The Surrogate

She looked round at the assembled faces. She had their total attention.

‘At first I thought our killer was the first kind, a psychopath. Which, on reflection, might be better. This person lives on the edge. Single-minded. Not interested in taunting us or leaving messages. They’re doing this for a reason. They want something. The baby. They don’t see themselves getting caught because they don’t think about getting caught. They’re clever, cu

They waited.

‘If there’s two of them, one may be the psychopath, one the sociopath . . .’ She could feel an idea coming to her. ‘If . . . if there are two of them, then one, the contained one, the sociopath, could be finding the victims . . .’

‘And the other one ripping them up?’ said A

‘It’s a theory.’

‘If that’s the case, then there’s another idea,’ said Phil.

They all looked at him.

‘Split personality. Is that viable?’

‘Could be,’ said Marina. ‘Two in one. I think that’s even scarier, actually. But the same principles apply.’

‘So how do we catch them?’ asked Phil.

‘Well, I don’t think they’re based in Colchester. I think they’re coming in to do this. The geographical profiling supports that. And because they’re all over the town, I think that means he’s targeting them another way.’

‘How?’ said Phil.

‘I don’t know,’ said Marina. ‘But I think that’s the key. Find out how he’s choosing them and we’ve got him.’ She nodded at Phil. His turn.

‘Thanks, Marina. Right. I want all the individual cases re-examined today.’ He sca

‘Sure.’

‘Good. Anything that sticks out, flag it up. We can cross-reference it against Brotherton and Caroline and Graeme Eades. Look for another match. Forensics are still going through the data from the last two crime scenes. No conclusive DNA yet, but they’ll keep looking. And there’s something else. I don’t know how significant it is.’

They waited.

‘Sophie Gale has done a ru

‘Good luck to her,’ said A

‘Let’s keep an eye out for her, though. We should still talk to her again.’ He sca

They all filed out.

As Marina got up, Phil moved in to talk to her.

‘Marina,’ said A

She looked at Phil, gave an apologetic little shrug and turned away. Phil walked out alone.

61

Clayton couldn’t concentrate. He looked round the bar, at the walls, through the windows. Anywhere but where he was supposed to be looking. Down at the report in front of him.

He was deskbound, tasked with paperwork. Unable to work the case, unable to function like the copper he wanted to be, believed himself to be. He hated it. He saw faces, clocked movements. He knew what they were doing, what they were thinking. About him. They knew. They knew.

His heart was hammering in his chest, his hands shaking. But how much did they know? If it was everything, then that was it, finito. But if wasn’t . . . he might have a chance. A slim one. He shouldn’t have done it. Let Sophie stay at his place. He shouldn’t have taken that blow job from her in the car the other night. Hell, if he traced it all the way back, he shouldn’t have got involved with her in the first place.

All he wanted to be was a good copper. Well respected by his peers, well liked by his colleagues. And the ladies. But he couldn’t see that happening now. Because he was weak. And being weak made him do stupid, cowardly things. Like getting involved with Sophie.

He looked round again. Phil was at his desk, attacking a pile of paperwork he had allowed to accrue. He kept his head, down, focused on his task. Didn’t catch Clayton’s eye. Millhouse was geeking away at his computer, in his own virtual world as usual. But it was Marina and A

She hadn’t told. He knew that. Otherwise Phil would have said something. But it was only a matter of time. She wouldn’t keep that to herself. She was as ambitious as he was, and hard-working. She wouldn’t want to be seen to collude in mistakes he had made.

They would find out where Sophie was. Because they might still need to talk to her. And when they did . . .

He had to get a grip, think about what to do next. Get a damage-limitation plan in operation. Clayton sighed, went back to his paperwork.

Still unable to concentrate.

A

‘Nothing?’ said Marina, looking up.

‘I think it’s just . . . I want to see something there, find a co

‘Take a break,’ said Marina.

A

‘And Sophie Gale,’ said Marina. ‘Where he met her.’

A

‘Caroline Eades. Never worked?’

‘Her husband’s an area manager for a recruitment agency. She was a stay-at-home mum. No co

Marina sat back, thoughtful. Sucked one of the arms of her reading glasses. ‘What do we know about Sophie Gale?’

A

Pulled in on a raid, let go, works for us. Changes her name to Sophie Gale.’

‘Reinvents herself.’

‘Up to a point. Then appears with Ryan Brotherton.’

‘So we have to assume they’ve known each other for a number of years. And in a number of capacities.’

A

‘Won’t she turn up again?’

A

Marina got a quick mental image of Erin O’Co

‘Marina? You all right?’

Marina blinked. A

‘You’d gone for a few seconds.’

She shook her head. ‘Yes . . . miles away . . .’ She was still thinking, grasping for something . . .

Something Erin O’Co

‘Phil and I went to talk to Graeme Eades’ girlfriend. Erin O’Co