Impression (DI Gardener 4)

Gardener stepped inside, crept over to the far wall. His phone startled him.

It was the Irishman. “What the hell are you doing in there? Quick look, you said. Have you made yourself tea?”

“Keep your eyes and ears peeled, Sean. I’ll be down shortly.”

“Have you found something?”

“Enough to ask Briggs for a warrant.”

Gardener disconnected and returned his attention to the clippings. Everything had been carefully plotted and detailed on the wall, from a layout of each scene of each crime, to an itinerary of each victim down to the very last detail.

19:00 hrs – Wait for Nicola Stapleton to leave her house, knock her unconscious. Take back inside, gag and tie her to a chair before leaving.

20:30 hrs – Enter the cabin where Morrison works, wearing a scene suit, with paper mask, boots, and gloves. Render Morrison unconscious with a stun gun, gag and tie him up.

20:45 hrs – Park Morrison’s car in front of cabin, load him into it. Drive back to Stapleton’s place.

22:00 hrs – drag Morrison inside her house so he can witness her brutal demise (bitch to rue the day she crossed me).

22:30 hrs – Load Barry Morrison back into his car. Drive to a safe location, inject Morrison with the sealing wax into vena-cava. Patiently wait while he dies – all the time explaining how uncomfortable it will be, and why I’m doing it.

04:00 hrs – Plant Morrison on doorstep of butcher’s shop on Cross Bank Road, Batley before returning his taxi to the lot.

Gardener grew cold at how meticulously it had all been planned, down to the last detail. On another wall he saw the itinerary for Alan Sargent and Frank Fisher’s murder. Rydell was extremely clinical, leaving absolutely nothing to chance.

But how could he have known exactly where everyone would be and at what time? People were given to changes of mind at the last minute.

What then?

Obviously they hadn’t done. Rydell must have made a very close study of everyone involved to have been able to plan with such accuracy.

Gardener turned to the only wall he couldn’t see from the doorway. It was covered with information on his father, including the court cases.

Gardener noticed letters written to his dead father, explaining in detail how he would avenge those who had treated them both so badly, with his plans outlined. More recent letters praised his success. In another, he thanked his father for everything he had done for him, and he hoped that he had done as much in return.

The final letter indicated it would not be long before the two of them met up again.

Another wall contained a tribute to the man they had been listening to at each crime scene, Nick Cave. A large poster advertised the Murder Ballads album, covering most of the wall, with a list of the tracks. Against four of them, Rydell had pencilled in the names of the victims and what each song represented about the scene.

Gardener then noticed one more person on the wall.

Five-year-old Chloe Summerby.

Her details chilled him to the bones. It was obvious that Chris Rydell had her. There was no mention of another five-year-old girl.

Still, a mystery remained.

Did he have them both?

And if he did, where were they?

Chapter Fifty-seven

Raymond Allen glanced at his watch: five o’clock.

He was now watching the front of the shop. He knew Vincent wasn’t going anywhere, because he’d made a barricade outside the gate that served as a rear entrance to the shop. Some kind builder had left a dozen pallets at the back of another one of the shops.

No one had used the chemist in the time he had been watching. A few minutes previously, the two staff that had been working with John Oldham had left for the day. Late night opening was Thursday, so as far as he could tell, there should be no interruptions.