Ryan opened his mouth again, but had to admit that Phillips had hit the nail on the head. Whoever it was clearly craved attention, perhaps demanded it, from the world in general and him in particular.
“Amy Llewellyn connects to Keir Edwards, who connects to me. Claire Burns’ death mirrored Edwards’ style, once again connecting to me and, for good measure, her wounds mirrored the victims on Holy Island, which also connects to me.”
The light dawned on them all. He could see it, spreading through the room.
“Remember that the ritual markings on the Holy Island victims were also not made public, which is something else he has managed to find out and use to draw attention to himself. It’s as if he’s saying, ‘I’m better than The Hacker and the Holy Island Killers.’”
“Copycatting them to show off, you mean?”
Ryan nodded.
“I think I may know someone to fit the bill,” MacKenzie said quietly and all eyes turned to her. “Late yesterday afternoon, I spoke with Claire Burns’ friend and landlady, Mathilda. She told me that Claire was being harassed by a man who lives on the same street. A man going by the name of Colin Hart.”
Ryan’s brows drew together, a slash of black against his face.
“The same Colin …?”
“Same guy,” MacKenzie confirmed, remembering his breath against her face. She held off a shiver. “Sir, being unable to contact you or Phillips at the time, I took the opportunity to ask him some follow-up questions given the new information. Colin Hart was known to Claire Burns and I have a witness statement from Mathilda Compton, confirming that he had repeatedly pestered Claire.”
“Colin Hart happens to find our first victim, then, also by chance, happens to live on the same street as the second?”
“I thought it was too great a coincidence, sir.”
“I agree with you. Go on.”
MacKenzie felt foolish, all of a sudden. How could she express the fear she had felt in Colin’s home, in professional terms?
On the other side of the fence, Ryan watched MacKenzie closely. As a trained observer, two things immediately struck him as unusual. The first was that Phillips’ hand rested protectively over MacKenzie’s in a public display of affection, which was not usual, despite their relationship. In working hours, they stuck to professional boundaries, though he couldn’t vouch for what happened in the copier room during lunchtimes. The second thing he noticed was that MacKenzie was pale and, rather than facing his gaze directly, her eyes were trained on the carpet.
She was spooked.
“Mac?”
She jumped a bit in her chair, which was also a first. Of them all, MacKenzie was usually an unshakeable force to be reckoned with.
“Sorry,” she muttered, drawing herself together. “I identified myself and entered his home at around four o’clock yesterday afternoon. He was not cautioned, sir.”
Ryan said nothing. If she expected a reprimand, she would be waiting a long time.
“You know the legalities,” Ryan eased a hip onto the edge of his desk. “Cautions are not always necessary.”
“Thank you, sir,” Gratitude made her tone more formal than she intended.
“Tell us why you think a caution might have been needed.”
“Right enough,” she murmured, dragging herself back to the point. “We already know that Colin Hart is now his mother’s main carer and he has access to her medical supplies. Prior to changing profession, he was employed by the university from 1998 to 2007 in a research capacity.”
“Which faculty would that be, now?”
“Biomedical Sciences.”
“Puts him in range of Amy Llewellyn as well as Claire Burns,” Ryan observed.
“Upon entering his residence, I could see that he keeps an extensive collection of literature on true crime and criminal behaviour, which he confirmed was an interest of his.”
“Access to medical knowledge, potentially unhealthy interest in criminal behaviour, you think?”
“That was my impression, sir, but that’s all it was. An impression.”
Ryan thought back to his own impression of Colin Hart and remembered how he had claimed an interest in Ryan following the events of Holy Island. He also remembered how the man had mentioned Anna by name.
Unhealthy.
Criminal prosecutions could not be built upon impressions alone. They needed facts and evidence.
“What did he have to say about Claire Burns?”
“He appeared very angry when I brought up the subject of Claire. Given that her next of kin have been informed, I felt it was appropriate to inform him of her death and to gauge his reaction. He appeared neither surprised nor shocked by the news, but was adamant that he had been on friendly terms with her.”