The evening dusk did nothing to soften the grim bleakness of the jail.
"Smile," Carol told Tony. "You get to leave."
He looked around the room and grimaced. "Are we in the same room as before or not? I can't tell."
The presence of two men at the door cut off whatever reply Carol might have had.
"DCI Jordan, Dr. Hill, prisoner #6521478," the officer said by way of introduction.
"Oh, we've met," Gibbons smiled and sat down. "I hope this isn't going to take long; the guards are fluffing my pillow as we speak."
"And how do you think Jacob is sleeping these days?" Carol asked, having none of his bravado. She was pleased to see the smugness slip from his face, even if it was slight.
He quickly covered his surprise and rebutted, "Jacob who?"
Sighing, Carol leaned forward and clasped her hands together. "Listen, I'm tired and, as you said, you don't have much time so let's cut through the bullshit and get to it, shall we? Jacob Blakemore, your brother, your twin, has committed two murders in England and twenty-three murders in Germany. So where is he?"
"Two murders that you know of," Gibbons corrected.
"What's that supposed to mean?"
He shrugged. "I don't know. Just something my solicitor came up with."
Carol's eyes narrowed and now it was her turn to cover her surprise. "You're going to try and pin your murders on your brother?"
"Not me," he answered, "but my solicitor's running around like a puppy, talking about how the DNA is no longer conclusive because there are two sources, or something like that. It's all legal mumbo-jumbo to me." His expression said otherwise.
Quickly playing out the options in her head, Carol then waved off Gibbons' theory. "I've read the file; you were in England at the time the pathologist determined time of death."
"Got anything to show Jacob wasn't in England?" he asked, feigning innocence. "Besides, the pathologist himself admitted in court that he couldn't pinpoint exact time of death."
"Yes, nice trick with the ice cubes."
He grinned. "I learned that from the telly."
She tried a different route. "I thought you wanted to go down as one of England's greatest killers? Sort of tossed to the wind if your brother gets the nod for them, doesn't it?"
"Who says I can't have one without the other? You coppers had no other evidence to pin on me except the DNA. DNA that also belongs to my brother. Once a jury hears that, who are they going to find guilty? If they think it's me, my lawyer will say it's my brother. If they think it's my brother, his lawyer will say it's me. I see me having my cake and eating it, too." He leaned back in his chair and gazed up at the ceiling with a smile of self-satisfaction on his face.
"That's a dangerously simplistic view of the justice system, not to mention your case," Carol remarked, appalled at his conceit.
"Tell that to my solicitor," he smiled.
"What was it like when you first saw him?" Tony said at last.
Gibbons' smile faltered a bit again, knowing Tony wasn't referring to Jeff's solicitor. He looked away and whispered honestly, "Like nothing I'd ever felt before. Have you ever met your soul mate, Dr. Hill?" He received an understanding nod from Tony, so he carried on. "It's the only way I can explain it; like I had gone through life incomplete in some way, I never gave it much thought or even realized it, really, until I met Jacob. And then it was like I was a whole person for the first time. We caught up just like that," he said, winking and clicking his tongue on the roof of his mouth, "because there wasn't much to catch up on. His life was mine and mine was his. It was almost scary." He leaned forward. "Same education, same choices in music and food and sports."
"Same murderous impulses," Carol added.
He looked at her, as if just coming out of a daze and laughed. "I suppose so."
"How did it begin, Jeff?" Tony asked softly.
Gibbons bit the inside of his cheek. "I don't know." He saw the look of disbelief on Carol's face and repeated, "I don't know. We were walking by this house. Quiet street. It was dark. Very dark. We could see this silhouette of a woman undressing. I made a joke or Jacob made it, I don't remember. Something about getting a closer look. So we did. We waited for the lights to go out, then waited, maybe another twenty minutes more. We snuck up to the window and got a look. She was sleeping. Alone. And at that moment, I looked over at Jacob and we both knew. We didn't even have to speak. The window was slightly open; it was a warm night. We got in."
"And you killed her," Carol finished.
Gibbons shook his head. "No."
"What?"
"We didn't kill her. We raped her and left."
Carol's hand came up and she slowly covered her mouth to conceal her shock.
"It was only later that we realized we could get caught. So the second time, we got into the room but we didn't rape her."
"You masturbated in the room," Tony said.
"Yeah," he admitted. "We made sure we were careful. See, it was being in the room that was the thrill, not the sex."
"And how did this go from wanking to murder?" Carol asked, doing nothing to disguise her disdain.
"The girl woke up," Gibbons said simply, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "Jacob froze, but I jumped on her."
"Then you realized there was a bigger thrill than being in the room," Tony offered.
Gibbons smirked. "Yeah. Now that, that I had never felt before. Ever. And when I looked over at Jacob, I knew he felt it, too. So I said, "That's one for me'."
