Profile k, p.25
Profile K, page 25
‘All those documents say confidential at the top. Did someone send you them to get you in trouble?’ Jessica asked.
‘I don’t think so. There’s a briefing paper, a client letter, some medical notes, and this,’ Midnight tapped the screen, ‘a report on a Necto test subject. What the actual fuck?’ They settled in silence to read it.
Subject [redacted] attended [redacted] College, from age 16 to 18, on a full boarding basis. Contact with parents was limited. Parental referral related to repeated criminal behaviour although the subject had never been charged with, or convicted of an offence. Subject is a 32-year-old heterosexual male, unmarried, currently single and living alone. His address is [redacted]. He graduated from [redacted] University, since which time he has worked in white-collar positions, for no more than 12 months per post. To date, he has still not come to the attention of the authorities.
Student files obtained from [redacted] College note that the student was unsettled for the first year but that reformative therapies appeared successful in his second year. Available documentation includes therapist notes, medical records, academic notes and parental letters. The subject was originally referred for developing psychological problems that involved increasing violence with forward planning and targeting vulnerable subjects, obsessive behaviour, anti-social behaviour and unhealthy appetites. It was considered that, but for the intervention, the subject would have continued to offend in increasingly serious ways. Records showed that subject had a substantial obsession with one particular female, [redacted], from his childhood village, about whom he repeatedly spoke in counselling sessions. The female’s personal details are contained within the counsellor’s notes and it is possible that even now she remains a focus of the subject’s attention. We recommend ongoing surveillance of this female as the subject appears to have moved within a short distance of her home address in London.
[Redacted] College managed his psychological development with a range of therapeutic and punitive techniques that prevented further offending and reset the subject’s proclivities and tendencies, allowing him to function relatively normally within the community. He is considered a good test subject for an attempted psychological reset to study reactions to targeted stimuli on inactive psychosis.
‘What do they mean by a psychological reset?’ Jessica asked.
‘I’m not sure, but I have a bad feeling about it. After all, if this student was functioning better, coping normally in society, then a reset could only mean undoing all that good work, right?’
‘So they’re trying to … bring back the monster?’ Jessica whispered.
Midnight nodded slowly. ‘I think that’s exactly what they were trying to do.’ She reached out and took hold of Jessica’s hand without realising she’d done it.
Subject was invited for free testing using a specially drafted letter directed towards his particular interests and strengths. At this time, he has confirmed a testing slot but not yet attended for testing. At testing, subject will be shown footage tailored for him specifically.
The aims are to use subliminal messaging within the test to pinpoint specific psychological weaknesses. Necto will put surveillance in place to assess behavioural, sociological and psychological changes in the subject. The results for this subject will be compared with other test subjects in the same study to determine the effectiveness of the technology. Reports will be made to the client [redacted] on the effectiveness of the technology for (i) psychological weaponisation, and (ii) enemy unit psychological warfare. At the present time, the study is progressing on time and to target.
‘Are they …’ Jessica took a deep breath. ‘Are they seeing if they can mess someone’s brain up so badly that they start hurting people?’
‘They are.’ Midnight dropped Jessica’s hand, closed the file and shut the laptop. ‘No wonder Vickson tried so hard to shut me up. What the fuck have they done?’
Chapter 36
‘Whoever did this for me took one hell of a risk. This isn’t just whistle-blowing. Sending out research like this is corporate theft.’
‘Do you have any idea who sent it?’
‘A good friend. Someone I judged too quickly and too harshly. First, I owe them an apology, then I need to decide what I’m going to do with the information.’
‘I’ll give you some privacy,’ Jessica said softly, before disappearing in the direction of the bathroom.
Midnight tried to imagine what Amber must have done to access the documents. Lying, at the very least, maybe getting access to another department and someone else’s computer. Possibly even password theft. However she’d done it, it had involved serious threat to not just her job but also her liberty. Probably, having dug a bit deeper, Amber had realised that Necto were prepared to do some very bad things to protect their secrets, and betraying Midnight to Vickson had been the perfect cover for it. It must have been terrifying. Midnight made the decision to call her in spite of the hour. What she had to say couldn’t wait.
