Brodie ran his hands through his hair, processing what Ruth had said. ‘Kane could be lying, trying to manipulate the investigation through you psychologically.’
‘I went to see him. He didn’t ask to see me. What if he’s not doing anything but warning you?’ Ruth moved closer to him on the sofa. ‘What if The Embalmer really has been watching you and planning this? What if coming after me is part of his strategy?’
Brodie had considered it, especially after Kane’s warnings during their previous meeting. But hearing Ruth voice the same fears made them feel more real, more immediate.
‘I won’t let anything happen to you,’ he said, pulling her against him.
‘How can you promise that when you don’t know what he’s planning?’ Ruth’s voice was muffled against his shoulder. ‘Kane said The Embalmer knows everything about you, about us. Our routines, our weaknesses, our relationship.’
Brodie felt the weight of responsibility settling on him like a physical burden. Everyone he’d spoken to – Kane, his colleagues, now Ruth – was warning him about the same thing: that thiscase was personal, that The Embalmer had specifically chosen him as a target.
‘What do you want me to do? Walk away from the investigation?’
‘I want you to be careful. More careful than you’ve ever been.’ Ruth pulled back to look at him. ‘And I want you to consider that maybe your normal investigative approach won’t work this time. If The Embalmer has been studying you, anticipating your moves, then you need to do something unexpected.’
‘Such as?’
‘I don’t know. But Kane said something interesting – that love makes people unpredictable. The Embalmer has planned for Detective Chief Inspector Brodie, but not for Liam the man.’
Brodie considered this. ‘You’re talking about breaking protocol. Going outside normal police procedures.’
‘I’m talking about staying alive. Both of us.’ Ruth’s voice carried a determination that surprised him. ‘If this killer thinks he can use me to get to you, he’s about to learn that I’m not just going to sit passively waiting to be rescued.’
‘What does that mean?’
‘It means I’m not hiding, I’m not running away, and I’m not going to let fear paralyse either of us.’ Ruth’s eyes held a fierce light. ‘Kane may understand serial killers, but I understand how the mind works. I understand how to find weak points in his thinking. And every plan, no matter how sophisticated, has vulnerabilities.’
Brodie felt a mixture of pride and terror. Ruth’s courage was one of the things he loved most about her, but it also made her more likely to take risks that could put her in danger.
‘Promise me something,’ he said. ‘Promise me you won’t do anything reckless without talking to me first.’
‘Only if you make the same promise.’
They held each other, both understanding that the comfortable normalcy of their relationship had been irrevocably altered. The Embalmer, whoever he was, had succeeded in making them afraid not just for themselves but for each other. That fear would paralyse them or make them more dangerous than he anticipated.
Brodie hoped it would be the latter.
‘There’s something else,’ he said. ‘I spoke with my sister tonight about the medical aspects of faking heart attacks. It’s definitely possible with the right knowledge and substances.’
‘You think that’s how Mark Finlay was killed?’
‘I think it was made to look like a natural death. I wouldn’t have thought that if his niece hadn’t been the latest victim of The Embalmer. It’s too much of a coincidence.’ Brodie’s voice was grim. ‘If I’m right, we’re not just dealing with a serial killer. We’re dealing with someone systematically eliminating anyone who got too close to the truth.’
‘For four years?’
‘Maybe longer. The question is whether we can identify him before he decides we’re too dangerous to leave alive.’
Outside their window, in the distance over the Forth, Fife sparkled in the darkness, beautiful and seemingly peaceful. But both Brodie and Ruth knew that somewhere in that maze of streets and buildings, someone was watching, planning, waiting for the right moment to complete a design that had been years in the making.
The Embalmer’s final exhibit was taking shape, and Brodie was a part of that tableau.
16
‘Marillion or Genesis?’ Cameron asked as the Uber driver dropped them off at the front door.
Art was about to answer when the driver turned to look at Cameron. ‘Peter Gabriel or Phil Collins? For Genesis?’
‘Collins was already at the helm when Marillion was formed,’ Art said, ‘so I’m guessing Collins?’ He looked at Cameron.