Tony revealed a wan smile. "Just like that."
"Just like that," Gibbons repeated.
"Any idea why he would start killing in England?" Carol inquired. "His back yard was Germany."
"My solicitor might disagree with you."
"Come on, Jeff, cut the crap."
"Well, since this conversation is taking place without the presence of my solicitor and isn't being recorded…" He shrugged. "Maybe he got bored of Germany. Maybe he was worried he'd get caught over there. He just got out of jail a couple of months ago; maybe he had had his fill of the place."
"Maybe he wanted to show he could finish the job his big brother started," Tony suggested. "To show he was more clever than you."
Snorting, Gibbons dismissed the idea. "It wasn't about who was more clever than who. We may be two people, but we're of one mind, don't you understand? If he's upset, I can feel it, right here," he pointed to his chest with his chin. "If he's happy, I can feel myself smiling. If he's angry, I can literally feel my blood boil. If he's killing in England, he's not doing it to show me up; he's doing it to please me."
Carol choked out an empty laugh. "Isn't that nice?"
Ignoring her, he yawned and tried to stretch as much as he could, with his arms cuffed behind his back. "The guards should be finished making up my room." He stood up and waved from behind. "Nice seeing you two again. Come back any time."
He got to the door when Carol called out, "Where is he, Jeff?"
The killer slowly turned. "He's right here," he answered, gesturing to his chest again. Then he laughed. "Betray my own brother? It'd be like betraying myself, wouldn't it?" He turned back to the guard. "Well, come on then; I don't know about you, but I need my beauty sleep."
The second Gibbons and the guard left, Carol stood up. Without bothering to look at Tony, she said, "I need to get out of here," and was walking away before he even had a chance to respond.
--
"Sorry," she apologized when they got to the car. Tony had had a difficult time keeping up with her long hurried strides, and was now breathless in the passenger seat. "I just had to get out of there," she said again. "I really need to take a long hot shower."
"Me, too."
She smiled for the first time since Gibbons had walked into the interrogation room.
He smiled in return. "So, after the long hot shower, what's next?"
"Bed."
"Oh."
Now she really smiled. "Then I call you in the morning and see if you're up for a trip to Sutherland."
"Oh," he said again, feigning disappointment.
"Nelson would be more than willing to share the couch with you, if you wanted," she offered. "It would save me a trip round to your flat in the morning."
He barely paused before agreeing. "Yeah. Sounds good. On our way back, stop by my place first so I can get a change of clothes."
She couldn't help but show her surprise at his decision. She expected the spur of the moment offer, though genuine, to be turned down. "Really?"
"Yeah." He saw the surprise but pretended not to notice. "Don't tell Nelson, but I think I've grown attached."
To what or to whom, he didn't say, and Carol decided to leave it a mystery.
--
Morning came too soon for Carol and she stretched across her bed in protest. She was about to pull the blankets over her head when an unfamiliar aroma wafted into the room. Well, not unfamiliar in its smell, just unfamiliar at this time of the morning, considering she was still in bed.
Coffee.
Then she remembered.
Tony.
--
They had stopped by his place first, as requested, and picked up an overnight bag. Returning to her flat, they had shared some wine and talked about the case.
"Is there any merit to his claim that his brother could have committed all the murders?" Carol asked.
Tony rested his head on the back of the couch as the wine warmed through him. "I don't think so. I think his story about the first murder is true. The police were unaware there was another person at the scene, but other than that, it seems like a very feasible story."
Carol had deduced as much, but it was good to hear it from someone else. "I'll call Kevin first thing in the morning. Find out if he can pinpoint Gibbons whereabouts during the time of the rape. Maybe we can locate this woman, see if we can talk to her."
"Over fifty percent of rape cases are never reported."
"I know, I know," she sighed, "but it won't hurt. Besides, Kevin likes looking for needles in haystacks."
Tony smiled and closed his eyes. "Remind me to phone Kate in the morning and get her to find a replacement for my two classes."
Carol mirrored his recline. "She doesn't like me."
"Who?"
"Kate."
"Oh really?" he mused. "Then maybe I'll get you to call her in the morning." He felt a slap on his chest and laughed. Then a familiar bundle of fur jumped up onto his lap. "Is that a hint, Nelson?" Tony asked the cat. After several moments of enduring Nelson's not-so-gentle kneading, Tony carefully stood up. "I get the hint. You sit over here while I make your life more comfortable," he said as he placed the cat on a nearby chair. He turned to find Carol already making up the couch.
"You didn't even put the blankets away from the last time," he noted.
"Why would I?" she asked slyly. "I always knew you'd come back." She laughed at his face. "Close your mouth and help me."
