Nine Lives by Anita Waller (best english books to read .txt) 📗

don’t think Erica will be, she’s a killer to catch now you’re slacking.’ Norma smiled.

Beth gave the smallest of nods, and closed her eyes.

There was jubilation that afternoon in the briefing room when Erica gave them the news. It appeared that everybody had avoided asking after Beth, because they didn’t want to know if it was a bad prognosis.

Erica let them talk amongst themselves for a few minutes – it was rare to have something good to pass around in the briefing room, but she eventually tapped on the desk and there was silence.

‘Reports from interviews yesterday. Ian, can you collate them all and have them on my desk by noon, please. In the meantime, was there anything significant from anyone?’

Ian waved a bundle of papers. ‘Already done, boss. Only Sam had anything significant. Sam?’

‘Yes, boss. It’s in my report. One of the men I interviewed said he’d seen the car before, recognised it because it was the same model as his son’s, and he’d seen it outside the gym. He’d actually made a move to go towards it, thinking it was his son stopping by to pick him up, but then realised it was a different number plate. But that’s as much as he could tell me. He’d no idea who was driving, or even what the number plate was. Other than that I got nothing. Sorry, boss.’

‘Thanks, Sam. And thank you, everybody. Sterling effort completing that list. Not given us much to go on, but it had to be done. It’s ticked off now, and I’m going into my office and starting work on the membership list. And we have temporary congratulations for Flick because I’ve made her acting DS until Beth is well enough to return to us. This may be for some time, Flick, but thank you for agreeing. Flick, as you all know, is soon to take her sergeant’s exam anyway. Maybe others amongst you, Ian,’ Erica said pointedly, ‘might like to consider this brave move.’

Ian laughed. ‘Good on you, Flick! Not for me, though, boss. Not yet, anyway.’

‘We’ll see,’ Erica said, half joking and half serious. ‘Okay, I need two of you to go out to visit our hidden girls, Becky and Katie, show them that car, see if they know it. Decide who’s doing that, and I’ll need the report first thing tomorrow. Check up on their general welfare, and tell them we’re close to finding the killer. That will keep their spirits up.’

‘Are we?’ Ian asked. ‘Close to finding her?’

Erica looked around the room, then spoke slowly. ‘I think we are. I think one tiny piece of evidence is all we need. God knows what that is, but I promise all of you, this will not be a repeat of twenty-fourteen, and she’ll pay for all eight of these girls.’

Flick waited until Ian had organised Sam and Kev to go and see the girls, then popped her head around Erica’s door. ‘You okay, boss?’

‘Feeling a bit overwhelmed,’ she said with a smile. ‘My worry for Beth has been immense, and to see her and hear her has made my day. They seemed to take it well, your temp posting.’

‘They did, but they all knew I was going for sergeant anyway, and I’m just waiting for the exam date. They’re a good bunch, don’t think there’s anybody I don’t get on with. Kev can be quiet but he takes everything in. I know this is changing the subject, but it’s Bonfire Night tomorrow.’

‘I know. I’m starting to become slightly paranoid about it. You don’t like it either?’

‘No, not at all, but even more so this year. Everybody knows our emergency services are all on full alert on that night more than any other time in the year, and we’ve got a serial killer wandering the streets of Sheffield possibly looking for victim number nine. If I was that serial killer, I’d take full advantage of that situation.’

‘My thoughts exactly. The worst part of it is that I’ve no idea what to do about it. So… let’s assume you’re the killer. What would you do?’

‘Go to one of the civic bonfires, and pick somebody up there. You could easily latch on to somebody who’s on their own, suggest going to the pub, and she only needs to get them into her car. She’s proved that.’

Erica gave a slight nod. ‘Okay, so how can we negate this a little?’

Flick thought for a moment, then smiled. ‘I see where you’re heading. We need to get it out there that the killer is a woman, probably comes across as really nice and helpful, and we need to tell them on this evening’s news programmes. There may even be bonfires tonight that she could visit.’

Erica stood. ‘Come on, we need to speak to somebody higher up who will deal with this. Count this as part of your training, acting DS Ardern.’

A look of concern flashed across Flick’s face, and Erica laughed. ‘Don’t worry, not all supers are like they are in fictional stories. Ours is okay, usually amenable, although a bit touchy on this one. He’ll think of this as a positive step forward. We’ll get the information about the car and that we believe it to be a woman we are looking for out in the general arena, and see where we go from there. Let’s hope lots of people watch the news.’

Quarter of an hour later they were in the canteen enjoying a coffee.

‘Told you he’d be okay,’ Erica said.

‘Okay, I’m a fan. You have to report everything to him?’

‘I make a point of doing so. I send an email every day, keeping him informed of what we’re doing, and of any progress we’ve made. We had a different Super in twenty-fourteen, so all that side of it has been fairly new to this one. To be fair, he’s read up on the cold case, knows as much as we do about it.’

‘And he’s good in front of a camera. A presence. Let’s hope it has