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

‘What’s happened?’ he asked.

‘We want time to get a better picture. You’ll have conditions, of course. I want your passport. You’re not to leave the country. But the evidence so far is circumstantial. You know that, you’re a cop. The evidence is in your home. Any prints or DNA found is likely to have a genuine reason for being there. We got the results back on the lipstick, your prints aren’t on it.’

‘You think I’m the Sheffield Strangler?’ He sounded incredulous.

Claudia ran a hand through her hair. ‘Of course not, he contacted us while you were in custody, which is the main reason you’re being bailed.’ A strand fell back down in front of her eyes.

‘And if he hadn’t?’

She shook her head.

‘You’re not sure, are you?’

‘Of course I am. You’re my father.’ The reality was that she was confused by the whole situation and needed solid evidence one way or another. What they had now was neither here nor there. ‘Do you want this bail or not?’

Dominic stared at her. ‘I didn’t do this, Claudia. I promise you. Once you find her, you’ll know that.’

She stared at him.

‘You know I want bail. I want to do something more proactive to find Ruth than sitting in here like I have for the past two days.’

‘It’s late now, there’s not a lot you can do. We don’t have a body.’ She bit her lip. ‘I’m sorry, Dad, but you know the score, it’s how we work. If she hasn’t survived we don’t have as much evidence of the offence until we have her body.’

‘I want her back, Claudia, in one way, shape or form. Be she alive or dead. I would rather have my wife back but if you have a body then you have a body.’ He stopped talking and stared down at the table.

‘It’s been so long and she’s lost a lot of blood,’ Claudia said. ‘The odds aren’t in her favour. I’m so sorry, Dad.’ She stood. ‘Let’s get you out of here so you can go home.’

‘It’s safe to go to the house? CSU have finished?’

‘Yes, they finished last night. I’d take you but I’ve got some stuff to do. Will you be okay?’ She was tired and just wanted him gone for the day.

‘I’ll be fine. I drove into work yesterday morning. I just need a lift back to HQ.’

She messed with her hair again. ‘Dad, we seized your car.’

There was silence. They stared at each other. Knowing it had to be done. It was the right thing to do once he was arrested for Ruth’s murder but that fact was a sore between them now. One they were to worry at or avoid at all costs for the pain it might cause.

‘I’ll see what I—’ Claudia started.

‘Don’t worry. I’ll get one of the lads from the station to take me home.’ He spoke over her.

Her cheeks coloured. ‘I’m sorry, Dad.’

He shook his head. ‘Don’t be. You were only doing your job.’

She opened the door to the interview room. ‘I’m sorry they decided I had to lead this investigation and interview you.’

He shook his head again. ‘It’s fine, honestly. You were the best person they could think of and if that’s what they thought then I’m good with that. All I’m interested in is getting Ruth back.’

Claudia went to speak to the custody sergeant. ‘Any word on the telephone number yet?’

‘It’s a pay-as-you-go.’ His mood was sombre.

Claudia rolled her eyes. ‘Pretty much as expected.’

‘Paid for in cash and the store doesn’t have CCTV. It’s only a small corner shop.’

‘So it’s going nowhere.’ She was sick of this job. People watched far too many crime dramas and knew how the police investigated crime and therefore knew how to avoid detection. It frustrated the hell out of her.

‘If I’d realised, I could have kept him talking,’ the sergeant complained.

She’d been annoyed with him earlier but there really wasn’t anything to be done and she told him as much. ‘He wouldn’t have talked to you. It’s not likely he would have let slip something that would have helped us. He’s too smart for that. He’s proved too smart all the way through this. That’s why the investigation has been running so long.’ She could see her words were not having much effect on the sergeant. He was berating himself for his earlier slip. ‘Thank you for running the number though.’

‘The least I could do. I’ve had the results emailed to you for reference.’

She thanked him, completed the necessary work to release Dominic then unlocked his cell and let him out.

He looked smaller than she remembered him being before this started. More shrivelled and, if possible, more grey. His skin pallor and his hair.

‘Let’s get you back,’ she urged him into the sunlight out of the building.

Back at HQ Dominic walked into the corridors of the station, looking for a friend, a colleague who could run him home. Kane walked to the incident room and Claudia went to her office. There was a pile of paperwork she needed to do to make sure what had occurred over the last couple of days was above board. For all Sharpe’s promises of there being nothing untoward, Claudia didn’t want to risk it and would write up her own account.

Several hours later her eyes were crossing and she could no longer think straight. As far as she could see, everything had been covered as far as her involvement in her dad’s case went. It was time to go and see Sharpe and catch up with her.

Sharpe was in her office, head bent over some paperwork on her desk. ‘Ah, Claudia, you’ve finished up for the day?’ Sharpe looked pristine. As though she had only just walked into