Page 112 of Deadly Cry

Ninety-Three

‘Bloody hell, Penn, is this even legal?’ Stacey asked as they pulled off the station car park. The car was a wreck.

She’d already spoken to Inspector Plant, who had dispatched a team to meet them at Ella Nock’s address with the big red key, or enforcer as some called it, which could apply more than three tonnes of impact force from its 16kg weight.

‘Oh yeah, fit and well, passed her check-up with flying colours.’

‘Is the mechanic a good mate of yours?’

‘You’re safe, Stace, I swear,’ he said, taking a sharp left. ‘We’ll be there in no time, and if Archie’s there—’

‘Do you think he is?’ Stacey asked, pushing back further into the seat. She knew Penn was rushing to get them there, but she wouldn’t even stake tomorrow’s lunch on this car’s airbags activating. ‘You think Ella Nock could have taken Archie?’

‘I saw her briefly at the search for Archie, and she was pretty cool and calm, but how do you tell if someone is capable of abducting a child? If emotional distance was a precursor, our boss could have a houseful.’

‘Can’t imagine that, can you?’ she said as he crossed a green light at the very last second.

‘The thing I’m not sure about is this: we know Noah has Archie, so of the pairs Noah must be doing the second kill. Noah must be the one being prodded and poked, but Ella is the older sibling, which means she would have committed the first murder of her own sister-in-law and—’

‘Do we really think that Andrew Nock would have continued this bloody competition if his own wife was lying in the morgue?’ Stacey asked.

‘Yeah, but our theory means that if Ella didn’t kill her sister-in-law, then Andrew killed his own wife. One or the other.’

‘So how much faith do we have in our own theory?’ she asked as he turned sharply into the street where Ella Nock lived.

He left her question unanswered as he parked the car.

As they approached the house, Stacey couldn’t help wondering if somehow, despite all the evidence, they had taken the wrong direction entirely. But then again, too much of what they’d uncovered made sense.

No, they were right. They had to be.

She pushed her doubts aside as Penn gave the nod for the officers to use the big red key.

Ninety-Four

‘Have you caught him?’ Andrew Nock said as he opened the door.

‘I’m sorry to say we don’t have a result,’ Kim said, stepping into the house. ‘But we are making progress.’

If Andrew wasn’t involved, then she needed to manage his expectations about her visit, and if he was, she’d sent a shot across his bows that they were on to something.

‘We just wanted to drop in and check on you all. Is Ella not here?’ Kim asked as Andrew showed them through to the lounge, although she already knew the answer given the single car on the driveway. She only wanted to mention the woman’s name. Right now, she could be sitting in front of Noah: she had to choose every word wisely.

‘She was here earlier but she said something about going shopping. I’m relieved, if you want the truth,’ he said, softening his words with a smile.

‘The two of you are close, though?’ Kim asked, seizing the opportunity.

‘Sorry,’ Bryant said, before sitting, ‘may I use your bathroom?’

No hesitation. ‘It’s upstairs, first left but please be quiet. Mia’s taking a nap.’

Bryant nodded his understanding. Seemed a bit late in the afternoon for a nap, Kim thought. Especially if he wanted the child to sleep at night.

‘What routine?’ he said, as though reading her thoughts. ‘Been all over the place since… Monday,’ he said, still unable to say the words. ‘Late nights, early mornings. Right now, if she’s tired she sleeps.’

She understood. Grief didn’t wear a watch.

‘How is she?’ Kim asked.