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

enough. She had been so close and he was responsible for screwing it all up. She had to get herself under control.

‘Of course I fucking followed you after that phone call. I sensed you were going to do something stupid and look at what you did? Don’t you think Ruth could have done something like this and this was how he took her? How stupid can you be? Did you not tell anyone?’

She turned away from him not wanting him to see the anger raging inside her. He was obviously afraid for her, but he had jeopardised the whole investigation because he had got too close.

‘Did you tell anyone, Claudia?’

He was treating her like a child. Not like a detective inspector. A cop of higher rank than he was. ‘Of course I told someone,’ she said eventually knowing she had in fact been alone out there. ‘I also told you.’

‘Jesus Christ.’ He ran his hands through his hair. ‘Anything could have happened to you, Claudia. You barely told me anything. What the hell were you thinking?’

She turned back to him, finding it difficult to hold back the fury she was feeling. ‘I was thinking I could obtain a lead on Ruth. After what you went through the last two days, I thought I could get him to tell me where she was and get her home for you.’

Dominic’s own anger subsided a little. He took her by her arms again and looked her up and down, saw she was okay and backed away from her. ‘Okay, okay. What did you find out?’

She barked out a laugh. ‘How did you expect me to find anything out when you come stampeding into the meeting like John Wayne trying to protect the poor little woman.’ She couldn’t help herself. The anger was still simmering. ‘I’m sorry,’ she said. ‘It’s just he was right here with me. Talking to me. Who knows what he would have told me if you hadn’t turned up.’

Dominic shook his head. ‘I can’t apologise for turning up, for following you, Claudia. You’re my daughter. You’re all I have left. I’m not going to risk losing you.’ He paused, then in a much quieter voice, he added, ‘I saw the knife he was holding.’

She would never admit to her own fear. Instead she defended him. ‘He said it was in case I tried to take him in.’

‘He had to give you an excuse, right up until the moment he forced you to go with him because he’d got it stuck into your side and you couldn’t say no.’

Claudia exhaled. She would never win this argument with him. He had been scared for her and would never back down that he didn’t need to be. In his eyes he had protected his daughter. ‘Shall we go and grab a drink?’ she asked. ‘We both need to calm down somewhat before I head back to work and you go back home.’

Chapter 52

Claudia

They entered the coffee shop and Dominic went to the till to pay for the drinks while Claudia found a table. As she was sitting her phone rang. It was Sharpe.

‘Ma’am?’

‘Have I caught you at a bad time? You ended the last call quite abruptly.’ There was something in her voice Claudia couldn’t place.

‘No, ma’am. I’m getting a drink with my father. Making sure he’s okay and bringing him up to speed with where we are so far today.’ Sharpe didn’t need to know what had just happened right now; she’d update her in person.

She heard the exhale and something inside her fractured and went cold.

‘I was going to ask you to come to my office, but bearing in mind what you’ve told me I think I should inform you now.’

The cold ball in the pit of her stomach started to spread out.

‘I’m sorry to have to tell you this, Claudia, but Ruth’s body has been found.’

The coffee shop closed in around her. In her peripheral vision, tilted at the side, she could see her father carrying two steaming mugs towards her.

‘Claudia?’ Sharpe’s voice broke through the grey fuzz that had become Claudia’s world.

‘Yes, sorry, I’m here.’

‘I’m sorry, Claudia. Do you want me to send someone to bring you both in? So you don’t have to drive.’ It was unusual for Sharpe to show this level of concern.

‘How did she . . . how?’

‘Initial findings at the scene would indicate that it’s the work of the Sheffield Strangler.’ Her voice was quiet. Respectful.

Claudia thought back to the conversation not twenty minutes ago — I wouldn’t kill unless the woman had a child.

‘Anything different?’ she asked as Dominic placed the mugs down on the table sitting himself opposite her. Her skin prickled in fear at what she had to tell him. It could be a copycat. The man she met had been right about the women.

‘To the MO?’

‘Yes.’

‘Not that I’m being told at this point.’ I wouldn’t kill unless the woman had a child. ‘You’ll make your way in?’

‘Yes. I’ll see you soon.’

‘Okay. Again, I’m sorry, Claudia.’ And the phone went dead.

Claudia looked across at her dad. The words lodged in her throat.

Dominic pushed the drink towards her. ‘You’ve had a bit of a fright this morning, but if you drink this you’ll start to feel better. You look dreadful. In fact I’d say you look as bad I think I look.’ He forced a smile.

This wasn’t the place to tell him, but she couldn’t put it off. She couldn’t make small talk for half an hour, knowing what she knew and then tell him later. He was trying to take care of her and she knew his wife was dead. She had to tell him. ‘Dad, we need to go.’ She stood. Picked up her car keys from the table. ‘I’ll take you