Vigilante (14 page)

Jessica had already read about the incident in general but figured she might as well hear it from them. ‘What happened exactly?’

Jackie gave another light sob and took a tissue from Carrie. Arthur looked at her and started rubbing her back gently before speaking again. ‘We still don’t really know. It was stupid because he’s never been interested in driving. Most kids get their provisional licence when they’re seventeen and can’t wait to start learning. We’d pushed him into getting his first licence because we thought it could help him get a job but he was never really interested in driving itself. Then one day, it was about three in the morning and I woke up because I thought I heard the car starting. I went to the window and saw it disappearing off down the road without the lights on. The engine was roaring and it sounded like it was in the wrong gear. Jackie called the police while I ran out of the house to see if I could find out where it had gone.’

‘Where was it?’

‘It had only gone around the corner at the bottom of the road and then crashed into a hedge. I got there as the police were arriving with their lights going and there was Rob in the driver’s seat with some other kid I didn’t know next to him. They arrested him on the spot.’ He looked at his wife then back at Jessica. ‘They came by the house and asked if we had given him permission to drive the car. Obviously you don’t want to lie to the police but…’

Jackie started speaking over her husband. ‘I told them the car was registered to me and that I
hadn’t
given him permission to take it. I thought the shock might sort him out but he didn’t speak to me for three months.’

Arthur nodded sadly. ‘He wouldn’t even let his mum go with him to the court. He got a fine but it was added on to the amount he already owes. He doesn’t have any money so we’ve been paying the fiver a week for him.’

Jessica breathed out heavily but tried not to make it sound too much like a sigh. ‘Do you know of anyone who might wish to harm your son?’

‘I’m sorry, we hardly know anything,’ Arthur said. ‘If you want to go through his room or anything like that then there might be something but he was out all the time and only slept there. We stayed up last night waiting for him to come in. We were going to phone you to report him missing but I know it’s got to be twenty-four hours or something like that and it wouldn’t have been the first time he didn’t come home all night. Even when I heard the knocking on the door in the early hours of this morning, I thought it was because he’d lost his keys but then it was one of you.’

At that point, Arthur started crying too. Jessica knew there wasn’t too much more she could hope to get from Robert’s parents. Someone would be sent to search their son’s possessions, while the labs already had his mobile phone and could check that for any recent contacts. She offered her thanks for them talking to her and gave them her card.

Arthur led her and Carrie back to the front door. They were about to walk out when he lowered his tone to ensure there was no way he could be heard by anyone other than the two officers. ‘Do you think he was killed by the vigilante? I know he’d been in trouble…’

They exchanged a look and Jessica answered. ‘I’m afraid we don’t know that yet, Mr Graves.’ The man nodded, trying to hold back more tears.

As they left, Jessica handed the car keys to her junior. ‘You drive. I’m not in the mood.’

The journey back to the station was fairly sombre. Both of them had clearly been touched by the interview. Carrie did try to lift the mood while they waited at traffic lights. ‘How did you go last night?’

Jessica had almost forgotten about her evening with Adam given everything that had happened since. ‘It was good.’

‘What’s his name?’

‘Adam. But don’t tell anyone.’

‘You know I won’t. Is it true he works in the labs?’

‘Yes. He was a bit shy at first but quite fun when you get to know him. How’s your bloke?’

‘He’s all right too. We’re still keeping it low-key for now.’

Jessica wasn’t in the mood for a talk about relationships and was saved by her phone ringing. It was Adam and she hoped he wasn’t calling to talk about the previous night.

‘Hello?’

‘Hi, Jessica, it’s Adam.’

‘I know. Are you okay?’

‘Yes, look, someone will be calling your station soon anyway but I thought I’d let you know first. I take it you know about the body from last night, Robert Graves?’

‘Have you confirmed for sure it’s him?’

‘Yes, but that’s not why I’m calling – we’ve found something else on the body.’

Jessica felt a tingle down her spine. ‘What?’

