“I followed up on it when I arrived this morning, boss,” Jordan admitted. “He and his friends made their statements about eight last night. The artist has made a preliminary sketch. I’ve got to call in to see her this morning to obtain a copy.”
“Excellent news. Do you know if the boyfriend and his friends agreed on the likeness in the sketch?”
“I believe so.”
Sally contemplated his answer for a moment or two. “Okay, once you’ve chased that up, I want you and Stuart to revisit all the victims’ places of work and see if any of the staff or customers recognise the man in the sketch.”
“Yes, boss. Umm… what about the media? Is it worth sharing the details with them now?” Jordan asked.
“I’m still inclined to wait until the DNA result of the latest victim is back before we involve them.”
“Fair enough,” Jordan replied.
“I know it seems like we’re caught in a loop, re-examining all the information we’ve gathered already, but it’s out of necessity, folks. I have a feeling something isn’t quite adding up, and I’ll be buggered if I know what. Okay, let’s get to it. Jack, I’ll be sifting through the latest shit that has landed on my desk this morning. I also need to ring the council about my parents’ situation. Give me a shout the second the DNA results turn up, all right?”
“Yes, boss. Have fun.”
“If I had a cocktail in my hand whilst carrying out the chore, I might think differently about the task. Unfortunately, that’s not on the agenda.”
Around eleven that morning, Jack disturbed Sally’s concentration. He stood in the doorway, triumphantly waving the piece of paper in his large hand.
“DNA? Quick, give it to me.” She tore the sheet of paper from his hand and hungrily read the results. Glancing up at him, she bounced back in her chair. “I knew it! Dorling! How the fuck can that be? He was safely tucked away in a cell when the last murder was committed.”
“I don’t have a clue, unless someone is trying to set him up.”
“Hmm… that’s got to be a possibility. He did appear shocked when we arrested him. There’s always been a doubt in my mind. I suppose we should consider going to visit him, see if he can enlighten us about this new revelation.”
“I’ll call the prison, let them know we’re on our way.”
“You do that. I’ll be ten minutes, max, here.”
Jack left the office and rushed back through the door a few minutes later. “You’re not going to like this.”
“Go on. Surprise me.” Her eyes rolled up to the ceiling.
“Dorling tried to kill himself with a bedsheet. The guard managed to prevent him from fulfilling his aim. He’s in the prison hospital now.”
“Jesus. Do you think someone got to him in prison? Was he on someone’s payroll and has screwed up, maybe?”
“I don’t know. The incident occurred after lights out, so he was alone in his cell.”
“What? No cellmate?” Sally asked.
“Apparently his cellmate had just been released. They hadn’t found a replacement to fill his bunk. Maybe that’s why Dorling took the opportunity to carry out his deed.”
“So, when will we be able to question him? Did the prison staff give you any indication on that?”
“I asked. Not until the end of the week. They reckon he’ll be in and out of consciousness until then. He was minutes away from death, apparently.”
“Crap! Well, we’ve just got to keep doing what we’re doing until we can visit him. That’s the only option available to us right now.”
She stood and threw him a pound coin. “Grab us both a coffee, and I’ll meet you at the board. We’ll have an in-depth look, see if anything comes to light.”
“It’ll be a waste of time, but what other choice do we have until we speak to Dorling?” Jack grumbled.
After finishing their drinks, they still hadn’t come up with anything they had managed to miss before. So they did it all again. This time, Sally took a red marker pen and drew lines on the board. “Oh my God! Are you seeing what I’m seeing, Jack?”
“All I’m looking at is you making a mess.”
“Look at the dates. More importantly, the days.” She turned sideways and studied the changing expressions on his face. “Come on. Now I’ve said that, it should be obvious.”
“To you, maybe. But then, that’s nothing new. Who knows what goes on it that head of yours most of the time.”
“Cut the sarcastic comments and concentrate.”
Jack still couldn’t grasp what she was getting at, even with the clue she’d dropped. She exhaled a large breath. “You really need to work on those observational skills, partner. Everyone, gather around, please.”
The team joined them, and she asked the group, “Look at the dates, team. What do you see?”
Silence filled the room for a few moments, then Joanna called out, “They’re either Sundays or Mondays. Is that what you’re hinting at, boss?”
“Spot on, Joanna. Go to the top of the class. And what does that tell us?”
Sally’s gaze latched on to Jack again. He fidgeted on the spot until Joanna spoke, “Are you insinuating the killer only visits the area on a Sunday or Monday, boss?”
“Either that, or the killer has some form of weird shift pattern. It’s something we’ve missed and should look into right away. Let’s start making a list of possible jobs and go from there.” Sally moved over to the clean whiteboard and wrote “lorry driver” at the top of the board.
“How does a lorry driver work shifts?” Jack asked.
“He doesn’t. I’m trying to think outside the box a little. What if a driver delivers regularly in the area on a Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday? I’m looking at the angle of someone being on the road rather than working a shift in a factory. Stick with me here.”
“I think I get where you’re heading. How are we going to find out?”
Sally tutted at her partner’s failure to think for himself. “By ringing the haulage firms in the area. That might be a good start, yes?”
“But there’s a car, not a lorry, on our radar, isn’t there?” Jack queried.
“You’re right. However, these drivers don’t tend to take the lorries they drive home with them, Jack. They would use their own vehicles to drive to and from base, wouldn’t they?”
“Okay, it was only an observation. No need to snap my head off. I’ll check into it.” Jack’s shoulders slumped as he made his way back to his desk.
Sally knew his outburst was born out of frustration and chose to ignore it. “Any other possibilities?”
“Like you say, shift workers. People working in a factory. Are there any around the area?” Jordan asked.
“Why don’t you find that out, Jordan? I know of at least two factories in the area. See if you can find any others, okay? I’m struggling to recall the names.”
The detective rushed back to his seat and tapped the keys on his computer. “Boss, that’s a negative. Just the two you suggested, from what I can see.”
“Get them on the phone, see what kind of shifts they work. Anything else?” Sally asked the rest of the team.
Joanna shrugged. “Some kind of salesman, the travelling variety. Not sure how we’ll be able to track down that kind of information, boss.”
“That’s a toughie. I like the idea, though. What if there’s a connection to the pubs? Do salesmen visit pubs?”
“I could ring the pubs where the victims worked and ask,” Joanna offered.
“Do that. How would that connect to our last victim, I wonder? She wasn’t a barmaid.”
“What if the rep sells savoury snacks? Petrol stations stock them, don’t they?” Jordan proposed.
“You’re right. Guys, I think we might finally be getting somewhere.”
The team busied themselves making call after call, and Sally’s heart swelled with pride at their enthusiasm. When six o’clock arrived, she dismissed the team and entered her office with the intention of making several calls. The first call she made was to the vet to see how Dex was faring. He was still sedated, but Dr. Munroe had managed to strap up the ribs to ease his discomfort. Next, Sally rang her parents to share the news and see if everything at home was all right. “Hi, Mum. Has everything been quiet around there today?”