Cavendish & Walker Box Set

by Sally Rigby

  ‘It’s fine. I’m happy to talk about it. I got pregnant at seventeen. The father isn’t on the scene.’ Whitney waved her hand dismissively.

  ‘It must have been hard, joining the force with such a young child.’

  ‘My mum and dad helped me. Dad died ten years ago.’ Whitney’s voice faded.

  ‘Sorry, it can’t have been easy.’

  ‘It wasn’t. Especially for Mum because she was left with very little money and my older brother to look after. He’s got learning difficulties after being attacked as a kid. The police were next to useless when it came to solving the case. That’s why I became a police officer. I wanted to make a difference. Make sure what happened to us didn’t happen to any other family.’

  She’d never been able to spill everything like Whitney had just done. She kept most stuff to herself. She envied her the ability to do that. It had to be better than locking everything up inside.

  ‘I get your reasoning behind going into the police. The motivation must have been extremely strong.’

  ‘It was. I sometimes wonder whether it was the right thing to do. When you get the likes of Jamieson coming in on the fast track path. Having no real knowledge of policing and then wanting to tell you what to do.’

  The more she got to know Whitney, understand her motivations, the more she found herself warming to her. It hadn’t been easy for her. She also understood why Whitney had been resistant to her coming in. Whitney probably saw her as another academic trying to muscle in on her territory.

  ‘I’m sure it was the right thing for you. To get to your level is a fantastic achievement.’ Did she sound condescending? She hoped not.

  ‘What about you?’ Whitney asked. ‘Have you always wanted to be a forensic psychologist?’

  ‘I fell into it accidentally. I originally wanted to go into medicine.’

  ‘Why medicine?’

  ‘My father’s a surgeon. I wanted to follow in his footsteps.’

  ‘What stopped you?’

  ‘Blood.’ She took a large swallow of beer. ‘Or, more precisely, it turned out vast quantities induce a strong reaction in me.’

  ‘What sort of reaction?’

  Am I really going to share this?

  ‘Non-discriminatory projectile vomiting.’

  George leaned forward and placed her hands over her cheeks as the memories came flooding back. It was funny and embarrassing all at the same time. And not something she’d ever thought to share.

  ‘Non-discriminatory? What do you mean?’ Whitney asked.

  ‘I wasn’t fussy who I vomited over. Fellow med student or consultant, it didn’t matter,’ she replied, laughing.

  She could laugh about it now. But it took a while for her to get to that place.

  ‘You vomited over your boss? That’s hilarious. Did you get kicked out of med school?’

  ‘I left.’

  ‘But I don’t get it. How can you now go into the morgue and see dissected bodies and organs covered in blood?’

  ‘I went to a good hypnotherapist. I’m not great with blood, but I can handle it.’

  ‘Was your father disappointed when you dropped out?’ Whitney asked.

  More like embarrassed. He’d rolled his eyes and said he was annoyed she’d made him look so bad in front of his colleagues. He then patronizingly told her he’d never believed she’d cut it. He suggested she should forget about forging a career for herself, should find a man, and get married. Her mother was away at the time, so didn’t stick up for her. Not that she would have. She was all for fighting your own battles.

  ‘He wasn’t surprised. He never thought I was smart enough.’

  She didn’t want Whitney to feel sorry for her. She’d got over it a long time ago.

  ‘But not being smart wasn’t the problem,’ Whitney said.

  ‘That didn’t matter to him. Anyway, let’s not talk about it anymore. I’d rather have another drink.’ She finished off her pint.

  ‘You’re driving, remember,’ Whitney reminded her.

  ‘True. I’ll have a half and order some food,’ she said.

  ‘Good idea.’ Whitney picked up the menu from the centre of the table. ‘I’ll have a burger and chips.’ She handed her the menu.

  She scanned it. ‘Same for me.’

