Bye Bye Baby by Fiona McIntosh

so on. And if this is revenge, I believe a younger murderer would have wanted his victims to suffer. In my opinion, only an older person would be so single-minded as to never lose sight of what he wants — death for these two men. There was no need to draw out the events leading up to it, and to offer them both an escape from the agony of what was occurring is odd. I really believe this is an older person because everything was a means to an end. No showing off, all clinically done and meticulously planned, it seems.’
    Brodie began to speak but Tandy continued, apologising with a nod for cutting across the detective.‘The care taken to immobilise the victims points to maturity, as does the swift kill — although I think it could have been done faster, neater, considering the murderer had them so helpless.’
    Kate frowned. ‘Can you clarify that notion, please, John?’
    He shrugged. ‘Just a feeling. It’s another reason why I sense this is about payback. The victims were drugged, presumably unconscious. The killer is showing all the signs of not needing them to suffer past the point of their obvious horror at being taken captive and by whom, and, I imagine, realising that they were going to die. At this stage, he could have just put a plastic bag over their heads to ensure death — a much cleaner, easier way to kill. All of this would follow the pattern he’s set of the manner of death not being important. But he stabs them, risks blood spurting everywhere. Why?’
    He let the question hang.
    Bill piped up. ‘That’s when he got angry perhaps?’
    ‘Unlikely,’ Tandy said. ‘At this stage of events, his care suggests he has all of his emotions thoroughly under control. It’s the early stages — the adrenaline rush of stalking and then successfully capturing and immobolising his prey — that are more likely the time when, if he was going to allow his anger to play a part, it would have occurred. He would have stabbed them at the beginning if he was prone to anger over whatever it is that has forced him to do this.’
    ‘Time constraints?’ Brodie offered, pulling a sheepish face to indicate he knew it was a lame guess. His shrug begged his colleagues to give him a break.
    Jack was pleased to note that Tandy showed no impatience with the questions and answered each withequally measured care. All notions, worthy or lame, were helpful for the younger members to listen to and learn from.
    ‘No, it can’t be a time issue because the killer only now goes to work on his victims. Genitals to emasculate, lips to remove, the scene to be cleared of any props and evidence. He’s being thorough, remember.’
    ‘It’s something that does give him pleasure then,’ Kate offered. ‘Or at least satisfaction perhaps.’
    Tandy smiled. ‘That’s what I think. Whatever these two men have in common, I think the stabbing put to right something in their killer’s mind.’
    ‘The revenge?’ Jack asked.
    ‘Yes, I believe the stabbing is integral to that revenge. Something these men have done in the past perhaps has involved a stabbing, either being part of it or witnessing it, and the killer has taken it personally. Or perhaps it happened to the killer — that I can’t tell you. But the stabbing is definitely at odds with the rest of our killer’s MO. It’s unnecessary, because the victims are most likely already dead, and as I said before, if he wanted to make sure, a plastic bag is much simpler and cleaner. I might add, both stab wounds were in an almost identical spot on the victims’ bodies — it has significance.’
    Jack let this sink in before adding, ‘Even though the trophies seem such a vicious act?’
    ‘That depends on whether these are trophies,’ Tandy said. ‘I don’t think so, to be honest.’ He realised his listeners were staring at him in bafflement. ‘What I mean is, our killer didn’t take anything away from the scene. A genuine trophy from a kill would be kept, treasured. Instead, he