Page 23 of Her Deadly Promise

‘I always give my best. You know that. Sir, there’s something I need to tell you.’

‘Okay.’

Her mouth began to water but now was as good a time as any. However angry she was, she couldn’t let Rosemary humiliate him. He needed to see what a liar the woman was. She might rock up with the best hair and clothes, a fun car and a wide smile but she was nothing but a cheat. ‘I saw Rosemary with another man. Last night on my way home I stopped at the chippy and saw her coming out of a man’s house.’

‘You just can’t help yourself, can you?’

She furrowed her brows. ‘It’s not like that. I care about you. I don’t want to see you hurt.’

‘Well, I suggest you butt out. To think I thought I could help you and all you want to do is sabotage my happiness. She went to see her brother last night. Get out.’

‘But, Chris—’

‘Call me sir.’

She wanted to say how Rosemary’s body language didn’t suggest she was with her brother, but she knew better. Now was not the time.

He walked back around his desk and sat back in his chair, ignoring her and taking a deep breath. She’d never seen him looking as flustered before. ‘Team briefing in ten. We’ve had someone phone in, and I think you’re going to want to hear what the caller had to say.’

‘Sir, I’m sorry.’

He looked up. ‘Get out, Gina.’

A lump formed in her throat. She shouldn’t have said anything and right now, she wholly regretted it. Brother or not, he’d have found out in his own time but even as friends, they were ruined. She didn’t think it was possible to hate herself any more but this new low she’d sunk to was the pits.

FIFTEEN

Gina pulled open the cold can of cola and let it sink down her throat. She needed a caffeine buzz too. As she sat, the back of her shirt stuck to her back. O’Connor pushed the window open as far as it would go, and Wyre wedged the main door open. PCs Smith and Kapoor sat at the back of the room with another couple of PCs who worked closely with them.

As Briggs entered, the hum of voices hushed and Jacob leaned back on the chair next to Gina, fingers linked over his flat middle.

‘Right, let’s get started.’ Attention was now completely on Briggs as he spoke. Gina couldn’t look at him. ‘As you know the press release is well and truly out and the calls have been coming in at an alarming rate. The team have managed to sift out the irrelevant calls but there is one that you should all know about. One of the residents, a Mrs Kendall, who lives on the street that backs onto Billie Reeves’s said that she saw a man loitering outside her house on Tuesday evening, just before our victim was visited by a man who entered through the back gate. We have a description. Would you mind?’ Briggs offered a pen to Gina. That was as close as she was going to get to an olive branch.

She took it and stood.

‘The man we are looking for is around five nine. Our witness described him as wearing what looked like a tailored jacket and he was of a slim build. It was dark so the description doesn’t cover much more but she did have her window open as it was hot. She could hear him on a phone. The woman said that it sounded like he was reading a bedtime story to a child and telling them that they had to go back to sleep.’

Gina scribbled a few notes on the board as Briggs paused. ‘So, we’re looking for a father, maybe an uncle, someone with a child in their life?’

Briggs nodded. ‘Yes. O’Connor, can you shed any light on the door-to-doors on that street?’

The detective constable loosened his wide collar and leaned in. ‘We knocked at that street yesterday, but numerous people weren’t in. We didn’t speak to anyone called Mrs Kendall.’ He flicked through his notes to make sure. ‘Yep, no one by that name answered. As for the man who was loitering, not one other person reported seeing or hearing him.’

Gina stepped forward. ‘Any CCTV from that road?’

O’Connor smiled. ‘The library is at the end of that road and there is one camera that is turned on and working. I’ve requested the footage and I’m hoping to receive it later today.’

Stepping towards the other side of the board, Briggs stared at what they had so far. ‘As soon as it comes in, go through it in minute detail, frame by frame. Look for every shadow, any reflection. It might be our best chance of catching this man on camera. We don’t have a name, any facial features or any witnesses so far.’ Briggs checked his phone. ‘Right, I have a further meeting with the press. Gina, you are Senior Investigating Officer. Keep me involved in everything. We need this person caught. I don’t need to remind you of that word written on the victim’s wall. We don’t yet know if it was personal against our victim or against sex workers in general. All I do know is that we’re dealing with a callous, cold-blooded murderer. She didn’t stand a chance.’

‘Do we need to mention in the press release that sex workers might be in danger?’ Gina pressed her lips together knowing that there would be repercussions if they did this. Mentioning it would tell everyone that Billie was a sex worker – people would easily link the two. Not mentioning it could put other people in Billie’s predicament in danger. At least other sex workers would know.

‘I’ve been thinking about this and my decision is to say yes. Nothing will be said until this evening. Ms Reeves’s parents need to be told first.’

Gina licked a slight crack in her bottom lip, knowing that she would be the one to tell them. The family were already suffering, and this would hurt more. ‘I’ll sort it.’

‘Good. Right, we’ll reconvene again soon. Do you need anything else?’ He looked at Gina.

She shook her head, letting him know that she was fine and in control, glad that he still trusted her to run the case. ‘No, sir. I have a few things to go over, then I’ll head out to Nadia Anderson’s house. She was Billie’s best friend.’

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