Текст книги "Wrong Place: A gripping serial killer crime thriller"
Автор книги: M. A. Comley
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Текущая страница: 11 (всего у книги 13 страниц)
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Monday morning arrived, along with a renewed determination rushing through her veins. Sally kissed her parents farewell and told them not to expect her home until late that evening.
Jack parked his car next to hers as she was getting out of her vehicle in the station’s car park. “Good weekend?” he called out.
“Relaxing. Think I missed my vocation. I should have considered a nursing job instead.”
Jack smiled. “How is Dex?”
“He’ll be fine. He’s eager to burn off some energy. That’s the difficult part, restricting him. How was your weekend?”
“Surprisingly good, in spite of Donna having a hissy fit every time you called.”
She winced.
“It doesn’t matter. Anyway, at least the anger cloud that has been hovering over the house appears to have moved on. Teresa brought her boyfriend round, and we had a grown-up discussion about what they intend doing when the child is born.”
“Which is?” Sally asked as they reached the main entrance and walked into the reception area of the huge round building.
He cringed and closed one eye. “Well, we’ve said that we’re willing to let Tim move in with us, if that’s what they both want. For the child’s sake, of course.”
“Crikey! Never in a million years did I think I’d ever hear you say those words. Are you and Donna sure about that?”
“Everyone seems to be okay with the arrangements now. Whether we’ll all be happy when the child arrives is anyone’s guess.”
They reached the incident room, bought a coffee from the machine, and went through to Sally’s office.
“What’s on the agenda today?” Jack asked, taking a sip from his paper cup.
“Well, first I want you to check if any incidents have been reported overnight, the type we’d be interested in linking the case to, I mean. Then I need to again recap things as a team. We’ve got five days to complete this case. Any outstanding information we’re waiting for needs to be chased hard this morning. Got that?”
“Yep, I hear you.” He emptied his cup and left the room.
Jack reappeared in Sally’s doorway a few moments later, panting like an excited puppy. Sally recognised his expression and pulled on her jacket in readiness. “Hit me with it. Another murder?”
“Another victim, yes.”
“Where?”
“She’s in the hospital. She survived the attack, boss.”
“Jesus, really? How bad is she?”
Jack inclined his head and wrinkled his nose. “She’s in a coma. There’s every chance that she won’t make it.”
“We must think positive. There’s every chance she might. Let’s get over to the hospital and see for ourselves. You can fill me in on what happened on the way.”
They rushed through the building and jumped into Sally’s car. Sally put her foot down. “So?”
“Apparently, the girl was found in an alley. Looks like he tried to strangle her but failed.”
“Maybe she played dead just to let him think he’d succeeded.” Sally knew that’s how she would play things if she were a victim.
“Or, perhaps he was disturbed during the attack.”
“I don’t suppose there were any witnesses?” Sally asked.
“No. But an old codger who lives in the alley was the one who called it in.”
“So there was a witness?”
Jack shook his head. “The old man said he’d left the alley for an hour or so to source some food. When he returned at the other end of the alley, he heard a noise. He called out and rounded the corner, only to hear footsteps of the attacker running away.”
“So, he didn’t actually see the assailant?” Sally asked.
“Nope. Do you think we’ll ever get to arrest this guy?”
“For a start, Jack, we haven’t got any evidence linking this to the other crimes. Not unless he got around to… well, raping the girl. Do we know if that happened?”
“No. To be honest, I forgot to ask. Maybe I just assumed that this attack could be linked to the previous ones.”
“That’s fine. We’ll soon find out. Let’s hope we discover extra DNA on the girl, in the form of hairs et cetera.”
“Well, if we are talking about the same guy, he’s been super-efficient at disguising that up until now. I suppose if he was disturbed in the act, there’s every chance he might have slipped up.”
“Exactly, if we’re dealing with the same guy. I’m inclined to think we are just because of what day the attack took place. We have to keep our fingers crossed that the girl pulls through. This could be the break we need.”
Once Sally had parked, they hurried across the car park, flashed their IDs at the parking attendant, and entered the hospital. Sally asked the bespectacled woman in her fifties sitting behind the reception desk what direction they should head in for the location of the victim. The woman pointed at a large sign on the wall that listed all the major departments to the hospital. “Follow the blue line to the Intensive Care Unit,” she told them.
