After retrieving the evidence and making copies, Maggie walked into the incident room and examined each piece carefully. One of her first thoughts was whether Julie Noble had at least had the sense not to handle the items too much before handing them over to the police. Doubtful.
She was immediately drawn to the quote about fixing broken dolls. Did their killer think the women were broken in some way? Maybe they were looking at the case all wrong. Was there something in Tracy Holloway’s background that the police didn’t know yet? And how did that fit in with Kate? She jotted down some points and put the meme aside.
At first glance, the notes appeared to be an exact match to those Kate and Tracy Holloway had received. No stamps on the envelopes, so they had been hand-delivered to the newsroom. Maybe he had been picked up on CCTV. Another avenue for Bethany to explore. Maggie didn’t envy her. Fortunately, she enjoyed what she did, and was incredibly knowledgeable on just where to look and what to look out for.
There was a tap on the door. ‘What are you doing in here?’ Maggie assumed Nathan was checking to see if she had followed through on contacting the journalist.
‘Just looking at everything before I meet up with Ms Noble.’ Maggie tried not to be frosty in her response, but she wasn’t sure she had succeeded.
‘I get that you aren’t happy about this, but just think, she owes you an apology. Who knows, you may even end up as friends.’
‘The damage is already done though, isn’t it? My name splashed in all the papers virtually screaming incompetence. Even if I do get an apology, it won’t change the public’s perception. As for ending up friends … When hell freezes over.’
He held up his hand. ‘OK. Message received, but let’s be realistic here. With so many other news stories dominating, it’s unlikely your name is going to stick in people’s minds. As for Ms Noble, you may be able to find out if there’s anything she’s keeping from us. You have good instincts and I certainly got that impression. It would be good to have your opinion on the matter.’
‘Fine. I’ll get over this eventually, it’s just still very raw. I’m just pissed off that she took so long to even let us know about this. It’s a bloody murder investigation and she was withholding vital information. What does she gain from that?’
‘Who knows. Perhaps she was hoping to maintain a connection with the killer? Maybe lure him out somehow? But that’s a dangerous game – we’ve seen what he does to people. Once we have everything, we can come up with a stronger strategy instead of grasping at things and having no clear direction. It feels like we’re just chasing our tails. This also means we won’t have to waste our time planting false information with our colleagues. Can you imagine the uproar if we did that and they figured it out? I could kiss goodbye to being a DS permanently.’
‘Exactly! Do you want to look over these with me for a few minutes? I just want to thrash out some thoughts before I meet with Julie.’
‘I have about twenty minutes before I have to meet with DI Rutherford, so let’s make a start.’
‘Well, the similarities are evident – they were all hand-delivered so our guy either knows he won’t be captured on CCTV or else he has someone else dropping them off, either not knowing the significance of the letters or actively working with him. I think it’s the former.’
‘I’d agree. He’s managed to keep out of view this long, so why would he change? The abduction and what followed was personal – a solitary task. He doesn’t have someone else working with him. Didn’t someone deliver one of the boxes to Kate – one of those motorcycle delivery services? Did Markston ever trace that guy?’
‘Yes. It was all through Acer Deliveries. A cash payment. When the owner and staff were questioned, neither the woman who received the package at the depot nor the delivery guy could remember anything significant. Everything is done out of a tiny room. No CCTV.’ Maggie tapped her pen on the table.
‘The notes don’t say much either. A few weird poems and quotes. The latest one to Julie was interesting.’ Nathan held up a page. ‘Says he sewed their eyes so they wouldn’t have to see the evil in the world and their mouths so they wouldn’t speak of any evil. Bloody bizarre. The post-mortem confirms that the sewing took place after death, so could there be a ritual element to it?’
‘I’d actually say it was more a part of his signature, like the tattoo he left.’ Maggie noticed Nathan frown and knew she would need to expand on her thought process. ‘Our experience tells us that some serial killers sometimes perform unusual, bizarre acts and routines that aren’t considered a part of their MO; for instance, it’s believed that the original Night Stalker in the US, before he became a serial killer, raped women. The women told the police that during some of the rapes, he would sit down and cry, called them by their first names, and made personal statements about himself in front of them. This would be considered ritualistic behaviour because it just can’t be explained in any way. What did he get out of that? Do you see what I mean?’
‘Hmmm. OK, I see what you mean. The infinity tattoo – he’s showing his connection to the victim forever, maybe? What did Kate think about the eyes and mouth being sewn shut?’
‘I don’t think she verbalized anything at the time. She was in a bit of shock and wanted time to process things. It’d be a good idea to call her. You’ve been a big help. I’ve had so many things ticking through my mind – it’s good to bounce the ideas off someone else. Like the old days. I’ll catch you later.’
Maggie placed the copies of the evidence on the incident board before heading out to meet Julie Noble.