by Malcolm Rose
“What about your clothes, sir? They’re covered in blood.”
“Burn every last fibre of them. Better still, I wouldn’t get blood on them in the first place.”
Getting bolder, Tina asked, “So, what is the perfect weapon?”
Instructor Garrett laughed. “You had a good idea in your last essay, as I recall. But I’m not here to tell you how to commit the perfect murder, Tina. This is a careers session and I’m giving you a flavour of criminology if you chose to follow it. In one part of the course, I’ll show you how an FI deals with a case when there’s no evidence of the weapon. It’s one of the most difficult jobs an investigator takes on.”
Earl’s hand went up. “Can an investigator change the law?”
Mr Garrett sighed. “You’d know this if you stopped talking and paid attention, Dimmock. No. Definitely not. It’s an FI’s job to maintain the law, not to interfere with it. If you want to change the way things are, you need to opt for a different career. Try politics.”
Tina knew that Earl was undecided. He’d told her that he was torn between politics and music. His brain urged him to follow the path of politics but his heart was into classical music. Opera was his favourite.
Chapter Five
Emily Wonder leaned on the metal frame beside her bed and got to her feet painfully slowly. A nurse stood by in case she needed help but he didn’t offer his arm because, as always, the old lady was determined to be independent.
“That’s good. Well done,” Alfie said, as if talking to a toddler learning the art of walking. “I’ve got the sauna all ready. Just how you like it.”
Emily shuffled across the room, took a rest, and then tottered a little way down the corridor to the sauna room. The nurse was behind her every step of the way, acting as a safety net in case of a fall.
In the centre of the wood-lined room, there was a fire topped with red-hot coals, like a barbeque inside a cabin. Before Emily made herself comfortable in the seat, Alfie helped her out of her nightclothes, leaving her wrapped in a towelling robe. Then Emily collapsed into the chair with a weary groan.
“You like this, don’t you?” Alfie said, holding a vial of Emily’s favourite oil.
She nodded gingerly. “Helps with the pain. Gets the joints moving in the morning.”
“I’ll put it on, then leave you to it.” When he placed the small bottle of oil on the coals, the plastic coating melted and there was an angry hiss followed by the smell of sweet herbs. Clouds of white fumes rose up to the ceiling and spread out to fill the room.
From the doorway, the nurse said, “Enjoy.”
Emily didn’t try to twist her neck towards him because it was too tender, but she found the energy to nod her tired head again. As soon as Alfie shut the door, she closed her eyes, sighed, and then took deep breaths of the powerfully scented air.
****
The old lady called Emily Wonder was slumped in the only chair in the sauna. If it hadn’t been for her utter stillness, she could have been merely napping. She had probably nodded off and died in her sleep because she had made no attempt to get up, pull the emergency cord, fight for her life, or make for the door.
Luke had asked Malc to search databases continuously for deaths or accidents involving women called Emily Wonder. Earlier in the day, Malc had come across the fatality in York Nursing Home and at once transmitted a request to The Authorities that FI Luke Harding should investigate. He had also made sure that all of the notes on EW1 were handed over to Luke.
“Well,” Luke said, “this answers one thing I’ve been thinking about. The first two Emily Wonders were quite like the opera singer. I reckon someone could have mistaken them for her. But nobody’s going to mistake this one for her.”
“According to records, she was seventy-eight years old.”
“She wasn’t attacked, stabbed or shot. But I bet it’s not natural causes.”
Malc replied, “A doctor certified the death exactly three hours ago. He suspected heart or respiratory failure but has not carried out any tests. He was going to attribute her death to old age until my intervention.”
“Mmm. Let’s face it, it wouldn’t look suspicious to someone who hadn’t heard about the other two cases.” He wiped his brow as he strolled around the clammy room. “Do you know what I think?”
“No.”
“I think she was poisoned.”
“Insufficient evidence. Her skin does not show any punctures.”
“She could have drunk it or eaten it.” Luke stopped by the glowing embers. He looked at the hot coals and then smiled. “Or breathed it in. Someone could have put something on the fire that burnt to a poisonous vapour.”
Malc replied, “If combustion of organic material was involved, it will have decomposed.”
Luke sighed. “Analyse the air. Perhaps there’s a trace of the gas lingering around.”
Two minutes later, Malc reported that he had identified the infrared signature of hydrogen cyanide at the limit of his detection.
“Cyanide poisoning,” Luke murmured, stooping to gaze at EW3’s inert legs and feet. “I can’t smell it, but yes, she might be pinker than normal. It’s hard to tell without knowing her normal colouring. Get pathology to run a toxicity test for cyanide. That would be respiratory failure of a sort – cyanide replacing oxygen in her blood. In a way, she suffocated.” He turned to look at Malc. “Death from cyanide gas is very quick, isn’t it?”
“Confirmed. Cells are starved of oxygen and death can occur in seconds. Humans are highly unlikely to survive beyond fifteen minutes of exposure.”
“EW1 wasn’t a cyanide case, was she?”
