The rest of the team gathered their things together. Their day was over. Another long shift finished. But this one had closed on a high note. Exuberance jostled among them. Joy at saving the victim from a fate at the hands of the killer and becoming tomorrow’s news.
‘I’m having a pint, who’s joining me?’ asked Dominic.
Claudia looked at him. She wanted the team fresh tomorrow. She didn’t want to rub Lisa’s and Krish’s noses in the fact that the work day was over for most when they were pulling an all-nighter. Yet Dominic had something else on his mind he was probably wanting to soak up with alcohol. She couldn’t blame him.
‘I’m going to get some rest,’ she said.
The look he gave her said everything without saying a word. It said he was disappointed. That she was a spoilsport, a killjoy. That she shouldn’t put her mood on everyone else. He wanted a drink and he bloody well was going to have one, thank you very much.
She turned away from him. Glad that he had some closure at last, but she was unsettled. She couldn’t in all good conscience pretend she’d taken in the words of one criminal over another. In fact, she needed to research and see what Lawton was inside for, see if that provided her with any clues.
‘I’ll grab a beer with you, mate, before I head home to get some zeds,’ said Graham.
‘Just the one for me too,’ agreed Rhys. ‘Today is worth celebrating. Our first big break in our first case on the task force. I think we should whet our whistles in honour.’
Dominic grinned. ‘Better get there before they call last orders then.’
Claudia said goodbye to the team as they walked out the door and then turned to Lisa and Krish, who were packing what they needed for their surveillance of Zach’s flat.
‘The uniform inspector is aware, as you know, but so is the duty inspector in the control room. You have all the backup available to you at the push of a button. We’d have more resources on Zach right now, but Uniform are tied up with a crowd they have in custody. They did a drugs raid today and closed two houses. It was a good one by all accounts, but it’s left them pretty short-staffed. The seriousness of our situation has meant they’re stretching themselves thin to help us, but help they will. Use it if you need to. Don’t be a hero tonight, either of you.’
They agreed not to be heroic, but were determined to catch the Artist in the act.
‘He has to make a move on Zach,’ said Krish. ‘He has no idea he’s at the hotel. You said Zach has no plans for tonight, so there’s no way the Artist could be planning to grab him away from home.’
Though Claudia fully agreed with Krish, her stomach still twisted in unease, as though she were missing something. ‘Have we missed something obvious?’
Lisa stared at her thoughtfully. ‘I don’t see how. Zach is safe and we know he wasn’t lined up to meet anyone this evening. There’s no way we’ve dropped the ball. It’s up to me and Krish now.’
Claudia watched the pair head off before moving to her office. She had something to do before she went home for the night herself.
Craig Lawton.
Who was he and what was he inside for?
She tapped at her keyboard and waited for the screen to load the answers she desperately needed.
The incident room was silent. The whole team had left. Peace should have settled over her, but there was an uneasiness wrapping its way around her.
Lawton’s details popped onto the monitor. Claudia leaned forward and read them. He was on remand for murdering a man. She needed more information. She logged into the crime system and searched his name. After his daughter reported being raped he attacked and killed her rapist. An act of emotional anger and rage. Not the same kind of man as Tyler.
Claudia steepled her fingers. Could she trust Lawton? He obviously wasn’t a cold-blooded killer. Yes, he’d killed a man, but love had driven him to lose his temper the way he had. If Lawton was telling the truth, then what game was Tyler playing telling Claudia one thing and Lawton another?
Did he think it was funny? Was he trying to muddy the waters? Or was he trying to cause emotional hurt to Ruth’s family?
There were no answers within the police system.
Claudia closed it down, disheartened that nothing had popped up as an alert for her.
She headed for home still confused as to what had happened to Ruth and determined to find out the truth.
