‘How’s that going to look?’ he said. ‘An old man with dementia. You’ve got no chance of making anything stick.’

  Her fists clenched. He was right. They had little hope of pinning anything on him.

  ‘Don’t go anywhere,’ she said. ‘Because we’ll be back.’

  ‘Suit yourself. It’ll be a total waste of time if you do.’ He grinned.

  Before leaving the home, Whitney arranged for a staff member to be with Skinner at all times, ensuring he didn’t use his phone. She couldn’t risk him warning Cane.

  Once outside, she radioed the officers tailing him.

  ‘Where is he now?’ she said.

  ‘I’m sorry, guv. We’ve lost him.’

  They had to be kidding. She emitted a loud groan. ‘What do you mean you’ve lost him?’

  ‘We got stuck at some lights and he disappeared in the Royston area.’

  ‘That’s nowhere near his home. What was he doing around there?’

  ‘We don’t know.’

  ‘Has he been out that way before?’ she asked.

  ‘No.’

  ‘I suggest you keep looking and if you can’t find him go back to his house in case he’s daft enough to go back.’

  Whitney turned to George. ‘I can’t believe they lost him.’

  ‘What shall we do now?’ George said.

  ‘Go back to the incident room.’

  When they arrived, Whitney went over to Frank, who was sitting at his desk, with his legs outstretched and his hands linked behind his head.

  ‘Frank, get hold of the CCTV footage close to Featherstone Manor, where Harold Skinner lives. I want to look at roads leading into the city, in particular the Royston area as that’s where we lost Cane. He’s driving a red Toyota Corolla.’

  ‘Yes, guv,’ he said.

  ‘We need to track down where he went.’

  She tapped her foot impatiently on the floor while he loaded up the footage.

  ‘There’s his car,’ Frank said, pointing at Cane heading down the road from the care home.

  ‘And there’s Jake tailing him,’ she added.

  They watched while Cane went over the traffic lights, where her officers had lost him, and saw him turn right into Tanner Street and then go left into Napier Road.

  ‘Where’s he heading?’ Whitney said.

  ‘We’ve gone as far as the cameras pick up,’ Frank said.

  ‘What’s down there?’ Whitney asked, pointing at the screen.

  ‘Not a lot. There used to be some industrial units which are now empty. I believe there’s an old storage depot.’

  ‘Storage, as in lock-ups?’ George said. ‘Do you remember when we were talking to Don Mason? He mentioned they thought Harold Skinner had one somewhere, but they couldn’t find it. It could be there?’

  Whitney flashed a smile at George. ‘Good call. Give me the address of this storage place. George and I will go out there. I need a photo of Larry Cane to take with us.’

  When they arrived, they went into the office. A young man was sitting behind the counter. He looked up when they entered, a bored expression on his face.

  ‘Detective Chief Inspector Walker from Lenchester CID,’ she said, holding out her warrant card. ‘We’re looking for this man.’ She took her phone from her pocket and pulled up the photo of Larry Cane. She slid it over to him. ‘Do you recognise him?’

  ‘I’m not sure,’ he said.

  ‘Not good enough. We think he visited here a short time ago. Do you have any CCTV footage we can look at?’ Whitney asked.

  ‘I’m not allowed to show people.’ He stared at her belligerently.

  ‘I’m not “people”. I’m the police and investigating a series of murders. So, either you show us or I get a search warrant. And if that happens I will tear this place apart.’

  ‘Okay. Okay. Keep your hair on.’ He pulled up the CCTV footage on his screen, and they could see Larry get out of his car and go over to one of the storage units.

  ‘How old is this place?’ Whitney asked.

  ‘It’s been going for about forty years.’

  ‘How many storage units do you have?’

  ‘It’s small. Only fifty.’

  ‘I want to look in the unit this man went into.’

  ‘I don’t know if I can do that,’ he replied.

  ‘Do I have to go through all that again?’ Whitney said. ‘Show me the unit.’

  ‘They all have their own individual codes to their keypad.’

