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‘He used to work for the family business. “No questions asked,” Mum used to say. You remember our old GP, don’t you?’

  ‘Doctor Tanner?’ Ruby said, their first encounter with him still fresh in her mind.

  They were just children, Ruby and Nathan, playing together on the kitchen floor as their mothers chatted at the table. Their ordinary day was transformed into pandemonium as Ruby’s father dragged Nathan’s dad into their living room, leaving a trail of blood leaking from a stab wound that looked sure to finish him off. Dr Tanner was quick to arrive. The lean, beak-nosed young man was adept at stitching up wounds and curing ailments. Ruby mentally did the math. He must be in his early sixties now.

  ‘Are you saying it’s him? He’s the murderer?’

  Nathan nodded in response.

  His unwillingness to elaborate made Ruby sigh. Must she tease out every piece of information? She would need more than this if she was to secure a conviction. ‘But why? Is he still on the payroll?’

  ‘God, no! It’s another reason why I didn’t think of him straightaway. I thought we’d seen the last of him years ago. Especially after. . .’ The words died in his mouth, and as he leaned back on the sofa, Nathan seemed reluctant for them to find a home in Ruby’s consciousness.

  ‘Don’t hold back,’ she said. ‘After the stuff I’ve dealt with, you can’t shock me.’

  Nathan shot her a doubtful look, and Ruby knew he was right to do so. She may have seen it all, but things were different as far as he was concerned.

  He stretched his arms on the back of the sofa and, with his index finger, began to twirl Ruby’s hair. It was something he had done since they were kids. The warmth of his fingers against the nape of her neck made goosebumps rise on her skin. Exhausted from lack of sleep, she allowed herself to briefly close her eyes and fall into the steady lull of his voice as he spoke about Doctor Tanner. The stress-laced tone from their previous encounter had evaporated. He seemed assured that he had the right man. Ruby guessed Nathan had done his homework and was willing to stay in hiding a few days longer so that he could gift her a positive outcome. She blinked, pushing away the sleep that was threatening to overcome her, despite the urgency of her task.

  ‘Sorry,’ she said, inhaling a deep breath as she sat forward. ‘I’m bloody knackered. Can’t you give me the details so I can get back to the station and get him nicked?’

  ‘All in good time.’ Nathan rose, walked to the fridge and took out a can of Red Bull. ‘Here, get this down you.’ He cracked open the can.

  Ruby took a sip, the cool, fizzy concoction refreshing her senses. She waited for Nathan to continue as he sat beside her. Being in such close proximity was playing havoc with her thought patterns. As his knee touched hers, she edged back in her seat, forcing herself to concentrate on the real reason for her visit.

  ‘You were saying about Doctor Tanner?’ she said, feeling self-conscious beneath his lingering gaze.

  ‘My old man offered him a job and helped him train as a surgeon. It wasn’t enough that he was on call to stitch up Dad’s cronies, he had to get him involved in the torture side of things too. He had a flair for it, but he enjoyed it a bit too much.’

  ‘I remember him. He used to give me the creeps. It was the way he used to look at me like he wanted to peel off my skin to see what was underneath.’ Ruby shuddered at the memory. ‘When did he stop working for you?’

  ‘He didn’t bloody report to me,’ Nathan said, his mouth set in a grimace. ‘Lenny kept him on until a couple of years ago when he was fired. I reckon that’s why he’s really killed those girls. He thrived on hurting people. Someone like that, they don’t change.’

  ‘Why was he sacked?’ Ruby said, sensing his hesitation. They were finally getting to the crux of things, and she did not want him to stop now. She took another mouthful of Red Bull then focused all her attention on Nathan.

  ‘Do you remember that eight-year-old kid that went missing? Hannah Marshall, the one that was found in the woods?’

  Ruby slowly nodded, wondering what Hannah had to do with Ellie Mason. They had many missing children on their books at that time, but Hannah had stood out because she was also a victim of parental neglect. Social services had been ready to place her in care when she disappeared from her home. Her parents had claimed abduction and, with concerns that she had been murdered Ruby’s team had become involved. Ruby had never been so relieved to find a missing child. Three days later Hannah was discovered in woodlands, pale-faced and shaking, but unwilling to speak a word. Whatever trauma she had been through, it was enough to keep her experiences locked deeply inside. It had always bothered Ruby because Hannah’s wispy blonde hair had been dyed brown, and she was found wearing brand-new clothes.

