Beyond Evidence by Emma L Clapperton Page A

be too much on their relationship.
    But she understands this more than anyone. Surely she will be able to cope with all the stress that this could lead to . He thought to himself.
    As they pulled into the station Preston turned to Patrick and said, "So I think you probably have all that you need from today, why don't you go home and prepare what you need to for tonight and we will meet you at the spiritualist church. Please do not mention to anyone that you are helping out with a murder investigation. We don't want the press following you around for information."
    "No problem, here is the address. Be there for around eight o'clock, I'll sign you both in." Patrick handed him a piece of paper with the address on it and he got out of the car.
    "What do you mean you will sign us in?" asked Lang just before Patrick closed the car door.
    "Well, you need to be a member of the church to get in but as I am the president of the church then I will be able to sign you in." Patrick closed the door and tapped the top of the car as Preston pulled away to park in the car park.
    "I didn't know he was the president of a spiritualist church." Lang sounded a little freaked out by this point.
    "I told you to give him a chance. He wouldn't be the president if h e didn't know what he was doing." Preston laughed at Lang's expression. "It will be fine, trust him to get the information we need to find this guy. I know he won't let us down."
    "You have a l ot of faith, I'll give you that."
    "In situations like this you have to. We don't have much of a lead on this case and if Patrick can get us what we need then he will get all my praise!"
    "What if he doesn't?" asked Lang doubtfully as Preston parked the car and got out.
    Preston regarded this for a moment and took out a pack of cigarettes from his inside pocket. He lit one and dragged on it for a few seconds. He threw his head back and blew the smoke up toward the now cloudy sky. "Then we hope to Jesus that the DNA samples bring us something."
    For the first time during this case Preston felt genuine concern that this case was going to be one of the hardest to solve.
    "We also still have to check the CCTV from ‘My House,' where Rebecca met that guy, according to Caroline." Lang tried to reassure. He could see the stress in Preston's face.
    "Hmm. Fingers crossed it reveals a face, then the press can release the images, see if we can rake up any more witnesses."
    He took another long drag on the cigarette and held it in his lungs. It seemed to slow things down, give him time to think.
    "At the moment this murderer seems untraceable," said Lang.
    Preston stamped on the end of the cigarette and crushed it into the ground. He looked at Lang and said, "And if it continues that way, this case will fold."

Seventeen
    An unexpected visitor
    As Ross flipped the bacon, the piping hot fat from the frying pan spattered onto his skin and he felt his stomach nip a little. The kitchen smelled like a burger van, the kind you would find outside a football stadium or at a theme park. He was making a fry up for himself and the television played in the background. The sun shone through the window and it showed every speck of dirt on the glass. The floor around the cooker had spatters of cooking fat on it and the worktops were also quite greasy looking. He finished cooking the bacon, sausage and eggs and served them on a heavily buttered role. He walked into the living room and sat down on the chair facing the television.
    He was not really watching the programme, he was just staring at the screen, thinking of his next plan.
    He smiled as he thought of his next victim, thinking of how he could add to his technique to throw the police off track.
    That's if they're even on track. He thought to himself.
    As he ate he pictured Rebecca, Angela and Michelle. He was not ashamed of what he had done. Why should he be? He was only doing it for the good of his sanity.
    "Billy fucked us up. It's only necessary that I put things