‘What do you think?’ Art asked.
‘I think Barry Mitchell knows something his father doesn’t want him to discuss.’ Brodie pulled out his phone. ‘Freya, how long for that warrant?’
‘Depends on what we can justify to a magistrate. Suspicious behaviour and old allegations might not be enough.’
‘What about the connection to an active murder investigation?Emma Richardson was killed using the same signature as three victims who were buried by this business.’
‘That’s better.’
Brodie speed-dialled Breck’s number. ‘Sir, it’s Brodie. We need a search warrant for Mitchell and Son funeral home. Priority request.’
‘What’s your justification?’
‘Connection to an active murder investigation, suspicious behaviour from persons of interest, and a connection to previous Embalmer victims.’
‘I’ll see what I can do.’
‘I know it was seven years ago that he did those funerals, but it’s relevant given current circumstances. Plus we’ve got one of the subjects acting guilty when we started asking questions.’
Breck was quiet for a moment. ‘There’s no proof of any wrongdoing, is there?’
‘Not that we know of.’
Breck sighed on the other end of the phone. ‘I’ll make some calls. How soon do you need it?’
‘Yesterday. These people are spooked. If there’s evidence here, they might try to destroy it.’
‘Give me two hours.’
After ending the call, Brodie walked around the property’s perimeter, studying the layout. The main house faced the road, with the two warehouses set back about fifty yards behind it. A narrow access road ran between the buildings, wide enough for a hearse or delivery truck. The hedging was thick and well maintained, providing complete privacy from neighbouring properties.
‘Professional setup,’ he said when Art and Cameron joined him. ‘Someone could bring a body here in the middle of the night and no one would see anything.’
‘You think they’ve been storing bodies for The Embalmer?’ Art said.
‘Or worse. What if Mitchell is The Embalmer?’ Cameron said. ‘The younger one, I mean, not the old boy. He looks like he couldn’t take care of a rubber balloon.’
‘Don’t underestimate anybody, son,’ Brodie said. ‘Especially somebody who’s proficient in using mortuary tools.’
The thought hung in the air between them. A funeral home would be the perfect cover for a serial killer. Access to preservation chemicals, knowledge of human anatomy, facilities for body preparation and a legitimate reason for having recently deceased people on the premises.
‘It would explain why Barry Mitchell looked like he was going to be sick when we started asking questions,’ Art added.
‘I think we’re going off at a tangent here,’ Brodie said. ‘I don’t think Mitchell and Son are working with The Embalmer. The killer is focused and, from what I saw before, narcissistic. One of the Mitchells is either the killer or they’re up to something dodgy.’
‘Either way, we’re on to something. The question is whether we can get that warrant before they clean house,’ Art said.
As if summoned by his words, Barry Mitchell emerged from the house and walked quickly towards the larger warehouse. He glanced nervously at the police officers, then disappeared inside the building.
‘Should we follow him?’ Art asked.
‘No. That would be a waste of time. Now that we’ve spoken to them, they’ll be on their guard.’ Whatever secrets Mitchell and Son were hiding, they were about to be exposed.
Brodie hoped they wouldn’t be too late to prevent another victim from joining The Embalmer’s collection.
10
Brodie found Detective Superintendent Chris Breck in his office, staring at a computer screen full of budget spreadsheets and looking like he’d rather be anywhere else. The fluorescent lights made his face look grey, and Brodie thought there were fresh stress lines around his eyes that hadn’t been there a couple of weeks ago.
