The Book of Souls (Inspector McLean #2)(36)

‘And yet you wonder why I seem a little tense?’

‘Ah. You see the actions of a copycat, aping Donald Anderson. I can imagine that brings back all sorts of unhappy memories. How does that make you feel, inspector? Or may I call you Tony?’

‘No, inspector works fine for me.’ McLean forced himself to relax, though every instinct in his body screamed for him to get up and leave the room.

‘So it makes you feel isolated. Persecuted.’

‘I think the word you’re looking for is frustrated, Hilton. I’m supposed to be investigating a double murder. I don’t even know the identity of the second victim yet, and I’m stuck in here with you because my superiors think I might be under intolerable stress. I’ve been on enforced leave for two weeks. That’s two weeks during which time I might have been able to catch this sick bastard. Then it would have just been the one set of distraught parents I needed to explain myself to. That’s your stress right there. Not being able to do my job.’

‘And you don’t think Sergeant ...’ Hilton shuffled through his notes for a moment ‘... Sergeant Laird is up to the job? I understand you’ve worked well with him in the past.’

‘Bob’s a good detective, but I like to think two pairs of hands are better than one. Besides, he didn’t work on the Anderson case. I did.’

‘Neither did he lose his fiancée to the Christmas Killer. But you did.’ Hilton’s pencil stopped its tapping. ‘And now, just a few days after Anderson dies, someone starts killing using his methods. I ask you again, Tony. How does that make you feel?’

‘It makes me bloody angry that people can publish books telling the world in great detail what those methods are. How do you think this new killer knew how Anderson killed and disposed of the bodies? How do you think he knew what Anderson did to his victims before he killed them? That bloody book which you and Jo bloody Dalgliesh cobbled together.’

‘Anger. Good.’ Hilton hitched his smile up a little higher, but it still couldn’t reach his eyes. ‘And then the day after the first victim is found, you start seeing Anderson in crowds. This despite knowing that he’s dead. You went to his funeral, I understand.’

‘His burial. There’s a difference.’

‘Indeed. Tell me, why did you go to Anderson’s ... ah, burial?’

‘Maybe I just wanted to make sure the bastard was dead. I think you psychobabblers call it looking for closure.’

‘Hm. And did you find closure? I’d suggest not, given your rather irrational behaviour in a department store the other night.’

McLean suppressed the urge to scream. Tried to remind himself that these sessions were meant to help. And that if he didn’t play along, they’d continue for a very long time.

‘What do you think you’d do?’ he asked. ‘You’ve just found out that someone’s been murdered using exactly the same MO as a notorious serial killer who’s recently died. Then you see someone in the street who looks exactly like that serial killer. Wouldn’t you give chase?’

‘In the street? Give chase?’ Hilton flipped through his papers again. ‘I thought you said you saw him in John Lewis. In the Christmas decorations department. Seems very apt, really.’

McLean ground his teeth to stop himself from saying any more. He’d completely forgotten that he’d not mentioned the first Anderson sighting to anyone.

‘Anyway,’ Hilton added, ‘on top of all this, your tenement then burns down. I’m told the fire started in a neighbouring apartment that was being used as a cannabis farm. That must be a bit embarrassing, mustn’t it.’

‘Very.’

‘There’s no suggestion that you knew about the operation, of course. In some ways it might have been better if you had.’

‘Is this relevant?’ McLean choked back the rest of what he wanted to say.

‘I don’t know. Is it? I’m trying to assess your state of mind here, Tony. Are you fit for work?’

‘Well I’m at work. Or at least I would be if I wasn’t in here with you.’

‘So about the fire. You lost everything. That must have been very traumatic. Like losing a loved one.’

‘It was a place to sleep, eat and shower. I spend more of my time here, or out in the city catching criminals than I ever did there.’

‘And yet it was full of memories. I’m told you’ve lived there since you were a student. That’s a long time to be in one place. And of course that’s where you and Kirsty made your home together.’

A light tap at the door was the only thing that saved Hilton’s life. Or at least his nose. The professor scowled slightly, glancing at his watch before saying: ‘Goodness, we’ve been here over an hour already.’ It gave McLean time to compose himself, count to ten, and stand up. Jayne McIntyre poked her head around the door.

‘I’m so sorry, Matt,’ she said, ‘but you said an hour, and we’ve got a briefing scheduled for fifteen minutes’ time.’

‘Of course, Jayne,’ Hilton said, not looking at McLean as he added: ‘I think we’re making very good progress, too. But there’s a way to go. Might need to make these sessions bi-weekly.’

‘And you’ll pass Tony fit to work?’