“Jack, I appreciate your concern, but I brought this on myself.”
He threw his arms out to the side and let them slap against his thigh. “Spoken like a true victim. Have you heard yourself?”
She flinched. “Don’t let us fall out about this, Jack. I’ve stated that I no longer want to discuss this matter. Kindly abide by my wishes.”
“Yeah, I will, after I’ve taught the pillock a lesson or two.”
Sally tried to smile, but the pain in her cheek made her wince. “Heroic words that I really appreciate. However, I’d rather just focus on my work. That man has taken up too much of my valuable time over the years. I have no intention of letting him invade my thoughts a moment longer. Is that all right with you, partner?”
Jack sighed heavily. “If that’s what you want, Sally. I’ll tell you this, though, if ever that guy crosses my path, I won’t hesitate to give him a good hiding. No man should lay a hand on a woman. Ever. Those that do are bloody cowards.” He paused for a few seconds then added, “One last question and then the matter is closed between us.”
Sally prepared herself for the question she knew her astute partner was about to hit her with next. “Go on.”
Jack lowered his voice, “Is that all he did, Sally? Not that giving you a black eye isn’t enough. What I mean is—”
She held up her hand to prevent him from saying the actual words. “I know full well what you’re getting at. And no, it didn’t happen.” Sally swallowed and quickly shifted her gaze from Jack’s. I hope to God he believes me. There’s no telling what he’d do to Darryl if he ever learned the truth.
“Your word is enough for me. I still wish you’d let me have a few words in his ear.”
“It’s best left alone. I think he’s on his way to the States now anyway,” she lied, hoping to deter her partner further.
“And when is he likely to return?”
Sally tutted and shook her head. “I’m not his keeper. I have no idea, nor am I concerned. Now, let’s forget about this and get back to work.”
Jack shrugged reluctantly. “Yes, boss. What’s on the agenda today?”
“Well, I want to chase up the pathologist and see if the results from the other victims have come back yet, plus I need to ensure they’re treating Dorling’s room at the B&B and his car as a priority.”
“Okay, I’ll keep the momentum going with the team, make sure we can piece the evidence together without the usual flaws the barristers like to tear us apart with on the stand.”
“Good idea. Let’s nail the bastard down completely. One last thing before you get stuck in, Jack. How are things at home?”
A cloak of sadness shrouded his features. “We’re still trying to come to terms with things. We’ll get there. Let’s just say the atmosphere was a little less fraught at home last night between all parties concerned.”
“That’s a start. I’m sure things will turn out for the best, Bullet. Hey, maybe I should call you Granddad Bullet from now on?”
The startled look on Jack’s face made her chuckle.
“Jesus, you can be so warped at times. I’ll tell you one thing; this past week, there have been moments when I’ve wanted to be transferred back to the frontline in Afghanistan. At least out there, I could be sure who the enemy was, most of the time anyway. That can’t be said about my home life right now. One minute, Donna seems at peace with Teresa’s predicament.” He clicked his fingers. “Then the next, she’s breaking down in tears, devastated beyond words. I’ll never be able to figure you women out.”
“Ha! I doubt if you’re alone there, Jack. Most men don’t have a clue what goes on in a woman’s complex brain.”
“I’m inclined to agree with you on that, although I suspect it’s not the brain that worries most men. It’s the unbalanced hormones that have a tendency to strike fear into most men, me included, I have to admit.”
Sally laughed. “Shoo… I have work to do.”
After Jack left the office, she picked up the phone and dialled Simon’s number.
He answered after the second ring. “Ah, Inspector. You must be psychic I was just about to call you.”
“You were? With good news, I hope.”
“A mixture of news, shall we say? Right, first things first, I need to find the report of Maddie Webster.” Sally heard paperwork being shuffled before he spoke again, “Here it is. As suspected, the DNA results have confirmed that the bodily fluid on the victim indeed belonged to the same offender.”
“That’s excellent news. Why am I sensing there’s a but in there somewhere?”
“Ever the cautious one, while the evidence clearly links the two crimes, you’re aware, as I am, of the need for factual evidence to back up the DNA. As I recall from our last conversation, you had very little to go on. Is that still the case?”
“I’m afraid it is. Which is why I wanted you to examine Dorling’s room and vehicle as a priority. Any luck on that front?”
“The team have been at the guesthouse all night, much to the disgust of the landlady. Sadly, they didn’t really find much, only traces of Dorling’s DNA. No trophies from either victim or anything of that ilk.”
“Well, that doesn’t necessarily prove anything, does it? It only means that the victims were never in his room. What about his car?”
“We’ll be carrying out a thorough search of the vehicle over the course of the next few days. I’ve sent a member of my team out this morning to gather samples of the soil where the two victims’ bodies were found, to see if it matches anything we might find on Dorling’s tyres. One thing I will say about his room…”
Sally’s brow wrinkled as she frowned. “What’s that, Simon?”
He let out a large sigh. “I sent four guys to the address, and not one of them managed to find any evidence of blood on Dorling’s clothing, either clean or in his laundry, which was scattered around the floor. That fact alone struck me as odd. Do you agree?”
Sally nodded as if the pathologist were sitting in the room with her. “Yes, I agree, very strange. Maybe he disposed of the clothes before he went back to his room.”
“At this point, anything and everything could be possible. I just wanted to make you aware.”
“Maybe he dumped his clothes in the B&B’s wheelie bins. Did your guys check that?”
“I asked the same question. Unfortunately, the bins were emptied yesterday.”
Sally slapped the desk hard enough to make her palm sting. “Damn. Why isn’t anything in our jobs simple?”
Simon chortled. “A question I’ve asked myself a hundred times over the years, Inspector. So to recap, yes, the deaths of Brenda Fisher and Maddie Webster are connected. I’m still awaiting a few results back from the third victim, Alexina Graham. My instinct tells me that all three victims will give us the same DNA. The redeeming point is that the suspect is now locked away. We just need to come up with more evidence against him to make a conviction stick.”
“Yeah, that’s the tricky part. Of course, he’s denying ever knowing the first victim. I didn’t tackle him about Maddie Webster, as we didn’t have the results back. Maybe I’ll take a ride out to the remand centre and throw that at him today.” Sally tapped a pen against her chin.
“That’s up to you. My suggestion would be to postpone your meeting with the suspect until we have the results back from both the car and the latest victim. The more you can sling at him, the better, I’d say.”
“You’re right. Okay, I’ll wait to hear from you on that before I schedule a visit. I don’t need to tell you how important it is to get the results back quickly, do I?”
“No, you don’t, Inspector. Right, I have a double PM to perform, a murder-suicide case. I’ll be in touch shortly.”
She ended the call then rang her parents’ home.
“Hello, Mum. How are things?”
“Hello, dear. What, with the neighbours, do you mean?”
“Yes. Any improvement, or are swords still drawn as far as Dad is concerned?”