Krish introduced the man. ‘Sarge, this is Derek Fearns, he found our woman this afternoon. Derek, this is Detective Sergeant Dominic Harrison.’
Dominic held out his hand then withdrew it slightly, concerned that he would contaminate a crime scene — the other man’s hand.
Derek frowned.
‘It’s okay, sarge, a CSI has been and Garry here—’ he indicated the paramedic — ‘allowed us to use his van, so the forensic examination has taken place. You’re safe to shake hands.’
The puzzled look on Derek’s face balanced out. ‘Ah, yes, I’ve been prodded and poked and trimmed very comprehensively.’ He held out his own hand and Dominic clasped it between both of his.
‘I’m sorry you had to find her today. It must have been a shock. Thank you for staying around and helping us. We appreciate it. You don’t realise how helpful it is when members of the public give us their support, so thank you.’
A little blood surfaced in Derek’s face again and climbed up his cheeks. ‘I would rather I hadn’t needed to be quite so helpful if I’m honest, but I would never have dreamed of walking away. That poor woman . . .’ His eyes drifted off for a moment.
The paramedic took the blood pressure cuff off his arm. ‘It might be best if we get Derek checked out at the hospital.’
Dominic needed a quick account before they left. ‘You’ve probably told this story a couple of times already today, Derek, and you’re going to have to repeat it several more times before this investigation is through, but would you mind telling me what happened this afternoon?’
The dog, a shaggy-eared, liver-and-white spaniel, shifted at Dominic’s feet, lifted his head from his paws and looked up as though aware of what they were talking about and wary of what they were putting his master through. Dominic leant down and rubbed his head. ‘It’s okay, boy.’
Derek let out a deep sigh. ‘Oh, what a day. I so wish I had stayed at home.’ He rubbed his arms as though he were cold. ‘But Ralph here was desperate for a walk and he deserved a decent one so I brought him here. When he ran off the path I thought he was chasing a squirrel. I was so annoyed with him. I shouted and shouted at him. Remember that video of the man calling his dog that went viral? It was like that. He was ignoring me. I was furious. He’s usually such a well-behaved boy.’ They all looked down at Ralph who had now placed his head back on his paws looking for all the world like the best-behaved boy his owner was saying he was. Not the running wild animal he had previously been.
‘And what happened?’ asked Dominic.
‘I chased after him. You know, like that video. I didn’t want to lose him. He was turning a deaf ear and who knew how far he was going to run. I didn’t want anything to happen to him. For all I was angry with him I still adore the old chap and had to keep track of him.’ His voice faltered. There was real love between human and dog.
‘And you found him . . .’ prompted Dominic, eager to get to the pertinent part of the story.
Derek physically jolted. Like a small electric shock had been sent through his body. ‘Yes,’ he said. ‘I found him. He was standing still, his nose down to the ground, but I was still running when I found him and didn’t realise I had caught up with him. I had lost sight of him, you see, and when I suddenly came across him I was pulled up short and fell over him and right into what he had his nose in.’ He went quiet, hugged his body and rubbed his hands up and down his arms.
The temperature was dropping as the clock was ticking on but Dominic knew that wasn’t why Derek was rubbing his arms. It was the memory. He was back at the graveside. Stumbling and falling into the shallow grave of an unknown woman. A grave filled with flies. Dominic gave him a moment even though he was desperate to carry on and get all the information he could out of the man. But he would be a better witness if they handled him with kid gloves and they were compassionate rather than bull-headed.
Krish crouched down and rubbed the dogs head. Ralph lifted his nose and sniffed his hand before accepting the fuss and going back to his sleep. It broke Derek out of his reverie.
