BLOOD STAINED an unputdownable crime thriller with a breathtaking twist (Detective Claudia Nunn Book 1)

by Rebecca Bradley

  ‘He said we were not failing the families.’

  ‘He did?’ She lifted her eyebrows.

  ‘That surprises you?’

  ‘It does a little. How would he come to that opinion if you haven’t caught him?’

  ‘He seems to think he’s too clever to be caught and this means we’re not failing the families.’ He closed his mouth and stood. ‘That’ll be all for today. Thank you for your time and for sharing the image of the woman we need to identify. We appreciate your help with this matter.’

  Dominic rose.

  ‘DI Kapoor!’ Several voices spoke at once. Hands went up in the air in an attempt to gain his attention. He turned on his heel and headed towards the door keeping his eyes forward. Once they were both out of the door and away from the press he exploded at Dominic.

  ‘What the bloody hell happened in there?’

  Dominic shook his head. He was in shock as much as Kapoor was. ‘I don’t know, boss. I have no idea where that came from.’

  ‘We have a leak, Dom, and I want to know who is giving this to the press. This is inexcusable. We can’t have sensitive details like this shared in that way. Not only could it hurt the investigation, but if the wrong thing gets leaked it could potentially create mass panic. This case is delicate. We need to be careful.’ He paced up and down the corridor. ‘Who knew about the letters?’

  Dominic thought it through. ‘It’s quite a wide net. There’s everyone in the incident room, then you have everyone in the CSU, the front counter staff as we had to take statements, and the killer himself.’ He concluded. ‘Maybe it didn’t come from us. Maybe, if he’s contacting us, he’s also contacting the media. I haven’t seen anything like that in the press, but we should keep an eye on Danielle Spicer’s column over the next day or so.’ His hopes were up that this wasn’t one of his team. He would hate to think one of them had done something so unprofessional.

  ‘If he contacted her then she should be telling us not blindsiding us with such a question,’ Kapoor shouted. ‘She has a duty to tell us if she’s heard from him and if she hasn’t then there’s a mole in the organisation and I won’t tolerate that, Dom.’ He stared hard at him. His dark eyes boring a hole into Dominic.

  ‘I don’t know how we’re going to narrow it down.’

  Kapoor sighed and ran a hand through his hair. ‘We first talk to Danielle. Not that she’s likely to tell us her source if it is one of ours. Then we ask everyone who knows, if they’ve leaked the information. Ask them to do the right thing and come forward.’

  ‘They’ll never do that. Not knowing they’ll lose their jobs because of what they’ve done.’

  ‘I don’t know how else to get to the bottom of this, Dom. If you have any bright ideas please do let me know.’ He was frustrated and Dominic didn’t have any of the answers he needed. Dominic was pretty furious himself. How dare someone they trusted do this to them. He would give them what for if he found out who it was.

  ‘It’ll have to be referred to Professional Standards,’ Kapoor said walking towards the stairs that took them back up to the incident room.

  ‘You never know,’ said Dominic, ‘They may have sent Danielle an email and it could be traced. It might be as simple as that.’

  Kapoor laughed. ‘We’re talking about cops, Dom. I’d hope if they were going to do something where they didn’t want to get caught that they’d have a bit more sense than that. But we can but hope.’

  ‘It might not be a cop, it could be civilian staff.’

  ‘Yeah, forensic civilian staff. The people who think about getting caught all day long. I don’t hold out much hope but I’ll put the referral in to PSD when I get into my office. We’ll leave this messy investigation in their capable hands, we have enough to be getting on with without twisting ourselves inside out with this.’

  Dominic couldn’t believe it. Not only were they dealing with a serial killer, they were also facing a professional standards investigation because they had a snitch on the team somewhere. This was dangerous because if the killer got too much information it could help him stay one step ahead. It was also not good for the morale of the city where people were already frightened and twitchy.

  He said goodnight to Kapoor and headed towards the incident room. It was time to brief his team before heading home for the day.

  ‘DS Harrison?’ A voice called out behind him.

