’t need an escort everywhere I go. You can even head back into work this afternoon if you like. Claire’s coming down with Jasmine today, remember?’

  Claire had been chafing at the bit to come and visit, so I’d roped her into bringing my poor neglected furball with her.

  Ed frowned and chewed the inside of his cheek. I understood his turmoil. He wanted to prove to me that I came first. He was also feeling super guilty about not being around when Jenson made his move. The problem was, he was a cop in the middle of an investigation. He couldn’t just switch off. It was like trying to turn a hound around when it had the scent of a fox.

  ‘I want you to catch whoever’s doing this. I don’t like living in a world where people think it’s OK to eat each other. I don’t care how desperate they are,’ I said.

  ‘You sure?’

  I rolled my eyes. ‘Positive. You can bring me back one of those custard pastry things from Enzo’s.’

  ‘A cannoli?’

  ‘That’s the one.’

  We pulled up in a loading zone in front of the hospital and Ed flipped the police sign in his window.

  ‘Really?’

  ‘One of the perks of the job. You going to be OK walking today?’

  ‘I’ll chance it. It’s a regional hospital. I didn’t have any visions yesterday — I guess they haven’t had anyone die in the main corridors … If I have a vision, just get me out of there quickly.’

  We walked through the automatic double doors into the main lobby and past the information desk. The woman behind the counter barely looked in our direction. I followed Ed down the corridors towards the High Dependency Unit and we repeated the process of ringing the bell and waiting for a response. A tinny voice came through the intercom.

  ‘We’re here to see Gwen Carmichael,’ Ed said.

  ‘Carmichael? I don’t think we have a Carmichael on this ward. Just a minute and I’ll check.’

  My mouth went dry. Where was Gran?

  ‘Don’t worry, I’m sure …’

  The voice interrupted Ed’s words of comfort.

  ‘She’s not in this ward anymore …’

  My heart stopped.

  ‘… We’ve moved her to a general ward. She’s in room 116 in Ward C.’

  I fumbled for Ed’s arm. The bones in my legs had somehow disappeared, leaving me unable to stand. He wrapped his arm around me and led me to a chair in a waiting area nearby.

  ‘Sit down. I’ll get you a coffee.’

  He came back a few minutes later with something dark brown that might have been a distant relative of the coffee family. I took it and sipped, grateful for the warmth, if not the taste.

  ‘Sorry. That nurse gave me a fright.’

  ‘That’s OK. She gave me one too. Let’s go and find your gran.’

  I followed him again, navigating back to one of the main junctions between the corridors. Fresh tendrils of anxiety snuck into my thoughts. I’d been OK so far but we were about to head into a different part of the hospital. Could I really walk casually around a hospital without having a vision? It’d be a first. With every step my nerves got worse and my legs more leaden.

  Thankfully Ward C was well signposted and we found Gran’s room easily. Ed stood back and let me go first. I opened the door with fingers completely drained of blood.

  Mum was sitting next to the bed, fully dressed. Gran was lying back with her eyes closed. The drip and oxygen were still in place but her cheeks had colour now. She looked more like she was sleeping and less like she was dying.

  ‘Cass!’ Mum called. She stood up and came over to hug me, which was tricky, given one of her arms was in a sling.

  ‘Come in, Ed. Don’t stand in the doorway. You’re family too.’

  He stepped further into the room.

  ‘How’s Gran?’ I asked.

  ‘She’s very tired still. She woke up about an hour ago and we spoke for a couple of minutes but it seemed to exhaust her, and now she’s in a deep sleep again. The doctor came in while I was here. He wants to keep her in under observation for a few more days. They can’t find any reason for her condition.’

  ‘What does Gran want?’

  ‘You know what she wants.’

  ‘To come home?’

  Mum nodded.

  ‘We can look after her,’ I said.

  ‘I think so too. The doctor mentioned a program they’ve got called “hospital at home”. Your gran would still be admitted, but she’d be at home and the nurses would come round to check on her.’

  ‘That sounds like a good idea. Let’s do it,’ I said.

  ‘I might leave you both to it for a while if that’s all right?’ Ed said.

  I gave him a quick kiss before pulling up a chair next to Gran’s sleeping form. I took her hand and a smile spread across my face.

  ‘We’ll get you home as quickly as we can, Gran.’

  CHAPTER

  27

  Ed could feel the heightened energy the minute he walked into the station. People bustled and voices were raised. It was like the familiar rhythms were suddenly on speed.

  Phil wasn’t at her desk. Steve wasn’t at his. Ed tracked Sorenson down in her office. She was on the phone. She beckoned him into one of the chairs opposite her.

  ‘Yes. By the end of next week. I’ll call you Monday. Bye. So,’ she said as she hung up, ‘look what the cat dragged in. I thought you were taking a couple of days off?’

  ‘I was, but Cass banished me from the hospital for an hour.’

  ‘Ah.’

  ‘What’s that supposed to mean?’

  ‘It means you’re not very good at stepping out of an investigation.’

  ‘Where is everyone?’ Ed asked.

  ‘Phil, Dave and Steve are in the conference room drafting a plan for me and DCI Arnott.’

