Page 33 of Her Last Breath

‘So maybe they knew their killer? Or were taken off guard? Perhaps even drugged or incapacitated somehow?’

‘Conjecture, which I will prove for you, if it is true. I have put a chase on his toxicology results taken when he was initially examined. But it was a low-priority case and these things take days and weeks, as you know. There is also one other issue you will face. Over seventy per cent of suicide cases will have alcohol or drugs in their system.’

Jane nodded, but her mind was whirring. At this point, the mortuary assistant entered, speaking to Dr Lydia in hushed tones. When he left, Dr Lydia looked at Jane, conviction in her eyes which Jane recognised.

‘Pawel Kowalcyzk called with the test results from the scene. He needs to run more tests to confirm, but preliminary comparison would suggest the mud you found matches the riverbank where Ms Rogers died.’ Jane felt the same conviction now. ‘The tyre marks were a match, too.’

Jane felt the excitement building inside her. Two murders dressed up to look like suicides, two victims who didn’t fight back. She pushed away the idea that without her focus on Alice Rogers they might never have reached this realisation. Instead, she focused on the fact that her two murders were now linked. She was looking for a sick and twisted killer.

Chapter 20

A night in the cells seemed to have affected Liam more than Jane could have hoped for. The previous day when she had interviewed him with DS Johnson, he was immovable, staring her down. Now he stank worse than the day before and was sweating, eyes glued to the floor. He was hiding something. His probation officer had told Jane how badly he had coped with prison, despite his bravado on the outside. Coward, she thought.

Given his relationship to Mark Burrows, Jane had asked DS Johnson to watch the interview from behind the two-way mirror that day. She didn’t want him coming for Liam and spooking him.

Liam’s solicitor had the decency to stay quiet again, although his eyes gave him away. He had a rubbish poker face.

‘Do you know Mark Burrows?’ Jane asked, showing a picture of Mark when he was alive.

Liam scanned the picture, but his face was impassive.

‘We know you shared a cell together last time you were in prison,’ Jane continued. ‘Mark was found dead on Friday, twenty-second August.’

Liam’s eyes darted to her face.

‘Initially it was suspected that he had taken his own life.’

Jane fanned out a series of pictures of Mark from the crime scene; watched as Liam hungrily took in the details. Admiring his handiwork?

‘Only it wasn’t suicide. The killer made a critical mistake.’

She had Liam’s full attention now, as his eyes bored right into her.

‘Can you see these red patterns on Mark Burrows’ skin?’ Jane tapped the pictures in front of Liam, who stole a glance at them before dropping his gaze. ‘They are an allergic reaction caused by contact with latex gloves. You didn’t know that, did you? That Mark had such a bad allergy?’

Liam’s gaze lingered this time on the pictures.

‘Two people you claim to care for have ended up dead. Is this how you show affection, Liam?’

‘Mark was my friend,’ Liam protested angrily, rising briefly from his seat before sitting back down again, crawling into his bubble of self-pity. ‘I would never hurt him. He was the only mate I had, he was like a brother to me.’ Jane watched as tears pooled in Liam’s eyes. He was good, no question. Was this how he kept Alice Rogers tied to him? Tears after every beating he gave her? Promises to change?

‘We have witnesses, Liam. That your so-called friend, no, this man you say was like a brother to you, got in the way while you were pummelling the life out of Alice. The woman you also claim to have loved.’

Liam wiped his eyes on his sleeve. His solicitor gave him a Kleenex.

‘He punched you in the face, didn’t he? To stop you from hurting Alice.’

Liam flinched, eyes darting towards hers.

‘In front of Alice, he showed you who was boss, right? Showed you to be the weak bully you are. So what? Did you want to kill him to get even? Alice was someone you coerced and controlled, like you did so many women before her. Vulnerable women who were susceptible to your fake kindnesses, who turned a blind eye to your drunken rages because you were sorry afterwards.’

For Jane, the first time a man lashed out at her like that would be enough, but she understood how too many women had been scared to walk away. It was heartbreaking.

‘And when Alice ended it, the rage in someone like you must have been devastating, enough to make you want to kill her. Did shaming you in front of Mark add to your anger? Did you think Alice had taken away your only friend, brought him over to her side?’

Liam licked his lips, brought his hands to rest on the table in front of him. Building a makeshift defence against the words that Jane was hurling at him.

‘And what about Mark? Was your ego so damaged you needed to show him who had the real power in the end?’