  Whitney went to the bar to order the drinks and food, and George leaned back in her chair. The pub was full and she could just see into the dining room. There was a couple close to the open fire who stood up from their table and walked to the back door. They got close to her, and she did a double take.

  What the hell?

  Going out of the door was Stephen, with his arm resting protectively around a petite woman, who was gazing up at him with an adoring smile on her face.

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Whitney strolled into the station, her steps lighter than they’d been in a long time. For the first time in months, she’d had eight hours undisturbed sleep. And she felt great. Last night had helped. She had to admit she hadn’t enjoyed herself so much in ages. George was actually good company once she let down her frosty barriers. And as for her drinking beer. That was a surprise. Though George had been quieter over their meal than she had beforehand. But Whitney had enough to say for both of them, so it didn’t put a damper on things.

  She headed for her office and then the incident room. When she walked in, everyone stood and applauded.

  ‘Stop it,’ she said, trying unsuccessfully to suppress a smile. ‘We’re not there yet. There’s still a lot to do. Matt, contact the digital forensic unit and see if there’s anything on his work computer.’

  ‘Yes, guv,’ Matt said.

  ‘Ellie. Visit Annabelle at Diamond Escorts. We want dates and times when Vaughan used their services, and names and contact details of all escorts he’s been with.’

  ‘Yes, guv.’

  ‘I’m doing the press conference with the DSI and later will begin questioning Vaughan again. For the moment, I’m happy to leave him sweating in the cell.’

  She went back to her office and gathered her bag and the Vaughan file and headed for Jamieson’s office. When she got there, she could hear him on the phone, so she waited outside. ‘Yes, ma’am. We’re speaking to the media shortly.’ He paused. ‘I’ll make sure of it.’ He replaced the phone on his desk.

  ‘Come in, Walker,’ Jamieson said after she knocked.

  ‘Sir.’

  ‘Where are we?’

  ‘We’re working the evidence and pulling everything together. Dr Dexter’s report has come in for Poppy Brooks confirming same MO. The victim’s last meal was sushi. I’ll be grilling Vaughan hard later. He’ll break. No question. There’s so much stacking up against him.’

  It was funny, even Jamieson didn’t seem so bad to her at the moment. She hadn’t changed her mind about his ability. But she could live with it. She’d have to. Maybe she’d make more of an effort to be involved in departmental strategy. As DCI her remit was to take a more strategic role, but she tended to spend most of her time hands on with the cases. It didn’t help Jamieson hardly ever valued her input on anything outside of operational matters.

  ‘I like to give praise where it’s due. Well done, Walker. Have you spoken to the Crown Prosecution Service, yet?’

  ‘I’ve run it by them, but they’d prefer either a confession or more evidence. Understandably. I’m confident we’ll have what they need soon.’

  ‘Excellent. Right, the media. They’ll be here in ten minutes. Are you ready? I’ll leave it for you to tell them. I’ll be sitting by your side.’

  ‘You want me to lead?’ she asked, unable to hide her surprise.

  This would be his time to shine. She’d have put money on him wanting to take the lead.

  ‘Yes. You’ve made the arrest. You can take the credit.’

  The day was getting better and better.

  ‘Happy to, sir.’

  They walked together to the conference room, and Jamieson chatted all the way. She learnt abo
ut the golf competition he was entering at the weekend. About how his wife complained constantly because he was either at work or on the golf course. He also mentioned the Christmas party he was planning to give at his house, which he hoped she’d be able to attend.

  It was like she’d entered a parallel universe. But she loved it. Whether she’d go to his party remained to be seen. He asked her about her family life, and she did tell him about Tiffany studying engineering at university. Why wouldn’t she? She was so proud.

  Jamieson made the appropriate noises and commented how clever Tiffany must be, as engineering was one of the hardest degrees to take.

  By the time they reached the press conference, it was like they were best buddies.

  They walked into a packed room. As usual, reporters sat in the front rows and cameras were at the back. She wished she’d had time to do something better with her hair, rather than the usual scraped off her face into a hair tie.