CHAPTER 45
Dominic entered the Church House. A Grade II listed building that was once a church but was now a public house. He liked the vibe, and the team liked to congregate here in their downtime. What little downtime they had. He’d informed the others the drinks were on him and they’d gone to grab seats where they could gather. It wasn’t difficult. It was a weeknight and the hour was late.
He had something to celebrate and was in high spirits, though he couldn’t show how high his mood was. When the rest of the team found out about Lawton’s statement, they would understand his happiness at the case coming to a natural conclusion but would be concerned to see him overjoyed. It would confuse them. He was still a grieving widow. The man who had killed multiple women around the city had also admitted to taking his wife as his victim.
But he was joyous.
He had finally pulled Claudia off his back.
The bartender asked for his order and Dominic requested three pints.
It wasn’t just Claudia, though. She had been a side issue. It was Tyler himself. He’d been the problem, and Dominic had managed to shut him down. He’d never wanted to go head-to-head with his daughter. She wouldn’t be involved in all this if it wasn’t for that worm Tyler. He had so much to answer for.
Why couldn’t he simply accept the extra body on his charge sheet instead of kicking up a fuss? It wasn’t as though it would make any difference at all to his sentence. He was going to be locked up for the rest of his life, regardless of whether they added Ruth as one of his victims or not.
How could he not see that? Why did it matter to him? Surely he’d feel good taking the glory for someone else’s work. Especially a cop. Dominic had banked on that at the time. It would bring him kudos in prison, being a cop killer. The convicts inside hated cops, and if he entered as a man who had taken one down, his reputation would walk ahead of him.
But no. Tyler wanted everything by the book. If he didn’t kill her, then he would not take the rap.
Well, Dominic couldn’t have him screwing up his plans.
The bartender placed the three beers in a row in front of him. Dominic paid the man before encircling the glasses in his hands and carrying them over to where Graham and Rhys sat, their heads together, deep in conversation.
Dominic handed out the drinks and sank down on a stool opposite the two men. ‘Cheers. Here’s to a job well done.’ They may have thought he was talking about Zach Williams, but he was talking about Lawton and Tyler.
Graham and Rhys raised their glasses and took a slug of the amber liquid.
‘You think they’ll get the Artist tonight?’ asked Rhys.
Graham took another gulp. ‘If those two have anything to do with it, he’ll be wrapped up like a Christmas turkey for the boss by morning, mate.’
Rhys grinned at the thought of his colleagues’ determination. ‘You think he’ll turn up, Dom?’
Dominic considered the question. ‘He hasn’t failed to carry out his kills so far. If he doesn’t know we’ve moved the victim, then I don’t see why he wouldn’t make his move. Though . . .’ He analysed the situation. ‘I still don’t understand why he sends the drawings to the police in the first place. Giving us the opportunity to stop him in his tracks like we have with Williams. Surely it was always a possibility for him?’
‘Maybe he likes the game,’ Graham countered.
‘Maybe. It’s certainly a strange one. I’ve never come across anything like it in all my years.’
‘How long do you have left?’ asked Rhys, referring to Dominic’s service.
‘I’m fifty. Ten year
s if I go for the full pension. Or I can take a reduced pension at fifty-five.’ He shrugged.
‘You wouldn’t leave early, would you?’ Graham looked appalled. ‘I mean . . .’ He paused.
Dominic stared at him over his pint.
‘I know it’s been a tough year, but . . .’ Graham seemed to be struggling to put what he wanted to say into sentences. On a path he no longer wanted to travel. But Dominic didn’t help him out. He simply waited for him to continue.
‘But you’re a good copper and you’re made for it. I can’t imagine you walking away. Not if you haven’t done so far, that is . . .’ His words hung in the air, heavy, waiting for Dominic to respond.
Rhys watched the two men. He wouldn’t interfere.
