Page 8 of Deadly Cry

‘Umm… excuse me,’ Lena said, ‘might this be something the two of you could discuss outside this—’

‘Right there,’ Kim said, ignoring the superintendent and leaning across the table. She stabbed an area of the plan that appeared to be a brick wall. ‘It was a service stairway to the upper level before the renovations. There’s still a door there that leads to an abandoned set of store rooms and a corridor that leads back to the new section.’

Kim knew because she’d got lost in that area when a suspect she’d been chasing for an ABH offence had suddenly disappeared from view.

Christopher smiled his thanks and placed a cross at the location. He looked to the councilman. ‘I guess that’s eight then.’

Bill Platt shook his head, indicating there would be no budget increase.

Christopher looked back at her as the phone once more vibrated in her pocket.

‘It’ll be covered,’ he assured.

‘As scintillating as that was,’ Lena said, ‘if we could move on to…’

Kim tuned out as she reached into her pocket for her phone. The people whose calls mattered the most knew she wasn’t to be disturbed. Woody had sent her, and Bryant was waiting outside.

That could only mean one person and he never rang to shoot the breeze.

Lena looked straight at her and stopped speaking for a second. Everyone looked her way.

Two missed calls from Keats.

‘Umm… officer, if you wouldn’t mind putting away your phone.’

Kim ignored her and pushed back her chair.

Lena Wiley’s face was colouring with rage. ‘Is there somewhere you need to be?’

Kim made no apology as she headed for the door, throwing the words back over her shoulder.

‘Oh yes, it appears there’s somewhere I’m needed way more than I’m needed here.’

Six

Stacey drummed her fingers on the desk as she waited for DS Michaels to answer the phone and tried to quieten her second thoughts. Maybe this wasn’t the case for her to get her teeth into if the team dealing with it had never even put the case to the CPS.

‘Michaels,’ said a low rumble of a voice at the other end.

‘DC Wood from Halesowen,’ she offered.

‘Sorry for the wait, love, I was taking a dump.’

Stacey shook her head. Some things never changed, and she didn’t have time to react to every old-school misogynistic officer on the force.

‘Yeah, thanks for that. Got a minute to talk about the sexual assault of Lesley Skipton?’

Silence.

‘You headed the case against—’

‘I know who she is, love. I’m wondering why you want to talk about her.’

But sometimes she did have time to react. ‘The name is Stacey, not love. I ain’t your daughter or your niece. I got the case in the shuffle.’

‘They sent you that one?’ he asked, so surprised that he didn’t even respond to her rebuke.

Nowshewas surprised that he was surprised.