Nathan stood at the front of the room and his stress could be felt in the atmosphere. ‘Thank you all for coming at such short notice. I know it’s getting late, but I think it’s important with everything that’s happened that we look at where we’re at – we’ve been looking at things on an individual basis, but we need a joined-up approach. Bethany, can you talk us through the social media interrogation?’
Bethany stood and faced the room. ‘I’m not going to bore you with all the specific details, but when I was going through Tracy’s and Kelsey’s social media profiles I noticed a few odd things. There were comments that noted unusual reactions to certain photos and, in each case, either Tracy or Kelsey denied any knowledge of making the offending remarks linked to their profile. When their laptops were searched, there was nothing of note; however, we now suspect that a spy app was downloaded onto the victims’ phones which would effectively allow our killer to monitor and read everything that the phone owner did. In fact, the killer could have posed as the owner on various social media sites or via text message.’
‘Bethany and I wondered if Kate’s phone has also been compromised in this way. I’ve left Kate a message so we can check her phone ASAP. What we don’t know is how Kate and these two women are connected – or even if they are connected at all. And we don’t know how or when the killer got close enough to grab the phones, install the app, and return them without the women knowing. Bethany said it could take anywhere from ten to twenty minutes to download the app onto the phone.’ Maggie nodded at Bethany to continue.
‘That’s right. Maybe they were all somewhere and they left their bags unattended?’ She paused. ‘Though, most people have their phones glued to their hands. I’m at a bit of a loss on that one.’
Nathan interjected. ‘I’m not sure a connection is important, if I’m honest. Kate was his initial target months ago, but he never took any action with her. In fact, I think the two women were chosen almost as if they were test subjects. He tried his hand at making them compliant, then they died, which means he may well just go for Kate instead of another woman. We need her phone and I’m actually not very comfortable leaving her so vulnerable. I think he’ll escalate and make his move sooner rather than later. We’ve seen it before. We may need to think about moving her somewhere safer.’
As much as Maggie enjoyed having Kate at her house, she knew her boss was right. ‘Where do you suggest?’
‘Leave the details to me. I’ll have to speak with DI Rutherford, and the less the team know the better. Not that we don’t trust you all, but we need to make sure that only the top brass know what’s happening. Maggie, finish up the briefing and I’ll let you all know what’s happening when I can. I can’t stress this enough – do not share any information outside of this room. Am I clear?’
There were a few grumbles from her colleagues – no one likes to be thought of as a leak – but they all nodded their understanding. Maggie waited for Nathan to leave.
‘OK. Let’s focus on those we’ve interviewed so far. Tracy’s boyfriend, Joshua Hinks. We know they had an argument at the time she disappeared. Although his family confirmed his alibi, he also knew Kelsey Gilbey as he was a regular patron at the pub where she worked. We can’t find any connection to Kate, but that doesn’t mean one doesn’t exist. For now, he remains a person of interest. Then we have Richard Patterson. Now, he made some strange references to the murders and has taken an unhealthy interest in the cases, according to his Probation Officer; however, there’s no evidence that he left the hostel or has another property where he could hold these women. The bodies were disposed of in the middle of the night, so I personally think we can remove him from the list. His offences also have a sexual element to them and there is no evidence that the victims were sexually assaulted. What does everyone else think?’
‘Hmmm. Just because no semen was found at the scene, doesn’t mean he didn’t masturbate and then get rid of that. I think we’re jumping the gun if we remove him so soon. How do we know that he didn’t figure out a way to get out of the hostel unseen – or remove his tag? I remember a case where the tag hadn’t been fitted properly and the offender just pulled it off and on and went on their merry way committing burglaries. He was only caught when a fault in the ankle bracelet set off the box and when the tagging company came out, they found him climbing back in through the window,’ one of the field officers offered.
‘OK, maybe we leave him on the list and get someone to go back to check his tag as well as any blind spots in the building. Good call. Right. Let’s all go away and start piecing this puzzle together. I think we’re probably closer than we realize.’ Maggie clapped her hands together. She was trying to keep up staff morale and hoped her face didn’t tell a different story.