Paul had stopped at the bakers and they all had a sandwich or pasty in their hands, chewing as they listened.
Dominic tried to make a start on the chicken sandwich Paul had brought him but it was difficult to talk and eat at the same time. He swallowed what he had in his mouth. His stomach gurgled. He hadn’t realised how hungry he was. ‘We have the husband’s details so I’ll pay him a visit tomorrow. Get a timeline of activity from him. Paying particular attention to when Maddy went missing.’
‘Does Mum think the ex-husband could have something to do with it? Do we think he did the first one to cover up this one?’ Rhys wiped grease away from his chin.
‘Mum didn’t specifically lay blame at the ex-husband’s door but was critical of him during the time Madeleine was married to him. As far as we’re concerned, we’re following the evidence. We’ll talk to him and see what he says. We could also ask him if he’d voluntarily allow us to examine his mobile phone. We can check for the app and for a photo of a male barely visible because of the sun breaking out behind him.’ Dominic took another bite and listened as his stomach anticipated food again.
‘Rhys, will you log all this on HOLMES, please, while I go and do the press conference with the boss?’
‘You bet.’
‘You said something about the app, what did she give you?’ Hayley threw her empty paper bag into the bin under her desk.
‘Surprisingly Gwen knew the app Madeleine was using to meet guys. She said it was a phone app called Close to Me. It’s geared specifically for people over forty.’ He rolled his eyes. ‘Like you’re supposed to be over the hill at that age and it’s more difficult to meet someone.’
‘Lucky you have the missus, eh, Dom?’ Krish laughed.
‘You mean she’s lucky, don’t you?’ Dominic gave them a cheesy grin.
There was a collective groan and Dom shook his head and finished his sandwich.
Hayley spoke again. ‘You want us to submit an information request to Close to Me and access Madeleine’s account, see who this bloke is she was meeting? If it’s the same photo — and we can check that with Helen Butler, once we have it — then it looks like we have our man and our MO.’
Dominic screwed up the paper bag his sandwich had been wrapped up in. It had filled a hole inside of him but for some reason he was still in need of something else. The problem with the job when they were this busy was it rarely gave you time to sit and eat anything properly. Your diet went out the window during an initial investigation. You ate nothing but easy, crap food. This left you feeling hollowed out and low and lacking in energy when you needed it the most. It was a time when you should be making the effort to take care of yourself better. The occasional cop packed themselves a salad the night before and tried to eat well but the behaviour soon stopped when the late nights tired you out so much you just wanted to slide into bed when you got home and not bother about your next day’s meals.
The incident door opened and Kapoor stalked in. ‘There you are, Dom. I wondered if you’d make it back in time. How did it go?’ He paused, noted the tired faces. ‘Never mind, catch me up later, we have to get this press conference done. Jonathan and Helen Butler are here, they’re waiting for us in my office.’
He’d forgotten they’d be here for this. He was exhausted and drained just thinking about what was to come. Press conferences were not the most fun part of the job. Not that any of the job was fun, but some of it was interesting. He couldn’t even put this in that category.
He stood, brushed away any crumbs that clung to him and stretched himself out, lifting his arms over his head and pulling them up, speaking to the team as he did. ‘You know what you’ve got on. I’ll leave you with it and if I don’t see you after this I’ll catch up with you bright and early in the morning.’
It had been a long day and unusually the press briefing had been put off to a late hour because of all the activity. The journalists and photographers were getting twitchy for their bite of news. They hated to be kept waiting and they had an idea that a family member might be up for grabs today. They loved the money shot of a loved one breaking down, no matter how sensitive they were at the time of recording, their viewership and readership went up and that’s what they lived for. Everyone loved heartbreak. Mostly in their fiction, but if it was in the comfort of their own homes, while they were able to watch someone else’s life collapse around them and they were able to stay safe but talk about it with their own loved ones or friends, then they lapped it up.