  ‘They’ve had some news?’

  ‘The DNA results are in, and the pathologist in Adelaide found some biological material under the nails of one of the vics.’

  Ed sat up straighter in his chair. ‘He was in a struggle?’

  ‘Looks like it.’

  ‘And did they get a DNA match?’

  ‘Yep. You were spot on with your shortlist. The first set of remains belongs to Thomas Simpson; the second to Len Crowley.’

  ‘And the third set with the cooked bits?’

  ‘No results in for those yet.’

  ‘Who had the stuff under the nails?’

  ‘Len Crowley. They’re putting a rush on the analysis to see if they can get a match with anyone on file. You never know, we might get lucky.’
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  ‘They’ll check for a familial match?’

  ‘They will. It’d be nice and simple if it turns out to be the daughter,’ Sorenson said.

  ‘It’s a bit too simple for my liking but the link to the Hutt Street Centre makes it less of a long shot and Dave and I both know that doctors make good killers. I like it a whole lot better than Dave’s other theory about homeless men eating each other. It sounds like both Thomas Simpson and Len Crowley were in the early stages of dementia. Maybe Beth Crowley thought she was doing them a favour by killing them.’

  ‘Angel of mercy? Doesn’t explain the marks on the bones, or why some were cooked.’

  ‘Angel of death more like. If it’s her, she’d have to be all kinds of crazy, but it might be worth looking at her history.’

  ‘I think Steve has looked, but check with him. I doubt she’d be a practising doctor if she had anything too serious on her record,’ Sorenson said.

  ‘I was thinking mental health history. When we interviewed her, she was cold to the point of being inhuman.’

  ‘Maybe she was just exhausted after a long shift when you visited her. We should know more about the DNA under the nails later today. Now tell me, how are Cass and her family doing?’

  ‘Anita’s going home today and Gwen’s out of high dependency.’

  ‘Good. And Cass?’

  ‘She’s doing OK. She’s not talking about the shooting but I think that’s because she’s focused on her mum and gran.’

  ‘She’ll need some counselling.’

  ‘I’ll make sure she gets it.’

  Ed got up to leave.

  ‘Ed?’

  He knew what she wanted. For some reason he was still reluctant to discuss it, even though he had Cass’ blessing. He wanted to come back to Fairfield, but it felt like a step backwards, even if there was a temporary promotion on offer. The question in the front of his mind was whether he could move back and lead a life with Cass that wasn’t plagued with demons from his past. He’d moved to Adelaide because he couldn’t escape the past. Would things be any different now?

  He looked Sorenson in the eye, grateful she’d fallen silent and wasn’t pushing the issue.

  ‘I want to move back to Fairfield. Cass is keen to move back too, after everything that’s happened …’

  ‘Why do I get the feeling there’s a “but” coming?’

  ‘Because there is. I don’t know if I can make a life with Cass here when I know I’ll come across reminders of Susan at every turn.’

  Sorenson didn’t rush to answer, giving Ed the impression that she was carefully weighing her words. ‘I get it, but maybe what you need to do is lay down some new memories together. Sell your place, live somewhere new that you and Cass have chosen. If you think you’re going to be together for the long haul, it’ll be worth it.’

  He nodded.

  ‘So, can I count on you?’

  ‘Of course you can. I’ll tell Crackers next time I see him.’

  ‘Crackers?’ She snorted with laughter. ‘Is that what you call him? I hate to think what you call me when you think I’m not listening.’

  ‘Some things you’re better off not knowing.’

  ‘It’ll be your turn when you’re the boss.’

  He gave her a half-smile. ‘I can’t wait. When do you want me to start?’

  ‘Week after next.’

  ‘Wow, that soon?’

  ‘Yep. That all right?’

  ‘I’m not sure DCI Arnott will be too thrilled.’

  ‘He’ll get over it. He knows the DCI from Sturt too. They were at the academy together. When he finds out why you’re coming back here, he’ll be OK with it.’

  Ed left her office busily listing all the things he’d need to do. Pack up their house, give notice to the landlord, talk to Dave … That wasn’t going to be easy. Over the last few months he’d chipped away at the veneer that Dave used to disguise his true self. It was like finding a rosewood table under layers of paint. Getting to the nice part wasn’t easy, but it was worth it when you finally caught a glimpse.

  He headed for the conference room and knocked as he walked in. Three sets of eyes swung in his direction. Two voices, belonging to Phil and Dave, chorused the same question. ‘What are you doing here?’

  ‘Gee, there’s a welcome.’

  ‘I told you I’d call you and give you an update,’ Dave said. ‘I was going to call as soon as we’d worked out our plan of attack.’

  ‘I know, but Cass sent me packing for an hour so I thought I’d save you the trouble.’

  ‘Don’t tell me you’ve managed to piss her off already?’ Phil said.

  ‘No. We’re good. She just wanted some time alone with her mum and gran. I’ll go pick them up soon.’

  He pulled out the vacant chair next to Steve and sat. ‘So what’s the plan? I heard about the DNA. You got hits on Crowley and Simpson.’

