and Daniels watching him.
‘We have to keep our options open. It could be that the original killer has resurfaced or it could be a copycat killer. There is a possible third scenario. That we have a killer who has chosen to murder Alexander De Bernier in the same manner as the Seventies victims to confuse us. To make us believe it’s either the original Joker or a copycat killer.’
Amelia frowned at this suggestion.
‘I honestly don’t know,’ Brady responded. ‘I’m really hoping you can help us on this by narrowing down the potential suspects and giving us a profile to work with. Why was Alexander De Bernier murdered? What was it about him that made him a victim? And then, why was he murdered in this unique way?’
Amelia nodded at Brady. ‘All right. I’ll do my best,’ she answered. ‘Can I have a look at the list of suspects from the original case?’
‘Yeah, Harvey will sort you out with those details. From what we’ve gathered so far the original investigative team didn’t really have much to go on. The team was headed by DI McKaley. At the time, he was crucified by the press for not catching the killer. From what I’ve gathered he’s the only surviving member of the investigative team. The others are all deceased.’
‘Have you told him?’ Amelia asked.
It was an obvious question, and one that Brady would have asked if he had been in her position. What better person to glean information about the Joker killings from than the original SIO? However, it wasn’t that simple.
‘We thought he was also dead, but then it turned out that he’s in a care home in Preston Village, North Shields.’
Amelia looked interested.
Brady shook his head. ‘Unfortunately, he has severe Alzheimer’s. The care home specialises in patients with advanced symptoms of the disease.’
‘Oh . . . I see,’ Amelia answered.
She looked as disappointed as Brady had felt when he had found this out. DI McKaley could have been a very useful source. He hadn’t written off talking to him – not yet. Despite the nurse’s insistence that McKaley point-blank refused visitors.
‘Over the course of the Joker investigation, McKaley brought in four suspects for questioning. They were each detained for a short period but were eventually released without charge. If I’m honest with you, I’ve had a brief look at the case notes and the reasons for bringing them in were fairly tenuous. Out of the four there’s now only one of the original suspects remaining. Two of them are deceased. Harold Walters died a couple of years after he had been released without charge. Suicide,’ Brady explained. ‘Then Roger Sawyer died in the early Eighties. He contracted HIV and then went on to have full-blown AIDS.’
Amelia looked at Brady. ‘Am I guessing that these men were all gay?’
Brady nodded. ‘Each of them had been charged with obscene acts in public toilets.’
Amelia sighed. ‘I understand now why the original investigative team’s reasons for bringing them in were tenuous.’
Brady couldn’t help but notice Amelia shooting Conrad a look of disbelief.
‘The other two suspects?’
‘Martyn Jenkins has cancer. Lung cancer. Prognosis doesn’t look good. From what I’ve been told, he’ll be lucky if he lasts the next twenty-four hours. He’s currently in a hospice in Newcastle.’
‘And the fourth?’ Amelia asked, frowning.
‘Sidney Foster. Left the North East in 1977 after he was released without charge. Can’t say I blame him. He moved around for the next twenty years and from what we’ve gathered he settled down in Cornwall. He’s seventy-one now. I can’t really see him as a likely suspect but we’ve got to follow it through.’
‘Did Sidney Foster have any other priors than obscene acts in public places?’
Brady nodded. ‘He was charged with raping a fifteen-year-old boy in 1977. He was thirty-seven at the time. He was then charged with various sexual offences. All boys under the age of
‘We have to keep our options open. It could be that the original killer has resurfaced or it could be a copycat killer. There is a possible third scenario. That we have a killer who has chosen to murder Alexander De Bernier in the same manner as the Seventies victims to confuse us. To make us believe it’s either the original Joker or a copycat killer.’
Amelia frowned at this suggestion.
‘I honestly don’t know,’ Brady responded. ‘I’m really hoping you can help us on this by narrowing down the potential suspects and giving us a profile to work with. Why was Alexander De Bernier murdered? What was it about him that made him a victim? And then, why was he murdered in this unique way?’
Amelia nodded at Brady. ‘All right. I’ll do my best,’ she answered. ‘Can I have a look at the list of suspects from the original case?’
‘Yeah, Harvey will sort you out with those details. From what we’ve gathered so far the original investigative team didn’t really have much to go on. The team was headed by DI McKaley. At the time, he was crucified by the press for not catching the killer. From what I’ve gathered he’s the only surviving member of the investigative team. The others are all deceased.’
‘Have you told him?’ Amelia asked.
It was an obvious question, and one that Brady would have asked if he had been in her position. What better person to glean information about the Joker killings from than the original SIO? However, it wasn’t that simple.
‘We thought he was also dead, but then it turned out that he’s in a care home in Preston Village, North Shields.’
Amelia looked interested.
Brady shook his head. ‘Unfortunately, he has severe Alzheimer’s. The care home specialises in patients with advanced symptoms of the disease.’
‘Oh . . . I see,’ Amelia answered.
She looked as disappointed as Brady had felt when he had found this out. DI McKaley could have been a very useful source. He hadn’t written off talking to him – not yet. Despite the nurse’s insistence that McKaley point-blank refused visitors.
‘Over the course of the Joker investigation, McKaley brought in four suspects for questioning. They were each detained for a short period but were eventually released without charge. If I’m honest with you, I’ve had a brief look at the case notes and the reasons for bringing them in were fairly tenuous. Out of the four there’s now only one of the original suspects remaining. Two of them are deceased. Harold Walters died a couple of years after he had been released without charge. Suicide,’ Brady explained. ‘Then Roger Sawyer died in the early Eighties. He contracted HIV and then went on to have full-blown AIDS.’
Amelia looked at Brady. ‘Am I guessing that these men were all gay?’
Brady nodded. ‘Each of them had been charged with obscene acts in public toilets.’
Amelia sighed. ‘I understand now why the original investigative team’s reasons for bringing them in were tenuous.’
Brady couldn’t help but notice Amelia shooting Conrad a look of disbelief.
‘The other two suspects?’
‘Martyn Jenkins has cancer. Lung cancer. Prognosis doesn’t look good. From what I’ve been told, he’ll be lucky if he lasts the next twenty-four hours. He’s currently in a hospice in Newcastle.’
‘And the fourth?’ Amelia asked, frowning.
‘Sidney Foster. Left the North East in 1977 after he was released without charge. Can’t say I blame him. He moved around for the next twenty years and from what we’ve gathered he settled down in Cornwall. He’s seventy-one now. I can’t really see him as a likely suspect but we’ve got to follow it through.’
‘Did Sidney Foster have any other priors than obscene acts in public places?’
Brady nodded. ‘He was charged with raping a fifteen-year-old boy in 1977. He was thirty-seven at the time. He was then charged with various sexual offences. All boys under the age of
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