A Deadly Imperfection: Calladine & Bayliss 3 (4 page)

Harriet unscrewed the cap from the petrol can she’d brought with her.  Albert sat there helpless, unsuspecting - just like her Jimmy had been.  The rage was back, North deserved everything that was coming to him.  She shook the contents wildly over Albert’s head then threw the can to the ground. . 

He wasn’t quick enough to help himself.  Albert felt the liquid wet his face and clothes.  The strong vapours replaced the smell of whiskey up his nose making him feel sick.  He shouted a protest, and his hands clutched wildly at the fabric as he frantically tried to remove his petrol sodden scarf.  But it was too late.

Suddenly he was still, his eyes blinking wide open at the sound of the striking match.  She made a noise – she was shrieking at him.

‘That’s for my Jimmy, you bastard!’  Were the last words Albert North heard on earth.

Harriet dropped the match onto his scarf at the back of his head.  A heartbeat later he became a blazing torch – a human beacon that lit up the dark night like an expensive firework.  

Harriet stood well back and watched.  She watched his skin shrivel then literally appear to melt from his flesh.  She waited until he ceased to scream, until he was unrecognisable – his head nothing but a blackened, charred mess.  His lower body wasn’t too badly burned though, and no doubt the police would rifle through his clothing in an effort to find out who he was.  With that thought in mind she took a tarot card from her bag and placed it in his coat pocket.

The Devil – how apt for a man like Albert North.

Wednesday
 

‘Tom, Tom, wake up,’ Lydia groaned, poking him in the ribs.  ‘For Heaven’s sake your mobile’s been ringing on and off for the last ten minutes, do something about it or it’s going through the window,’ she hissed at him once he’d prised his eyes open.

‘What time is it?’

‘Some unearthly hour.  If this is what it’s like with you working then you’ll have to sleep in the spare room,’ she whined,

‘I thought this was my house,’ he said, rubbing his stubbly face.  ‘So shouldn’t that be you in the spare room?’

‘Come on Detective, you don’t really mean that, do you?’  She ran her hand provocatively over his naked chest down to his navel.  ‘You’d be far too lonely,’ she said, slapping his belly.

Minx that she was, but she right, he would be lonely without her and not just in bed either.  Calladine picked up his mobile from the table – Ruth.  What now, he wondered, calling her back.

‘We’ve got another one, Guv,’ she said at once.  ‘And it’s not good.  One of the most horrific things I’ve ever seen, and I’m not kidding you.  I’m on the common, near the small copse of trees opposite the bus stop.  You need to get down here fast.  You need to see this because we need to get the body moved quickly.’

‘Another one,’ he queried?  His brain wasn’t functioning on all cylinders yet.

‘Another ‘
tarot card murder’
,’ Ruth enlightened him patiently.

‘So that’s what we’re calling it now?’

‘It’s what the press will call it if we don’t get our act together,’ she told him before his handset went dead.

‘Got to go,’ he told Lydia as he jumped out of bed.  ‘Nasty case shaping up – could be gone all day.’

‘You haven’t forgotten I’m seeing your cousin later – visiting him in Strangeways.’

‘No,’ he lied.  ‘But why you’re still chasing after that thug Fallon is beyond me.’

‘Because he has a story to tell, Tom and he’s going to tell it to me – exclusively.  And when he does it’ll blast my career to the sky,’ she enthused rolling onto her back and stretching out her long limbs.

‘Waste of time, he’s using you.  He’ll have an angle, take my word for it.’

‘Don’t care,’ she sniffed.  ‘I need this, and I won’t be put off.’

‘The man tried to kill me.’

‘And I saved you, so don’t cross me on this, it won’t go down well.’

Once he’d showered and dressed he went back into the bedroom and kissed her mouth gently.  She’d gone back to sleep – okay for some.

The sun was just rising as he arrived at Leesdon Common.  He parked by the road and walked towards the taped off area.  There was a smell pervading the entire area, the unmistakable smell of burnt flesh.  He shivered, poor bugger, whoever he’d been.  Ruth and Rocco were on the scene and had things organised.

‘Guv,’ Rocco shouted to him.  ‘Think we’ve got an ID.’

Calladine nodded a brief greeting as the young DC spoke but it was the sight of Albert North’s body, still sat on the bench that had his full attention.  His lower body and clothing looked practically intact but the upper half was a mess.  How could anyone ID that?

‘He must have been walking his dog,’ Rocco explained.  ‘Eventually it took itself off home, and his nephew,’ he said, nodding at the corpse, ‘came looking for him.  He’s Albert North, lived on the Hobfield.’

