Хилари Боннер - Deadly Dance

Freda Heath nodded again.

‘It does make sense,’ she said. ‘And it’s possible that this could be an extreme representation of Dissociative Identity Disorder. But you may not be aware, David, that there are a number of highly esteemed figures in my profession who don’t even recognise its existence.’

‘Really? I’ve done some internet research and I would have thought there were far too many case histories on record for any expert to totally dismiss it.’

‘Not totally, perhaps, but it is a reasonable argument to dismiss DID when used as a defence in criminal law as nothing other than a legal ploy. And there are definitely examples of that having been the case in the UK and to a considerably greater extent in the States and then there is the Iatrogenic factor.’

Vogel raised his eyebrows questioningly.

‘Cause and effect,’ said the professor. ‘It has often been alleged that the wide publicity given to people of suggestive personality, combined with the credulity and enthusiasm of therapists…’ Freda Heath allowed herself a wry smile. ‘… has been responsible for at least a proportion of those claiming to suffer from DID.’

‘But you don’t go along with that? You believe in DID?’

‘Whether or not I go along with the Iatrogenic factor depends on the circumstances,’ said Freda. ‘There is little doubt it plays a part. But in my opinion, the Iatrogenic factor can detract from the genuine cases out there. Even I am cynical about anything in psychiatry that cannot be clinically proven but, over the years of my work at The John Howard Centre, I have no doubt that I’ve dealt with several, absolutely genuine and involuntary cases.’

Vogel realised he had no idea what The John Howard Centre was, and neither could he exactly recall Freda Heath’s position in the NHS.

Nobby Clarke came to the rescue.

‘Freda’s professor of Personality Disorder for The East London Trust, and The John Howard Centre is their medium security hospital out at Homerton,’ she said. ‘I’ve been there. Trust me. There is unlikely to be any condition of the human mind which hasn’t been seen at the John Howard.’

Vogel was thoughtful.

‘You referred to “totally genuine and involuntary cases,”’ he began. ‘Does that mean that someone with DID has no control over which personality they become at any given moment? Because I am not sure how our man could have continued to function, if that is the case.’

‘Sometimes they can maintain a certain control,’ Freda explained. ‘They have their own ways of keeping an unwanted, alternative identity at bay, for example. If they are with people, they may make an excuse like a visit to the bathroom, or feeling ill if more time is needed, in order to prevent an involuntary intrusion.’

‘How long can someone keep up this business of being several different people?’

‘Much longer than you would think.’

‘Is there always a dominant personality, one which takes precedent over the others and maybe has some control over the others?’

‘More often that not, yes. What we usually talk about is a host. In the case of your man, whom you believe to have several unrelated identities, Saul, Leo and Al, possibly Aeolus too, there is probably a host. Your subject’s behaviour patterns indicate that there is a secretive side to all three of these characters. This secrecy was perhaps obligatory with Al the paedophile, but not necessarily so with the other two, before they turned to murder.’

‘But isn’t the host Aeolus?’ asked Vogel.

‘I doubt it. Complicated as this sounds, I would say Aeolus is the driving force. The personality your man aspires to be, rather than the host. We can assume that he has been going about his day-to-day existence in an apparently normal way for a considerable period of time, perhaps years. This doesn’t quite fit with being a Greek mythological hero. No. I suspect that there’s an unrelated host; someone who appears to be totally normal.’

‘So it’s the host we should be looking for?’

‘Yes. I would say that’s correct.’

‘Any idea what sort of person might host these disparate characters?’

Freda shrugged.

‘I’m afraid not,’ she said. ‘It’s often someone who does not draw attention to themselves. He almost certainly lives alone, because it would be difficult to hide something this complex from anyone you lived with, be it a lover, a relative, or even just a flat mate. He probably avoids making friends too. But he would also contrive to appear pretty normal. It is quite possible that he holds down a job, even a responsible job.’

‘Anything else?’

‘Well, clinical research shows that DID patients describe severe childhood abuse, physical or sexual or both. Your subject has probably experienced some kind of major trauma but, of course, you wouldn’t know that.’

‘So are the different personalities aware of each other?’

‘Each would have its own memories, behaviour patterns and preferences, including sexual preferences, but none would have access to the memories and thought processes of the other. The host must be aware, to some extent, of the existences of these secondary identities. But when another identity takes over the host, it’s usually involuntary, as I explained earlier, though some hosts can develop ways of control, up to a point. However stress and, most importantly of all, an event or incident which could be seen as a threat to one of the identities, is likely to bring that identity to manifest itself.’

‘So where would Aeolus come into this?’

‘Ummm, a complication, but not unknown. In the case of your subject, it seems likely that the host, almost certainly subconsciously, loathes and has contempt for his alternative identities. But not Aeolus, it is Aeolus he reveres and aspires to ultimately become.’

‘Where does that lead us?’

‘Well, if someone with DID actively seeks to become a certain personality, they won’t be able to control that indefinitely. Extreme pressure or stress will bring Aeolus to the forefront. He will take over and your man — the host — won’t be able to stop it. Ironically, the closer you get to him, the more likely it is that he will succumb to his own involuntary subterfuges and believe that he has become Aeolus.

And that, DI David Vogel, is when your killer will get really dangerous.’

Vogel called Hemmings from the 21.15 back to Bristol. The commuter rush was well over and the train was quiet. Vogel was easily able to find a secluded corner, where he wouldn’t be overheard. He related his meeting with Professor Heath as quickly and accurately as he could.

‘Basically she backs up my theory, boss. I know it probably sounded far-fetched when I came into your office today, but it does make sense. The DNA evidence means it’s virtually indisputable that the same man was responsible for all three murders. I don’t think there’s any other feasible explanation.’

Hemmings remained silent for several seconds.

‘Neither do I, Vogel,’ he said eventually.

Vogel waited for Hemmings to continue. He understood the senior man’s reticence. The next step presented clear risks. It could leave the entire Bristol MCIT team open to ridicule.

‘OK, we have to go public with this now, without delay,’ said Hemmings.

‘I’m sure that’s the right thing to do, sir,’ responded Vogel.

‘Yes,’ agreed Hemmings. ‘I still don’t like it, but we have no choice. The only hope we seem to have of finding this man is through the media and the public. I shall call the Chief Constable straight away.’

‘Yes, boss.’

‘We now have a picture of the bastard by the way. A photo he emailed to the Thai girl. He’d deleted it and tried to remove all traces of it from his own email account and hers, but the tech boys finally unearthed it.’