Her mobile went unanswered for a few rings until a sleepy-sounding Amber picked up.
‘Do you know what time it is?’ she asked.
‘I’m sorry,’ Midnight said. ‘And not just about the time. I should have had more faith in you. Please don’t say anything, because this is all on me. I know we have to be careful. Necto has been listening to me at home. But thank you, and I want you to know that I love you.’
‘I appreciate the apology but honestly it could have waited until morning.’
‘By then I’ll have made my mind up about next steps,’ she kept it vague. It was a long shot that Necto were listening to Amber’s calls, but far from impossible. ‘What you’ve done for me is far more than I deserved.’
‘Are you being sarcastic, or are you drunk?’
Midnight heard the flick of a light switch followed by a male groaning and mumbling.
‘Oh bugger, I’m sorry, you’re with someone. I didn’t mean to disturb you.’
‘We were sleeping.’ Amber sounded irritated. ‘Listen, I’ve said I’m sorry, but I think you need to take some responsibility for what happened too. You didn’t have to take it this far, not with Dawn depending on you.’
Midnight pinched the bridge of her nose and tried to follow the conversation.
‘I get that,’ she said, ‘and I know you went out on a limb for me, so …’
‘Midnight, it’s really fucking late and you’re not making any sense. Did I miss something?’ Amber’s tone evolved from irritated to really pissed off.
Midnight let that sink in, panic rising slowly from her stomach to her head.
‘No. No, you didn’t miss anything. Busted, though, I had a few drinks and lost track of time. You told me several times not to get involved, and I wouldn’t let it go. I should never have blamed you for the suspension. That was all on me. So thank you for …’ The words stuck in her throat like a giant lump of undercooked pastry. ‘Thank you for trying, even if I was too stubborn to listen.’
‘Well, that’s okay, and yeah, you should have listened. I hope you come to your senses and give them the reassurance they’re looking for. It’s not too late to keep your job.’
‘Uh-huh,’ Midnight murmured. ‘I guess it took this to make me realise just how good I had it.’
‘Turn the bloody light off,’ the man in the background muttered.
‘I have to go,’ Amber whispered. ‘We should get lunch next week. I’ll put in a good word for you with Vickson, let her know you want to put things right.’
‘That’d be great. Thanks Amber,’ Midnight said. ‘Sleep well.’
Jessica reappeared and took the cupcakes out of the microwave.
‘Thank God I woke her up,’ Midnight said. ‘If she’d been awake, I’d never have got away with that.’
‘With what?’ Jessica asked.
‘It wasn’t Amber who sent me those documents,’ she said softly. ‘She’s never been that good a liar. If it had been her, she’d have let me know it.’
She’d wanted it to be Amber, Midnight realised. Perhaps that’s why she’d leapt to the conclusion that Amber had been the one to help her rather than consider whether or not there was any evidence to link Amber to the disclosure. If Amber had done it, she thought, she’d have found a way to reach out – even if the message had to be coded somehow – to let her know. The excitement Midnight had felt at repairing the friendship shrivelled into disappointment.
‘Who did send it then?’ Jessica began cleaning the kitchen.
‘I guess it must have been the one person I was certain I couldn’t trust. Eli. I was so worried about the timing of his arrival on my team that I never shared anything with him. I suspect Amber did though, so Eli would have known all about it.’
‘Can you call him?’
‘No, and I’ve got a horrible feeling he might have been in bed with Amber. Someone was there, and she and Eli were starting to get very friendly. If I call him now, Amber will suspect that whatever I was just talking about to her actually applies to him. She’s not stupid, and I can’t be sure she won’t report back to Necto like she did before. I don’t want to get Eli into trouble.’
