Alex Gray - Glasgow Kiss

‘Yes.’ He sighed at last. ‘It’s been a fantastic outcome. And I suppose you’re right about the Tulloch woman.’

A vision of her henna-red hair came to his mind, the face pale and expressionless. Who could tell what thoughts had been percolating through that disturbed mind? But it still saddened him to imagine her spending the rest of her life locked away in some institution, far away from the hills of Kintyre.

Please say you recognise him, Lorimer prayed as he approached the head teacher’s office once again.

Jessica’s digital photographs had now been cleverly enhanced by their experts at Pitt Street and her stalker’s face was fairly clear. They were still continuing to work on the blurred second photo to see if any identifying marks could be found on the car. If Jessica’s stalker was indeed the killer of Julie Donaldson and the other young women, then Muirpark might be the missing link. It was too soon to reveal the information that had come from Dan Murphy concerning the remains of the two unidentified victims. But Manson might just be able to help him on that score.

At last he was sitting opposite the stocky figure of Keith Manson, a china cup of lukewarm coffee in front of him. He’d listened politely to the head teacher as the man had catalogued the problems facing the school and staff in the light of Eric Chalmers’ suspension, plus his own secretary, Jackie, suddenly being called away to look after a sick mother, but this was not what he had come to discuss.

‘Did you ever have exchange students from Eastern Europe at Muirpark?’ he asked.

Manson’s eyebrows shot up at the sudden change of topic. ‘Well, yes, we did as a matter of fact. Should have had one last year but, let me think, yes it must have been three years ago. What was her name? Anna something. . I’d have to look it up for you,’ he said. ‘She was pretty homesick, I do remember that. Wanted to go back straight after the summer term instead of. .’ Manson pulled open the drawer of a filing cabinet and began to rifle through the thickly stacked papers. ‘Should have it on computer, but we lost a lot of stuff when we upgraded to a new system last year. Bloody technology!’ He gave a quick smile of satisfaction as he drew out a pink folder. ‘Here we are. Anna Jakubowski. Came from St Petersburg. Parents weren’t too happy when she extended her visa and stayed on here to study, after all.’

Lorimer gave him a sharp look. ‘Where did she go?’

‘That’s the funny thing. She never kept in touch. The organisation she’d come over with sent us mail from the Jakubowskis to see if we could forward it to Anna. But of course we couldn’t. She simply seems to have disappeared. The details are all in here,’ he said, handing the folder to Lorimer.

‘Did she have any particular friends at school? Anyone from the staff, maybe?’

Manson looked at him sharply. ‘The Modern Languages department pretty much took her under their wing,’ he said. ‘But,’ he paused for a moment, his eyes clouding over, ‘I do remember that Eric Chalmers was very good to her. He and Ruth took Anna to their church during her stay.’ Manson looked away for a moment, biting his lip as if he had already said too much.

‘That was before Chalmers was married?’

Manson nodded. ‘But quite a few of the staff showed her hospitality as well,’ he added quickly. ‘My wife and I had Anna to stay over a weekend so we could take her up to visit St Andrews.’

‘Did you ever see the girl in the company of this man?’ Lorimer asked, showing Manson the digital print from Jessica’s camera.

‘Sorry, not that I remember. And I’ve got a good memory for faces, even if the names sometimes escape me,’ Manson assured him. ‘If Jackie was here she could probably help you.’ Manson shrugged an apology. ‘But I do remember that the travel organisation assumed Anna had had some sort of rift with her parents.’ Manson frowned suddenly. ‘But she had seemed so keen to go home. Girls!’ he exclaimed. ‘Always changing their minds.’

But Lorimer didn’t reply. Already his own mind was quickening: perhaps someone else entirely had made up Anna Jakubowski’s mind for her. If Dr Murphy’s information was correct, the dental evidence of the older skeleton found in Dawsholm Woods might very well show it to be that of the Russian girl.

‘You started to say that the school should have played host to another student last year. What happened?’

‘Oh, that travel company got it all wrong. Sent her to a different school altogether in the end, I believe. In fact one of their reps handed in a pile of stuff at the start of this term. Not that we’re considering taking anyone else,’ he added.

‘Do you happen to have her details on record by any chance?’

‘Could have. As you can see we’re not good at throwing things out,’ Manson added with a wry smile as he turned back to the bulging drawer full of files.

‘Can’t remember her name at all, but it should be in here. Yes.’ The head teacher pulled out a sheet of paper. ‘Jarmila Svobodova, if that’s how you pronounce it. She was a student from Prague. Do you want to take a copy of this with you?’

It hadn’t taken long to establish that Anna Jakubowski had neither left the UK within the last three years nor had she taken up the college place that had been offered to her. Could they obtain a sample of her DNA from Russia? Lorimer thought. Talking to the tour organisers had been a complete waste of time; their personnel had changed over the passage of time and there was nobody who was either willing or able to help Strathclyde Police. And the Czech girl had arrived in Scotland in early May last year. But where she had gone after that was a complete mystery. Yes, the agency had given all that information to the police at the time but they weren’t responsible for the girl’s whereabouts once she had arrived, were they? the man from the agency had protested.

It wasn’t what he’d anticipated when he’d first looked at these young women’s remains in Glasgow City Mortuary, but now they needed help from officers who could act quickly, Lorimer told himself, justifying the call he was about to make to Interpol.

‘Yes, I’d say she could be from somewhere like the Czech Republic,’ Murphy told him.

Lorimer was standing by the pathologist’s side as they looked at the bones lying on the table.

‘Slightly different dental work. And the type of amalgam used in that filling,’ he pointed a small probe at a molar in the gumless row of teeth, ‘I think it’s what they use over there, if my memory serves me correctly.’

‘So there might be a forensic link between them?’ Lorimer asked, his face suddenly hopeful.

‘Sure, you already think so,’ Murphy answered, grinning. ‘Or you wouldn’t be making detailed inquiries into missing European students from around the time we estimate they were killed, would you, now?’

‘Last summer and three summers ago,’ Lorimer murmured. ‘If that Russian girl who was at Muirpark Secondary School is our first victim, then is this Jarmila Svobodova?’ He looked at the remains of the other girl that had been found in the woods. ‘And where did he meet them?’

It was going to be one of those days that broke all the rules about standard working practices, Lorimer thought to himself, driving back across Glasgow city centre. Already he’d put several things in motion but before he could make an arrest, he had to have the final pieces of the jigsaw in place. Mitchison was champing at the bit to have Chalmers under lock and key, and the press situation was raising the tension levels to bursting point back at divisional headquarters, the last place Lorimer wanted to be going right now. Solly hadn’t yet come up with a clear profile but that was simply one more tool in the box, the DCI reminded himself. The psychologist’s methods were not infallible and he shouldn’t let past successes cloud his judgement in this case. Nor should he let Maggie’s opinion sway his thoughts. If evidence was found in Chalmers’ car or in the house then he’d be first in line to arrest the man. Just because the media wanted to hang him out to dry didn’t mean he wasn’t guilty. But then there was Solly Brightman’s other suggestion, one that was being followed up right now, and he’d have to see what progress was being made in that direction. And now that they had this photograph, some identification was possible. If the person that had been stalking Jessica King was indeed their suspect.