As they walked towards Kapoor’s office, Dominic updated him on the name of the app that was being used by the women. ‘I think we should consider mentioning it in the press conference.’
‘Warn the women off?’ Kapoor frowned.
Dominic understood why. Telling women what to do in their dating lives was not a good stance to take. Most women would tell you to get the men to control themselves. Keep their hands to themselves, their urges to themselves. Their nasty, violent thoughts to themselves. And they were right. ‘Not exactly warning them off, no. But I do think we need to let them know what’s been happening and let them make informed decisions when actively engaging in their love lives.’
‘You’re right.’ Kapoor bit his lower lip, the tension of the day making itself seen. ‘But we have to tread carefully.’
He would have to tread carefully. This was his press conference. Dominic was only here in a support capacity. This was all down to Kapoor.
They stepped into Kapoor’s office and greeted the Butlers who had no idea what they were heading into. Running the gauntlet, sitting in front of steaming hot cameras and people crowding in at you, desperate for your pain. It was something indescribable. Intense. Intrusive. Inhuman.
‘Do you have any news, DS Harrison?’ Jonathan was eager to find out the latest the minute they clasped hands.
Dominic looked to Kapoor, unsure what had already been discussed, not wanting to go over old ground. Kapoor discreetly shook his head. The old goat had run shy of giving them this morning’s information.
‘I’m sorry, we’re still working as hard as we can on the investigation. Nothing will slow us down. Unfortunately, I have to tell you that another woman has been killed. We’re keeping an eye on the evidence to see if they’re linked, but because of the timeframe, we’re taking investigative control of that case as well.’
Helen paled and grabbed hold of Jonathan. ‘Another one?’
‘We’re not sure yet,’ he reiterated. He didn’t want the press or the public to have this information. Not until they had . . . what? They’d done the PM and the injuries were consistent. What were they waiting for exactly? Kapoor didn’t want to frighten anyone but there was a difference between frightening people and keeping them updated. He’d go with Kapoor. They could always update the hoards later. ‘We still have some lines of enquiry. We’ll let you know as soon as we’re sure.’ When would that be? ‘In fact.’ He looked to Helen. ‘It may be that we have a photograph we want you to look at in the near future, if you’d be okay with that?’
‘Anything I can do to help. Though I don’t know what it is I can help with.’ She paused. ‘Oh, the dating app photograph. You do think it’s the same person!’
Damn. ‘We’re not sure. If we get a photograph and we get you to confirm it then we can say positively.’ Kapoor was scowling at him behind the Butlers. Dominic minutely shook his head that this was not his fault. This was Kapoor’s own fault for not having a discussion with him before they got into his office. ‘At this point we’re not directing the press to any potential link between the cases because we don’t want to jump to conclusions.’ He had to warn them of this so they didn’t blurt anything out during the press briefing.
‘Okay.’ Her voice was subdued.
Kapoor stepped forward. ‘I’ll talk first, providing a brief outline of the case so far and then I’ll pass the baton to you at which point you can ask for witnesses or anyone with any knowledge to come forward. Then Dominic will close by taking
a few questions.’
The couple looked at each other.
‘Who’s going to speak?’ Kapoor asked.
‘I will.’ Jonathan took a physical step forward, straightened himself, brought his shoulders back, readying for the ordeal ahead of him.
‘Okay. My advice is to keep calm. Don’t speak until you’re ready. Don’t let them rush you. Take as many breaths as you need. There’s no rush for this. You have the power in that room, not them. If you start to feel flustered, stop and breath and start again when you’re ready. We’re there to pick it up if you can’t continue. Do the best you can.’ This was Kapoor’s forte. He was good under pressure. Always calm and composed and now Dominic understood how he managed that. It was in his breathing. He allowed himself to breathe before he made major decisions and when he was talking to people. Dominic liked it. He’d keep that nugget himself. He tended to lose his cool pretty easily. A trait he would like to change if he could.
‘Are you ready to face them?’ Kapoor asked, a hand on Helen’s arm.
