Bad Moon Rising (#1 - D.I. Paolo Storey Crime Series) (31 page)

“Maybe he went to meet someone,” Paolo suggested. “Has he ever mentioned his brother to you?”

“He doesn’t have one,” she said. “I thought you knew that he was an only child.”

Paolo nodded. “Yes, he was, but only in the adopted sense. He has a brother by his birth mother and we know that they have been in touch with each other. We’ve been trying to find him for some time. You might have seen the appeals on television. His name is Sean Andrews.”

“Do you mean to tell me that the murderer you’re looking for is Mr Roberts’ brother?” She shook her head. “I don’t believe it. The resemblance is there, I even commented on it to Mr Roberts, but... no, I don’t believe it. When I mentioned how much he looked like that man when the picture first appeared, Mr Roberts made a joke of it. He wouldn’t have done that if... no... surely not.”

She fell back into her chair and looked so close to passing out that Paolo sent Dave to fetch a glass of water to give her. When he came back from the kitchen and handed her the glass her hand shook so badly the water spilled over the papers on her desk. She patted at the mess with a tissue, but so ineffectually that it was clear she was in no fit state to be left alone.

“Is there someone we can call to sit with you for a while?” Paolo asked.

Jennifer nodded. “My sister. I’ll, I’ll call... I’ll...”

“Give me the number and I’ll call for you,” Dave said.

Paolo waited until Dave had made the call before questioning Jennifer further.

“We need to locate Sean Andrews as soon as we possibly can. You know most of Mr Roberts’ business. Other than his penthouse, does he have any other property? Is there somewhere he might have allowed Sean to hide?”

Jennifer shook her head. “He wouldn’t do that. I’m sure he wouldn’t. You must be mistaken.”

Paolo tried hard not to let his irritation show. The woman was clearly distraught, he didn’t want to add to her distress, but somehow he had to get over to her that Matthew Roberts had definitely been in touch with Sean, even if it had been a while back.

“It’s possible that Mr Roberts is being coerced in some way. Maybe he is hiding Sean Andrews because he’s being forced to do so. Jennifer, if you know of somewhere that Matthew goes, maybe a weekend place or something like that, you must tell us. Matthew could be in danger from his brother.”

She looked more distressed than ever. “He does have a weekend cottage, but I’m not supposed to tell anyone about it. I’ve never been out there; I don’t even have a telephone number for it. If ever I’ve needed to get hold of him in an emergency I’ve always used his mobile number.”

“Jennifer, we’re going now to his penthouse, but if he isn’t there I need to know where the cottage is. We’ll go and check that Matthew is safe. You wouldn’t want to leave him to Sean Andrew’s mercy, now would you?”

She shook her head and reached for a dry piece of paper.

“I don’t know exactly how to find it, but this is the address.”

Paolo took the piece of paper and slipped it into his pocket. “We have to go now; will you be okay here until your sister arrives?”

“Yes,” she said, but so quietly that her voice could barely be heard.

C
HAPTER 
T
WENTY-
F
IVE

Back in the car after leaving Matthew’s office, Paolo and Dave headed to the penthouse. As Dave drove, Paolo checked his voicemail messages and was astounded to find several from Barbara telling him to call her back, each one more agitated than the one before.

He was about to put the phone back in his pocket when it struck him how out of character it was for Barbara to keep calling. He opened the phone and dialled her number. She answered almost immediately.

“Paolo, thank God. I’ve been going insane thinking I might not be able to reach you. I think Matthew Roberts might be our killer, not Sean.”

“But that isn’t possible, Barbara. DNA ruled him out. You know that better than anyone.”

“Paolo, you’ll have to trust me on this one, but it’s almost certain that he
is
the killer. I can explain it all to you later, but it seems he might be a chimera. Someone with two separate strands of DNA in different parts of his body.”

“Barbara, you’re not making sense. This isn’t possible, is it?”

“It’s not something that happens very often, but yes, it’s possible.”

“What about Sean Andrews? We’re still waiting for his DNA results.”

“Not anymore we’re not. They came in about ten minutes ago and his DNA is no more a match to the killer’s than Matthew’s. We know for sure that a sibling of Andrews and Roberts is definitely our killer and they don’t have any other brothers. A chimera is someone who has a dead sibling’s DNA in their body as well as their own.”

Paolo felt like he was trying to think through treacle. “What? What dead sibling? No, don’t answer that. Explain it to me later. Right now I need you to tell me why it can’t be Andrews who is a chi... whatever it was you said.”

“You’re right. That
could
still be the case, Paolo, but I found out earlier today that Matthew was tested years ago and the person who did the testing later became a specialist in the field. It’s almost certain that it’s Matthew who is a chimera. Jed Lawrence, the Chimera specialist, was, apparently, really excited about Matthew’s DNA. The chances of Sean Andrews being the same are too remote to even consider.”

“Bloody hell, Barbara, I don’t understand any of this.”

“I know, but trust me, please. I really believe it’s Matthew you need to find. If you bring him in, I can perform a simple test. There’s a strange pattern under the skin that only shows up in UV light. Bring him in, Paolo. I’m sure I can give you the proof you need.”

“We’ve just pulled up outside his apartment. I must go. Don’t worry, whatever happens we’ll find Matthew tonight and bring him to the station. You can explain the science to me when we get there.”

Paolo snapped his phone shut and opened the car door. “Dave, I can’t explain it, because I don’t really understand it myself, but Barbara thinks Matthew’s DNA could still be a match with the killer. We need to find him, if only to rule him out.”

Dave frowned. “What about the brother?”

