Page 92 of Deadly Cry

‘My opinion is that yes, I think this could be our guy.’

‘Why?’ Kim asked.

‘His sentence structure is similar – both handwritten and typed – which will show likenesses because it’s the pattern of thought, the style of writing, if you like. Many of the words are used in the same way. I’m pretty confident it’s him, and if it is…’

‘Thanks, Alison,’ Kim said, taking the piece of paper and heading out the door, but not before she heard Alison finish her sentence.

‘I think she might just have saved that little boy’s life.’

Seventy-Three

‘If this means what you think it means, you were lucky and it changes nothing that I said to you yesterday,’ Woody said after he’d read the comment from Noah three times.

If that was how he wanted to refer to her judgement call, then so be it. Either way, she hoped she’d given the kid a fighting chance until they were able to find the bastard who had him.

She had to admit that she’d wondered how warm the temperature would be in this office following their heated exchange the previous day, and normally she would have kept a low profile for a few days, but that wasn’t an option. She needed something from him, and she had an idea what his answer was going to be.

‘Any chance of tracing the comment?’ he asked.

Kim shook her head. ‘It’s gone now, sir. Removed half an hour after it was posted. He gave me enough time to see it before taking it down.’

‘So?’

‘He wants to engage with me. He posted that answer so that I’d see it. He wants me to know he’s listening, otherwise he wouldn’t have bothered.’

‘Go on,’ he said, sitting back in his chair.

‘I want to do it again. I want to use Frost to try and reach him before anyone else gets hurt.’

‘You know my answer is no,’ Woody said. ‘Your first interaction was accidental. He made contact with you without invitation. The process of actively trying to engage a killer one-on-one without the full support of police resources is not something that can be decided in this room and you know it.’

Yeah, and the full resources of the police force had done them no good at all the day before, but damn it, that’s what she thought he’d say. Protocols demanded that a roomful of experts would be needed to examine every shred of evidence before sanctioning an order for her to interact on her own. That could take days, and the answer would most likely be no. But she didn’t have days to wait any way. With one murder every day she had to get his attention.

‘Sir…’

‘The answer is no, Stone. In fact, I’ll be doing the press conference later today. I don’t think talking to the nationals is right for you right now.’

Kim hid the smile that was forming on her lips. Some days, Woody exceeded even her expectations. Just one word was all she needed, and he’d given it to her. Nationals.

As usual the man had been fair and objective and had weighed the benefits of what she was trying to do. As ever, he had not let her down.

‘Sir, about yesterday. I’d—’

‘I think that’s best left where it is, don’t you, Stone?’

‘I disagree.’

The hint of a smile pulled at his lips. ‘Why am I not surprised?’

‘I shouldn’t have spoken to you the way I did,’ she said, and meant it. There were few people she respected as much as this man, and it was important to her that he knew that. ‘It won’t happen again.’

His fingers knitted together in front of him. ‘I trust it won’t, and your passion and conviction are to be admired, most of the time.’

She turned to leave, content the air was now clear between them. Woody didn’t hold a grudge and neither did she.

After their previous exchange, he could be forgiven for barely giving her the time of day, never mind listening and agreeing to her proposal.

And if there was any doubt in her mind on that score, he clarified it when her feet reached his office door.