Flesh and Blood (A DI Amy Winter Thriller) by Caroline Mitchell (best love novels of all time .TXT) 📗

‘But none after Carla died?’

Denny shook his head. ‘I’ve got in touch with officers in seaside resorts with no reported suicides to check they’re not commonplace.’

‘So the tags aren’t a common theme – something kids are into right now.’

‘They’re not.’

Amy waited for him to elaborate, but when nothing was forthcoming, she asked, ‘How can you be sure?’

‘I have my contacts.’ A knowing smile spread across his face. ‘Graffiti tags like these are personal to the artist. It’s basically their name – a hand style. It’s unlikely anyone else would replicate it, and it’s too much of a coincidence that it’s been sprayed near the scene of each crime.’

Amy felt a ripple of excitement as Denny confirmed a link between the suicides. He was clearly a kindred soul.

‘Why would someone draw attention to themselves like that?’ She stared at the images Denny had handed her. ‘Do you think it’s a calling card?’

‘It’s possible.’ Denny appeared thoughtful. ‘Or someone marking their territory.’

‘Like gangs,’ Amy mused. It was a statement, not a question. ‘It’s a change from the Love Heart Killer. We knew exactly what we had on our hands there.’

‘Who?’ Denny looked at her quizzically.

Amy crossed her legs. ‘You know, our last big case. It was televised in the documentary by Ginny Woolfe.’

‘Sorry, I don’t have a television. But I read about the case in the newspapers, now that you mention it. That’s the one where he turned his victims into window dressing.’

It came as a surprise to Amy to hear Denny didn’t have TV. ‘Yes, it was. Sorry, I’m curious. You don’t have TV? What do you do of an evening?’ She noticed the absence of a wedding ring on his finger. He appeared too polished to have small children at home.

‘I read. Books are my passion, both fiction and non-fiction. Crime, mainly. I follow DCI Donovan’s cases too. He’s a bit of a legend around here. You’re very fortunate to be working beneath him.’

Amy bit back her smile. She had certainly been beneath Donovan, but she was pretty sure that wasn’t what he meant.

‘Sorry, ma’am, what have I said?’ He was watching Amy intently.

Amy tilted her head to one side. Denny was a definite people-watcher, but was it that unusual to see her smile? She did spend a lot of her day frowning, to be fair, but that was due to her frustrations with each case. Regardless, this was a man who didn’t miss a trick. ‘I didn’t know Donovan had such a following.’ It was the best excuse she could think of to explain her amusement.

‘Let me show you something.’ Denny rose from his chair. After plucking a bunch of keys from the desk drawer, he walked to a small battered-looking cupboard in the corner of the room. ‘Bicks keeps everything in here.’

Her curiosity burning, Amy joined him and bent over to peer inside as he opened the double doors.

‘They’re commendations,’ Denny said, pulling out five framed certificates and placing them on top of the furniture. ‘There’s medals too.’ Stretching, he reached to the back of the cupboard and produced two slim boxes, each one containing a medal for outstanding conduct. After laying them on top of the cupboard, Denny picked up one of the certificates. ‘This is for when the DCI ran into a burning building. He saved a special needs child after her dad escaped through the window. The dad didn’t win any medals for bravery, but Donovan did.’ He flicked through the frames. ‘This one was for talking down a woman who was ready to jump off a footbridge. And this . . .’ He smiled, blowing the dust off the frame. ‘This was awarded for bringing down a nationwide dogfighting ring. Donovan went undercover to infiltrate it. There were some dangerous characters involved. He saved a lot of animals’ lives.’

Amy faintly remembered Donovan mentioning the case. He had even rehomed one of the dogs himself. His daughter, Ginny, was taking care of it while he was away. Amy had enjoyed getting to know her since she filmed their last big case. But today Amy was getting insights into Donovan, too. ‘He got all these while he worked in Clacton?’ She stared in awe as Denny returned them to the cupboard. ‘And why are they here?’

‘Bicks keeps them for him. Donovan was awarded the first one when he was in Clacton. But he said he didn’t want it, so rather than throw it out, Bicks offered to keep it safe for him. I guess he thought it was a shame to get rid of it.’

‘And the others?’ Amy leaned against the cupboard. She’d had a couple of commendations herself, but her mother was insistent they went on the wall of their family home. They took pride of place in her father’s old office, next to his own.

‘He gets them sent here now,’ Denny said. ‘He won’t accept them otherwise. I’ve never seen such a modest DCI.’

Denny’s face was alight with admiration. Amy wondered if Donovan knew he had such an avid fan. ‘I’m surprised you haven’t put a request in to work with him. We’ve had lots of interest from your team to come on board. We’re not recruiting right now,’ she added hastily, as heads turned in her direction. ‘But you never know, in the future . . .’

‘I’d love to.’ Denny smiled. ‘But I’m not done here yet.’

Amy would have loved to ask him to elaborate, but time was ticking on. Instead, she returned to the desk and worked through the list of items he’d printed off. Most of it was boxes ticked, updates on searches and forensics but no real leads, other than the graffiti tags. ‘Right, well, thanks for everything. I’d best be getting back. If there’s anything else, give us a shout.’

‘Thanks for your time.’ Denny straightened, ready to rise until Amy gestured at him to stay where he was. ‘Oh, and ma’am, can you not mention these to DCI Donovan? They’re a bit of a sore point from what I hear.’

‘It’s Winter,’ she reminded him.