Calladine knew North alright, and where he lived.  He’d spent a great deal of his time as a rookie cop chasing after the reprobate. He’d been a bad lot back then and from the look of him, he was still upsetting people today.

‘Can the nephew say for sure that this is North?’  He asked doubtfully.

‘He recognises his clothing, what’s left of it and the dog certainly knew him.  Don’t think I’ve ever seen a dog more distraught.’

‘How long ago?’  Calladine asked, turning to Doc. Hoyle who was with the ambulance people.

‘Last night, I’d say,’ he confirmed.

‘So what links it to the other case?’

‘This, Inspector,’ Julian Batho offered, showing him the tarot card found in Albert’s pocket, now secured in an evidence bag.  ‘We’ve got an empty fuel can too.  I’ll get it back to the lab and see what’s what.  I’ll be in touch.’

Calladine sighed – he didn’t know what to make of this.  Apart from the cards there was nothing obvious to link the cases at all.  Different method, the men were poles apart socially – so what was it that they had in common?

The bad feeling was back – the one he got when things were worse than he’d realised and they were up against it.  He beckoned Ruth over to join him.  She’d been talking to the nephew.  She patted his arm comfortingly and passed him over to the ambulance crew who were waiting to take North’s body to the morgue.

‘Looks like we’ve got a serial killer, Ruth,’ Calladine told her quietly.  ‘We need to do some digging, but I can’t see what could possibly link North to Ahmed,’ he shuddered.  ‘I just hope our killer isn’t choosing people at random, that’s all we need,’ he said stamping his feet up and down against the cold.

‘Albert lived very quietly according to his nephew.’

‘He did recently,’ Calladine scoffed.  ‘But not when I knew him.  The man was a right villain back in the day.’

‘According to his nephew he couldn’t get about much anymore due to a stroke he had a while ago.  He wasn’t a well man.  He was breathless most of the time and had a failing heart.  This wasn’t part of his usual routine – walking his dog on the common, I mean.’

‘Perhaps he wasn’t the target then.  Who was it usually took the dog out?’

‘Jayden, his nephew over there.’

He didn’t look more than twenty.  This must be a nightmare for him, seeing the old man like this.  Calladine wondered if he knew about North’s past – about the things he’d done, the trouble and misery he’d caused.  ‘We’ll look at him closely too, in that case.  But even if the victim’s wrong, I still don’t see where the tie up is.’

‘It could be anything, drugs, the hospital or something else.  North was a patient and Ahmed a doctor.  That could be something, I’ll check that out – see what clinics North attended,’ Ruth decided.

‘Looks to me like he was doused in a flammable liquid and set alight.  Whatever was in that can most likely,’ Doc. Hoyle offered.  ‘Most of the heat seems to have been at the neck area and his head.  That was down to the thick scarf he was wearing.  Soaked up most of the accelerant then burned good and hot.’

Calladine winced.  The old man hadn’t been able to help himself - it’d have been too quick.  ‘Get the body back,’ he told Hoyle.  ‘I’ll come and see you later once I’ve briefed the team.’

‘I think most of your team are here, aren’t they, Tom.  There’s only DC Goode missing.’

True – a measure of how short handed they were.  Calladine looked around – no sign of Thorpe though, he thought thankfully.
 

***
 

‘All we can say for now is that the two men were murdered, but everything about those murders is different.  Despite the different methods used we’re still looking for only one killer.  The reason - because one of these was left at the scene of both,’ Calladine told the team pointing to the two tarot cards pinned to the Incident Board.  ‘I can’t even begin to understand what they mean, but we’ll find someone who does and they may be able to cast some light.  That shop in town,’ he put to Ruth.  ‘The one you bought the new cards from - perhaps they know who might enlighten us.’

‘I’ll go back and ask,’ she nodded, making a note.

‘We’ll both go,’ he decided.  Suddenly the entire card issue had become important.  ‘This isn’t like any other multiple killings we’ve dealt with.  For a start we’re used to killers using the same method of despatch.  Serial killers have a tried and tested way of operating that they’ve honed over time.  What’s baffling about this is the difference.’

He rubbed the back of his head and stood away from the board.  ‘Any ideas?’

‘Could we have two killers – each using their own methods but each with a common purpose?’

Calladine nodded – Imogen might have a point but he didn’t think that was it. 

‘If it is one killer then perhaps they’re just starting out,’ Rocco suggested.  ‘Perhaps they haven’t found their particular method yet.’

