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

‘Do you want to leave a message?’ Maxine asked as Claudia paced past her desk once more.

Claudia scrubbed a hand through her hair. She needed to identify the meeting place and she also had to put a call in to her dad. He deserved to know what was happening after what he’d gone through yesterday. She checked her watch, looked to the empty office and then to Maxine.

‘No, I’ll call her. It’s too important.’

Maxine went back to her work and Claudia dialled Sharpe’s number.

As soon as the phone started to ring, Claudia realised she was holding her breath. Her chest was tight and the air around her suddenly seemed far too hot. Slowly she let it out as she paced in front of Maxine’s desk waiting for Sharpe to pick up.

The ringtone cut off sharply with no answer, not even voicemail. She tried again, and again there was no response.

Maxine looked up at her a question in her eyes.

‘I think she’s on another call,’ said Claudia. ‘She’s not picking up.’

Claudia tried again. Where the hell was she? Again the call ended with no connection.

She had no choice. She had to move on this, regardless of the difficulties with Sharpe. It went against everything she was but it had to be this way.

Claudia wanted to pull her hair out.

‘Maxine, I have to go but I need you to pass on a message the second Sharpe steps foot through that door.’ Claudia urgently needed the backup organising, but if she didn’t leave now then she’d miss him. ‘Don’t let her start issuing orders on anything else. Interrupt her if you have to.’

Maxine frowned.

‘You’ll understand why when I tell you.’

Maxine picked up her pen and readied herself to take dictation. A minute later Claudia was reading back the note. Then she handed over the photocopy of the letter to go with it, thanked the woman and ran back down the stairs to her office.

The next thing to do was find out where she was going and plan her route. Her mind jittered as she waited for the computer to chug through the screens as she searched for her destination. Eventually she had another printout in hand. Placing it on her desk she pulled her phone out of her pocket. This call was going to be difficult.

She dialled the number and he picked up straight away.

‘Have you heard anything?’

‘No, I’m sorry, Dad, not yet.’

The line went quiet.

‘Did you manage to get any sleep?’ she asked. Knowing he would have had very little if her night was anything to go by.

‘I had some.’ He was trying to make her feel okay. She wasn’t going to call him out on it. ‘What is it?’ he asked. ‘Are you okay?’

‘I’m fine,’ she lied. ‘It’s just something has come up I thought you should know about. It’s a little . . .’ She paused, the fact that this really was not in the rulebook needling at her. More silence played out along the network line as she tried to figure out how to phrase it and how much to tell him. She had called him too quickly before she had thought it through.

‘What is it?’ Dominic asked.

Claudia read the letter on her phone again, scared by the implications it held. Scared for Ruth and scared for what she was about to do.

‘You’re worrying me,’ Dominic said.

‘Don’t worry. It’s just that something came up this morning and it’s a little out of the usual lines of policing, but it might help us to locate Ruth.’

‘You’re going to do it?’

‘Of course I am. If it will help get Ruth back, then I’m all in.’

‘What is it? How far outside of the lines are you colouring, Claudia? Is it dangerous?’ He’d asked the most pertinent question last of all. How was she supposed to answer? She didn’t believe she was in danger. The man wanted to prove a point, have a discussion with her. He was obviously getting agitated about a cop being involved, it was doubtful he was going to involve another cop in his evil games. These were things she was telling herself.

‘I can’t give you the details. I don’t want to involve you. Look at yesterday, you’re already too far involved in this as it is. It’s pretty far outside the lines but it’s worth it if it pays off, wouldn’t you say?’

‘I want Ruth back, Claudia, but not at the expense of you. Whatever it is, don’t do it.’

‘I’m sorry, Dad. Take care of yourself today, okay. And I’ll call you later and let you know if I have anything.’ She hung up the call.

She hadn’t meant to scare him the way she just had, but she figured he deserved to know what was happening, especially with what he went through yesterday.

Now she was ready, it was time to leave and meet the Sheffield Strangler in person. This was their chance to catch him and to find Ruth.

As she travelled her nerves started to get the better of her. So many things could go wrong: he could fail to turn up; this could be a trap of some description that she couldn’t figure out because they didn’t have enough time; he could spot the cops in their hiding places and make a run for it and they lose their chance to not only arrest the Strangler but lose their chance to locate Ruth, and that was all Claudia was really interested in today.

Police operations took a huge amount of effort and planning. Usually days. This was set up ridiculously quickly. A message for Sharpe and rushing out the door hoping the backup could get there in time. If anyone was capable of doing it Sharpe was that person.

She drove