  ‘Her parents still claim it wasn’t them that took her,’ Ruby said, lost in thoughts of the young girl.

  ‘It wasn’t, it was Tanner.’

  ‘How can you be so sure?’ Ruby said.

  ‘Because it was me that left her in the woods.’

  ‘What?’ Ruby whispered, shock robbing the strength from her words.

  ‘Tanner was renting one of our properties, and I decided to pay him a visit. I wanted to warn him off. Tell him we had no use for him anymore. Things had changed, and I didn’t want a vulture like Tanner around my gaff.’

  ‘And Lenny agreed to this?’

  Nathan nodded, gesticulating as he spoke. ‘From the confines of his prison cell. He didn’t like him any more than I did.’

  Ruby nodded. How could she forget that Lenny was inside when it happened? Perhaps deep down a part of her wanted to blame him for whatever bombshell Nathan was going to drop next.

  ‘When I got there, Tanner didn’t answer and the windows were all boarded up. I had a spare key, so I let myself in. I found Hannah unconscious in one of the bedrooms.’

  Ruby inhaled a gasp. ‘No! Really? Why didn’t you call the police?’

  ‘Me? Call you lot and say I’ve got your missing child in one of my properties? I couldn’t risk it. I got her dressed, covered her with a blanket and left her in the woods. I guess that’s why she couldn’t remember much because she’d been unconscious the whole time she was gone.’

  ‘She would have known who took her in the first place,’ Ruby said, imagining Nathan scooping up the little girl and taking her out of harm’s way. ‘So you were our mystery informant.’ She touched his shoulder, and he shifted on the sofa, turning to face her.

  She wanted to hug him for keeping the little girl safe. It was just like Nathan to keep his heroics quiet, shying away from the admiration she was willing to bestow.

  Lacing his fingers between hers, Nathan drew the back of Ruby’s hand to his mouth and softly planted a kiss. It was a tender act from a man who had spent half his life immersed in violence.

  Ruby swallowed, fighting to keep the rush of emotions in check. She’d spent years trying to tame their sexual chemistry. Seconds ticked by as unspoken words passed between them. She knew what he was thinking because he had said it a thousand times before. Why couldn’t she just leave all this behind? Give up the police and spend her days with him? But they would only hurt each other in the end.

  ‘I got someone to make the call,’ Nathan said, finally, releasing her grip. ‘I kept watch until she was picked up.’

  Ruby nodded, trying to gather up her broken thoughts as tiredness and emotion overwhelmed her all at once. ‘There weren’t any signs of abuse. She was unharmed, wasn’t she?’

  ‘Only because I got to her in time.’ Nathan’s frown grew at the recollection. ‘It was risky. I could have been caught with her in the back of the van. But I couldn’t think what else to do. Back then I didn’t trust anyone I knew to look after her. It was obvious what Tanner was planning.’

  ‘I’m surprised you didn’t kill him for that,’ Ruby said.

  ‘You know me by now, babe,’ Nathan said. ‘If there’s one thing that makes me see red, it’s kids being abused. He probably told her he was a doctor. She trusted him e
nough to get in his car. I set out to fix things so it wouldn’t happen again.’

  ‘You ambushed him? What did you do?’ Ruby said, cold dread rising inside her.

  ‘The only thing I could do. I disfigured him for life.’ A hint of a satisfied grin touched his lips. ‘By the time the acid hit his skin, I knew no kid would ever walk away with him again.’

  Ruby winced at the ugliness of the words. ‘And now he’s killed Ellie as revenge? Why her, Nathan? Did you and Ellie have a fling?’

  ‘Ellie? No, she worked in Lenny’s escort agency. I gave her the sack when she was caught sampling the gear. I guess the doctor treated her at some point. The girls. . . Lenny made them have regular check-ups to make sure they were clean.’

  ‘Hmm,’ Ruby said, the sound of women being objectified making her hackles rise. ‘What happened to him after the attack?’