‘It doesn’t work like that, Rocco,’ Calladine told him.  ‘No – I’m certain we’re looking for one person who knew them both.’

‘But the doctor and North lived in entirely different social circumstances.  So who’d know them both?’ Rocco put to him. 

‘Albert North and Doctor Ahmed can’t possibly be linked,’ Imogen argued.   ‘I doubt they have anyone or anything in common.  North was from the Hobfield and the Doctor from the posh part of Leesworth.  North was retired and the doctor at the hospital all day, every day.’

‘The link is the killer, he or she could be a tradesman, someone delivering groceries, the list is endless once you think about it,’ Calladine pointed out.  ‘We’re going to have to dig because link is there; somewhere and we’ve got to find it because there’s no guarantee that this is the end.’

‘You’re expecting more?’  Imogen asked.

‘We’ve no way of knowing, but it looks like someone’s on a mission to me.’

Brad Long entered the Incident Room, he nodded to the team then handed Calladine a wodge of papers.

‘Julian sent these up.  He reckons you need to look at the summary of his findings right away.’

‘How’s Thorpe doing with the missing child case?’

‘He’s following a lead but it’s a wild goose chase if you ask me.  The child could be anywhere – it’s been days.’

‘Shouldn’t we be doing more?’

‘With what, with who,’ he said puffing out his fat cheeks.  ‘We’re all stretched as it is.  Anyway I’ve given Oldston the heads up, asked them to look at it in tandem with their Cassidy case.  That new guy they’ve got, DI Greco, is looking at it now.’

‘The Prideau girl disappeared on our patch - it should be down to us to find her.’

‘We can’t afford to be that idealistic, Tom, wish we could, but we just don’t have the resources.’

Calladine sighed with discontent and looked at what the Doc had sent him. Hoyle had taken North’s body to the morgue so Julian will have started his analysis of any findings.  Calladine scanned the single sheet of A4 stamped ‘Urgent’ in red ink.

‘This backs up my theory that we’re looking for one killer,’ he told the team.

‘So it has to be someone who knew both Albert North and Doctor Ahmed,’ Rocco reiterated.

‘Tariq Ahmed was a Doctor – they see allsorts at the hospital,’ Imogen reasoned.  ‘So our killer could be from the Hobfield, and have had some beef with the Doctor.’

‘But why now?  What is it that’s prompted these killings?’  It was a puzzler and Calladine’s brain was out of practise.  He’d just have to work on it.

‘Julian has sent his preliminary report through,’ he told the team. ‘Hairs were found on both Doctor Ahmed’s and Albert North’s clothing – synthetic hairs, like you get in a cheap wig.  So if there were any doubts before, I think this sorts them.  We’re definitely looking for one killer,’ he emphasised.

‘What colour?’  Ruth asked.

‘Grey and curly.’

‘Like an elderly woman’s hair, Guv - the sort of style that still requires rollers and a hairdryer at the salon.’

‘If you say so, Sergeant.’ 

But she was right, when he thought back to when his mother was in the home he could recall all the old dears having more or less the same style, and that just about summed it up – grey and curly.

‘Then this could be someone in disguise, pretending to be elderly.’

‘Pretending to be an elderly woman, Guv,’ Ruth corrected him.  ‘But why, what would that achieve?’

‘Trust perhaps,’ he replied.  ‘Who would think an elderly woman dangerous?’

Doc. Hoyle had said the killer was small – so was their killer, in fact, a woman.

‘Rocco, did you get that CCTV from the neighbour’s houses?’

‘Yes, Guv – I’ve got it setup ready to go.  It’s from a house three doors down from the Doctor’s.  They have two cameras and one faces the drive and catches the footpath.  It’ll only be a snippet, if that, but given what we know about the hair now, it’s worth a shot.’

Calladine was hoping that even a stray shot of their killer would solve the gender question.  ‘Will you get that sorted, Rocco?  Get stills of everyone who passed that driveway after nine o’ clock Monday night.’

‘Imogen – dig around a bit, will you?  Dig around in Doctor Ahmed’s past and see what you can find.  We’ll leave his patients until later – we’ll look at personal stuff first.’

This wasn’t going to be easy – they were a man down and Thorpe was useless.

‘Ruth, we’d better go see the fortune teller now,’ he rolled his eyes.

‘You shouldn’t scoff,’ she warned.

‘I’m not scoffing just dubious,’ he corrected her.  ‘First the shop and then we need to do something about the Doctors patients.   We’re going to have to go through them all.’

‘The hospital won’t like it, Guv.  We’ll need special documents, the lot.’