43

‘We’re still waiting on DNA results to confirm the identity of our victim, but we’re assuming for now that it is Denise Roberts. She’s a single mum who lives with her son at the address that was targeted last night. I’ve already spoken to Callum Roberts and got a pretty clear idea of the family situation and her lifestyle. We also have CCTV footage which may be helpful.’

Helen hit the remote control and some grainy footage came up on the screen behind her. The officers shuffled forward, all hoping to see something significant.

‘This was taken from a security camera above a lock-up on Ramsbury Road, which can be reached in under a minute via a cut-through from Denise’s house. The time code shows that it’s around eleven twenty-three p.m. The first 999 call reporting a fire at Denise Roberts’s was logged at just after eleven thirty-five p.m., so who is this man?’

The team watched intently as a tall figure jogged past the camera and away down the street.

‘He’s got his back to us, so we can’t see his face, but we can tell that he is white, about six foot tall with dark hair. He wears heavy boots, dark jeans and a puffa waistcoat, so why was he going for a jog? It was pushing midnight, he wasn’t dressed for it, he doesn’t seem to be running away from anyone, so what’s the hurry?’

‘Perhaps he was just late for something?’ DC Lucas chipped in.

‘Maybe, but I’d like to know for sure. Run the rule over Spence’s associates, but let’s start from the top on this one. Clear minds, ok?’

The team nodded. They all knew that Helen was considering releasing Gary Spence on police bail, pending further investigations.

‘Denise’s son confirmed that she was expecting male company that night,’ Helen continued. ‘There were two pizza boxes and an empty bottle of wine in a Tesco’s bag in the outside bin. The receipt in the bag suggests she bought these items yesterday, so let’s assume for now he showed up as planned.’

‘Are we sure he didn’t just have his dinner and go?’ Charlie asked.

‘No, we’re not, but, according to Callum, Denise liked to have someone to warm her bed and was very accommodating in that regard.’

A few wry smiles from the team, but Helen pressed on.

‘DC Brooks and DC Lucas will run with this,’ she said, turning to Charlie. ‘Corral as many uniforms as you can and find out if anyone saw this man last night. I want people on the street within the hour, ok?’

Charlie nodded, catching Lucas doing likewise out of the corner of her eye. Lucas was a young fast-streamer who appeared to have had a sense of humour bypass at birth. Great company for the arduous task that lay ahead.

‘DC McAndrew will look a little deeper into Denise’s private life. She is rumoured to have had a few boyfriends who came and went. I want to know who they are and where they were last night.’

‘Could this guy have any connection to the Millbrook house fire?’ DI Sanderson asked. ‘We know Thomas Simms was working all the hours God sent. Perhaps his wife got lonely and sought other company. Perhaps she and Denise shared a lover? Maybe they thought better of it eventually, kicked him out –’

‘We’d be stupid to rule anything out at this stage, so check it out, but do it tactfully. If we can find a connection between the two principal victims – Karen Simms and Denise Roberts – then we’re halfway towards identifying the perpetrator. In the meantime, let’s think about other possibilities.’

Immediately DC Edwards piped up.

‘The MO seems to be identical. Two diversionary fires to tie up the emergency services, then an attack on a residential property. Very calculated, very precise.’

‘But in a very different part of town,’ DC McAndrew added. ‘Millbrook is aspirational, lower-middle class and upwards. Denise’s housing estate in Bevois Mount isn’t. High unemployment and crime rates, people living off benefits and the black market, very little spare cash to throw around.’

‘So is there a financial motive?’ Lucas asked. ‘Thomas Simms could certainly do with the insurance money and I presume Denise Roberts could too.’

‘Denise Roberts let her home insurance lapse some time ago,’ Sanderson said quickly. ‘And the attacks seemed designed to kill, so I think we can rule that out.’

‘Perhaps there is no connection then,’ DC Lucas returned a little tartly. ‘Perhaps our arsonist is showing us that he can strike whenever and wherever he likes.’

It wasn’t a pleasant thought but Helen knew Lucas might be right.

‘We have to consider that possibility,’ Helen responded. ‘There’s no evidence suggesting these fires were started to conceal a previous crime or to profit financially. They could be personally motivated against the victims but, equally, they could be random acts of arson whose significance lies in the feelings they afford the arsonist. A sexual charge, a God complex, a desire to expel anxiety, to exert control: there are many different ways in which arson can satisfy.’

Helen had done plenty of academic research on serial offenders during her time in the States, knowledge she would now bring to the fore in their hunt for a home-grown offender. She pulled up the bullet point profile on the screen.

‘Your typical arsonist is white and male – over ninety per cent of all arson-related crimes are committed by Caucasian men. He is normally aged between twenty-one and thirty-five, unemployed or in a badly paid job, with low self-esteem and few prospects. He is very likely to exhibit paranoia and is quick to take offence. He may be living at home or in shared, hostel-type accommodation, or may even be homeless. Often the choice of fire site relates to a desire to strike at authority figures, at people or institutions that have wronged them. That doesn’t seem to be the case here, but we ought to be alive to the possibility.’

Several of the team nodded – they seemed to be hanging on Helen’s every word.

‘Our perpetrator is obviously feeling confident, having committed major acts of arson on consecutive nights. They are clearly not panicked by Karen Simms’s death – they haven’t contacted any media outlets expressing remorse for their actions. They may even be enjoying themselves. A large percentage of arsonists try to insert themselves into the narratives of their crime, so let’s compare all the footage from last night’s fire with that from the night before. See if there’s anyone present on both nights who’s making themselves especially visible, trying to help in the rescue effort, playing the hero, what-have-you. It may be they were tucked up safely in bed by the time the fire reached its peak, but somehow I doubt it.’

Helen was in her element now – this was why people were queuing up to join her team.

‘Let’s keep an eye out for self-aggrandizing statements on social media, the internet. Also anyone talking repeatedly to journalists or the TV. But let’s not forget about the basics too. Many a killer has been caught through mundane slip-ups. So talk to local businesses – find out if anyone has been stockpiling paraffin or washing smoke-damaged clothes in the laundrette. Any unusual behaviour or tiny changes in someone’s routine could be significant, so remember to ask the small questions as well as the big ones.’

More nods from the team.

‘Admin support have run off print-outs of the best CCTV image we have of our fleeing male, complete with time code, so get out there and jog some memories. You can’t commit crimes of this scale and just vanish into thin air. So let’s find someone who saw our perpetrator.’

Within five minutes, the incident room was clear. As Helen strode out herself, shutting the door, she felt a quiet surge of satisfaction. The hunt was on.