previous would have made him a prime suspect for the assaults, certainly top of the list to be TIED. Coppers didn’t believe in coincidence. There had to be a catch. Wooderson put in, “I remember him. Went after pregnant women on the underground. Used a knife on their bellies. Slash and run was his trademark.”
Anian asked, “Murder?”
Butler glanced up from the screen. “No, look, GBH, attempted murder.”
Wooderson went on, “There were headlines in the papers. He killed the unborn child, two I seem to remember, so it should have been murder.”
“A psycho?”
“Are you joking? Personality defect, what else?”
“OK,” Cole calmed the situation. “Let’s have him in. Get a warrant and get a team into the shop. Sam, get hold of the original crime sheets. Let’s wrap this up quickly.”
Butler cut in sheepishly, “There’s something you should know, Guv.”
Cole said, “Go on?”
“Anian’s already made contact. We saw a painting at Ticker’s place and she followed it up.”
Incredulity touched Cole’s eyes before they turned very cold. He looked from Butler to Anian and back again. Eventually he said, “The Gallery?”
Butler nodded.
Jack Wooderson’s mouth dropped open, then anger tightened his lips.
Cole turned to the DC. “And?”
Anian felt the heat on her face and hoped it didn’t show. She said anxiously, “It was just a feeling, Guv, nothing more than that. He’s painting my picture. Just like he painted Helen Harrison.” Butler coughed.
She threw him a leave-it-out look.
Butler explained, “The painting of Helen Harrison was pretty revealing.”
Cole shook away a fleeting image of Helen Harrison and said, “Does he know you’re on the job?”
Anian shook her head.
“What’s he like?”
She sighed relief and answered, “A bit old-fashioned, a bit of a gentleman. He’d open a door for a lady.”
Wooderson muttered, “And slash her in the belly as she came through. Why didn’t I know about this?”
Anian said defensively, “It was off my own back, Guv.”
Wooderson responded quickly. “Then how did DS Butler know about it? Don’t pull the wool, Anian, you’re not good enough and, what’s more, you’re in deep enough already. And it’s bat, off my own bat, not fucking back!”
Butler cut in, “I didn’t know until this morning.”
Wooderson shook his head and brushed ash from his jacket sleeve. His anger was not without reason. The chief would never countenance the role that DC Stanford was playing. Ever since the Wimbledon Common set-up and the judge’s ruling, senior coppers had been having nightmares about entrapment and even now they were unsure where they stood.
Cole defused the situation and said to Anian, “Well, it seems like your hunch was right but you should have shared it. Going forward you’ll have no further contact. Cancel any future appointments. Tell him you’ve changed your mind.”
“Yes Sir.”
“And since you’ve made contact you stay out of the way. Let’s not compromise the situation further.” He turned to Wooderson and said stiffly, “Jack, I didn’t hear any of this. Did you?”
“No, I didn’t. And I don’t want to hear any more.” He addressed Butler direct. “You’ve put us all on the line. You better hope the chief doesn’t get wind of it.”
Anian insisted, “It was a personal contract, Guv, taken out before he was in the frame.”
Wooderson made a suitable noise.
Cole wasn’t convinced either, not by a long shot. DS Butler and DC Stanford had been playing a dangerous game. The DS should have kept Wooderson informed and he should have mentioned it to Cole earlier in the day when he was asked to follow up the chestnut cooking pot.
DS Butler was looking a little wary. He knew pretty well what was on Cole’s mind.
Cole wrapped it up. “OK, let’s get on with it.”
Anian glanced up again. Cole hoped the others didn’t notice the speculation in her eye.
In that moment, when other things became incidental, they heard a distant explosion. The report came on, rushing at them, rattling the windows. Alarm bells sounded, tyres screeched and the lights flickered.
An indexer jumped and fell off her chair. Butler ducked. DC Stanford and DI Cole didn’t move, still locked together by an unanswered question.
And Inspector Jack Wooderson said, “Fucking kids. I blame the single mothers!”
Chapter 15
In a police station nothing moves faster than rumour.
Sheerham was like any other nick in that regard and was leaking more than Thames Water. Most coppers had a direct line to their mates on the local – it meant pocket money or, at least, a top-up at the favoured boozer. Even small change helped when the credit cards were maxed.
The top brass were in panic-stricken mode, hiding in their offices – sex and violence, one of their own missing – and even thinking about the headlines had Chief Superintendent Marsh reaching for the glyceryl trinitrate and he didn’t even have a heart condition – unless a cold heart counted.
There had been another slasher incident. More blues and twos, more blue and white police tape fluttering around yet another scene of crime. This time it had been in an underpass. Another girl had been attacked, just like the others. They'd established that she wasn't a tom and that gangland wasn't involved. And they were getting reports coming in that a woman might have been the assailant.
“What about Lawrence?” Detective Superintendent Baxter asked once Cole had closed the office door.
“Forensics are at the shop now.” Cole glanced at his watch. “We should get a prelim in the next hour or so.”
“And Lawrence himself?”
“They're letting him sweat, waiting for the report. That never does any harm.”
“Who's his brief?”
“Doesn't want one. Told Sam that he would conduct his own defence.”
Baxter made a suitable noise. “A joker, then. Will you conduct the interview?”
“No. Let Sam have it.”
“Don't let Jack muddy the water.”
“Sam's confident that it's just the loose ends.”
Baxter looked up. “Unfortunately we’ve heard that before. So, what have we got, the slasher, the missing women? Is Lawrence in the frame for both? There's a whisper a woman is involved in the latest.” “We'll see. The rumour came from the Square. One of the locals got hold of it and passed it on to LBC. At this rate it’ll be on the news at six.” The DI paused before changing track. “I think we can leave Barry with the kids. If they blow up another shed so be it.”
“I've got no issues with that. The explosion… I spilt my coffee. It's a bloody liberty. When we get the little buggers there won't be a damned thing to do.”
Cole managed to suppress a smile. He said, “They'll have to start insuring their allotment sheds. Some of it was found two hundred yards away.”
“So what about this slasher? A woman?”
“I'm waiting for Geoff. I'd like to hear what he thinks.”
Baxter agreed. “So would I. Make Barry aware that my door is open. I want a twice-daily update from him.'
They heard voices coming from the outer office. Through the glass they saw Maynard and PC Fitzgerald talking to the team.
