‘That was close,’ Ruby said, plopping down in her chair. ‘Best not to say anything until we’ve worked out what to do with it.’
Downes exhaled loudly, and Ruby could see that the burden of information already lay heavy on his shoulders. He had known Ash a lot longer than her, and seemed shocked by what he knew.
‘He could lose his job over this – his pension, everything.’
‘You don’t need to tell me about dodgy acquaintances,’ Ruby said. ‘I do my best to keep out of trouble but sometimes water and oil mix.’
‘Hmm,’ Downes said, ‘they do.’
‘You don’t think Ash knows anything about the murders, do you?’ Ruby said, finally spitting out the words bouncing around in her brain.
‘No, that’s not him.’
Ruby folded her arms as she spun around in her chair to face him. ‘That’s exactly what I’ve been saying about Nathan. Funny, isn’t it? How you can change your perspective when it comes to someone you know.’ But their camaraderie was short-lived as both Ruby’s desk phone and Downes’s mobile rang in tandem. She grabbed the handset, keeping one eye on Downes. Her heart sank as she received the information from control. There was another murder – and it was the last person she expected.
Chapter Forty-Nine
‘I know this place, I brought the missus here once,’ DC Ash Baker said, manoeuvring the unmarked police car through the streets of London. ‘The manager looks like Boycie out of Only Fools and Horses.’
Ruby mumbled a reply, wishing it was Downes at her side instead of Ash. A major incident had come in: a double stabbing at the council offices, which warranted his attendance. But it had nothing to do with Ruby’s investigation, and he had instructed Ash to attend with her instead. It made sense. Given the killer’s theatrics, he appeared to be enjoying the attention, and two sets of eyes on the scene were better than one in case he returned to watch.
‘This isn’t right,’ Ruby said, as Ash killed the engine of the car. ‘Sharon was meant to be next on the list, Sharon Connors then Mandy Prentice. Who’s this Nikki? And why don’t we know about her?’
Nikki Ellis was the name given by the witness, who stated they knew the victim from school. At the mention of being found in fancy dress, the call taker had placed a tag on the incident and alerted her. Ruby turned to Ash as he wrapped his fingers around the door handle. She was better off asking him this now, in the privacy of the car.
‘Did you know a Nikki? Was she a working girl?’
The cheerful expression Ash had been wearing slowly slid away. Ruby knew that the incessant chatter and jokey banter was a cover-up for the turmoil inside. ‘No, I didn’t know of any Nikki.’ He released the door handle, looking her earnestly in the face. ‘The DI knows, doesn’t he? I could tell by the look on his face.’
Ruby nodded. ‘We’ve got a witness statement which provides a list of Ellie and April’s regulars when they worked for the Crosbys’ escort agency. Your name is one of them. Your phone number matches the one on the personnel system.’
Ash’s mouth dropped open as all colour left his face. ‘Does Worrow. . .?’ A thin sheen of sweat coated his forehead, and he swallowed hard. ‘Does she know?’
‘Take a deep breath, mate, we’ll get this sorted,’ Ruby said. But when Ash didn’t respond, she leaned forward, touching him on the arm. ‘You don’t look too good. Do you want me to call a doctor?’
Loosening his tie, Ash looked like a heart-attack candidate as he tried to catch his breath. ‘No, I’m OK,’ he said. ‘It was just a shock. I thought I’d have a bit more time. . .’
Time for what? Ruby wondered. Surely he knew this would come out in the investigation? ‘It’s on the system as restricted. The only people who know are me and Downes; DCI Worrow will too, at some point. I’m sorry. The DI said he’d back you, but he’s pissed off because you didn’t confide in him first.’
‘I was embarrassed,’ Ash said. ‘And I thought it would be sorted by now.’
‘What do you mean, “sorted”?’ Ruby said, her attention drawn to her airwave radio as control demanded an update. Using her call sign, she updated their presence on the scene. She needed to bottom this out with Ash, but he was already slamming the door behind him as he got out of the car. Ruby shook her head. She had a bad feeling about this, and her sense of foreboding was growing by the minute.
