Spider - Michael Morley [77]
Orsetta put her hand on his arm. ‘Jack, this isn’t adding up. If BRK was aroused just by the thought of the upcoming anniversary of his first victim, that might be a reason for him going back to her grave, but you’re ignoring the fact that he sent that victim’s skull in a package specifically addressed to you at the FBI, and the possibility that he killed in Livorno.’
Jack shrugged. It was something he’d already thought about. ‘I was the last person heading the enquiry. I was in all the papers and on television; the front man always gets the attention, especially when it involves psychopaths.’ He flinched. ‘Even me quitting the case was in the papers, so I guess I was simply a soft target for his scorn.’
Orsetta’s face soured. ‘So, if you rule yourself out, then what’s the connection to Italy?’
Jack thought he had the answer. ‘Italy may be his new hunting ground, but that doesn’t mean he can’t fly home to mark an anniversary. When these whackos get all wired up they tend to be erratic, offending in sprees, until their energies have been spent. I’m much more inclined to believe that, than think BRK has some personal beef with me.’
Jack pulled away from her hand and sat back in his chair. He was thinking about what she had just said. Somehow she’d touched a nerve. The Italian connection really was an odd thing. And then, a thought struck him.
‘You’ve got me wondering though. Why Italy? If it really is BRK, then why kill in Italy? There’s nothing in his profile that links him with the country, and you’re right, I am the only geographic link.’
Orsetta couldn’t resist flashing him a ‘told-you-so’ look.
‘Let’s say we are dealing with BRK, and let’s say the excitement of the anniversary has made him want to start killing again,’ said Jack, starting to see a pattern. ‘It would be very much in BRK’s profile to organize his return to action, to set up a decoy, to have us spread our resources not just nationally but internationally and be massively distracted so he can indulge his sick little fantasies.’
Orsetta could sense Jack reliving the hatred, and the pain, of hunting his old foe. Subconsciously, he started twirling the gold wedding ring on his finger, and continued, ‘So, following your line of thought, BRK kills in Italy, knowing that the Italian police will turn to me. That’s a fair bet; our move to Tuscany was in all the papers back home, so he could well have read about that. He’d know that a dismembered body on a coastline, plus a note claiming to be from him, would be bound to get you guys calling at my door.’ Jack visibly warmed to the theory. ‘That would explain why he went to such lengths to mention twice in the note that we were dealing with BRK. Then, while everyone is focused on Italy, he turns his attention back to his old flame Sarah Kearney, as part of what he’s really got in mind.’
Orsetta was unsure of his train of thought. ‘Where are you going with this, Jack? Are you saying that you think he is no longer in Italy and he’s planning to start killing again in the States?’
That was exactly what he was thinking. ‘Either he’s planning to kill there, or he has already killed. Italy’s a red herring, built around me. You were right about me being the elephant in the room. Now it’s only a matter of time before another body turns up, probably in the States. And you can bet that if BRK is killing again, then this time he’ll be on a spree that is going to be worse than anything we’ve ever encountered before.’
48
San Quirico D’Orcia, Tuscany
Nancy King’s morning was thrown into disarray when a landscaper unexpectedly turned up to survey the area of subsidence in the rear gardens. Vincenzo Capello was an old friend of her hotel manager