Chapter Sixty-Two

As Ruby approached her office, she felt as if she was walking in a nightmare. Everything seemed off-kilter. She glanced at Ash Baker’s desk, still littered with his belongings. It seemed his colleagues were content to allow his presence to linger another day. She could not believe he was gone. In a box marked ‘do not open’, she had stored the details of his murder into the recesses of her mind. It would live there along with countless other monstrosities, creeping out in the dead of night when her defences were down. But she could not stop the niggle at the back of her brain. Ash’s final words replayed on a loop: ‘I’m sorry, I’ve got to do this.’ What was he sorry about? Deep inside, she knew. But the fact Ash may have sacrificed himself to provide for his family was not one she was ready to deal with just yet.

‘Any results on Mandy yet? Someone must have something?’ Ruby leaned across Luddy’s desk. A quick cup of tea and a fresh coat of lipstick had helped her face her team again. It seemed likely that Danny Smedley would not be convicted at court, leaving the team under increasing pressure to find the real killer and bring him in. At last, DCI Worrow had agreed to link Lisa Caldwell’s murder with the other victims. It was something the press was quick to point out. Her eyes roamed across the newspaper laid open on the desk. The so-called fairy-tale killer was gaining momentum in the press, reaching front pages far and wide. While sympathy lay with university student, Lisa, the other victims were known by their profession rather than their names.

‘We’ve heard from social security,’ Luddy piped up, ‘nothing new since the Northolt address.’ Every avenue had been explored, but the trail had gone cold after Mandy’s last-known address in Northolt.

‘Any luck with the hospitals?’ It was a long shot. Mandy had been AWOL over a year, but there was still a possibility that the doctor had already disposed of her.

DC Ludgrove shook his head. ‘Every time we get a lead, it turns into a dead end. No family, no friends, nothing.’

Mandy had been a loner, and the second of the girls brought up in care. ‘Keep trying, mate. We barely got to Sharon in time, I don’t want to leave it that late for Mandy.’

Luddy ran his fingers through his hair, his frustration evident. ‘But surely if we can’t find her…?’

‘How’s he going to?’ Ruby finished his question. ‘Because he has personal knowledge.’ She turned to the rest of her team. ‘Think about it, doctors are like barmaids, people confide in them. It wouldn’t surprise me if he were keeping notes on all of the girls. He would have asked about their family history too. We’re going in blind, he’s not.’

Luddy shook his head. ‘Then what hope do we have? You’ve seen the papers; the press is baying for our blood. Don’t they realise that we’re doing everything we can?’

‘Don’t take it personally – the journalists are doing their job the same as us. If nothing else, at least it’s raising awareness.’ She forced a smile. ‘I’ve spoken to the drug crisis centre. Their referrals have doubled, and there are fewer girls on the street.’

Both their glances fell on Ash’s empty desk. ‘The office is quiet without him, isn’t it?’ Ruby said, noticing that someone had finally cleared his things away. The only sign that he had been there was the swear chart still pinned to the wall. A pin was missing from one of the corners. Ruby guessed whoever had started to take it down had lost the will to continue.

‘We should do something to remember him,’ Luddy said. ‘Maybe have his picture on the wall.’

‘We’ll not forget him,’ Ruby said, ‘but he wouldn’t want us being maudlin. Have you had a refs break today?’ Refreshment breaks were few and far between.

‘Now seems a good a time,’ Luddy said. ‘Want me to make you a cuppa?’

‘You know me too well. Can you stick it on my desk? I’ve got a call to make.’

Ruby was reluctant to begin stirring things up with Sharon again but she was the only connection with Mandy she had left. The phone rang three times. Ruby prayed Sharon had saved her number to her mobile, otherwise she wouldn’t be picking up.

‘Yes?’ the response was cold, cautious.

‘It’s Ruby. . . Sergeant Preston from Shoreditch serious crime. Are you alright to talk?’

‘Sure. Is everything OK?’ Sharon’s voice thawed.

‘Nothing to worry about. I’ve got a couple of questions to ask about Mandy Prentice. Are you on your own?’

‘Yeah. Billy came in to visit me but I binned him off.’

Ruby wanted to say ‘good’ but she held back the words. ‘Are you OK?’ she said, hesitant.

‘I’m going to a women’s refuge when I’m discharged from here,’ Sharon said, keeping her voice low. ‘Sold them a story about Billy forcing me to work. They’ve got a room for me. I’ve sorted myself out with methadone and everything.’

Ruby smiled. It was good that Sharon trusted her enough to tell her the truth. The refuge was very select about who they took on – given the lack of funding, they had to be. But the fact Sharon had almost become a murder victim would have put her ahead in the queue. They would provide a support network for what was to come, and Sharon knew the system well enough to turn it to her advantage.

‘Good,’ she said. ‘Sounds like you’ll be in the right place to get the support you need.’

‘Plus there ain’t no crazy coppers trying to keep me in their flat.’ But her voice contained a smile, and Ruby knew she harboured no ill feelings towards her actions that day.

‘God,’ Ruby said, feeling like their experience was a world away, ‘the less said about that, the better. Listen, Sharon, I don’t mean to go raking things up, but I’m desperately trying to find Mandy. Is there anything you can remember about her that you haven’t mentioned already? Any clue about where she might be?’

Silence fell, and just when Ruby thought she was not going to respond, Sharon drew an intake of breath. ‘She was strong, stubborn. If she said she was gonna do something, she’d do it. Out of all of us, she was the one most likely to get off the gear and start again.’

‘No mention of family, friends?’

‘She ain’t got none. Her foster parents emigrated, poor cow.’

Ruby nodded. The information was nothing new. They had already been traced and spoken to; they shared the same apathy that Sharon had hinted at with no knowledge of Mandy’s whereabouts. She decided to try a different tact. ‘You must have chatted for her to tell you all that. Had she any aspirations? Tell you what she wanted to be?’

‘I wanted to be Victoria Beckham – didn’t mean it was ever gonna happen.’

Ruby snorted a laugh. ‘True, but you’d be surprised where clues sometimes hide. Did she ever talk about any clients in particular? Anyone she might develop a relationship with?’ she said, knowing such questions had been asked before.

But Sharon was stuck on the previous question, an answer forming on her lips. ‘She did say she loved kids. She couldn’t have none, thanks to the Doctor.’

Ruby stiffened. This was news to her. ‘The doctor, as in Doctor Tanner?’

‘Yeah, a botched abortion left her infertile. She was in bits. I ain’t told no one that before – I figured it was her business. If she were working anywhere, it would be with kids. She loved them too much to let them go.’

‘In what capacity?’ Ruby said. Sharon’s silence relayed that she didn’t understand the question. ‘Sorry, I mean, there’s lots of jobs with kids. In schools, hospitals, girl scouts… I don’t know where to start.’

‘I dunno. She liked toddlers, she hated hospitals, though – couldn’t stand the smell. That’s all I can tell you. Sorry.’

‘It’s something. If you think of anything else, will you send me a text? I’ll ring you straight back, save your credit.’

‘Sure. And Ruby?’

‘Yes?’

‘I hope you find her.’

Ruby was already online, printing up lists of local pre-schools, and anywhere toddlers visited during the day. She paused, her words thick with emotion: ‘I’ll find her. I just hope it’s in time.’