The briefing room was packed, and Maggie not only saw but could feel the strain on her colleagues’ faces. Nathan was furiously writing on the whiteboards.
‘What else do we know? We have a possible link to temp agencies – specifically ArrowRoot in Markston and FirstStop in London. The owner in Markston has been ruled out as a person of interest even though he seemed a good suspect at the start – he turned out to be a bit of a perv but mainly an arse. Our killer feels connected to these women and this stems from the unsolved murder in London. The killer must have had a relationship with the London victim. Was it unrequited? Is this what led him to kill again? But why is he here? What drew him to Stafford?’
‘That’s a lot of questions and not enough answers.’ Maggie stated the obvious and Nathan glared back at her.
‘Well, what do you have to add to the story? We’re not here to criticize. We’re here to find those answers.’
Maggie blushed. ‘Sorry, boss. Um … I still think that the connection is to one of the partnerships we work with. Think about it. This guy accessed Kate’s work email – that’s only known to people within the criminal justice system; everyone else is screened through HQ. He’s also technically skilled. We’re assuming he put spyware apps on the victims’ phones. Which reminds me, any update on the camera outside Kate’s flat and what did we find on her mobile, Bethany?’ Maggie had been annoyed with Kate as she’d initially refused to hand over her phone to be checked. She’d wanted time to back up her photos and contacts.
‘The security company hadn’t connected the camera yet, so nothing from there. Uh … there was definitely the same spyware app on Kate’s mobile. Unfortunately, this person has been accessing the information through a sophisticated system and I couldn’t tell how long ago it was added. He used something to cover his tracks and, like the emails, I can’t pinpoint a location.’
‘For fuck’s sake.’ Maggie fired Bethany a look and the PC shrank in her seat.
‘Maggie!’ Nathan glared.
Maggie’s cheeks burned at Nathan’s rebuke as she turned to Bethany. ‘Sorry. It’s just we don’t know how long Kate has and the longer we piss about, the more I fear Kate will suffer.’
‘No one has been pissing about. Let’s look at what we do know about our killer: tech savvy; obsessive behaviour bordering on delusional – may have a history of concerning attachments to people; something has happened recently that triggered these new murders. We believe he killed Catharine Hill. Her friends and family say she was stalked for over a year before she was abducted. She was reported missing and held by the killer for three months before her body turned up in a park. All our victims have a Goth-like appearance – though we know that this was Ms Hill’s actual appearance; the current victims were all made to look that way.’ Nathan paused and Maggie took the opportunity to add to the briefing.
‘The eyes and mouths of the victims were all sewn shut. We thought this was because he was making some sort of statement or this was his signature – they won’t speak or see – but what if it’s simpler than that? What if our killer is a mortician? Dr Blake commented on the skill of the stitching in one of her reports.’ Maggie leafed through the pages and held one up. ‘Here, on page fifteen, Dr Blake states that the injuries and procedure imply someone who has medical knowledge. Surely a mortician would have this? Why haven’t we spoken to any?’ Maggie eyed her colleagues.
‘Do you have any specifically in mind? Do you know how many morticians there are in Staffordshire? At a guess, I’d say just one hundred to one hundred and fifty. Without any evidence, we can’t just go out and talk to them all. That’s a waste of resources and time and you’re just grasping at straws.’ Nathan’s tone was stern. He was losing patience with her, but she couldn’t help feeling that there was an obvious answer and they were all too blind to see it. Maybe they were all too close to the case. It was clouding their perspective.
‘Sir, there was one person who did raise some concerns but I couldn’t find a London link …’ Bethany almost whispered. Maggie was embarrassed now that she’d made her colleague feel this way.
‘Well, spit it out,’ Nathan demanded.
‘Charlie. But we spoke to him already and ruled him out.’ Bethany looked as if she wished she’d never brought it up.
‘You mean the forensics guy from Dr Blake’s team? Why bring him up again?’ Nathan tapped his foot.
‘Well, everything Kate said about him, coupled with the fact that he’s agency staff and, coincidentally, registered at the same agency as all of our victims. He’s registered with a few other agencies too, but I wouldn’t say that should have any bearing. Charlie would have had access to Kate’s phone – he’s often based in Markston Police Station. He has medical and forensic knowledge. His background indicates that he dropped out of med school before turning his hand to forensics.’
‘How long have you been sitting on this information? We need to go and interview him again, boss.’ Maggie stood. ‘Why are you all still sitting here?’ She looked around the room.
Nathan walked to the door. ‘Maggie, outside. Now. The rest of you, look at the evidence, find the connections. Get me some answers. I’ll be back.’
Maggie followed Nathan outside the room.
‘Go home and calm down. I don’t want to have to take you off the case but your behaviour in there … totally uncalled for.’ Maggie went to interrupt and he held up his hand. ‘Other than “OK, boss”, I don’t want to hear another word. Charlie has already been spoken to, and he has an airtight alibi for the timeframe that Dr Moloney went missing. We’re not going to rake him over the coals. Get your stuff and go. I’ll see you back here tomorrow morning.’ He turned around and went back into the briefing.
Maggie just stood while her anger burned. She would speak to DI Rutherford before she left. Surely the guv would see sense.