  Michelle was already there. ‘Thank you all for coming,’ she said to the reporters once Whitney and Jamieson were seated. ‘I’ll pass you over to DSI Jamieson.’

  Jamieson nodded. ‘And I’ll pass you on DCI Walker.’ He nodded for her to begin.

  ‘We’re pleased to report we have a male in custody for the murders of Millie Carter, Olivia Griffin, and Poppy Brooks.’

  ‘Who is he?’ one of the reporters called out.

  Whitney stared at him. ‘You know I can’t tell you.’

  ‘Does he work at the university?’ another reporter called out.

  The question took Whitney by surprise. How the fuck did they know? Surely not the leak again. As soon as this case was sorted, that would be her next priority. She glanced across at Jamieson, who gave a tiny shake of his head.

  ‘I’m not in the position to say where the accused works,’ Whitney replied.

  ‘But you’re not denying it,’ the reporter persisted.

  ‘I’m neither confirming nor denying. All I will say is at this point in time we’re not looking for anyone else in connection with the case.’

  ‘Are you withdrawing your warning to female students in Lenchester to not go out alone?’ the reporter continued.

  ‘As I’ve already said. We have someone in custody and we’re not looking for anyone else at this time. I believe Lenchester is now a lot safer, but I still recommend women go out in pairs at night.’

  She didn’t want to come across as sexist, but she wouldn’t want Tiffany out on her own at night. Daytime was fine.

  ‘You believe Lenchester is an unsafe place for women at night, chief inspector?’ a female reporter asked.

  She’d had a feeling her words were going to open up this debate.

  ‘No area is one hundred per cent safe all the time. Before the student murders, I would always recommend women didn’t go out alone in unlit, remote areas of town. The same for men, too. I’m not here to discuss that. The aim of today’s press conference is to report on the student murders. Are there any more questions?’

  There were none, so Whitney and Jamieson left the room.

  ‘I thought you were over the top in there, Walker,’ Jamieson said as soon as they were away from the room.

  ‘Why, sir?’

  ‘We want to instil confidence into the general public. Now, you’ve made it appear we live in a violent city, and no one is safe if they’re out on their own. Not quite the image we want to put across.’

  Why was he twisting her words? He knew exactly what she’d meant. And she stood by it.

  ‘I was stating my opinion. Would you be happy if your daughter walked the streets alone in the middle of the night?’

  ‘No. Of course not.’

  ‘That’s all I meant. We want our children to be safe. I also mentioned men. My comments weren’t just restricted to women.’

  ‘Yes. And that’s worse. Are we now saying our streets are unsafe for everybody at night?’

  Maybe she had gone too far, but she didn’t regret it. It could be because her job made her jaundiced, but she’d seen far too many attacks to change her mind on this.

  ‘I’m sorry if you view it like that, sir. I believe everyone should be careful, that’s all. What’s more important is we’ve now got someone for the murders, and the public will be reassured we’ve done a good job.’

  Jamieson stared at her for a few seconds. ‘It depends on how it’s reported. When are you interviewing the suspect again?’

  ‘I’m going back to the incident room now to see what the team have got. I’ll speak to the suspect again in an hour or so.’

  ‘Good. Keep me informed of progress.’ He turned and headed down the corridor, leaving Whitney staring at him, wondering whether she’d imagined his civility from before the conference. Who cared? She had a job to do and didn’t care whether he invited her to his stupid party or not.

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  I nearly pissed myself laughing when I heard on the radio the police have caught the “Campus Killer”, and they’ve stopped looking for anyone else. Luckily, I was on my own, because even with my awesome acting skills, which I’ve successfully put to use over the years, I doubt I’d have been able to contain myself.

  I mean, really, people pay their taxes to fund this ineffective police force of ours. Or maybe it’s because I’m so clever at what I do.

  Whatever. I have news for DCI Walker and her pathetic little team, who think they have the killer in custody.

