Page 63 of Her Lips Are Sealed

‘Should I ring Scotty?’

‘Yes, please. So, there’s a lot we don’t know about our killer. We know he’s posing as someone people trust to gain access to people’s homes. We know he’s prepared; keeps selecting, or pretending to select, his next victims. He’s got an ego; the notes suggest he’s not scared of being found. And he likes Morgan. He strangles his victims then puts red lipstick on their lips to seal his notes with their kiss. What could that tell us?’

Morgan held up her hand. ‘I was reading about a killer in the 1940s dubbed the lipstick killer; he scrawled a message on one victim’s wall in her lipstick telling the police to catch him because he could not stop himself. He dismembered his victims though.’

‘So, nothing like our killer then?’ Cain asked.

‘Well technically no, but George William Hierens may be his inspiration,’ Morgan replied. ‘He just might be putting his own stamp on it, or he might be telling us to stop him in his own way.’

‘Thanks, that’s really unhelpful and you need to change your name and identity until we catch him.’ Cain laughed, and she glared at him.

‘I’m trying, okay? Don’t be ridiculous, what have you got, Cain?’

He held up his hands. ‘Nothing except the guy is a freak, failed miserably at English in school because he doesn’t know where to put a full stop to save his life, but likes to portray himself as better than he is if he’s wearing suits to go and kill people. I mean, who does that?’

‘Actually, that’s not bad. Maybe his first language isn’t English and that’s why they don’t read well?’ Lucy smiled at Cain.

‘Or maybe he’s cleverer than we’re giving him credit for and trying to lead us down the garden path.’ Amy was staring intently at the photograph.

‘Lisa clearly didn’t recognise him as the guy she reported as hanging around or she wouldn’t have let him in. She wouldn’t have opened the door. Is that why he was wearing a suit and not his usual hoodie? So, what was his angle? How has he, up to now, managed to get three intelligent, articulate women to let him into their flats? There is no sign of a struggle at any of them and no signs of forced entry either.’

Morgan could feel something hovering on the periphery of her train of thought, it just wasn’t clear exactly what it was.

‘Well, I’m not sure what’s happening now. Ash’s colleagues need speaking to but you’re not going to be able to do that tonight. It’s late and we need to go back out there and canvass the entire area surrounding Lisa’s flat. I want every single door knocked on and a picture of this guy shown to whoever answers. Amy, can you check with the ANPR cameras and get the number plates of any vehicles leaving Coniston just after the time that Lisa made the phone call to Morgan?’

‘Yes, boss.’

‘Everyone else come grab a clipboard with a questionnaire and photo of the guy from our office in ten minutes. Get yourself a brew, use the toilet, eat something then we go back out and we’re not coming back in until one of us has something. Is that understood?’

Murmurs of ‘Yes, boss,’ filtered around the room.

‘Thank you, I know it’s been a tense few days, but this is the best lead we’ve ever been given. Let’s not blow it through sloppy house-to-house enquiries.’

Ben grabbed his laptop and left the room, closely followed by Lucy.

Cain, Amy and Morgan all stared at each other as the response officers and PCSOs on duty all filed out to go do what Ben told them to.

‘That was quite some rally speech off Benno.’ Cain was on his phone, messaging someone.

‘It was, but he’s right, we are so close to finding this guy, we can’t screw it up now.’

Morgan wanted to believe this with all her heart, but there was a tiny sliver of doubt inside of her chest telling her that it might not happen. He could be so much cleverer than they realised and the one to get away. Who was he and why did he look familiar to her? It was driving her insane.

She took out her phone to scroll through her Facebook friends.

‘Hey, has anyone been on Rachel’s or Ash’s Facebook to see if he’s a mutual friend to either of them?’

Amy shook her head. ‘No, but after I’ve downloaded the ANPR stuff I can do that.’

‘What about Ava Rose, don’t you need to get home to her?’ Cain looked genuinely concerned that Amy was abandoning her baby.

‘My mum’s here for the week; she’s loving life as a full time Nanna. She won’t mind if I work late. I’m not going home when you guys need me.’

Morgan smiled at her. It was good to have a full team, and they were a pretty awesome team at that.

FORTY

The entire area was flooded with officers and PCSOs drafted in from every station with spare staff. Morgan had been given the flat directly above Lisa’s and the one across from it as neither tenant had been home earlier when Cain had knocked. The PCSO on scene guard signed her in as it was still a crime scene.