“Thanks.”
After getting lost a few times along the way, they finally arrived at the ICU and showed their IDs to the nurse at the station positioned outside the ward. “We’re here to see the doctor treating Amanda Collins. Can you contact him, please?”
“You’re in luck. He’s on the ward at the moment, carrying out his rounds. He shouldn’t be long, if you care to take a seat.”
“We’ll stand. Thanks.”
Sally and Jack impatiently paced the small reception area for the next ten minutes until a doctor emerged from the ward. He stopped at the hand sanitizer dispenser on the wall and rubbed his hands with the liquid. Sally approached him before the nurse could inform him of their presence.
“Ah, Inspector. Right, here’s where we stand: the patient, Amanda Collins, is still in grave danger. We’ve got her on a ventilator for now. She’s in a coma, and at present we have no idea how long that state will last or if indeed she will survive.”
“Damn, I take it her family has been contacted?”
“They have. They were on holiday in Turkey. They’re on their way back now. As you can imagine, the news came as a shock to them, and I’d appreciate you being courteous to them when they arrive. In other words, give them some breathing space before you start bombarding them with questions.”
“We’ll be sensitive, Doctor. No fear of that. What’s your honest opinion about Miss Collins?”
“I’d say realistically we’re looking at a sixty-forty split in her favour. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to complete my rounds on this floor.”
“Sorry, one last question, Doc. We’re on the trail of a serial killer. At this time, it’s subjective, but we think Miss Collins’s attack could be linked to the other crimes. I was wondering if you found any traces of semen on Miss Collins when she arrived.”
“We did. One of the nurses who usually works with rape victims in conjunction with the police, took a sample of fluid found on Miss Collins’s thigh before she cleaned her up. Wait here a moment please.”
Sally and Jack high-fived as the doctor walked away from them. “Things are certainly looking up. All we need now is for a miracle to happen and for Miss Collins to pull through,” Sally stated, with a cautious smile.
The doctor returned, carrying a sheet of paper with the nurse’s contact information attached to a Norfolk Constabulary requisite form. “There you go, Inspector. She arranged for the lab to pick up the sample already. It should be there now.”
Sally took the papers. “Thank you. I really appreciate your nurse’s timely thinking. I’ll just step out and ring the lab.”
“Of course. Her parents should be here shortly.”
Sally thanked the doctor, ordered Jack to wait in the hall to greet the parents, and stepped outside.
Simon answered her call right away. “What can I do for you, Inspector?”
“Another victim was attacked last night. She’s in a coma, but the attacker left this sample at the crime scene, just like all the others. Any chance you can get it verified for me ASAP?” Sally read off the case number from the nurse’s file.
“Hmm… I do have that sample at the lab, but the last I heard, you already had a man in custody for the other murders. Has he escaped?”
“No, he’s in the hospital wing of the prison. I think he’s innocent and probably being set up. I need to know why. We have a preliminary sketch of the real offender, but everyone we’ve shown the sketch to so far doesn’t seem to recognise the person.”
“That’s strange. So where do you go from here?”
“Well, the latest victim is in a coma. We have to pray that she comes out of that coma and can either give us a name of her attacker or give us a positive ID in the form of another sketch. It’s all up in the air for the time being. Can you get that sample rushed through for me? If nothing else, it rules out the man we have in custody and means we can be sure we’re after the man in the sketch.”
“Of course, I’ll get it actioned immediately. I’ll call you with the results as soon as we have them.”
“Thanks, Simon. Before I go, I have to tell you that my chief has given me until the end of the week to conclude the case. Otherwise, he’s hinting at another team taking over the investigation.”
“Seems a bit harsh.”
“I think the super is squeezing him about quotas, as usual.”
“If only the criminals would back off and give us all a break or two, life would be so much simpler, wouldn’t it?”
“It sure would. Talk later.”
Upon her return to the ICU, she found Jack trying to appease a man and woman in their mid-forties. Her partner heaved a relieved sigh when he spotted her.
“Here’s the Inspector now. Mr. and Mrs. Collins, boss.”
Sally held out her hand, but only Mrs. Collins shook it. Mr. Collins threw an irate hand up in the air. “I want someone to tell me what is wrong with my kid.”
Sally raised an eyebrow at her partner. “Haven’t you told them yet, Jack?”
“I was in the process of doing that when you arrived, boss.”