--
There was another smell, though just barely touching the edges of her sense. Soap. 'He must have gotten up incredibly early to have a shower and avoid any accidental meetings in the bathroom,' she thought with a grin. With one final desperate attempt, she freed herself from the captivating warmth of her bed and stood up. She allowed herself on last stretch before padding across the room, the carpet soft and soothing under her bare feet. On her way to the kitchen, she caught sight of Tony sitting on the couch, reading the paper and absently scratching behind the ear of an appreciative Nelson.
"Morning," she said, and kept walking, drawn towards the aroma of coffee.
"There's coffee in…"
"Mmmm, I know."
As she poured herself a cup and tossed two pieces of bread into the toaster, she was aware that Tony was staring at her. With her back to him, she said, "I don't sleep in a suit, you know."
"Hmmm? Oh. Right. Sorry."
"You've just never seen me in pyjamas before," she supplied helpfully.
"Well, now that you mention it, no," he admitted. "First I catch you cleaning your kitchen, now this. I can only take so many surprises in one week, Carol."
She saw his barely concealed smile and tossed back, "Then you'd better be prepared; I've got a few more for you."
The stretching silence was broken by the toast, jumping to attention.
--
At the door, she looked around. "I.D., money, gun, keys. I phoned Kevin and you phoned Kate. Fed Nelson and turned off the coffee pot. Right. Let's go."
Tony blinked in amazement at her efficient mental checklist. All he could think of saying in return was, "You carry a gun?"
"Surprised?" she quipped.
--
The minute he walked into the room, he knew it was the place.
"What the bloody hell are you smiling about?" his partner grunted as they carefully put down the appliance. "It's ten in the morning, we've got eight more deliveries today and it's going to be hotter than Hell."
His answer wasn't a complete lie. "I was just thinking how glad I am there aren't any stairs in this place."
"Ah, well, I'll give you that," the other man agreed. "Only two deliveries and me back's already killing me."
He watched as the pretty brunette dutifully signed the delivery papers. Indulging himself, he took one more glance around the flat before following his partner out the door.
'Perfect,' he thought and smiled again.
--
"You know the one thing that puzzles me about this case?" Tony asked as they drove down the motorway towards Sutherland.
Carol laughed. Seeing his look of confusion, she clarified, "Sorry, it's just I wouldn't know where to start, if you were expecting an answer. Anyway, go on."
Picking up where he left off, he continued, "The first murder in Sutherland. It was the only one out of the twenty-five that involved dismemberment. Strange."
She tapped her fingers on the steering wheel in thought. "He had to do it in order to fulfill his signature."
"The signature after smothering by hand being the freezer," Tony said.
"So, let's look at it from the other murders. No dismemberment because he didn't have to fit them into the freezer."
"Which must mean every other murder had a freezer large enough to accommodate his signature."
"And the body."
"And the body." He glanced over to her, enjoying the mental volleying. "What do you think the odds are that each flat would miraculously have a freezer fit for his needs?"
"He's been in the house before the murders."
He nodded in agreement. "Very likely. What job would allow someone into the house of a stranger?"
Carol frowned. "Kevin found no history of employment for Jacob since he got out of jail."
"Okay, so maybe he's getting paid on the side. That still helps us narrow it down. Probably not in sales. And Jeff Gibbons didn't strike me as the religious type, so I think we can rule out that angle."
"General labourer," Carol offered.
"Carpentry?"
"Electrician?"
"Plumber."
"Delivery."
"Delivery," he repeated, almost to himself. There was a moment of silence before he smacked his hands together. "Yes! Delivery. Think about it, Carol," he said, picking up the trail excitedly, "he knows there are freezers at each murder to accommodate his signature because he delivers them! He uses his job to select his victims based on what he finds at the addresses he delivers to. It's brilliant, really."
"Brilliant," Carol sighed. "Really."
Changing course, Tony asked, "What are you going to tell DCI Samuels when we arrive?"
"I hadn't really thought about it," she confessed. "It just sticks in my throat that we've done all the work and he'll get the reward."
"It's not a competition, Carol."
"Spoken like a man who's allergic to politics."
The corners of his mouth turned downward and he made a sour face at the word. "Point taken."
"Anyway," she went on, "I think I'll just tell him we're following up on a piece of information that, at this time, I considered too inconsequential to waste his time with."
"Oh," Tony said in an appreciative tone, "you're good."
"Thank you."
"And the psychologist?"
"Oh, you're good too, I suppose," she answered playfully.
"I meant, how are you going to explain bringing a psychologist with you?"
"I won't. What I do to forward an investigation has no bearing on his case. It's none of his business."
"So I'll just stand quietly to the side then, yeah?" he mused.
She grinned. "Yeah."
"Right," he answered. He looked out the window for several moments before turning back sharply to Carol. "What did you mean by 'I suppose'?"
--