Deadly Cry: An absolutely gripping crime thriller packed with suspense (Detective Kim Stone Crime Thiller Book 13)

by Angela Marsons

  ‘But I…’

  ‘Do you remember that pile-up we went to years back?’

  Penn nodded. He didn’t need to ask which one. Two families including three children had been wiped out that day.

  ‘I still think about it now,’ she said. ‘I remember everything about that day: the weather, the victims, the placement of the mangled metal, the smell of charred flesh and something else.’

  ‘What?’

  ‘That you sent every other officer away for a breather before you went yourself.’

  He could still see the stricken faces of the officers dealing with the incident. Some had kids of their own.

  ‘It’s not that you don’t feel, but it’s like you’ve got this extra reserve of strength, another gear that is only to be used when it truly matters.’

  Lynne paused and waited for the penny to drop in his mind.

  He shook his head as the fatigue continued to wash over his body.

  ‘Blimey, Penn, it must have been a long day. He’s trying to stay strong for you.’

  ‘But he’s so angry with me.’

  ‘Because he wants to break down. He wants you to break down. He needs you to, so that he can do it too.’

  ‘Aww… shit,’ he said, rubbing his hand through his curls.

  ‘He needs you to talk about her, not pretend she didn’t exist. He needs to remember her and mourn her.’ Lynne’s hand moved towards his but stopped an inch away. ‘You both do.’

  He met her gaze fully for the first time. ‘I fucked up, didn’t I?’

  She smiled. It was a smile he liked. He really did miss working with her.

  ‘Yeah, you did, but you can put it right,’ she said, nodding towards the lounge.

  He was suddenly overcome with gratitude that she had been there for Jasper, that she had dropped whatever she was doing to help his brother.

  ‘Listen, Lynne, thank—’

  ‘Forget it, Penn. It’s what friends do. Now get in there and talk to your brother. I’ll let myself out.’

  He nodded his thanks and headed into the lounge.

  Jasper was holding the game controls, but nothing was moving on the screen.

  ‘Hey, bud, what are you playing?’ he asked cheerily and immediately understood that was exactly what his brother didn’t need him to do.

  He sat on the sofa, resting his forearms on his knees and realised that neither of them had yet sat in the armchair that had been their mother’s favourite place to sit.

  He heard the soft click of the front door closing behind his old colleague. For a second, he wished her reassuring presence was still in the kitchen. But right now, he had to focus on making things right with his brother.

  ‘Hey, bud, the house doesn’t feel the same without Mum, does it?’ He felt the emotion thicken his voice and for the first time he didn’t try and swallow it down. He didn’t try and hide it.

  ‘See, when she was in the hospice she wasn’t really gone, was she?’

  A slight shake of the head from Jasper.

  ‘We could still go and see her, touch her, speak to her and maybe a part of us could hope that she’d still come back.’

  Penn made no effort to stop the tears from falling over his cheeks.

  ‘We’re gonna miss her, buddy. It’s gonna hurt like hell and I don’t know how we’re gonna get through it,’ he said, dropping his head into his hands. The tears flowed and with them the acknowledgment of his loss, his grief.

  He felt Jasper’s trembling body come to rest beside him on the sofa and the heart-breaking sound of his own grief. Penn pulled him close and held him tight.

  ‘But we will get through it, buddy. I promise. We have each other and that will never change. We’ll help each other, and we’ll talk and remember all the great things about our mum. She knew we’d be okay, mate,’ he said, reaching into his pocket for a tissue.

  Jasper’s arm snaked around his back as he rested his wet cheek on Penn’s shoulder.

  ‘We’ll be okay, Ozzy, we’ll be okay.’

  Seventy-Two

  The coffee pot was on and Kim stood waiting for her team to arrive and start the day.

  Bryant was first.

  ‘What the bloody hell are those?’ he asked, glancing at the edge of his desk.

  ‘They’re cookies,’ Kim said defensively. ‘I baked.’