‘We’ve got a fingerprint.’

SIXTEEN

Jessica could barely get her words out quickly enough. She could feel her heart racing. ‘Whose is it?’

‘We don’t know yet. It’s not a full print, so we’re having to do some work with it. There’s a specialist who works freelance who’s on his way in now. If it belongs to someone on file, we should to be able to match it this afternoon.’

‘Have you got anything else?’

‘Bits, it’s hard though. There’s lots of blood but we haven’t found anything that doesn’t belong to the victim at the moment.’

‘That’s brilliant. Will you call me if you get anything else?’

‘If I can.’

Jessica hung up. Things had suddenly become interesting. She still didn’t know if Robert Graves was connected to the other victims but they might finally be able to build a case if the fingerprint came back as Donald McKenna’s.

When they arrived back at the station, things were still frantic. With the e-fit being shown on every news bulletin, calls had been coming in throughout the morning with members of the public suggesting the person’s identity. Everyone would have to be checked and eliminated. News had also spread internally about the fingerprint and most of the officers seemed convinced the cracking of the case was just hours away. Jessica hoped so but kept her thoughts to herself.

She went up to DCI Farraday’s office to let him know what Robert Graves’ parents had said. He had calmed down from when she had seen him earlier that morning but was still convinced everything was linked together. She nodded along as he gave her the official news that a fingerprint had been found, not knowing Adam had told her first.

Jessica took some time to help Rowlands sort through the list of leads that had come from the phone calls. They were stuck between two different types of investigating. On the one hand they were waiting for lab results that could either help or hinder their case but, until those came back, they were using a more traditional method – assessing the phone calls. A couple of specialist officers would also be going to the Graveses’ house to look through Robert’s possessions, although Jessica wasn’t convinced they would find much.

After a while, she left the constable to it and returned to her office. She was desperately hoping her phone would ring with news from Adam but spent her lunchtime skimming through Internet news sites. Some of the coverage was based on fact but a few of the opinion pieces infuriated her. There was one in particular that caught her eye on the
Herald
’s website.

Martin Coleman was a name and face she recognised. He was a local councillor who seemed to have an opinion on everything. Jessica could remember a story recently where he had been campaigning against the implementation of a slower speed limit on a local road. She couldn’t remember the exact details but searched his name through the site. It soon became apparent why he was so familiar; he really did get himself around. Over the last couple of years, he had been in the news for everything from backing cuts at the local hospital to explaining why some school fields needed to be sold off.

Jessica had never been interested in politics and figured he was entitled to campaign for whatever he wanted but the comment piece he had his name on that morning really annoyed her. Under the headline ‘WHY VIGILANTE HAS THE RIGHT IDEA’, he had written hundreds of words about how crime was out of control, eventually reaching a conclusion that said, if not explicitly, that perhaps whoever the killer was had the right idea.

Jessica made a quick phone call and then stormed out of her office. This was one chat she was definitely going to enjoy.

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

Jessica had deliberately shown her identification as many times as she could in the council chamber’s reception area while asking for Martin Coleman. Over the phone, she had established he was in the building but hadn’t bothered to actually ask for a meeting. Instead, she turned up, parked the pool car she had taken on double yellow lines outside the building and bounded in asking everyone from the security guard to the receptionists to other people in suits if they knew where she could find the councillor.

She knew full well she could have just asked once at reception but, by flashing her identification around and mentioning his name as often as possible, people would put two and two together and make five. Rumours would be circling around the building in no time about a local detective asking after a prominent councillor.

Jessica figured that if she had tried to make an appointment, she would have had to wait for a few hours, if not days. Within five minutes of her throwing her weight around, Martin Coleman walked forcefully into the reception area. At first he spoke to one of the security guards to ask what was going on. As soon as she spotted him, Jessica made sure she was standing directly in front of the reception desk where there was the maximum number of people within hearing distance.

