Trish’s breaths were coming in short, shallow bursts, but she closed her eyes as instructed. ‘He was short… well, shorter than me.’
‘How much shorter?’
‘Six inches maybe.’
‘Good, Trish. What else can you remember?’
‘He was wearing a dark baseball cap, but I could see wisps of brown hair peeking out beneath it, and over the tops of his ears.’
Jackson’s hair in the photograph was strawberry-blond, but in a dimly lit room, could it pass for brown? Maybe.
‘Keep going, Trish.’
‘He wasn’t fat, but certainly bulky… he had a round belly. Oh, and his nose was huge, not long, but spread right across his face.’
Kate froze. The man Trish was describing wasn’t Jackson, but possibly the man Georgie had seen speaking to Daisy outside number forty-eight.
‘Is there anything else distinctive you can remember? Did he speak? How did he sound?’
‘He told me the parcel was fragile, and that he appreciated me volunteering to look after it for you. He made me promise that I pass it on to you today. I didn’t even think about it until now, but he never asked me to sign for it.’
Kate released Trish’s arms, and disposed of her gloves, before pouring two large glasses of wine. She took a long sip, before pulling out her phone and calling Ben. ‘I need you at my place now, and bring SSD. I just got another delivery.’
43
TWELVE DAYS MISSING
Kate woke as her elbow slipped from the arm rest that had been supporting her on the chairs outside the SSD labs. Glancing at her watch, she was amazed to find it was almost six a.m.
Ben had told her not to bother staying, and had promised he would phone as soon as he was finished examining the second heart, but she had insisted, knowing she wouldn’t be able to rest properly until she knew whether Daisy was alive or dead.
Kate released a huge yawn, and was just resting her face on the back of her hand, when Ben emerged from the labs looking as exhausted as she felt. Sitting up, Kate blinked rapidly to clear the sleep from her eyes.
‘You’re here,’ he said, looking disappointed, but not surprised.
‘What did you find?’
Ben nodded towards the door. ‘You’d better come in with me. You can put on overalls in the lab.’
Once inside and covered, Ben removed the metal tray containing the second heart from the small refrigeration unit. He lifted the lid from the tray and used a scalpel to point at the main arteries. ‘I believe the same tool was used to sever the pulmonary arteries and vena cava, as was used on Petr Nowakowski’s heart. Based on the jagged nature of the cuts, some kind of scissors were used again.’
‘And the bloodwork? Whose heart is it?’
‘At only 171 grams, and looking at the thickness of the vein walls it definitely belonging to a female. We’ve tested the DNA against the two prominent profiles, and I can confirm this was Maria Alexandrou’s heart. The DNA matched the extract from the foot you discovered on Friday night, and the nail clippings you brought in on Monday.’
‘How long ago did she die?’
‘Based on what I determined from the foot and what we know now, realistically about a week ago, maybe slightly less.’
‘So, who died first? Nowakowski or Maria?’
‘Oh, definitely Nowakowski.’
‘So is it possible that Nowakowski was killed and dismembered the Friday that Daisy went missing?’
He considered the question. ‘It would probably be impossible to say for certain, but I’d say that’s probably a reasonable deduction. What are you thinking?’
‘Nowakowski and Maria were both desperate for money; that’s the only thing we’ve found that links the two of them, but there’s nothing to link either to Daisy. Georgie Barclay puts Daisy outside number forty-eight on the night she went missing. What if she saw something she shouldn’t have? Or maybe she heard the victim screaming, or the sound of the power saw? I don’t know, but we know she remained on Abbotts Way for five minutes after leaving Georgie’s house, and she definitely stopped outside number forty-eight.’
‘You think the killer attacked her too? So far we haven’t found any evidence putting her inside the house.’
Kate pulled a face, and sighed. ‘It’s just a theory. If he did grab her, it’s only a matter of time until we discover a third bloody scene.’
‘I hope for all our sakes that you don’t.’ He paused, and fixed her with a look. ‘I don’t want you going back to your flat alone tonight. He knows where you live and I’m not prepared to let you become his next victim. Either you stay at my place until this thing is over, or I’m coming to yours. I won’t take no for an answer.’
Kate was too tired to argue, and secretly a little relived; she didn’t want to be home alone, either.
* * *
‘Maria Alexandrou is confirmed as our second victim,’ Kate declared, marching into the incident room. ‘Her heart was hand-delivered to my flat yesterday. We have another apology from our killer. Again scrawled on one of those air fresheners. The handwriting is a match for the original note according to SSD, so we’re looking at the same killer for both Petr Nowakowski and Maria Alexandrou, but there may also be an accomplice. I want someone checking all the cameras around my home looking for Jackson’s van, or his face. Let’s follow him if we can.’
‘Ewan, can you search through his confirmed friends list and see if any match the description of the accomplice? Does it say if he’s in a relationship with anyone?’
‘No, ma’am. All he’s listed about himself is that he’s self-employed.’
‘Thanks, Ewan. Laura, where are we with tracing the owner of forty-eight Abbotts Way?’
‘On hold with the tax office now, ma’am,’ Laura replied, holding the phone to her shoulder.
‘Great, let me know the moment you have—’
‘Ah Kate,’ the supe said, interrupting. Kate turned and saw him standing at the door, still wearing his overcoat. ‘Have you got five minutes?’
He looked more serious than usual. Kate hoped it wasn’t more trouble with Tara, and put on her most accommodating smile. ‘Certainly, sir,’ she said, as she followed him through the door and over to his office.
The supe removed his coat and gloves before sitting. ‘I heard about what happened at your flat last night. Are you okay?’
His concern shouldn’t have come as such a surprise. ‘I’m fine, sir.’
‘I’d understand if you wished to be removed from the case.’
Kate held his gaze. ‘Absolutely no way, sir.’
He broke first, looking over to the window. ‘I’m glad that’s how you feel.’
‘We have reason to believe Daisy may have come into contact with the killer as well, sir. We are focusing on locating our prime suspect now.’
He tilted his head in surprise. ‘They’re connected?’
‘Possibly. We have her in the vicinity of the bloodbath.’
‘Anything to put her inside the house?’
‘Not yet, but they’re still processing the scene.’
‘Keep me posted.’
Kate made to leave, before turning back. ‘How is everything with you, sir? Is Tara okay?’
His forced smile told her more than he was prepared to. ‘All fine now, but I’ll tell her you were asking after her.’
* * *
Kate was just closing the door behind her when Laura came tearing down the hallway. ‘House is registered to an Imelda Watkins, ma’am.’
‘Watkins?’ Kate coughed. ‘The school governor?’
Laura nodded. ‘The very same, but what I also found out is that twelve months ago, Chris Jackson was paying the council tax on forty-eight Abbotts Way.’
Kate’s blood ran cold.
‘There’s more,’ Laura said. ‘Vehicle recognition has his van in Portswood the night Daisy vanished.’
Kate stared back at her open-mouthed, shuffling the abundance of dots joining together and presenting her with Jackson’s face.
‘The deeds to the property are in Imelda’s name, but it looks like he was paying the council tax and was listed as the sole resident of the property for a year before Mrs Watkins reverted to paying it herself.’
‘He was renting the place from her?’