Garry Disher - The Dragon Man

‘You told my sergeant that this is about a backpack, Mrs Stokes.’

‘The one on TV.’

‘Go on.’

‘Megan-’ she indicated her daughter ‘-well, she has a boyfriend.’

‘A boyfriend. Go on.’

‘He gave her a backpack.’

‘Name?’

‘Well, it had a brand name stamped into the leather. And a tag of some sort stitched to the lining, but someone had cut it off.’

Challis felt his skin prickle. According to Mrs Abbott, Kymbly Abbott had stitched her name to the bottom of the designer’s label of her backpack. He remembered her teary face: ‘I showed her how to do it, Mr Challis,’ she’d said.

‘We’ll come back to the backpack, Mrs Stokes. I meant, the boyfriend’s name.’

‘Danny Holsinger.’

Challis beamed across the table at the women. ‘Now, there’s a coincidence. Danny is helping us with our inquiries right at this very moment.’

‘I bet he is,’ Mrs Stokes said.

‘Why don’t you all leave him alone,’ the girl said. ‘He hasn’t done nothing.’

‘Tell me about the backpack.’

‘Danny killed them girls, didn’t he?’ Mrs Stokes said. ‘He killed them and souvenired some of their things and had the nerve to give the backpack to my daughter.’

‘We don’t know that it’s the same backpack.’

‘Course it is. I had a gander at it when he gave it to Megan. This is nice, I says. Then I see the tag’s been cut off. I say, what’s this? He goes, Oh, I bought it at a seconds shop, that’s why there’s no label. But I didn’t believe him.’

Challis turned to the girl. ‘Megan? Did Danny say where he got the backpack?’

She looked at the floor. ‘He said he bought it.’

‘In your heart of hearts, do you think that was the truth?’

‘No.’

‘He stole it, dirty bugger. Killed that girl and stole it.’

‘He never! You’re always on at him.’

Mrs Stokes faced her daughter. ‘So? Twice I know of he’s been done for stealing.’

She fished inside her handbag and tossed a videotape across the desk at Challis. ‘Plus he’s a pervert. Tried to make Megan watch this, people having sex with animals. No telling what sick things he’s capable of.’ She turned to her daughter again. ’You want your head read, going out with a scumbag like him.’

‘How would you know, you frigid cow.’

Challis slammed his hand on the desk. ‘This is a murder inquiry. There’s nothing more serious on this earth. Quit your arguing and answer my questions or I’ll have you both in the lockup so fast for obstruction, your heads will spin.’

Mrs Stokes composed herself and said, ‘Carry on. I’m ready.’

Megan stared hotly at the floor.

‘For the moment, let’s forget Danny.’

‘Hard to forget that little bugger.’

‘Mrs Stokes, I’m warning you.’

‘Sorry, sorry, I’m all ears.’

‘A backpack comes into your possession, Megan. Where is it now?’

’Mum let it get stolen, didn’t she? Stupid cow.’

’I see. And how did that happen?’

’She let this gypsy into the house.’

Mrs Stokes opened her arms. ‘How was I to know she was going to rob the place? She didn’t take much. I didn’t even know she took the backpack till I saw the TV. I turn to Megan and I says, “That’s like yours.” Then she tells me hers has been nicked. Not my fault.’

‘It is,’ Megan said.

‘Shut up, both of you. Megan, listen to me, do you think it’s possible that Danny stole the backpack from someone and gave it to you?’

He watched her. After a while, she began to nod her head. ‘That’s why I didn’t report it when it got stolen from me, especially I didn’t tell Mum, you can see what she’s like. Danny, you know, he likes to give me things. I don’t know how he can afford half the stuff he gives me, unless he nicks it first.’ She looked up and said bravely, ‘I want him to make a new start. He’s got to stop nicking things.’

Challis encountered Ellen Destry in the corridor, carrying her car keys. She looked dishevelled, her mood distracted. He stopped and said softly, ‘How’s things?’

‘What do you think?’

He took her arm. ‘This will cheer you up.’ He urged her toward the interview rooms.

She twisted away. ‘Hal, I’ve got things to do. Phone calls. Has Scobie checked in yet? I want to keep an eye on the search. A million things.’

‘We’re interviewing Danny Holsinger again.’

‘I’m more interested in finding Larrayne than who killed Clara Macris.’

‘Bear with me. I can tie him to the backpack.’

‘A backpack. Like I said, there must be dozens of them around.’

‘He stole this particular one. The label had been removed, either by him or before he stole it, I’ve yet to discover.’

She closed her eyes. ‘I pray to God this is it.’

‘Danny, did you remove the label after you stole the backpack, or had it already been removed?’

‘I didn’t steal it, Mr Challis. Sergeant Destry here knows I didn’t.’

‘I know no such thing, Danny.’

‘You believed me when you and that Pam Murphy had me in here.’

‘I don’t believe you now.’

‘I bought it fair and square at one of them seconds shops.’

‘Prove it. Show us the receipt.’

‘Paperwork. I don’t generally hang on to stuff like that.’

Challis leaned forward. ‘Danny, I’m not interested in your bullshit. I’ll let you in on a secret, shall I? That backpack? It belonged to Kymbly Abbott.’

‘Who?’

He seemed to be genuinely puzzled. ‘She was raped and murdered a couple of weeks before Christmas,’ Challis said. ‘Don’t you read the papers, watch the news?’

‘I don’t know their names,’ Danny muttered.

‘That sounds about right,’ Ellen said. ‘They’re just meat to you, right? You rape them, kill them, dump their bodies. Who cares what their names are?’

His voice cracked, failing on the high notes. ‘I didn’t kill nobody.’

‘We have to solve this case, Danny,’ Challis said. ‘You’re the best lead we’ve got.’

‘I can prove I didn’t kill them’

‘Got an alibi, have you? Boyd Jolic? Who’s going to believe him? Megan? She was at the front desk just now, making a statement. It starts, “Daniel Holsinger is a liar and a thief and likes to watch illegal porn,” and goes downhill from there.’

Danny looked stricken. ‘She never.’

‘You’ve got no friends, Danny. No-one’s going to alibi you. No-one’s going to shed any tears when we shut you away. Three life terms, you’re going to get.’

Ellen leaned forward and Challis saw how hard it was for her to say: ‘Four life terms. You see, Danny, my daughter’s gone missing, and right now I’m as inclined to throw the book at you as at anyone else. Never hurt a copper, Danny, didn’t any of your scumbag mates ever teach you that?’

He shot back in his chair. ‘I never touched your kid. I swear.’

Challis said softly, ‘The backpack, Danny.’

He slumped in his chair. ‘It’s like you said, I took it. This house up near Frankston.’

Challis stopped him. ‘Danny, you’re officially still under caution. I’m going to tape this, okay? Do you want a lawyer present?’

‘No.’

‘For the benefit of the tape, Mr Holsinger has admitted stealing a black leather backpack from a house near Frankston. Danny, to continue, did you cut the label out?’

‘It was already cut out, like you see in seconds shops sometimes.’

‘Did you steal anything else from this house?’

‘Might of. I forget. Cash and that.’

‘Where did you find the backpack?’

Danny smirked. ‘Get this-behind them panel things around the bath. I was in this other house once? Accidentally kicked the bath? The side falls off and there’s a couple of rifles in there. Now when I do over a house, that’s the first place I look.’