‘So what can you do with those documents anyway?’ Jessica asked.
‘Allude to the contents without being specific when I negotiate a leaving package, and I can tell DI Ruskin that everything I suspected was right. I’ll have to stop short of handing over the stolen documents as I don’t want to get anyone in trouble. Ruskin was supposed to be talking to Sara Vickson, so I’m hoping there’s been progress. I’ll call him in the morning. It’s too late now.’
‘Yeah. Earlier, I thought I might never sleep again, but now I can hardly keep my eyes open.’
Midnight checked her watch. ‘Dawn will be awake at seven o’clock on the dot. Let’s regroup tomorrow.’ She stood, stretched, and padded towards her bedroom.
‘Midnight?’ Jessica said. ‘Thank you, again. It took a leap of faith for you to invite me here. I don’t know what I’d have done without you today.’
‘No biggie,’ Midnight said, gently switching off the light.
In her bedroom, she tried once more to get hold of Connie Woolwine, but didn’t even get a ring tone. She gave up for the night and fell asleep – by some miracle – in less than a minute.
Outside in the light-polluted dark, two men watched. Both wanted to speak with the women inside. One sat in his car, lights off, huddled down in the seat. The other sat on cold stone steps, hidden by a doorway, a scarf around his face. The same rain obscured their views. The same vehicles passed them both. One was a hero, the other was a killer, and each had broken the law. Neither one knew the other was watching.
Chapter 37
The Applicant
He had to kill again. If in the past he’d been able to pretend that it was something less than murder, and that death was only a side-product of fulfilling his needs, he couldn’t any more.
Midnight Jones was no longer a distant possibility of a threat. She’d found Jessica. His Jessica. Pieces were falling into the puzzle of his identity faster than he could possibly have anticipated, and he wasn’t coping well.
Finding Midnight had been easy, although it had taken some patience waiting outside Necto’s office, identifying her from the photo he’d found, then following her home. The first time, she’d hopped on a bus and he’d been too far behind her to do the same. The second time, she’d walked home and that had worked out fine. Since then, he’d spent some time watching her flat – ground floor, thankfully – although she kept the curtains closed most of the time. To his amazement and delight, he’d discovered that she had a twin. And no one else lived with them.
This time, learning from the problems at Mae’s flat, he’d done his research properly. No more being impetuous, because that was going to get him caught. Midnight’s flat looked out onto a quiet street with a small strip of grass between the lounge window and the road. If he broke in through there, he’d be spotted whatever time of day it was. The bedroom windows, though, were at the side of the building, and with garages between the windows and the road. Midnight’s bedroom protruded further than her sister’s, which gave him even more cover to break into the sister’s room. If he was quiet enough, no one would be any the wiser.
He would tie them both up – Midnight would be compliant if her sister’s life was under threat – then take his time. He’d have all night if he did things right. He even had a new weapon with him, and he was excited about trying it out. More than just excited. He couldn’t wait.
That was why he was sitting outside the flat on a cold stone step, in the dark, getting rained on. It should have happened hours ago, only then his world had shifted on its axis, and Jessica Finch had appeared with Midnight, both of them dressed in white coveralls. He’d slapped his face to wake himself up, convinced he was hallucinating. But no, both Midnight and Jessica had reappeared, showing an old woman out into a taxi.
It had been a busy day. He’d taken some time in the afternoon to check on Jessica, only to find that as she’d been leaving her building, the scumbag who’d been stalking her had entered. The scumbag had been dispatched quickly and appropriately enough, but so fast that he hadn’t taken any real pleasure from it. That idiot had been planning on leaving yet another dead rat in Jessica’s place – not a mistake he’d ever make again.
Fortunately, good planning meant that he had spare clothes with him in preparation for that night, so he’d been able to change out of the bloody garments before making his way to Midnight’s. It had all been going so well. Then without warning, the two most important women in his life at that time had climbed out of a police car right in front of him.