‘Look,’ Graham started again, ‘this is the first time I’ve worked with you, but I supported Claudia with the rest of the team during the whole Tyler investigation when you were . . .’ He rolled his hand trying to move the conversation forward without the need to say the words. That he’d been part of Claudia’s team when they’d been investigating Dominic for killing Ruth. ‘It was tough on her. You being her dad and all. But you both got through it. That tells me you’re both cut from the proper cop cloth. It’s in your blood. If a scenario like that can’t take you out then there’s nothing that can.’ He put his pint glass to his face and supped. A sign that he’d finished his emotional and quite frankly stressful comment.
Dominic waited a beat. Then he smiled.
Graham let out a sigh of relief.
‘Look,’ said Dominic, ‘I’m playing it by ear. You’re right, it has been a tough year so far. I’m learning to be a different person on my own. Learning a lot of things, to be honest. But coppering, yes, you’re right again, it’s in my blood. As it’s in Claudia’s. But don’t tell her I said that or she’ll get a big head.’
The three men laughed.
Dominic downed his beer and thought about his daughter and how difficult she made it to keep his secret. If he was to stay a copper, then he had to also keep not only lying to his daughter but actively deceiving her.
CHAPTER 46
The sound broke through the darkness.
Claudia clawed her way through the fog. She must have been asleep for all of ten minutes and here the phone was ringing.
Her arm reached out from under the duvet and grabbed her mobile from the bedside table. She pulled it under the covers and muttered her name into the handset.
‘I’m sorry to disturb you, DI Nunn,’ a voice with a slight stutter broke through.
She grunted. Her spare hand rubbed her eyes to clear them from the haze of sleep.
‘I was asked to call you and inform you that an evening check-in of Zach Williams was conducted, as you requested, and the officer involved . . . well . . . he was unable to get hold of him.’
Claudia bolted upright. ‘What do you mean?’ She was alert now.
‘The officer in attendance couldn’t get him to respond to his knocking at the hotel room door, so demanded the hotel staff open up for him. He didn’t want to call you if Mr Williams was simply a heavy sleeper.’
Frustration was clawing at the base of Claudia’s neck as the story dragged on. ‘Do get on with it.’ She scratched at her neck.
‘The hotel staff opened the room up and the officer entered. He made a search, well as much as you can of a bedroom and a bathroom, and found it empty. A couple of other officers were called in and a sweep of the hotel was conducted and he’s still not been found. The decision was then made to inform you, ma’am.’
Claudia rubbed her face. Where could he be? It was made abundantly clear how much danger he was in and from who. Why on earth would he pull a disappearing act in the middle of the night?
‘Ma’am?’
‘I’m coming in. Check with the team at his house that his vehicle is still in place if you haven’t already. And find out what the state of play is there. Tell them to keep their wits about them.’
Shit. What the hell was happening?
‘Yes, ma’am.’
She thought about her team. Some had been out drinking, but Russ hadn’t. ‘Contact DS Russ Kane and tell him to meet me at the hotel. Inform him it’s at my direction.’
The effect of sleep had long gone. Claudia was alert and eager to be back in the incident room. Zach was under her care and was missing. There would be hell to pay. Not just from those above, but from the press when they found out, and they would. You could never hide anything from them.
The control room inspector rang off and Claudia checked her phone. It was 12.36 a.m. The clock on the drawing was set for 6 a.m. They had less than five and a half hours to find Zach before he became another crime scene clone of a drawing.
Her first call was to Zach’s mobile phone. It was switched off. A sickness spiralled to her stomach. What had she been hoping for? That the cops who had been first on the scene hadn’t thought of calling him? That he was going to pick up and tell her he’d gone for a walk to get some fresh air and what was all the fuss about? Or that he wanted to go home? Either would have made her both angry and at the same time utterly relieved.
But there was nothing. The phone was dead. It went straight to answerphone. Not even his voice to listen to, just the automated answerphone that came with the phone.
She ended the call, the sickness sinking deep and leaden.
The next call was to Lisa and Krish. Lisa picked it up.
‘How’s it going?’ Claudia asked, with an open question so she could elicit as much information from her subordinate without giving her the news of Zach’s missing status.