  ‘Are you telling me you can’t get in? Because, if so, I’ll get that search warrant I mentioned earlier, and we’ll break down all the doors,’ she threatened.

  ‘No, I’m not saying that. I can override it,’ the young man said.

  ‘Good. Take us now.’

  ‘Okay.’ He sighed and got out of his chair. ‘Come this way.’

  When they got to the unit, he keyed in a number and rolled up the door.

  ‘You can leave us,’ Whitney said.

  ‘I better not get in trouble for this,’ he said, as he turned to walk away.

  ‘I can assure you you’d have got in more trouble for not showing us.’

  They entered the storage unit, which was virtually bare, apart from six plastic containers on the floor. Whitney handed George a pair of disposable gloves and they started looking through. The first box Whitney opened was full of men’s clothing, but there was nothing in there of note. Then she went to a second box and opened a white plastic carrier bag that had been folded up in the corner.

  She gasped.

  It was full of pink chiffon scarves.

  ‘We’ve got him, George. We’ve got him,’ she shouted, unable to hide her excitement. ‘I’ve found a bag of scarves. Why else would Cane come here if it wasn’t to get what he needed for the next kill? Let’s see what else we can find.’

  They carried on searching.

  ‘Look.’ George held out a small plastic container. ‘Locks of hair. I’m assuming these were from the original victims. There appear to be six different hair samples in here.’

  ‘And I’ve just found a load of cable ties,’ Whitney said. ‘We’ve got a slam-dunk.’

  ‘A what?’ George said, frowning.

  ‘It’s a basketball metaphor.’

  ‘I didn’t know you followed basketball.’

  ‘I don’t … it’s an everyday phrase.’

  ‘It can’t be common parlance, if I haven’t heard of it,’ George said.

  ‘Because you always use everyday language in your common parlance?’ Whitney said laughing.

  ‘One day you’ll cease with the mockery.’ George let out an exasperated sigh.

  ‘You know it’s only meant in fun. Anyway, back to what’s important. This is now a crime scene. I’m going to call in SOCO. We need to establish that Cane has actually been in here and touched these items.’

  ‘Unless he used gloves,’ George said.

  ‘He may have. Actually, as an ex-copper he should have. But as he has no idea anyone knows about this place, he might not. Or he might intend on destroying all of the evidence when he’s finished carrying out the murders.’

  ‘All good points,’ George said.

  Whitney pulled out her radio. ‘This is DCI Walker. I want SOCO at the storage units on Napier Road. Also, send two uniformed officers as soon as possible.’

  They went back into the office where the manager had returned to his desk.

  ‘The storage unit is now a crime scene and I’m waiting for my officers to arrive,’ Whitney said. ‘You’re to close the facility. I don’t want anyone coming in or out until you have my permission. Scenes of crime officers will be here shortly to do their forensic testing.’

  ‘Does that mean I can’t go home?’ he asked.

  ‘When does your shift end?’ Whitney asked.

  ‘Not for another five hours.’

  ‘You can stay until then. One of my officers will take a statement from you. Did the man who went into the unit earlier come into the office?’

  ‘No, he didn’t. He went straight there.’

  ‘But you kept your eye on him?’ Whitney said.

  ‘It’s very quiet here and he was the only visitor, so yes, I did watch him on the CCTV.’

  ‘Have you seen him here before?’ Whitney asked.

  ‘Once. But that doesn’t mean he didn’t visit more often. Unit holders can get in when we’re closed. They’re given a code for the keypad on the front gate.’

  ‘Can you tell who’s been in? Does each lock-up owner have a different code?’ Whitney asked.

  ‘No. They all have the same.’

  ‘How long has this particular unit being rented?’

  He looked at his records on the computer screen. ‘This one’s been held by the same person for the past thirty-five years. It’s in the name of Beatrice West.’

  Whitney didn’t recognise the name.

  ‘How do they pay?’

  ‘This one is different. Thirty-five years ago, someone paid for forty years, upfront.’

  ‘Have other holders done the same?’

