Read Online Tropic of Death by Robert Sims - Free Book Online

Rachel’s murder has heightened media coverage so the environmentalists and anti-war brigade have got the public backing of the Indigenous lobby. And I’m piggy in the middle. To the peaceniks and eco-warriors I’m an establishment lackey. As for the defence department, I might as well be a leper.’
    ‘The security director you mentioned,’ said Rita, ‘does he run the military police unit at the base?’
    ‘Yes. Captain Roy Maddox.’
    ‘What’s he like?’
    ‘Smart, tough, hard as nails. Ex-commando. He was with Special Forces till his truck got blown out from under him in Afghanistan. No time for civilians, cops included.’
    ‘Who’s in overall charge at Whitley Sands?’
    ‘The director-general’s another piece of work - Lieutenant Colonel Willis Baxter,’ snorted Jarrett. ‘One of those formal army types programmed to see human beings as cannon fodder. No sense of humour. Just gives you a dead-fish stare.’
    Rita went silent, sipping her lime and soda absent-mindedly and gazing towards the horizon.
    ‘What is it?’ asked Jarrett. ‘Does everything I’ve told you just sound paranoid?’
    She finished her drink and put down the glass. ‘Sounding paranoid and being paranoid are two different things. What if your feelings are right?’ She turned to him. ‘The bad vibe you sense - what if there’s more to it than the murders? What if they’re having an impact in a broader scenario than a police investigation?
    Which, of course, begs another question: what are we missing?’
    ‘I wouldn’t know where to start.’
    ‘The only place we can at this stage: with the offender,’ said Rita.
    ‘But we know nothing about him.’
    ‘No, that’s not true. His identity’s unknown but the Homicide detectives have already started building a profile of him. According to them, he’s a serial killer with a personal agenda yet to be determined. They see him as a sociopath, a stalker who likes to get up close and personal for his kill. Hence the nail gun, which is an odd choice of weapon. It probably needs to be pressed against his victims’ skulls to be fired. The fact that he’s used it twice shows it’s not opportunistic. It’s part of his signature, along with dismemberment.’
    ‘But I need to know where he comes from, what he looks like.’
    ‘He’s a big, strong man - someone powerful enough to use an unwieldy weapon effectively and tall enough to fire it at a downward angle through Rachel’s body. He’s also organised. He plans his attack carefully, equipping himself with what’s necessary to carry it out and tidy up - nail gun, some sort of meat cleaver, a sack or bag for the severed head and hands. That shows he’s socially competent - an intelligent man who fits in with his surroundings. He also gets a buzz out of taunting the public - the way he displayed Rachel’s head. That makes him very manipulative and contemptuous of people in general. Homicide are convinced he’ll strike again, and when he does they’ll be back on your doorstep.’
    ‘So you agree with their analysis?’
    ‘Essentially, yes. But the context of the research base bothers me. It seems to me they’ve ignored it - possibly because, like you, they’ve been told to. And that’s not good police work. That’s political.’ She looked at him pensively. ‘By the way, do you know a research scientist called Dr Konrad Steinberg?’
    ‘No.’
    ‘What about Professor Audrey Zillman?’
    Jarrett shook his head. ‘Never heard of her. Not surprising though. The only contact I’ve had with people from the base is official meetings on local security or civic receptions. And that’s more than enough. As for trying to question any of the civilian workers there, forget it. They’re included in the get lost advice.’
    ‘Well, that might have to change. But first things first. I need to start mapping out everything you’ve got so far.’
    ‘You can do that at the station. I’ll take you there now,’ said Jarrett.