The Night Stalker

‘But look where the phone box is on the map. She could have gone in the opposite direction and made her way to any number of places through this web of residential streets, which aren’t covered by CCTV,’ finished Erika. ‘Have you got anything else?’

‘Well, the phone box was the good news,’ said Moss, moving over to where Singh stood by the bank of printers. ‘We finally got the data through from three of the websites who sell these suicide bags in the UK.’

‘And?’

‘And, as you can see, there’s plenty to work through. Three thousand names,’ said Singh. ‘They were really reluctant to give us these names. And I can see from quite a few that they’ve paid with PayPal, which could make people more difficult to trace.’

‘Shit,’ said Erika. ‘Okay, well, I say we start by discounting people outside Greater London. We should work on the theory that she saw me on Crimewatch. It made her angry and she went to a phone box and called me.’

‘Okay, boss,’ said Singh.

‘What have we had back from the TV appeal?’

’Not a great deal,’ said Peterson. ‘We’re working through the phone calls which came in, but I think the broadcast spooked a lot of people. A man in North London called during the show to say he scared a burglar trying to gain entry to a ground-floor window, another woman in Beckenham thinks she saw a small figure walking through her garden shortly after the broadcast… An old lady who lives close to Laurel Road woke up and scared an intruder in her bedroom, who climbed out of the window… Oh, and there are now three neighbours in Laurel Road who think they saw a small woman, matching the one in the reconstruction, delivering vegetable boxes in the area,’ said Peterson. ‘It’s going to take us time to work through all of these.’

‘Have we got a copy of the Crimewatch video?’ asked Erika. ‘I’d like to watch it back. Perhaps something I said made her seek me out, find out my number and call me. Get hold of Tim Aiken for me. You never know, he might have something useful to say for once.’

She looked back at the large map of London, stretching out across the wall.

Reading her thoughts, Moss said, ‘So many places to hide in the darkness.’

48

Erika, Peterson, Moss, Marsh and Tim Aiken were huddled around a television monitor in one of the viewing suites at the station. They were watching back Erika’s appearance on Crimewatch.

Erika hated seeing herself on screen: her voice seemed higher, screechier. She was pleased, however, that the Met hadn’t upgraded their televisions to high definition. These thoughts, though, were just fleeting, at the back of her mind. What she really wanted to know was why the killer had responded to the broadcast in the way she had, assuming she’d seen it.

They came to the end of the part where Erika was interviewed in the studio. ‘We believe she’s small in stature but we advise the public not to approach her. She is a dangerous and deeply disturbed individual,’ said Erika on the screen.

The presenter then started to read out the email address and phone number to contact, which flashed up on the bottom of the screen.

‘So?’ asked Erika, turning to Tim Aiken.

‘There are many variables,’ said Tim, rubbing at his stubbled chin, the multicoloured woven bracelets on his wrist shifting as he raised his arm.

‘If the killer was watching, how might she have reacted to seeing her crimes recreated on screen?’

‘It could have stoked her ego. Serial killers can be ego-driven, vain individuals,’ said Tim.

‘So the fact we got a nice, hot young woman to play her in the reconstruction could have been flattering to her?’ asked Moss.

‘It depends what you define as hot, or attractive,’ said Tim.

‘Well, I wouldn’t kick her out of bed. Peterson? Sir?’ said Moss.

Peterson went to open his mouth but was cut off by Marsh.

‘I’m not getting into a debate about the attractiveness of the actor in the reconstruction,’ he said, irritably.

Tim went on, ‘Or she may be physically unattractive, and she could have objected to how she was portrayed. In the same way that she could be someone who is physically much stronger. She could have objected to an elfin girl such as this playing her in the reconstruction… We have to remember this isn’t about her, it’s about what she does, and why she does it. She targets and kills men. Both victims were tall and strong, with athletic physiques. She could have been abused by a man or men – a spouse, her father…’