“Just tell us!” Mr. Collins ordered. His tone said he wasn’t in the mood to be challenged.
“Okay, as far as we know your daughter was attacked and left for dead by her assailant.” Mrs. Collins wailed and threw herself at her husband’s chest. Tears welled up in Mr. Collins’s eyes. Sally continued, “At this moment, your daughter is in a coma. The doctor couldn’t tell us how long that is likely to last. It’s the body’s way of shutting down to recover after such an ordeal.”
“Have you caught the bastard?” Mr. Collins asked less angry.
Sally shook her head. “Not yet. The thing is, we need Amanda’s help. We’ve had this man on our radar for a few weeks now, but he’s doing everything he can to evade capture.”
“What?” Mr. Collins pushed his wife upright and took a step towards Sally.
She stood her ground, sensing Jack tense up beside her. I refuse to feel guilty!
“What are you talking about? You knew there was a madman on the loose but neglected to tell the public? I know we’ve just travelled back from Turkey, but they still get the daily papers over there for those of us who like to keep informed about what’s going on back home. I’ve not read anything about this or a similar crime in this area while we’ve been away. Have they suppressed the news deliberately?”
“Yes, you’re right. This case has not hit the media yet. I felt that to inform the public would be tipping off the offender, too. We’ll never catch him if he knew we were on to him.”
“Oh, I see. So in the meantime, you’re happy to sit behind your frigging desk and watch the body count rise. Is that it?”
“Not at all, Mr. Collins. Please, can you keep your voice down? You’re disturbing the patients.”
He scowled at Sally, long and hard. Then he threw his hands up in the air again before continuing in a hushed, yet still-angry voice, “I get it—you’re convinced that leaving this bastard running around out there on the loose will benefit our society. Is that it? Damn, I’m so effing dumb!”
Sally’s own anger teetered. She inhaled and exhaled a few short breaths then replied, “No, that definitely is not the case. The murderer has been tricking us, using someone else’s DNA at the scene to throw us off his scent. We’re trying our hardest to deal with that issue.”
“Murderer? So he’s killed women already? Jesus, this just gets better. So you’re telling us that this animal intended to kill our daughter?”
“We believe so, yes.”
“And tell me this, Inspector; did the parents of the other victims give you those black eyes for giving them a dumb answer to their questions? Believe me when I say I’m sorely tempted to vent my anger out on someone right now.”
“I’d swallow down that temptation if I were you, Mr. Collins.” Jack took a step nearer to the man.
“And who’s going to make me? You?”
Jack puffed out his chest. “If I have to, yes.”
Sally yanked on Jack’s arm and pulled him away from the irate man. “All right. Pack it in. We’ll leave, get on with some real police business, on one proviso.”
“Which is?” Mr. Collins narrowed his untrusting eyes.
“That you ring us the second your daughter regains consciousness, so that we can return to question her.”
Mr. Collins continued to glare at the detectives.
Mrs. Collins eventually broke the silence. “Yes, just leave us alone, please.”
“Very well.” Sally handed the woman a card. “It’s vital to the case, I can’t emphasise that enough.”
“Yeah, because the other victims have all ended up dead. We got that, Inspector. Let’s hope our baby does pull through this, for your sake.”
Sally and Jack walked off the ward and out to the car, where Jack erupted, “How dare he talk to us like that!”
“He dares because he has the right to, Jack. Put yourself in his shoes; you’re a parent. Look at how you reacted to Teresa’s pregnancy news, then triple that rage. I guess you’d come out with the same result as the Collinses are going through at present. I don’t blame them in the least.”
“I suppose you’re right. It doesn’t alter the fact that we’ve been busting a gut to get this fucker, and all our efforts haven’t been appreciated.”
“I understand. I’ll tell you one thing—going forward that swift kick up the arse will probably do our determination more good than harm, eh?”
Jack nodded at her over the roof of the vehicle. “You’re right.”
Sally got into the car and fastened her seatbelt. “The trouble is, it’s not as if we haven’t been trying, Jack. Let’s hope Amanda Collins comes around soon. Otherwise, I can see the body count rising even more.”
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Sally and her team had to wait another twenty-four hours before they heard from the hospital again. The doctor overseeing Amanda’s care rang Sally on Mr. Collins’s instructions as he was too emotional to place the call himself.
