‘OK, gather round.’ George McConnell polished his glasses as he waited for the team to settle. All present and correct – except for Collingworth. George had tried to keep his tone friendly on the phone but knew he had failed miserably. He only had to hear Collingworth’s voice to feel a growing tension, his blood pressure rising. Lack of sleep probably didn’t help, and neither the fact that he couldn’t raise Brendan Moran despite several attempts. In Charlie’s absence George was the senior most suitable to keep the ball rolling, and right now George was poised for a strike.
‘OK, here it is. Following a lead suggested by DC Tess Martin, DC Odunsi and myself have spent a fruitful night sifting through one of Southampton’s cold cases.’ George clocked the reaction Tess Martin’s name had caused. Wide eyes, sideways glances, a collective exhalation. A hand went up.
‘DC Swinhoe.’
‘Tess spoke to you? How–’
George held up his hand. ‘Yes. Briefly, and with difficulty, but she spoke.’
The mood in the IR perceptibly lifted. A buzz of conversation rose with it. George allowed their sentiments free rein for thirty seconds before he called a halt to the celebrations. ‘All right, all right. Yes, it’s great news. Early days, but it has to be a good sign. But the point is, Tess recognised a name. I was rambling on about the current case, and she stopped me. She’d heard the name before – Connie Chan. A cold case, from her Southampton days. If I read the newspaper article we found in the case notes, it’ll give you a good overview, so pin back your ears.’ George opened the folder, withdrew the photocopy, and started to read:
“A serial killer who murders vulnerable elderly people may have been active in Britain since the1990s and could still be on the loose, according to an independent and confidential report.
The report, compiled by one of the most senior coroner’s officers, raises serious concerns about two cases where widowers living alone were suffocated in their own homes. After re-examining the cases using modern techniques, the report finds that both cases were likely to have been murders and also identifies three other similar cases of elderly men killed in the northwest of England.
It suggests that the first two suspected murders — both in Knutsford, Cheshire — could have been the work of an offender unknown to the police.
This weekend Cheshire police said it was conducting a review of the findings in the report, which was handed to the force last month. It has also alerted police in Greater Manchester and Cumbria where some of the other killings took place.
The 149-page report calls on the National Crime Agency and Interpol to review cases in Britain and Europe to determine whether there are more related murders. “This individual will not stop killing until someone or something stops him,” the report says.
John Morris, MP for Chester, said police must act swiftly: “The implications don’t bear thinking about if there is an offender responsible for a series of what were dreadful crimes.”
The report, written by Steven Dalley, the senior coroner’s officer for Cheshire, is supported by evidence from his predecessor at the time of the first deaths and a US-based crime-scene analysis expert.
The first two killings happened in 1991 and 1993 only two miles apart in Knutsford, the Cheshire town. These were originally thought by police to be murder-suicides. One victim was discovered lying on their bed and the other had been abandoned in the front seat of a car parked in a supermarket car park.
Similarities between the cases included the murder MO – suffocation by means of a scarf, or similar.
The report, which Dalley produced in his free time, examined police files and crime scene photographs and points to “a number of inconsistencies which do not corroborate the original manner of death of being suicide”.
It also identifies a further three cases — in 1995, 1996 and 2000 — that Dalley believes should be reviewed to see whether they are linked to the Knutsford killings. Two of the cases were in nearby Greater Manchester and the third was in the Lake District.
Denis O’Keefe, former chief prosecutor for the northwest, said: “We could potentially have a serial killer in our midst. There needs to be a proper review of these cases and others which carry similar hallmarks.”
Cheshire police said: “We are in receipt of the report and it is being reviewed. This is a piece of research that has been undertaken by a staff member, independently. As with any case that has been closed, where new information comes to light it is reviewed and acted upon if appropriate. We have notified Greater Manchester police and Cumbria constabulary.”
George finished and looked up. The silence was deafening. Another hand was in the air.
‘DC Tomlinson.’
‘Can we get hold of Steven Dalley? Sounds like he’s committed to the case – he’s exactly the guy we need, surely?’
‘Surely, indeed.’ George nodded. ‘Unfortunately, that’s not going to be possible.’ He picked out another photocopy from the folder, read aloud:
Daily Mail, Monday 2nd April 2005. Hit and run death. Steven Dalley, 43, from Frodsham, Cheshire was the victim of a hit and run driver in the early hours of Sunday morning. Mr Dalley was a long-serving member of the Cheshire coroner’s office, acting as senior coroner’s officer from 1995 to the present. He leaves behind a wife and two children. The driver and vehicle have yet to be identified.
