DI Friar punched the air once they’d left the interview room. ‘That went so well,’ she said. ‘Way better than I expected.’
‘Did you think he’d deny it?’ asked Lulu.
‘I thought we’d get the “no comment” routine,’ said DI Friar.
‘He’s done what he’d set out to do,’ said Lulu. ‘For him, it’s over. Yes, by any definition he’s a serial killer, but he’s no threat to the general public.’
They walked together along the corridor. ‘What you said about him getting a lighter sentence because of what happened, was that just talk or did you mean it?’ asked DI Friar.
‘Oh, I meant it,’ said Lulu. ‘The abuse he went through as a child was horrific. Unthinkable.’
‘But they killed Jackie Butler too, remember? They killed him to keep him quiet. Me, I think they should throw away the key.’
‘Cause and effect,’ said Lulu. ‘If he had never been abused, he would never have killed.’
‘That doesn’t make it right.’
‘No, it doesn’t. But surely it mitigates what he did.’
DI Friar forced a smile. ‘I think we are going to have to agree to disagree on that.’
Lulu nodded. ‘I guess so. Maybe I am being naive. The thing is, I can understand what drove them to do what they did; I’m just so sad that it’s ruined their lives. They’ll probably spend what time they have left in prison, whether they are or are not still a threat to the public.’
‘They are very damaged individuals, that’s for sure,’ said DI Friar. ‘Who’s to say they wouldn’t pose a threat?’
‘I suppose that’s down to the psychiatrists,’ said Lulu. ‘They’ll have a better idea of what’s going on inside their heads.’ She sighed. ‘It’s such a mess. Such a sad, sorry mess.’
‘You didn’t pick up that Pettigrew was a sailor during your investigation?’
‘He didn’t have a boat at the time of his death. He must have sold it after he left the home. Presumably he’d have had money problems; no cash flow for a while after the council ended the contract.’
They walked along to the MIT room. As they went through the double doors a cheer went up. Superintendent Knight was there, a huge smile on his face. ‘I saw it on the CCTV link,’ he said. ‘Well done, Detective Inspector. That was textbook, it really was. I can see them using it on the interrogation course.’
‘Thank you, sir.’
‘It’s not often we get to close four cold cases and two active cases on one day,’ he said. ‘And thank you for your input, former superintendent Lewis. Still got that cat on your shoulders, I see.’
‘Conrad was a big help on the case,’ said Lulu.
‘I’m sure he was,’ said the superintendent. ‘Well, again, job well done. My thanks to you, DI Friar, and to your team. You should all be proud of yourselves.’
There was another round of appreciative applause and DI Friar actually blushed.
Phil came over and grinned at Lulu. ‘You’ve still got it, boss. You had him wrapped around your little finger.’
‘He wanted to talk, Phil. I could tell. He just needed someone to listen and understand. Can you imagine what they went through as boys?’ She shuddered. ‘It doesn’t excuse what they did, but I do understand.’
‘Well, either way, boss, you and DI Friar did a great job. It’s not every day that you close that many murder cases.’ He grinned. ‘Meanwhile, I think I’ve solved the mystery of Jeremy Connolly.’
Lulu’s eyes widened. ‘Oh, do tell! Is it good news or bad news?’
‘A bit of both, I’d say.’