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Romeo peeled his hands away from Chad’s face slowly. He moved around and stood directly in front of Chad, blocking the whiteboard from view. “I’m investigating.”
“But this…this is a current case. What’s wrong with the cold cases?”
“Nothing, but I was curious and thought maybe I could offer you some insight. He’s a serial killer, I’m a serial killer.”
“You’ve assumed the killer is a man?”
“The victims are both fit-looking men, surely it’s more likely someone is overpowering them, and statistically … that’s more likely to be a man.”
“Maybeshedoesn’t need to overpower them, maybe she seduces them into her car.”
“The killer is a woman, then?”
“We don’t know.”
“What do you know?” Romeo said, gesturing to a chair.
Chad collapsed into it and propped his head up on his hand. “Two victims, the same method, both found dumped in undergrowth by the side of the road. No marks on them. No sign of a struggle. No sign of the killer—not a hair, or a fingerprint, or a shred of clothing.”
“Phone records?”
“Faye finally got access to Justin’s phone history today. The last hour of activity was spent searching for cheap taxis then scrolling social media, profile to profile. He texted his flat mate to say he would be home soon.”
“Tracking?”
“His phone pinged on the street for an hour before moving towards the A505 at speed where he was found with his phone dead in his pocket twenty-four hours later. The way he was found suggests he was pushed from the vehicle, not placed at the side of the road.”
Romeo hummed. “Your murderer offs them fast and gets rid of their body even quicker.”
“Why is that interesting?”
“You’d think they’d want to savor the moment…”
Chad scrunched up his face. “Savor it?”
“The excitement, the triumph. For a killer, it’s like a rush. Why would you want it over quickly?”
“Fear of getting caught?”
“Why not take the victims somewhere else to enjoy the moment for longer?”
Chad’s stomach rolled. He eyed his shoes.
Romeo continued, “But this murderer likes to get it over with quickly, and his method…”
“Dare I ask?”
“They’re keeping their distance. Most killers like to be more involved, more physical.” Romeo stared at his hands and curled his fingers towards his palm. “But if it’s chloroform poisoning inside the car, you’ve got to assume the killer isn’t there, too, otherwise he’d be affected. He must … leave the victim while they succumb. It’s strange, that’s all. You’d think he’d want to watch.”
“He might watch from outside of the vehicle.”
“Maybe.” Romeo shrugged. “His method. Chloroform used to be used as an anesthetic. To do good.”
“Fifteen minutes with a good, concentrated dose would render the victim unconscious.”
“But your killer doesn’t strangle or inject them with anything once they pass out. He keeps dosing them with Chloroform until they stop breathing. He’s not after their suffering, only their death. Butwhydoes he want them dead?”
“That's what we're trying to find out. Other than The Desperado there's no link between them.”
