BLOOD STAINED an unputdownable crime thriller with a breathtaking twist (Detective Claudia Nunn Book by Rebecca Bradley (whitelam books .txt) 📗

She shook herself free of her melancholy and climbed out of the car. She had a job to do. If she were to have such intimate conversations with Ruth again she needed to focus, not drift off in a world of her own.

In the incident room Claudia introduced Bell to Harry and asked him to take care of the photofit. Harry’s face lit up.

‘You mean we have a real lead on the Sheffield Strangler?’

Bell stood mute. Hands by his sides.

‘It certainly looks like it, if Mr Bell here can create us an image of him.’ She smiled at Bell who decided the floor was a more interesting proposition. She’d have thought he’d be more excited to be involved in the investigation, especially in such a pivotal way. But some people were worried about repercussions, blowback. She’d have a quiet word with Harry and ask him to reassure Bell that this was not likely to happen. His details would not be made public.

With Bell ushered out of the room, Claudia turned to Kane. ‘I suppose we’d better head back to the custody suite to interview Dominic.’

‘You going to tell him about Bell?’

Claudia thought about this. What were the pros and cons of telling her father they had a lead on the Sheffield Strangler case? Would it distract him from recounting his knowledge of the Strangler or focus him more? ‘I’m not sure.’

Kane read her mind. ‘You’re worried he’ll lose concentration?’

They headed back to the car. ‘Yeah. You never know what might be valuable in the telling. So much has happened over the last six months. Our fresh eyes over events might be what’s needed. But if he clams up . . .’

‘It’s a risk but he’s going to want to know what we’ve been doing all this time.’

Kane was right. Dominic wouldn’t let it go until he knew what they’d been doing.

At the custody suite Kane went to bring Dominic out of his cell while in the interview room Claudia considered the impending conversation.

‘Where’ve you been?’ Dominic was speaking before he was fully through the door.

‘I told you I was giving you a break.’ She kept her voice calm. There was no point in getting into it with him.

‘I’ve been locked in that cell for what feels like well over an hour.’

It was a good guess. And that was all it was because he’d had his watch removed when he was booked into custody.

‘Tell me, Claudia.’ He was using his parenting voice again.

She glared at him as Kane unwrapped the discs to start the interview.

‘Let’s get the interview started first, shall we?’

Dominic folded his arms. ‘So it’s relevant to the investigation?’

‘You think we’ve just been sitting having some tea?’ she snapped at him, losing her temper. She didn’t want to but sometimes he was just too ridiculous.

The room fell quiet as each of them contemplated the situation. A buzz filled the space as Kane pressed record on the machine and the interview was commenced again.

Once they had run through the preliminaries, Dominic tried again. ‘So, are you going to tell me where you’ve been?’

Claudia looked to Kane.

‘Stop looking to him for answers. Just tell me.’

She balled up her fists in her lap. Yes, he was in a difficult position, but did he think she wasn’t? How did he think she was feeling having to interview him, considering him a potential suspect for this? She ground her teeth before answering him.

‘The witness you were looking for . . . the one eating chips . . .’

‘Yes?’

‘We’ve identified him and been out to speak to him. He saw a man holding a woman up and helping her along. He’s doing a photofit as we speak.’

Dominic opened his mouth but nothing came out. For a change, figured Claudia, relishing the peace.

Eventually Dominic let a breath go and spoke. ‘You’ve managed to find a real witness? After we’ve been at it all this time . . .’ His voice was barely a whisper. There were tears in his eyes.

‘Hey,’ Claudia said. ‘You put in all the hard work. We were simply working from where you’d got to.’

‘But still.’ He scrubbed the back of a hand over his eyes. ‘If you locate him you can find Ruth.’

Claudia’s breath caught in her throat. She struggled to compose herself.

Kane leapt in for her. ‘Shall we go back to the letter you received?’

Chapter 35

Dominic

Five months ago

The rest of the press releases that morning were pretty scathing of the police. Dominic read them with a sinking heart. He hated when the police were under such negative scrutiny and this time it was one of his cases. It felt personal.

They were doing everything they could but murder cases were complex investigations. You couldn’t just run a set of prints from the body and then identify the killer. It was never that simple. He wished it were. For the sake of the family and for the clear-up rate of the investigation teams.

Linking the two murders like this was going to make people anxious. It was going to make the women of the city anxious. Did they have cause, he wondered? The fact that they had been contacted by the killer pretty much guaranteed they now had a single murderer for both victims. Kapoor had informed the team they were officially working both cases and he was linking them. Much as he hated to. There was no way out of it now they had the letter.

The day dragged on in a blur of work. Dominic had managed to stuff a sandwich down his throat at his desk when his phone rang. It was Catherine.

‘What do you have for me? Please tell