The councillor’s greying hair was swept back tidily. Jessica guessed his suit cost more than her car, although admittedly that wasn’t saying much. His shiny expensive-looking shoes echoed on the hard floor as he walked towards her. It was clear to Jessica he was furious but, with council staff and members of the public present, he was desperately trying to hold things together.

‘Can I help you with something, Detective?’ he said as sweetly as he could, forcing a smile and offering his hand for her to shake.

She ignored it. ‘I just need a few minutes of your precious time, Councillor.’

‘I’m pretty busy. You could always have made an appointment…’

‘I’m afraid I’m in the middle of a
multiple murder
investigation, I didn’t really have time to jump through hoops.’ Jessica made sure she emphasised the words ‘multiple murder’, just in case anyone nearby couldn’t hear.

The councillor looked quickly from side to side. ‘Right, right. I think we should probably do this somewhere more private. Do you want to come with me?’ He led Jessica out of the main hallway, up a wide flight of stairs and down a couple of corridors into a wood-panelled room with an enormous ceiling.

He sat behind a large desk and pointed to the seat on the other side of the table. Jessica ignored him, standing next to the chair instead, looking down upon him. ‘Why is it so important you had to speak to me now?’ he asked.

Jessica walked over to a window and looked out onto the street below. ‘Nice view you’ve got.’

‘Sorry?’

‘Nice view. Nice office too.’ Jessica paced back towards the desk and started fiddling with a lamp, twisting the top part around towards her and then turning it back again.

‘Detective?’ The man sounded as much confused as he did angry.

Jessica finally stood up straight and looked him directly in the eyes. ‘“Endemic incompetence”,’ she said.

‘What?’

‘“While feral youths run wild on our city’s streets, the city’s police officers are more focused on prosecuting motorists than catching the real criminals”.’

‘Oh right, yes, the article.’

‘“Policing has been too soft for too long and I for one am sick of it”.’

‘I’m not sure what you want me to say.’

Jessica could remember perfectly the choice quotes from his article. They had been spinning around her head throughout the drive from the station to the council chambers as she got angrier. ‘“There’s fear on the city’s streets tonight but for once it’s the right people who are scared”.’

‘Look—’ the councillor started to say but Jessica cut across him.

‘Have you ever had to break the news to a parent that their child has been murdered, Councillor Coleman?’

‘I don’t see what that has—’

‘How about identifying a dead body, have you ever done that?’

The man stumbled over his words as Jessica put both palms face down on his desk and leant forwards, daring him to meet her gaze. He looked down at the computer keyboard on his desk and nervously glanced sideways towards the phone.

‘“Vandals once wrecked my car but all I got was a token visit from the police. You have to ask yourself in these situations, is this a good enough service?”’ Jessica was quoting him again.

‘That particular incident is true, Detective—’

She cut him off once more. ‘Do you know why you didn’t get more than a “token visit”, Councillor?’

‘What? No—’

‘It’s because you’re a complete arsehole. It’s because officers have better things to do than chase around after complete dickheads like you. We don’t have the manpower to list the hundreds of people who think you’re an idiot, let alone narrow it down to one person who might feel the need to graffiti your car.’ The man didn’t know whether to be angry or upset. He spluttered words out but there was nothing cohesive and Jessica was on a roll. ‘I’ll be honest with you, Councillor; I don’t care if you slam the police – we’re a public service and we don’t get everything right – but I do mind when you start telling mothers who’ve lost their sons that their kids deserved it.’

‘I wasn’t trying to—’

‘Is that what you think about girls who get raped? Do they deserve it for wearing a short skirt too?’

‘No, that’s not what I…’

Jessica narrowed her eyes and leant further across the table. The councillor shuffled slightly but he didn’t push backwards hard enough to move the chair and he was stuck trying not to look at her. ‘The type of statements you’ve been making are completely out of order. Do you understand what I’m saying, Councillor?’

The man looked at her, his face red with a mixture of embarrassment and rage. ‘You can’t just storm in here, you know—’

‘I asked you a question. Do. You. Understand. What. I’m. Saying?’ Jessica punctuated each word with as much venom as she could manage.

