Back at police HQ, Annie Delamere had spent an hour or so briefing the team and hearing updates about the ongoing investigation. She could sense a renewed sense of purpose among those working on the case. A further comparison of the CSI images of the body with the picture provided by Ellie Jordan had confirmed Annie’s view that the third body was that of Carl Francis. That meant they now had identities for all three victims and a link between them. It felt as if they were finally beginning to make some progress, and Annie had directed the team to various new lines of enquiry. They were looking at the personal finances of the three victims, conducting detailed searches of their flats, trying to track down Cathy Parkin and gathering more information on Werneth Holdings.
Even so, Annie herself remained frustrated that, as yet, they still seemed a long way from finding a killer or even a motive. For all the activity, they had too few real leads, and it still wasn’t clear where or how they might make a real breakthrough, even now they’d identified the first body as Carl Francis. Ellie Jordan had apparently known little about her flatmate’s private life, and Annie couldn’t imagine that the third flatmate would provide many additional insights. They’d need to talk to Francis’s parents but, despite the mother’s apparent lies, they might have little more to offer. Perhaps she’d lied to them simply because she was a mother who wanted to think the best of her son.
Time was passing. While it was true that the new lines of enquiry combined with the continuing painstaking work of conducting interviews, examining CCTV footage and reviewing forensic data might eventually throw up some lead that would open up the case, every day that went by made their work that much harder.
‘What’s the plan?’ Zoe said, when they finally reconvened later in the afternoon.
Annie was chewing on a belated lunch of a tuna sandwich while trying to catch up with her overflowing in-tray of emails. It was the first time she’d sat down since they’d returned to the office. ‘Wish I had one. Or at least a more inspired one. There’s a lot going on, but we still need a real breakthrough.’
‘We’re making progress,’ Zoe said. ‘We’ve identified the victims. We’ve got a clear link between them. We’ve got some new leads.’
‘I know. And we’re doing all the right things. We just need that one break.’
‘It’ll come,’ Zoe said. ‘Any word on how they’re doing at your place?’
‘CSIs are still there, though I’m told they’ve nearly finished. I had a quick chat with Danny Eccles, but it doesn’t look as if there’s anything very new emerging. And I spoke to Sheena, who’s only too keen to get away from the place. She’s been okay this morning because there’ve been plenty of people milling about, but I’d like to get her out of there before the CSIs pack up.’
‘Do you want to do that first, then?’
‘Why not? Then we need to pay a visit to Francis’s mother and father. Break the bad news.’
‘Always my least favourite part of this job.’
‘Tell me about it. Especially when it’s someone so young. I’m dreading this one even more than most. We need to keep things moving. We’ll have to press the mother because we really need to know why she lied to us before, and find out if there’s anything useful she can tell us about Carl.’
‘Doesn’t feel like the moment to be interrogating her,’ Zoe said.
‘Sadly, it may be the best possible moment. That’s why I want to handle this one myself. Like I said in the car, this job sometimes turns me into a person I don’t much like. But given we’ve now had three identical murders, I don’t think we can afford to waste any time. Jennings has told me five times that the media office’s phone is ringing off the hook and the nationals are sniffing round.’
Zoe nodded. ‘I guess we’d better get going then.’
They completed their first task relatively straightforwardly. Annie had phoned ahead and Sheena was waiting for them. She’d packed a small bag with a few changes of clothes, and was sitting at the kitchen table, drumming her fingers anxiously on the wooden tabletop.
Annie had been outside for a brief conversation with the CSIs, who confirmed that they were in the process of packing up and would be gone within the next hour. The remaining police presence had largely been removed, and, with darkness already beginning to fall, Annie was becoming conscious again of the isolation of the house. Even when this was all over, they might have to rethink whether this was the right place for them to be living. It had been such a happy place for them but now it felt tainted.
‘It’s really good of you to offer to do this,’ Sheena was saying to Zoe as Annie returned from the garden.