“Will she be well enough for me to bring a police sketch artist along, doc?”
“I doubt it, Inspector. She’s still more than a little groggy.”
“The thing is, doc, we’re on a deadline.”
“I don’t really care about what deadlines you’re working under. All I care about is my patient and her needs. Come in and see her, by all means, just don’t push her. Give her time.”
“Okay. We’ll be there in half an hour.” Sally hung up and immediately called her partner into the room.
Jack appeared in the doorway, frowning. “Boss, what’s up?”
“Amanda Collins is awake. We have the all-clear to visit her but with reservations. Can you call the sketch artist for me? The doc advised me not to take the artist. However, I think we should, just in case Amanda wants, or is able, to give us a description of this creep.”
“I’ll get on it now. Shall I ask her to be ready to go ASAP?”
“Do that. I told the doc we’d be there within thirty minutes. Fingers crossed that this will turn out to be beneficial for all of us.”
Amanda was a sorry-looking sight. Her head was bandaged, she had a black eye, and a cast encased her left arm. Sally flinched when she saw the girl—Amanda’s wounds reminded her of what she herself had gone through during the last week at the hands of her ex and her parents’ neighbour. Amanda looked wary when Sally walked into the room, along with Jack and Kathy, the sketch artist.
“Hello, Mr. and Mrs. Collins. You remember my partner, Jack. This is a colleague of ours, Kathy. She’s a police sketch artist.”
Amanda’s parents nodded their acceptance of the intrusion.
Sally approached the bed and said softly, “Well, it’s nice to have you back with us, Amanda. How are you feeling?”
“Not quite with it. Are you the police?” She eyed Jack warily.
Sally turned to her partner, winked at him, and motioned for him to wait outside. Jack cleared his throat, mumbled something about stepping out, and left the room before Sally continued talking to the victim. “I am. I’m the investigating officer working your case. I wondered if you were up to telling us how the incident happened.”
“I can try. Some things are a little fuzzy. I’m willing to help if I can.”
“Are you up to giving us a description of the man?”
Amanda closed her eyes and her chin began to wobble.
Sally smiled. “Okay, leave that for now. I don’t want to cause you any stress. Let’s wait until your body has had time to adjust first.”
“No. I want to. I can see his face. It’s imprinted in my mind. Every time I close my eyes, his face is hounding me, taunting me. If I share the information with you, do you think it will help me to get over it quicker?” she asked anxiously.
“Judging by what other victims have told us in the past, yes. Some people say it’s a form of therapy.”
“Mum, can you get me a drink of water, please?”
Mrs. Collins placed a straw to Amanda’s lips, and the girl sipped the clear liquid, emptying half the glass before she pulled her head away. “Thanks, Mum.” She smiled at her mother then looked up at Sally. “Where do you want me to start?”
“By telling us if you recognised the man who attacked you. Did you know him at all?”
“No, and yet there was something vaguely familiar about him.”
Sally asked the question that had been bugging her since the night Amanda was attacked. “Why were you in the alley that night?”
“I’d just finished a shift at work.”
“Where do you work, Amanda?” Sally asked.
“At Lewis Supermarket. I work the evening shift, stacking the shelves from five until eleven, four days a week.”
“I see. And the staff entrance backs on to the alley, I take it?” Sally tried to recall the layout of the area.
“No, a few alleys over. I use the cut-through to get to my bus stop. The last bus leaves there at eleven ten. If I don’t get on that, I’m screwed.”
“So you take that same route regularly?”
“Yes, after every shift.”
“And have you ever noticed anyone hanging around, possibly waiting for you before?”
She paused for a moment to cast her mind back. “Like a stalker? Not that I can remember. I would have told my parents if I’d had any fears like that.”
“Okay, at least that’s one thing. So, can you explain what happened right before the attack occurred? I mean, did he jump you from behind, or approach you on the ruse of asking the way? Something like that?”
A fearful and pained expression pulled at Amanda’s features. “He jumped out at me. He was waiting in a doorway and pounced, grabbed me around the throat.” Her hand went to her neck. “As soon as I passed by; as if he was waiting for me. If I had seen anyone lurking down the alley looking suspicious, I would have turned back immediately and taken the long way round. I tried to fight him off, but he was far stronger than me. Before I had the chance to figure out what was going on, he had me down on the ground. One hand over my mouth and the other up my sk…” Her voice trailed off, and she glanced in her father’s direction, apparently unable to say any more about the attack in front of him.
