Page 48 of Deadly Cry

‘Yo,’ Alison answered.

‘Hey, Alison. How are?…’

‘No,’ the profiler said straight away.

‘You don’t even know what I’m ringing for and I said a total of four words,’ Stacey protested.

‘Yeah I do, and those four words are all I need. You never use my name when you call. You never sound so serious when you call. The echo of your voice tells me I’m on loudspeaker. It’s the beginning of the day and you’re at work, so I’m guessing that right now I’m talking to all four of you. Morning, folks.’

Kim couldn’t help the smile that turned up the corners of her mouth.

She motioned for Stacey to continue.

‘Ali, I swear this is something you are going to want to have a look at. We have two letters—’

‘Nice sales pitch, Stace, but it’s not happening. You could have Hannibal Lecter in a holding cell requesting a one on one and I still—’

Stacey cut her off, persisting. ‘We just need some insight into the mind of—’

‘Nope, unless you’ve forgotten last time I worked with you guys I almost died, so there’s nothing you can say that will change my mind. I’m not on active duty.’

Kim understood her fear and sympathised. Her ordeal had been traumatic, and she needed gentle persuasion to get back on the horse. She probably needed patience, understanding and an empathetic approach.

Kim grabbed the phone. ‘Hey, Alison, we’ve got two dead women and a missing six-year-old boy, so do me a favour, put your big girl pants on and come help us find the bastard responsible.’

Thirty-Nine

Once the office was empty, Stacey tried Alison’s number again. It rang and eventually clicked to voicemail. She could imagine Alison staring at the screen, seething with anger. She tried again, but this time there was no ringing as voicemail kicked straight in.

‘Great,’ she said, throwing her phone down onto the desk. She’d done a fantastic job of letting her friend down. But she couldn’t have known what the boss was going to say to her, and even if she had she wasn’t sure she’d have disagreed.

It was true that the two of them had become close during that investigation. They spoke a couple of times a week and met for coffee at least once a month. Initially, Stacey had understood Alison’s need to take a step back from her profession and had thought that writing a book would be good for her. At first, Alison’s enthusiasm for the research had kept her animated and alert, buzzing with the challenge. The last two times they’d met, Alison had barely mentioned the project at all.

Stacey agreed that she needed to be back consulting. She just wasn’t sure she’d have phrased it the same way. She resolved to try her friend again later, once she’d had chance to calm down.

She turned back to her computer to begin the background checks the boss had mentioned, but her meeting with Sean Fellows was still at the front of her mind.

What exactly had he meant about the dates?

The meeting had left her more confused than before. She’d been hoping to move her investigation into the assault of Lesley Skipton forward, prayed he’d say something that would give her a place to start. She’d expected to feel repulsion being in his presence, but she hadn’t felt anything at all.

She reached for the file and a plain piece of paper and began noting the events sequentially.

3rd May – Gemma Hornley assaulted.

3rd May – Sean Fellows questioned.

4th May – Lesley Skipton assaulted.

7th May – Sean Fellows questioned.

11th May – Sean Fellows arrested.

12th May – Sean Fellows charged.

13th May – Sean Fellows questioned about Lesley Skipton.

15th May – Lesley Skipton’s file marked as no further action.