‘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 words 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.