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

‘What is your wife’s name, Sergeant?’ There was tapping down the line as the call-taker input the details Dominic was passing him.

‘She’s Ruth Harrison. My wife is Ruth Harrison. Please help us. Please send someone round and get an investigation started.’

Chapter 56

Claudia

Three weeks after Ruth’s memorial

Claudia knocked on Sharpe’s closed door and waited to hear her call to enter. From inside there was the sound of hushed conversation. She hadn’t expected that. She’d been called to Sharpe’s office and thought it was a one-on-one talk but there was definitely someone else in there.

‘Come.’ Sharpe’s voice was clipped and to the point.

Claudia entered the room and was surprised to see her father sitting in one of the chairs opposite Sharpe. He looked up at Claudia and appeared just as surprised to see her.

‘Morning.’ She gave a general greeting to the room.

‘Claudia.’ Her father welcomed her.

‘Sit, sit.’ Sharpe waved at the empty chair next to Dominic.

This was the first time Dominic had been in the police station, that Claudia was aware of, since Ruth’s death. He’d told her he was returning to work today. It had been three weeks. He’d had extended leave due to the circumstances surrounding her death. No one blamed him. In fact they were surprised he was returning so soon.

Sharpe waved to the chair again, a tut forming on her lips.

Claudia sat next to her father and smiled at him, trying for encouraging, then turned to Sharpe who as always looked immaculate.

‘You’ll both be wondering why I’ve brought you here,’ she said leaning back in her chair.

Claudia and Dominic looked from each other to Sharpe.

‘It had crossed my mind,’ admitted Claudia.

‘First things first I wanted to update you both on the outcome of the Samuel Tyler arrest. I’m aware you were updated on the charging decision, that he’s been charged with all murders—’ she looked to Dominic — ‘including Ruth’s.’

Dominic inclined his head but stayed silent. Claudia wrapped her hands together to keep herself quiet.

‘I wanted to let you know how the interviews had panned out,’ Sharpe continued.

They both waited her out.

‘While he forcefully denied Ruth’s murder—’ her voice was unusually quiet — ‘there was enough evidence to charge him anyway. But he fully admitted the other murders. I’m under the impression he probably thinks sentencing will be worse if there is a cop involved.’ She leaned forward in her chair. ‘Believe me when I say the evidence is there. He will not get away with this.’

They knew this. Claudia didn’t understand why they had been brought together for this meeting.

Sharpe took a beat and leaned back a little. ‘Like I said, I wanted to let you know how the interviews went. What he said. Why he did what he did.’

This was interesting.

‘You may have noticed his left hand was scarred. It was caused when his mother went out and left him alone in the house. He had an accident frying something in a pan. Bacon, I believe.’

Dominic nodded as though he was aware of this fact.

‘His mother had left him to go on a date. Samuel never forgave her for the pain caused that evening. From what I can gather, burns are one of the most painful experiences you can go through. The pain was seared into his brain and he carried it with him. When his mother returned she smothered his face in kisses apologising for abandoning him and the lipstick she was wearing stuck to his face, which he saw when glanced his reflection in a mirror. That lipstick was, as you can now imagine, Velvet Berry by House of Maven. And that’s why he selected older women with children, because they reflected his own mother who was of a similar age when she had him. She was a very neglectful mother who caused him much pain and the scarring from the accident with the hot oil, all his mother’s fault in his eyes.’

‘Where’s his mother now?’ asked Claudia.

‘She was his first victim but she had no one to report her missing. He was her only family. He refuses to disclose where her body is.’

There was a loud tut from the chair at the side of her. She couldn’t imagine how her father was feeling. The savagery this man had used, he’d terrified women across the city. All because he was hurt as a child. Though childhood pain, Claudia knew, was processed very differently to adult pain and suffering.

‘You think it’ll affect his sentencing?’ she asked.

Sharpe looked up to the ceiling as though the answer was hiding up there, then back at Claudia. ‘I don’t know. I doubt it. He’s still murdered a lot of women which he’s going to have to pay for. He’s certainly not going to get away with it if that’s what you’re asking. The trigger for him was working in Victim Support and seeing children harmed. It reminded him of his own childhood. He really was quite chatty once he got going.’

Dominic rose from his chair. ‘Thank you for letting us—’

‘Sit down a moment, DS Harrison.’ Sharpe stopped him.

Dominic paused mid-rise then slowly sunk back into his chair watching Sharpe as he did so.

‘That’s not the only reason I brought you both in here. We’ve had a little time to think and assess the situation over the last few weeks while you’ve been off, Dominic, and we’ve decided that we’re going to set up a new task force to focus on more complex crimes. For instance, ones like the Strangler case.’

At the mention of his media-allocated name a violent silence fell over the room. No one moved.

They waited.

‘People have not been happy with how long it took to