  Dominic turned. The man standing behind him was familiar but he couldn’t quite place him. He was in his thirties, medium build with a full beard.

  The man could obviously sense Dominic’s misremembering as he strode forward, holding out his right hand. ‘Samuel Tyler, Victim Support, we met about four weeks ago when I spoke with you about Julie Carver and seeing her family?’ It was phrased as a question. A question about Dominic’s memory.

  The conversation returned to Dominic. He kept his eyes up, looking at Samuel’s face, but remembered the burnt hand and his faux pas in staring at it when they’d met. ‘Oh yes. Sorry about that. Busy day.’ He was embarrassed. He was usually pretty good with people.

  Samuel smiled. ‘Don’t worry about it. I imagine you’re struggling to recognise yourself in the mirror in the morning, the pace this job is going, never mind remembering a stranger from a month ago.’

  Yes, Samuel would know all about the pace of the job working in Victim Support. ‘You’re not far wrong there.’ Dominic laughed at how well Samuel had zoned in on the fatigue the job was creating. ‘You’re assigned to the family of the second victim?’

  Samuel’s smile slid away. ‘Afraid so. They seem to think it’s best that one person deals with the families so it keeps the information contained.’

  Dominic could understand that. ‘It has to be tough on you though. Picking up every job that comes in. I’m sure we’ll ID the third victim any day now.’

  ‘No tougher than you’re finding it, DS Harrison.’

  ‘Call me Dominic.’

  Samuel inclined his head. ‘Dominic. I make sure I find ways to relax when I’m not working.’

  Dominic rubbed his head. He wasn’t sure he was as well balanced as Samuel. He was pretty caught up in the case and barely had any free time to relax outside of it. ‘How are the families bearing up?’ He was kept up to date through the daily briefings of any case-relevant information the FLOs were feeding back to the team, but he wasn’t aware of the families’ emotional stability.

  Samuel rubbed his left hand. Dominic couldn’t help but look down as the action caught his eye. He dragged his gaze away quickly.

  ‘As you’d expect really. They swing between disbelief, anger and denial. Every hour is a new hour, never mind every day. In fact it’s a minute-by-minute process. Grief is difficult at the best of times, but when a loved one has been snatched from you in such violent circumstances it becomes pretty hard to accept and process.’

  ‘And that’s where you come in.’ Dominic didn’t envy the man. He’d rather be following the leads on the investigation than be mired in the turmoil of the relatives’ emotions. Not that he was heartless, but because he didn’t think his heart could take it. It would break him.

  ‘I try.’ Samuel shrugged.

  ‘Don’t undersell yourself.’ Dominic liked the man. It was a tough job and he was grateful to him. ‘What you’re doing is invaluable. To us as well as the families. If I can ever do anything for you then you only have to ask.’ He fished in his pocket and pulled out a contact card handing it over to Samuel.

  A small flush crept up the top of Samuel’s cheeks, the part that wasn’t covered by his beard, as the man took Dominic’s card. ‘I don’t know what to say, thank you.’

  Dominic clapped him on the shoulder. ‘We’re going to get this bastard.’

  Chapter 38

  Dominic

  The incident room was half empty. People had started to taper off and head home. His team was still here, waiting for him to finish his briefing.

  ‘How’d it go?’ asked Hayley.

 
‘Not good.’

  ‘What happened after I left?’ Rhys closed down his computer and stood from his chair.

  ‘Someone leaked to Danielle Spicer that we’d had contact from the killer.’

  ‘Jesus.’ Hayley’s face dropped. ‘Who the hell would do that?’

  ‘That’s a serious question, Hayley, and one the boss is taking up with PSD as we speak.’

  ‘I’m not surprised.’

  Paul pulled on his coat. ‘How about we go for a drink? We know it’s not one of us. It’s been a long day, I think we all deserve it.’

  Dominic was tired. Paul was right, it had been a long day and he could do with a stiff drink right about now. But what about Ruth? She’d be at home expecting him. He could text her, let her know it had been a tough day and he was taking the team out to boost morale. She’d accept that. He liked to keep his team ticking over and not let them be pulled too far down in difficult investigations.