The couple nodded in unison.
They moved towards Kapoor’s office door and towards the waiting media who were hungry for a story they could milk for as much emotion as they could manage.
Lights started to flash as soon as they stepped from behind the boards.
Bright and sharp. The constant whirr and click of the cameras was almost overwhelming, even to Dominic who had been here countless times before. He simply took in one deep breath and continued his walk to the chair he was allocated. In front of him Jonathan and Helen stalled. Helen nearly tripped over Jonathan as he stopped dead in his tracks.
Kapoor sensed what was happening behind him and turned and smiled at the couple, a reassuring, warm smile that said to them that they were okay, that they were not alone and that they were protected.
The line started to move again.
Chair legs screeched as they settled down behind the long row of tables that had been laid out, the sound exacerbated by the strangeness of the situation. A sea of faces stared expectantly at them. Hands clutching notepads, pens poised for the one remark they could cling to and analyse for the rest of the day. Behind this table everyone was on display. Every word was checked for meaning and secrets.
Jonathan and Helen were bolt upright, like they had broom handles up the back of their clothing keeping them in position. Their eyes were wide. Whatever they had been expecting, the reality had invaded and shocked more than they had prepared for. Dominic wondered how much Kapoor’s advice to breathe was going to help them. It was great advice but they needed to take it on board if they were to get through this.
Kapoor cleared his throat and the room which had been a hubbub of low chatter quietened.
‘Thank you for waiting for this briefing today. We appreciate it’s not the usual way of doing things, but it has been a long day here at Snig Hill Police Headquarters and as you can imagine with policing, we can’t always run to a timetable. Sometimes things demand to be dealt with.’
Pens slid across notebooks. Cameras flashed. Jonathan and Helen stayed rigid, hands clasped under the table.
Kapoor continued, ‘Today we want to appeal for witnesses to the murder of Julie Carver and to update the public on some new information that has come to light.
‘We have become aware that a dating app has been used and that this is how the murderer identified Julie. Now while I’m loathe to name said dating app, I do think it is in the best interests of the women of Sheffield to be aware so they can make informed choices.’
Cameras clicked and pens scribbled their notes. He had everyone’s attention. This was a scoop. Kapoor would get blowback from the app creator but putting the safety of the women of the city first was his priority. He could take whatever heat was coming his way. With quiet sincerity Kapoor named the app and asked the women using it to continue their lives but with a little added caution.
Dominic could see Kapoor let out a small sigh of relief but he knew the stress of this event was far from over. ‘Now I will pass you to Julie’s brother, Jonathan Butler—’ he stared hard at the gathered press — ‘who will not take any questions. Then you will be passed to DS Dominic Harrison, to my right, who will take some questions.’
He nodded to Jonathan, the hush over the room palpable. Jonathan took a huge gulp then picked up the glass of water that had been placed in front of his position — there was one in front of each of them — and swallowed the water like he’d been in the desert for a month. Gently he placed the glass back on the table and stared out in front of him, at the faces that stared back. Bright eyes in the darkened room.
‘Thank you for letting me be here today,’ he croaked and cleared his throat. He picked up his glass again, his hand shaking. He swallowed hard and then put the glass back on the table. Swallowed again, licked his lips, and was ready. ‘As you know my sister was murdered three weeks ago.’ His tongue came out to wet his lips again. ‘It’s a huge loss for my family. She was a special woman and I—’ he looked to his wife — ‘we, want to appeal to anyone who might have any information that can lead to the apprehension of her killer. He can’t be allowed to be left to wander the streets. Not after what he’s done. He will be your husband, your brother, your son, maybe even your father. You may have noticed him acting differently. He can’t have done what he did to our darling Julie and not be a different person. Please, if you do suspect someone, or you think you saw something, let the police know.’
‘Do you really want him to do it again?’ blurted out Helen at the side of Jonathan.