Paolo shook his head. “Apparently he isn’t a match.”

“Well neither was Roberts. Don’t tell me there’s another one out there?”

“Not exactly. Barbara says Roberts could have two lots of DNA.” He shrugged. “I felt at the time he offered that bloody test that he was playing me, but I thought it was just to drop me in it with the chief. It seems there might have been another reason. Let’s find him, shall we? We can worry about understanding the whys and wherefores later.”

They entered the building to find the same security man as before guarding access to the foyer and lifts.

“If it’s Mr Roberts you’re after, he hasn’t come in yet.”

Paolo stepped up to the desk. “Are you sure? Could he have come in without you seeing him?”

“Nope, not possible. To get to the penthouse you have to come past my desk and he hasn’t been in this evening.”

Paolo smiled as if it was no big deal. “What time do you come on?”

“I took over at two and I’ve been here ever since. Some of the tenants are home, but not Mr Roberts.”

Paolo thanked the man and signalled for Dave to follow him out. “Jennifer saw Matthew at four-thirty, so if the security guy has been here since two, there’s no way Matthew could have come back to his apartment without being spotted. Let’s call in the cottage address to the station. I’d like some uniform backup – just in case Barbara is right.”

Dave tapped the address into the satnav and followed its directions out into the countryside.

Paolo’s phone rang and an unknown number lit the screen. As he flipped the phone open, Katy’s voice came through in an urgent whisper.

“Dad, you’ve got to help me.”

“Where are you?”

But the only answer was the sound of a hard slap, someone falling and then a high-pitched scream before the phone went dead.

C
HAPTER 
T
WENTY-
S
IX

He’d driven around the corner and received such a shock he’d almost swerved into a lamp post. Regaining control of the car, he’d pulled over to the kerbside, his heart hammering so hard he could barely breathe. My God, could it be true? Talking to one of the older whores, acting for all the world as if she’d belonged there, was Paolo Storey’s daughter. She was nothing more than a dirty little whore.

He hadn’t known what to do. She looked nothing like the others. Nothing like the photograph of the first. But if he’d left her there she would tread the same path. He’d closed his eyes in prayer, begging Jesus to guide him. The Lord’s words had answered him. Save her.

“Katy, what are you doing here? Does your father know where you are?”

She’d scowled at him in recognition. “No, but he-”

“He doesn’t know? What about your mother?”

A man, drunk or drugged, it was hard to tell, had appeared from an empty shop doorway and staggered towards Katy, yelling and swearing. Her eyes flicked between the incoherent man and the car.

“I can’t leave you here. Your father would never forgive me. Get in the car.”

“I’m fine,” she said, but he’d heard the edge of panic in her voice.

The junkie had lurched forward, trying to grab Katy’s arm. She’d pushed the man away, opened the car door and scrambled in. God had delivered her into his keeping.

And now, he had to fulfil the Lord’s wishes. He slipped the cassock over his naked body and then dropped to his knees in front of the prie dieu. The Lord had entrusted him with a special soul. He wouldn’t let him down. Before dealing with Katy he had to compose himself. The thought of saving this one from the devil’s clutches excited him more than he’d believed possible. The lash wouldn’t help, he knew that. If anything, it would increase his desire. He rested his head on the prie dieu and begged for the strength to hold back until she was dead. He’d believed her innocent, but she was a whore like all the others.

When he finally had himself under control, he rose and picked up the key to the bedroom where he’d locked up Katy while he prepared for the ritual. His heart pounded as he left the cell and walked along the passage.
Dear Lord, help me to do thy bidding. Help me to remain pure in thy name.

He slipped the key in the lock and opened the door, astounded to see Katy with a mobile in her hand. The bitch must have searched his things. He rushed across and smacked her across the face. As she fell backwards the phone dropped from her hand and spun across the floor. He grabbed her hair and dragged her to where the phone lay. Stamping down, he ground the phone with his heel until the casing shattered.

He shook her by her hair, wanting to kill her there and then. The bitch was spoiling everything. Still holding her hair in one hand, he slapped her with the other.

“Who did you call?” he yelled. “Was it your father? Did you tell him where you are?”

Katy shook her head. “I couldn’t get through. Please let me go. I won’t tell anyone you brought me here. I promise.”

He smiled at the devious look on her face. The little whore thought she could fool him. Letting go of her hair, he brought his fist back and let fly. As she sailed across the room he felt a surge of blood in his groin. The fucking little bitch was trying to make him come while she was still alive. Anger surged through him. He must calm down.

Walking over to where Katy cowered on the floor, he knelt down next to her.

“Are you ready to repent?” he asked, reaching forward to caress her face.

She scrambled away from him until backed into a corner. “I haven’t done anything. Please let me go.”

“You were whoring. I found you waiting for customers. Don’t try to deny it.”

“I wasn’t. Honestly. I was looking for Father Gregory.”

He laughed. “You expect me to believe that? He’s gone. Locked up in rehab where he should be. You were whoring, weren’t you?”

Katy shook her head. “No. My dad will come looking for me. You should let me go.”

“Your father hasn’t a clue where you are. No one knows about this place. Just me and the Lord. I’m going to save you, Katy. I’m going to wash your soul clean. You should say thank you.”

“What are you on about? You’re not right in the head.”

He walked over to her, and pulled her to her feet by her hair. As she screamed, his desire rose.

“You see what you’re doing to me, you bitch, but the Lord will keep me pure until the time is right.”

Ignoring her cries, he dragged her over to the table where the CD was set up ready to play.

“Katy, sweet Katy, we’re going to dance.”