“No. All toxicity tests were negative. Blood oxygen was normal. All organs ceased to function over several hours.”
“Okay. So, how come hydrogen cyanide got into the air? What gives it off if you burn it?”
“Several substances. Some pesticides and nitrogen-containing plastics, particularly acrylic fibres. Wool, silk and nylon. The kernels of peaches, apricots, cherries, almonds and related fruits.”
“All right,” Luke said. “Bring the pathologist in. I’m going to speak to the staff.”
****
Alfie Dawson opened the large drawer to show Luke where the sauna oils were kept. “You see,” the nurse said, “our residents all like different ones. One or two can’t stand perfume, others swear by it. Some want organic herbal treatment, others don’t. Anyway, as you can see, they’re all labelled for individual residents.”
Each compartment of the drawer was clearly marked with a name and filled with small plastic bottles containing mixtures of different waters and oils. Luke’s eye went to the section labelled E Wonder. “The one you took from here this morning, was there anything different about it?”
“Not that I noticed. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have... you know.” He looked devastated. He must have realized, from Luke’s line of enquiry, that he could have unknowingly supplied the lethal cocktail. “We’re all really down because of this. I can’t tell you. It’s awful.”
Luke didn’t need to be told. He nodded sympathetically but continued with his questioning. “Who has access to this drawer?”
Alfie shrugged. “It’s not locked.”
“I’ll have to have every vial analysed in a safe lab.” He turned briefly towards Malc who was scanning the drawer for fingerprints and other traces. “Get an agent onto it, please.”
“Transmitting.”
Talking to Alfie again, Luke said, “Don’t use any more bottles and don’t let anyone else touch them. I’ll also need a list of everyone who works or lives here, and all your visitors.”
“Your mobile can access the database of staff and residents. Visitors... That’s difficult.”
“You don’t keep a record?”
“No. We have a lot of residents. That’s a lot of friends and partners coming and going.”
“Would you – and your colleagues – recognize the regulars, so a newcomer sticks out?”
; Alfie shut the drawer and let out a long sigh. “That’s asking a lot.”
“Where do you get the oils from? Who makes them up?”
“A company called Luxury Health and Beauty.”
“Who’d know Emily liked a sauna with oil treatment?”
“Just about everyone. She swore by it. Told everybody who came to see her how good it is.”
“How long was she in the sauna?”
“Twenty-five minutes exactly. I set the timer myself. Twenty minutes relaxation therapy, and then the extractor fan comes on to remove steam and vapours. I found her a few minutes after.”
“Thanks. That’s it for now.” Before leaving, Luke hesitated deliberately and said, “Except... It doesn’t really matter, but have you been to Woburn recently?”
“Woburn?” The nurse grimaced. “No.”
“How about an opera?”
Bemused, Alfie frowned. “What?”
“I can check lists of everyone ordering tickets in this area, but it’s a pain. Do you like opera?”
“I’d run a long way to avoid it.”
Luke smiled. “I know what you mean. I’m not a fan either. You wouldn’t think much of the Emily Wonder, then.”
Alfie shook his head. “I’ve heard of her but, no, I doubt if I’d be able to pick her out of a crowd.”
As soon as Luke left the building, he said to Malc, “Download attendance lists for all opera performances in every venue in the area for the last year and get that list of staff and patients. Compare the two lists and tell me if anyone’s on both.”
“Searching.”
Swiping his identity card through the freeway reader, Luke said, “Give me the result in the cab. We’ve got a long journey in front of us. On the way, you’d better book me a room in Dundee. And make sure the hotel’s got a supply of pomegranates.”
The northward route was unfamiliar to Luke. Thankfully, it was nothing like travelling in the south. From the main corridor that carved through hills, valleys, woods and towns, Luke did not see any derelict buildings, vandalized cabs lying uselessly beside the route, bandits preparing to ambush passengers, or overgrown and disused parks.
Staring out of the window, he said, “You know, I hate cases without a weapon even more than motiveless killings. Both are really tricky. This one’s got a motive, even if I don’t understand it. Someone’s wiping out people called Emily Wonder. But we haven’t traced a single weapon. So far, I’ve got a stabbing with an unknown instrument and a poisoning with an unknown source of cyanide – a hole in the chest and a tiny residue of gas without much of a clue what’s behind either. Now, I’m on my way to what’s probably an unknown toxin.” He shook his head. “It’s hard to get off the ground with unknowns.”
“Why do you wish to levitate?”
Luke smiled. “I mean, make much progress.” Moving on, he added, “You know, if EW1 was murdered as well, and I bet she was, it’s time you gave me a roll call on every Emily Wonder in the country. At least the ones that are left. The first three might be just the tip of the iceberg.”
Malc hesitated. “I suspect you are referring to a definition of iceberg that is not in my dictionary. Your sentence does not make sense to me.”
“It means the three killed so far might be just the start. How many Emily Wonders are there?”
“Forty-four.”