  Nathan shrugged. ‘His face was a mess.’ He caught Ruby’s disapproving glare. ‘But I don’t regret any of it. If I hadn’t turned up that day, he would have killed her for sure.’

  ‘But acid, that’s so brutal. Have you ever used it before?’

  ‘What do you take me for?’ Nathan said.

  ‘Seriously?’ Ruby said, her voice rising. ‘You’re telling me you’ve thrown acid in someone’s face, and then asking me not to judge you for it?’

  Nathan got to his feet. ‘See, this is why I didn’t tell you straightaway. You’ve always been a bit of an ostrich. You’re fine dealing with other people’s problems, but when it’s a little bit close to home, you hide away. This is life in all its ugly splendour. Now, what are you going to do about it?’

  Ruby stood. There was only one answer to that question. ‘I’m going to make an arrest.’

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  Humming as he worked, the doctor dropped the bloodstained cotton into the bin at his feet and plugged the wound. It was just as well the young woman was dead for this part. He had been patient as the fatal overdose had taken hold, listening steadily with his stethoscope as the sluggish lub-dub, lub-dub of her heartbeat faded away. He could have saved her, changed his mind and administered a drug that would have reversed the effect. He had glanced at the syringe containing the antidote as he bent over her body – feeling God-like as he held the power of life and death. It was an experiment to see if he could invoke some last-minute compassion, and bring her back from the brink of death. But to him, she was there for his pleasure alone. It made it easy for him to carry out his work. Devoid of a heartbeat, the incision produced a gentle flow of blood instead of the sudden violent spurt that would taint his good work.

  It was not as if he were angry with the woman, or harboured any hatred towards her. His was an addiction not easily cured. His fascination with the human body had developed significantly since his youth. Given his background, it had been easy to depersonalise those he treated. He knew it was wrong. Society taught him this was so. But there were so many people in the world. Would anyone mourn the loss of those living in the gutter? Everybody died, and these girls were the scourge of society, the most easily forgotten of them all. He was merely accelerating the inevitable, and she would leave this world immortalised as art. He was doing her a favour. He smiled. This would be his finest work yet.

  Beneath him the rats were squeaking, the scent of blood tantalising their senses. ‘Later,’ he said, irritated by the interruption. A cool breeze broke through the crack in the window, chilling the sweat on his brow. He was so close to completion, and his back ached from carrying out his work. Allowing her to surface from the temporary coma had been a necessary evil. How else was he going to get her to walk on the shards of glass? He had observed from the shadows, trying to predict her next move in his game of cat and mouse. It had been foolish to leave the scalpel where she could find it, but he was not accustomed to his subjects fighting back. She should have been too drugged and dazed to think about grasping an implement of any kind. Just a few steps, that was all she had to take to make her feel like she was walking on knives. In the end, she had been grateful to fall into his arms and for him to make it all go away.

  He returned his attention to the wound. Satisfied he had stemmed the flow of blood, he rinsed his hands in the small basin on the table and patted them dry. He had barely noticed that the record had stopped. As he set it back in motion, the sound of Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5 filled the room. The dramatic contrast in instrumentation invoked an intense rhythmic energy, and he inhaled a deep breath, allowing the stress of the day to ebb away. Colours rose, splashes of reds, blues and purples as the music came to a crescendo. . . then calmed as the melody ebbed and flowed. It was said that Beethoven felt he had been sent by God: ‘Music is a higher revelation than all wisdom and philosophy,’ he once said. Such was the doctor’s sentiment when it came to his art. His focus returned to the body: she was almost ready. Trailing down the back of the surgeon’s chair, her red-blonde hair was kinked into a natural wave. Shaved and bleached, April was unrecognisable from the girl who had come to his door. How long would it take the press to figure out which fairy tale she had stepped from? His fingers traced over her corpse as he imagined the headlines. With great beauty comes great sacrifice. His work here almost done, his mind wandered to his next work of art.

