between thirty and forty-five, around five eight to five ten, average build, dark hair. It doesn’t exactly narrow it down much; there must be a million men that fit that description in greater London alone. There’s no photofit image of a suspect, which presumably means no witness managed to get a good look at him. It sounds like the police were desperately short of leads and clutching at straws. I scroll back up to the five-word headline at the top of the story.
Has The Ghost Struck Again?
What’s that thing Tara always says about headlines with a question mark at the end? The rule is, ninety per cent of the time it means the answer to the question is ‘No’ – but the headline and the story are just too juicy not to publish. It’s one of those flippant things she says and I’m never sure whether she means it or not. But this story feels like it might be an exception to the rule. Reading the text for a second time, it feels true. It makes a sick kind of sense that this guy would keep on attacking women until he was caught. It makes sense that he wouldn’t stop.
At the little desk, I pour water from the kettle into the mug, the tink of the spoon against white porcelain the only sound in the silence of my hotel room. The plastic bag of food I brought with me from home sits on the desk – bananas, apples, biscuits – but I can’t face any of it. My appetite has disappeared. Caffeine’s the only thing I can summon any enthusiasm for right now.
I scroll to the bottom of the story on my phone, tapping on a headline that links to a more recent piece. An image of two grey-faced couples, the women holding up framed pictures of smiling young women, the same head-and-shoulders images used in the previous story.
Families’ Plea For Justice As Ghost Probe Hits Dead End
By Matt Simms, Crime Correspondent
GRIEVING families of two women murdered by a suspected serial killer are demanding justice on the anniversary of the first attack.
Detectives admit they are no closer to finding an attacker dubbed ‘the Ghost’ after it was revealed he had left no DNA, fingerprints or other physical evidence behind. He is believed to be responsible for a string of vicious attacks that left two women dead and a third fighting for her life.
The families of Sienna Parker and Louise Taggart made an emotional appeal today for renewed efforts to track down the killer.
Jacqui Taggart, mother of victim Louise Taggart, said, ‘We want justice for our daughter. Every day that goes by, every family birthday, it just gets harder knowing she isn’t here. Someone out there has information that will help the police bring our daughter’s killer to justice – I would just ask you to please, please pass that information on to the police.’
Andrew Parker, father of Sienna Parker, said, ‘The police promised us they wouldn’t stop until they found the man who took our daughter away from us. But one year on, we’re no nearer to knowing what happened. It’s been a living hell.’
Murder detection figures for the Met make worrying reading. Until 2015 detections remained stable, with only 5 to 10% of cases unsolved. But since then the proportion of unsolved killings has risen as high as 26% in the capital. Police insiders have blamed a shortage of detectives and forensic science provision, alongside increased demands on police.
A Met Police spokesman said, ‘Behind every unsolved murder there is a family looking for answers. That’s why this investigation is ongoing and why detectives will continue to pursue this offender until he is brought to justice.’
There’s no mention of DI Gilbourne anywhere in the piece. Perhaps he was taken off the case, or maybe just shifted on to other live investigations that came up in the meantime. There’s nothing from the family of the other victim either, the only mention is a single line near the bottom of the story. ‘The family of the third victim declined to comment.’
I look up from the screen, a feeling of nausea rising up from my stomach. No wonder Gilbourne couldn’t tell me more about the case he’s working on. It also explains Max’s reaction when I went to Kathryn’s flat in Little Missenden, why he virtually slammed the door in my face: Kathryn’s sister was the third victim of an attacker who was never caught.
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I pour two thimble-sized pots of UHT milk into