The Night Stalker (Detective Erika Foster 2)

There was silence. Colleen looked between Marsh and Oakley.

‘You’ve been very quiet, Paul,’ said Oakley to Marsh.

‘I support DCI Foster’s position,’ said Marsh. ‘I feel that this is a unique case, and with the DNA evidence it would be prudent to concentrate on finding this woman. As a caveat, I would suggest to Erika that we also pursue the line of enquiry that this woman could have been working in tandem with a man. We could ask for members of the public to consider that also.’

‘But this is almost unprecedented. In all my years of police work, we’ve never put in place a hunt for a female serial killer,’ said Oakley.

‘Perhaps you should get out a bit more, sir,’ said Erika. Marsh shot her a look.

‘Very well, it’s your call, Erika. Although I will be monitoring this very closely,’ said Oakley.

Erika left the meeting and walked down the stairs to the incident room, buoyed by her victory. She heard the door open on the floor above. Looking up, she saw Marsh, and stopped to let him catch up with her. They met on the landing, where a huge glass window looked out over the vast sprawl of Greater London. Dark clouds were forming on the horizon.

‘Thank you for your support, sir,’ said Erika. ‘We’ll get to work on the Crimewatch reconstruction.’

‘It’s a big opportunity, a television reconstruction. Don’t blow it.’

‘No, sir.’

‘Erika. I’m fifty–fifty about whether this is a female killer, but, as I say, it’s your call.’

‘I have a good track record, sir. You know I’m rarely wrong about these things. I always deliver.’

‘I know.’

‘So, speaking of my track record, any more news on the promotion?’

‘Catch this crazy bitch, and then we’ll talk promotions,’ said Marsh. ‘Now, I have to go. Keep me in the loop.’

He left Erika standing on the stairs, looking out over the city through the tall glass window.

It’s funny how much we have in common, the killer and me, thought Erika. We’re both being doubted for our abilities as women.

41

A few days later, Erika and Moss were in Laurel Road, watching as the Crimewatch television reconstruction was being filmed. The heatwave had broken that morning, and the rain was torrential, hammering with a roar on top of two large BBC Television vans, which were parked at the top of the street.

Erika and Moss sheltered in front of one of the vans under a giant umbrella, and watched as an actor who had been cast to play Gregory Munro rehearsed walking along the street and going into 14 Laurel Road. A cameraman followed behind him, swathed in a vast rain poncho of clear plastic, a Steadicam strapped to his body with a black metal harness. The rest of the television crew were bunched together under umbrellas on a wall opposite, and the neighbours who weren’t at work watched curiously from under their porches, sheltered from the rain.

At the bottom of the street, a row of crash barriers had been erected, lined with journalists and members of the public watching the proceedings.

They had been told by the producer and director that it takes a lot for rain to show up on camera, but as Moss and Erika watched the rehearsal, rainwater was surging down the road, spraying over the kerb and making the drains gurgle thirstily.

‘This isn’t exactly going to jog people’s memories of a hot summer night,’ said Erika, taking a drag of her cigarette. A runner, wearing another of the huge, clear rain ponchos, approached them holding a clipboard. With him was a small, dark-haired girl wearing black tracksuit bottoms and a black jumper. They were both huddled under a large umbrella.

‘Hello, which one of you is DCI Foster?’ asked the young guy.

‘That’s me,’ said Erika, adding, ‘This is Detective Inspector Moss.’

They all shook hands.

‘I’m Tom, and this is Lottie Marie Harper, she’s been cast as the murderer.’

The young girl was petite, with compact features and poker-straight hair. She had a small mouth which, when she smiled, showed a row of bottom teeth.

‘This is rather odd,’ said Lottie, speaking with a refined accent. She reached up and checked that her dark hair was still fixed in the topknot. ‘I’ve never played a real killer before. What else can you tell me? My agent really wasn’t all that specific…’

Erika looked over at the young runner.

‘It’s okay, we’ve had her sign the release and the confidentiality agreement,’ he said.

Erika nodded. ‘Okay. She’s very methodical. We believe she prepares quite thoroughly, checking out the houses she’s going to target days in advance. She’s broken in to the houses on both occasions and lain in wait for the victims, waiting for them to drink or eat something she has laced with a sedative.’