‘Fucking Bastard.’ Ruby exhaled as a pile of bricks wrapped in a blanket tumbled out. Lucy had done it to taunt her: weighing-down the suitcase to mimic the weight of a child. A pinprick of light lit her troubled mind. Sophie may still be alive. Staggering from the car, Ruby took Downes’s arm when it was offered. The paramedics were here now, talking in urgent voices as they worked on getting Anita from the car onto an awaiting stretcher. Evening was closing in, and people were gathering behind the police tape. This was not the time to fall apart. ‘I’m OK,’ Ruby said gratefully, taking a couple of deep breaths. iPhones were lifted; her distress filmed for other people’s viewing pleasure. Ruby’s glance fell back onto Anita. She wanted to tell her that everything would be alright and she would save her little girl. But there were no guarantees in a world where God did not listen.
By the time she got back to the station, Ruby knew where her focus lay. Taking a sip of tea that had gone cold, she worked her way through the recent updates on the case. The list of keyholders for the body dump sites had been spoken to, but there was one name that stood out from the rest. Her brow furrowed as she turned her attention once again to the post-mortem photos. And now, peering at the images, a piece of the puzzle fell into place. The truth was, she had had a suspect in mind. The idea had seemed preposterous; she had kept pushing it away. But how many times does someone need to pop up on the periphery before you start taking them seriously?
She could not ignore the facts. But what if she was wrong?
Ruby knew exactly where she had to go. An unknown number flashed up on her mobile phone as she climbed into her car. Her finger hovered over the answer button. She could not rule out the possibility that the killer was on her tracks. She answered, breathing a terse ‘yes?’ down the line. It was ten p.m. This was not the time for pleasantries.
‘Where are you? We need to talk.’
Ruby did not see the point in taking Nathan’s calls. He had made his feelings perfectly clear during their last meeting. ‘I don’t have time for this, I’m in a hurry.’
Nathan replied flatly as if she had never spoken at all. ‘You’re wrong about Cathy. I’ve spoken to her about the movie. She’s no murderer. So don’t come looking for her.’
‘I know. And I’d like to point out that you’re the one calling me. So why don’t you let me get on with finding the real killer?’ Ruby took a breath to accommodate the words erupting in her throat. ‘And you can tell our daughter, if she is our daughter, that she can come and find me as soon as she’s seeing sense. Now if you don’t mind, I’ve got work to do.’ Ruby terminated the call, pushing aside her anger.
It was pointless hoping for a reunion. Nathan, Frances and Lenny had made it quite clear that it was over. She had been silly to think things would work out any differently. As for her daughter? Trust had to be earned in the Crosby family. Nathan may have readily taken Cathy in, but when his mother Frances got over her shock she would not waste any time in having a DNA test completed. Ruby turned the ignition of her car. She couldn’t think about that now, not while a little girl’s life was hanging by a thread.
The closer Ruby came to her suspect’s home the more she doubted herself. She thought about ringing Downes to voice her suspicions. But that’s all they were: suspicions. What if she was so desperate to find the killer that she was plucking suspects out of the air? But a work colleague? Would they really be capable of such horrific acts? The idea seemed ludicrous, and the last thing she wanted was to be made a laughing stock. She pressed down her indicator; her mouth dry as she approached their home. She was just going to talk to them, get some feelers out there. A quick call wouldn’t look out of place given they were so heavily involved in the case. But as she parked outside the address she had almost persuaded herself that she was wrong. What would the others say if they could see her now? Surely this was not the home of a murderer. She must have been mistaken. But killers took many guises. Far removed from the bogeyman, or horror movie villains. Many were people you wouldn’t look twice at on the street.
She pressed hard on the doorbell, the shrill ring drilling into her brain. Ruby was tired. She hadn’t eaten in hours and sleep was just a memory. Every day she hated her flat a little bit more. Would there be another letter waiting for her when she got back? The thoughts of going home alone made her flesh creep.
The door opened, cutting into her thoughts. In front of her stood Christopher Douglas, the forensic pathologist.
‘Ruby,’ he said, his eyebrows raised. ‘What are you doing here at this hour?’
‘I was passing and… ’ Ruby sighed, ‘actually that’s a lie. I came here because I need some advice. Can I come in?’
Chris paused at the door; his features clinging to a smile that did not reach his eyes. ‘What am I like? Of course, come inside.’
