7.30 a.m. and Warren and Tony Sutton were updating Grayson before the general 8 a.m. briefing. Grayson was wearing a freshly pressed uniform. Immediately after, he was meeting with several members of the force’s most senior officers and Bishop Fisher’s successor, the current Bishop of Hertfordshire and Essex.
The appointment was both a courtesy to assure the church that the murders were being taken seriously, and a means of forging links with the diocese to ensure their full cooperation with the investigation. Warren’s gut was telling him that the case was likely to uncover some uncomfortable truths and that they were going to need as much assistance as possible.
Warren’s interview the previous day with Sergeant Ingram indicated that sexual misconduct might not be the motivation behind the two priests’ murders, nevertheless, he wasn’t prepared to entirely dismiss the idea. Especially given Rachel Pymm’s confirmation that Vernon Coombs’ tale of sixteenth-century sexual abuse seemed to be correct.
‘It’s a hell of a story,’ said DSI Grayson, ‘but it seems pretty far-fetched. Sometimes coincidences do happen. Look at anything hard enough and you’ll start to see connections that don’t exist.’
‘I agree that the murders are similar to the methods supposedly used by Simon Scrope to avenge his brother’s mistreatment,’ said Warren, ‘but we can’t find any evidence that either priest was involved in sexual abuse. Sergeant Ingram was adamant that Father Daugherty was falsely accused and that the student eventually withdrew the allegation. As for Father Nolan, we haven’t found anything at all.’
‘All that tells us is that the motive or the reason these men were chosen were different to the original murders,’ interjected Sutton. ‘I still think that the killer is familiar with the stories about the abbey’s past. I think we need to continue looking at who else might have had access to the same sources as Vernon Coombs.’
‘The question is how do we do that without showing our hand? Ideally the killer won’t know that we suspect a link, but I don’t know if Vernon Coombs had told anyone of his suspicions before he met me – although obviously, he didn’t tell anyone afterwards.’ Warren cringed inwardly at how callous his words sounded. He still felt sad that he was probably the last person to have a meaningful conversation with the dead reporter.
‘Perhaps he made a note in his files, so that he could acknowledge their assistance later?’ Grayson’s words were clearly more optimistic than he felt.
‘Perhaps, but Rachel says the work was pretty disorganised. She and her team are looking for anything that might help.’
‘What about this supposed false accusation against Father Daugherty?’ asked Grayson.
‘From what we’ve heard from the school liaison officer that dealt with the original complaint, it was likely to be just that. I’ve asked Hutch to dig a little deeper and see if the No Further Action was justified, and also track down the complainant’s whereabouts, to see if they have an alibi. The Social Media Intelligence Unit are looking at her social media posts, to see if she has expressed any strong views about the Church’s recent problems, or if she has any ongoing links to people in the local community that could have been involved in the killings.’
‘Good work, keep me posted.’