The Puppet Show (Washington Poe)

He fetched an empty box and started dismantling the last pieces of their work. There were photographs and maps and statements from experts. There were analytical documents from Bradshaw and Post-it notes from everyone – everything they’d uncovered during the course of the investigation.

The last thing to come down was Bradshaw’s laminated copy of the postcard that Reid had sent to Poe at Shap Wells – the one with the percontation point on the back. It was the postcard that had led them to uncovering the same punctuation mark on the chest of Michael James.

The postcard that had kick-started their investigation.

He threw it on the top of the pile.

It flipped in the air and landed picture side up.

Poe stared.

CHAPTER SIXTY-EIGHT

Poe vaguely remembered the picture; the information they’d needed was on the back so they’d not paid much attention to the front. It had been irrelevant. Now he wasn’t so sure.

The picture was of a brimming cup of coffee. The foam had been fashioned into a design by a barista with too much time on their hands.

Poe stared at the image.

It was a dove. The international peace symbol. It was in the negative space created by what was presumably chocolate powder.

Without realising, Poe had stopped breathing. Reid had sent him this postcard and he didn’t do anything without a reason. He left clues and puzzles. Was this another?

Poe continued to stare at the photo, willing more information from it. There was a dove, and doves were associated with peace. It was a cup of coffee. He ran it through his mind like a mantra.

A dove.

Peace.

Coffee.

A dove.

Peace.

Coff . . . Fuck!

Reid had brought him a bag of coffee!

Poe hurried across his kitchen. He yanked things from the shelf above his kettle. Reid had said it was to replace the stuff they’d been drinking. There it was. A brown bag full of freshly ground beans.

After searching for a sieve he knew he’d never find, Poe settled for a large saucepan. He ripped open the bag and upended the contents into it. A metallic clang told him he’d been right. There was more than coffee in the bag. He searched through until he found the item.

Items. Two to be precise.

One was a USB stick and the other was a metal badge.

Poe walked over to his desk and turned on his laptop. When it had booted up he plugged in the USB. A new window opened. It was full of folders. It looked like there was one for each of his victims. One was unnamed. He opened the named folders in the order they were on the screen.

Each one contained videos, audio files and documents. Everything Reid had on them. Everything he’d forced them to admit. All the evidence he’d collected but had been unable to share.

Poe smiled. Reid hadn’t trusted the police. The whole thing had been too well planned to leave to chance.

Of course he’d had a backup.

He picked up the metal badge. It was an enamelled shoulder pin. Poe recognised the insignia from the investigation. It was from the company that had ran the cruises on Ullswater before they’d ceased trading, the company that provided the boat for the ‘Are You Feeling Lucky?’ event.

There was a word above the company insignia.