He knew the guv would offer no apology for her actions. She never did when she knew she was right. There was just no way she could do what she’d done without consequences. This wasn’t something Woody could sweep under the carpet because she was a brilliant detective. Other agencies were involved. There would be a disciplinary, maybe a suspension, possibly even dismissal; he couldn’t bear the thought of it.
He took a moment to appreciate the irony of the situation.
Just days ago, they’d all attended an awards ceremony to honour her bravery in saving dozens of boys. Now she was likely to lose her job for saving one girl, and there was nothing he could do about it.
Or was there? he wondered as a sudden thought occurred to him.
He took out his phone and scrolled to a number he had very rarely used.
His contact answered with a question in her voice.
‘Frost, it’s Bryant, and I really need your help.’
Seventy-Five
It was after four when Kim returned to the office. Outside, it had grown dark, but she was heartened by the fact that Daniel and Ava were now on their way to safety.
‘Everything okay, boss?’ Stacey asked as she walked into the squad room.
She needed just a minute before explaining her meeting with Woody. She was only here now because of the active murder investigation.
‘Stace, any luck on the phone number from Karen’s book?’
‘It belongs to Vodafone, requests made but no go. Penn is working on the warrant.’
‘Requested,’ he said, pressing a button on his keyboard with fanfare.
‘Lucinda?’ she asked.
‘Still no answer. Another message left,’ Stacey answered. ‘She has a sister who lives in Surrey, but I’ve been unable to make contact yet. Penn has more.’
She looked his way.
‘Her ex seems a bit fearful of her even now. He said that once she gets focussed on something, you can’t shift her. By all accounts, she made his life a misery, and he feels she’s definitely capable of hurting someone if she’s angry enough.’
‘Good work, Penn. Anything on the DNA?’ she asked, leaning against the spare desk.
‘Called Mitch twice and he swears he’ll be running it today.’
If that’s what Mitch had said, she knew he wouldn’t leave until he’d done it.
She rarely asked him for the express service due to budget restrictions, but with victims falling like flies, it was a necessary spend. Even more so now there was a clock ticking down to her suspension.
‘Thoughts on Lucinda, folks?’ Kim asked.
‘She is linked to all three victims,’ Penn said, sitting back in his chair.
‘But what’s the motive?’ Stacey asked. ‘Yes, Ashley pissed her off, and Nadine may have been too flirty with her husband, but why would she attack Karen Felton?’
‘Okay, what are we missing?’ Kim asked.
She knew Stacey wanted to ask about Ava, but this case had to take priority.
‘You don’t think we’re missing anything?’ Kim asked when her question was met with silence.
‘Other than Lucinda, there are no links,’ Penn said. ‘Every road leads to a dead end. It’s like they’re random victims.’
Kim shook her head. ‘I don’t buy it, Penn. Maybe if there was robbery or sexual assault, we’d be looking for an opportunist. There’s not even a pattern. Ashley was killed at night walking home, Nadine was killed in the middle of the day in a public place and Karen was killed in her own house. We know our killer made contact with two of the victims beforehand, so he wanted these women specifically. Why?’
