Kate stared at the pictures on the screen. The likeness was uncanny. Both of these women could be her twin. Her chest felt tight. Her eye twitched. What the actual hell is happening?
‘Are you sure you want to do this, Kate?’ Maggie reached out and Kate shook her hand away.
‘Yes.’ She cleared her throat. ‘It’ll help … with the profile. We need to get a handle on this before I … before someone else gets hurt.’
Dr Blake explained to them both her initial findings. ‘If you look here’, she pointed at each woman’s face around the eye area, ‘the killer used an ice-pick-like tool to go in behind the eye. As I pointed out in my report, I believe he’s left-handed because of the angle used … but there is still something odd about the injury that I just can’t put my finger on … anyway.’ She shook her head as if clearing her thoughts. ‘The problem is that in Ms Holloway’s case, he hit blood vessels, which caused internal bleeding on the brain. She didn’t die instantly, but she wouldn’t have survived long.’
Kate looked away momentarily. The realization of what Tracy Holloway had gone through hit her hard. ‘What do you think the purpose of that was? I have my own thoughts …’
‘In simplest terms, it’s a crude lobotomy of sorts. If I had to guess, I would say he was trying to keep them alive but compliant.’ Dr Blake pulled up the next photo.
‘What’s that on their backs?’
Maggie’s face turned red as she’d clearly ‘forgotten’ to share this detail with Kate.
‘It’s an infinity tattoo,’ Dr Blake offered.
‘And they both had one? That’s a coincidence, isn’t it?’ Kate watched as Maggie looked at Dr Blake; the doctor turned away.
‘What? What am I missing?’ Kate glared at Maggie.
‘We think the killer put those tattoos on the women. Family and friends confirmed that neither had any tattoos. It may be his signature.’
‘For Christ’s sake, Maggie. Why didn’t you tell me this before?’ Kate looked closer at the tattoo. ‘He’s marking them. Staking his claim. They are his … forever.’
‘I’m sorry, I couldn’t tell you.’ Maggie at least had the decency to look embarrassed.
‘So that’s why you asked me if I had any tattoos, is it?’
Maggie looked down at the floor. ‘Yes. But we had our reasons—’
‘Can we carry on, Fiona?’ Kate cut Maggie off before her anger grew. She wished Maggie had trusted her more to share that detail.
‘Some sedatives were found in both women, so at least we can hope that they didn’t feel anything at the time. Kelsey Gilbey survived longer. Your killer’s skills were better. She died of an infection but was alive at least a week or two. He was giving her antibiotics.’
‘There’s been some debate as to whether he may have a medical background. Is that what you’re thinking?’ Kate was wavering herself now that she was hearing more.
‘He could’ve learned how to do this from anywhere – online or from a medical book. He may have dropped out of med school. There are numerous possibilities. I wouldn’t just focus on someone who has medical expertise though, if you want my opinion.’
‘Noted. What else do you think is important?’ Maggie listened intently.
‘There are some old contusions on each victim. I think they were initially restrained with a plastic tie or perhaps a rope – the markings suggest a mixture of the two. There was also some old bruising and cuts on their backs, which I believe may have come from being confined in a tight space. Maybe the boot of a car? The injuries could have been sustained from hits on their back from something within the boot.’
‘I wondered that myself. How did he get them back to wherever he held them? A car boot makes sense for travel. Was there anything under their nails? Did they fight back?’ Kate was firing off the questions in quick succession and tugged at her ear.
‘The nails were meticulously cleaned. And a fresh coat of black nail polish applied just after death or possibly after he undertook his surgical procedure. If the women did fight back, there’s nothing to show it.’ Dr Blake showed some close-up shots of the hands and feet. The nails were a glossy black. She turned to the next photos and Kate flinched.
‘Their eyes …’
‘Yes, when I removed the stitching, I found he had put in blue contact lenses.’
‘Like my eyes.’
‘There is a similarity, yes. Are you OK, Kate?’
‘No. I … can’t breathe. I … need to …’ She slumped to the floor.
Maggie raced over. Kate could see her but couldn’t hear what she was saying. Everything was a blur.
***
Kate wasn’t sure how much time had passed, but she was now seated in a room – no more pictures. But as she blinked, she could still see their eyes. Glassy, blue … crying for help.
‘How are you feeling now? You scared me there for a minute.’ Maggie squeezed her hand.
Her throat was dry. ‘Sorry. It just all became a little too much, too real. Can I have a glass of water?’
Maggie left her alone. Alone with her thoughts. There was no denying it now. She was the target. It was her stalker and Kate had no idea what his plans for her were.
Maggie came back in with a large glass of water. ‘Here. Drink this. Let’s talk it through. I don’t want you having this on your mind all day.’
Kate couldn’t share her real thoughts. She needed to process everything in her own way. ‘I’m fine, I think it was just a shock to see how much they looked like me. But I think I can come up with a profile that will help focus the case. I also think that Dr Blake was right about medical knowledge. The leucotomies were crudely done. You can actually google and watch videos on how to do them – but I do think he may have some basic medical knowledge. You said he mentioned Dahmer to that reporter. Maybe that’s where he found inspiration.’ She tugged her ear. ‘Leave it with me, and I’ll get something together for you in the next day or so.’
‘OK. I’ll let DI Rutherford know. Do you want to come back to Stafford station with me?’
‘No. I’ll grab the train to Markston.’
Maggie’s brow creased.
‘Don’t look at me like that. I’ll be on a train full of people and Markston station is a ten-minute walk away when I get off … in a busy public area. I’ll text you when I get there if it makes you feel better.’
‘No. Sorry. I’ll get someone to drive you over there. In fact, I’m just going to call DI Rutherford, then I’ll drive you there myself.’
Kate breathed a sigh of relief. She didn’t want to be on her own.
‘I’ll pick you up after work as well. You ready?’
Kate stood and grabbed her bag. ‘Yeah. Let’s go.’