  No.

  You.

  Don’t.

  Watching that self-satisfied bitch Walker speak at the press conference gave me the urge to punch her in the face. She sat there acting all smug, like she’d won the lottery or something, when really all she’d won was the booby prize. And as for when she went on about women still having to be careful—actually, that was probably the only accurate statement she made.

  Not that I’m planning another kill.

  Or am I?

  That’s for me to know and the rest of you to wait for.

  This is such fun. It’s like the icing on the cake. The cake being the life and death control I have over people of my choosing.

  I’m curious about the guy they’ve arrested for my crimes. What evidence do they have? Because there isn’t any. I’m one hundred per cent certain. I made sure of it. It was the whole point in the thoroughness of my planning. To make sure absolutely nothing could be tied back to me. I’d stake my life on it.

  I wonder if he actually confessed to the murders. It can happen. Some deranged people feel the need to confess to crimes they haven’t committed, just for the notoriety. But even Walker isn’t stupid enough to take a confession at face value. She would have investigated it and come up with something to prove her case against this guy.

  Idiot.

  Of course, if the murders now stopped, I’d get away with them. It’s certainly worth considering. At the moment, no way will they ever be able to pin anything on me. The police will think they’ve got their murderer, and he’ll go away for years. Case closed. Leaving me free to do what I want with the rest of my life. Whatever that is. I haven’t thought that far ahead.

  Stopping now is the logical thing to do. The safest option. But since when have I ever done safe? And, more to the point, I don’t want to stop. I haven’t had so much fun since the day I set fire to the Wendy house in the garden, killing next door’s cat.

  No one ever suspected me. It was blamed on a boy who lived close by. I ran rings around my family in the same way I’m now running rings around the police. The way I do to everyone. I don’t let my 170 IQ go to waste.

  One thing I’ve been contemplating is, if I do stop, then what am I going to do for an outlet? There’s something extremely therapeutic about murdering someone. Therapeutic. Invigorating. Liberating.

  And what will happen to me? I’d have to go back to being boring and normal.

  Joke.

  I’ve never been boring and normal. I’m way too exciting to be around for anyone to think that of me. I’
ve spent my whole life fooling people into believing I’m the nicest and most fun person they’ll ever meet. I always offer to help anyone in trouble. I lend money if they need it. I go out drinking and have a good time with them. I’m the perfect companion.

  What they don’t know is behind the normality lurks a monster. A monster who thrives on destruction.

  That’s right. Decision made.

  For now, I’ll continue. The next girl is lined up. Preparations already done, to ensure if I decide to proceed, I can. I don’t need to remind you being methodical and well prepared is my modus operandi.

  And because of that, it’s going to happen soon.

  Very soon.

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Whitney came in early to work, to prepare for another interview with Kevin Vaughan. She’d been disappointed he hadn’t yet cracked, and she’d had a good go at him yesterday. She was waiting to hear back from forensics to see if anything connected Vaughan to the victims. His flat had come up clean, but that didn’t mean he was innocent. He probably had somewhere else he used to restrain and rape them.

  She knew it was only a matter of time until they’d got something incriminating.

  ‘Morning, guv,’ Matt said as he walked into the incident room. ‘Are we interviewing Vaughan again today?’

  ‘Yes, but this time I’ll take Ellie. I want you to look deeper into Vaughan’s background. His flat’s clean, so he must have taken the victims somewhere else. Check out other places he might have access to. Find out more about his family. Where they live. What properties they own. Investigate everything.’

  She’d find something to nail him, if it was the last thing she did. She knew in her gut he was the one who’d done it. And her gut was seldom wrong. Well, apart from that lousy snitch of hers, who she still hadn’t found. Though, to be fair, looking for him was now so far down on her list of priorities, it wasn’t surprising he was still at large. Fortunately, the Chief Constable had let the matter rest while they’d been following through on the murders. Once it was over, he’d no doubt be back wanting answers.