‘Is it hers?’ Helen asked.
‘Well, it’s not Charlie’s, so…’
‘Can you get a size off it?’
The SOC officer nodded, so Helen moved on. These small details could be surprisingly significant. She was momentarily cheered but her good humour evaporated as soon as she took in the crime scene. It was drenched in blood. The victim lay on the bed, his hands and legs still tied to the bedstead, his chest opened up like a tin can. His heart, which only thirty minutes ago had been pumping fit to burst, now lay still. Helen leaned over the body, taking care not to touch it. Focusing on the wound, she could see that the tissue around the heart was untouched. Clearly the killer had been disturbed before she could take her prize. Helen looked at the victim’s face – didn’t recognize him – then quickly looked away. It was contorted in agony.
She retreated to watch the forensic officers at work. In addition to the evidence garnered from the victim’s body, they would also be analysing a medium-sized Tupperware box that lay discarded on the floor. Was this what their killer put the hearts in? A Tupperware box. It was so common-or-garden, so domestic, it was almost funny. It could have been bought in a hundred stores in Southampton so they would have to hope that their killer had left some residue of her identity on it. Helen knew she couldn’t bank on it though – their killer had hardly put a foot wrong so far.
Taking in the crime scene, Helen’s mind was full of questions. Why this sudden change in MO? The killer had been so cautious thus far – why bring her latest victim to a place where she could be disturbed or, worse, identified? Was she getting careless? Or were the punters harder to isolate now? Had word got out about the danger? Were clients seeking safety in more public places? She had brought him here during the day, when she knew there would be others around. Was he special in some way? Could she only get him at this time of day? It was a strange turn of events.
One thing that Helen was sure of was that the killer would now be rattled. She had been disturbed during the act and had fled empty-handed. Worse, she had run straight into a cop waving a warrant card and had only escaped through sheer good fortune. She must fear now that the police would have a good description of her and possibly forensic evidence too. Experience taught Helen that such a scare would make the killer react in one of two ways. Either she would vanish for good or she would step up her killing spree. Which option would she take?
