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

by Rebecca Bradley

  ‘You followed me?’ She was furious. Blood pounded in her head. He was playing on her emotions, but it wasn’t 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 into work if you want. You can speak to whomever you want about the investigation.’ She needed to get him into the car.

  ‘I’ve brought my own car, Claudia, well, a hire car, bearing in mind you have mine. I don’t need you to take me into work. How do you think I followed you this morning?’

  Of course he had.

  ‘Sit, finish your drink.’ He looked up at her. ‘What is it, Claudia?’

  She was immobile.

  ‘Claudia?’

  She had delivered so many death messages. But never one to her own family. How do you deliver one to someone you loved? ‘Dad . . .’

  He stood, comprehension dawning. ‘No.’

  How was it people knew before the words were uttered what the news was? He had to have been half-expecting it. ‘I’m so sorry, Dad.’

  He shook his head. ‘Where?’

  ‘I don’t have the details. Sharpe has asked us to go in.’

  ‘She knows we’re together?’

  ‘She does.’

  Dominic shuffled around the table to her side.

  ‘I’m sorry, Dad.’

  He took her hand like a small child and they walked out of the coffee shop. Their drinks completely untouched.

  Chapter 53

  Claudia

  Sharpe wasn’t in her office. The large room was empty.

  ‘I know where she’ll be if she’s not in here,’ Claudia said and led her dad back downstairs and outside.

  ‘She’s outside?’ Dominic queried.

  Claudia quietly led him to the smoking shed where Sharpe was puffing away on a cig. In the far corner desperately trying to be unseen by her was a uniformed cop. As soon as Claudia and her dad turned up he paled even more, stubbed out what was left of his cigarette and left.

  ‘Oh, Dom, I’m so sorry.’ Sharpe flicked ash off her cig as she spoke to him. Her eyes holding genuine sympathy.

  ‘Thank you.’

  Sharpe took two steps forward and placed her arms around Dominic. Claudia stared at her, shocked by the public show of empathy that her boss was exhibiting.

  Dominic was stiff in her arms. She held the hug for a couple of seconds, cigarette smoke winding its way up from her fingers, then stepped away.

  ‘What can you tell us?’ asked Claudia getting straight down to business.

  Sharpe looked grateful to be heading back into familiar territory. ‘At f
irst look it seems to be the Sheffield Strangler. We’ll know more after the PM but first impressions are pretty strong, so I’m told.’

  ‘And my dad?’

  Sharpe inhaled on her cigarette and waited a beat as it hit her lungs. Then she looked at Dominic. ‘Pending the results of the PM, your bail will be cancelled and we’ll be focusing on catching the Strangler.’

  Claudia gave Dominic a weak smile. It wasn’t worth much. They would both much rather have Ruth back than any resolution to Dominic’s predicament. But as it stood it was good to know he was in the clear.

  ‘As I’m no longer a suspect, what can you tell me about the investigation?’ Dominic asked.

  Claudia wished he would break down and go home. Grieve for his wife, but she also kind of understood his need to have something to focus on after the last couple of days. It had been traumatic for him being arrested for her murder when he’d been innocent all along. Only to find she’d been killed by the Strangler when he’d been saying that during the entire time he’d been in custody. Could they have done anything differently? Could they have found her before she died? Claudia didn’t think so.

  It was then she remembered the folded piece of paper she’d shoved in her bag. She hadn’t shown it to her father. She heard Sharpe updating him on what actions the team who were investigating Ruth’s murder — it was no longer Claudia’s team now she’d been found — were taking, as she rummaged through the glut of rubbish she had in her handbag.

  Then she found it and produced it with a bit of a flurry. ‘Dad, I haven’t shown you this.’ She waved it in front of him. Still folded.

  His brow wrinkled. ‘What is it?’

  ‘It’s the photofit of the man the witness your team identified managed to create.’

  He snatched the paper out of her hands. ‘What results have you had from it?’

  Claudia frowned. ‘Not much I’m afraid. We had some calls but we seem to have knocked the majority of them out. I think there are still a few to follow up on.’

  Dominic opened the paper up and stared down at it. A slight breeze blew through them and rippled the paper in his hands. Dominic’s eyes narrowed.

  ‘Dad?’

  ‘I know this man.’ He sounded confused.

  Sharpe stepped closer. ‘You do?’

  ‘Yeah. I can’t place him, but I know him.’ He squinted at the image. ‘Why do I know him?’

  ‘Someone you’ve already talked to in the investigation?’ Sharpe offered. ‘A witness?’ She threw down her cigarette and placed her pointed toe on the stub crushing it out. Again disregarding the bins at the side of the shed.

  Dominic shook his head. ‘I don’t know. I don’t think so.’ He rubbed a hand along his jawline. ‘It’s certainly not Alex Chapman who I had a thing for.’ He looked up at Claudia. ‘What did this witness see?’

  She was shocked that her dad recognised the image. If she’d only shown it to him earlier they may have been able to make a move and find Ruth.

  ‘Claudia.’ Dominic gave her a nudge.

  ‘Sorry.’ She shook herself. ‘The witness said this guy was holding the woman up and herding her along the road. He had control of her.’

  ‘So drugs were involved?’

  ‘Looks that way, but probably ones that leave the system pretty quickly because, as you’re aware, there were never any drugs found during post-mortems.’

  Dominic looked down at the image again. ‘Where do I know you from?’ His voice was quiet.

  Sharpe looked to Claudia then inclined her head towards the building. They moved away from the smoking shed. Dominic was glued to the spot, staring at the image in front of him.