  ‘Oh Jesus, I knew I should have kept my mouth shut,’ he said, removing his jacket and taking a closer look.

  He picked one up and banged it against the plate.

  ‘You know when I played hockey we used to hit something…’

  ‘Bryant, if you’ve got nothing nice to say, I suggest you shut your damn mouth,’ she snapped as the rest of the team entered the office together.

  Safety in numbers.

  ‘Oooh,’ Stacey said, appraising the plate. ‘Oh,’ she said once she got a better look.

  ‘Feel free to take one,’ Kim said.

  ‘I’m good, boss,’ Stacey said.

  ‘Just eaten, boss,’ Penn offered.

  ‘Not hungry,’ Alison said.

  ‘Well, I know that last one’s a lie, Alison,’ Kim said as they all eyed the plate with caution, as though it was about to attack.

  ‘We being punished again, boss?’ Stacey asked.

  ‘Oh come on, guys, you always like to start the day with—’

  ‘Penn, save us, for God’s sake,’ Stacey pleaded.

  He reached into his man bag and produced a Tupperware box. Every pair of eyes landed on him expectantly.

  ‘Muffins,’ he said, opening the lid. The aroma filled the office immediately.

  ‘Jasper’s?’ Stacey asked.

  Penn nodded with a smile. Stacey stared longingly at the box.

  ‘Well, I’ve got no chance of competing with Jasper, have I?’ Kim asked, folding her arms.

  No answer.

  ‘Is no one gonna try the cookies I baked at one o’clock this morning?’

  ‘Go on, Alison, you’ll normally eat anything,’ Bryant said.

  ‘You’re not wrong, providing it’s actually edible,’ she shot back.

  Kim marvelled at the woman’s metabolism.

  ‘Go on then,’ Bryant said, reaching forward. ‘I’ll take one for the team.’

  He bit into it and placed the remainder at a point on his desk that was directly above his bin.

  ‘Okay, okay,’ Kim said, moving the plate of cookies out of the way.

  Seeing this as permission, they all descended on Penn’s offering like flies to a fresh pile of dung. She wasn’t upset. They were Jasper’s muffins and even she’d be grabbing one for herself later.

  ‘Okay, guys, sounds like your stroll around the building last night yielded results. Want to tell me about it?’

  ‘We’re wondering if there’s anything to do with pairs, boss?’ Penn said. ‘It’s the only thing we can link with the name Noah.’

  ‘So we’re wondering if there are any other crimes that come in twos,’ Alison added.

  ‘But we’ve had three murders?’ Kim queried.

  ‘But the first two were similar: women with children,’ Penn answered.

  ‘And yet different,’ she said, turning to Alison for an answer.

  ‘Still working on it.’

  ‘And the phone records of the phone that called Nicola yesterday?’ Kim asked.

  ‘Only been used eight times in ten years other than the call to Nicola.’

  ‘No incoming calls or messages?’

  ‘Not one. Not even from the only other number it’s making contact with.’

  ‘Stace, stay on that. I want everything you can find. Penn, I want you looking at any crimes that have come in pairs.’

  Both officers nodded their understanding.

  ‘Alison, I want you to take a look at the scratches on the wrist of our first victim. What do they mean and what is their purpose?’

  ‘Got it.’

  ‘But not before you’ve taken a look at this.’

  Kim reac
hed behind to the printer for the copies of the comment she’d screen-shotted and printed from her phone.

  She handed the first copy to Alison and then circulated the rest.

  ‘Our guy?’ Kim asked impatiently.

  Alison read the comment and then spread the other two communications around it.

  The room waited in silence until Kim could bear it no longer.

  ‘Well?’

  ‘I can’t be sure.’

  ‘I’m not asking you to bet your house on it. Your opinion?’

  ‘My opinion is that yes, I think this could be our guy.’

  ‘Why?’ Kim asked.

  ‘His sentence structure is similar – both handwritten and typed – which will show likenesses because it’s the pattern of thought, the style of writing, if you like. Many of the words are used in the same way. I’m pretty confident it’s him, and if it is…’

  ‘Thanks, Alison,’ Kim said, taking the piece of paper and heading out the door, but not before she heard Alison finish her sentence.