“Well, we’ve got plenty of time. Read them all out. Age, location, career, any known interest in classical music, any health issues, accidents or attacks. I won’t be able to memorize it all but I want to hear.”
“I have completed the comparison of York Nursing Home and theatre databases.”
“And?”
“What do you want me to do with the information?”
“Tell me if anyone connected with the nursing home has gone to the opera.”
“Two people.”
“Any connection to EW3 or Alfie Dawson?”
“None known.”
“Okay. Keep a note of them but, for now, give me what you’ve got on every Emily Wonder.”
Chapter Six
Occasionally, a line of wind turbines that provided power for the automatic cabs chopped the view of hills. High above the corridor, the blades droned in the gale-force wind. Luke watched the wild fells and farms as he listened to Malc’s emotionless voice, listing everything he’d discovered from The Authorities’ files about each person called Emily Wonder. There were two babies and three pre-school children. Thirteen were at school. The rest were adults and they lived all over the country. Luke expected that he would not have one convenient base for this investigation. He guessed that he’d have to move around a lot, like an opera superstar travelling from one performance to another.
When Malc had finished, Luke said, “I want to talk to three of them. The forensic scientist in Milton Keynes, the Year-10 girl taking criminology at Edinburgh School, and the information technology instructor in Bristol.”
“Logged.”
“Do The Authorities keep a record of everyone using cabs?” Luke asked. “Can I find out who’s been in Woburn, Dundee and York at the time of the deaths?”
“No. That database would be too large to maintain. Also, The Authorities regard it as an infringement of personal freedom to monitor people’s movements.”
“Pity. Still, it might not have helped because I don’t know when the bad vial – if that’s what it was - ended up in EW3’s drawer. It could have been days, weeks or months ago.”
Luke had stripped off his waterproofs and fleece but he was still warm. The heated cab rattled over the Tyne Bridge and began to skirt around the city of Newcastle with its stunning skyline and school famed for sport. Luke added, “I can ask for a particular person’s movements to be tracked if it helps a case.”
“Confirmed, but I must approve your request. I have criteria requiring firm evidence against an individual before a trace can be applied to their identity card.”
“Could I monitor Barbara Backley or Alfie Dawson, the nurse?”
“Not until you have significant evidence against them.”
“At least I don’t have a problem finding out where Emily Wonder – the singer – goes. I can just check her gig guide. Has she performed in York recently?”
“Yes. Two weeks ago.”
“Dundee?”
“She toured between Glasgow, Aberdeen, Edinburgh and Dundee in mid-July last year.”
“Mmm. I want The Authorities to send out agents to make sure every Emily Wonder is alive and well. I’d be interested to know if any of them say they’ve been assaulted.”
“Transmitting request.”
“I don’t suppose The Authorities will give all of them their own minder.”
“Do you wish to apply for forty-four bodyguards?”
Luke breathed in deeply. “I might as well, but I think I know the answer.”
They passed through a dale draped with snow. In places, deep drifts had collected but The Authorities had kept the corridor clear for cabs. On the slopes of the valley, instructors were holding classes in skiing and a farmer was trudging slowly towards a stranded sheep.
Luke muttered to himself, “What sort of person kills by roll call?” He shrugged. “I’ll give him or her the codename Q. That’s the letter Q, short for K-E-W, Kills Emily Wonders. Maybe Q’s the Emily Wonder. Maybe she’s so obsessed with celebrity – with being unique – that she’s getting rid of everyone else with the same name. But she hardly comes across as completely cracked.”
“I did not detect any severe wounds.”
Luke laughed. “No. Cracked means mad, bonkers. Maybe she just hides it well. I don’t know. It’s more likely Q’s a stalker or over-the-top fan – someone like Barbara Backley. Didn’t she say Emily was unique?”
Malc answered, “She said, ‘You are unique. What a voice. Brilliant! Thank you so much.’”
“Well, killing every other Emily Wonder is one way of keeping her favourite warbler unique. Someone fanatical like her might think
she’s doing Emily a favour by getting rid of all her namesakes.”
“Speculation.”
“I don’t have anything else right now,” Luke admitted. “There might be music reviewers or journalists who’ve got a strange sort of motive, I suppose. Or the murders might be about one of the other forty-three Emily Wonders and nothing to do with the singer. Maybe one of the others wants to be unique. Maybe one of them wants to be noticed as much as the Emily Wonder. Killing makes you famous, in a way. It gets you on the telescreen news more than an opera superstar. If that’s right, Emily the celebrity is a target. Q’s cunning, though. Not giving me a weapon to work on is very clever. Perhaps it’s someone who knows about criminology. That’s why I want to interview those three Emily Wonders.” He paused before adding, “And I’m hoping EW1 might give me more to go on.”
****
It was a journey marked by grand bridges: Newcastle, Edinburgh and now the major port of Dundee. As dusk closed in, the city loomed on the far bank of the river estuary. Luke’s cab sped over the Tay Bridge, three kilometres long, aiming directly at Dundee’s heart. Like the bars of a cage, the iron railings either side of him split the darkening scenery.