‘Yes, fine, whatever. Get out of my office.’

At first Jessica didn’t move but then quickly took a step backwards, again standing tall and towering over the seated man. ‘If I were you, Mr Coleman, I would hope there’s nothing you’re trying to keep under wraps. No dodgy deals, no made-up expenses, no secret mistresses hidden away. Believe me, if you even have so much as an out-of-date tax disc, I’ll make sure it’s on the front page of as many papers as I can leak the story to.’

The man reached for the phone on his desk. ‘I’ll be contacting your superintendent about this, you know. I play golf with one of the commissioners in this area…’

Jessica stomped back over towards the man and he slid his chair backwards, trying to get away from her. She pulled out one of her business cards and slammed it down on the desk. The noise echoed around the room. She pointed to the various lines on the card. ‘I don’t care if you play golf with the fucking Prime Minister. That’s my name, that’s my ID number, that’s my rank and that’s my phone number. Tell them whatever you want.’

She spun around and walked quickly out of the office, slamming the door as hard as she could. Without talking to anyone, she paced back the way she had come and returned to the car. Jessica’s anger hadn’t gone but she definitely felt better as she drove back to the station. She knew full well there were official ways to go about things. Usually a senior officer would have written a letter back to the newspaper or something similar but she didn’t care.

It wasn’t that she even disagreed with all of the points Councillor Coleman had made in the article but if he was serious about getting things done, he would have asked questions through the proper channel, especially if he did know the area’s commander. As it was, he was simply looking to score cheap political points, not just at their expense but in a way that would cause maximum hurt to people like Arthur and Jackie Graves.

Jessica doubted if the councillor would speak to anyone about her visit. She had no intention of trying to find dirt on him but he didn’t know that. She wasn’t sure if there was anything he was desperate to hide or not but if there was, the last thing he would want to do would be to draw further attention to himself.

After parking the car at the station and switching the engine off, Jessica sat for a few moments listening to the relative silence. She jumped as her phone rang, picking it up out of the storage well underneath the handbrake.

It was Adam again. ‘Hi, Adam, are you okay?’

‘Hi, Jess, we’ve finished working on the fingerprint.’

‘Whose is it?’

‘Well, we don’t know. Whoever it belongs to doesn’t have their prints stored in our files.’

‘So it’s not Donald McKenna?’

‘No, definitely not.’

Jessica didn’t say anything for a few moments. It wasn’t that she had been certain the results were going to come back as a match but the outcome hadn’t left them with very much to go on.

‘Are you still there?’ Adam asked.

‘Yes, sorry. Did you find anything else?’

‘Maybe. We’ve got some blood scrapings which don’t belong to the victim but we’ve been working on the fingerprints and it takes time.’

‘Have you phoned the station yet?’

‘As soon as we’ve finished talking.’

‘Okay, right, I’ll leave you to it. Thanks for calling.’ Jessica went to add, ‘I’ll text you about next weekend’, but heard the beep to indicate the call had been terminated.

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

The next two days consisted of one dead end after another. The public responses to the e-fit had dried up and nothing had come from the list of names that had been suggested. Despite not having a match for the fingerprints, they had been anxiously awaiting the results on the blood the forensics team had found.

Jessica and Cole were in their regular morning briefing with Farraday in his office when the bad news arrived. A call was put through to his desk phone and, after a short conversation, he hung up and told them the blood had also come back without a match. Whoever had killed Robert Graves was someone with no criminal record.

The chief inspector sat drumming his fingers on his desk for a short time and then started to speak. ‘Do I think we made a mistake with releasing that sketch to the media? Maybe. I think we might have to look at treating this murder separately from the first four victims.’

Jessica was annoyed not only by the way he had asked himself a question and answered it but also by the use of the word ‘we’. It certainly wasn’t her or Cole who had authorised releasing that photo; it was the DCI alone who had made an enormous error.