‘You keep on referring to “they”. Who exactly are “they”?’
‘Well, at first it was just the Essex officers, as they were first to find my abandoned car, but they were replaced very quickly by the special agents.’
‘So, they were the ones at your house when I called round to see you?’
‘Yes, and more came later. Let me explain. You remember the poisoning of the Skripals using a nerve agent. The Government accused Russia of attempted murder, announcing punitive measures that included the expulsion of numerous Russian diplomats.’
‘What the hell’s that got to do with your situation?’ Jack demanded curtly.
‘I just need to explain that because Novichok is a binary chemical, which means it uses two or more ingredients that are either non-toxic or less toxic on their own, and only become active when mixed, it makes it easier to store and transport. It also makes it harder to detect. However, careless preparation can produce a non-optimal agent, with less deadly effects, and that’s what happened in my situation. It’s also the reason certain other assassination attempts have failed over the years.’
Jack was finding it hard to keep his anger under control. Early on he had suggested that perhaps Ridley had been poisoned. He had even mentioned the Skripals’ case and the use of Novichok, and Ridley had denied it. Before he could confront him about it, Ridley continued.
‘They had failed, using it on Lorna, so then they strangled her. The reason the PM didn’t discover any obvious signs of substance, or injection sites, is because it’s odourless, and can be deadly when inhaled, ingested, or simply by coming into contact with the skin. No more than one and a half minutes to kill you.’
‘Jesus Christ, I don’t know whether I can believe what you’re telling me.’
‘Please, let me explain. On the night we were to meet, it was bitterly cold, and I was wearing gloves. Thankfully when the forensic team eventually got to work on the car, they were all wearing forensic suits and masks, so they were protected.
‘They discovered a minuscule residue of Novichok on my steering wheel. When that was confirmed, as you can imagine, all hell broke loose. By this time I had already got you involved, but they assured me that because the mixture that had been used was non-lethal, you were in no danger. At the same time, they began to monitor you. I had been medically protected inside a bubble supplying me with oxygen and heart monitors as they stripped down my house for any other substance. They didn’t find anything, and I also had good security cameras, so anyone seen entering my house would have been caught. However, if what had happened to me had gone public, there would have been mass hysteria, hence the covert nature of the operation.’
Jack sat in total shock, shaking his head at the level of danger Ridley had exposed him to, as well as his wife and child.
‘Jack, please believe me, before you met with me, I knew nothing about the Novichok. But we were getting nowhere on identifying Lorna Elliot, so I took a gamble and brought you in. I meant it when I said I have never known another detective with your abilities. And my faith in you proved justified. As soon as we knew who she was, and with what you found in the Pimlico flat, everything moved very fast.’
Jack shook his head wearily, then proffered the bottle of whisky to Ridley. Again, Ridley’s hand shook as he held out his empty glass for a refill.
‘Did you ever suspect that Lorna was lying to you?’ Jack asked.
Ridley shook his head. ‘No, and even if she was just using me at the start, I believe at the end she did have genuine feelings for me. But that last phone call was probably the only time I really heard her being honest. I had a gut feeling something was wrong: everything was different, the tone of her voice, her anxiety level. She must have suspected they were onto her, but I just thought she wanted to end the relationship. I loved her, Jack.’ He sighed deeply. ‘I’m glad I have been able to spend this time with you and tell you the truth. At times you’ve felt like a son to me, Jack, and I’ve hated deceiving you.’
Jack decided that it was time for Ridley to leave. He had heard enough and he just wanted him out of his sight. He was just about to encourage him to do so when Ridley nodded to the stack of files and, after a brief hesitation, Jack told him about the Rodney Middleton case. He kept it as brief as he could, though he deliberately didn’t play down his own part in bringing it all to a head. Ridley was a good listener, never interrupting, as Jack explained how the case had turned into a real horror story with an as yet unknown number of young girls murdered. Once he had started, he found he couldn’t stop, showing Ridley the photographs, explaining the forensic evidence and detailing the incredible lengths to which the teams had gone to accumulate all the evidence, finishing up with his account of Amanda Dunn’s interview.
Ridley nodded thoughtfully. ‘Very impressive, Jack. But the question is: will it be enough?’
Maggie had dressed and gone in to see Hannah and Penny. They had all crept down the stairs so as not to disturb Jack in his office. They had some tea and sandwiches and as it was now Hannah’s bedtime, they went back upstairs to bathe her and read stories.
It was now almost 9.30 p.m. and Maggie was standing outside Jack’s office door. She could hear Jack talking, so she went back downstairs to put the bouquet of roses into a vase.
She thought about offering them coffee and sandwiches but decided against it. Instead, she went and washed her hair, put some rollers in, and ran a bath with some perfumed oils. She lay in the warm scented water, thinking of their afternoon of lovemaking and smiling contentedly. But after a while she started to worry about why Ridley was still there and what they were talking about. After she’d got out of the bath, they still seemed to be at it, so she got into bed and picked up a novel she had been attempting to read for months, but after a few pages she fell asleep.
Jack was listening intently to Ridley’s advice on how to handle Rodney Middleton.
Ridley impressed on Jack that he was dealing with a very intelligent psychopath, and it was going to be up to Jack to find a crack in his egotistical, narcissistic defences.
Ridley glanced through a file, then tapped it with his index finger.
‘Use this; come out of left field with it. He won’t be expecting it. He is being questioned about the three victims you have identified through their DNA; bring this up when he is least expecting it and then use his reaction. I believe this is the key.’
Ridley paused and went back to Jack’s notebook. He took a pen and underlined some of Jack’s handwritten notes.
Jack waited until he was finished. ‘Going back to the beginning, can I ask you why you wanted me to double check the Rodney Middleton case in the first place. That’s what started the whole ball rolling.’
Ridley nodded. ‘I had an off the record talk with a probation officer that I’d been told was handling Middleton. I’d been on good terms with her on another couple of cases, and she suggested I talk to a psychiatrist who had treated him. He was very helpful and thankfully not too worried about patient confidentiality. He told me he was going away for a lengthy well-earned break and would be uncontactable. Perhaps that’s why he opened up.’
‘Dr Donaldson? Is that who you’re talking about?’ Jack asked.
‘Yes, but, as I said, it was off the record and so I didn’t write it up, but I would have mentioned it to you, given the opportunity.’
Ridley hesitated a moment before he continuing.
‘Donaldson said that in his estimation, there was a real darkness deep inside Rodney Middleton, buried beneath a carefully constructed outer layer. Whatever had caused it, had to have occurred at a very young age. The little child, found hanging: you used that in the interview with Amanda. I’d use the same tactic with Rodney. It’s possible that both of them are child killers and that’s what unites them. They have killed and got away with it.’