The Robin Hood was a gastro pub, which served traditional British food. Popular with the recent influx of Shoreditch hipsters, it was located on Paul Street, just off the main drag. The split-level setting was arranged so that the downstairs area accommodated drinkers, while a climb up a spiral staircase brought them to the restaurant. Such information was conveyed to Ruby by Ash in the car park at the rear of the building. He was back in chatty mode, apparently willing to talk about anything as long as it was not about him.
‘I’ve always meant to try this place,’ Ruby said, as Ash paused for breath. ‘Doubt I will be now, though. There’s nothing more off-putting than going to a crime scene on a night out.’
As she ducked beneath the police tape she was approached by a grumpy-looking man from the pavement, tall, thin and sporting a moustache, just like the character Ash had described.
He glared down his nose at them, the ends of his dark eyebrows raised in two sharp points. ‘They told me you’re the person in charge. When am I going to be allowed back into my business?’ He emphasised my, as if the police were an inconvenience, daring to waste his precious time.
Ruby gave him a stern stare, chalking up another reason why she would not be dining in his establishment. ‘It’s a murder investigation, you’ll be notified in due course.’
Turning on her heel, she accepted the overshoes and suit as doled out by the bored-looking officer on the scene. While the front of the building belied a tasteful modern design, the same could not be said for the rear. Disused freezers lay in the back yard, which was cluttered with torn-up boxes, overstuffed bins, and a smoking area littered with overflowing ashtrays. The private quarters of the Robin Hood were hidden away from the public, and left a lot to be desired. She picked her way through until she reached the back door, which led to the kitchen.
‘No DI Downes today?’ Katie, the crime scene officer, said as Ruby stepped in.
‘’Fraid not,’ Ruby said. ‘He’s been called away.’ She consoled herself that at least she would not have to listen to Katie dropping hints about what pubs she frequented in the hope of being asked out for a drink. With a twenty-year age gap between them, Ruby wondered why a girl as pretty as the fair-haired Katie didn’t date men nearer her own age.
Katie’s voice trailed behind her as she directed Ruby and Ash to the walk-in freezer at the back. ‘We’ve not started yet,’ she said. ‘Uniform attended in the first instance. The caller thought it was someone who’d broken into the pub and got themselves locked in. Point of entry was through a downstairs window, using a crowbar to force it open. There was no alarm.’
The pub had not invested in double-glazed windows, and the old wooden frames would have held little resistance. Ruby paused at the open fridge door, chilled by the drop in temperature. But just like Jack Downes, Ash was impatient, pushing past her to inspect the body in situ.
‘He’s around the corner, behind those shelves. He was only a young lad,’ Katie said. ‘Such a shame.’
‘He?’ Ruby asked. ‘I thought it was a girl. . .? Nikki.’
‘Nicky, as in Nick,’ Katie corrected.
The controller must have got it wrong. Ruby touched the freezer door with a gloved hand, inspecting the other side. The scratch marks ran deep; his desperate attempts to escape engraved in blood. Slowly, she inspected the scene, tracing the footsteps of the person who discovered him in the frosted floor. It was unusual for crime scene investigators to turn up first, but senior officers were thin on the ground. Ruby turned a corner to see Ash standing over the figure of a young man huddled on the cold tiles. She paused to take a breath, gather her strength. Downes’s w
ords still rang in her ears, but no matter how hard she tried, she struggled to view this scene dispassionately. The best she could do was to allow her police training to kick in, and wait for the nightmares to come later. It was grim viewing to see a man so young die in such horrific circumstances. She’d had her fill of such scenes, and the sinking feeling never went away. The finger of blame made itself known, feeling as real as if it had physically poked her in the chest. She was meant to be a defender from the evil that roamed her streets, but lately, no matter what she did, it never seemed good enough.