  ‘I think she might just have saved that little boy’s life.’

  Seventy-Three

  ‘If this means what you think it means, you were lucky and it changes nothing that I said to you yesterday,’ Woody said after he’d read the comment from Noah three times.

  If that was how he wanted to refer to her judgement call, then so be it. Either way, she hoped she’d given the kid a fighting chance until they were able to find the bastard who had him.

  She had to admit that she’d wondered how warm the temperature would be in this office following their heated exchange the previous day, and normally she would have kept a low profile for a few days, but that wasn’t an option. She needed something from him, and she had an idea what his answer was going to be.

  ‘Any chance of tracing the comment?’ he asked.

  Kim shook her head. ‘It’s gone now, sir. Removed half an hour after it was posted. He gave me enough time to see it before taking it down.’

  ‘So?’

  ‘He wants to engage with me. He posted that answer so that I’d see it. He wants me to know he’s listening, otherwise he wouldn’t have bothered.’

  ‘Go on,’ he said, sitting back in his chair.

  ‘I want to do it again. I want to use Frost to try and reach him before anyone else gets hurt.’

  ‘You know my answer is no,’ Woody said. ‘Your first interaction was accidental. He made contact with you without invitation. The process of actively trying to engage a killer one-on-one without the full support of police resources is not something that can be decided in this room and you know it.’

  Yeah, and the full resources of the police force had done them no good at all the day before, but damn it, that’s what she thought he’d say. Protocols demanded that a roomful of experts would be needed to examine every shred of evidence before sanctioning an order for her to interact on her own. That could take days, and the answer would most likely be no. But she didn’t have days to wait any way. With one murder every day she had to get his attention.

  ‘Sir…’

  ‘The answer is no, Stone. In fact, I’ll be doing the press conference later today. I don’t think talking to the nationals is right for you right now.’

  Kim hid the smile that was forming on her lips. Some days, Woody exceeded even her expectations. Just one word was all she needed, and he’d given it to her. Nationals.

  As usual the man had been fair and objective and had weighed the benefits of what she was trying to do. As ever, he had not let her down.

  ‘Sir, about yesterday. I’d—’

  ‘I think that’s best left where it is, don’t you, Stone?’

  ‘I disagree.’

  The hint of a smile pulled at his lips. ‘Why am I not surprised?’

  ‘I shouldn’t have spoken to you the way I did,’ she said, and meant it. There were few people she respected as much as this man, and it was important to her that he knew that. ‘It won’t happen again.’

  His fingers knitted together in front of him. ‘I trust it won’t, and your passion and conviction are to be admired, most of the time.’

  She turned to leave, content the air was now clear between them. Woody didn’t hold a grudge and neither did she.

  After their previous exchange, he could be forgiven for barely giving her the time of day, never mind listening and agreeing to her proposal.

  And if there was any doubt in her mind on that score, he clarified it when her feet reached his office door.

  ‘And do give my regards to Frost if you just happen to bump into her later today.’

  Seventy-Four

  ‘So Jasper baked?’ Stacey asked once the boss and Bryant had left the office.

  Penn felt the smile lift his lips as he remembered the night before.

  ‘Yeah, he was cooking up a storm last night with Lynne while I was still here.’

  Penn felt brighter today. The heavy weight that sat upon his grief was a few pounds lighter this morning.

  After Lynne had left, the two of them had cried and talked and cried some more. They had a long way to go, but he now knew they’d make it.

  ‘Lynne?’ Stacey asked. ‘Isn’t she one of your old colleagues from West Mercia?’

  ‘Yeah, Jasper and Lynne hit it off the first time they met.’

  ‘That’s cos your brother is awesome,’ Stacey said. ‘But tell me more about Lynne.’

  ‘Nothing to tell, sticky beak. Now get back to work,’ he said, reaching for the headphones in his drawer.

