Cold Kill by David Lawrence

job.’
    â€˜Anything like
this
?’
    â€˜No.’
    â€˜And you were never up close, were you? It was always admin, never the sharp end of things. You wouldn’t have been in the interview room or at Kimber’s flat if DC Greegan hadn’t keeled over with the flu.’
    In the car-park lamplight, their faces were smudged with shadow under the eyes, their cheekbones pinched white with the cold.
    â€˜He’d be better off dead.’
    It was what Anne Beaumont had said. Stella shook her head. ‘He didn’t do it.’
    â€˜He’s walking the streets now.’
    â€˜Jack, he didn’t kill her.’
    â€˜He did other things. You were in that flat.’
    Stella said, ‘You’ve got something to say. Say it.’
    He walked off a little way, disputing with himself, then came back. ‘My wife was raped, it was before I met her, he stalked her for a while, that came out later, but she hadn’t known about it, then he raped her, he’d done it to five other women, stalking at first, it always started that way, then raping, they didn’t catch him, not when my wife was attacked, they caught him after that, after he’d attacked two other women, this was seven years ago, she was twenty-eight, but I didn’t know until a few months back.’
    He stopped as if he’d run out of story or out of breath, then shrugged suddenly and dropped his cigarette and trod on it and lit another.
    â€˜When did you get married?’ Stella asked.
    â€˜Four years ago.’
    â€˜What changed things for her?’
    â€˜He was released. Simple as that. They let him out. She couldn’t take it.’
    â€˜A few months back,’ Stella guessed. Cuddon nodded. ‘How is she now?’
    â€˜Difficult to tell,’ he said. ‘She doesn’t live with me any more; she lives in Prozac Land. A happy place where happy people smile happily all day long.’
    The wind had a real edge. Stella wiped away tears with her cuff. ‘You wasted my time, Jack. I was an ace off charging him. Worse than that, whoever did kill Valerie Blake has been given more time.’
    â€˜He’s walking the streets now,’ Cuddon said. ‘Kimber’s away free.’
    â€˜Go home, Jack. You’re looking lousy. There’s something going round. We’ll have to find someone else. I’m really sorry.’
    â€˜Are you?’
    â€˜Believe me.’
    â€˜He’s walking the streets,’ Cuddon said again. ‘Who knows what could happen?’
    Mike Sorley was swimming in paper. He raised a hand as Stella came in: not waving but drowning. He said, ‘He’s gone –?’
    â€˜Coming down with the flu,’ Stella said.
    â€˜I’ll ask for a replacement.’ He checked his watch and lit up. ‘Why did he do it?’
    Stella told him.
    He said, ‘It wasn’t on his file.’
    â€˜I’m not sure anyone knows.’
    â€˜It should have been on his file.’ After a moment, he added, ‘It is now.’
    *
    Stella was in the women’s room. She emerged from a cubicle to find Maxine Hewitt washing her hands for the fifth time.
    â€˜They sent you,’ Stella suggested. ‘The rest of the team.’
    â€˜They sent me, yes – to ask what’s happening.’
    Stella mentioned Jack Cuddon’s illness and Maxine observed that there was definitely something going round. Stella washed her hands and held them under the warm-air dryer; they were still cold enough to tingle slightly.
    â€˜Why did he do it?’ Maxine asked.
    Stella told her.
    Maxine said nothing until they were walking down the corridor to the squad room. ‘I suppose we’re lucky he didn’t kill the bastard.’
    Stella said, ‘I suppose so.’ Then, ‘Of course, he still might.’

14
    Robert Adrian Kimber: Hello. We’ve never met, but I’ve been reading about you. Now that the police scene