Part 4 (2/2)
”The case files from the Arthur Durage investigation are all on your desk,” Wilson said as though reading Danny's mind.
”Right then. Kim,” Danny said thoughtfully, addressing the a.s.sistant, ”I want every sc.r.a.p of paperwork collated as soon as it comes in and on my desk, no interruptions today,” he said, meaning that she was to keep everything non-essential off his desk. ”Selleck, wait for the park footage to come in and take the first pa.s.s at it. Landing, scrounge as many uniforms as you need and start canva.s.sing the park. It should be filling up by now,” he said, checking his watch. ”Anyone that was there yesterday and might have seen anything out of the ordinary. Wilson, I want you down at the coroners; sit on the doc until he's finished the autopsy on Donna Moss and check to see if there's anything new on Lana Genovese.”
”Boss!” Kim suddenly broke in and flashed him the thumbs down sign that signalled the approach of Chalmers.
Danny groaned inwardly. The superintendant was only ever a hindrance on the rare occasion that he put in an appearance. If he was coming, then it could only mean that there was political pressure coming down the line as that was always Chalmers' prime concern. ”Right, get to it,” he ordered the team and they scattered quickly.
”Meyers,” Chalmers said as he burst into the room. ”Did I miss the briefing?” he asked innocently, feigning disappointment.
”Only just, Sir. What can I do for you?” Danny answered, hoping to have the man on his way as quickly as possible.
”This Crucifier connection,” Chalmers said, walking slowly to the whiteboard with his hands clasped behind his back. ”How serious is it?” His face paled visibly as he scanned the photographs of the two corpses with the carvings in their chests.
”Copycat markings and M.O, Sir. Whoever did these killings had knowledge of the original case to be sure. Both bodies were staged in a crucifixion pose on the ground identical to the original victims.”
”And the Parkes woman?”
”All taken care of, Sir.” Danny blushed a little at the rebuke for his momentary loss of control. Chalmers had read him the riot act after he'd arrested Jane Parkes and he knew that the man was concerned over his political standing. Everyone knew that Chalmers was only in the job for the s.h.i.+ny b.u.t.tons that came when ascending the greasy pole.
”Just so we're clear, Meyers, I didn't just want her out of the station. I don't want her anywhere near this case, either as a suspect or as a..., consultant,” Chalmers said delicately.
”Wouldn't dream of it, Sir.”
”Good, good. Your father was an excellent officer, Danny, a fine detective. You'll do well to follow in his shoes, just not all the way.”
”No, Sir, everything is under control here, I can a.s.sure you,” Danny smiled with a struggle.
”Well then, I'll leave you to it,” Chalmers said turning.
Just then, the phone rang on Kim's desk and she s.n.a.t.c.hed up the handset. Danny turned to her to see if it was anything that he had to deal with. He felt worried as her face visibly dropped and he walked towards her wondering just what bad news had arrived now. She shook her head at him as he approached. ”Superintendant Chalmers, it's for you,” she said shakily.
Chalmers' face crinkled as he strode to take the phone from the a.s.sistant. Danny watched as the man's expression went from surprise to a shaking purple anger that he had seldom seen before.
The superintendant slammed down the phone and spoke with his jaw clenched in anger. ”Someone get me a b.l.o.o.d.y copy of this morning's Globe!”
Jane headed in through the doors of ”Best 4 Pets” accompanied by the chiming door sensor that announced a new arrival. She was early for her s.h.i.+ft but couldn't stand pottering about the house any longer waiting for a new vision, invited or uninvited, not to mention the fact that the second victim had now started to wander about the cottage aimlessly. This new girl was young and confused and Jane could see the signs that the girl would start freaking out at some point in the very near future. She had driven into work and not been surprised at several points along the way to see both girls sitting in the back seat In truth, Jane was nothing if not confused and there was no one to turn to for help or advice. Certainly, the internet was rife with pretenders making all kinds of outrageous claims. She knew that, by the law of averages, some of them must be genuine, but she was not about to expose herself to that sort of world blindly.
She was tempted to try and peek inside the killer's head again. There was a kind of psychic trail that he'd left behind during his transmissions, one that she could still just about grab on to. But after he had caught her the first time, she was loath to try again so soon.
