‘Have we got anywhere with the ballpeen hammer we took from Edgeworth’s cellar yet?’ Banks asked.
‘I’ve had a word with Jazz,’ said Annie. ‘She’s come in today specially to deal with it, so I’ll check with her when we’re done here.’
‘Excellent,’ said Banks. “Someone needs to check Edgeworth’s credit and debit cards. Make sure it wasn’t him who bought the two sets of clothing.’
‘He could have used cash,’ said Annie.
‘Not much we can do about that, is there? I should imagine if the killer bought the clothing for that purpose, which is most likely, he probably used cash, but there’s no reason to think someone like Edgeworth would. He had nothing to hide, and these days it’s pretty much second nature for most people to use plastic. At least we should try to rule out the possibility that clothing is a red herring. Anything else?’
‘That’s about it,’ Annie went on. ‘He leaves one pile of outdoor clothes beside the body. That’s a black anorak and black waterproof trousers, the sort you put on over your other trousers if you go walking in the rain. That makes it appear as if Edgeworth came back from St Mary’s and took them off before killing himself. Maybe the real killer’s in a hurry, so he neglects or forgets to make sure the clothes have any trace evidence from Edgeworth himself, or enough to convince our forensic team, at any rate. Then he heads out in Edgeworth’s RAV4, Black Rifle and all, and does his business. Afterwards, he returns the RAV4 and the AR15, checks that all is as he wants it to be, then goes home.’
‘Which is probably why the clothes were placed downstairs, next to the body.’
‘What?’ said Annie.
‘Something I discussed with Dr Glendenning,’ said Banks. ‘Wouldn’t you think that if Edgeworth came home from the shooting, he would take off his outer clothing upstairs, the same as he did with his muddy boots? Let’s assume the pistol was in the cellar, so he had to go down there to shoot himself, but wouldn’t he still most likely have taken his anorak off, and maybe even the waterproof trousers? But if the real killer simply brought the clothes with him and went down in the cellar with Edgeworth before the shooting, and killed him, then it would be perfectly natural to leave the clothes there. He probably wouldn’t think about taking them upstairs and putting them in the hall cupboard. A small point, but one that bolsters up our theory a bit, I think. And there’s another thing. He knows something about firearms if he realises that Edgeworth’s guns suit his purposes, especially the AR15.’
‘That’s right,’ said Annie. ‘Maybe a military background?’
‘Or police,’ Banks added. ‘Worth checking, at any rate. It’s something we would have done by now if we hadn’t thought Edgeworth was the killer. That was an excellent riff on what few facts we have, by the way, Annie,’ he said. ‘Our only problems are that we don’t know who this person is or where he came from and returned to. And nor do we know his motive. Rather big problems, unfortunately.’
‘What about the club?’ Gerry said. ‘Why choose that one in particular to stake out? It might have been because it’s the nearest one to where the killer lives. It’s not as if such places are abundant around the dale. They’re few and far between.’
‘It makes sense that he would choose somewhere fairly close to home,’ Banks said. ‘Though it might have simply been a temporary base. Either way, let’s check who’s been renting or buying property in that area of the dale since, say, last summer. B and Bs and hotels, too, for good measure. He must have stayed somewhere for a few days, at least. Maybe he’s still here. Maybe he hasn’t finished yet. Good thinking, Gerry.’
‘And we should ask a few questions about this mysterious Gord,’ said Annie. ‘Maybe Edgeworth mentioned him to someone else. And we can check with other members at the shooting club, see if any of them remembers being followed by a beat-up car.’
‘I’ll put that in motion,’ said Banks.
‘What about the Wendy Vincent murder?’ said Jenny Fuller. ‘Where does that fit in? Or does it?’
Banks swallowed a mouthful of Black Sheep and leaned back in his chair. He’d had enough of the nachos, which were already burning their way through however many feet of intestines he had. ‘We don’t know that it does,’ he said, with a glance at Gerry. ‘Not for certain. But I think it’s worth doing a bit more digging. You might carry on with that, Gerry, seeing as it was you who came up with the possibility in the first place.’
‘Yes, sir,’ said Gerry.
‘And I suppose I should keep working on the profiles?’ Jenny said.
‘Perhaps,’ said Banks, ‘you could attempt a profile of the sort of killer who does the things we’ve just been talking about.’
‘I can tell you one thing right away,’ Jenny said, rolling her eyes. ‘He’s a mass of contradictions. I say “he”, but let me correct myself. He could just as easily have been a she.’
‘Don’t forget the lad from the youth hostel — what’s his name?’
‘Gareth Bishop, sir,’ said Gerry.
‘Yes. Gareth Bishop. Let’s not forget that he told us he was certain it was a male figure he saw scampering down the hillside to the people-mover.’
‘Because he didn’t see a pair of tits,’ said Jenny. ‘I’ve read his statement. Just for your information, one of my bosses over in Oz was skinny and titless, and she was as much a woman as any woman can be.’
‘All right, Jenny,’ said Banks. ‘Point taken. I know you’ll proceed with caution.’
‘Indeed I will. Opportunistic and premeditated. Careless and extremely cautious. Devious and—’
‘You might start with the fact that he may have a prison record,’ said Annie.
‘Along with how many other members of the local population? How would that help me?’
‘And he may have done some sort of military or police training,’ Annie continued, ignoring her.
‘It’s not as if we’re exactly a million miles from Catterick Garrison,’ said Jenny. ‘Half—’
‘Jenny, why don’t you go and talk to Maureen Tindall with Annie tomorrow? You might be able to read between the lines.’
Annie gave Banks a look and glared at Jenny. Banks drank some more bitter. Gerry studied her fingernails. Banks couldn’t tell whether she was disappointed at not being included, especially as the Wendy Vincent business was her discovery to begin with, but he suspected that she was. Still, it was a matter of teamwork, and Banks thought that Annie and Jenny might benefit from working on something together. Jenny was a skilled psychologist, and she ought to be able to spot what it was that seemed to get Maureen Tindall wound up so tightly.
Pat the barmaid walked into the ensuing silence and asked if anyone wanted anything else. Nobody did. She picked up the empty plates and left. Gerry reached for her coat, and Annie did likewise. Banks still had a little beer left, so he stayed where he was, as did Jenny, who seemed to have something she wanted to say.