No Going Back by Casey Kelleher (black male authors TXT) 📗

it was. She felt out of sorts here and uncomfortable. But that was partly because of the conversation they were about to have, no doubt.

‘This place must cost a fortune,’ she said, thinking out loud as she scanned the menu once more. A bottle of their fanciest Champagne would probably set her back the best part of her week’s wages. Which instantly made her think of Holder’s earlier comment about making sure that Zack footed the bill. Lucy bit her lip to stop herself from smiling.

‘How’s the case going?’ Zack said, sensing how uncomfortable Lucy seemed, and hoping to break the ice and put her at ease.

‘So far, we don’t have much to go on other than the E-fit. The press conference should help…’ Lucy shrugged. ‘And we’re currently making our way through all the CCTV in the local area, as well as doing a door-to-door for any witness statements. It’s still early days,’ Lucy said, though she was genuinely hopeful that the attacker would be caught. ‘Shelby managed to get a really good look at him. The E-fit is really clear and she’s certain it’s an accurate likeness. So, I think we will get him,’ she said with certainty, hoping she would be proved right.

Zack nodded, noting how Lucy twiddled her napkin awkwardly.

Something else clearly playing on her mind.

‘Which was what I wanted to speak to you about. I take it DS Morgan filled you in?’ Lucy said, her voice quieter then, as if she was almost too scared to broach the subject.

‘He did. And I’m so very sorry to hear about your mother. It must have been extremely traumatic to witness what you did. Especially at such a young age,’ Zack said, knowing that Lucy probably just wanted to get this conversation over and done with; already it was lingering in the room between them.

‘Thank you. Yes. It’s been tough,’ Lucy said, not playing it down, grateful for the waiter who approached them and began pouring water in their glasses. Giving her a few seconds to gather herself, before she managed to find her voice as it lodged somewhere deep inside her throat.

‘But other than the E-fit, I don’t really know where to start with it all, or even if I want to full stop. It’s been twenty years. What are the chances that we’d even find him now after all this time?’ Lucy said with a shrug. ‘DS Morgan suggested doing the E-fit, and he said that it might be a good idea to speak with you. But that’s as far as I’ve got with everything. I don’t know, I guess I just wanted to know all the facts before I make my decision on what I should do next. Because it would mean dragging everything back up again. Bringing it to forefront of my life again. And not just mine. My nan’s too. Only her health is deteriorating and I’m not sure that she’d be able to cope with any of it.’

‘It’s a tough decision to make. I don’t envy you.’

‘I just wonder if seeing his face, what if it isn’t enough…’ Lucy paused.

‘But what if it is?’ Zack said, finishing Lucy’s sentence for her.

Lucy nodded.

‘Well, as you can imagine, reopening the case after all these years will prove a challenge. But it’s certainly not impossible,’ Zack said. ‘If we can identify the suspect, and you never know, it could happen, then it will be a case of trying to work out if there’s any way of placing the suspect at the scene of the crime. We’d need to rule out any alibis. And we would, of course, need to revisit forensics, which wouldn’t be a bad thing. We’ve come a long way in the last twenty years, so you just never know what might pop up now…’ Zack said, narrowing his eyes. ‘But I’m guessing that you know all this already. DS Morgan seems like he’s on the ball on this one. He was one of the original investigating officers on the case, wasn’t he? And from what I understand, he would pursue whatever avenues that he thought possible, if it meant he could finally bring your mother’s killer to justice,’ Zack said finally. ‘So, is there something else?’ he asked as the waiter approached the table once more to serve them both some warm bread rolls.

Lucy waited patiently until he had left.

‘I wanted to ask you if you would profile the killer for me,’ Lucy said then, matching Zack’s bluntness.

‘Well, gladly. I mean if the case is reopened and yourself and DS Morgan request that I…’ Zack said, watching closely as Lucy shook her head, shifting uncomfortably in her chair.

The expression on her face telling him that this wasn’t what she had been getting at.

Zack frowned.

‘What if we don’t reopen the case?’ Lucy said, not wanting to divulge any further details to Zack just yet. ‘Could you still profile him?’

Zack nodded now in understanding. Lucy wanted answers, but she was wondering how much she could access unofficially. Off the record, to see if it was worth her while going public with everything. Or if this was a gamble that didn’t have any chance of paying off. Zack could understand that. Once Lucy opened this can of worms, there’d be no going back.

‘It’s not something that’s possible without all the information. I’d need to see the cold case file,’ Zack said, pursing his mouth. ‘My job is to compile and compare data from similar crimes, and in order to do that I’d need to know exactly what I’m dealing with. I’d need to have access to every bit of crime scene evidence that was collected and the witness reports. It’s a lot more complex than just giving my opinion; there’s a lot of data to analyse.’

‘But if DS Morgan gave you that access… off the record…?’ Lucy said hopefully, knowing what a big ask it was for Zack to do this for her. To go over a historic murder case with a fine-tooth comb and try