  ‘Let it percolate,’ said Sharpe. ‘If you try to force it, you’ll end up pushing the answer away. Lessen your grip on the answer.’ She stepped further away.

  Dominic looked up, realised they were leaving him and pushed the paper into his back pocket and caught them both up.

  ‘You’ll get there, Dad.’ Claudia wrapped her arm through his. ‘It’s in there somewhere. It’ll dislodge at some point and we can act on it then.’

  In Sharpe’s office they were met by Kapoor. He offered his condolences. A hand placed on Dominic’s shoulder. He could take as much time off as he needed. They’d keep him updated.

  Kapoor coughed lightly. ‘We’re not going to insert a FLO into your life. I’ll liaise with you directly. But would you like Victim Support to get in touch?’

  It was like a match had touched a badly-made firework. Dominic exploded out of his seat.

  ‘Jesus fucking Christ. How could I not see it?’

  The room stared at him.

  Dominic yanked the paper from his back pocket, waved it at them. ‘I said I recognised him. I TOLD you I recognised him. The guy, the one with the woman, he works from here. He’s got access to the nick.’

  Mouths were open.

  Dominic ran from the room. Claudia, Sharpe and Kapoor chased after him. He ran down the corridor, turned left and came to the stairs, ran down one flight and turned onto the first corridor. He pushed through the door, his arms out, ready to . . . what? Claudia wondered as she tried to keep up with him, what was it exactly he was going to do should he find the person he was looking for. She looked at the sign on the door they’d run to. Victim Support.

  Inside the office a young woman, no older than twenty-five, was sitting at a desk, her mouth hung open at the sudden and violent entry.

  ‘Where’s Samuel?’ screamed Dominic.

  The girl couldn’t speak.

  ‘Where is he?’ Dominic was losing his mind. Claudia grabbed hold of his arm. He shrugged her off.

  ‘DS Harrison.’ Sharpe’s clipped tone sliced through the room.

  The girl recognised Sharpe and her eyes widened even further.

  ‘Samuel?’ Sharpe asked in a kinder tone.

  ‘He . . . he’s . . . It’s his day off today. I think he’s at home.’

  Dominic spun on his heel and left the room.

  Chapter 54

  Claudia

  Claudia sat in the unmarked police car with Kapoor who was standing in for Dominic, who was allowed nowhere near this case at this point in time. A marked van was parked behind them. They were around the corner from Samuel Tyler’s home address.

  Further discussion with Dominic had revealed that the photofit image was of a clean-shaven male, but the man he knew had a beard. Not difficult for someone to grow and they were popular in the current climate. This is what had made it so difficult for Dominic to place him initially. It was the mention of Victim Support that had triggered his memory.

  A deep dive into Tyler had, unsurprisingly, considering his role, found him to have no criminal record. Which, bearing in mind he had jumped straight to violent murder, was the surprising factor. But a search of Social Care records revealed the truth of Tyler’s anger at women in their forties. His mother had left him, as a child, unattended, to go out on dates. And on one occasion he had badly burned his whole hand while attempting to feed himself. She had forgotten to feed him in her excitement to go out. Tyler had been placed in the foster care system after that and life hadn’t treated him well.

  ‘So, he blames it all on his mother?’ Kapoor unclipped his seatbelt.

  ‘It appears that way.’

  ‘And the lipstick?’

  ‘I imagine it was one his mother wore.’ Claudia was numb. The man they were after had been under their noses the entire time. She had probably run into him herself at some point. If she’d picked up on something then they wouldn’t have lost Ruth. She pushed the car door open. ‘Shall we go and do this?’

  They climbed out and headed towards his address. Behind her the police van door squealed and boots hit the ground.

  They didn’t wait for him to answer. With three hits of the ram the front door caved and they piled in, screaming ‘Police’ as loud as they could. It was dim. The curtains were closed. Samuel Tyler half rose from his position in front of the television. His features
sculpting themselves into a mask of shock and horror. The flickering light of the programme in front of him giving the room an eerie glow.

  Claudia flicked on a switch and bathed the space in bright light. She strode up to him. He was a little over six feet tall. The man who’d met her at the cemetery. ‘Samuel Tyler, I’m arresting you on suspicion of the murder of Ruth Harrison—’

  Before she could name the other victims, Tyler started to protest.

  ‘I didn’t kill her. I didn’t take her. You have this all wrong.’ His hands were pulled behind his back. He winced. ‘But I didn’t do it.’

  Claudia named the rest of the victims and cautioned him. Eventually he fell into an uneasy silence.

  ‘I’ll take him to the car.’ This was no longer Claudia’s case. She’d been allowed on the arrest out of courtesy. But once Tyler was in the car and away to the police station it was all out of her hands. The top brass had got what they wanted out of her and now she was being discarded. She’d be angry about the situation if she wasn’t so obsessed with Samuel Tyler. He was like a small splinter that was stuck in her thumb that she couldn’t get out but kept needling at, the sting a reminder of its presence.

  Tyler was the splinter and the sting. Every second she had with him was now precious to her.

  The uniformed officer who had Tyler by the arm looked at DI Kapoor who now had control. He gave a short nod and Claudia took Tyler’s arm and manoeuvred him out of the room. She knew better than to make a scene about who was in control here. All she cared about was Tyler and Ruth.

  Once they were close to the front door and out of earshot of most of the cops in the house Claudia spoke quietly into his ear. ‘Why Ruth?’ She needed answers. She’d lost her friend. Family.

  His head shot up and his eyes bored into hers. ‘I didn’t take her. I didn’t kill her. I told you that.’

  She opened what was left of the front door. ‘The others?’