‘It startled old Ralph. He jumped back away from the grave.’ He barked out a laugh. ‘I’d frightened him by falling but he hadn’t been scared by the grave. That’s the difference between us and animals.’ The laugh died in his throat. ‘I was terrified when I saw what it was I was lying in. I could feel something solid yet squishy under my hands and there was this sound that was freaking me out. It was persistent and loud. It was surrounding me and I thought it was going to invade me. I was terrified even if Ralph wasn’t. I saw her face. My hand was on her stomach. I tried to push myself back, but didn’t have my balance as I was still flat on the ground, so ended up falling back onto her.’ He looked from Ralph up to Dominic. ‘You should have heard me squealing. Not very manly, I’m afraid.’
‘I can’t say I blame you,’ replied Dominic. ‘It wasn’t a pleasant sight and if you’re not used to that kind of thing, well . . . it’s not easy.’
Derek frowned. ‘You find it easy, Detective Sergeant?’
Dominic took a step backwards. It was as though he had been physically punched. That wasn’t what he had been saying. He wasn’t used to this kind of thing either. It wasn’t supposed to come out that way. He put his palm up. ‘No. No, not at all. That’s not what I was saying. I may have more of a coping mechanism in place to deal with death than you have because it’s part of my job, is what I meant. Not that I have become desensitised to it. Especially difficult jobs like this.’ He cleared his throat. He was making a mess of this. ‘Any job. Any person who has been killed or has died in suspicious circumstances. None of it is pleasant, but we have to get on with it for the sake of the person we are investigating. To get the best result for them and for their family.’ He stepped back up to Derek. ‘You understand it’s about putting something right that has originally been very, very wrong? Right in the best way we know how anyway.’
Derek nodded silently.
Dominic lowered his voice. ‘I’m sorry you have had to go through this. No one should have to. It’s wrong that people like myself and Krish are in a position where we have to make a place in our heads for this kind of stuff, but the world isn’t all good and shiny. It’s dark and sharp and people are hurt by it.’
Derek held up his hand. ‘It’s okay, Detective Sergeant. I’m sorry if I overstepped. It’s been a long day as you can imagine.’
‘I understand. We need to get you to the station when you’ve been to the hospital, as we have to get a statement from you covering what you’ve said.’
Derek scratched his head. ‘But there’s nothing there. Nothing I saw that would help you.’
‘I know you feel that way, but as the person who found the body you are an integral part of the investigation and we have to get your account down as soon as we can. Is there anyone who can come and collect Ralph so you can go and get checked out at the hospital?’
Derek started, shaking his head. ‘My wife, she’ll be so upset by all of this. But she can take Ralph. I’ve already called her and she’s on her way. I couldn’t tell her everything as I wanted her to get here safely, but she’s already worried by my cryptic message to come and get Ralph.’ He peered sadly down at the dog. ‘Wasn’t she, boy?’ He let out a sigh. Ralph swished his tail in response.
Dominic grabbed hold of Krish’s arm and pulled him to one side. ‘Follow him to the hospital, stay with him and as soon as he’s ready to be released bring him back to the station and get his account down. For now we treat him as an unknown quantity. If he’s going to trip himself up in any way I want it down officially and let’s see him wriggle out of it then.’
Krish tapped his notebook. ‘I’ve got his first account logged in here and I’ll make sure to get him back to the station as soon as I can.’
Dominic turned back to Derek. ‘I’ll leave you in the capable hands of Krish. Again, I’m sorry you had to go through this today. We’ll get you back home as quickly as we can.’
‘Thank you,�
� Derek said, his voice shaking again. Dominic couldn’t tell if he was stressed by the situation, or if he was lying. Maybe he was covered in the victim’s bodily fluids because he had decided to move her and then changed his mind and called the cops instead. It was now his job to determine which one he was.
Chapter 12
Claudia
Fourteen hours since Ruth’s attack
‘So, you thought the dog walker had something to do with the first murder?’ Claudia scribbled on paper.
‘It was a line of inquiry as it would be for any investigation that is just up and running. The person who called it in is closest to the victim so we have to check them out. You know all this, why would you query me on it?’ Dominic’s tone was harsh. ‘In fact, why are you questioning my actions on that case at all? What the hell does it have to do with Ruth going missing?’
