Cut You Dead (Dr. Samantha Willerby Mystery #4) - A J Waines Page 0,45
suggested.
I shrugged. ‘Or a disturbed individual. Unstable, drunk, on drugs, not well…’ I’d had enough experience with mental illness to know random acts of violence happened all the time.
Terry brought in the bowl of steaming porridge and snapped me out of my reverie. He sat beside me on the sofa, watching while I took each spoonful. It was warming, tasty and creamy; pure comfort food.
‘Yummy. This is exactly what I need.’
‘Cocoa coming up. Still your favourite nightcap?’
‘Yes, but I can get it.’ I set the dish aside and shuffled forward, but he put out his hand like he was stopping traffic. I felt like an invalid.
When he returned, he grilled me in the same way the transport police had done, but I kept coming back to the same conclusion. ‘It can’t have been deliberate. Why would anyone want to target me? It must have been an idiot who’d had too much to drink.’
34
I cradled the hot cocoa, burying my face in the steam as I took a sip. I was hoping we’d reached the end of the matter. Surely Terry could see that what happened in the underground was indiscriminate jostling. Thankfully, my explanation seemed to do the trick and he dropped the subject.
I sank back into a nest of soft cushions and updated him on my new findings with the cold cases.
‘All three had a salon restyle after someone snipped off their hair at the back.’
‘It certainly puts a different slant on someone being “hacked”,’ he said, unable to hide a chuckle.
My foot, clad in a fluffy pink bedsock, shot over and gave his shin a sharp kick. ‘This is serious!’
‘Sorry, I couldn’t resist.’
‘The problem I have is that most of the police evidence in each case relates to the days the murders were committed, not the week before. That’s the key bit – the women having their hair cut off in the first place. That’s the pattern.’
‘And you reckon the same person went on to kill the victims, exactly seven days after the assaults?’
‘It’s precisely the same time frame in each of these three cases. Otherwise, it’s one hell of a coincidence.’
‘So we’re also talking about Hazel Hart. You think her death wasn’t an accident?’
‘The pattern’s there. Exactly the same. Someone may not have been physically on the balcony with her, but–’
‘The interviews are still ongoing with Hazel’s case, so it’s not cut and dried by any means. I’ll have a word with the SIO first thing tomorrow as well. Make sure they follow up the hair-cutting angle.’
‘Thank you.’ I curled up into a foetal position, facing Terry.
‘You think a grandiose delusion could be behind their deaths?’
‘It’s only one possible explanation. But it’s where I’ve got the new skills so that’s where I’m focussing. I’ve got a feeling about it too. Delusions can stem from rituals and hair plays a big part in folklore and certain pagan ceremonies. In myths and fairy tales too.’
‘Like Samson, you mean – he lost all his strength when his hair was cut, didn’t he?’
I nodded. ‘And like plenty of other legends throughout the world. I came across one from Russia about a woman with hair made of pure gold, too heavy to carry.’ I nipped my lips together. ‘Even if it does come from some story or other, I’m struggling to figure out how these particular women are chosen and why there are big gaps in the time frame.’
Terry had no response.
I carried on. ‘Or maybe there is no myth and the killer randomly targets lots of attractive women with long hair, then goes on to kill whoever he manages to assault.’
He grunted. ‘That doesn’t narrow it down much.’
‘I know – there are hundreds of thousands of pretty women with long hair,’ I said with a sigh. ‘And if that’s the only connection then it’s going to make it almost impossible to pinpoint the killer.’
‘What happens to the hair?’ he asked, sinking into the cushions, sounding sleepy. ‘After it’s hacked, I mean. Is it a trophy for the killer? Are there any patterns there?’
‘Good question – I don’t know where it goes. According to the crime scene data, it’s not left with the bodies. But, of course, the hacking happens a week before the murders themselves.’
‘Do you think the killer gets rid of it?’
‘Hard to know. It depends on whether, in itself, the hair has value or meaning for the killer. Or it could be more like a signal of intent. Like that particular victim has been selected.’