The doctors would be saving Jack’s life and Grant wasn’t sure the man deserved it.
It had gone horribly wrong. Half a million pounds stayed in the middle of a field while Alice climbed to the top of a hill, clambered halfway down the other side, and then waited desperately for news of her children. Grant had left her there for ten minutes, knowing each moment was torture for her.
He’d paced and Billingham had chewed his nails and they’d stared at the landscape willing the abductor to appear until their eyeballs practically dropped out. And nothing happened. By the time Grant heard from DI Hunter and he called it to a close, Alice had been a wreck and McGowan had to carry her to the bottom while she screamed for her children.
Grant now knew events had been unfolding at the barn between Jack and the person Grant assumed was the abductor. By the time DI Hunter had managed to contact Grant it was all too late.
Alice had been set up. Hers was the dummy drop-off to keep attention from the real one and they’d since found out Jack had withdrawn one million pounds from his private account.
‘Now we know why the abductor left half a million sitting in the middle of nowhere,’ Grant said grimly. ‘Because Jack was going to handover twice that amount. What a fool Glover is.’
Grant slammed his hand into the wall. ACC Treadgold had labelled the handover a fiasco.
‘Right boss, except now we have a lead on the abductor,’ Delaney said. ‘That’s got to be good news.’
It was the one bright point of the whole mess.
They rushed back to the station and Tom closed the door of the incident room.
‘It was a damn set-up.’ Grant wasn’t trying to hide his fury. ‘And Jack bloody Glover will probably live.’
‘Stupid bastard,’ McGowan said.
They had thoroughly searched the farm and the surrounding countryside and they found no trace of Emily and Lisa. Since the drop-off, neither Alice’s mobile nor Jack’s secret pay-as-you-go-phone had received any further messages from the abductor.
‘Well done to DI Hunter and to you too, Ruby. You overhearing the exchange gives us a lead.’ Grant slapped his palm on the board. ‘The perp said, “You think you’re better than me, but you’re not.” I’ve heard this exact phrase before.’
Everyone’s attention was riveted on Grant.
‘It links straight to the man who broke into Daniel Pearson’s house six years ago. Pearson told me the person who knifed him said exactly the same thing.’
‘You’re talking about Ronnie Hardman’s accountant? The one who was accused of embezzling funds?’ McGowan asked.
‘That’s the one. Pearson’s house was broken into and he was knifed. His assailant, Nick Riley, said exactly this phrase as he stabbed Pearson. Riley is a known local criminal and he got a sentence of nine years. On the way here I checked his records and he got out three years early for good behaviour. The time of his release was a few months ago.’
Grant wrote Nick Riley’s name on the board.
‘It’s one tiny detail and it’s all we need. Plus I checked with the prison and he was known as a biter. When Riley was inside, he bit off another prisoner’s earlobe during a fight.’
‘The same as with Joan Hardman,’ Diane said. ‘When she fought him, he bit her.’
‘We’ve damn well got him,’ McGowan said.
Grant had already circulated Riley as missing on the national computer. Officers were looking to track him via his usage of money, phone and financial records. If research threw up a car and that car passed a camera, using automatic number plate recognition it would trigger an alert. The net would be closing in on Nick Riley.
‘I’m sure Riley and Jack knew each other,’ Ruby said. ‘From the way they spoke it was obvious they weren’t strangers.’
‘Think about the Pearson break-in. Pearson was a threat to Jack. Perhaps Jack believed Pearson already had evidence or was going to find evidence from those young women Jack assaulted. Jack risked losing everything if Ronnie Hardman turned against him. I’m betting Jack Glover wanted someone to shake Pearson up. And the person he found to do the job was this known local villain.’
‘I wonder how Glover hired him?’ Diane said.
‘I’ll be asking as soon as he’s conscious. Like I said, Riley was released several months ago. Previous to the Pearson case, Riley had been connected to petty crimes in the area. The worst of them was a heist at a local jewellers where Riley was one of a gang. He was a minor player in the hold-up not the mastermind.’