She knelt beside the body, her eyes roaming over him in search of clues. The green tights and feathered cap would have given him little protection from the sub-zero temperatures that claimed his life. Like a waxwork dummy, his face was absent of colour and buried in between his knees. His arms wrapped tightly around his legs, clinging to his own body for a comfort that would not come. A scene played out before her: the young man begging, pleading, scratching at the door for release when, finally, exposure had taken a hold, along with the realisation he was going to die in this place all alone. Had he been unconscious when he came here? Someone had dressed him, surely. The tunic he was wearing seemed cheap compared to the other outfits, and the delivery hurried. A rush of anger rose up inside her as she caught sight of his bloodstained fingers and torn nails. Ruby knew from the previous post-mortems that Ellie and April had been drugged. Had the killer left Nick here? Drugging him just enough to ensure he awoke after he had gone? She shivered as the cold bit through the thin layer of her blazer.
‘What do you think he was doing with those?’ Ruby said, rising as she peered at a split bag of chips on the floor.
‘Trying to keep warm maybe?’ Ash shrugged, checking his phone.
‘With frozen spuds? They wouldn’t provide much comfort.’ She sighed, her breath casting a frosted cloud. ‘But I get why he’s here. He’s Peter Pan, the boy who never grew up.’
‘Frozen in time, I get it,’ Ash said, the words bringing a chilling reminder of a previous case.
Ruby shuddered. ‘C’mon, let’s leave them to it. The sooner we’re through, the sooner they can get that poor kid out of here.’ She knew it sounded silly talking as if he was still alive, but she had always held a quiet respect for the deceased.
As they walked to the car, Ruby updated DI Downes, relaying her belief that Nick’s death was connected with the case. But the update worked both ways, and she was shocked to discover what her team had unearthed so far. As she ended her call, she kicked the car tyre, expelling her frustration. Nicky Ellis, their Peter Pan victim, had been identified as a rent boy who worked the local area. Just like the others, he was an ex-employee of the Crosby escort service. It was information that had come too late. Muttering as she paced, Ruby gave the tyre another kick, attracting glances from passers-by.
‘Are you alright, Sarge?’ It was Ash’s turn to ask her.
‘No, I’m not alright,’ she said, unable to suppress the anger consuming her. ‘I should have asked Frances Crosby if they had any men on their books, but I didn’t.’
‘You weren’t to know. We can only go on the information we’re given, isn’t that what you always tell me?’
But the words were of little comfort to Ruby, who could feel a lump rising in her throat. ‘It’s not just that, we’ve got his address. The kid lived in the same tower block as me. I probably passed him on the stairs.’ She inhaled a shuddering breath as she fought back the tears that threatened to engulf her.
Ash fell into silence, his inability to handle her emotions a testament to his inadequacy when dealing with the fairer sex. Wrenching open the door of the car, he got in without saying another word. Ruby took the passenger seat, imagining Ash ignoring his wife when she was emotional and upset. People reacted to stress in different ways. Failing to acknowledge it seemed to be Ash’s. But she couldn’t worry about him now, she had more important thoughts on her mind. The killer’s efforts were becoming harried. He was flying through the motions, hurtling towards the endgame with speed.
‘He’s nearing the end,’ Ruby said. ‘It’s why he’s rushing. He knows we’re onto him.’
‘My thoughts exactly,’ Ash said, his gaze firmly on the road ahead. ‘It’s why I’d like to take a detour. There’s an address I need to check out. You game?’
Ruby glanced at Ash. His fists were curled over the steering wheel; his face filled with determination. The feeling of unease returned, and her sixth sense told her there was more going on here than he had been willing to let on. Whatever it was, now seemed the time to face it.
‘Lead the way,’ she said, buckling her seat belt into place.
Chapter Fifty
‘Shazza, babe, are you going out or what?’ Billy Hodges craned his neck from the programme he was watching on TV. He had been sitting there for six hours straight, rising only to use the toilet and boil the kettle to make a Pot Noodle. His hand nestled on his groin underneath the tracksuit bottoms given to him during his last stay in custody.
‘You knob,’ Sharon said, checking her hair for split ends. ‘How can you ask me that when my mates are dead?’
‘What? You wasn’t that friendly with them.’
Sharon’s hair fell from her fingers, and she stretched from her chair to kick his outstretched feet. ‘That’s hardly the point. You heard that copper, I’m next.’
‘Please, babe, I’m climbing the walls here.’ A burst of laughter emanated from the television in the corner, maniacal in its deliverance.