It had been going so well until that point. Tears streamed down Helen’s face and Jonathan was silenced. He was watching his wife intently.
Considering.
Dominic needed to stop him. ‘I’ll take some questions now.’
‘He’s already killed again. How many people does he have to kill for you to help us?’ Jonathan asked quietly at the side of Kapoor. So quiet Dominic could barely hear him, but he had been heard. The room exploded.
Flashbulbs lit up the room. Voices began to shout out questions.
‘Who has he killed?’
‘How do you know it’s the same person?’
‘What are you doing about this, DI Kapoor?’
Dominic raised his voice and spoke out over the din. ‘If you direct your questions this way, I’ll try to answer what I can.’ What the hell was he going to say? They hadn’t agreed on a way forward for this scenario.
Every eye turned to Dominic.
The first question was shouted across to him. ‘What’s this about him killing again, DS Harrison?’ Straight to the point.
Dominic cleared his throat. ‘We attended a crime scene this morning. A woman in her forties. It hasn’t yet been officially linked to Operation Halo,’ he paused, made eye contact with the questioner, ‘and we will inform you when it is linked. But there are some indicators to suggest that the team on Operation Halo should be the lead team on this murder as well.’
‘What are these indicators?’
Dominic smiled. ‘You know I’m not in a position to provide operational details. I’ll give you as much information as I can, but we do need to keep some material close for investigative purposes.’
They walked out of the room in the line they had entered but backwards. Dominic leading the way out and Kapoor bringing up the rear. The back of Dominic’s neck itched. Kapoor was going to blow a gasket as soon as he’d said his farewells to the Butlers and not a second before.
He was pleasant and kind to them. Shaking their hands. Reassuring them they could work with what had happened.
‘The police are used to thinking on their toes, Helen. It’s how we work. Please don’t worry about it,’ he soothed. His voice gentle and velvet-like.
The minute they were out the door he turned on Dominic. ‘What the bloody hell?’
Dominic shoved his hands in his pockets. He may as well make himself comfortable for this one.
‘I thought we said
we weren’t going to disclose the link between the two cases!’
‘In case you missed it, boss, we didn’t do any of the disclosing. The family did. There’s little we can ever do to control the family. You did a brilliant job of trying to get them to slow down and think before they spoke before we went out but it was obviously preying on their minds.’
Kapoor was pacing back and forth in front of Dominic. They were in Kapoor’s office, well away from the feeding press.
‘How do you think they’ll spin this?’ Kapoor asked. ‘We’re going to get slaughtered, aren’t we? We didn’t catch the killer so he’s able to have killed again, that kind of thing?’ He scratched his head. ‘Police incompetence leads to second murder.’
‘Boss, I’d like to see them come in here and resolve this case any faster than any of us have done.’
‘That’s not the point though, is it? It’s our job and their job is to comment on how we’re doing ours. To hold us to account. You know Connelly is going to go ape shit when he reads the papers in the morning.’
‘He might not need to wait until the morning. Some of those reporters will be able to load the reports online tonight.’
Kapoor spun on the spot. ‘Shit, I’d forgotten about the bloody internet. I don’t know how. It’s the bane of my life. I’m going to have to update him straight away and he won’t be happy because this one is going to be fed all the way up to the chief constable now it’s a double murder case.’
‘Look, we can’t do anything about it. As you said to the Butlers, we have to work with it now. I’m just going to pop out to interview Madeleine’s ex-husband, Alex Chapman. We couldn’t get hold of him earlier and we’re hoping we should be able to catch him now. But after that, we’re all back in bright and early in the morning. It’s a new day, we’ll all be fresh and we’ll go from there.’
Kapoor walked around his desk to his chair. ‘Make sure you bring your A game, Dom, I want this case clearing up. Two murders is two too many. Tomorrow, you change the direction of this investigation and put us in the lead and him on the back foot.’
BLOOD STAINED an unputdownable crime thriller with a breathtaking twist (Detective Claudia Nunn Book 1) Page 14