Silence. Someone said ‘Bloody hell’ under their breath.
George went on. ‘Zubaida Binti Ungu, native of Malaysia. Wanted by Malaysian authorities. Suspected of killing her uncle and absconding with his worldly goods. Arrived in the UK 1990 or thereabouts. Wanted in connection with the unexplained death of a seventy-four year old man in Bursledon.’
‘She gets around,’ DC Swinhoe observed.
‘She sure does,’ Bola Odunsi agreed. ‘But what we need to know is, where the heck is she now?’
‘This lady is very good at losing herself,’ George said. ‘Which is interesting, because she’s a striking-looking woman. And the only person we know who’s actually seen her in the flesh is–’
As if on cue, DC Chris Collingworth bumped through the IR door, took a seat at the back.
All eyes swivelled to the rear.
George resisted the urge to make a snide remark. ‘DC Collingworth? A description of Connie Chan, if it’s not too much trouble?’
Collingworth looked flustered, preoccupied. ‘What? Oh, right. Well, she was a stunner. Oriental. Long black hair, tied in a loose knot. Mole high on her right cheek. Perfect teeth. Around 5’ 6”; puts on a good act, if she’s the one we’re after.’
‘She is,’ George said. ‘DC Delaney? You have something?’
Delaney was an athletic-looking thirty-year old whose mission in life was to run as fast as possible to get there. Half-marathon, marathon, whatever, he’d be out in all weathers. A good detective, in George’s opinion. Liked to get stuck in. Delaney’s eyes were bright and focused, in contrast to George’s which were in danger of closing unless he grabbed another shot of coffee, fast.
Delaney’s words raced across George’s lagging brain. ‘Chan must have had lodgings nearby, if she was working at Chapelfields, right? Temporary, because she knew she wouldn’t be staying long. So, not a tenant. Friends in the area? Doubtful. She sounds like a solo artist to me. So, what then? B&B, or a hotel somewhere nearby. Chan didn’t get the King’s Cross train. So, where did she go first? Has to be Reading station, right? I bet Marley was supposed to dump the car, get to Reading station to meet her, and then…’ Delaney shrugged.
‘To London, to King’s Cross.’ George nodded.
‘So, assuming she found out pretty soon that Marley wasn’t turning up, what’s her next move?’
‘Back to her lodgings.’ Bola spread his hands.
‘So where haven’t we checked CCTV so far?’ George appealed to the room.
‘We covered Reading station,’ DC Swinhoe said.
‘Front and rear?’ George stuck his chin out.
Bernice Swinhoe and Delaney exchanged a look.
‘That’ll be a no, then.’ George made a fist, nudged his front teeth. ‘And, correct me if I’m wrong, but there are several budget hotels to the rear, on the Caversham Road, are there not?’
Nods.
‘Right, you two,’ this to Swinhoe and Delaney, ‘get to it. If she shows up on the recording, I want to know.’
DC Stiles had her hand up now. ‘George, the newspaper report mentioned a US-based crime scene expert. Worth chasing?’
‘Aye, I’ll get onto Southampton first thing. Hopefully someone can supply a name.’
‘Any word from the boss up north?’ Collingworth called out as they began to disperse.
‘I’ll be in touch with DI Pepper shortly.’ George raised his voice above the clatter of chairs.
‘And DCI Moran?’ Collingworth was making his way across to Julie Stiles.
‘Not available as of now,’ George replied. ‘He’ll be in contact soon, I’m sure.’
‘Bad time to be out of the loop,’ Collingworth said. ‘Wonder where he’s got to?’ This with a wink to DC Stiles.
George took a breath. ‘That’s his business, DC Collingworth. You’d best be cracking on with the job in hand.’
‘Makes you wonder, though.’ Collingworth addressed the observation to Julie Stiles, although it was clear that his intended audience was George.
George tapped reserves of restraint he was unaware he possessed. ‘DCI Moran has been through more crap than you’ll experience in your lifetime, DC Collingworth,’ he said slowly, for emphasis, tucking the photocopies back into the folder. ‘He deserves some time to himself. A little peace and quiet. Let the man have his Sunday afternoon. He’ll be out walking his dog, enjoying his Sabbath rest.’
‘R&R,’ Collingworth smirked. ‘That’ll be right, eh Julie?’
Julie Stiles smiled coyly. ‘I’d like some of that, too.’
‘You can both forget that for now,’ George said. ‘We have a serial killer to catch.’