Free A Tapping at My Door: A Gripping Serial Killer Thriller (The DS Nathan Cody Series) by David Jackson

questions like Blunt’s might as well be in a foreign language.
    Blank faces consult other blank faces. This is a mystery beyond the ken of even the most experienced cops here.
    ‘Okay,’ says Blunt. ‘Let’s start with the bird. Any experts on birds here?’
    Any other case, the jokes would start to flow. Somebody would say the only type of birds he knows about are the ones without feathers. And then somebody else would tell him that the last time he had a bird was for his Christmas dinner. And then . . .
    But not today. Today the assembled detectives are not feeling the humour. They are graver than usual. Their faces are set. They just want to do their jobs and find this bastard.
    ‘I did some research on the internet,’ Cody offers. ‘It’s definitely a raven. Biggest member of the crow family. Can be pretty vicious.’
    ‘Where would our killer find one?’
    ‘They’re not rare. You can find them in lots of places. Wales. The Lake District. It’s catching them that’s probably the hard part.’
    Blunt frowns. Cody knows she was hoping for something that would help to narrow down the search.
    ‘Lot of trouble to go to, though. Why not a pigeon or a sparrow? Something more common?’
    ‘Wouldn’t go with the message, for one thing. Anything other than a raven would have been a distraction. The killer wants us to understand the message for what it is.’
    ‘Okay, so then let’s focus on the message. Nevermore. Never again. Never again what?’
    There’s a silence while everyone struggles to stay away from the obvious. Webley is the first to dredge up the courage to speak.
    ‘We have to accept that it could be something in Latham’s past. Something she did, or that the killer believes she did. And that could have something to do with the Kevin Vernon case.’
    Cody feels the ripple of discomfort as it passes through the room. Digging into the past of a police officer – even a dead one – can throw up all kinds of things that might be better left alone. Even the most innocent of events can be made to cast shadows when placed under the probing lights of suspicious minds.
    Blunt nods, but Cody can see that she is as troubled as the rest of them.
    ‘Be discreet,’ she says. ‘Watch what you say and who you say it to. But don’t let that stop you digging. If this is related to something Latham got involved with, we need to know about it.’
    She scans the grave faces in front of her. ‘Bring in PC Garnett. We also need to talk to friends and relatives of Vernon. It’s not going to be easy. They already see us as the enemy. They’re going to give us a rough time whether they were involved in this or not. But we can’t back off because of that. Just be careful, okay?’
    ‘What if they’ve got nothing to do with this?’ asks Ferguson.
    ‘I really hope that’s true. That’s why we need to know everything about Terri Latham. Go through her record with a fine-tooth comb. Look at every arrest she made, every report she wrote, every scribble she made in her notebook. Talk to her boyfriends, her girlfriends, her family, her police colleagues. Somewhere in there is a motive. Somewhere in there is a suspect. Find them.’
    Blunt moves on to details then. Assigning specific tasks to specific people. Nothing out of the ordinary. Nothing unexpected. Until . . .
    ‘The PM is scheduled for four o’clock,’ says Blunt. ‘Cody, I’d like you and Webley to attend.’
    She could move on then. Put a name to the task and move swiftly on. It’s a mundane job. Standard procedure. No ceremony required.
    But not this time. She is asking Cody to attend Terri Latham’s post-mortem. Knowing full well what he has been through, she is requesting him to watch a police officer’s body being sliced open right in front of him.
    So she doesn’t move on. She waits, her eyes lingering on Cody’s face. Scrutinising him for signs of anguish. Listening for a murmur of objection.
    The room is silent. Others know the