As the interview drew to a close, Corstorphine knew he finally had enough detail to make a case, more than enough to prevent the ACC from closing them down.

XXIX FRIDAY 12:11

XXIX
FRIDAY 12:11

Corstorphine stared at the crazy board, desperately searching for a clue to jump out and point the way forward. He glanced at the clock, still no sign of the Assistant Chief but it was only a matter of time. He had the three murders arranged at the top of the board; the minister and sheriff, both of whom each of the former orphans had accused of child abuse, and Oscar who apparently was employed as a hired thug. Circumstantial evidence now placed Oscar at the scene of the reporter’s death, back in 1997. Oscar would have been about eighteen, certainly old enough and strong enough to have committed the act. If the reporter had been about to go public on what she’d discovered about the orphanage, then there were a number of people who’d have wanted her dead. He added her daughter to the board, Abigail Stevens, and pinned a red string connecting her to Brian Rankin. The man was responsible for bringing her to a place where he must have known she was likely to suffer abuse – yet, according to Craig Derbyshire, he may also have been responsible for getting her away some months later. Why?

Corstorphine had photocopied the five small children’s photographs and placed them on the board, waiting for word from Lamb and the ground penetrating radar. How five children could just go missing, with social services and all the other agencies involved, was beyond him. The Sisters of Holy Mercy would have to wait for the moment. He didn’t have the resources to deal with them until he’d identified and arrested the murderer, although they were as guilty as sin itself. Whoever the murderer was, they must have had local knowledge to select the location and means of murdering each victim, especially since each victim’s detailed movements were known prior to each death. It had to be one of the orphans. They had the motive. He felt this was especially likely given the specific nature of each death. Each punishment fitted the individual, if not the crime. The way the laird had died suggested that the murderer had also spent some time in solitary confinement. In the hole, as Craig Derbyshire had put it. The similarity to his chosen method of execution couldn’t have been mere coincidence.