A Thousand Cuts Read online

  "You catch on quick. Tracey from the media unit will be here in..." Hicks checked her watch. "Any minute now. You're best placed to answer questions anyway. It'll be fine. Tracey will coach you on your responses.”

  Great. Now I had to go through the information I had and refresh my memory. Not that we had many facts, to begin with; we were shit out of luck.

  Hicks left, and I turned back to my screen. I finished off the search warrant and emailed it through.

  For now, I'd need to wait.

  I sifted through a folder of paperwork, the information I had at hand, before the boss lady appeared again, leaning one elbow against the short divider.

  "This is a task force now, Jack. Project Beacon, you know that, right?"

  "Yeah."

  I figured as much; anything involving children, sexual predators and serial killers usually became a task force. And since the media were all over it, more resources would be allocated along with more dealings with the media. The community would be up in arms about it, in some cases, staging peaceful protests until the killer was found.

  Hicks’ phone beeped. "Tracey Reynolds is here. She'll be out at reception shortly,”

  "Okay.” I didn't look up from my paperwork.

  "Ready for your big moment?"

  "Yeah,” I said, getting up from my seat. Hicks smiled.

  "These people are professionals, Jack; give them a chance."

  "I got nothing, no evidence, a possible suspect but nothing tying him to the crime. I don't think I'm exactly going to instill confidence in the public.” I shoved my hands in my pockets and walked to reception.

  A short woman with slicked-back blond hair walked through the sliding doors. Reception was empty, so the woman looked straight at me.

  "I'm here to see DS Fletcher. Tracey Reynolds, Media Unit,”

  "DS Fletcher."

  She handed me a card. "Conference room?" she asked.

  "Follow me.”

  The conference room was on the next level up. We were the only people in the lift.

  "We'll need at least an hour.” Her voice was light and quiet, surprising given she worked in the media unit.

  "I'm not sure what I can say.” I cleared my throat

  "The general public is scared; it's high profile. There's public interest in the Holmes murder. That park and the playground are deserted now. They need reassurance, that's all," said Reynolds.

  "I don't know if I can give them that,” I said quietly. "I don't have a whole lot, it’s still early days."

  We exited the lift and headed for the conference room. I paused, resting a hand on the door handle and looked at her.

  She gestured with her palm out. “Let’s go in and get started; we can run through a few scenarios."

  I opened the door for her, following behind her and taking a seat at the conference table. I paused for a moment, taking in the quiet, letting it wash over me. I gazed around to get my bearings, taking in the large windows behind Tracey who sat straight in the chair. She grabbed a black diary tucked under her arm and took hold of a pen from inside it.

  "Okay. I've been briefed. I recommend you start with something like explaining we have a person of interest, then thank the public for the leads provided after the Crimestoppers bulletin, and let them know the investigation is progressing"

  "What about question time? Judging by the interest early on, this will be a circus."

  "It usually is, but prior planning will help. How about you start with what you know so far? No names, of course. Run through it now with me. Give it a dry run."

  I began, fumbling at first, but Tracey let me go, trying to get it straight. I gave her a rundown, the crime scene—minus my reaction—the Holmes marital separation, the family reaction, and the progress on the case so far. Tracey barely reacted, a true professional.

  "It's a fine line, but ultimately we need the media for help. Keep it professional, maintain confidentiality and you'll be fine."

  "But, public speaking…" One good thing about being a cop was that initially, it had meant keeping a low profile on social media and otherwise. At this point in my career, the reverse was true. I wasn't sure I liked it.

  Tracey shuffled some papers. "Yes, there's that. But the media attention can help you solve the case and get them off your back."

  "Okay.”

  "You'll be fine. You're a dedicated detective. Focus on that, on the family, getting the results and the rest will fall into place."

  Unconvinced, I nodded.

  "I'll be at the conference. I'll speak first and introduce you. I'll let you answer as many questions as you can but if you lose confidence, give me a nod and I'll step in."

  I wanted to get back to my desk, make some calls, get out on the street and talk to people, but for now, I'd need to take the pain. I checked my phone. Text from Hicks.

  Press conference 1pm in conference room.

  Tracey stared at her phone. "I might grab a coffee. Not long until it starts."

  As I walked back to the second-floor kitchen to grab a coffee, through the frosted glass I saw a crowd forming in the corridor, most likely journalists.

  I didn't want to see them so I took the lift downstairs and headed back to my office. Jerry Wallace sat on his office chair, while Collen perched on the corner of his desk. I walked over and stood between them. Wallace looked at me, Collen didn't.

  "Got the shits, mate?" Wallace peered up at me.

  I didn't answer.

  "Could be worse. At least this way, your kids get to see you."

  "Fuck off."

  "I would, but unfortunately I get paid to hang around the joint. Find bad guys."

  I walked away. Tracey Reynolds intercepted me on the way to the bathroom. "Okay, Jack, we'll need to go back up shortly. I'll introduce you, and Selena will be there too. You ready?"

  "As ready as I'll ever be."

  "Come through,” she said, then walked down the corridor and we took the lift as we talked. In a minute or two, I found myself in front of the conference room beside her.

