BLOOD STAINED an unputdownable crime thriller with a breathtaking twist (Detective Claudia Nunn Book by Rebecca Bradley (rooftoppers .TXT) 📕

‘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