Sharon sank back into the chair. ‘Well, why don’t you get off your lazy arse and earn some money instead of sponging off me all the time?’
‘It’s not that easy for me. Who’s going to give me a job? Please, babe. Just one more job – to take the edge off.’
His voice had taken on a whiny tone, like fingernails scraping on a blackboard. Raising her knees up to her chest, Sharon hugged them in an attempt to get warm. But the chill was not coming from her flat. It was from within: a warning of what was to come. She licked her lips, now dry and cracked from standing on street corners in the bitter chill. She glared at her boyfriend – a constant source of annoyance.
‘You said you’d sort something out today – ask that Danny Harris for work. But all you’ve done is sit on your arse. I told you what that copper said to me. You’re the one that should be locked up, trying to send me out there when I’m next on the list.’
‘Yeah, well, she was taking a liberty, bringing you back to her flat. You should have reported her for that.’
‘God! I wish I didn’t tell you now,’ Sharon pulled her baggy sweatshirt sleeves between finger and thumb. ‘She was only trying to help. I saw their faces. . . those girls he killed. They looked like. . .’
Billy clicked his fingers. ‘I know, why don’t you hit that copper up for some more money? Tell her you’ll report her for harassment if she doesn’t pay up?’
Sharon pulled the cushion from behind her back and launched it in her boyfriend’s direction. ‘I’m not scrounging from the only person that’s ever given a damn. Besides, she ain’t got none. You should see the state of her place, it’s worse than ours.’ Looking around the bare flat, Sharon knew it wasn’t far off the truth. She tried to keep it clean with the little money they had – it wasn’t as if there was much to polish. Billy had sold off anything of value, even the Wade Betty Boop ornaments her mother gave her before she died.
Billy writhed in his chair, wrapping his arms around his stomach to ward off the pain. ‘Please, babe, I’m dying here. Just one more go.’ He glanced over, watching Sharon gnaw on what was left of her fingernails. ‘You’re clucking yourself. We’ll sort ourselves out tonight and go to the clinic in the morning, I swear down.’
Sharon stared at the television as another burst of laughter ensued. There was something morose about their happiness. But Billy was right: she felt like she was festering inside. It was nothing compared to how she would feel later on if she didn’t get another fix
. ‘Maybe you’re right, just a bit of brown to take the edge off so we can get some sleep.’
Billy leant forward, his face hopeful. ‘Yeah. I’m not asking you to go off with some psycho, just one of your regulars.’
Sharon rolled her eyes. ‘If I still had regulars, I wouldn’t be walking the streets, now, would I?’
But Billy wasn’t willing to give up yet. ‘C’mon, you must know of someone. Offer him a discount, or give him a bit extra. A gorgeous girl like you – they won’t be able to say no.’
As Sharon smoothed her limp hair, she knew her days of being gorgeous were behind her. She sighed. A restful night was what was needed, and tomorrow they could start with a fresh slate. ‘There might be someone,’ she said, bringing up the contacts list on her phone. ‘But this is the last time.’ Tomorrow she would go to the clinic and get help, with or without her boyfriend.
Chapter Fifty-One
‘The Queen Elizabeth?’ Ruby said, staring up at the looming derelict building. Like many properties in Hackney, it had been earmarked for redevelopment and was currently stalled at the planning application stage. Surrounded by panels of high wire fencing, it was clearly marked with ‘no trespassing’ signs. The hospital was one of the first properties Ruby had recommended for a visit by uniformed patrol. ‘This area’s already been checked,’ she said. She’d read the report herself. Having tracked down the caretaker, uniformed officers had gained entry, declaring the building devoid of life.
‘I’d like to have another look around,’ DC Ash Baker said, pulling up the handbrake as the car came to a halt on Hackney Road ‘It won’t take me a minute. If you want to wait in the car. . .’
The words had barely left his lips before Ruby interrupted him. ‘Ash, I know you, and most of the time it’s an effort to get you to get out of your chair to briefing, so I’m not buying that you’ve suddenly decided to walk around a derelict building on your own.’
Sleep Tight Page 20