Rick paused in his note-taking and held his hand up. Christ, thought Jon, does he think this is a classroom? The doctor nodded at Rick.
‘Why do you assume he’s got a job?’
The doctor lowered his notepad. ‘Well, the bodies are turning up on waste ground in Belle Vue, having been moved there from somewhere else. That suggests he owns a car or has access to a commercial vehicle. It needs to be big enough for him to stash a corpse in it quite comfortably. It takes money to run any vehicle — hundreds a month if you build in the purchase price or cost of loan repayments. He needs a regular wage for that.’
‘Like a salesman of latex gloves,’ Rick whispered. Jon shrugged, thinking of Pete Gray’s van.
‘I would also expect our killer to be very organised in his personal life. His place of work will be neat and orderly, as will his appearance — fastidious, even. Given his professional role, I would say suits for work, smart dress outside it. Shirts, leather shoes, trousers, not jeans. We’re not looking for a dishevelled, wild-eyed maniac. Unfortunately, we rarely are. We’re looking for a quiet, unassuming, individual. One with an understated type of charm. Think Jeffrey Dahmer. Unobtrusive, able to merge in without making much of an impression. Probably regarded as “nice” by his neighbours.’
While Rick eagerly noted down the doctor’s words, Jon sat back and mulled the information over. Pete Gray drove a van with blacked-out windows. And God knew why, but it seemed some women believed he had a certain charm.
‘How is he selecting his victims?’ the doctor continued.
‘They’re from three different parts of the city. The first two mentioned they were going somewhere specific before disappearing. A liaison with our killer, but for what? A date? An appointment? They’ve made the decision to meet him. Has there been prior contact? If you haven’t done so, check all three victims’ neighbours for any recent visits. I don’t mean by trades people such as window cleaners — too menial. Someone flogging conservatories, satellite TV, free holidays. Professional salespeople basically. As I said, he can turn on the charm when required.’
Jon glanced over and saw Rick shooting him a look of triumph.
‘What is he trying to achieve through his murders? I’m not sure, but he’s certainly settling into it. More flesh is being removed and, in the third instance, the face and teeth as well. I’m assuming the surgical avenue is being treated as a priority?’
McCloughlin gave a tight nod.
‘It wouldn’t surprise me if the next victim were to be completely stripped of her flesh.’ The atmosphere in the room tightened perceptibly and the doctor flushed red on realising his gaffe. ‘If he isn’t caught before, of course. But he’s getting more careful. Removing the third victim’s face and teeth is a way of preventing identification. He’s covering his tracks in order to carry on. This also links into the general lack of evidence recovered so far. He’s wearing gloves, probably a facemask and gown. Of course, that suggests medical knowledge, but it also suggests forensic awareness. So he may well have a record for similar, more minor crimes. Mutilating pets, for instance.’
‘What about sex crimes?’ a female officer asked from the back.
The doctor shook his head. ‘I don’t think so. All three victims were discovered with their underwear on. There’s no sign of sexual activity, forced or otherwise. Of course, they might have believed they were meeting him for that. But it’s not his motivation. Mutilations of this nature are often ritualistic, and in ritualistic killings the genitals are frequently the focus of mutilation. But not here. He’s seeking to achieve something else here.
‘Another point to consider is this. Why is he choosing Belle Vue as his dumping ground? It suggests to me that he has good familiarity with the area, but I don’t think he lives there. More likely is that he regularly passes through, perhaps to and from a place of work. As I mentioned earlier, given his likely profes- sional status and the level of house prices in Didsbury, I suspect that is his area of residence. Taking into account the need for privacy, we should be considering detached houses.’
Wrong! Jon had to make an effort to stop his head from shaking. Pete Gray worked at Stepping Hill hospital and lived in a terraced house near Davenport train station. Neither was particularly close to Belle Vue. He’d chosen the area for another reason.
‘Also, he has to get the bodies into his vehicle and then dump them in Belle Vue. Perhaps he has a drive-in garage or a garden with a screening hedge. My final comment is this. From the intervals between his first three killings, we can unfortunately expect him to strike again any day.’ He lowered his notes, stepped back and looked at McCloughlin.
Taking the cue, McCloughlin nodded. ‘Thank you for that, Doctor.’ He turned to face the room. ‘A summary of Doctor Heath’s observations will be coming round. In the meantime, we focus on Tyler Young — victim number three and a whole new avenue to investigate. You all know her details; now we need to start delving into her life. Her parents told us she was angling to get a job in Tempters, that topless bar in the centre of town. I want the management and all the staff questioned — barmaids, cleaners, glass washers, the man who stocks their condom machines, the lot. Gavin, your team can handle that?’
‘Certainly, sir,’ the DI replied. Jon could almost see the team rubbing their hands with glee at the prospect of interviewing the barmaids.
‘We need to map out her last twenty-four hours. Usual routine — friends and family first. Obviously Mum and Dad were abroad on holiday, but she has two aunts living nearby. The reason they didn’t come forward was because they thought she was on holiday with the parents. Nevertheless, we still need to talk to them. She didn’t have a boyfriend as far as her parents knew, but we need to verify that with her mates.
‘Vanessa, that’s your team’s shout. I also want you to get over to the family home and have a good look through her stuff. The mum doesn’t think she kept a diary, but you know how it is with teenage girls. Go through her bedroom, check the backs of her drawers, under the carpet — you probably know better than me where she might hide stuff. We’ll need the family computer, too, to see what email she’s been sending or receiving.’
As Jon watched the young DI brush her hair off her face, he wondered what McCloughlin had in mind for him and Rick.
‘Andy, I want your team to continue with your TIEs on the members of the dating agencies Angela Rowlands met up with. How many have you got left to trace?’
‘She was sent the profiles of twenty-seven men. It seems she had contact with sixteen of them. So far we’ve traced, interviewed and eliminated twelve.’
He turned to another officer sitting at the front. ‘Simon, how’s your team going with the surgeons?’
‘Not bad, boss. We’ve just got to check the alibis for three who have contracts with the Paragon Group.’
‘Good. Keep going.’ He held up a sheaf of photocopies. ‘The most recent photo of Tyler Young her parents could find. Help yourself.’ He dropped them on the table and was turning back to his office when he said, almost as an aside, ‘Oh yes, Jon and Rick, keep trawling through those videos from Piccadilly station. We need more footage before we can categorically say the woman with Gordon Dean wasn’t Tyler Young.’
Jon uncrossed his arms, trying to keep the irritation out of his voice. ‘Sir, doesn’t it now appear that Gordon Dean’s murder is unconnected to the Butcher investigation? I was hoping to invest our time in following up the Pete Gray lead Rick and I unearthed.’
‘Rick and you unearthed?’ McCloughlin replied sarcastically.
‘Pete Gray is not a priority at this time. The whereabouts of that prostitute is. I want her tracked down.’
He ushered the doctor back to his office.