Kieran grinned. ‘It probably wasn’t as much fun as that, am I right?’
‘It was never what you’d call fun. But it was rewarding when we got it right. Because it usually meant stopping someone before they took more lives.’ He let himself remember that sense of satisfaction. One he’d probably have no opportunity to know again.
‘So will you go back to that when you get out of here?’
Tony shook his head. ‘No chance. Can you imagine what the likes of this’ – he slapped his hand against the paper – ‘would make of it? Fox in the henhouse would have nothing on me.’
Kieran shrugged. ‘Yeah, but you could argue, set a thief to catch a thief. I bet you could have your own TV show. A podcast at least. You’re writing a book about all them killers you helped put away, right? People are going to be all over that. And most people can’t be arsed reading a whole book, so they’re going to want to watch it or listen to it. Mate, you’ll have it made. You’ll be the People’s Profiler.’
It was, Tony thought, a horrifying prospect. The worst of it was, Kieran was probably right. And after all, what else was he good for?
28
People sometimes mistakenly believe that profiling serial offenders is about making assumptions. The reality is that it’s based on probability. When I look at a case file, I’m always consciously looking for similarities. The key to our present behaviour lies in our past. And the key to understanding present crimes is often through the lens of the past.
From Reading Crimes by DR TONY HILL
Rutherford was sitting on a desk at the far end of the room, arms folded across his chest. He didn’t look happy. The rest of the team were scattered around, except for Alvin, who was still at the crime scene. ‘Right, then,’ he said. ‘We’ve found a second deposition site, thanks to the cadaver dog I organised.’ He stood up and pointed to a plan of the site. Using a laser pointer, he circled the area where the skeletons had been uncovered. ‘First indications are that there are the remains of around forty young people in this area.’ He moved the red dot to the side of the convent building. ‘Round here, close to the perimeter, there’s a kitchen garden and half a dozen raised beds for growing herbs and vegetables. The dog showed initial interest in this raised bed here—’ He indicated the first oblong on the drawing. ‘And subsequently . . . ’ The red dot landed a further six times.
‘By happy chance, Alvin was on site.’ Rutherford didn’t sound in the least happy. ‘There was some debate with the forensics team and the university archaeologists about the best way to proceed, but DCI Fielding decided that time was of the essence so they dismantled the timbers around the raised bed to make excavation easier. Once they’d cleared the plants away and started scraping the soil layers down, they found a body-shaped mass wrapped in black bin bags. The body appears to be the size of a young adult. It’s being removed to the mortuary where it’ll be unwrapped and autopsied.
‘So we’re looking at something very different here. Different disposal, different victim profile, different wrapping.’ He shook his head and sighed heavily. ‘If the dog’s right, it looks like we’ve got two separate sets of serial murders in the same place. What are the chances of that?’
‘Maybe it’s the same killer. Or killers,’ Sophie volunteered. ‘For whatever reason, they changed their methodology.’
‘There’s no point in speculating till we hear from the pathologist and the forensics team. And the body-recovery crews,’ Rutherford said repressively. ‘Alvin is on site with a watching brief for us. Meanwhile we forge ahead with the initial inquiry. We need to make as much progress on that as we can so we’re able to take the lead on what looks like a second investigation. Sophie, what’s coming out of that so far?’
Sophie consulted her tablet. She was clearly in her comfort zone here. She listed the different actions being taken on the ground and in the lab. ‘DC Chen is working on identifying the nuns based at the convent and the girls who lived and were schooled there. Once we have a list, we’ll allocate interviews to officers.’
‘Chen, where are you up to?’
‘I know where the nuns were dispersed to. And DS Nisbet has some leads on a few girls via the local authority. I’ll have a much fuller picture by tomorrow.’
‘Good work, Steve. Chen, pass on what you have to Sophie’s incident room team, and pull all the stops out to find out what you can ASAP. Legitimately, DC Chen.’ There was a clear warning in his voice.
They’d be here till Christmas if Stacey heeded him, Paula thought. ‘Sir?’
‘DI McIntyre? Something to report?’
‘I’ve just conducted an interview with a former resident of St Margaret Clitherow Refuge. And if what she’s telling us is the truth – and I’ve no reason to doubt that – then we’re going to be looking at live cases to pursue, not historic ones we can draw a line under. According to her, the nuns dished out brutal punishments. And they kept difficult girls in solitary confinement, sometimes without food.’
‘Why am I only hearing about this now? You need to keep me abreast of developments, Inspector.’ Rutherford’s accent became noticeably broader when he was irritated. That would be a useful indicator for future engagements, Paula thought.
‘She walked in off the street. I came straight from interviewing her to this briefing.’
Rutherford considered for a moment then, mollified, said, ‘And she’s the only one who’s come forward?’
‘So far. There might be more, obviously, but now I’ve heard her story, I wouldn’t be surprised if we struggle to get walk-ins on this one. Those nuns apparently ran a rule of terror and intimidation. And because of the grip the Church still has, those girls feel under