  Tracey opened the door, and I saw the room was half full of journalists, with twenty minutes to go until the conference. Ted Richards chatted with a photographer in the corner. Hicks entered the room behind me.

  "Leave him to me, Fletcher,” said Tracey Reynolds, her voice low and quiet.

  As we walked across the room, I saw the change in Reynolds’ demeanour. Her shoulders back, she plastered a smile across her face and extended a hand to the journalist. "Ted, glad you could make it."

  Ted Richards smiled back. "Thanks for inviting me. So, I take it I'm permitted to ask questions today? Otherwise, this is going to be a—"

  "Call me Tracey, please. Of course, all your questions are welcomed,” she said, smiling again so hard that I wondered if her face hurt. “You know,” she went on, “I’m sorry if we were unable to help you with a story earlier, but… protocols, you know. Nothing personal, and we’re glad you’re here.” She smiled again.

  "Will you be holding the press conference yourself?" said Richards, flicking a furtive glance in my direction.

  "Actually, Detective Fletcher will be running the conference, as he's the current lead on the case. I'm hoping we can put the past behind us, Mr. Richards,” she said, staring right at him. “We’re all on the same team, wanting justice for the victim. And you’re a big part of us getting that.”

  "I think we can forget what’s past,” Richards said, the smile still fixed on his face.

  "I appreciate it. Now, if you'll excuse us, we need to prepare." We both walked toward the podium, set upon a small platform area. I stuffed my hands in my pockets in an attempt to calm my nerves. I needed a drink. Selena Hicks was behind the podium, hidden in an area partially blocked out from the lights with dark blackout fabric.

  "You'll be fine, Fletcher; you know the case, and the family, just be yourself." Hicks nudged me gently up onto the podium.

  Somehow, that didn't seem like it would be enough.


  Reynolds stepped forward. "In a minute, I'll get up to the podium and introduce you. Remember, we want to reassure the public about the safety of our public parks and playgrounds, and let them know we do have a person of interest, okay?"

  She smiled at me and approached the podium. When did she become so relaxed about the process? I envied her calmness.

  She cleared her throat. "Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for your attendance today. If you'll take your seats, we'll have some information for you regarding events as they stand. Thank you."

  Reynolds waited patiently while they found their seats, and the murmuring subsided. I recognised some of the journalists, but others were completely new faces, eager for a story.

  "Thank you for being here today. I'd like to introduce you the lead detective, who will brief you on developments in the murder of seven-year-old Jessica Holmes. If you could hold your questions until the end of the briefing, that would be appreciated. For now, I'll introduce the lead investigator on the case, Detective Sergeant Jack Fletcher." Reynolds finished, and after taking a deep breath, I moved to stand before the podium.

  I cleared my throat. The room became silent, and I paused for a moment to compose myself. "My name is DS Jack Fletcher based at Melbourne Crime Command. We are currently investigating a heinous crime, the torture and murder of a seven-year-old child, Jessica Holmes. As you can imagine, her family is grieving and asks that you respect their privacy at this time. Please be assured, we are following up all leads, and we do have a person of interest. I would like to assure the public that Victoria Police has dedicated the resources needed to apprehend the perpetrator, and we would also like to thank them for their assistance so far.” I managed to let out a breath, placed my hands on either side of the podium and waited.

  A barrage of hands rose in the air. I chose what looked to be a female hand, closest to the front, and gestured in their direction.

  "Yes,” I said, and waited.

  "Debbie McDonald, Five News. Given the nature of the crime, parents are fearful for their children playing in public parks. Do you have the suspect in custody? What can you tell us about the investigation?”

  I knew we had next to nothing but needed to make it sound palatable. My stomach churned. "All parents need to be vigilant rather than afraid. That means supervising children, whether that be in public playgrounds, parks, walking to school, or at any other public area. Vigilance is one of the best safeguards.” I paused for a moment and took a breath. I'd surprised myself; my statement seemed to come from nowhere but sounded reasonable, reassuring, and logical. I continued. "In regard to a suspect, obviously I can't give away too much detail about an ongoing investigation, but we do have a person of interest, and are following up all lines of enquiry. I'd like to take this opportunity to thank the public for calling Crimestoppers. Their information has been invaluable."

  Debbie McDonald nodded, and I moved on to the next question. I focused on the hands up in the first two rows and chose one at random. "Yes? Next question? Thank you"

  The person stood up, and the blood drained from my face as I realised it was Ted Richards, who must have switched places and was now sitting in the front row.

  "Given the nature of the murder, there has been some speculation that the murderer has done this before. Are you treating this as the work of a serial killer, and if so, is he still at large?" Richards met my gaze before taking his seat.

  I cleared my throat and did my best to answer the question. "Given that it has been only 24 hours since Jessica was found, we are considering all options and pursuing several leads, including the person of interest. As I stated earlier, the best defence against this type of perpetrator is keeping an eye out for suspicious behaviour and calling Crimestoppers. Once more information comes to light, I'll be able to advise further." Not really my best answer, but then I hadn't fully finalised my political skills in appearing to answer the question without really doing anything of the sort. I didn't dare turn around to see how Hicks had reacted.

