The Death Messenger (Matthew Ryan Book 2)(80)

Ryan shot her a look: be careful.

‘Can I say something?’ Newman was the only one calm enough to take the temperature down. ‘Let’s consider all the angles here. No trial judge will criticize Ryan’s approach if he got the right result. We’re dealing with a serial offender here. If Spielberg wants to speak to him – and only him – he obviously made a connection, however negative. The very fact that she’s no longer willing to talk to Eloise would suggest that he touched her in some way. We should use that to our advantage, run with it and see where it takes us. Ryan has a way with women.’ He looked at Grace. ‘He’s even talked sense into you on occasion.’ Newman winked at her and then eyed the others. ‘Believe me, that’s not easy.’

Grace laughed and then apologized to everyone for losing her rag.

O’Neil didn’t hold it against her. They’d had their say and so had Ryan. It cleared the air and her fragmented team was beginning to repair itself. Just as well. They didn’t know it yet but Hilary Forsythe was due to arrive at any moment.

‘This is your call,’ she told Ryan. ‘If you’re happy with Frank’s suggestion, when Spielberg makes contact, I’m out, you’re in.’

‘On one condition,’ he said. ‘If she can get here on time, I want Caroline in on this. You’ve seen how good she is. She’ll home in on emotions we might miss.’ When there were no dissenters, he consented to take the next call.

Talking to a serial killer was quite a responsibility. He hoped he could pull it off.





45


O’Neil took a deep breath as she opened the door. Hilary Forsythe stepped forward, embracing her gently, a kiss on each cheek, the usual pat on the back as he held her for a moment longer than she was comfortable with. She pulled away, trying not to show how edgy she felt around him. It was the same every time he was near, the ghost of her past weakening her resolve to move on and leave behind the part of her life he belonged to.

‘How are you?’ That was always his first question.

‘Fine.’ The lie was her stock reply. ‘Is this meeting really necessary?’

‘I think so. Eloise, I worry about you. Not in a professional sense – I know you can do this job standing on your head. I meant—’

‘I know what you meant.’ She swept a hand out. ‘Please, come and meet the team.’

Like his offspring, Forsythe was tall and fit, a classy dresser with impeccable taste in clothes, a tanned complexion and flawless manners. Unlike his son, he loved her dearly and the sentiment was genuine. In spite of how he made her feel, O’Neil was fond of him too. She took his coat and led him into the lounge area that doubled as her incident room, a feeling of trepidation eating away at her gut.

Ryan and Grace stood up as they entered.

‘Ryan, it’s a pleasure to meet you.’ Hilary extended a hand. The handshake was solid. ‘I knew your father. He was a good man, a dedicated policeman. You look exactly like him. Am I right in thinking that your twin works for the Crown Prosecution Service these days?’

‘Yes, sir.’

‘It pleases me that the two of you followed his fine example. The criminal justice system needs people like you.’

Ryan felt his heart swell with pride. ‘Thank you, sir.’

Forsythe took in every detail: the state-of-the-art equipment; the piles of paperwork; the murder wall with details of known victims and one female as yet unidentified.

He raised his voice. ‘Mr Newman, you can come out now.’

Three pairs of eyes met across the room.

So much for keeping Newman’s involvement a secret.

A bedroom door opened and Newman appeared, eyes fixed on Forsythe. The fact that he’d been rumbled didn’t appear to bother him. The former judge was as well connected as he was. Anticipating that his cover might already have been blown, he’d voiced his concern when O’Neil warned the team that he was dropping by.

Forsythe invited them all to sit.

‘I think it’s time we set the record straight, about me, this base and, more importantly, Eloise’s appointment as operational head of this unit.’ He sat down too, hitching his trousers at the knee, his shoes buffed to perfection. ‘I gather you’ve discovered facts and drawn conclusions that may have challenged her authority. Had I known of Frank’s link to Grace when this unit was created, I might have covered my tracks better. I can assure you that Eloise had no knowledge of my involvement until last Saturday. I was alerted by MI5 as long ago as December 2012 that those due to stand trial in Scotland on terrorism charges – the defendants in Lord Trevathan’s case – had cross-border links with Northumberland.’

‘That’s news to me,’ Ryan said. ‘Did you investigate?’

Forsythe nodded.

‘With respect, sir, I was employed at Special Branch then. At no time were we made aware of such a threat.’

‘No one was, though it was significant, deemed a code red by MI5. A splinter group of terrorists, highly organized, were believed to be planning a sophisticated attack on Otterburn army base. A decision was made at the highest level to keep the circle of those in the know to an absolute minimum. As it turned out, the Northumberland link did not exist. MI5 and antiterrorist officers deployed here were stood down.’