  ‘No. But this was when they first opened. The owners might have needed the money.’

  ‘Or whoever paid was investing into the business. Who owns the facility?’ George asked.

  ‘It’s a company called Long Haul. I don’t have anything to do with them.’

  ‘How long have you worked here?’

  ‘Two years. I have a manager who visits on a regular basis. The owners have a lot of similar businesses, I believe.’

  ‘I’ll need their details,’ Whitney said.

  He wrote them down on a piece of paper and handed it to her.

  ‘Thanks.’

  Whitney turned as she saw a police car driving in. She walked over to the car.

  ‘I want a cordon put up around unit fifteen,’ she said to one of the officers.

  ‘Yes, guv.’

  ‘SOCO will be here shortly. Take a statement from the man in the office. We think this is the storage facility used by the Lenchester Strangler, and his copycat. We’re going back to the station.’

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  ‘Attention, everyone,’ Whitney called out to her team as she entered the incident room. ‘We’ve found the lock-up belonging to the previous Lenchester Strangler, who we know is Harold Skinner. We believe he’s paying Larry Cane to frame Alastair Hepworth, who stole a large sum of money from him. After visiting Skinner earlier today, Cane went to the lock-up, most likely to take the equipment needed for the next murder. He’s now gone missing. We visited Harold Skinner after Cane’s visit, but he wouldn’t admit to anything.’

  ‘Wasn’t that a mistake, guv?’ Frank said.

  Whitney looked at him, amazed he’d actually thought it through. ‘Why?’

  ‘Because if Harold Skinner gets in touch with Cane, he’s going to know we’re onto him.’

  ‘Good point, Frank. But I made sure Skinner wasn’t left on his own, so there’s no chance of that happening. Right now, we need to capture Cane before he can murder again.’

  ‘But we’ve no idea which of the two women are going to be next,’ George said.

  ‘We need to alert Greta Cook and Megan Faulkner. Uniformed officers have been passing their homes on a regular basis. Ellie, I want you to contact them and find out where they are. We need an officer outside the front of their houses at all times.’

  ‘We’ve got a bit of time,’ George said. ‘The killings have always been committed at night. Perhaps we can set up some sort of sting.’

  ‘Explain,’ Whitney said.

  ‘Why don’t we make sure the women aren’t there and instead have someone take their place. A police officer in bed and other officers hiding throughout the house? When he breaks in, we can catch him.’

  ‘I’ll have to run it past, Jamieson. You know what he’s like regarding our operations. It certainly seems the right thing to do.’

  Whitney left the room and went to Jamieson’s office. She knocked on the door but there was no reply, so she stuck her head in. The room was empty. As she turned to leave, she saw him heading towards her.

  ‘What can I do for you, Walker?’ he said.

  ‘I need to speak to you about an operation I’m putting together,’ she said.

  ‘As long as it’s nothing to do with putting civilians in danger. You know my views on that,’ he said.

  ‘Nobody will be in danger. But we do want to place someone in the homes belonging to the women on the list of targets. We know who the murderer is. Our copycat has been working with the original Lenchester Strangler with a view to framing somebody else for the murders.’

  ‘Sounds very complicated,’ Jamieson said.

  ‘Not really. The offender is the ex-copper, Larry Cane, so he knows all about how we operate. We’ve got an alert out for him, but he’s gone missing. What we’d like to do is use two female officers, and place one in each of the possible victims’ houses. There will be a number of other officers there, in hiding. The actual targets will be placed in protective custody until the operation’s over. We’ll need officers in both houses as we don’t know which he’s targeting.’

  ‘Why don’t you have a huge police presence at one house, and then at the other have less of one. That should make him believe the second house is the easiest target. Then you only need to have officers inside one of the houses,’ Jamieson said.

  ‘It’s a thought, but possibly too obvious.’

  Leading Cane to a particular house was a good idea, but not doing it the way he’d suggested.

  ‘Well, I’m sure you’ll come up with something.’

  ‘Yes, sir. Does that mean we have your permission to undertake the operation?’ Whitney confirmed.