‘No worries at all,’ Zoe said. ‘We’ll be delighted to have you. Gary’s quite star-struck.’
Sheena laughed. ‘I hope I’m not a sad disappointment to him. But it really is just for a few days. I’ll do my best not to be a burden.’
‘I’ve told Andy Dwyer where you’re going,’ Annie said, ‘but asked him not to spread the word too widely. I don’t trust some bugger not to leak it to the media. Dwyer’s going to keep any security pretty low-key. I’m hoping your biggest safeguard will be that no one knows you’re there.’
They left the house with Sheena dressed in a heavy waterproof with a hood that would help conceal her face when they reached Zoe’s house. The chances of anyone spotting her arriving in the middle of a suburban housing estate were limited, but Annie didn’t want to risk any nosy neighbours blabbing to the press. Whether she liked it or not, Sheena’s features were only too familiar from her frequent appearances on local media.
With Sheena safely in the car, Annie went through the routine of locking up the house behind her. Her own bag for her stay at her mother’s was already packed and stowed in the back of the car, so there’d be no need for her to return here tonight.
The process of locking up and departing felt oddly final, as if they were moving away permanently. Perhaps they were, she thought bitterly, or at least perhaps this was the beginning of that process. The events of the last few days felt as if they’d changed everything. Sheena had been insistent that her determination to continue her work was as strong as ever, but Annie could sense there’d already been a change. What the impact of that change might be she had as yet no idea, but it felt as if their lives were at a point of transition.
Zoe lived in a relatively anonymous estate on the edge of the city. It was the kind of place that Annie would normally have found soulless, with its rows of largely identical ‘desirable’ houses. She knew Zoe liked it for precisely that reason. For her, it provided a low-effort normality, a place where she could just lose herself once she’d finished dealing with whatever the job might throw at her. Tonight, Annie could understand what Zoe meant.
As soon as they reached the house, Zoe jumped out to unlock the front door while Annie retrieved Sheena’s bag from the rear of the car. Their aim was to minimise the amount of time Sheena would be exposed to any potential public gaze. The whole thing felt absurdly cloak-and-dagger, particularly as it was already almost dark, but Annie wanted to take no chances.
Minutes later, Sheena was inside, and Annie was already feeling more relaxed. It was only then that she realised how anxious she’d been feeling on her partner’s behalf. She’d been trying not to think about what had happened over the last few days, but the attempts on Sheena’s life had been close calls. The dumping of Garfield’s body, whatever the motives, had brought it all even nearer to home. It had shaken Annie more than she’d understood. Sheena had always seemed extraordinarily resilient, but Annie wondered what the impact on her had really been.
‘I’ve just spoken to Gary,’ Zoe said as she returned from the kitchen with a welcoming coffee for Sheena. ‘He’s on his way back from work. Reckons he’ll be about thirty minutes. Do you want us to wait till he’s back before Annie and I head off?’
‘You go,’ Sheena said. ‘I’ve already wasted enough of your time this afternoon. I’ll be fine for half an hour. Nobody even knows I’m here.’
‘You’re sure?’ Annie said.
‘Annie, I’m not an idiot. I fully appreciate what’s happened and the risks. But we’ve got to continue with our lives. I’m as safe here as I can be.’
Annie hesitated. She knew Sheena was right, and she also knew that the last thing Sheena wanted was to make any concessions to those who had tried to harm her. It wouldn’t help Sheena’s state of mind if they continued to treat her like some kind of invalid. ‘Well, okay. But you’ll call me straight away if there are any problems.’
‘Like what?’
Annie shrugged. ‘I’ve no idea. But you’ll call. Promise.’ More than anything, she wanted to embrace Sheena – for her own sake as well as Sheena’s – but she knew Sheena would feel self-conscious in Zoe’s presence.
‘If there are any problems, I’ll call. I promise. Now, bugger off, both of you.’