The Capricorn Murders by Abraham Kawa

Author:Abraham Kawa [Kawa, Abraham]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2022-12-01T16:00:00+00:00

26

‘What do you think, Inspector?’

Chris blinked. ‘I’m not quite sure I follow you, sir.’

Blinking back, Barnard Richardson spread his hands, a gesture to put him at ease that Chris was getting used to.

‘You have presented us with some horrendous facts coupled with disturbing conclusions made by Dr Stone. We’d like to know how invested you are in their veracity.’

‘In plain words, do you believe them or not?’ added Lord Loder. ‘The way you phrased it, you seemed almost non-committal.’

This time the “us” was present in a physical sense. A meeting had been set up at the club at St James’ and Clubland’s gates were thrown wide open, the porter without even an eyebrow raised as he led Chris to a discreet library where Loder and Richardson waited.

‘The facts are inarguable, sir,’ Chris replied. ‘So, I believe, are Dr Stone’s findings, even with some exhumations and new autopsies still pending.’ He hesitated. ‘If I sounded reserved, it was because I wouldn’t wish you to mistake facts with the conjectures they lead to.’

‘That there may be more than one perpetrator involved.’ Loder stood by the window with his hands in his pockets, still only in the literal sense. His mien, his voice, his very soul screamed restlessness. ‘A group of them, even.’

‘Hunting for victims in these festivals,’ Richardson stressed. ‘And able to lure them off-site to some vile death rite unsuspected.’

‘Yes, sir.’ Chris had gone for group instead of cult after all. Whether the notion was made more believable to Loder and Richardson remained open to debate. ‘It’s still theory. But it might help explain the problem of one killer alone —’

‘Yes, I see,’ Loder said impatiently. ‘What about Gillian?’

Chris knew this was coming. ‘Your daughter disappeared in the early days of these festivals, Lord Loder. Before they got mixed up with rock concerts, like they are now.’

‘Indeed,’ concurred Sir Barnard.

‘Yet there were festivals even then. More as seasonal, folk-flavoured things, but just as likely to attract young people seeking ways of escape. We are looking for any victims killed earlier, but so far Gillian remains the first. Perhaps the circumstances were not quite the same. Yet they were close. Enough, it seems, for the killers to then seek out similar conditions.’

‘Which evidently they found,’ said Loder. ‘Rather serendipitous for them, wouldn’t you say?’

Chris ignored the acerbity in the question. Of course Loder found it hard to believe. Even Chris did, and just what he had presented them with. Never mind mystical trackways or murder cult festivals.

‘You do realize this is quite a bit of yarn, Inspector,’ Sir Barnard offered.

‘Gillian and Maddy Lynn were not the only victims, sir. Of that we have fair evidence. The murders were committed around these festivals. The ritualistic aspects of the slayings could suggest additional culprits, and some multiple murderers have been known to work with others.’ He paused. ‘It is an avenue worth pursuing.’

‘A deucedly barmy one,’ Loder objected. ‘I’ve had seven investigations into Gillian’s disappearance come to nothing because of barmy theories.’

Chris realized he was speaking before he could stop himself.

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