‘You tell me, Dominic. You’re the one who is sitting here telling me that your case is the reason that Ruth is missing and potentially dead if the amount of blood we’ve found is any indication.’
‘Yeah, I’m talking about the case. To let you know what it was about, so you’d understand how Ruth got involved and why I’m a target. Not so you can second guess my decision-making skills during the running of it. You might be a DI but you’re not my DI.’ He was bolt upright in his chair now and completely rattled.
Claudia, on the other hand, was surprisingly calm. The louder Dominic became the calmer she found she was. She wanted answers and she would not apologise for doing her job. If he found that tough going then maybe he did have something to hide, though that thought terrified her. If he only wanted her to ask certain questions but not others maybe she was on the right track. His agitation seemed a little off. Like he was struggling to keep his thought processes in line. But his wife was missing and he’d been arrested for her murder so it was probably no surprise he was finding it difficult to focus on Claudia’s questions. The problem was, going by the blood in the garage, if Ruth was not dead then she didn’t have long to find her, and if Dominic could help with locating her then she would push as much as needed. Finding the truth, either way, was imperative.
‘I might not be your supervisor but right now I am the person who is interviewing you and if we’re being pedantic, Dominic, I do outrank you and I’m in control of you. Of when we talk, when you eat and when you sleep. I can put off this interview to follow other lines of inquiry if I want, but I thought you wanted to be involved? I thought you wanted to help the investigation into your missing wife? Yelling at me is getting you nowhere.’
Dominic slumped in his seat and dropped his arms onto the table, defeated. ‘You know I want to do this. I don’t want you to leave. I want to work with you to find her and I think I’m the best person to help you because I truly believe the case we were working is where you’ll find your answers.’ He looked from Kane to Claudia. ‘I’m sorry, okay? We’ll do it your way. Ask me anything you like. About the investigation, my decisions during the investigation. You might be right, it might be that one of my decisions has led us here.’ He bowed his head.
Kane glanced at Claudia and she inclined her head to let him know that she was okay. He was ready to jump in and take the lead should she give him any indication that was what she wanted. This was going to be a long interview if they were going to work through the entire investigation of his current case. It had been running for the last six months.
She could keep Dominic here to question him for twenty-four hours before she had to make a decision on charging or releasing him, though she could apply for extensions. She’d need them because included in that twenty-four-hour time limit was allotted time for an eight-hour sleep, plus breaks for meals. There was no way she would work through what she needed — interviewing him and working through any evidence the interview threw up — in the basic twenty-four hours. She would be applying to a superintendent for a twelve-hour extension.
Claudia looked at her watch.
‘You want to get on with it?’ Dominic asked. ‘I’ve said I will do anything to help you find Ruth and I mean that. I’m sorry for my outburst. I feel so helpless sitting here. I’d rather be a part of the investigation as you are, not in the way I’m being now.’ He shrugged. ‘But if it helps, then so be it. Promise me you are doing everything you can outside of this interview room, Claudia.’
She put the mug down with a bit of a slam. ‘Do you think I want to be in here interviewing you? I’d also rather be out there following other lines of inquiry, but the powers that be have determined that I’m the best person for this task, so we’re stuck with each other and with that, we’d better do the best job we can.’
Dominic rubbed a hand through his hair. A sigh escaped his lips.
‘Why is it so important that you tell me about the start of the investigation, Dominic? Why not just tell me the pertinent parts? Wouldn’t that be quicker?’ Multiple questions were not the best way to interview a detainee but she had the feeling he was playing for time rather than trying to be helpful. What was the point of that, though?
‘You haven’t been involved in the case. You only know about it from the gossip that’s been travelling round the force and from what you hear through the media like everyone else. It’s important you know the savagery of who we’re up against and how he works. If he’s taken Ruth you might find something that piques your interest as I talk. You’re a fresh pair of eyes and a very competent pair at that. It may be that you see something we missed and in doing so you find the way to Ruth.’