  Chapter Thirty-Three

  Ruby paused in the corridor, staring up the stairs that would lead her to what they called the ‘ivory towers’ – the floor frequented by her DCI and higher-ranking superior officers. Her eyelids grew heavy as she tried to work out what to do for the best. It was late afternoon and tiredness had seeped through to the marrow of her bones. She leant on the stairwell as she tried to conduct her thoughts. She could go straight to DCI Worrow and give her a sanitised version of Nathan’s revelation. If she was lucky, a warrant for Doctor Tanner’s arrest could be issued today. Worrow was more likely to take the arrest seriously than DI Jack Downes. But there was a firm chain of command and skipping ranks could be taken as a personal insult. She sighed, her footsteps echoing down the corridor to his office. Her mind was too foggy to pre-empt what she was going to say.

  The memory of Nathan’s kiss still lingered on her lips. Just as she said goodbye, he had taken her by the arm, gently pulling her back inside and pinning her against the door. After gazing at her face for what felt like an eternity, he had pressed his mouth upon hers, hungrily seeking the knowledge that she still loved him, despite everything he had done. Her reciprocation had left him in no doubt. He had changed in their time apart. Perhaps it was time away from his family that had brought him back to her. She wondered if cracks were forming in the foundations of the Crosby empire. Silently she wished that Nathan would leave it all behind. Helping him clear his name would be a small step towards earning him the freedom that would help him begin again.

  She found Downes in the kitchen, frowning, as he held a spoon of sugar over one of the many empty mugs on the tray.

  ‘Blimey, got you on the tea run, have they?’ she said, amused at the sight. ‘Luddy takes one sugar, no milk. Ash has coffee with three sugars, black. Eve has no sugars, milky tea. The rest will be happy with a builder’s brew.’ She smiled. She was slowly winning her team around to the joys of tea.

  ‘I thought you were working a split shift,’ Downes said, spooning coffee and sugar into the mugs as instructed.

  It would not be the first time she had split her shift in two, catching up on an hour’s sleep during the day to keep her clear-headed for what was to come.

  Ruby dropped two teabags into the biggest mug. ‘I’ve got a lead. I think that takes precedence over sleep, don’t you?’

  Downes stiffened. ‘When did this come in?’

  ‘It’s hot off the presses,’ she said. ‘Here, let me help you with that.’ Grabbing her mug from the tray, she pushed open the door. Having beaten her tiredness and come out the other side, she was buzzing from the development. She couldn’t sleep now if she wanted to.

  Within five minutes refreshments were handed out to weary work
ers, and Ruby was sitting across from Downes at his desk. A well-thumbed copy of AutoTrader lay splayed next to a folder marked ‘staff appraisals’. Ruby averted her gaze. If there was one time she could do without an assessment, it was now.

  ‘Well?’ Downes said. ‘What have you got?’

  ‘A suspect,’ Ruby said, her heart picking up an extra beat. This was important. She needed to convince him she was on the right track. ‘His name is Doctor Tanner, and he fits the profile down to a T. He’s handy with a scalpel and has a huge grudge against the Crosbys, Nathan in particular. He’s done this sort of thing before.’

  Downes sat up, his expression brightening. ‘Where’s your proof?’

  ‘I’ve got enough to get him in.’ She filled him in on the missing child up to the point where Nathan left her in the woods. It did not take long to bring him up to speed. ‘I’m sure that if I speak to the child and tell her that she’s nothing to worry about, she’ll identify Doctor Tanner as the man that abducted her. Then we should have enough to search his home. Hopefully, obtain some evidence of Ellie’s murder.’ Ruby imagined Nathan, his fury rising at the sight of the little blonde-haired girl, helpless and alone, in Tanner’s property.

  Downes rubbed his chin. His shirt sleeves were rolled up to his elbows, the tie knot loosened around his neck. ‘It’s a bit thin. I presume your informant hasn’t provided you with a statement?’

  ‘No, but I’ve spoken to Nathan on the phone,’ Ruby lied. ‘He’s got an alibi for his whereabouts in the twenty-four hours after Ellie’s death. See? He couldn’t have put her organs under the bed.’ She held Downes’s stare, which imparted that he wasn’t buying a word. ‘He’s away on business, but I’ve told him he still needs to come in.’

  ‘Hmm,’ he said. ‘I’m surprised it took him this long to arrange it.’

  Downes was not easily fooled. They both knew that the Crosby family could buy an alibi anytime they wanted. However, this time Nathan was telling the truth, and his ex-girlfriend, Leona, was only too happy to provide him with an alibi that confirmed he was in her family home during the time in question.