The notebook was left in the pocket of the tracksuit. Emerald didn’t want any repercussions. Even though Anna had explained the importance of the contents to their investigation, she could think only of the trouble she might get into for having sold the jewelry. She certainly didn’t want anyone showing up claiming the money. It had all been spent anyway.
Chapter Two
Days later and the team had still not been able to identify their latest victim. It was immensely frustrating. Even with the extensive press coverage and television broadcasts, no one had come forward. Interpol had also been unable to assist, and neither had Mispers. It was beginning to look as if, along with their brunette victim, the police had another Jane Doe.
Mike held a briefing, but it was disappointing news: officers at the service station and viewing CCTV had so far come up with nothing. It seemed no one had seen the girl, and even though they were still making inquiries, it was looking as if they had reached a dead end. They also gained nothing from the clothing of either of the young women except for a few seat-cover fibers, but they were of a common variety used in a number of vehicles. The disturbing element was the consensus that all three victims had been killed by the same person, due to the MOs being virtually identical.
Mike concluded the briefing by saying that they had distributed appeals for information and warning leaflets at the service stations.
Anna wrote up the report of her visit to Emerald, detailing the fact that Margaret Potts had kept a notebook of the license plates of men who picked her up. But as Emerald had said she no longer had the suitcase or knew where the notebook could be, it was not much use.
Barolli went over to Anna’s desk. “The bitch is lying,” he said. “She never told me she had Potts’s suitcase.”
“I think she was scared it might get her into trouble. She was wearing the dead woman’s tracksuit.”
“You don’t think she’s still got the case, do you?”
“I might have, but she got quite agitated when I asked to see it, and said she’d thrown it out.”
“You think it’d be worth getting a warrant to search her place?”
“From the way she reacted, I’d say as soon as I left, she would have got rid of it, if she still had it.”
“Shit.”
Anna declined to add that he had missed the opportunity when he first interviewed Emerald. She was annoyed that the woman had lied to her, claiming that the suitcase had been checked over when she had been interviewed previously.
“We never found Potts’s handbag, and we didn’t even have a description of it.” Barolli grunted. “Maybe this notebook would have been in it.”
“Probably. She must have kept it on her if she was jotting down reg plates. Strange that she would—” Anna broke off as a new thought occurred to her.
“Would what?”
“Well, Emerald said she was a wily old girl, tough, very streetwise, and yet she gets into a car or a truck with the killer. So, he’s got to be someone she trusted enough or maybe had been with before.”
“Fuck! If only we had the bloody notebook,” Barolli said angrily.
“Well, we don’t, but there’s something else,” Anna said, then hesitated. “Again, this came from Emerald. She said that Margaret had contact with some heavy guys — ex-cops, she said — and they looked out for her.”
“I don’t understand.”
“Well, when she was roughed up, she never reported it to the police, but would use the heavy guys to get the addresses from the plates and leave it to them to deal out their own rough justice.”
Barolli pulled at his tie. “We’d better go back to Emerald Turk, search her place again, and see if she can give us some names.”
Anna agreed and suggested the men might work for bailiff companies if Emerald couldn’t or refused to help. Privately, she doubted that the woman would cooperate, but without much else to work on, they had to do something.
Barolli turned. Passing through the incident room was Detective Chief Superintendent James Langton. He waved at them both before entering Mike Lewis’s office.
“I wondered when he would show up,” Barolli murmured. “He won’t like this. Word is he’s up for the commander’s position, heading up Murder and Serious Crime.”
Anna said nothing, but for the first time in as long as she could remember, she hadn’t felt disturbed at seeing Langton.
“You didn’t get your promotion,” Barolli said suddenly.
“That’s a bit obvious.”
“Well, I’m in the same boat. I’ve been before the powers that be twice, and I just don’t seem able to crack it. It’s all the fucking diversity stuff that gets me.”
“Got me, too,” she said, smiling. This wasn’t actually the truth, since it had been Langton who had vetoed her promotion, but she no longer harbored any ill feelings toward him. On the contrary, she now realized he had been right, and she was not yet ready for promotion to detective chief inspector. But she fully intended to prove herself when the time came around again.
“This case isn’t going to do any of us any favors,” Barolli grumbled.
Anna wished he’d move off, but instead, he perched on the edge of her desk, his heel kicking against it.
“You going to see about getting a search warrant and interviewing Emerald Turk again?” she asked.
He sighed and then, thankfully, moved back to his own desk. “I’ll run it by Mike,” he said.
Anna turned as Barbara joined her, signaling to her that she was wanted in Mike’s office.
“You don’t think these Jane Does are maybe illegal immigrants, do you?” Barbara asked with concern. “If that’s the case, we’ll never get them identified. Maybe we should check around the embassies and clubs — churches, even.”
Anna picked up her notebook, saying, “I think that’s already in hand, Barbara. Did Mike say what he wanted?”
“No. I’d have put it through to your desk, but you were having a confab with Barolli.”
Anna sat beside Langton, who gave her a warm smile and asked how she was. He seemed relaxed, while Mike was edgy, flicking a Biro pen. Then there was a pause.
“I’m very well, thanks,” Anna replied, thankful that this was true and that Langton’s sudden appearance had not affected her.
“You want me to tell her?” Mike began.
“No. It’s this letter, Anna, from the prisoner Cameron Welsh. I had a look over it. I’m not that impressed because it could just be a load of bull, but considering the case is flatlining all round, we shouldn’t just dismiss it, in case he does have information for us or you.”
“I really doubt that he has,” Anna said, somewhat surprised.
Langton nodded. “Yeah, I hear you, but he’s been banged up for some considerable time and would have had a lot of opportunity to talk to any number of inmates — so you never know. I suggest you pay the bastard a visit, see what he’s got or hasn’t. I can’t really recall if you had much interaction with him when we arrested him.”
“I met him, obviously, and was in on a couple of interviews, but that was it.”
“Well, you obviously made a big impression on him.”
Anna made no reply as Langton continued: “From what I’ve read up on the case files, Welsh doesn’t fit the profile of this sicko we’re looking for, but then as I recall, he didn’t fit the profile we worked on while hunting for him. Both his victims were held captive.”
“He’s gained a child psychology degree while he’s been in prison,” Anna said.
“Yes, I know, and he’s also been in a pack of trouble while he’s been at Barfield. Anyways, go and see him and take Barolli with you. Might as well see if he’s bullshitting, but maybe he’ll surprise us.”