That was hours ago, and he hadn’t been able to leave since then. He could see their outlines as they walked around the lounge-diner behind the curtains.
Jessica’s appearance meant that he was right to be concerned about what Midnight knew. She must have been looking for him. Did she have his name? His address? Surely not, or the police would have come a-calling, which meant he had no time to lose before killing her. Perhaps it was best done then and there. His backpack had everything he needed to get in through the window, to tie them up and to dispatch them.
But then there was Jessica. His inspiration. The woman he’d always believed he loved.
Only now … did he? Had it been a simple teenage crush taken to new heights by his desperate loneliness? It was so hard to tell what was real any more. Suddenly Jessica was a risk too. If she was hanging around with the woman who’d profiled him, she was a loose end he could no longer leave hanging.
Three women in one flat. So much blood. Even if half the night had gone, there was still time.
A light went off inside, and he stood to get a better view. There were still other lights on, but the women were moving around now. He needed to hang back, but the excitement, the possibility, the thought of how it would feel and smell and taste, was making him twitch. Another light went off, and now the flat was fully dark.
He needed to get closer, to listen and look. One of them might still be awake and scrolling or texting. The streets were quiet, and that was good. He could spend some time waiting for them all to be fast asleep before breaking in.
He began crossing the road, moving diagonally to get behind the garages where he wouldn’t be seen, then—
A car slammed its brakes to stop just inches from his legs, suddenly putting on its lights. He threw up an arm into his face, but too late. The driver had seen him and was shouting something he couldn’t hear.
He stared longingly at Midnight’s flat, just metres in front of him, but stepped backwards instead, breathing hard, grateful to be in one piece. The car pulled away.
He had to go home. He had no choice now. The driver had seen his face so clearly. Anything that happened that night would lead straight to a Photofit, and he’d worked with enough people that one of them was bound to identify him.
It wasn’t fair. He was ready. He needed it. Now he’d have to retreat like some miserable dog with its tail between its legs.
Bide your time, his inner voice cautioned. Maybe not tomorrow, but perhaps the next day. Let the dust settle. They’ll be worth the wait.
Chapter 38
Dawn loved the enormous, fluffy, multicoloured jumper that Doris was wearing so much, the two of them were just cuddled up on the sofa, pointing out all the different colours.
‘Doris?’ had been Dawn’s first word that morning. Midnight had promised to phone Doris that evening to arrange another get-together, but was pre-empted when the phone rang half an hour later, only for Doris to ask if they were in the mood for a visit. She’d arrived shortly after with a bag of food to make them all shepherd’s pie for lunch, several bottles of bubble mixture, and three new children’s puzzles which were exactly right for Dawn. Midnight had hugged Doris tight, overwhelmed by gratitude.
‘That’s all right, my lovely,’ Doris had muttered. ‘I’m here as much for myself as I am for you. Now you get on with whatever you need to be doing. I’ll put the kettle on.’
Midnight had introduced Doris properly to Jessica, then Dawn spotted the bubble mixture and puzzles, and any hope of chatting longer was gone.
‘Doris is lovely. You’re so lucky to have met her,’ Jessica said. They were lying on Midnight’s bed with the door shut, so that nothing they discussed upset either Dawn or Doris.
‘I know. It’s like she woke something in Dawn. The agency carers are fine, but very matter-of-fact, like they don’t want to get too attached because it’s just work. When we met Doris, though, she filled a need in Dawn straight away. If I believed in anything as unscientific as fate, I’d say we were supposed to have met her. Does that sound stupid?’
‘It sounds wonderful. I hope there’s someone out there that I’m supposed to meet. I could do with the universe taking care of me a bit.’ Jessica gave a weak smile. ‘When I woke up this morning, for a few seconds, I’d forgotten about it. Then when I remembered, I wasn’t even shocked. It was like, yeah, that happened. What’s wrong with me? A man got stabbed to death in my flat and it’s as if I couldn’t care less.’
