‘Are you okay?’
He heard the feminine voice and felt warm breath on his face as she bent over him. He felt her body next to his and her hand on his back. He got onto one knee, shaking his head and smiling. Halfway up, level with her, he grabbed her and smothered her mouth with his hand as he dragged her back into the bushes. He took out the flask from his pocket and poured petrol over her head and shoulders.
Janet heard the screams. She looked up towards the brow of the hill and she saw a raging flame light up the sky.
Tracy was giving Jackson his breakfast when the phone rang.
Back in his office Robbo was waiting for her to answer it. He, too, was surprised at the early morning call.
‘Morning, Tracy.’ Hawk’s familiar deep voice rolled out.
Tracy didn’t answer him.
‘Morning, police team listening in.’
Robbo held up his hand for Pam to stop typing so that he could listen better.
‘Bowie, Carter, Vincent? Who else? The press conference was interesting. I know you’re full of tricks. But you’ll have to get up early to catch me out. Some of us have already been out jogging this morning. I’m getting bored with always being one step ahead of you imbeciles. But, I intend to take another victim. This last one I take will be my pièce de résistance. Every drop of pain will be extracted. This one will be written in the history books and you’ll remember it personally, Mr Robinson.
‘You have the power – you said to me, Tracy. Yes I have. I can choose who lives and dies. You have disappointed me Tracy. You’ve caused me to become a little hasty. I will not be rushed. This is my game and my rules. But you have entered my game from the sidelines. You have become part of the play. I now control you just as I do your daughter. I have your life in my hands. I can kill you when I choose.’
Tracy dropped the phone.
Robbo didn’t move. The office was silent.
Ebony fired up the laptop and made herself breakfast of a Pot Noodle. Robbo was waiting for her. She sat on her sleeping bag and opened her laptop.
‘How’s it going, Ebb?’ Robbo’s face was in the corner of her screen.
‘Good, thanks,’ she said between mouthfuls.
‘I see you’re keeping up your healthy eating regime?’
‘Yep.’ She lifted up the pot towards the webcam at the top of her screen and tipped the last of it into her mouth.
He watched her flip open the top on a can of Coke; she crossed her legs and frowned at the screen as she read her messages.
‘You looking at your Facebook?’ asked Robbo. He pushed down the plunger in his cafetière.
‘Yeah. I can’t believe how some people’s whole life is on Facebook.’
‘If you really were a single parent living in that high-rise hell, you’d thank the heavens for Facebook,’ he said.
‘Yeah, you’re absolutely right. I couldn’t have made this many contacts on the courses this quickly without it.’
‘Right. Today I’ve sent your friend requests out to thirty more people who are connected with the course. I’ve seen a lot of photos of Christian on other people’s pages. He seems to be the male student everyone has a photo with.’
‘Yes,’ agreed Ebony. ‘Although on his own pages most of his pictures are with his daughter.’
‘Although he does have pictures on his page of him with Emily Styles and Danielle Foster – he’s there in photos even if there are no obvious couple shots. Do you know much about the way he lives? Does he go to the gym?’
‘Yeah – he runs. I know because he told me. He also told me he makes a good living from playing online poker.’
‘Entrepreneurial,’ said Robbo, drinking his coffee. ‘I’ve checked him out. He travelled a lot at one time. He ran a bar in Thailand; he’s been a roadie for a rock band. Before he came to North London five years ago, he was the manager of an online exotic pets store based in Brighton.’
Robbo sat back in his chair and looked at her.
‘Do you think you’re getting anywhere with him, Ebb?’
Ebony took a drink of Coke and thought before she answered.
‘Yes. I think he goes for the new girl every time. I just happen to be that. I don’t think it’s hard to get somewhere with Christian. I talked to one of the girls that knows him well but I need to talk to one of his exes to find out what he’s really about.’
‘Keep vigilant Ebb. Keep your wits about you. Never relax. Never presume it’s safe.’
‘Of course.’
Robbo came off the phone and opened a new pack of Haribo’s. He pulled out the jelly rings and lined them up on the top of his keyboard. He thought about what was best for Ebony now and the job she had to do. From now on he wouldn’t share all the information with her.
Carter came into Robbo’s office.
‘Did you hear the phone call?’
Robbo nodded. ‘Did you listen to it?’
‘Yeah, and earlier this morning a woman was attacked, petrol thrown in her face and she was set alight – it happened fifty metres from the spot where we found Pauline Murphy. It’s got to be Hawk, he spelt it out for us,’ said Carter. ‘He said he’s been jogging.’
‘Did anyone see him? Did we get a description?’ Robbo asked.
‘Not from the woman who was attacked. She never saw his face. No one else has come forward. What’s he doing, Robbo?’
‘He’s showing us he’s all-powerful.’
Carter hung his coat on the hanger by Pam’s desk and loosened his tie. ‘It’s almost like he’s a bit bored and wants to see how much trouble he can cause. And, Robbo? He mentioned us by name in the call.’
‘Yes… he saw you at the press conference. He could have found me as the crime analyst assigned to MIT 17.’
‘He could have and he did. He randomly sets fire to two people and he promises a pièce de résistance. He’s escalating till even he can’t control it,’ Carter said.
‘We need to concentrate and stay calm and focused with this. Our panic will feed his ego. I’ve decided it’s better we don’t tell Ebony any more than necessary.’ Carter was nodding in agreement. ‘We need her in there more than ever but we don’t need her to be scared witless.’
‘I agree. But I wish I’d never said yes to her going undercover.’
‘We have to bring this to an end fast. This is the only way now. Ebony has to make it work. Everything we can do to help her is vital.’
Carter looked up as Jeanie came in the office. She had heard the news.
‘You all right, Jeanie?’
‘Yep – let’s get on with it and catch this bastard.’
‘Christian Goddard.’ Robbo turned the screen to show what he was looking at to Jeanie.
‘Alias Mr “I have a passion in my pants and I’m not afraid to show it”. He must consider it his best feature; he’s obviously keen on showing it off. He sent this picture to Ebony. We just got hold of his phone records. He had some recent conversations with Danielle Foster. It looks like she phoned him on the day she went missing.’
‘Who else did she phone?’
‘A number that isn’t registered and it’s out of service now.’
He turned the screen so Carter could see the photo.
‘That puny thing?’
Carter winked at Pam, who hid a smile as she turned and busied herself at her desk.
‘Must be,’ answered Robbo. ‘Because he sends this and another twenty or so pictures just like it to all the women he knows. He texts pure filth to just about anyone. Goes way beyond sexting.’
‘Interesting,’ said Carter. ‘Does he get it back?’
‘Yeah, he does. A lot of the time anyway. Danielle was pretty good at it actually. Before her, Emily could have knocked Fifty Shades of Grey right off the top off the bestseller list. She wrote whole scenarios. Very talented,’ said Robbo.