  ‘Come on, Dom.’ Hayley pushed her chair under her desk. ‘We’re all going, it won’t be the same without you.’

  He pulled his phone out of his pocket. ‘Yeah, okay. The first round is on me.’

  There was a small cheer as they jostled past him towards the door.

  ‘It’s the only reason you ask me to come with you,’ he moaned.

  ‘We like you really,’ Hayley laughed.

  Rhys nudged her. ‘We have to tell him that to keep him onside, obviously.’

  ‘I can hear you, you know.’

  ‘Oh, really? Did I say that out loud?’ Rhys feigned shock.

  Dominic moved with the group to the incident room doors. Waved to the rest of the homicide team who were at their desks. They wouldn’t stay long. A couple of hands went up in response. He tapped out a message to Ruth letting her know where he was going. He got a response straight away letting him know there was some food in the oven should he want it when he got home. She didn’t have anything too serious on at work at the moment so was getting home at a reasonable hour and that meant they were getting proper food inside them instead of the crap they tended to eat when they were both working long shifts. Right now though he would rather be with his team than at home. Ruth couldn’t understand this case and he was tired of trying to pretend everything was okay when it was far from okay. All he wanted to do was work the case and be with the people who understood that feeling. Anything else was irrelevant.

  Home was simply a place to sleep. To put his head down. Right now Ruth was irritating him. He couldn’t cope with the constant bickering. The barrage of inane questions. How had they got to this place when they’d started with such passion and love? Now the love seemed like a distant star. Unimaginable and so very far away. Dominic couldn’t see a way back. But it wasn’t something he was willing to share with his team or with anyone. It was private, between him and Ruth.

  This case was consuming his team and it was crucial they have this release together. It was also essential he went with them. His reputation within the team was important to him. What others thought of him and the work he was doing meant so much. It didn’t really matter if Ruth was upset that he was late from work. He pushed his phone into his pocket.

  The Church House was a Grade II listed building that once used to be — as the name suggested — a church, but which had been converted into a pub about thirty years previously. Dominic liked the vibe in the bar. The dark blue of the ceiling and some of the walls, along with exposed brickwork, gave him a comfort he could settle in.

  Dominic bought a round of drinks, buying a whiskey for himself. He needed it. It was mid-week so they managed to find a table fairly easily and gathered around it. Once settled Dominic took a slug of his drink, the familiar warmth of it spreading through him. He tipped his head back, resting it lightly against the wall and savoured the feeling.

  ‘That good, eh?’ Hayley leaned in close to his ear.

  Dominic smiled. He didn’t think anyone would be paying him any attention. He thought he could have a minute alone with his drink and his thoughts before he had to engage with the rabble of the team. Obviously he was wrong. ‘It’s been a long day. I needed this.’

  Hayley raised her glass to him. The clear gin swirling round the ice piled up high inside leaving a transparent slick against the edge of the glass in its wake. ‘A lot of grief from Kapoor?’

  Dominic shook his head. ‘Not really. He vented a little, but that’s only to be expected. He has a lot on his plate.’

  ‘Don’t we all.’ She brought the drink up to her nose.

  ‘Yeah, but the higher up the food chain you go, the worse the pressure you’re under, from those above you and from the general public.’

  ‘Ah, our beautiful public.’ Rhys leaned in. ‘Our job would be great if it wasn’t for people.’

  Paul laughed. ‘They do rather have quite a lot to do with how our day goes.’

  ‘Do you think we’ll get anything from tonight’s press release?’ Hayley asked.

  Dominic pursed his lips. ‘I don’t know. I hope so. I hate to think the poor woman is laying in Nadira’s fridge unclaimed, especially after such a brutal death. Everyone should be claimed by someone.’

  Hayley took a sip of her drink. ‘That’s very sentimental, Dom. I didn’t know you had a deep and meaningful side.’

  He swirled the amber liquid in his own glass. ‘I think this case is getting to me if I’m honest.’

  Krish leaned forward. ‘It is pretty dark. A bit different to the domestic assault murders that usually come through the door.’