”Hey, Janey,” Jessica Nelson, the owner of the shop, greeted her. ”You're not on yet, are you?” she asked, checking her watch.
Jane liked Jessica a great deal. She was a spruce woman of indeterminate elderly age and unfathomable energy. She was always upbeat and friendly no matter if a customer was spending a small fortune or just popping in to pet the animals.
”Just at a loose end,” she shrugged.
”Well, I know one person who'll be glad to see you,” Jessica teased, as Marty Kline appeared like magic at the back of the store.
Jane rolled her eyes with a sigh. ”Don't you go encouraging him.”
”Maybe a strapping young buck is just what you need,” Jessica giggled.
”He's just a kid!”
”All the better,” Jessica winked, as she wheeled a trolley off with returns for the shelves.
Jane shook her head with a friendly rebuke as her boss disappeared down the aisle. The last thing that she needed at the minute was the complications of a man in her life or, even worse, a boy. She already had one guy poking around inside her mind; she didn't need another.
”Hi, Jane,” Marty said, blus.h.i.+ng furiously as usual.
”Hi, Marty,” Jane replied, moving away towards the staffroom at the back.
”You know, I was looking in the local paper this morning. There's a showing of the original Cape Fear playing at The Regal on Sat.u.r.day night.”
Jane's stomach tensed as she felt the date invitation waddling its way into view like a drunken cow into the path of oncoming traffic unable to swerve. He had asked her out several times before but he was becoming bolder and she was running out of excuses.
She turned to him, meaning to start the long overdue ”friends” conversation, when out of the corner of her eye she caught a glimpse of someone staring at her. As she turned fully the person was gone, having ducked behind a fish food promotional display.
She left Marty - as he was still talking but looking down at the floor with burning cheeks - and dashed down the aisle to where the figure had gone. With everything that was going on, she was suspicious of everything, and a person peeking surrept.i.tiously at her was not going to go unchallenged.
She reached the display but there was no one there. The store was relatively busy as people browsed on their lunch hours. The puppy enclosure was always a popular draw but there were also open Perspex topless boxes with rabbits and guinea pigs that were by now comfortable to be touched.
She darted up one lane and down another, not knowing what or who she was looking for, but knowing that she would the instant she saw them.
A woman and small ice-cream smeared little girl stepped out in front of her. ”Excuse me?” the woman asked, noting Jane's logoed polo s.h.i.+rt. ”I was looking for some organic bird food, something that's not packed full of chemicals.”
Jane tried to lean around the woman as she spotted the back of a man who seemed oddly familiar. ”Aisle 7,” she responded to the woman, half listening.
”But is it organic? I mean the sort of wild birds that we get in tend to be a mite fussier than the town creatures.”
Jane tried to ease past the woman but she was blocking her path and tapping a foot impatiently. The woman was obviously used to being obeyed. She wore the expensive tweed of a city girl who'd moved out to the country and considered herself a Lady of the Manor.
”Look, it's just bird food, okay?” Jane snapped as she desperately tried to find the man again as he'd momentarily disappeared from view.
”Yes, but I was reading on the internet...” the woman started in a patronising tone.
”For Christ's sake, lady, it's nuts and seeds! Trust me, the birds don't care what's on the label or how much it costs,” Jane barked as she barged past. The door chime above the main doors had just gone off and she knew that the man had just left.
She felt Jessica's surprised look as she ran past and out into the car park outside. Jane held a hand up to s.h.i.+eld her face against the sun as she whipped her head from side to side, trying to catch sight of the guy. A car bleeped as it was automatically unlocked and she ran towards the sound. She had been a victim once in Arthur Durage's bas.e.m.e.nt; she had made a promise to herself that she would never be again and it was a promise that she intended to keep no matter what.
She saw the orange flash of indicator lights and zeroed in on the car as a man climbed in and pulled the door shut behind him. His head was turned and his body was in shadow but she knew that she had seen him before.
She heard the sound of the engine roaring into life just as she got to the car and, without thinking, she reached and yanked the driver's door open. The man turned towards her with shock and fear etched across his face at her sudden appearance. She couldn't immediately place where she knew him from but that didn't matter.
”What the h.e.l.l do you want?” she snarled, her hands c.o.c.ked into fists and her body instinctively a.s.suming a fighter's stance.
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