Steady, Ruby told herself. He was surprised to see her that’s all. Being shifty was not a prelude to guilt. It certainly was not enough to gain access via a warrant, which was what was needed to search his house. Such an old building was bound to have lots of hiding places. She sniffed the air as she entered the hall. Isopropanol. The smell of the morgue.
Chris turned to catch her eye as he led her inside. ‘Excuse the smell. I’ve been looking after the neighbour’s cat. She’s been shitting everywhere except where she’s supposed to. I brought home a couple of bottles of disinfectant from work. You won’t tell on me, will you?’
‘Not at all,’ Ruby said. ‘Gone back now, has she?’
‘She’s at the vets. Stomach problems. They’re keeping her overnight. Can I make you a tea? Coffee?’
‘A cup of tea would be lovely,’ Ruby said, her senses on high alert. She had smelt enough decomposing bodies to believe he was lying through his teeth about the cat.
Two flowery teacups were placed on the table in the living room, where Chris insisted they sit.
‘Thanks,’ she said, wishing she had not set her phone to silent. Her unease was growing by the second. She shouldn’t have come here. If he had the slightest suspicion the police were onto him, all evidence would be destroyed.
‘Biscuit?’ Chris said, pouring the milk.
‘Oh go on then,’ Ruby said, although her stomach was churning.
The second his back was turned she swapped the cups of tea. It seemed silly, suspecting her colleague of poisoning a harmless drink, but the minute she had entered the hall he had become someone else. Ruby took a sip, smiling at Chris as he took a seat across from her. But her stomach was doing butterflies, and she forced herself to nibble on the ginger snap as he watched.
‘So what brings you to my humble abode?’ Chris said, sitting bolt upright in the chair. He looked ready to jump up at any second, and his jitteriness was catching.
‘Sorry, just let me check my phone,’ Ruby said, turning on the sound. No calls. She frowned before returning her attention to Chris. Her mind was racing as she tried to formulate a reason for her visit. ‘It’s Worrow. I was hoping for some advice, but it’s a sensitive issue,’ she said. ‘You’re friends, right?’
Chris nodded slowly. ‘Sounds ominous. Well, I can assure you, anything you have to say won’t go beyond these four walls.’
‘I know.’ She took a mouthful of tea to ease the dryness in her throat. ‘It’s just that I overheard her having a heated phone conversation the other day. She mentioned her job being compromised. I’m worried something’s wrong.’
‘Why didn’t you ask her?’
‘It’s not my place. Besides, I got the feeling she was trying to distance herself from whatever mess her friend was in.’ Ruby swallowed back another mouthful of tea. ‘I dunno, I’ve been thinking of asking her about it, but I don’t want her to take me up the wrong way.’
‘In my opinion, if you’ve something to say you’re best off not pussyfooting around. You never struck me as a game player, Ruby. Why start now?’
Ruby fell silent. His words were leaden, delivered with a double meaning she could not ignore. He knew she was onto him. She raised her hands in mock surrender. ‘You’re right, I’m sorry. I came here with every intention of being upfront with you. I know it was you on the phone.’
Chris gave two slow nods of the head. ‘So you’ve been snooping in on our private conversations. And the real reason for your visit is?’
‘To offer my help, of course. It was just the once, but you both seemed really stressed. I promise it won’t go any further if you need to talk,’ Ruby added.
Chris crossed his legs, squirming in his seat. ‘I’ve had some unexpected outlays, but it’s under control now. So you can bury that little problem. It won’t raise its head again.’
Ruby was well aware of his finances. Chris was in debt for a considerable amount of money, and it had come on suddenly, plunging his credit record from full health to being in the red.
‘Thanks, Chris, I didn’t mean to pry.’ Ruby glanced at her watch. ‘Gosh, look at the time, I’d best be off.’ She wobbled as she stood, blinking at the pinpricks of white lights which dotted her vision. The adrenalin rush that flowed through her veins had come to a halt, making her feel out of kilter. She glanced around the messy room, taking a breath to regain her strength. ‘This is a nice big house. Have you lived here long?’
‘Oh yes, quite a few years. I was very fortunate to inherit it. I could sell it for a packet and live a bit further out, but I’m attached to the old place. It’s got a bomb shelter you know; I even found bits of memorabilia down there.’
