Harry Peel in his role as taxi driver – Morley was an occasional customer.
Martin Britton through his partner, John Prentice –
Morley was commissioned for at least two photo-shoots of silk fashion in a chinoiserie room at the Britton/Prentice house. (Prentice said the slender Uma Thurman look suited his company’s designs.)
• Kevin Atkins as a builder – his company carried out maintenance work on Morley’s apartment block in 2004.
All contacts in Morley’s email folder and cell-phone address book are being traced and questioned. From interviews conducted so far, a picture is emerging of erratic behaviour over a period of years. Morley has had no contact with her family since punching and kicking her younger sister during an assault in 2001. Her mother admitted to being afraid of her.
Two ex-boyfriends, who dated Morley for less than a month each, have described stalker-type behaviour following breakup – threats, late-night visits, nuisance phone calls. A theatre company sacked her after two days for ‘anger issues’. Three escort agencies have taken her off their books because of client complaints.
A high percentage of the telephone numbers recorded in Morley’s computer have been disconnected. Three, including the ex-boyfriends, have been tracked through their servers and interviewed. All cite harassment from Morley as the reason for the disconnection. The third, who lives in Newcastle, admitted to using her services during a business trip to London. ‘I told her she wasn’t worth the money. She sent fifty obscene texts during the following two weeks.’
Despite Morley’s claim that it was Peel and Atkins who approached her ‘for sex’, there is no evidence to support this. Both men’s cell phones have listings for ‘Cass’ under a number that was discontinued around the time Morley met Lt Acland. We believe the initial contact came from Morley, either via a pay phone or by turning up ‘on spec’ at their houses, and that a need for money was the driving force. (Steele argues that Morley’s drug dependency/cravings would have become critical following the encounters with Lt Acland.)
If her intention had been to find a client for the evening, she may have tried other contacts before receiving a green light from her victims. (This might explain her use of a pay phone to avoid her name appearing and giving the recipient a chance to ignore the call.)
Steele’s theory is that all three murders were ‘opportunistic’ – i.e. various factors collided to create a ‘killing’ environment. He suggests the following scenario:
Morley was angry/destabilized by Lt Acland’s refusal to continue the relationship and/or support her financially.
If Morley was rejected by a number of potential clients, this would: a) frustrate her need for cash; b) fuel her anger; and c) persuade her to adopt a different approach.
Her first victim, Harry Peel, was easily accessible as a taxi driver and only accepted payment in cash. This would have been known to Morley. If her initial request was for his taxi service, he was unlikely to refuse her.
Her second victim, Martin Britton, was described by everyone who knew him as ‘courteous’. Britton’s brother believes Martin would have invited Morley in because of the connection with his partner. From her previous visits to the house, Morley may have known that the two men kept cash on the premises.
Morley’s third victim, Kevin Atkins, may be the only one who responded to an offer of sex. His ex-wife says, ‘He hated being on his own, particularly at weekends. We used to do things as a family and he missed that terribly.’ Atkins preferred to be paid in cash for ‘VAT and tax reasons’ and kept it in a ‘roll’ until he could get to a bank.
Despite inviting Morley on to their premises, Steele believes all three men reacted negatively afterwards. Either by questioning the value she put on herself or by refusing requests for money.
Lt Acland’s evidence offers a pattern of how Morley uses a stun gun to exercise control. He was told he’d be allowed to recover as long as he followed her orders – ‘crawling naked round the floor pretending to be a dog’ – but any show of disobedience would result in another hit.
Lt Acland refused to comply, but it’s doubtful that less fit, older men would have been willing to do the same. They may also have believed that being instructed to dress in bathrobes and lie on their beds was merely a device to prevent them following her when she left.
Because her victims lived alone, there was no bar to Morley’s behaviour. She did what she did because she could.
Conclusion
My team and I have come to know Harry Peel, Martin Britton and Kevin Atkins during the months we’ve worked on their cases. These were good, decent men who deserve better than to allow their killer to plead self-defence or diminished responsibility.
All efforts are now being directed at proving that Morley’s motive was financial gain, and that she was prepared to murder her victims because they knew her and could identify her.
I trust this deals with your concerns.
Best wishes,
Detective Superintendent Brian Jones
Thirty-one
DAISY APPEARED QUIETLY in the open bedroom doorway and watched Acland pack his kitbag. Everything he owned was laid out neatly on the bed and, like others before her, she was struck by how little he had. To her, the most poignant articles were the single mess tin and mug which spoke of a life that wouldn’t be shared with anyone else.
She shifted her position slightly to draw attention to herself. ‘Jackson doesn’t want you to go,’ she murmured quietly to avoid her voice carrying downstairs, ‘but I don’t think she’ll tell you herself.’
‘Has she actually said that?’ Acland asked, folding a T-shirt.
‘Not in so many words . . . but I’m sure I’m right.’
He glanced at her with genuine warmth in his expression. ‘I don’t think you are, Daisy. Jackson’s a realist. She knows there’s no way I can suddenly redefine myself as an anonymous paying guest . . . not if she keeps watching me for migraines and you keep trying to feed me.’ He tucked the T-shirt into his kitbag. ‘Thanks for saying it, though.’
‘Will you keep in touch?’
‘Sure.’
Daisy didn’t believe him. ‘I know you think Jacks is strong-minded and tough, but most of that’s a front. She worries about everything underneath. She’ll worry about you.’
Acland pushed the T-shirt to the bottom of his kitbag. ‘She can always find out where I am from the police. I have to report in on a weekly basis in case I’m needed for further questioning.’
‘I can’t see you doing that either,’ said Daisy with sudden conviction. ‘You’ll disappear and leave everyone wondering where you went and what happened to you.’
Acland eyed her for a moment. ‘It worked for Chalky,’ he said.
*
Jones had expressed the same doubts as Daisy when Acland sought him out on Monday morning to tell him he was planning to leave the Bell the next day. With his bail conditions lifted, he was free to travel again. ‘Are you about to do a runner on me, Lieutenant?’ ‘No.’ ‘How good is your word?’ ‘As good as it’s ever been.’ The superintendent nodded. ‘But I’d like to be sure you really understand what’s at stake here. We’ll get a conviction of some kind without you . . . but I doubt we’ll have justice. Any accusation Jen chooses to fling at you will go unchallenged if you’re not in court to defend yourself.’ ‘I won’t be the one on trial.’ ‘But your good name will, along with the reputations of Jen’s three victims . . . and dead men don’t have voices. The blacker she paints you the better her chances.’ Acland hesitated. ‘You might do better without me,’ he said. ‘In a contest between Quasimodo and Uma Thurman, I can’t see the jury believing Quasimodo.’ Jones looked amused. ‘You’re the wrong body shape for Quasimodo, Charles. Dracula, possibly.’ ‘Same problem – Beauty versus the Beast – and I’m not sure my name matters that much to me, Superintendent. It hasn’t done me any favours so far.’ ‘Then here’s where we part company,’ said Jones, ‘because I have a lot of respect for Lieutenant Acland.’ He looked for a response in the younger man’s expression and shook his head when he didn’t find it. ‘The doctor’s right. You’re far too keen on