Chapter 13
Dominic
Six months ago
Nadira was ready to move the woman. They had spent hours at the site gathering as much evidence as they could. Outside scenes like this were difficult to process due to the amount of product that could potentially be part of the crime.
The woman’s hands were bagged to prevent loss of forensic evidence and a body bag was laid out at the side of her. The crime scene unit would still have work to do once she had been removed from the shallow grave as they processed whatever lay beneath her. The offender could have left some microscopic evidence beneath her as he laid her down.
Very gently she was lifted and moved over to the body bag.
Nadira looked down into the empty space left behind. Dominic’s eyes were trained on the same area.
‘What’s that?’ She pointed to an area where the victim’s torso had previously lain.
‘Where?’ Dominic couldn’t see what she was pointing at.
‘At the edge of the grave. Soil is covering half of it. Can you see, it seems to be reflective, shiny almost.’
Dominic spotted it and pointed it out to the nearest CSI who bent down and collected it, lifting it up for both Nadira and Dominic to see.
‘What is it?’ Dominic asked.
‘Looks to me to be a . . .’ Nadira tilted her head. ‘Lipstick?’
The CSI tipped the item so he could see the bottom. ‘Yep.’
‘It looks pretty new,’ Nadira said. ‘Like he left it here for us.’
‘Can we get DNA off it?’ Dominic asked.
‘We should be able to. I doubt he’s used it on himself though and I’d not imagine he’s left his prints on it, but of course it’ll get tested for prints as well.’
‘What do you think he’s trying to say?’
‘I don’t know, but it smacks to me of organisation, of someone who has thought this through and who is playing a game. All things I tend not to like in a killing.’
* * *
‘What do we have on the missing persons system?’ Dominic asked of his team as they sat huddled around their desks, each of them with a bag of chips open, forks moving between bag and mouth as they talked. The sharp tang of vinegar permeated the room along with the slick of grease.
‘We have it narrowed down to two possibles within the age range and ethnicity,’ said Hayley. ‘One of them, Vanessa Simpson, has been missing a little over three weeks and the other one, Julie Carver, has be
en missing—’ she looked up at the team — ‘four days.’
Dominic wiped his mouth on the back of his hand. Grease left a slick across his skin. ‘It could be either, but the likely candidate is Julie, is that what you’re saying?’
A chip was halfway to Hayley’s mouth but she put it back down into the bag. ‘I’d say she was the best bet with our woman only being dead about two days. If we were to ask family to ID the victim I’d go with Julie’s family first.’
Dominic took a slurp from his mug and washed down the cheap and cheerful, but very-bad-for-him, meal they had grabbed while working. ‘Okay then, let’s visit Julie’s husband, let him know what we have and see if he’s willing to do an ID. It won’t be pleasant for him but you’re right, the likelihood is that this is Julie Carver. What was she wearing when she went missing?’
The phone on his desk rang and he held a finger up to hold the question before he answered the call.
‘DS Harrison, it’s Nadira Azim. I haven’t caught you at a bad time, have I?’
‘No, no, not at all. We were going through possible identification scenarios and think we have one. We have a little work to do on it first, of course, but I might be calling you back to do an ID procedure.’
‘That’s good. It’s not easy when relatives don’t know what’s happened to loved ones.’
‘It’s not what you called for though.’
Nadira sighed down the phone. ‘I’ve got the results for the lipstick on the victim’s face and the tube left in the grave and they match.’
Dominic folded the paper over his chips and threw the bag of remains into his bin, then realised he would have to move it into the kitchen otherwise he would be haunted by the smell of greasy chips until the cleaners came in the morning and by then the whole room would be infused with the smell. He shook his head. He’d do it as soon as this call ended. ‘You think he’s starting a calling card?’
BLOOD STAINED an unputdownable crime thriller with a breathtaking twist (Detective Claudia Nunn Book 1) Page 6