Shadows: The gripping new crime thriller from the #1 bestseller. Paul Finch

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       Chapter 10

      Lucy clocked on at eight the next morning, and found a memo on her desk from DI Beardmore.

       Report to Robbery Squad at 1st opp. Liaise with DS Tucker

       (they’ve got you for one week – after that, we reappraise)

      Lucy stood up from her desk just as Beardmore entered the DO.

      ‘You sure you can spare me for a week, boss?’ she asked.

      ‘No, I’m not,’ he said, pulling a face and stripping off his coat as he headed into his office. ‘But you started this thing, Lucy. Only seems fair you get a sniff of wherever it’s leading.’

      She halted in his office door. ‘What about the break-ins on Hatchwood Green?’

      Beardmore rustled distractedly through the usual pile of bumph that always seemed to accumulate on his desk during the hours of darkness. ‘I’m sure Harry can carry that for a few days.’

      ‘He’ll whinge.’

      ‘He always whinges. One thing he never does, though, is whinge to someone who cares.’ The DI didn’t look at her as he slumped down into his chair. ‘Go on … shoot up there before I change my mind.’

      Lucy mounted the stairs with that usual mixture of elation and trepidation that always accompanied inclusion in major enquiries. It was a curious feeling, to be truthful. Most divisional CID officers had to juggle three or four minor investigations at any one time – sometimes more. It certainly kept them on their toes, but quite often it was routine stuff.

      But the major investigations, or the ‘monster hunts’, were something else. On these occasions, you were after real predators, soulless psychopaths with an overwhelming urge and a huge potential to cause damage, deranged felons whose swift capture was deemed to be so important that you had to focus entirely on them, leaving everything else on the backburner. The thrill of these special investigations was often a reward in itself. This was certainly what Lucy had joined the police for.

      The Robbery Squad office wasn’t too busy at this stage of the day. However, DI Blake and DS Tucker were already present, poring over a series of street maps spread on a desk in a corner of the room directly opposite from the one dedicated to the Saturday Street enquiry. Lucy also noticed that some maps had been tacked onto the walls, alongside photographs of the cashpoints she herself had earmarked as possible attack zones, plus the alley entrances and subway mouths in their vicinities. The majority of these were professional surveillance shots, taken from multiple high angles so as to fully recreate on film the anatomy of each environment. It might be early, but the Squad had clearly been busy.

      DI Blake glanced up. ‘DC Clayburn … welcome.’ She herself had dressed down today, wearing only a jumper and jeans. ‘Glad you could join us.’

      ‘Delighted, ma’am,’ Lucy said, approaching the desk.

      ‘For the duration of the time you’re with us, it’s Kathy,’ Blake said, with half a smile. ‘Unless I need to pull rank on you. Which I’m sure I won’t.’

      Unseen behind his boss’s shoulder, Tucker winked at Lucy.

      ‘I hear you’re a bit of an expert when it comes to undercover decoy work,’ the DI said.

      ‘I’ve done my fair share,’ Lucy replied.

      Tucker grinned. ‘That’s putting it mildly, isn’t it?’

      Lucy smiled coyly. ‘The last time it worked out quite well, I must admit.’

      ‘I’m guessing you know what I’m going to ask you?’ Blake said.

      ‘You want me to visit some cashpoints late at night?’

      ‘Correct.’ Blake indicated the spread of documentation, in particular the maps and the photos. ‘You’ve laid your plan to catch the Creep out pretty well for us …’

      ‘Thanks.’ Lucy nodded in sobre appreciation.

      ‘No, it should be us thanking you.’ Blake gathered up some sheets of what looked like work schedules and shuffled them together. ‘I was impressed at the time, and I’m even more impressed since we haven’t really been able to improve on it. It only seemed right that you should be in for the takedown. Assuming there is one.’

      ‘I just hope I haven’t caused a lot of fuss for nothing.’

      ‘Not a bit of it. I think your reasoning was pretty sound.’ Blake pursed her lips. ‘As long as you trust your informant and the psyche profile from West Midlands isn’t way off the mark, I think it’s a reasonable bet that this lunatic will strike again. And in case he’s only half-tempted, well … we’re going to put it on a plate for him. Now, speaking of madmen, we’re also closing in on the Saturday Street boys. I anticipate that we’ll be making arrests in the next couple of days.’

      ‘Oh, wow … that’s great news.’

      Blake nodded. ‘Yes, but it’s going to keep me and quite a few of the rest of the Squad pretty busy. So, I’m giving you all the resources I can, but that isn’t many. Danny’s going to take point, and I can spare you four other detectives. After that we’re using spare bodies from Uniform.’

      ‘No one else from divisional CID available?’ Lucy asked.

      ‘I think you’re pretty pulled-out down in the DO. But me and Stan go back a bit; at least I was able to get you.’ She gave another half-smile.

      DI Blake was a distinctly warm presence, even if she wasn’t СКАЧАТЬ