Bolton, J. - Now You See Me

‘Did you reply to any of her texts?’ asked Joesbury. I explained about my brief, polite responses.

‘The sixth being the one you got shortly before half past nine this evening?’ asked Tulloch. ‘The one that came in just after we all left?’

‘That’s right,’ I said. ‘That was the one asking me to meet Emma at Forest Hill.’

‘If Boston’s telling the truth, someone broke into her flat and stole her phone just to get access to you,’ said Joesbury. I ignored him. I really could have done without him in the room. I needed my wits about me and, somehow, they never seemed to be when he was around.

‘I tried to phone her after the one asking me to go to Forest Hill,’ I told Tulloch. ‘She didn’t answer, just sent another message, asking me to come. I called it into control and then I went.’

Tulloch nodded. ‘And then shortly after you got there, you received the last one? The one saying Help me ?’

‘Whoever sent that had seen you arrive,’ said Joesbury. ‘Did you notice anyone in the street? See anything unusual?’

‘Nothing,’ I said to Tulloch. ‘It all looked completely normal. Until I saw the sunglasses on the fire escape. And the broken window at the top.’

‘When I saw you, you said you’d heard someone screaming,’ said Joesbury. ‘When was this?’

I took a breath and gave myself a second. ‘It was when I was at the top of the fire escape,’ I said to the tabletop. ‘I heard what I thought was screaming, coming from inside.’

‘Inarticulate screaming or words?’ asked Joesbury.

I shook my head. ‘Just screaming, I think. I don’t remember any words.’

‘Man or woman?’ he asked.

Oh, could the guy not go get a cup of coffee? Another deep breath. ‘I’m not sure, it only lasted a second. Female, I think.’

‘How old? Child, adult, elderly?’

If I did much more deep breathing I’d be hyperventilating. ‘I don’t know,’ I said. ‘It might not even have come from the building. It could have been kids near by. I was scared and I wasn’t thinking straight.’

‘When I found you, you weren’t scared, you were petrified,’ said Joesbury. ‘Why would you be that frightened if you’d just heard kids?’

I turned round so quickly I almost toppled the chair. ‘Well, shit, let me think,’ I said, speaking directly to Joesbury for the first time since we’d entered the room. ‘Eight days ago a woman was stabbed to death. She died in my arms. Maybe I’m still a bit twitchy.’

Joesbury was just thrilled to have broken my cool. ‘Past catching up on you, Flint?’ he said, leaning back in his chair as I glowered at him. ‘Any of your old friends been in touch?’ He turned to Tulloch. ‘Did you know your new pet was cautioned for possession when she was a teenager?’

‘Yes, I did actually,’ said Tulloch, as I looked at her in surprise and Joesbury frowned. ‘And don’t tell me you haven’t come across that before.’

Tulloch’s support gave me that extra bit of courage I needed. To go too far. ‘Why are you even here, Joesbury?’ I said. ‘You’re not part of this investigation.’

His eyes narrowed. ‘Well, you’re certainly not,’ he replied. ‘And yet you keep finding yourself in the thick of it. I have to wonder why that is. And another thing I’m wondering, Flint, is where you were before ten thirty this morning, which is the time I’ve been told you arrived for work.’

‘Mark—’

‘At home,’ I said, interrupting Tulloch. ‘I needed to see my landlord about something. I had permission from the sergeant to come in late.’

‘So your landlord can confirm this?’ Joesbury wanted to know.

‘He phoned to rearrange,’ I said. ‘What is this about?’

‘OK, you two …’

I turned to Tulloch. ‘I want him out of here,’ I said, as her eyebrows shot into her hair. ‘I want him out of here or I want a solicitor.’

Joesbury was smiling at me now. And it wasn’t his usual grin, this one was mean. ‘Something to hide, Flint?’ he smirked.

‘Fuck you.’

‘Mark—’

‘OK, OK. I’ll catch you ladies later.’ He pushed himself up from his chair and sauntered out. The door closed and I dropped my head on to my hands. Tulloch didn’t speak. After a second I heard her stand up and cross the room. A moment later a box of tissues had been pushed in front of me. I hadn’t even realized I was crying.

‘Bull in a china shop doesn’t really cover it,’ she said. ‘But he has a point. Someone does seem fixated on you. We have to ask why.’

I took off my glasses and wiped my eyes. What the hell had got into me? I never cried. Tulloch got up again and brought me a glass of water from a tray on the side table. As she held the glass out, the sleeve of her shirt fell back and I caught a glimpse of a scar on her right wrist. It was about two inches long, running across the inside of her wrist, pale and ugly against her café-au-lait skin.

What had she said in the cathedral last night? Scars run deep? I hadn’t taken her literally. As I took the glass, she pulled her hand away and tugged the shirt cuff back into place. I drank most of the water, blew my nose and then polished and replaced my specs.

‘It’s what the Ripper did,’ I said, when I trusted myself to speak. ‘He picked people out – people in the police, the press, even the local vigilante committees. He picked them out and he sent them messages. He played with them. Our guy’s just following the historical pattern.’

There was a knock on the door.

‘’Scuse me, Boss.’ It was DS Anderson. ‘SOCs are closing up Forest Hill. They’ll go back first thing, but nothing else to report for now. Entry through the fire escape, as we thought. No sign of how he got out. Boston’s mobile and the other personal effects have gone to Forensics. There are traces of fingerprints, but it will take a while to sort them all out.’

‘What about the body part?’ asked Tulloch, looking exhausted, and I realized the last thing she needed was Joesbury and me going at each other like a cock-fight.

‘Gone to the mortuary at St Thomas’s,’ Anderson replied, his eyes flicking from me to Tulloch. ‘They’ll have someone look at it first thing in the morning. Let us know when we can go over.’

‘Thanks,’ said Tulloch.

‘Could easily be a prank, you know, Boss,’ said Anderson. ‘Lots of medical students in this city. Could just be someone winding us up, sending us on a wild goose chase over to Mandela Way, then leaving behind a little present from anatomy class for Flint and me to find.’

‘Let’s hope so,’ she agreed. ‘How’s the missing-persons search?’

‘We’re running the check for women aged sixteen to sixty reported missing in London over the last week,’ said Anderson. ‘Nothing so far.’

‘Thanks, Neil. I’ll be down in a second.’

Anderson gave me one last puzzled glance and left the room.

‘Something you need to know, Lacey,’ said Tulloch, as I looked up. She’d taken Joesbury’s chair. ‘Mark persuaded the police doctor to sign him off fit for active duty and I’ve had him seconded on to the team for the next few weeks.’

Oh great.

‘Our killer overstepped the line tonight,’ she went on. ‘Cutting out women’s organs and leaving them lying around the place is a step too far in my book. I intend to catch him now.’

I waited. I could tell from the look on her face that she had more to say.

‘But I’m not one of these macho types who think they can do it by themselves,’ she said. ‘I need Mark. I think perhaps I might need you too. And it would really help if the two of you—’

‘I know.’ I didn’t give her chance to finish. I was feeling pretty ashamed of myself by this time. ‘Of course. I’m sorry.’