  Stacey got the message and picked up her phone.

  Putting on his headphones gave him the privacy to be alone with his own thoughts. He had to admit, it had been quite a surprise to see Lynne in his kitchen cooking with his brother when he’d got home the night before. He’d been pleased to see her smiling face and had felt thankful to her for spending time with his brother.

  It was only later when an exhausted Jasper had finally climbed the stairs to bed that Penn had returned to the kitchen and had found it feeling emptier than normal. He could still see her there behind the counter, dressed in his naked-man apron, comparing muffins with his brother.

  It was no secret to him that he missed working with her. They’d shared the same humour and had often found things funny that other people had not. He had always been able to talk to her about anything, and she had become a really good friend.

  Only, last night he’d also noticed just how brown her eyes were and the way she tipped her head slightly when speaking.

  He shook the thoughts away. Lynne was engaged. She was happy. Her whole life was ahead of her: a glowing career and probably a family. He knew his own situation hardly made him the catch of the year, and Jasper would always come first.

  Anything further with Lynne was not an option for more reasons than one. He pushed the thoughts firmly away and focused his attention on work.

  Seventy-Five

  ‘Hey, Frost, how are you doing?’ Kim asked when the reporter answered her phone.

  ‘What the fuck you want, Stone?’ she asked groggily.

  Bryant smiled at her response as her terse voice filled the car on loudspeaker.

  ‘Oh, Frost, who hasn’t yet got out of bed the wrong side this morning?’

  ‘You do know you’re not funny, don’t you?’

  ‘Bryant thinks I am, don’t you, Bryant?’ she asked, moving the phone closer to his mouth.

  ‘Bloody hilarious,’ he answered.

  ‘Stone, what the hell do you want at this ungodly hour of the morning?’

  Kim could hear from the background noise that the reporter was now up and moving around.

  A sudden, unwelcome thought occurred to her. ‘Err… Frost, you don’t sleep naked, do you?’

  ‘No, but my breath smells like a son of a bitch.’

  ‘Okay, TMI, Frost, way too much information and, just so you know, it’s almost eight o’clock.’

  ‘Which is way too early to listen to you quoti
ng and then explaining acronyms to me. Now just get to the point. Clearly, you want something from me, so hurry up unless you want to accompany me into the shower.’

  ‘Ugh… no thanks. Bryant here would like to buy you a coffee this morning if you’ve got a minute.’

  ‘Why?’

  ‘Cos you’re his favourite reporter and—’

  ‘Stone, it’s too early for this shit. For fuck’s sake, spit it out.’

  Kim did the calculations between their first visit of the day and Nicola Southall’s post-mortem at ten.

  ‘Meet us at Sam’s Bostin Bites, Old Hill, at nine fifteen. Now go get clean: you stink.’

  Bryant chuckled as she ended the call.

  ‘You think she’ll go for it?’ he asked of her plan. She’d already told him what she wanted to do.

  ‘I think so if we make it worth her while.’

  She’d cross that bridge later, but right now she was on her way to see what was left of a family and offer them the smallest ray of hope.

  Seventy-Six

  ‘Bloody hell,’ Stacey said, slamming down the phone.

  ‘Wassup?’ Alison asked, raising her head.

  ‘Damn network provider for the other phone, the second burner, are being a lot less helpful. It’s not registered, but they’re playing hardball with the data because its link to any crime is tenuous at best,’ she said, quoting the assistant who’d said she’d look into it, which was code for I’m going to forget about your call the second I put this phone down.

  ‘I mean, who uses their phone like this?’ Stacey asked, waving the single sheet around.

  ‘Have you asked the provider of the first burner for content?’

  ‘No, Alison, I never made sure to do that before I went home last night,’ Stacey said, softening her words with a smile.

  She’d done it the second she’d realised the phone had been used for texting only, except for the call to Nicola. But now she was desperate to know who the hell it was texting, and the network weren’t too keen to help her find out.

  ‘Stace, you got a minute?’ Penn asked, removing his headphones.