Ruby stood at the head of the briefing room, hands on hips as she surveyed her team. It had taken her just minutes to bring them up to speed. They had been busy making enquiries of their own, evidenced by the countless updates being placed on the computer system at a rate of knots. It was a job to keep up with them, along with the endless amount of checking, approving and chasing up she had to do.
Eve sat to her left, the only other female in her room. Wearing a black linen dress, her pregnancy bump was barely visible.
With DCI Worrow and DI Downes being called away, it was up to Ruby to lead briefing. She wasted no time in getting stuck in. ‘How’s your workloads?’
The question invoked a low murmur of laughter and it rippled around the room. The Metropolitan Police Central Communications Command handled over twenty thousand calls each day. It was virtually impossible to keep up, due to the very nature of their role. Ruby knew that as well as they did, but she still insisted on asking the question.
‘I’ll rephrase that,’ she said, conscious their time was precious. ‘Everyone managing OK?’
DC Ash Baker tugged on his earlobe, the tips of his fingers yellowed from his nicotine habit. The most senior of detective constables, he was used to speaking on their behalf. ‘No worries this end. Uniform have been giving us a dig out with some of the lesser enquiries, leaving us to progress the investigation.’
Ruby nodded. Of this she was aware. The Serious Crime Team had a decent overtime budget, unlike other departments in the force, but it was not a bottomless pit and the pressure for results was growing by the hour. She glanced at the board behind her. On one side was university student Lisa Caldwell, and on the other, young prostitute Ellie Mason. Even without the thick black line dividing the two cases, the gap between them could not have been any wider.
‘DI Downes has reiterated that Ellie’s case isn’t linked to the murder of Lisa Caldwell.’
Despite Danny Smedley’s change of heart, the court case was going ahead. But now Ruby was less convinced of his guilt. All she could do was comply with her superior’s wishes and hope further evidence was unearthed. It was bizarre to say the least. Her eyes fell on the photograph of Ellie Mason in her vivid yellow, red and blue gown. The tombstone beneath her appeared drained of all colour, apart from the weeds creeping up at the base. ‘Are we any closer to finding out the motive behind Ellie’s body being staged?’ she said, turning to her team for answers.
Eve shuffled her papers, her jacket draped across her shoulders. Whoever was in control of the heating seemed to be sparing it tonight. Ruby was used to the cold, but Eve was a creature of comfort, and huddled under her coat as she spoke. ‘I’ve researched Snow White, and fairy stories in general. What you said about her lungs being removed seems to fit in with the original version of the Brothers Grimm.’
‘Go on,’ Ruby said, wondering why it always fell to Eve and not her male counterparts to research such things.
‘In the Brothers Grimm version the huntsman was ordered to cut out Snow White’s lungs and liver as proof that she had been killed, not her heart. He took pity on her and allowed her to live, palming the wicked stepmother, or mother in some versions, off with an animal’s organs instead.’ She glanced around the room before returning her attention to her notes. ‘To cut a long story short, Snow White was poisoned with an apple but it became dislodged and she survived. Some of the details of the original story are disputed, but I imagine the removal of Ellie’s organs and the clothing she was wearing when her body was found are a tribute to the original tale.’
Ruby’s attention was drawn to DC Owen Ludgrove, who was rather annoyingly tapping his pen against the table. Luddy was a lovely young man but she had no doubt he had been read the sanitised version as a child.
‘Why, though?’ he piped up, frustration evident on his face. ‘It’s not even accurate.’
‘That’s what we’ve got to find out,’ Ruby said. ‘At this stage we don’t know if the suspect is male or female, young or old, or if they’re working with accomplices. Nothing can be ruled out until we know more.’
‘I bet she had some dodgy clients though,’ Luddy said. ‘Things go wrong all the time, we know that.’
It was true; Ellie was not the first prostitute to be murdered on their patch. But there was more to this case than a one-off killing. It was the attention to detail that made the hairs stand up on the back of Ruby’s neck. She kept her expression firm, a gaze of steady determination, as she interacted with her team.
But as they exchanged intelligence and delegated jobs, it appeared the answers were not forthcoming as of yet. An hour later, she masked a yawn, casting an eye over the clock on the wall.
‘We’re not going to get any further with this tonight. Go home, get some kip, and be back here bright and early in the morning. Except for you, Eve, you’ve got a pregnancy scan in the morning, haven’t you?’
Eve smiled, a twinkle returning to her eyes. ‘Yes, but I’ll be here straight after.’
‘Good, and make sure you bring that scan photo when you do. I’d like to get a glimpse of my namesake before the rest of the team.’ Ruby winked. They were already taking bets on what the baby was going to be called.
As she saw the last of her colleagues out, Ruby flipped off the light switch, wearily hooking her jacket over her shoulder. She knew the faces of Lisa Caldwell and Ellie Mason would haunt her dreams tonight. She prayed for answers tomorrow before any more victims turned up on her patch.