“No, it’s nothing like that. Does Alexina Graham live here?”

“Yes, she does. Has Alex done something wrong?”

“No. Please, it would be better if we come inside to talk,” Sally persisted.

The woman walked back into the house, looking quizzically over her shoulder as Sally and Jack followed. Two large, comfortable leather sofas dwarfed the tiny lounge.

“Take a seat.” The woman gestured to one of the sofas.

Sally and Jack sat while the woman sat on the other sofa across from them.

“It is with regret that I need to inform you about the death of your friend, Alexina Graham.”

The woman’s clutched hand left her robe and covered her mouth. She dropped her hand to ask, “Where? When?”

“Her body was found in a warehouse close to the town this morning. I know this must be a shock, but anything you can tell us about Alexina’s last known whereabouts will help us a great deal in catching the murderer quickly.”

“Of course. Just let me get a glass of water.”

“My partner can get that for you. Jack, will you please?”

“What can I tell you? My God, this is unbelievable. We had dinner together last night, an early dinner, before she had to leave to start her shift.”

“Can you tell me where she worked?”

“Just round the corner, at the Royal Oak. Do you think one of the customers did this to her?”

“What makes you say that? Has she told you about anything specific that has occurred at work recently? Sorry, I didn’t get your name.”

The young woman shook her head. “It’s Lisa Cook. No, not that I can think of.”

“Nothing untoward… no accounts of either her work colleagues or customers pestering her, maybe following her home? Anything of that ilk?” Sally asked more out of hope than expectation.

The bewildered Lisa stared at a stain on the carpet and shook her head slowly. When she glanced up at Sally, tears were pooling in her eyes. “No. She would have told me if anything like that was going on. I’m all she has.”

Sally cringed. “Her mother and father are no longer with us, I take it?”

“No, they both died when she was sixteen. She was living on the streets for a while, got into bad company, and started selling her body to support her drug habit. She’s been clean for three years now. Finally getting her life together when something dreadful like this happens. Why?”

Sally smiled at the woman. “I don’t know why. It’s something we need to find out. Do you think someone from her old life might have contacted her recently? Would she tell you something like that?”

“Yes. I mean, yes, she would tell me, and no, she hasn’t. She never spoke about what her life was like back then. She was always too ashamed to revisit those times. I doubt she would have anything to do with the people she mixed with back then, given the choice.” She buried her head in her hands and started crying.

Sally crossed the divide between them and placed a comforting arm around Lisa’s shoulder. “I’m so sorry. We hope to have a positive outcome to the case soon for you and the other victims’ families.”

Puzzled, Lisa turned to face her, pouncing on Sally’s slip of the tongue. “There are others?”

“I’m afraid so,” Sally reluctantly agreed.

“That’s awful. Why haven’t you caught the person yet?”

Feeling an affinity to the woman, Sally told her more than she should have about the case. “We’re doing our best to remedy that. These things take time to process.”

Lisa frowned. “I’m sure you know your job.”

Sally nodded.

Lisa’s eyes widened as if a thought had just occurred to her. “Was Alexina raped?”

“It would appear so, yes. I’m sorry, Lisa. You can see why we’re eager to catch the culprit ASAP.”

“Will you be asking the people for their help? You know, on TV and in the newspapers?”

“We’re hanging fire on that at the moment. In our experience, suspects often take flight once the case is aired through the different media channels. The longer we keep quiet about this, at least until the DNA results come through, the better.”

“I see. And when is that likely to be? How many more women will have to lose their lives or be raped in the meantime, Inspector? Sorry for being so frank.”

“I completely understand your concerns. The DNA results are imminent. That’s all I can tell you. One last question before we leave, if I may?”

“Of course.”

“Did Alexina have a boyfriend?”

Lisa shook her head. “No. She was a free spirit in that respect. I don’t mean that she slept around—she just didn’t relish the idea of being at someone’s beck and call.”

“Thanks, that helps.” Sally rose from the sofa, and Jack followed suit. “We’ll head over to her place of work and see if anyone can tell us what went on at the pub last night. Will you be okay? Can I call a member of your family to come and sit with you?”

“No. I’ll get through this by myself. Just promise me you’ll catch the bastard who did this to Alexina.”

“That’s the aim. We’re certainly going to do our best, Lisa.”

Sally and Jack left the property and headed off to the Royal Oak pub.

“Do you think the fact that Alexina used to be a prostitute could be a contributing factor?” Jack asked after a few minutes of silence.

“I don’t think so. The link remains the same to me: the fact that the women were all barmaids. Let’s hope we get some joy from staff on duty last night at the Royal Oak, because this case is getting to be more than a tad frustrating.”

“Yeah, it’s as though this guy just swoops in, sets his sights on the girl behind the bar, and swoops out again without anyone ever seeing him.”

Sally pondered her partner’s suggestion for a minute or two. “Maybe we’re missing something really important here. What’s the possibility of the murderer using some form of disguise?”

“Perhaps. But that doesn’t alter the fact that no one remembers either of the first two victims talking to anyone in particular, whether wearing a disguise or not.”

“You have a point there. Let’s hope some good news lies ahead of us then.”

CHAPTER EIGHT

After questioning the staff at the Royal Oak, they had the same outcome as they had at the first two pubs. No one had noticed anything out of the ordinary the previous evening. Driving back to the station, Sally said, “So, if there were no strangers at the pub last night, does that imply that we’re possibly looking for a regular, a local in the area?”

“It would certainly suggest that to me. All three crimes are located within a ten-mile radius, give or take a few miles, of each other. Someone knows the area well enough to take these girls to places off the beaten track. Would you do that if you were a stranger in the area?”

“No, I wouldn’t. If that’s the case, then why hasn’t anyone recognised who the girls were talking to at three separate pubs? Is it possible that we’re dealing with some kind of stalker? Maybe the guy didn’t go into the pubs at all.”

“Then we’re up shit creek if that’s the case, with no CCTV footage to trawl through.”

“Indeed. Right, we’re going to the lab and not leaving there until we get those bloody results. It’s the only positive lead we have, and someone is screwing with us by deliberately sitting on the results.”

“You think?” Jack asked, looking shocked.

She chuckled. “No, I didn’t mean it. Although it does feel like that at times. I was just venting. You’re my partner. It’s in the rules for you to listen when I vent, right?”

“Yeah. I must say, you seem to vent rather a lot.”

“Cheeky sod! I’ll pay you back for that uncalled-for remark.”

They arrived at the lab, and after Sally’s conversation with the lab technician handling the sample became heated, his superior finally intervened. “What’s going on here, Inspector? Can’t you see the amount of stress my people are under? Look around you. No one is sipping copious amounts of coffee, wasting valuable time.”