The Doll's House

‘What?’


‘Did Morrison say if there was any time delay from when death occurred to the victim being immersed in the water?’

‘I’m not sure. What are you getting at?’

‘Jenkins was taken by car to the canal. We know there was a time interval from the last sighting of him until he turned up dead. We also know he was alive when he was brought to the canal.’

‘So?’

‘So, it gave the killer time with the victim before death.’

‘I’m still not getting you, Kate.’

‘What if the killer was looking for information from the victim? As I said in the report, with Jenkins, the initial attack was an expressive violent act, resulting from an outburst of emotional feeling and pent-up aggression. The second element of the attack, the drowning, was a means to an end. If Jimmy Gahan’s heart gave up as a result of the stabbing, it took away the killer’s opportunity to converse with his victim afterwards but, perhaps more importantly, it meant when Gahan ended up in the water, it wasn’t for any instrumental reason. He was already dead.’

‘Go on.’

‘If the killer put a dead Jimmy Gahan in the canal, then the water is confirmed as the constant. No matter how the killing goes down, he wants his victims there, which could bring us back to Adrian Hamilton’s death, although there’s no denying the extended gap in time.’

The alarm on her phone rang out – six fifty. She’d promised Charlie she’d be back a little after seven.

Kate silenced her mobile. ‘You’ll have my report on the Gahan killing tomorrow evening. Let’s see what that throws up. There may even be a religious or ritualistic connection.’

‘Go on.’

‘In some religions, water is used as a symbol of soul cleansing.’

‘What the hell?’

‘I’m only pointing out a possibility, O’Connor. Don’t shoot the messenger. The killer wanted his victims to feel pain, and with Jimmy Gahan, assuming the killer knew Jimmy was dead going into the water, he carried out the same ritual. It establishes drowning as important beyond the act of actual killing.’

‘Kate, let’s assume Gahan had something on Jenkins. Otherwise why be his benefactor? The late Keith Jenkins doesn’t come across as the naturally benevolent type.’

‘No, he doesn’t. Look, O’Connor, I need to head back.’

‘Just a second, hear me out. Lynch thinks there could be a link with Gloria Sweetman. The hotel receipt ties them together. And, as Lynch said, someone gave that killer mix to her.’

‘Perhaps he’s right, but who gave Gahan the information? There are more pieces to this jigsaw than we’re seeing.’

‘What are you getting at, Kate?’

‘I’m not sure yet, but there are other influences afoot – the missing ring for a start.’

‘That’s been bothering me too.’

‘O’Connor, if this is some kind of personal vendetta, and the killer took the ring, it could be a form of moral judgement on his part, not thinking Jenkins good enough to wear it. It might tie into what Deborah Gahan said about Jenkins and Lavinia Hamilton although, again, we’re talking ancient history. Jenkins would have had other affairs in the intervening period.’

‘So what do you think is really motivating our guy, Kate?’

‘We’re dealing with multiple deaths at this point. Not quite spree killings, but close. Although the victims aren’t random, research has shown in similar cases that the killer tends to be male, angry and probably with a history of either social failure or perceived personal failure.’

‘You mean like Jimmy Gahan?’

‘Not really. Our guy feels isolated and, as I said, is carrying a sense of failure. Often there is a trigger event or events, marital difficulties, for example, or financial problems, anything which has the potential to put him under a heightened level of stress, increasing his anxieties to the point of tipping over.’

O’Connor leaned against his car. ‘Keep talking.’

She checked the time on her phone again. O’Connor was getting another five minutes max. ‘Depending on how much pressure he’s under, the trigger or triggers have the power to make his mind contract, becoming utterly focused. It could be some kind of revenge. But what’s particularly important about perpetrators in these types of crimes is that they no longer see people as people but, rather, as targets.’

‘Sort of like a soldier in a war scenario.’

‘Not quite. We all have basic needs, fundamentals by which we achieve social integration, including physiological needs, sleep, hunger, thirst et cetera, but there are also the needs of personal security – feeling safe, affection, love, self-esteem. The lack of any of these basics can inhibit positive personal development.’