through this investigation, particularly as we’re referring to the killer as ‘he,’ that it could also be a ‘she,’ a friend or a fellow student.’ He looked down at a depressingly short list. ‘How are the interviews with the clubbers at Havana Bay coming along?’
‘We’ve traced the group of Business Studies students that Sarah met in Havana Bay on Thursday night,’ DC Joanna Clark said, ‘and their stories corroborate. The boy she fancied and subsequently fell out with, Josh Haveland did indeed get drunk and crashed out on a sofa. He’s so cut up about his role in all this that he’s been given leave by the university and is now at home with his parents in London.’
‘Is Haveland a suspect?’ Henderson asked. ‘He is after all, one of the last people to talk to Sarah and see her alive.’
‘No, I don’t think so sir. His alibi checked out with other members of the Business Studies party and one of the bouncers remembered him too. He effectively slept through the whole thing and was chucked out at closing time, three in the morning.’
‘What about her laptop? Any joy there?’
‘There’s nothing unusual t o report,’ DC Phil Bentley said. ‘It contains mostly coursework, essays, correspondence with tutors and emails between her and her friends. They also looked on social media as she used Facebook, Twitter and Instagram but found nothing suspicious.’
‘No emails or posts from strange men or women?’
‘No sir, that’s why I think it would be so much better if we could locate her phone, kids of that age usually text rather than email.’
‘Don’t try and make me feel older than I do Phil, but I agree. Is that analysis complete?’
‘Yes, it is sir. The IT unit has already returned it to us.’
‘Don’t you think boss,’ DS Hobbs said, ‘this bloke seems to understand our forensic methods and DNA techniques too bloody much? I mean, he’s stripped her and left nothing at the dumpsite and even picked a place to stop that was just one of many. I think maybe we got ourselves an extremely savvy bastard.’
‘Yeah, I was thinking that,’ DC Bentley said. ‘Could he be one of us?’
‘What do you mean Phil, one of the team?’ Henderson said.
‘Well, not exactly sir,’ Bentley said, his face reddening now he realised the implications of his comment. ‘I was thinking it might be a copper or maybe even a detective.’
‘I understand your logic but I think it’s too early to say that and limit the focus of our investigation. After all, much of this sort of forensic information is readily available on television programmes like CSI, the web and libraries so almost anyone could become fairly competent in these techniques if they really wanted to.’
‘Fair point boss,’ Hobbs said, ‘and let’s not forget a case from my neck of the woods, the Yorkshire Ripper. For the younger members of the squad, that investigation was seriously undermined when South Yorkshire Police received a tape from a guy with a Sunderland accent who claimed to be the killer. They believed it was genuine and changed the focus of the investigation from Yorkshire to Wearside and setting back the capture of the real villain by several months.’
‘ Thanks, Gerry.’ Henderson turned to face Carol Walters, sitting beside him. ‘So, Sergeant Walters, you’ve been fairly quiet this morning. Bring us up to date with the details of your meeting with the irrepressible Mike Ferris.’
NINE
With a deft flick of the wrist, she slipped the stubby little gear lever into third and dipped the accelerator. Instantly, the two-litre Mazda MX5 engine emitted a gentle whine and the car surged forward. Gone was the roar and grunt she’d experienced in other ragtops that were her usual mode of transport and something she just needed to get used to, as whatever it lacked in auditory gratification, it was more than compensated by the pleasurable back-of-the-seat kick she received when it was driven
‘We’ve traced the group of Business Studies students that Sarah met in Havana Bay on Thursday night,’ DC Joanna Clark said, ‘and their stories corroborate. The boy she fancied and subsequently fell out with, Josh Haveland did indeed get drunk and crashed out on a sofa. He’s so cut up about his role in all this that he’s been given leave by the university and is now at home with his parents in London.’
‘Is Haveland a suspect?’ Henderson asked. ‘He is after all, one of the last people to talk to Sarah and see her alive.’
‘No, I don’t think so sir. His alibi checked out with other members of the Business Studies party and one of the bouncers remembered him too. He effectively slept through the whole thing and was chucked out at closing time, three in the morning.’
‘What about her laptop? Any joy there?’
‘There’s nothing unusual t o report,’ DC Phil Bentley said. ‘It contains mostly coursework, essays, correspondence with tutors and emails between her and her friends. They also looked on social media as she used Facebook, Twitter and Instagram but found nothing suspicious.’
‘No emails or posts from strange men or women?’
‘No sir, that’s why I think it would be so much better if we could locate her phone, kids of that age usually text rather than email.’
‘Don’t try and make me feel older than I do Phil, but I agree. Is that analysis complete?’
‘Yes, it is sir. The IT unit has already returned it to us.’
‘Don’t you think boss,’ DS Hobbs said, ‘this bloke seems to understand our forensic methods and DNA techniques too bloody much? I mean, he’s stripped her and left nothing at the dumpsite and even picked a place to stop that was just one of many. I think maybe we got ourselves an extremely savvy bastard.’
‘Yeah, I was thinking that,’ DC Bentley said. ‘Could he be one of us?’
‘What do you mean Phil, one of the team?’ Henderson said.
‘Well, not exactly sir,’ Bentley said, his face reddening now he realised the implications of his comment. ‘I was thinking it might be a copper or maybe even a detective.’
‘I understand your logic but I think it’s too early to say that and limit the focus of our investigation. After all, much of this sort of forensic information is readily available on television programmes like CSI, the web and libraries so almost anyone could become fairly competent in these techniques if they really wanted to.’
‘Fair point boss,’ Hobbs said, ‘and let’s not forget a case from my neck of the woods, the Yorkshire Ripper. For the younger members of the squad, that investigation was seriously undermined when South Yorkshire Police received a tape from a guy with a Sunderland accent who claimed to be the killer. They believed it was genuine and changed the focus of the investigation from Yorkshire to Wearside and setting back the capture of the real villain by several months.’
‘ Thanks, Gerry.’ Henderson turned to face Carol Walters, sitting beside him. ‘So, Sergeant Walters, you’ve been fairly quiet this morning. Bring us up to date with the details of your meeting with the irrepressible Mike Ferris.’
NINE
With a deft flick of the wrist, she slipped the stubby little gear lever into third and dipped the accelerator. Instantly, the two-litre Mazda MX5 engine emitted a gentle whine and the car surged forward. Gone was the roar and grunt she’d experienced in other ragtops that were her usual mode of transport and something she just needed to get used to, as whatever it lacked in auditory gratification, it was more than compensated by the pleasurable back-of-the-seat kick she received when it was driven
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