  ‘I’m assuming Dr Cavendish isn’t going to be involved in this. Bearing in mind what’s happened in the past,’ he said.

  ‘You have my assurance on that front. I have no intention of letting her anywhere near. Do we have your approval?’

  ‘You do. Let me know how it goes. I assume it’s going to be this evening.’

  ‘Yes, sir. If he knows we’re onto him and wants to complete the job, then he’s going to do it straight away, and after it’s over he’ll duck out of sight.’

  ‘Okay. Off you go.’

  Whitney returned to the incident room. ‘The Super’s approved the operation’ she said to George. ‘He came up with a half-arsed idea, but that’s hardly surprising.’

  ‘One day he might actually do something to impress you,’ George said.

  ‘I doubt it. Anyway, we’ll come up with our own plan. Listen up, everyone. We need to direct Cane to one of the houses, so we can focus our efforts in one spot. Ideas?’

  ‘It’s possible he doesn’t know we’ve worked out the two women at risk, which will go in our favour,’ Frank said.

  ‘I doubt that’s the case,’ George said. ‘He doesn’t strike me as someone who leaves things to chance. He’s too methodical.’

  ‘As we don’t know who his victim is, we have to assume it could be either of them. I suggest we make him believe one of the women isn’t at home. We’ll leave one house in darkness from early evening and one with the lights on and a police presence outside,’ Matt said.

  ‘Won’t the officer outside deter him?’ Frank said.

  ‘I don’t believe so. If anything, it would be a massive thrill for him, and would feed his ego, if he could attack while an officer was on the property. He has complete disdain for the force following his dismissal,’ George said.

  ‘We’ll lead him to the house which is easiest to access from the back, just in case he is deterred,’ Matt said.

  ‘That could work,’ Whitney said. ‘But we’ll make sure both women are well away from their houses. I’ll take the place of the potential victim and be in her bed. We’ll have officers strategically placed inside the house and in the surrounding streets so we can track Cane’s progress.’

  ‘What about me?’ George said.

  ‘You’re not involved in this.’

  ‘Why not?’

  ‘You know why not. You’re not a police officer and Jamieson said you can’t be there. Once we’ve brought Cane in for questioning, you’re more than welcome to watch the interview.’

  ‘Is that going to be sometime during the night?’

  ‘If all goes to plan and he attempts the murder tonight, then we’ll bring him in, and we’ll interview him first thing in the morning.’

  ‘Okay,’ George said.

  ‘Right. I want everyone to meet back here at eight o’clock. Go home, get some rest. This is going to be an all-nighter.’

  Whitney managed to get home for a quick two-hour nap and was back in the office by six. She tried to get on with some outstanding paperwork but, as usual, began pacing, waiting for the rest of her team to arrive. They were all there by eight and she ran through their plan.

  Ellie had been in touch with Greta and Megan and they were out of the way under police protection. For several hours Megan’s house had been left in darkness, with the curtains open, so it appeared no one was home.

  They were going to be at Greta’s house waiting for Cane.

  ‘Right, I’m going to be in the bedroom. Doug, you can be in the en suite. Matt, I want you downstairs, but you need to keep out of the way. Listen for him coming in. We’re assuming he’ll enter through the back door like he did previously. There’s an easy way in around the back. Frank, I want you situated in your car a little way up the road so you can see him arrive and let us know.’

  ‘Yes, guv,’ Frank said.

  ‘Be cautious with all cars as we have no idea whether he’s still in his Toyota or using a different one.’

  ‘Yes, guv.’

  ‘Ellie, you can be upstairs with Doug. Sue, I want you at the other end of the road in case he comes that way or decides to walk some of the way, rather than drive. He could park around the corner. Is everyone clear?’

  ‘Yes, guv,’ they all said.

  ‘We’ll let him come up the stairs and into the bedroom and then we’ll catch him in the act. That way there’s no way he can wriggle out of it. Okay. Let’s go. The drinks are on me once we’ve nailed him.’

  Chapter Thirty-Three

 

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