Dead Speakers by Nic Roberts

Author:Nic Roberts [Roberts, Nic & Thorne, Ari]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2023-07-21T23:00:00+00:00

10

“Is it worth putting in a call to Clarissa to send out a warning in the Bedford Gazette?” Leah asked, knowing that her friend was always eager to help out with her cases.

“It’s too risky,” Malcolm replied, shaking his head and shooting the idea down. “The killer can just as easily pack up and leave Bedford.”

“I thought you said this killer liked a challenge?” the inspector demanded, struggling to match the murderer’s warped sense of logic.

“There’s enjoying a challenge,” Dr Doyle iterated, pointing to the photos again. “And there’s telling him he has no moves to make. If you want to catch this guy, you’ve got to work on his playing field. You know the expression, ‘the thrill is in the chase, never in the capture.’”

“And how long do we have to wait until he calls somebody else?” Jonesy asked, sharing his partner’s frustration.

“It’s hard to say,” the psychiatrist admitted with a shrug. “But there are other ways you can hone in on his location. We know that your man is likely to be a drifter. He won’t be a Bedford resident. So, in keeping with his nomadic existence, I would start looking into local B&Bs around Bedford, hotels, anything, see if anyone is staying there over an extended period.”

Jonesy sighed. “Is there a part where our job actually gets easier?” he asked, feeling like the killer was going to slip through their fingers.

“The technology,” Dr Doyle answered quickly, surprising both Leah and Jonesy. “Given how easily people are buying into the illusion, I think it’s safe to assume you’re not dealing with an impressionist. The killer may be using audio technology to capture the tone and style of the deceased voices.”

“Is there really a piece of tech that can do that?” Leah asked with surprise, wishing she kept more up to date with current technology.

“You’d be surprised how sophisticated the audio work can be,” Malcolm replied with a hint of dread. “There was a case a few years back about an actor who lost his voice due to complications from throat cancer. He commissioned this audio software using archived clips from his films and interviews, and it was able to recreate his voice.”

The detectives’ eyes widened in amazement… before the inevitable dread set in at how sophisticated the killer’s approach was.

“The good news,” Malcolm explained, feeling the need to reassure them, “is that this kind of tech is quite sophisticated. It’s not the kind of app you can download from an app store.”

“So, basically, we need to look for a short-term resident who’s going to be packing fancy tech on his computer?” Leah asked, wondering how this was any better than when they started.

“I’m afraid so,” Malcolm responded, feeling he was at the end of what he could offer. “If I could see any other way forward, believe me, I would share it with you.”

“And how do we know he’s not just going to skip straight to the killing?” Jonesy asked, feeling the need to consider the worse-case scenario.

“Because

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