‘My God, I am stunned.’
‘Which we now have done, as your teeth don’t match.’
‘Well, of course they don’t. It’s just mind-blowing to me that I was even under suspicion. I am surprised you agreed to come out with me.’
‘You are not under suspicion,’ she said, sipping her champagne.
‘But that is why you went to LA?’
‘Yes, one of the reasons. And San Francisco and Chicago. Alan, I really shouldn’t be telling you this. You know it’s privileged information.’
‘Rubbish! You’ve just said I’ve been eliminated. Unless you’re lying.’
‘I’m not.’
He ate for a few moments and then put his fork down. ‘So go on, what else did you do in LA?’
‘There was a murder victim called Maria Courtney; she had the same MO as our victim here in London.’
‘What does MO mean? I can’t remember.’
‘Modus operandi; means the same pattern.’
‘Good heavens! And you think whoever killed the girl here also murdered someone in the States?’
‘Yes.’
Anna now began to move her script up another notch. Her instructions were to draw him out, this time flattering not his professional actor’s ego, but his other side: the sociopath. She began to describe how clever and cunning their killer was and how they were unable to find any clues anywhere. He listened attentively, sometimes shaking his head as if in awe.
She giggled. ‘I must be getting tiddly ? I really shouldn’t be telling you all this. I’d get in such trouble, you know. We are not supposed to ever discuss the cases we are working on with anyone outside the station.’
‘I won’t tell anyone,’ he said softly, reaching over to take her hand. ‘You can trust me, Anna; I would never repeat what you have told me, not to a soul. But it is fascinating. I find it hard to believe that this man has got away with it and even harder to believe you don’t have any clues to his identity. That said, it is really terrifying to think you actually had me questioned and for a while even contemplated that I could be involved. This man must be a monster.’
She nodded and leaned closer. ‘He is, but he’s also incredibly clever. He never leaves any DNA; no fingerprints, nothing. Not that I’m privy to all the details. My chief is a bit of a loner, you know he has a big ego trip going on.’
‘But he took you to America.’
‘Well, yes, but I was more or less just his driver.’
‘So did he get any result from there? You said you’d also been in San Francisco and Chicago.’
She shook her head and then leaned close. ‘If we don’t get something soon they’ll disband the team.’
‘No? You’re kidding me?’
‘It’s true.’
His beautiful eyes blinked in astonishment. ‘How many women has he killed?’
Anna placed her knife and fork on her plate. ‘This is very confidential. We haven’t really allowed the press to know just how dangerous this man is.’
Daniels had hardly touched his food. He neatly placed his knife and fork together on the plate and indicated the waiter should remove them. When the table was cleared, he leaned both elbows close to her.
‘How many?’ he asked in a whisper.
‘We think it’s ten.’
‘Ten?’
‘Yes, which is another reason you were questioned.’
‘Me?’
‘Yes, because you were in the States at the same time as the murders. The gov has been opening up what they call the dead files, here and in the US.’
‘Dead files?’ He frowned, leaning even closer, but making no reference to the fact that he was actually in the three cities she mentioned.
‘Yes, some of the women murdered here knew your mother; they were all prostitutes and may have lived at the same house you were living in when you were a child.’
‘No!’
‘Yes.’
‘Oh my God! Now I understand. It was all so confusing when I was questioned; half the time I couldn’t pick up on what they wanted from me.’
Anna looked at him enquiringly. ‘What?’
‘I understand now why they questioned me about my childhood.’
She leaned close. ‘Please, Alan, if they were to bring you in for questioning again, you won’t tell them we discussed any of this? Please. I could get in terrible trouble. They might even fire me.’
He took hold of her hand. ‘Of course I wouldn’t repeat this, not to anyone, but why do you say they may want to question me again? What on earth can they want from me?’
‘I don’t know.’
‘But you must know! I mean, if this was to get in the press it would ruin my life, my career.’
Anna nodded. ‘That’s why the enquiry is being so diplomatic. As I said, if we don’t get a result, it could all be disbanded and put on open files. They may not even question you again.’
Daniels signalled for the waiter. He ordered two coffees, then said quietly: ‘You are right, we shouldn’t discuss this. I don’t want to get you in any trouble, but you can understand why I am so interested; it’s pretty obvious and to be honest it really freaks me out.’
‘I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to?’
‘But you have. I am just amazed. How can they even suspect me? And I can’t think of anything I could do or say that would help you. I mean, I will really think about it.’
He sat in silence. Anna looked around the restaurant crowd, which was starting to thin out. It was by this time after half past eleven.
She drank her coffee; Daniels swirled the spoon round and round in his cup. He tapped the side. ‘You know, it’s made me really depressed. I hate to go back to that time in my life ? it’s like a chasm opens up inside me and it’s dark, a terrible place to return to. But there must be some connection if, as you say, these women knew each other and they were all murdered.’
‘Yes.’
‘But are the women in the States all connected to them as well?’
‘No, not that we have discovered.’ Anna sipped the dregs of her coffee. ‘But whatever made the killer begin his rampage?’
‘It’s not exactly a rampage,’ he said curtly.
‘Well no, there are years in between the UK murders, but if you add the American victims, it is a pattern of killing that shows the killer to be moving from perhaps some kind of revenge to being unable to curb his hatred of a certain type of woman.’
‘Prostitutes,’ said Daniels, staring into his cup.
‘Yes, but he may have made a mistake with Melissa.’
He leaned back, his eyes expressionless.
‘Mistake?’
Anna nodded and told him they had two witnesses, the Cuban waiter and the husky-voiced call girl.
‘They saw him?’ he said incredulously.
‘Yes.’
‘But that’s — that’s good news, surely?’
It wasn’t enough of a response to be useful. If he was their killer, he was playing his cards very close to his chest. Anna was tired and she felt they had reached a dead end. She stood up, saying she needed to go to the ladies. Alan stood, allowing her to pass him.
‘I should be going home soon, Alan. I have to work in the morning.’
‘I promise, we won’t discuss this topic for another second. Now you go and powder your nose and I’ll sort
