‘And chains?’
‘Yeah, they figured too. Allegedly. Some people claimed it was heavy-duty S & M stuff, that Daisy got hurt. One guy even went further and speculated it was an actual snuff movie; that Daisy ended up dead. This was all very unreliable evidence because it was so long ago, the boys were always drunk when they watched the tapes, and it was never clear whether they’d actually seen it or just talked to someone else who had. What we do know is that the Daisy in question – sorry, can’t remember her last name – left the university when this all kicked off and no one knows where she went. She vanished.’
Maggie appears to think for a second. ‘You think she could have been his first victim?’
‘Who knows?’ Pete says. ‘Ask me, I think something went wrong during the making of the Daisy in Chains video. Maybe there was an accident, maybe he got carried away. I think Daisy ended up dead and he managed to cover it up. With or without the help of his friends. I think, initially, he was mortified by what he’d done, vowed never to do it again, tried to put it behind him and concentrate on building a career as a brilliant surgeon.’
‘But his true nature couldn’t be suppressed?’
‘Can it ever?’
Her eyes widen. ‘His dog is called Daisy.’
‘I know. And that really turns my blood cold. Because he got that dog just before he started killing again.’
Chapter 14
DRAFT
THE BIG, BAD WOLFE?
By Maggie Rose
CHAPTER 4, MYRTLE REID’S FAIRYTALE TURNS DARK
Myrtle Reid was twenty-three years old, the youngest and also the largest of the four victims. Living at home with her mother, her four siblings, her fifth stepfather (although I’m not sure her mother ever actually married) it seems fair to say her life wasn’t especially happy or fulfilled.
Not particularly bright at school, with no obvious talents, Myrtle was never going to be one of life’s high achievers. Leaving school at sixteen, she did a string of minimum-wage jobs, not managing to hold down any of them for more than a few months.
Myrtle’s best feature was probably her thick, long dark hair. Whether it made up for poor skin, heavy, black-rimmed spectacles and crooked teeth is another matter. As she’d never had a boyfriend that we know of, the chances are it didn’t.
Myrtle’s one great passion, verging on obsession, was Disney. Her Facebook page featured little else. Her Tumblr blog consisted of daily, short, misspelt postings about films she’d watched, news items she’d read about the theme parks and her thoughts on characters, their costumes, even their relationships.
Her profile picture on Facebook, taken a few years earlier, showed Myrtle at Disneyland Paris, wearing Mickey Mouse ears, and standing next to Mickey and Minnie. The cover picture showed her bedroom at home, practically a museum of Disney memorabilia.
Myrtle spent all her spare money on Disney toys, clothes, posters and pictures. It was an obsession that was to cost her her life.
She had few friends in real life and few real friends on Facebook. Most of the people she interacted with were those who shared her interest, whom she’d encountered on the various Disney-related pages on the site. One of these ‘friends’ claimed to be a seventy-two-year-old grandmother called Anita Radcliffe. If Myrtle had been as smart as she was passionate about all things Disney, she might have spotted that Anita Radcliffe is the name of a character in 101 Dalmatians.
Anita Radcliffe was yet another fake identity. The police discovered very quickly that ‘her’ posts all came from the same computer that had hosted Harry Wilson’s and Isabelle Warner’s email accounts. Harry Wilson and Anita Radcliffe were even Facebook ‘friends’ – how twisted is that?
On 12 February 2013, Myrtle spotted a posting on her page from Anita Radcliffe. Anita had been browsing through Myrtle’s photographs and had been struck by a picture of Myrtle in a Snow White costume.
‘My oldest granddaughter looks about your size,’ Anita wrote, ‘and she’s desperately looking for a Snow White costume for a party. Do you mind me asking where you got yours?’
The two women began chatting. With the benefit of hindsight, it’s easy to see how easily Myrtle was played. On Myrtle’s birthday, Anita posted a Disney-themed card on her page, writing:
‘Wishing a wonderful day to my new friend in Disney. Lots of joy, my sweet young friend.’
When Myrtle posted a rather obvious comment about the relationship between Marlin and his son, in Finding Nemo, Anita complimented her on her insight.
‘Watching Find Nemo for the millionth time, LOL. Wanting to scream at Marrlin to let the kid grow up, ffs.’