Written In Blood

Chapter Forty-Six

"The only thing we know for certain right now, if I've read your report right," Harrison said as he drove them towards town, "Is that all four of the girls who we know to be victims of our killer were either at the Wright Farm or on the road that leads to it when they were attacked."

"But we don't know where Daisy was when she was attacked," Melissa said, determined not to get caught in the trap of believing something was certain until it was actually proven. "We know she left home just before five, and should have been on her way to the Wright Farm, but we don't know that that's where she was actually heading, and we haven't been able to find anyone in the village who saw her between the end of the road she lives on and the farm."

"That's true," Harrison agreed. "But the fact that she was found in a farmhouse off the road we were talking about does suggest that the attack on her fits with the others. It gives us somewhere to start, and that's important. The map you included in your file indicates that the road to the Wright Farm runs for about a mile from the church to the farm; we can probably discount about half of that distance, the area from the church to the three houses you marked, as being where the attacks took place – the odds of three girls being snatched along that stretch, where there's most likely to be a witness, are too low.

"I think it far more likely that the killer would have grabbed them on the latter stretch of the road, where there was less chance of him being spotted."

"I guess so, the only place where we know for sure that one of the attacks happened, other than the attack on Emily, which happened in her bedroom, is the field belonging to the Wright Farm, that's almost parallel with the houses, but the actual spot where the attack happened isn't easy to see from them." Melissa grimaced. "That doesn't really help us, though, does it."

"Maybe, maybe not. If there were no houses along that stretch of road I'd be inclined to agree with you, but with them there it means the killer is almost certainly either Zack Wild or Kieran Wright. The attacks occurred on at least three separate occasions – if someone who had no reason for being there was seen on the days the attacks happened it would have been noted by one of Zack Wild's neighbours, who I'm sure are aware of everyone who goes up and down the road; it's doubtful, however, that they would take much note of the comings and goings of either Zack Wild or Kieran Wright.

"Since Wild has an alibi for when one of the attacks appears to have taken place, we need to focus our attention on either proving that Wright is responsible for the murders, or on finding the evidence that proves he can't be."

"We've got DNA from Georgina and Lucy," Melissa said. "That should prove who the killer is."

"It will certainly prove whether Mr Wild is the killer or not," Harrison said. "We can get a DNA sample from Mr Wild no problem; we can't with Kieran Wright, however, he would have to volunteer, and I can't see him doing that. I do have a tentative idea for how we can get a sample from him without arousing his suspicions, however. The problem we have is that they are our only two suspects, if the DNA eliminates both of them, we're left with no idea who the killer is, and nothing to point us to him unless Emily Wright wakes up."