  ‘We’re going to call in more SES volunteers to expand the search on the dump and see if we can find any more remains. Once the DNA from under Crowley’s nails is in we’ll have a better idea of which direction to take the investigation.’

  ‘I rang Janice earlier and asked her to do background checks on all the vics to see if anything links them,’ Dave said. ‘I’m also going back to Mrs Jacobs’ tonight after we’ve finished at the dump to talk to her guests and show them photos of the two identified vics. It’s a long shot, but you never know.’

  ‘Mrs Jacobs? You really think she’ll be helpful?’

  ‘Maybe not if it were you asking the questions! Look, we might not like her parenting style but at the end of the day she offers food and shelter to homeless men every night of the week and has done for years. She’s a good Samaritan and an excellent source of information.’

  ‘What about Beth Crowley?’ Ed said.

  ‘I’m going back to see her too, and Janice is off to visit the Hutt Street Centre today to see if anyone there remembers Dr Crowley,’ Dave said.

  ‘What about Jonathan?’ Ed said.

  ‘Who’s Jonathan?’ Steve asked.

  ‘Mrs Jacobs’ son. He lives at the hostel with her. He’s a man-mountain with a hair-trigger temper,’ Dave said.

  ‘Jesus, and you didn’t think to mention him before?’ Phil said.

  ‘No because the chances of it being him are slim to nil. He’s not the full quid. He’s got the temper but he doesn’t strike me as someone who’d have the smarts to systematically kill people and dispose of the remains,’ Dave said.

  ‘He’s built like a brick shithouse though. Reminds me of Lurch from The Addams Family,’ Ed said.

  Steve cleared his throat. ‘Do you remember that employee you said you interviewed at the dump?’

  ‘Which one, Steve?’ Phil asked.

  ‘The one who described two freaky-looking people he saw dumping stuff,’ Steve said.

  ‘Oh yeah, the Hunchback of Notre Dame and the Elephant Man,’ Ed said. ‘He didn’t exactly seem credible.’

  ‘No, he was definitely exaggerating, but Steve’s got a point. It might be worth showing him photos of Jonathan. If you get me the Jacobs’ vehicle registration I’ll compare it to the list we compiled from the CCTV too,’ Phil said.

  ‘I think we’re clutching at straws,’ Dave said. ‘But we’ll also run Crowley’s daughter’s plates while we’re at it. You never know.’

  ‘When will the DNA from the cooked bones be in?’ Ed asked.

  ‘Any minute, with a bit of luck. Sonya sent the samples for DNA analysis to your boys in Adelaide yesterday and she promised we’d have something by mid-morning,’ Dave said.

  ‘I’ll call her. It’s nearly ten-thirty,’ Phil said.

  She dragged the conference phone across the table and punched in Sonya’s number, which was burnt into her grey cells after way too many cases.

  ‘I told you I’d ring you when I had something,’ Sonya’s exasperated tone came over the speaker without any preliminary niceties.

  ‘I know. We’re just
trying to finalise our plans and the direction we take depends largely on what you have for us.’

  ‘The third set of remains isn’t from either of your first two vics. The Adelaide lab only sent me the DNA profile for vic three about half an hour ago and I put it into the computer straight away but it can take a while to search for matches. Sit tight and I’ll go see if it’s thrown up anything.’

  Ed looked at the others. They were all staring at the phone with fierce concentration. Sonya’s voice came back a few seconds later. ‘Nothing in the South Australian database. It’s searching the national database now.’

  ‘And the material under the first vic’s nails?’

  ‘Definitely human skin cells. I’ve got the DNA profile and I’ll run it as soon as the computer’s finished with victim three. Shouldn’t take more than half an hour. I’ll call you the second I know anything, all right?’

  ‘Sure, thanks Son.’ Phil hung up.

  ‘So what now?’ Ed asked.

  ‘Steve and I are heading back to the dump to help with the search. With all the volunteers helping, the grid has expanded to cover almost half the dumpsite. I need to get up there to liaise with the SES coordinator and make sure they know what they’re looking for.’

  ‘Is Maria still on site with Bruno?’

  ‘Yeah, remind me to thank you for that special treat.’ Phil glared at him.

  ‘Maria’s all right. She’s a bit abrupt, but she knows her stuff,’ Ed said.

  ‘It’s not Maria I’m talking about, it’s the fucking dog. Do you know how many drink, food and pee breaks that animal gets? Next thing you know he’ll be calling in the canine union reps because we’ve breached the terms of his contract.’

  Ed bit back a smile. Phil wasn’t much of a dog person.

  ‘Steve can show some mugshots to the employees while we’re there. We’ll mix Jonathan Jacobs and Beth Crowley in with some others and see if anyone picks them out. Dave, you’re heading back to Adelaide?’ Phil said.

  ‘Yeah. I’ll come to the dump first, though. No point in me heading back just yet. I’ll wait till tomorrow morning to go back to see Dr Crowley. Janice should have done her checks by then and I want to wait until this evening to go see Mrs Jacobs. That way I can talk to her and interview her guests at the same time … show them pictures of Crowley and Simpson.’