‘All quiet here.’
‘And she’s still awake, boss,’ Krish shouted down the phone from the side of her.
Claudia smiled. Glad they were bonding during their stint in the car. They’d come from different teams and had been pushed together when she’d created the team she wanted for the task force.
Lisa cursed him and turned her attention back to Claudia. ‘Honestly, boss. It’s as silent as a church. I don’t know what time he’s planning on picking this guy up, but he’s not here yet. No sign of movement at all. There are still some lights on, in properties on the street, but nothing’s moving outside.’
‘And you’ve seen nothing from inside of the flat from the street?’ Claudia pushed, wondering if Zach had left the relative safety of the hotel to go back home. That would solve all their problems. They’d have to scoop him up again, but it was a better scenario than the alternative.
‘Nope, no sign of activity. Like I said, the street has been quiet and we’d have seen if the Artist had got inside.’
Lisa hadn’t realised why Claudia was asking. She’d presumed they were talking about the reason they were there. The Artist. Even though the control room inspector had called for an update. A shiver ran down Claudia’s spine. If Zach hadn’t gone home, then the odds rose of the Artist somehow having been involved.
But how?
‘Zach Williams is missing from the hotel, Lisa.’
‘Shit. How?’
It was a very good question, but one she couldn’t answer. ‘We have no idea. I’m going to the hotel to see what I can learn. Can you and Krish keep your eyes open for either the Artist—’ she agreed with Lisa, she hated using that term for him. The Artist sounded whimsical and not the brutal phrase he deserved — ‘or for Williams himself. If Williams shows, phone me immediately. And put your hands on him instantly. I don’t want anything happening to him. I’m still hoping he left the hotel of his own accord. Homesick or something.’
‘Will do, boss.’
Claudia thanked them and ended the call.
Russ met her outside the hotel within half an hour. She couldn’t ask the whole team to work through two solid days without rest. Russ would do this. Of course her team would, but she made the decision that they shouldn’t.
Instead of his work suit, Russ was dressed in jeans and a thin jumper. It might be gloriously hot through the day, but the tem
perature still dropped in the night. There was five o’clock shadow shading his jaw, and though he’d attempted to straighten himself out, his hair was more rumpled than usual, a telling sign that he’d not long removed himself from his bed.
The street was silent. But at gone 1 a.m. what else could she expect? What her eyes searched for were signs of a struggle, though. Something kicked over as the killer pulled a frightened young man into a car, maybe. How else had this occurred? But there was nothing. Everything looked to be in order. If it weren’t for the couple of police cars parked up you wouldn’t think anything was wrong.
‘Shall we speak to the staff then?’ Russ suggested.
Claudia ran a hand through her hair. Sure it was as unruly as Russ’s looked. Realising this, she then used both hands to pat some of it into place. There was no need to go into public looking unkempt just because of the hour.
They strode through the huge double doors and up to the unmanned reception desk. Again Claudia saw no signs of a disturbance. Nothing askance. The door to the stairs was closed and clean, and the potted plant next to the lift was in position and undisturbed.
There was a buzzer on the reception desk, with a sign propped against it, asking guests to press for attention. No doubt the staff would be sitting with their feet up somewhere in the rear. Claudia couldn’t blame them. She hadn’t enjoyed night shifts when she was in uniform. The 4 a.m. brick wall had nearly killed her, utter exhaustion overwhelming her, limbs that seemed to weigh more than a baby elephant and a mind filled with fog.
Claudia pushed the small white button, and they waited. Barely a word had passed between her and Russ, both of them shocked by the turn of events. They had been so sure that Zach was safe and secure, that they had placed their resources in the correct place. Now Claudia bit her lip as she waited for the hotel staff to appear and tell her where Zach had gone.
SECONDS TO DIE a totally gripping serial killer thriller with a twist (Detective Claudia Nunn Book 2) Page 17