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Authors: Roger Silverwood
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agitated…did he behave any differently from normal, in any way?’
‘ No, sir. He wasn’t a talker. Didn’t have any social chitchat. She knew that . So she didn’t try. She said that she knew that he was…that there was something wrong with him.’
Angel ’s jaw muscles tightened. He squeezed the phone and put it closer to his mouth. ‘The only thing that’s wrong with the lad is that he has learning difficulties and has the mental age of a twelve-year-old. He’s not…he’s not mad .’
‘ I think she thought with me checking up on him that we had him down as a possible suspect. That’s all.’
‘ Well, maybe she’s wrong. Thank you, lad. Let’s leave it there. Goodnight.’
He closed the phone. It rang again.
There were more groans from the kitchen. ‘Don’t be long on that thing,’ she called. ‘I’ll be bringing your tea in shortly.’
Angel pressed the button. It was Police Constable Weightman. ‘Sorry to bother you, sir, but I was instructed to give you a bell about the security of 22 Park Road.’
‘ Yes, John.’
‘ Seems all right, sir. Nobody here. No broken windows. Curtains open. No sign of a break in.’
‘ Right, John. Thank you. I hope you have a peaceful night.’
‘ Thank you, sir. Goodnight.’
He pocketed the phone as Mary appeared with a plate of scrambled eggs, toast and cutlery.
Neither spoke as they watched the news on the television. After the weather forecast, Mary found the TV remote and pressed a button. The screen went black.
Angel continued eating the scrambled eggs.
She was pleased that he was enjoying the makeshift meal. She sat in her chair the other side of the library table. ‘What’s happened, then?’ she said.
‘ Nothing,’ he said munching the last piece of toast.
‘ You’re surely not late for no reason?’
‘ No, love.’ He hesitated before he replied. He didn’t want to alarm her unnecessarily. She would have to be told. He chewed and chewed then swallowed the last forkful of egg, then said, ‘We’ve got a serial murderer, Mary. The same MO in the case of two deaths and there’s the prospect of a further four more…unless we can catch him.’
Mary ’s face changed. Her mouth dropped open. A cold shiver ran up her back. ‘Oh, Michael,’ she said. ‘How dreadful. You will be careful, won’t you?’
*
It was 08.45 hours Thursday, 28 May, and Angel and his team were in the CID briefing room. Dr Mac was also there.
Angel was delivering a résumé of the two murder cases.
‘ DS Taylor advises us that as far as the scene is concerned,’ Angel said, ‘the murderer has shown himself to be forensically aware and, up to now, has left behind no clues that can be used to reveal his identity. Having said that, Dr Mac has found hairs on the body of Luke Redman which do not belong to him, and we are awaiting a DNA result from the lab at Wetherby. In the meantime, there are unusual questions to be addressed, such as why Ronnie Striker, a man who has a mental age of a 12-year-old, says that he saw Jesus on his knees at the side of Ingrid Underwood, and why the murderer apparently left a lone laurel leaf with the body of each victim.
‘ We have to work fast to make sure that the murderer doesn’t strike for the third time. The matter paramount to the investigation now is to find the link between Luke Redman and Ingrid Underwood, and that is where our attention must be urgently directed. Any questions?’
A voice from the back said, ‘From the wounds on both victims as described by Dr Mac, the murderer would be heavily marked with blood. Would the clothing thought to make the murderer look like Jesus be actually a sheet to save his own clothing being bloodstained underneath?’
Angel nodded. ‘Could be. It’s a valid suggestion that we must seriously consider, but it doesn’t explain the sandals and the white star in Jesus’s hand that Ronnie Striker says he saw.’
‘ There was a man in the market who has had bedsheets
‘ No, sir. He wasn’t a talker. Didn’t have any social chitchat. She knew that . So she didn’t try. She said that she knew that he was…that there was something wrong with him.’
Angel ’s jaw muscles tightened. He squeezed the phone and put it closer to his mouth. ‘The only thing that’s wrong with the lad is that he has learning difficulties and has the mental age of a twelve-year-old. He’s not…he’s not mad .’
‘ I think she thought with me checking up on him that we had him down as a possible suspect. That’s all.’
‘ Well, maybe she’s wrong. Thank you, lad. Let’s leave it there. Goodnight.’
He closed the phone. It rang again.
There were more groans from the kitchen. ‘Don’t be long on that thing,’ she called. ‘I’ll be bringing your tea in shortly.’
Angel pressed the button. It was Police Constable Weightman. ‘Sorry to bother you, sir, but I was instructed to give you a bell about the security of 22 Park Road.’
‘ Yes, John.’
‘ Seems all right, sir. Nobody here. No broken windows. Curtains open. No sign of a break in.’
‘ Right, John. Thank you. I hope you have a peaceful night.’
‘ Thank you, sir. Goodnight.’
He pocketed the phone as Mary appeared with a plate of scrambled eggs, toast and cutlery.
Neither spoke as they watched the news on the television. After the weather forecast, Mary found the TV remote and pressed a button. The screen went black.
Angel continued eating the scrambled eggs.
She was pleased that he was enjoying the makeshift meal. She sat in her chair the other side of the library table. ‘What’s happened, then?’ she said.
‘ Nothing,’ he said munching the last piece of toast.
‘ You’re surely not late for no reason?’
‘ No, love.’ He hesitated before he replied. He didn’t want to alarm her unnecessarily. She would have to be told. He chewed and chewed then swallowed the last forkful of egg, then said, ‘We’ve got a serial murderer, Mary. The same MO in the case of two deaths and there’s the prospect of a further four more…unless we can catch him.’
Mary ’s face changed. Her mouth dropped open. A cold shiver ran up her back. ‘Oh, Michael,’ she said. ‘How dreadful. You will be careful, won’t you?’
*
It was 08.45 hours Thursday, 28 May, and Angel and his team were in the CID briefing room. Dr Mac was also there.
Angel was delivering a résumé of the two murder cases.
‘ DS Taylor advises us that as far as the scene is concerned,’ Angel said, ‘the murderer has shown himself to be forensically aware and, up to now, has left behind no clues that can be used to reveal his identity. Having said that, Dr Mac has found hairs on the body of Luke Redman which do not belong to him, and we are awaiting a DNA result from the lab at Wetherby. In the meantime, there are unusual questions to be addressed, such as why Ronnie Striker, a man who has a mental age of a 12-year-old, says that he saw Jesus on his knees at the side of Ingrid Underwood, and why the murderer apparently left a lone laurel leaf with the body of each victim.
‘ We have to work fast to make sure that the murderer doesn’t strike for the third time. The matter paramount to the investigation now is to find the link between Luke Redman and Ingrid Underwood, and that is where our attention must be urgently directed. Any questions?’
A voice from the back said, ‘From the wounds on both victims as described by Dr Mac, the murderer would be heavily marked with blood. Would the clothing thought to make the murderer look like Jesus be actually a sheet to save his own clothing being bloodstained underneath?’
Angel nodded. ‘Could be. It’s a valid suggestion that we must seriously consider, but it doesn’t explain the sandals and the white star in Jesus’s hand that Ronnie Striker says he saw.’
‘ There was a man in the market who has had bedsheets
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