  "So, is that a yes? This could be the work of a serial killer?" Ted pushed the matter further.

  "We can't comment at this stage, at least not until our investigation has concluded, although—again—we are grateful for the information we receive on the Crimestoppers line and strongly urge the public to continue to call." The words came from somewhere else, a place I didn't know existed.

  My gut twisted, and the heat in my face continued to burn. It was obvious to me we had no idea what we were doing and bumbling through a press conference was not at the top of my to-do list. I'd made a complete mess of the whole thing.

  "Thank you, Detective Fletcher,” said Richards, scribbling furiously on a notepad.

  Although I wanted to end the press conference there and then, I figured I'd need to take at least a couple more questions. I chose another hand from the back of the pack this time. "Yes?” I said.

  "Kerryn Daniels, Channel Twelve. Can you tell us how the Holmes family are doing and has the possibility been considered that someone known to them murdered Jessica?” she said.

  If I’d thought this one was easier to answer, I was kidding myself. I gripped the side of the podium tightly with both hands. Surely this would all be over soon.

  "The Holmes family are doing as well as can be expected in this situation. Again, they request that their privacy be respected while they grieve for Jessica. Furthermore, as I mentioned earlier, we are following up on each and every line of enquiry, wherever that may lead, but we are still at the early stages of the investigation. We'll keep you updated as the case develops."

  The reporter gave a thin smile and rested her pen on the notepad balancing on her knee. I waited a moment before choosing the next question, taking a moment to assess the mood.

  The podium was brightly lit, and the rest of the room in dimmed lighting, so it took a few seconds to try and make out faces in the crowd. Judging by the number of hands still in the air, I could answer questions for the next couple of hours and still wouldn't get through them all.

  I needed a couple of brownie points up my sleeve with Hicks, so I soldiered on, determined to do my best, no matter how pathetic my answers may be. It felt like we had nothing, no evidence, no answers, no clue. And the reason for that was because I wanted Marlin Jones badly, but evidence to arrest him was thin on the ground.

  "Yes?” I said quietly, pointing at another hand.

  "Thank you, Jarrod Reeves, Thirteen News. So, you don't have a suspect in custody? When do you anticipate an arrest will be made?"

  My chest tightened, and the internal heat returned. "As I said earlier, we're still in the early stages of the investigation, but we have a person of interest. This is due largely to the public’s response to the Crimestoppers bulletin, which we urge them to continue with. We treat all calls seriously and we do follow them up."

  I breathed deeply and turned to my right, where Hicks had appeared. Could the damn press conference get any worse?

  Hicks shot me a piercing look and leaned towards the podium. I took a step back, and my knees buckled slightly, so I locked them into place.

  Boss lady leaned over to the microphone. "I do apologise, but we will need to bring the press conference to a close I'm afraid, as there's been some urgent developments which we'll update you on as soon as we're able. For now, please direct all further questions to Tracey Reynolds in the Media Unit. Thank you."

  As Tracey Reynolds reached the podium, I followed Hicks off the stage, the audience hum fading into the background. Hicks strode to the back corner of the room, turned and shoved her back against the wall. She stuffed both hands in her pockets.

  "Another body's been found. A little girl, seven years old. Same location, Sherbrooke National Park. A stabbing."

  CHAPTER TEN

  As part of Project Beacon, Hicks had set up an alert on any similar cases involving young children. This job had been called in, and forensics were likely already at the scene. A few more detectives were getting called out.
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  I wanted to compare notes again with the detective I’d called earlier, DS Swanson. Hicks had given me the woman’s details. And there they were again: Detective Sergeant Rae Swanson, out of the Ringwood/Maroondah station.

  We’d spoken very briefly yesterday, and she’d mentioned a possible a call-back this morning on Jessica’s case.

  Swanson had been investigating the disappearance of another young girl, but ‘her’ little one had been missing for longer than Jessica was, almost three weeks before a body had shown up. Worse still, it seemed she’d been killed only towards the end of the missing period. Now, two months had elapsed since the discovery.

  I wondered why he'd taken longer to murder that one? If these cases were related, that meant he’d kept Jessica Holmes for only four days before killing her.

  Although evidence-wise there wasn't enough information to prove a relationship between the murders, this was the same killer, the same scumbag. It had to be. I knew it, felt it in my bones, wanting to catch him so bad I could taste it. I wanted to get the faceless killer out of my head and into a jail cell.

  I'd do whatever it took to prove it and lock him up. This killer was male, not female, I figured since cases of female child abusers and serial killers were rare.

  ***

  So far, I was in on the new job—murdered girl number four—as part of the task force, although technically it was murder number two, so I pulled out my mobile phone and called the number for Rae Swanson again, out at Maroondah Homicide. It was roughly 9pm. The number rang, then skipped a couple of beats.

  "Maroondah CID.” I recognised Harry Filsche, again. Swanson must have diverted her mobile to the front desk of Knox CID for some reason. Probably because Knox was 24 hours, while Maroondah, or Ringwood, was not.

  "Hey, Harry, how's it going?"

  "Jack."

  "Boss told me there's a new job. A kid murdered again?"

  A beat, a pause. "Yeah, little girl. Tough one."