Sally got the gist of what she meant so bypassed the issue rather than feel the wrath of Mr. Collins’s tongue again. “Did you have any unusual interaction with anyone at work during your shift?”
“I don’t understand. You think it was a co-worker who did this to me?”
“You said he seemed vaguely familiar. I’m just trying to figure how you knew the culprit, Amanda. We need to know why he chose you to attack.”
She shook her head, winced, and twisted her neck until it made a loud crack. “Does there have to be a motive to all attacks? I haven’t led anyone on or anything like that,” she stated quietly.
Sally smiled at the young woman. “I wasn’t insinuating you had. Maybe this was just an off-the-cuff attack. Perhaps you were in the wrong place at the wrong time. Do you want to try and give us a description now?”
“Yes.”
For the next twenty minutes, in between sobs and large breaths, Amanda described the assailant in detail as Kathy sketched. Between them, a face appeared on the paper. Then after a few minor adjustments were completed, Kathy handed Sally the sketch. She compared it to the sketch Kathy had drawn based on the description Tracy Brand’s boyfriend had given her. The two sketches showed men with similar features, but Amanda had produced a much better plausible identity of the suspect than the first one had. No wonder the bar staff and customers at the pubs didn’t recognise him.
“Okay, that’s superb. Thank you for overcoming your pain to supply us with the details. I’m going to take this sketch and revisit some of the pubs where we believe this man might have encountered the other victims. I’m also going to visit your place of work. Maybe someone spotted the man eyeing you up at the store during the course of your shift.”
“I hope you’re going to take it to the press, too,” Mr. Collins interjected angrily.
Sally glanced up at him. “Of course, we’ll also be searching our database to see if we can compare the crimes to anyone who might have recently been released from prison on a similar offence. I hope your recovery is a speedy one, Amanda. I really appreciate you pushing yourself to give us this description. It was very brave of you.”
“I just don’t want anyone else going through what this man has done to me. My father said none of the other women survived.”
“That’s right, unfortunately.”
“Someone must have been looking down on me then. For that, I’m grateful.”
Sally and Kathy left the room.
“How did it go?” Jack asked as the three of them headed back to the car.
“Good, I think. At least we have a better idea of the suspect now.” She held the sketch up for him.
“That’s great. What now?”
“Back to the station.”
Once they arrived, Sally thanked Kathy for her stunning work before she and Jack entered the incident room. The rest of the team glanced their way expectantly. Sally took out the sketch and placed it alongside a copy of the first drawing.
“Wow, there’s no comparison! Perhaps the boyfriend was still drunk when he gave his description of the suspect,” Joanna exclaimed.
“Precisely. Just goes to prove how much more observant women are in comparison to men. Anyway, here’s what we’re going to do. First, I want everyone to prepare for a long shift. By the end of it, I’m hoping we’ll have this man’s name and address, at the very least.”
“Can I make a suggestion, boss?” Joanna asked, sounding uncertain.
“Sure, go on.”
“Why not revisit Dorling? It’s been a few days since your last visit. There should be some improvement in his condition by now. Maybe he’ll recognise the sketch now.”
“That’s definitely on my to-do list, Joanna. Thanks for the reminder. He wasn’t able to see the other sketch, so at least he’s a fresh witness. Can you get onto the media, try and get a slot on the evening news tonight? I haven’t really got time to call a press conference. Check if they’ll be happy to run the story only with the information we give them, will you?”
“I’m sure that will be fine. Do you want me to contact the evening paper, too?”
“Yes, do that. Right, Jordan and Stuart, while Jack and I are at the prison with Dorling, I need you to revisit all the pubs where the victims worked and flash the sketch around, see if anyone recognises the man or, better still, can name him. Okay, let’s get to it, people. We’re close now. Let’s keep the momentum going until we can haul this guy in.”
The room buzzed for a few seconds as the team began their tasks. Then within seconds, calm returned.
“Are you ready to go, Jack?”
He nodded and headed for the door. “Let’s hope this doesn’t turn out to be a waste of time like the previous visit.”
“That’s what I like to hear—the positivity resonating in your tone.” She laughed when he halted on the stairs and glared at her.