‘Really?’ Ruby said, knowing she should leave while she could. But she needed to have a nose around while she still had the chance. ‘Mind if I use your bathroom?’ she said, trying to shake off the feeling that Chris was onto her.
Chris smiled, a slow narrow-lipped grin. ‘Would you like to see it? The bomb shelter that is,’ he said, walking with her. ‘I’ll show you the bathroom on the way out.’
‘I’d love to,’ Ruby said, taking a wobbly step forward.
‘Steady, are you OK? You’ve gone a funny colour.’
‘I’ve not eaten much today. I’ll be OK,’ Ruby said, following him out to the hall. ‘So you’ve got a bomb shelter, eh? That’s pretty cool.’
‘Yes, it is: good for storage, gardening tools. Handy for all sorts of things really.’ Walking to the cupboard under the stairs, he opened the door, then pulled back a rug to reveal a trapdoor underneath. ‘Here it is,’ he said as the door to an underground chamber gaped open. Ruby peered into the darkness, wrinkling her nose as the pungent smell rose up to greet her. The liberal coating of disinfectant in the hall was no match for the overpowering stench from below.
‘Go on then,’ he said, gesturing for her to go first. ‘You wanted to see it, didn’t you?’
Ruby peered in. She should go down, and if enough evidence was gained she might be able to arrest him. But every fibre of her being was screaming at her not to do it. There was no way she was turning her back on Chris, who was now carrying a maddening look in his eyes. ‘You go first,’ Ruby said. ‘It’s a bit too dark for me, don’t want to fall arse over tit.’
‘No,’ Chris said. ‘I insist, you first. It’s what you came here for, isn’t it?’
‘I’m sorry?’ Ruby said, unease creeping up her spine like a long-legged spider.
‘Come off it, Ruby, you really think I’m buying that lame story about Worrow? As if you’d come all this way just to talk about a stupid phone call. I know why you’re here.’
‘Chris, I don’t… ’
‘You saw, didn’t you? The dirt on Monica’s feet. You noticed it at the scene when you looked under the duvet. I had a feeling you did.’
There was no going back from that admission. Ruby nodded. She didn’t want her colleague to be under suspicion for murder. She didn’t want any of this. But the sooner she could get an admission, the quicker she could trace Sophie’s location. ‘I couldn’t understand why the post-mortems were drawing a blank. So I checked and rechecked the photos. I was going to suggest soil sample analysis, because the soles of Monica’s feet were dirty at the scene. But then when I checked the crime scene photos her feet were clean. How did you do that? I know what I saw. Emma was there taking photos when we pulled back the duvet. How did she miss it?’
Chris folded his arms. ‘Emma was thrilled when I told her your DI had a soft spot for her. So when she followed you all out to the door I cleaned Monica’s feet with some wet wipes. When Emma came back in, she carried on taking photos. People don’t question the forensic pathologist. It’s one of the perks of the job.’
There was one last piece of the puzzle that was not fitting in. The door-knocker killer was reported to be a woman. She had to be, to be invited into people’s homes. But Chris had displayed enough guilt to warrant an arrest. They would discuss the finer details back at the station. Straightening her posture, she recited the caution. ‘Christopher Douglas. I’m arresting you on suspicion of murder. You do not have to say anything… ’ A wave of nausea passed over her and she swept her hair from her face. ‘You do not have to… ’ she repeated, trying to focus on the figure before her. His image split in two and he blurred in and out of focus. Ruby swallowed, taking a step back to support herself against the wall.
‘Did you really think I wouldn’t notice you switch the teacups? You can’t kid a kidder, Ruby; isn’t that what you always say? Oh, and by the way, they were both laced with sedatives. It’s why I didn’t fancy mine.’ Reaching into his back pocket, he pulled out two black-edged envelopes and waved them in her face. I’m playing postman today. Guess who these are for? One for you and one for Sophie. Perhaps I’ll deliver them to Jack Downes instead?’
Jack. Ruby slipped her hand into her pocket and pressed the call button on her phone. For once, she was grateful for the push button pad, and could only pray that some kind of a call went through. She had to get out, but as the sedatives hit her system every step felt like lead.
‘Where’s Sophie?’ she asked, her words slurred as what felt like the world’s worst headache wrapped around her skull.
‘She’s safe. For now. But the question is, what are we going to do with you?’