Dead Memories (D.I. Kim Stone #10)(85)

‘I’d imagine she’s going to be busy assisting West Mercia now they’ve got the real killer. I’m sure we’ll get official notification from Woody that she’s been re-reassigned, if you know what I mean.’

‘Missing her already,’ Bryant said, glancing at the spare desk.

Yeah, Kim had kind of got used to her presence too.

‘Knocker knocker,’ she heard from the doorway.

Kim smiled in the direction of Doctor A, who was carrying a white Perspex tray. She waved her into the room.

‘Good morning,’ Kim greeted.

Doctor A frowned. ‘Are you here today or are you not here like yesterday when you were but weren’t…’ she shook her head. ‘You English are strangers.’

‘I’m here,’ Kim confirmed.

She lay the tray down on the empty desk and moved to the top-right corner holding out her hand.

‘Nice to meet you, Penny,’ she said, shaking the hand of the newest member of the team. ‘And Bryan,’ she said, nodding to the other sergeant. ‘And the lovely Stacey,’ she added, causing Kim to wonder for the hundredth time how many of the woman’s misspoken words were mistakes and how many were uttered for her own amusement.

The detective constable positively beamed from the compliment while Bryant simply shook his head and Penn looked around bemused.

‘I bring you the puzzlement I spoke of yesterday,’ she said, standing beside the empty desk. ‘These are the unidentifiables and are neither flesh nor machine. All photographed, examined and tested for DNA. Maybe they help, maybe not but I wouldn’t care less as I am tired and my work here is done.’

‘Thank you for assisting at short notice, Doctor A,’ Kim said.

‘You are welcome and now I shall leave you in pieces. Must get back to the university as my students are revolting.’

Kim understood her real meaning and thanked her again for her help as she headed out the door.

They all huddled around the tray and took a look.

‘Oh,’ Kim said, feeling slightly underwhelmed.

She could make out a few bits of plastic no more than a centimetre wide, a clip that had been flattened and a few pieces of blue fabric.

She pushed the tray to her left. ‘Here you go, Penn. I know how much you like a puzzle,’ she said. He had been the person to find the missing letters in a paper puzzle that had ultimately led to the team saving the life of Stacey Wood.

‘Cheers, boss,’ he said, taking the tray back to his desk.

‘Anyway, questions I want answered. Number them, Stace.’

Stacey put the number 1 at the top of the board.

‘How did Duggar know or tempt Amy and Mark to the flat on Hollytree?’

Kim waited until Stacey was halfway before continuing.

‘What’s the significance of the drug injected into Amy, Mark, the Phelpses and Rubik?

‘Next question. Where did the book go once it reached the prison? Four, did Duggar meet the Phelps at Winson Green and is that how he chose them? Joel Greene, their son, said they spent a lot of time chatting with other people. Next, why was Duggar so violent with Billie? And finally, who the hell is Rubik?’

‘Could Duggar have turned violent because Billie refused to take him back?’ Stacey asked, tapping the marker pen against the board.

‘Not sure,’ Kim said. ‘He hadn’t been violent to date and what little Billie did say would indicate he wasn’t violent with her, although he was with her at the time of the attack.’

Kim shrugged in response to their questioning glances. ‘Yeah, exactly. Annie is going to try and get something more from her this morning.’

‘That it, boss?’ Stacey asked, having caught up.

‘Another couple of things bothering me,’ she admitted. ‘I’m not comfortable with the relationship between Jenks and Nina. It smells off to me.’

‘That a question, boss?’

Kim shook her head. ‘Just note it on the board.’

‘But we’re not changing direction, are we, guv?’ Bryant asked. ‘I mean, Duggar’s definitely our guy, right?’

Kim glanced at all the questions on the board.

She nodded. ‘Oh yeah, Duggar’s definitely our guy.’





One Hundred Eight





Stacey stared at the board for a good few minutes after the boss and Bryant had left the room.

‘Do you ever think about it, Penn?’ Stacey asked.

‘About what?’

‘The crimes and the boss. Putting the two together.’

He shook his head. ‘Really try not to.’

‘I mean there was a book written about her childhood. The physical and mental abuse at the hands of her mother while trying to protect her brother. Being chained to that bloody radiator.’

‘I said I try not to think about it,’ he said.

‘And then there’s Keith and Erica who took her in for three years and loved her, broke down her walls and—’

‘You did hear me say I try not to—’

‘And the vicious sexual assault on Billie Styles that—’

‘Yeah, I’m really not gonna think about that one, Stace,’ he said, firmly.

‘What I’m trying to say is that this vicious bastard is laying out her entire life for everyone to see. Everything she’s tried to keep secret and hidden from…’