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

better than anyone on your team, I know how he works. No need to feel bad for talking facts with me. I’m clinging on to hope that she’s still alive. We don’t have a body so in my book she’s still alive.’

Claudia brought herself back to the here and now and the job she was doing, pulled herself away from the night with Ruth. ‘But the lipstick goes to show he’s likely got her. It’s enough to come to that conclusion, wouldn’t you say?’ Why was he so against this? Why was she having to encourage him that it was the right way to go?

‘Not that I want to admit this, but you’re right.’ Dominic slouched down in his seat. ‘But do you want to frighten the public this way?’

‘You shouldn’t be worrying about that. You should focus on Ruth and let us consider how we’re going to play this. I’ll obviously run it up the flagpole and speak to Sharpe, but I can’t see her having an issue with an appeal. She’s as concerned as the rest of us.’ Why wasn’t he? What was the issue?

‘I’m sorry, it’s a natural part of me, the job just kicks in.’ His voice was quiet. ‘But if you think it’ll help get Ruth back I’m all for it.’

‘Even if we don’t reach him someone might’ve seen Ruth. They might have seen her being lifted into a vehicle or carried somewhere. It’s as much about searching for witnesses as it is about reaching out to him.’

‘You don’t need to keep selling it, Claudia. You have me on side.’

It hadn’t felt like it. She smiled at him. ‘We’ll find her, Dad. No matter what it takes, you have the full might of the force behind you on this. She’s not alone. Wherever she is she’ll know she has several thousand cops on her side who won’t back down.’ And that thought alone was something that had kept Claudia going all day. Knowing her colleagues were doing everything in their power, following every lead, every sign, turning everything upside down to search for her.

Dominic looked broken.

Claudia stood. ‘I’m going to put you back in your cell while I sort this other stuff out. You okay with that? Keeping you here a little longer while I sort out the briefing?’

‘If it’ll help then yes, of course I am. I’ve only ever wanted to help find her, Claudia. It’s been hard being locked up in here not able to get involved in anything.’

‘You couldn’t have anyway. There was no way anyone was going to allow you access to their incident room.’

He smiled at her.

‘And that includes me.’ She turned to Kane. ‘Take him to his cell, will you, please, Russ?’

Kane stood and Dominic rose from his seat.

‘Thank you for making this as easy as you could, Claudia.’

She dipped her head in acknowledgement and left the interview room.

An hour later the press had assembled. It was the quickest she had ever been able to get them gathered at headquarters. There was a lot of noise from them as they tried to figure out what the urgent matter involved. Most of them decided the Sheffield Strangler had struck again. After six months of dealing with the case they were getting a little immune to the story. Awful as each murder was, each case was the same and they wanted something different to say.

‘You’re sure about this?’ Sharpe flicked ash onto the floor of the smoking hut as she stood outside with Claudia before the press briefing. It was getting dusky. It had been a long day and it was far from over. ‘Dominic was right when he said it’s possibly going to frighten the public that a police officer has been taken by this sicko. They’re scared as it is and if the police can’t protect themselves then how are the public meant to do so?’ She blew a smoke ring up in the air, blush-coloured lips pursing into a perfect circle.

‘I think we need to talk to him and it’s the only way we have of conversing. For all he likes to talk to Dominic, he never sent a burner phone. He sent Dom letters and we said what we needed through the media. From what I can gather he wanted the publicity. My judgement is that Ruth’s safety is more important than whether or not we raise the level of public fear.’

Sharpe flicked her glowing stub into the air and watched it dive to the ground before she planted her pointed toe onto it and ground it out. ‘What are your thoughts on our culpability?’ she asked getting to the point.

‘For Ruth being in the position she’s in?’

Sharpe glared at Claudia.

‘Okay. We haven’t got that far yet. We haven’t got to Ruth going undercover. But he definitely has a type. Women in their forties who have children at home. Ruth doesn’t have any children so I’m presuming her profile was set up with at least one child.’

Sharpe agreed it was.

‘Look, I can’t say. My focus is on getting her back. Whatever state that may be in.’ She paused as she considered this statement. Let it sink in that they were, again, talking about recovering Ruth’s body. ‘But Dominic definitely had a relationship with this guy, who’s to say he didn’t figure out Ruth was his wife and he targeted her because of that.’

‘For what reason though?’

‘I don’t know. Like I said, I haven’t finished interviewing him yet. I wanted to get this press conference done first. I thought it was the most important thing to do. Dominic was happy to wait. There’s still plenty of time on his clock.’

Sharpe turned and looked at Claudia. ‘What are you planning to say about Ruth?’

‘I don’t understand.’

‘Don’t play stupid with me, Claudia. I know you’re not. Are you going to