Nathan had headed straight to DI Rutherford’s office when they got back. He would be updating her on the new case. Meanwhile, Maggie filled PC Bethany Lambert in on what they had found and asked her to contact Markston Police Station to see if she could find out more about Kate’s stalking complaint. Bethany’s small frame was swamped by the large chair she sat in. Often it was only the clacking of her keyboard that alerted Maggie that she was in the office.
‘Can you also see if we can get a hold of that evidence to compare it to anything we find from the crime scene today?’ Although the cases may not be related, Maggie had a bad feeling and following her instinct, along with over ten years’ experience as a detective investigating cases, often proved right.
‘Do you think there’s some connection?’ Bethany turned around.
‘I’m not sure. But we’re not ruling anything out at this stage. Did Kate happen to call here while we were out?’
‘Sorry, no messages at all.’
‘OK. Thanks. Let me know what you find out from Markston.’
‘Will do. Do you know if we’re going to get any help with this case? We’re a bit thin on the ground now that Nathan is Acting DS.’
‘I haven’t heard anything yet. I’ll ask him when he’s done with DI Rutherford. But given it’s one victim, I suspect the higher-ups aren’t going to give us any specialist help. We’ll probably be linked up with the field team again. Soon they’ll be honorary detectives in the MOCD.’ Maggie smiled.
She headed to her desk, threw her coat over her chair, and sat. Booting up her computer, she dug her mobile out of her pocket and looked at the screen. No missed calls.
Kate Moloney, where the hell are you?
Although the victim wasn’t Kate, Maggie was still worried about her friend. She looked at her watch; only a few more hours before she could head home. She’d stop by Kate’s on the way back.
‘Right, guys. We don’t have a name for our Jane Doe as of yet, but let’s not let that stop us from setting up the incident room and start putting together what we do know.’
Nathan really was taking his new role seriously as Acting DS. He had accepted the position during their last case and if Maggie was honest, it suited him. She stood and followed Bethany and Nathan to the room that would be used for the main investigation.
‘I know we’re short of hands on the ground, so I’ve asked DI Rutherford, but with the scope of the investigation at the moment, we’ll just have to make do for the time being.’
Bethany tutted.
‘I tried.’ Nathan shrugged. He went to the front and cleared the whiteboard. ‘What do we know?’
‘Unidentified female. She looked between twenty-five and thirty-five years old. Caucasian. Goth appearance. No ID or valuables located nearby and she was face down when she was found in Granger Park, in the village of Hartley.’ Maggie processed the information, making sure she hadn’t missed anything. ‘Victim was found in the early hours by two teenaged males out delivering the local newspaper. They didn’t see or hear anything on their walk to the park. They’ll be coming in at some point to complete a formal statement.’ Nathan paused.
‘Maggie mentioned a possible link to Dr Moloney. Do you think we should be including that? From what she’s just said, the victim does sound an awful lot like Kate.’ Bethany stared at the board and looked like she was about to add something, before Nathan jumped in.
‘Have we had any contact from Kate yet?’ Nathan looked at Maggie.
She shook her head.
‘For now. I’ll make a note of it, but I don’t want us to start going down one avenue and get lost in a bunch of what-ifs. Agreed?’ Nathan’s brows furrowed, and Maggie knew there was no point in arguing. Truth was, without any tangible evidence, they had nothing to go on, other than the victim and Kate sharing a likeness.
Maggie looked around and realized DI Rutherford had not joined them. ‘Where’s the guv?’
‘She had a meeting so asked me to lead the briefing. I’ll be updating her later. Anything else to add at this point?’
‘I can’t think of anything else. We’ll need forensics and the details from the door-to-door enquiries in Hartley before we’ll be able to add anything else.’ Maggie looked through her notes. Nothing else stood out.
‘Well, it’s a start. Bethany, can you liaise with the Misper Unit and see if anyone matching our vic’s description has been reported missing recently? Also, collate the information from the door-to-door enquiries as they come in. Maggie, I’d like you to contact Dr Blake and see if she can tell us anything at this stage. I’ve got to put something together for the press but can be disturbed if need be.’
The team dispersed, heading back to their desks to start their designated tasks. Something was niggling at Maggie’s mind; she just couldn’t figure out what it was … yet.