  Dominic looked around him, he didn’t want any of the pubs clientele to overhear their conversation. Krish took note, lowered his voice. ‘I usually talk about work when I go home but with this one, I can’t tell her anything. There’s nothing I feel is suitable or safe.’

  ‘What do you mean by safe?’ asked Rhys.

  ‘Well, I don’t want to give her nightmares, do I? She gets enough information from the press and when she asks me about the job I tell her it’s as bad as she’s reading about and she doesn’t need to know anything else. Surely none of you are going home and telling all?’

  Hayley shook her head. ‘Not that I have anyone to tell all to. But when I visit my mum she asks me what’s happening and I tell her it’s lots of paperwork. It’s not a lie.’

  ‘Same here,’ said Paul. ‘I tell the missus that the investigation team is huge and I’m a minnow in a large pond. There’s not much for me to tell her. She leaves me be. I think she’s proud that I’m on this case though.’

  Dom was puzzled. ‘Proud, how?’

  ‘Well, it’s high profile, isn’t it? She thinks we’ll be getting the glory when we catch him because she has all the faith that we will. It doesn’t even cross her mind that we couldn’t catch him.’

  ‘It crosses yours?’ Hayley slugged back the last of her gin.

  ‘Of course. We’re three bodies down. He’s way in front of us. He’s forensically aware. He’s also taunting us by being in contact, he has to be pretty confident in his own ability to do that. Of course it’s crossed my mind that we might not catch him. We don’t solve every case we land.’

  ‘I know, but . . .’

  ‘But, what?’

  ‘It’s the Sheffield Strangler.’

  ‘And that makes it different how?’

  ‘Because we have to catch him. We can’t leave him out there for members of the public to keep getting murdered.’

  Paul slammed his empty glass down on the table. ‘You think we’d be leaving him out there? Like, out of choice? That’s so not what I’m saying and you know it. I’m saying we might not be able to solve his crimes. He might be too advanced for us, that’s all.’

  Dominic rose from his seat. ‘I think I get it. But let’s hope you’re wrong, eh? Who wants another drink? I think we deserve it this evening.’ He wanted to diffuse the situation.

  ‘You’re buying again?’ asked Hayley.

  ‘Anything to stop you two bickering.’

 
Paul laughed. ‘We should fight more often if Dom puts his hand in his pocket.’

  Hayley looked at him, all serious. ‘I wasn’t fighting with you.’

  ‘I know that.’ Paul put an arm around her. ‘Come on, this is a shit case and it’s getting to all of us. Let’s drink up while Dom is paying and make the most of it.’

  Hayley smiled. ‘Well, there are obvious benefits.’

  Dominic came back from the bar with a tray loaded with another round of drinks and slotted back in the other side of Hayley.

  ‘What about you, Dom?’ asked Rhys.

  ‘What’s that?’

  ‘Well, you’re married to a woman in the force. Can you go home and talk about the job? It must be so much easier for you. You don’t have to worry about scaring her—’ he winked at Krish who threw a beer mat at him — ‘because she’s a toughened old cop anyway.’

  ‘Less of the old,’ said Dominic. ‘But no, I don’t go home and talk to Ruth about it. Much the same as you guys. I think this job deserves to be left at the office. Yes she’s interested in it and asks for details because she’s only getting the same information the public are. I give her a little more to keep the peace, but I don’t unload on her. I don’t think it’s fair.’ The reality was he didn’t want to talk about it with her. His skin crawled when she asked him about the case. He wanted to climb into bed at home and get some rest. These were the only people he wanted to talk to about the Strangler. ‘She has her own workload to worry about. She’s in a tough area of work being undercover and she needs to focus when she’s doing that and I have no intention of distracting her by telling her what my day involved.’

  There were nods all around. They all knew and liked Ruth and could understand Dominic’s argument for keeping her in the dark.

  The conversation continued between them. Rhys, Paul and Krish got into a deep and meaningful about the football.

  Hayley turned to Dominic. ‘I couldn’t think of anything more boring. How come you’re not getting all wet about this?’