“What do they say about him?” Rob was almost afraid to ask.
“Glowing references,” she said.
“If you think about it, it’s the perfect job for someone like him,” said Jo. “He kills these girls because he thinks he’s saving them from a fate worse than death, quite literally. This way he gets to do it legally, too.”
“But why kill them if he has the power to stop it happening anyway?” asked Jenny.
“Maybe those are the ones he can’t save,” said Rob. “We know Angie Nolan denied everything. Said her father hadn't touched her.”
“I thought her parents were divorced,” said Evan, frowning.
“What about visitation rights? Or even worse, what if she was at her father’s mercy every second weekend?”
“I can’t bear to think about it.” Jenny squeezed her eyes shut.
Even Jo was looking rather pale. “So he takes the fear away,” she whispered.
“Did you get a number for him?” asked Rob.
“Yes, and a home address.”
“Great. Let’s get a warrant for his phone records and tomorrow we’ll pay him a little visit.”
“You’re not going to bring him in?” asked Jo.
“No, not yet. I don’t want to spook him. He’ll just lawyer up and right now we don’t have anything to charge him with. Even if we connect him to all the girls, there’s no evidence he did anything to them.”
“Then, let’s get that evidence,” Jo said, an edge to her voice.
“How are we going to do that?” asked Jenny.
“Firstly, we need to find a link between Daley and Rosie Hutton, Elise Mitcham, Lucy Chang and Anna Dewbury.”
“I can help with that last one.” Evan chose the perfect moment to stride back into the room. “Alan Simpson does know Paul Daley. Daley used to cover for him.”
“Yes!” Rob punched the air.
“Did he cover for him when he was seeing Anna Dewbury?” asked Jo.
“Simpson can’t say for sure, but he might have done. He can’t remember that far back. But they definitely know each other.”
Rob exhaled, slowly. “I think we can assume that’s how he made contact with Anna. He either covered for Simpson or vice versa. He must have been working for child protective services then, since her case was referred to them by the school.”
“Yeah, CPS confirmed that much, but that’s all they would tell me.”
“Okay, good work. Thanks Evan. That leaves Rosie, Elise and Lucy. But that can wait until tomorrow. Let’s go home and get some rest.”
“I want to question Daley,” Jo said when everyone had gone.
There was a long pause.
“Are you sure?”
“Rob, this could be the man who killed my sister. I’ve been waiting my whole life for this moment. Of course, I’m sure.”
There was a determined glint in her eye.
“Can you be impartial?”
“I’m a professional. I know what I have to do.”
“It’ll be different when you’re sitting there facing him. Trust me, I know.” He’d been suspended a few years ago for losing control when apprehending a suspect. Luckily, the review had found in his favour, but he knew first-hand what happened when a case got personal.
“I can control myself.”
“I thought I could too.”
She sighed. “I’ll be fine, Rob. Please. I have to do this. For my sister. I have to know.”
He was silent. Sure, she was a professional, but who wouldn’t be affected when facing their sister’s killer?
“Besides, I might recognise him. He could be Michael Robertson.”
“You think he changed his name?”
“I don’t know. He could have. There were too many Michael Robertson’s to go through. Bloody thousands. So, I tried Paul Daley, but I couldn’t find any records for him going back further than fifteen years.”
“That is odd,” agreed Rob.
“According to his Linkedin profile, he studied social work at the University of Hertfordshire and then got a job at a children’s charity based in Watford. He was with them for three years before moving to CPS, also based in north west London.”
“That’s when he met Anna Dewbury,” Rob said.
“Right. There’s no mention of which school he went to, he doesn’t appear to be on social media and he’s not on any sixth form register.”
“Have you checked with the UK Deed Poll Office?”
“Yeah, nothing. If he did change his name, he didn’t do it legally.”
It did sound very much like this could be Michael Robertson.
“Okay, fine,” he said. “You can lead the interview. Let’s catch him early. Say seven o’clock?”
“Yes! Thank you.” She leaned forward and gave him an unexpected kiss.
He slipped an arm around her waist. “Are you coming back to mine tonight?”
She shook her head. “I’d love to, but I haven’t been home yet and I’m desperate for a long hot bath and a change of clothes. Meet you here at six tomorrow? We can drive through together.”
“Sure, sounds great.”
51
The red brick townhouse where Paul Daley lived was just like any other in the street. Ex-council, functional, uninspiring.
As Rob pulled up outside, Jo tried to still her frantic heart. In a few moments she could be face to face with her sister’s killer.
“You okay?” he asked.
She exhaled slowly, pushing the fear aside. It was the moment of truth. “I’m good. Let’s do this.”
They walked up the short path to the front door. It fed four apartments, two on each side.
Rob rang the doorbell. It sounded like a death toll.
Footsteps, then a feminine voice called out, “I’ll get it.”
Jo glanced at Rob. Had they got the right apartment?
It was too late to do anything but say hello, as a woman with a round face and tired eyes opened the door. She was dressed for work in smart, practical clothes and flat shoes. Waitress? Teacher?
“Can I help you?”
Jo took a small step forward. “I’m DCI Maguire and this is DCI Miller from Richmond Police Station. Is Paul Daley in?”
She nodded. “Just a minute, he’s upstairs.”
“Paul! There are two policemen here to see you.” She glanced at Jo. “Sorry, policewoman.”
“And
