She pulled into the station car park as Jack arrived. Studying him as he got out of the car, she tried to work out what kind of mood she’d be dealing with during the day. Today, his broad shoulders were pulled back, not slouched, and there were no heavy bags under his eyes, which was also a good sign. “Good morning, Jack. How are things at home?”
He smiled briefly. “Let’s just say that the barricades are down, and all parties are now on speaking terms again. I hate going home to a war zone.”
They walked into the station and went up the stairs. “I don’t know anyone who really enjoys arguing. I certainly don’t. Glad things are working out for you all. Any news if Teresa is keeping the baby or not yet?”
“We’re still discussing it. The thing is, Donna really wants her to keep it.”
“And you’re not so sure?”
“Nope! Mainly because I can sense us taking care of the child more than Teresa will.”
“I would have thought that was a given. I’m sure things will sort themselves out soon.” She patted his arm. “I wonder what lies ahead of us today. At least we know the streets will be safe now that Dorling is locked up.”
“Until the next bloody serial killer surfaces. Once the media start announcing the story, it will spark something in some dumb arse’s brain! And so it continues.”
“You’re right. Still, it keeps us in a job, eh?” Sally agreed with her partner.
After issuing the team their instructions for the day, Sally entered her office and spent the next few hours dealing with a few issues that cropped up in her morning post. Halfway through the morning, Jack walked into the office. “I don’t believe it.”
“What?” Confused, Sally looked up from the form she was about to sign.
“We’ve just heard about another bloody murder.”
Sally leaned back in her chair. “Really? Where?”
“In a motel room. The girl was stabbed repeatedly.”
“Why do I sense there’s more to this story than you’re telling me, Jack?”
He tutted. “Because you know me so well. There were traces of semen left on the victim, like all the others.”
Sally bounced forward again. “What? That’s impossible! Dorling is tucked up safely in a cell, isn’t he? Have you checked?”
“First thing I did. Yep, he’s still behind bars. Do you think we’re looking at a copycat killer?”
She ran a hand through her hair. “I don’t effing know. Maybe the victim was killed a few days ago. Jeez… I suppose we better get over there. Have the pathologist and his team been informed?”
“They’re on their way now.”
“Okay, I have one more important form to fill in, and then we’ll shoot over there.” Sally picked up the form, scanned the page, and threw it back on the desk. “Sod it! It can wait.”
Sally and Jack rushed out of the building and drove to the location. Several cars were already at the scene, including SOCO and the pathologist’s vehicle. The whole car park was cordoned off with crime scene tape, and the motel owner, a man in his late fifties, stood in the reception office window, glowering at them.
“Hello, ma’am,” the PC guarding the motel room greeted her.
“All right, Tim?” Sally smiled at the PC and walked in to find the pathologist examining the body. “Hello, Simon. What have we got?”
“A murder,” he replied in a flash.
Sally groaned and raised her eyes at her partner. “Thanks for clarifying that. Anything I should know about?”
“Why don’t you stop going around the houses and come out and say it, Inspector? You mean, ‘Can this crime be linked to the others?’”
“Yes. I don’t have to remind you that we’ve already arrested a suspect and placed the man on remand for those crimes, do I? Do we know how long she’s been lying here?”
Simon shrugged. “Not long, a few hours. If the accused is behind bars, then in all probability, I think we could be looking at someone being a smartarse and copying.”
“Well, the location is certainly different from what we’ve come to expect. I’ll go and check with the manager, see what info I can get out of him. See you in a mo.”
“You do that.”
Sally and Jack left the room. “He seemed pretty hacked off,” Jack noted.
“Yeah, something was definitely bugging him. That’s why I chose to retreat. I’ve been on the end of one of his foul moods once too often in the past.”
Jack held open the door to the reception area for Sally. The manager was standing behind the desk, his arms folded, glaring at them. Sally showed her ID and introduced Jack and herself to the man. “What can you tell me about the person who booked the room?”
“Nothing much.”
“Come now, Mr…?”
“Chamberlain. Nothing. A regular kind of guy, that’s all.” He shrugged.
Sally glanced around the office. “No CCTV cameras, I suppose?”
“Nope. It’s on the agenda for 2030, I believe.”
“Okay, that’s not very helpful. Was the room booked for a couple or just the man?”
“Nope. If I’d known he was bringing a bit of tottie back for the night, I would have kicked up a fuss and demanded the couple rate.”
Sally hated dealing with obnoxious men. Her insides clenched with annoyance. “You’re referring to a woman who has lost her life, Mr. Chamberlain. That’s a very disrespectful comment.”
“Couldn’t give a toss, love. She shouldn’t have ended up in a motel room with a murderer, should she?”
Jack nudged Sally, urging her to remain calm. He spoke next. “If you stick to the facts and refrain from forming opinions about a dead person, we’d appreciate it.”
“What do you want to know?” the man snarled back.
“If you didn’t see the woman arrive, maybe one of the other guests did. We’ll need to question them,” Sally stated.
“No guests stayed here last night. We tend to be dead, excuse the pun, during the week. We do most of our trade at the weekends.”
“That’s a shame. Has the man ever used this motel before? Do you have his name? Did he give you an address?”
The man shuffled his feet and avoided eye contact.
Sally exhaled a breath. “Don’t tell me, he paid you cash in hand, no questions asked.”
He bared his rotten teeth in an embarrassed smile. “Like I said, trade is shite during the week. I have to make up the loss somehow.”
“You’re unbelievable. I’ll be sure to notify the nice folks down at HMRC about you trying to cheat the system. I don’t suppose you can possibly give us a description of the man, either?”
“No, you’re right. I can’t. We get lots of ordinary folks taking rooms. I’ve had no need to question their motives for staying here. It was the same with this guy. He offered cash, and I agreed. Report me to HMRC if you like. It ain’t gonna alter the outcome of what I can tell you, Inspector.”
“You might as well add another sign by the roadside then, telling folks that murderers are welcome just as long as they’re willing to pay in cash.”
“Smart. I might just do that,” he replied acerbically.
Jack stepped forward a few paces, but Sally tugged on his arm to restrain him. “Leave it, Jack. He’s not worth it. We’ll just make sure we cordon off the area for an extra few days. How does that grab you, Mr. Chamberlain?”
“Do what you like, the business is dead anyway. The receivers are moving in next week.”
“I’m not surprised, with the type of people skills you’re portraying. You need to find a more fitting vocation for your sucky attitude.”
“Yeah, and you need to get out there and find a killer… just saying.”
Jack intervened the warring couple again. “At least tell us what kind of car he was driving.”
The man’s eyes rolled to the side as he thought. “A dark Mondeo. That’s all I know, so don’t bother asking me for the registration number.”