Read A Deadly Imperfection: Calladine & Bayliss 3 for Free Online Page B

with a common purpose?’
    Calladine nodded – Imogen might have a point but he didn’t think that was it. 
    ‘If it is one killer then perhaps they’re just starting out,’ Rocco suggested.  ‘Perhaps they haven’t found their particular method yet.’
    ‘It doesn’t work like that, Rocco,’ Calladine told him.  ‘No – I’m certain we’re looking for one person who knew them both.’
    ‘But the doctor and North lived in entirely different social circumstances.  So who’d know them both?’ Rocco put to him. 
    ‘Albert North and Doctor Ahmed can’t possibly be linked,’ Imogen argued.   ‘I doubt they have anyone or anything in common.  North was from the Hobfield and the Doctor from the posh part of Leesworth.  North was retired and the doctor at the hospital all day, every day.’
    ‘The link is the killer, he or she could be a tradesman, someone delivering groceries, the list is endless once you think about it,’ Calladine pointed out.  ‘We’re going to have to dig because link is there; somewhere and we’ve got to find it because there’s no guarantee that this is the end.’
    ‘You’re expecting more?’  Imogen asked.
    ‘We’ve no way of knowing, but it looks like someone’s on a mission to me.’
    Brad Long entered the Incident Room, he nodded to the team then handed Calladine a wodge of papers.
    ‘Julian sent these up.  He reckons you need to look at the summary of his findings right away.’
    ‘How’s Thorpe doing with the missing child case?’
    ‘He’s following a lead but it’s a wild goose chase if you ask me.  The child could be anywhere – it’s been days.’
    ‘Shouldn’t we be doing more?’
    ‘With what, with who,’ he said puffing out his fat cheeks.  ‘We’re all stretched as it is.  Anyway I’ve given Oldston the heads up, asked them to look at it in tandem with their Cassidy case.  That new guy they’ve got, DI Greco, is looking at it now.’
    ‘The Prideau girl disappeared on our patch - it should be down to us to find her.’
    ‘We can’t afford to be that idealistic, Tom, wish we could, but we just don’t have the resources.’
    Calladine sighed with discontent and looked at what the Doc had sent him. Hoyle had taken North’s body to the morgue so Julian will have started his analysis of any findings.  Calladine scanned the single sheet of A4 stamped ‘Urgent’ in red ink.
    ‘This backs up my theory that we’re looking for one killer,’ he told the team.
    ‘So it has to be someone who knew both Albert North and Doctor Ahmed,’ Rocco reiterated.
    ‘Tariq Ahmed was a Doctor – they see allsorts at the hospital,’ Imogen reasoned.  ‘So our killer could be from the Hobfield, and have had some beef with the Doctor.’
    ‘But why now?  What is it that’s prompted these killings?’  It was a puzzler and Calladine’s brain was out of practise.  He’d just have to work on it.
    ‘Julian has sent his preliminary report through,’ he told the team. ‘Hairs were found on both Doctor Ahmed’s and Albert North’s clothing – synthetic hairs, like you get in a cheap wig.  So if there were any doubts before, I think this sorts them.  We’re definitely looking for one killer,’ he emphasised.
    ‘What colour?’  Ruth asked.
    ‘Grey and curly.’
    ‘Like an elderly woman’s hair, Guv - the sort of style that still requires rollers and a hairdryer at the salon.’
    ‘If you say so, Sergeant.’ 
    But she was right, when he thought back to when his mother was in the home he could recall all the old dears having more or less the same style, and that just about summed it up – grey and curly.
    ‘Then this could be someone in disguise, pretending to be elderly.’
    ‘Pretending to be an elderly woman, Guv,’ Ruth corrected him.  ‘But why, what would that achieve?’
    ‘Trust perhaps,’ he replied.  ‘Who would think an elderly woman dangerous?’
    Doc. Hoyle had said the killer was small – so was their