Page 22 of The Serial Killer's Sister
‘I am, Detective Walker. Christ. Sorry if I’m a bit freaked out by all this. You might be used to this stuff, but I’m just a bloody teacher.’
‘And a good one by all accounts, so I’m told. Logical thinking and emotional intelligence is your thing, and this is someone close to you.’
‘I’m not close to Henry,’ I say, forcefully. ‘Yesterdaymorning everything was normal; my life was as expected. Then you show up and throw my world into chaos; I get suspended from my job and now I’m being stalked by a serial killer and the fate of another woman’s life rests in my hands. I can’t think straight.’
‘Okay. Okay. You’re right, I’m sorry. I really shouldn’t be putting all this pressure on you. I don’t want to let Henry create another victim, Anna, that’s all. I’m determined to save at least one life in this whole mess.’
‘I understand that. Of course I do. The clock’s ticking. But just so you know, I don’t usually cope well with stressful situations; I’m prone to panicking and making rash decisions.’ I don’t know why I’m telling him this, but I can’t seem to stop. ‘If you want my help, I have to put the clues together in the right way. There’s no time for me to jump to the wrong conclusion and send you – us – on a wild goose chase. I have to be sure the solution is correct first time. This first one took me three hours to get to. If I’d been wrong, that’s a lot of time wasted. See?’
‘Yes. Fine. I’ll give you some space.’
‘Thank you.’
‘But Anna?’
‘Yes?’
‘You have to share everything. No disappearing and trying to figure out a clue on your own. I can’t allow you or another woman to be the next victim.’
‘Don’t worry – I’m really not intending to lose my head, DI Walker.’
‘No, but then I’m sure his other victims didn’t intend to lose parts of their bodies either.’
I can’t hold my alarm back – my sharp intake of breath is instinctive.
‘You never mentioned that,’ I say, aware my words are wobbly, like I’m in a car driving over a cattlegrid.
‘Sorry. I didn’t want to give you the gruesome details if there was no need.’
‘You told me the first victim had her lips sewn shut. Did she also have something removed?’
The detective sighs, seemingly annoyed at himself for having let that information slip. ‘No. That started happening with the second and subsequent murders.’
‘Oh.’ I massage my throat, trying to dispel the lump of anxiety.
‘Look, I’m going to organise protection—’
‘No.’ I’m shocked at how quick, and firm, my rejection of his offer is, and judging by his gaping mouth, so is he. I give myself a shake. ‘Sorry, thanks, detective, but I don’t need it. If an officer is posted outside my door, it could stop Henry making contact and I’ll be forced to withdraw my co-operation. I’m sure you don’t want that, because as you rightly pointed out, we’re running out of time.’
‘And if his ultimate goalisto kill you? That line in the riddle isn’t exactly ambiguous.’
‘I disagree. But regardless, while I’m happy for you to come to my place alone, I think the rest of the team should keep their distance.’ I’m not happy for him to be around me either, but I have to be realistic – it’s a murder case and whether I like it or not, I’m involved. I look back to the home and see Natalia emerging, her hands firmly on her hips as she scans the area. ‘Er … I think we’ve outstayed our welcome,’ I say. I couldn’t be more relieved to walk out of this place again. And this time, it really will be forever.
Chapter 13
A secret’s a secret – my word is forever;
I will tell no one about your cruel endeavour.
MAY
Two years ago
The tongue slipped between his fingers, and it took a few attempts to hold it still long enough for him to make the first cut. The knife was sharp, but nevertheless it took some hacking to sever it. There wasn’t a lot of blood – she’d been dead for half an hour – but he’d come prepared and had ensured there was plenty of plastic sheeting underneath her. He hadn’t wanted to chance splattering the area with her blood because the focus had to be on the final, staged scene. He had learned from the first woman that it was easier to kill close to where the staging area was to prevent having to move the body too far. This time, he’d only had to drag the dead weight across the hall to the next bedroom, where he’d erected a kids’ tepee tenthe’d bought specially for the occasion. It was in the bigger of the two rooms, to give himself space to manoeuvre.
She was smaller than the first woman, making the process so far much simpler. He rolled her off the bloody plastic sheet and wiped her down, then pulled her by her arms. She almost glided over the floor.
‘Note to self,’ he muttered. ‘Rooms with no carpet are better.’
