her way to see what was left of a family and offer them the smallest ray of hope.
Seventy-Six
‘Bloody hell,’ Stacey said, slamming down the phone.
‘Wassup?’ Alison asked, raising her head.
‘Damn network provider for the other phone, the second burner, are being a lot less helpful. It’s not registered, but they’re playing hardball with the data because its link to any crime is tenuous at best,’ she said, quoting the assistant who’d said she’d look into it, which was code for I’m going to forget about your call the second I put this phone down.
‘I mean, who uses their phone like this?’ Stacey asked, waving the single sheet around.
‘Have you asked the provider of the first burner for content?’
‘No, Alison, I never made sure to do that before I went home last night,’ Stacey said, softening her words with a smile.
She’d done it the second she’d realised the phone had been used for texting only, except for the call to Nicola. But now she was desperate to know who the hell it was texting, and the network weren’t too keen to help her find out.
‘Stace, you got a minute?’ Penn asked, removing his headphones.
‘Unfortunately, yes,’ she answered, seeing as her leads appeared to be going nowhere.
‘Can you look up the murder of Rhona Stubbs and see if you can find any mention of scratches? She was stabbed eight months ago in Walsall, and the same on the scratches for Bryan Thompson, who was assaulted six years ago outside a chip shop in Kingswinford.’
‘Bloody hell, Penn, what are you up to? You want me to look at a case from six years ago?’
He nodded distractedly as he looked at the screen and then scribbled something down.
‘I can find no way to link the scratches to anything,’ Alison said. ‘They’re not present in every crime, which fits no pattern, and they don’t actually say anything.’
Alison had been tasked to investigate the scratches further, and that was her way of telling Penn he was wasting his time.
‘So what are you thinking, Penn?’ Stacey asked, even though she agreed with the profiler.
‘I’ve got more stuff to look at, but I think there might be something in the pairs theory, and I think it’s been going on for years.’
Seventy-Seven
‘She’s outside,’ the family liaison officer said as he opened the door.
‘How’s she doing, Craig?’
‘As you’d expect. She fell asleep on Archie’s bed once you’d left last night but was awake before six. She’s alternating between crying and wanting to get out there and search for Archie.’
Completely natural reactions, Kim thought.
‘Just one thing, though,’ he said, closing the door and dropping his voice to a whisper. ‘Her brother’s been here since sevenish and he’s err—’
‘Who is it, Craig?’ said a strong voice from the kitchen.
Kim said nothing and waited for the owner to come into view.
‘DI Stone, this is Robert Harvey,’ Craig said. ‘Robyn’s brother.’
Kim could see a vague resemblance, but the features of this man were harsher, sharper. He matched Bryant’s six-foot height but with an additional couple of inches’ width.
He stepped towards Bryant with his hand outstretched. ‘Inspector Stone, my sister—’
‘That’s DI Stone, but I’m still pleased to meet you,’ Bryant said, pointing her way before returning the handshake.
He glanced at her without offering an apology for his error. And already she didn’t expect one.
‘Do you have news?’ he asked, standing in a way that prevented her moving further into the house.
‘Mr Harvey, I’m here to speak with your sister,’ she said, stepping forward.
He didn’t move, meaning she was now very close to him and could smell the cause of the tidemarks at the armpit of his powder pink shirt.
‘And I would prefer you to share any news you have with me first.’
‘As you are not directly related either by marriage or blood to our victim, that is not going to happen, so please, stand aside.’
‘The vic… oh, you mean Louise. I assumed you were here with news of Archie, seeing as you can do nothing for Louise now. Any news would be better for my sister if it was delivered by me,’ he said, standing aside now that he felt he’d made himself clear and had had the last word.
Kim was surprised at the dismissive nature of his manner towards Louise, his sister’s wife.
‘Any information will be shared with your sister first,’ she said, edging past him and taking the last word for herself. ‘But she’ll be safe with us if you’d like to take the opportunity to freshen up.’
She continued walking to the rear