Paul and Jim still had their heads together when I went into the office to report. When they saw me they stopped what they were doing; Jim shot me a puzzled look.
“Are you alright?” he asked, concerned. “You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”
“I have,” I conceded. “At least, the nearest I’ll get to seeing one. I’ve just come back from the forensic office – Emma had some preliminary results through on the saliva sample.”
“And?”
“They match with the DNA sample from Alice’s body all those years ago. It’s the same man. You were right, Paul, when you said he was trying to tell us something. But I doubt even you could’ve guessed the real nature of his message. This isn’t merely a – what was it you called him, Paul? – a mysoped? Someone who you also said had probably killed before. We’re chasing a mass murderer here; some kind of ghoul!”
Paul took hold of my arm gently. “Why don’t you sit down, Angie. Your news doesn’t altogether surprise me; it was more or less what I expected when I said he was trying to leave us a message. But we do need to discuss this calmly.”
Jim was shaking his head. “Are you suggesting, Paul, that he left that saliva deliberately? Knowing we were bound to make a match?”
“Yes. That’s exactly what I’m saying.”
“But why? What was he hoping to gain? Apart from a massive publicity campaign, which he’s now bound to get.” He continued shaking his head in disbelief. “Do you think he’s losing it?”
“Losing it? What does that mean, Jim? He’s certainly not mentally ill, if that’s what you’re implying. This man is a cold, calculating killer, who gets his kicks from sexually brutalising children, and then murdering them. When did you say those last murders occurred?”
“Just over four years ago,” I confirmed.
“Remind me again; how many children were involved?”
“We found the bodies of seven children. He’d dumped their bodies to rot in an old septic tank in the woods. We’d never have found them if it hadn’t been for Connie. Jim and I were both there. I don’t think either of us will ever forget the scene. He’d abandoned those poor children as if they were nothing more than animal carcasses. Some of them had been there for over three years. Can you imagine how the parents must have felt? Denied even the rights to a decent burial? Unable to grieve until the bodies were recovered?”
“Whoa. Slow down, Ange,” Jim said. “I understand how you feel, I was there too, remember. But we can’t let this monster get to us.”
“I think that’s one of his objectives,” Paul added. “It’s a rhetorical question, if you like, but where do you imagine he has been these past four years or so? And why suddenly resurface now after all this time? He certainly hasn’t been in prison – and that’s usually the reason why their activities cease.”
“You tell us, Paul. You’re the expert in these things.” Jim said cryptically.
“I don’t know for sure. But if you consider the characteristics of this type of paedophile, then he’ll be what is called ‘geographically mobile’. In other words, unlike some types of child molesters, he doesn’t have to hunt close to home. Usually he’ll kill in one district and then move on to fresh territory. Invariably, he’ll also hide the body.” He rose to refill his coffee cup from the jug.
“Tell me,” he continued: “what was the geographical profile of those seven children? Where they all from or around the West Midlands?”
“No,” Jim said. “They were from as far afield as Newcastle – upon Tyne, that is. One, if I remember, was from Leeds. Another child was from Manchester. Three of them were from this area. What’s your point, Paul?”
“My point is that, following the uncovering of his last burial site, four years ago, he has found a new tomb for the bodies – and the worry I have is that he may have found it shortly after the uncovering of his first graveyard. I know you’ve been checking police forces around this area in your search for other recent missing children, but I suggest you now check back, during the past four years, for missing children who haven’t been found, regardless of their domicile; you’ll be able to make an intelligent guess as to just what he’s been doing in that time. To put it bluntly, people, it’s my view that he’s carried on mutilating and murdering little children on a regular basis.
“Sweet Jesus!” Jim exploded. “We could have the monster straight out of hell on our patch. Ange, let’s take up Paul’s suggestion. Get the team to change their search pattern; let’s look up the records for missing children from that period. We need to know exactly what we’re up against. Paul,” he said, turning to the psychiatrist; “you still haven’t answered my question. Why’s he suddenly leaving us with these telltale clues? It’s that I’m having difficulty with.”
Paul remained standing, calmly drinking his coffee, as if this were some academic presentation. “Well, to understand that, Jim, you’ll have to allow me to complete the profile on this man. I believe we now have sufficient information to enable me to do that, especially in the light of the DNA match. But you’ll have to give me a couple of days. The one thing I can tell you for the moment is that these sadistic offenders have monumental egos. It seems to me that our man’s ego is expanding, almost exponentially; what I originally described as a game has now become much more than that. This offender’s deliberately challenging us.”
I couldn’t help but notice that, for the first time, Paul had actually joined himself into the action; ‘you’ had now become ‘us’.
“Jim, before I go, there’s something I want to raise with you,” I said.
He sighed heavily. “Yeah. You’re about to ask me about Connie. Right?”
“Well, yes; I was, actually. How did you guess?”
“Because I was having the same thoughts myself. Don’t worry, Ange; I’ll arrange something more appropriate. Maybe we can place one of the new graduates in Ashworth House. Leave it with me, will you?”
“Yeah, sure. And, Jim – thanks.”
“Am I missing something here?” Paul asked. “Or is it something you’d rather I didn’t know about? Do you think this character is likely to come after Connie? Is that it?”
Jim shuffled uncomfortably in his seat, trying to avoid meeting Paul’s eyes.
“Jim; I promised Angie I’d keep an open mind. And that’s precisely what I’m doing. So, you needn’t feel embarrassed about broaching the subject of Connie’s psychic powers; I’ve been well briefed, believe me.”
“Yes. Well, I believe we have to reconsider the whole question of her safety, in the light of what you’ve told us.” He shrugged his shoulders, perplexed. “There’s still something about this whole case that I seem to be missing. Tell me, Paul: why would a paedophile be interested in a teenage girl? ...It doesn’t make sense.”
Paul returned to his seat, shaking his head. “I can’t answer that, Jim, except to say I doubt it’s sex related. All I can tell you is that this offender’s unique in more ways than one. For instance, it’s commonly accepted that ‘sadistic offenders’ prefer young boys to females. Oh, they’ll snatch a girl if the opportunity presents itself; but that tends to be the exception. This character always goes for young girls, though. We’ve no evidence so far of males being involved.” He continued to shake his head. “As far as I can tell we’re dealing here with an enigma; perhaps we’ll never know the answer. But, in the circumstances, more protection for Connie would definitely make sense.”