Clearing her throat, Alice paused. ‘Don’t ask how, but Compo got Jimmy Cameron’s psychiatric reports. He basically considers your mum to be a traitor. He thinks she left him. His mum taunted him with tales of how Coco had escaped their poverty, gone on to better things. How she’d laughed when she thought he was dead. How she’d really hated him. He had a vulnerable mind and his mum basically brainwashed him. Encouraged him to vent all his anger and blame on Corrine. He didn’t know how hard Corrine had it – he was a kid who was deserted by the one person who always looked out for him and it hurt that she left him.’
‘He got married though?’
‘Yes, that’s a tragedy in its own right. He married a junkie who after Jimmy got laid off at the docks, touted herself to make ends meet. The trouble was, she used her earnings to feed her habit, not the two sons they had.’
Nausea sat in the pit of Gus’s stomach. Through the course of his career he’d witnessed many families that were equally dysfunctional. His friend Greg had been in such a family and Gus’s parents had made sure he was fed; they’d taken him on holidays too. Nobody did that for Jamie after Corrine had gone. And the one person who looked after his mum killed herself, sending Corrine back into the foster system – a system that was harsh and unforgiving fifty years ago.
‘The brothers must be credible suspects, Alice?’
‘I agree. It’s plausible the apple didn’t fall far from the tree with those boys. But that still doesn’t really explain a motive, does it? Why would they blame your mum? Why would they kill innocent women? It’s all very confusing.’
‘Could they be working together, do you think?’
‘Anything’s possible, but records intimate that they’d lost touch after their dad was sentenced for their mum’s murder – plus, if Ben is in Australia, that leaves us with John on his own. Police Scotland are arranging to have John brought in for questioning when they locate him.’
‘At least one of them is in Bradford, Al. We know that. Who the hell else could it be?’
Alice sighed. ‘It’s tempting to think that, but we still need to keep an open mind.’
Gus pressed his fingers across the bridge of his nose and moved into a sitting position. If he remained coddled in the soft pillows and mattress, he could all too easily doze off. ‘Anything else, Al?’
‘Yes, your dad’s looked again at the strangle marks on Erica Smedley and’ – her voice cracked a little – ‘Jez Hopkins and agrees they’re a match. He also says that although he can’t be quite as certain, because of the rope marks around the female victims’ necks, he thinks in terms of size and span, the strangulation marks are consistent with the two other murders which…’
A sharp knock on Gus’s door followed by a, ‘Hallooee, Gus, it’s me,’ had Gus jumping to his feet. Hold that thought, Al, Carlton’s here, I want to get his take on this.’
He opened the door, allowing Carlton accompanied by an overpowering smell of Millions aftershave to enter. Blinking to stop his eyes watering, Gus switched his phone to speaker, closed the door, and listened while Alice brought the psychologist up to speed.
When Alice had finished, Carlton sat down in the armchair near the window and crossed his legs. Leaning back, he said, ‘Hmm…’
‘What do you mean, hmm? We don’t have time for hmms. What do you think?’ Gus’s tone was testy. This was a significant development and he had his own ideas, questions, and thoughts about it, but he wanted Carlton to give his interpretation first.
Alice, still listening in, snorted and Gus sent the phone a frustrated glare. He imagined Alice, feet up on his desk, Doc Martens leaving scuff marks no doubt, her black lined eyes sparkling in amusement as she tried to stifle her snigger. Sometimes he hated her.
Sitting on the end of the bed, Gus sighed. There was no point trying to rush the other man, so he’d just have to be patient. Unfortunately, Gus’s patience was wearing thin and the thoughts swirling in his brain were overpowering. He needed to clear his head a little, so he straightened his spine, and began breathing in deep slow breaths, ignoring Alice’s tinny voice over the phone. ‘You all right, Gus? You’re not having one of your panic attacks, are you?’
Distracted Gus scowled. ‘Don’t be stupid, I’m trying to clear my…’
‘Because you often get them when you’re stressed and TBH I can’t imagine a more stressful situation than the one you’re in right now.’ She paused and Gus exhaled, glad that she’d shut up, only to hear her tapping her finger nail on the phone. She did that when she was pensive, and Gus gave up on the breathing exercises. Primarily because his partner wasn’t done.
‘I mean, you’re on the brink of disrupting the whole meaning of your mum’s life – who knows how she’s going to respond … and that Jimmy bloke wants to kill her – you sure…’
Carlton shook his head and interrupted her. ‘I’m sure we’re well aware of all the possible anxieties this could cause Corrine, Alice, but perhaps let’s focus on what this additional information tells us.’
Grateful to Carlton for intervening, Gus smiled at him. ‘The prof’s right. What’s going through my mind is why would our killer chose two different MOs. We as a team have no links whatsoever to the two women, but…’ He paused. ‘We do have links to both Smedley and Hopkins.’
‘That was my thought too, Gus. I think this killer is fucking with us. Although he is a serial killer by definition, he doesn’t display the standard markers of a serial killer. He has two very different MOs, and although he’s consistent so far, in terms of the pregnant women, the only consistency in terms of his other little
