The Death Messenger (Matthew Ryan Book 2)(98)

‘A weak motive is still a motive,’ Grace said.

Even though they weren’t in the same room, Ryan could see and feel how excited Grace was. Unconsciously she’d taken hold of Newman’s hand and given it a squeeze.

‘Although she doesn’t use it now,’ Ryan said, ‘Rebecca used to frequent an online chat room, a support group for sufferers. It was the only connection she had with other Sauer’s patients prior to meeting up with Laura. It’s a hard ask, given your workload, but we need more on that—’

‘If you require IT help,’ O’Neil cut in, ‘just ask.’

‘I’ll start combing the site for mentions of Dean, Trevathan and Tierney,’ Grace said.

‘Good. What’s the state of play up there? How’s the surveillance of Clark and Mitchell going?’

‘Fine. They’re bunkered down for Christmas.’

‘Wish I was,’ Ryan said under his breath. ‘Any news on Sandie Knox?’

Grace nodded. ‘She died on January seventh of this year. I have a copy of her death certificate on file.’

‘Cause of death?’ O’Neil again.

‘Carcinomatosis. The certifying doctor cited Sauer’s as the primary cause of death. Before Frank and I viewed the documentary, we’d never heard of it. Leaving Clark and Mitchell aside for one minute, we’re after suspects who loosely fit Pedersen’s description, yes?’

‘Correct,’ O’Neil said. ‘Except now we know that Rebecca Swift isn’t our target.’

‘I’ve also ruled out all the in-house technicians,’ Grace said. ‘Two of them are Asian, one weighs sixteen stone, the other is fifty-two years old. Clark’s description of Jang and Malik was correct, so by my calculation that leaves only two females who are around the age and physical characteristics we’re interested in: one of the film’s subjects, Jo Nichol, and Sophia Montgomery, film crew. I’m still checking on them.’

‘And males?’

‘There are three in the mix: Martin Schofield – another sufferer who appeared in the documentary; Laura’s music man, Tony Gillespie; and the cinematographer, Dan (Frank) Spencer.’

‘Some are alibied?’

‘Right.’ Grace gave their names. ‘Of the three men, Schofield is unwell, currently under psychiatric assessment in a secure hospital having twice attempted suicide. By all accounts, he’s a wreck, incapable of carrying out the kind of frenzied attack our victims suffered.’

‘What about Gillespie?’

‘He has a short-term visa to work on a co-production in South Africa. He’s been out of the country for the last six months and has stamps on his passport to prove it. He was abroad for all four deaths.’

‘Spencer?’ Ryan asked.

‘Like the women, he’s proving difficult to pin down. You’ll have to leave it with me.’

‘How did you get on with the background check on Sophia Montgomery?’ O’Neil asked.

‘Grab a brew,’ Grace said. ‘It’s a long story, but I’m sure Frank will make it brief.’

‘I’ll try,’ Newman said. ‘Montgomery’s mutism arrived suddenly, brought on by the death of her mother in an accident when Sophia was ten years old. No one has heard her utter a word since. Met police asked every member of the documentary crew about this, apart from Spencer, who they haven’t yet been able to locate. In every case, they were given the same answer: she doesn’t speak. I was told the same thing when I spoke to her former employer, her schoolteachers, social workers and speech therapists this morning. She stopped communicating through language, scraped through school and never went to university. She gets work where she can and lives alone. Lack of speech would suggest she’s not our girl—’

‘And the band played “Believe It If You Like”,’ Grace said.

‘It’s well documented,’ Newman added.

‘So is the bible – and we all know that’s a fabrication.’ Grace wasn’t smiling. ‘No speech equals no voice comparison. Very convenient.’

‘That was my initial reaction too,’ O’Neil said. ‘Frank, you’re not happy with her, are you?’ For once Newman’s facial expression had given him away. There was more coming . . .

‘A coroner ruled her mother’s death as accidental. She fell over a cliff – two hundred feet. Sophia was with her at the time, as was her younger brother, Mark. He was eight when it happened. They were staying in a holiday rental nearby.’ The implication was clear to everyone.

Silence reigned.

‘Where was the cliff?’ O’Neil asked finally.

‘Filey.’

Newman’s answer was like a bombshell going off in their heads, the Yorkshire link they had been waiting so patiently for. Before Ryan had the chance to say anything, there was a sudden kerfuffle at the other end of the line. A dog barked. He assumed it was Bob. A worrying thought. The Labrador only ever did that to attract attention.

He had Ryan’s.

‘Frank? What’s going on?’

Newman turned his head away from the screen. A wince. ‘You OK?’

Ryan didn’t hear a reply. ‘Grace?’

Grace grimaced. ‘Caroline fell over a chair.’