‘We just don’t go off and do whatever we want, when we want. Now, what you will do, once we’ve heard from Dr Ryan, is go through the prosecution case papers, unused material of the Douglas Mantell and Gong Bo Hyoo court cases and cross reference it against our investigation.’
‘You want me to do paperwork.’
‘You’re working a case, Copeland. This unit is not about showboating. Is that understood?’
‘Yes, guv,’ Copeland replied bitterly as Henley walked away.
‘Very formal – Dr Ryan,’ Mark said with a grin as Henley joined him. He removed his glasses and cleaned the lens. ‘I haven’t seen you since before you went on holiday.’
‘That holiday seems like a lifetime ago,’ said Henley. ‘The only reminder is the mosquito bites on my legs and the suitcases in the utility room. Let me introduce you to DC Copeland. She’s joined us, temporarily, from Lewisham CID.’
Copeland shook Mark’s hand. ‘Pleasure to meet you,’ she said with a tight smile.
‘How come you’re here?’ asked Stanford. ‘I thought we didn’t have the cash.’
‘Stanford, as always, it’s a joy to see you too,’ said Mark. He stopped at the whiteboard and pointed at the photographs of Douglas Mantell and Gong Bo Hyoo. ‘I thought it was just three victims?’ he asked.
‘We thought so too,’ said Eastwood. ‘They’re open murder investigations in Manchester and Sheffield. Similar MOs.’
‘Five victims. Ok, let’s start. The scalping. Popular culture makes it seem as though scalping, the act of cutting or tearing part of the human scalp off with the hair attached, is just unique to theindigenous people of the Americas but it’s not. Europe, Asia, the colonial wars, the US civil war. I could go on.’
‘The history lesson is all very well and good but that doesn’t help us with what we’re dealing with,’ said Stanford.
‘Stanford just let the man talk,’ said Eastwood. ‘Why the scalping? I’m assuming our killers are taking a trophy.’
‘Or a souvenir – there’s a difference. A souvenir is a memento whereas a trophy is proof of the killer’s skill, but whether it’s a trophy or a souvenir, keeping the victim’s scalp allows your killer to both relive the thrill of committing the initial crime and allows them to feel powerful.’
‘How common is it? To scalp your victim?’ asked Ramouter.
‘It’s rare but it does happen. In fact, there are two recent cases,’ said Mark. ‘A man called Nyckk Visser was convicted of murdering three women in Holland two years ago but the bodies were found fifteen years ago. All three had been decapitated but Visser wasn’t linked to their murders until he’d reported a burglary, and the police found their scalps in his bedroom.’
‘That’s crazy. He incriminated himself,’ said Copeland, shifting away from Henley.
‘There was also a case in Scotland last year. Bryce Schofield. Raped, murdered and scalped a male prostitute.’
‘Two DNA profiles were found on our victims,’ said Henley. ‘Our vigilantes are, at a minimum, a pair. So, which one is taking the scalps?’
‘Out of your group one of them has to be the leader, the alpha,’ said Mark. ‘Scalping in itself is so rare that I can’t imagine it being a joint decision. Either the leader has requested it or someone in the group, the one who is most suggestible, eager to please. The trophy, their prize could be their gift to the leader.’
Henley grimaced.
‘This isn’t one of those cases where I can say that your vigilante is going to be a thirty to forty-year-old white man,’ Mark continued. ‘You’re dealing with a group, a pack mentality but with all packs there is a leader. Your leader in this case may not be someone who has necessarily experienced an injustice. It’s what we call a third-party role.’
‘Do you mean they’re taking on someone else’s cause?’ asked Copeland.
‘Exactly that,’ replied Mark. ‘They haven’t been directly impacted by what we would call a norm violation. They’ve either witnessed it or learned about it. You may also find that the pack leader works in a managerial position and that they have a heightened sense of moral self-worth.’
‘They’re taking advantage of the real victim. Exploiting their pain,’ said Ramouter. ‘There’s no better example of that than Laurance Durant.’
‘His wife was the one who was killed in the road traffic accident by Tabitha Ashcroft, right?’ asked Mark.
‘Yes, but her scalping wasn’t complete. No kill. No trophy,’ said Ramouter.
‘The fact that she wasn’t killed is fuel for them to keep continuing with their mission,’ said Mark. ‘This is all about control and exhibiting power and once someone has a taste for power,’ he shrugged, ‘it’s hard to let go.’
‘You really don’t like her, do you?’ said Mark as he pulled up his coat collar.
‘I have no idea what you’re talking about.’ Henley fell into step with Mark as they walked away from Greenwich police station, the building grey, decaying and unwelcoming as it merged into the gun-metal overcast sky.