Grant pinned up a picture of Riley. ‘I found out too late a package was put into the mailbox at Jack’s apartment. A woman dropped it off. It must have been the pay-as-you-go phone passed to Jack by Riley.’
‘So you were right, guv, he’s got an accomplice,’ McGowan said.
‘We’ve got information about Riley’s girlfriend. At the time of his arrest for the Pearson break-in, Riley was living with a young woman called Maria Fernandez.’ Grant nodded to Diane.
‘This picture was taken a few years ago,’ Diane said.
It flashed up.
‘She’s got long dark hair. Like the woman seen in Joan Hardman’s street,’ Delaney said.
Grant cracked his knuckles. ‘The concierge had positively identified her as the woman in the foyer. DCS Fox has sent out a nationwide alert to apprehend Maria Fernandez.’
‘The abductor has the money so it’s likely he’ll abandon the children,’ Ruby said. ‘They’re no use to him now.’
‘Agreed and if it’s sepsis, the paediatrician didn’t give Emily long. We’ve two priorities – we find this bastard Riley and we locate his girlfriend. They’re our best bet of tracking down the children. The whole country will be looking for them by the time we walk out of this room. Delaney, I want you to lead on Maria Fernandez. Collins, McGowan and I will be on the trail of Riley.’
38
Everyone was going full out. They now had two key suspects to track.
Ruby had an idea niggling at the back of her mind. She wasn’t a police officer, which meant she couldn’t take a lead on the action, but she wanted to follow up on what didn’t make sense.
What if Nick Riley had an accomplice they had not yet identified? Ruby wanted to go through the case notes again to see if she could work out what felt wrong.
Grant’s team had left the station and Ruby was on her way to her office when she noticed McGowan slipping into the cubbyhole. Why hadn’t he gone with the others? Finding Riley and Fernandez was a priority.
McGowan’s body posture was off. He was usually cocky and strutting and he stomped in and out of rooms as if he owned them. Why was he slinking about? What was he up to?
The cubbyhole was partitioned from the corridor by a semi-transparent panel and she could make out McGowan’s movements. He was making a phone call.
It was brief. Then, McGowan turned and strode out, giving Ruby just enough time to slip into the photocopying room. The last thing she wanted was for him to spot her spying. Likely he’d blow a gasket.
This is stupid, she told herself. You don’t like him, only it’s no reason to be suspicious.
He was heading for the emergency stairwell. Ruby didn’t give herself time to think. She slunk after him, keeping her back close to the wall while trying to maintain an appearance of normality. If someone else saw her she didn’t want them to think she’d turned into a nutter.
McGowan disappeared up the stairs. The fire door had a habit of banging shut so Ruby made sure she closed it soundlessly behind her.
His footsteps were gritty against the stairs as he ran several flights above her. Then there came voices. He’d bumped into another man, or was it a pre-planned meeting? Ruby strained to hear though she couldn’t catch the words. Who was McGowan talking to? Could she risk peering up the middle of the stairwell to see? What if they spotted her? So what if they do, she told herself. The worst is if McGowan shouts at you and he does that anyway.
Little by little, she leant out. If she looked
down, she could see the long drop to the ground floor minus one. Looking up, she caught sight of the arm of the man McGowan was talking to. It was dressed in a dark jacket. She leaned out as far as she dared and caught a glimpse of the insignia on the man’s shoulder.
It was Assistant Chief Constable Treadgold. The man Grant believed to be corrupt.
The two men suddenly stopped talking. McGowan’s head jerked over the railing and she found herself staring him in the face. Shit.
‘What the fuck do you think you’re doing?’ McGowan yelled.
Her heart raced as she yanked open the door to the corridor. Ruby wanted to run and she told herself to walk normally and not act as if she’d done anything wrong. McGowan caught up with her when she was outside her office. He pushed her into the wall. Damn, she should have gone the other way because there were always less people down this end. The corridor was deserted.
‘Have you been eavesdropping, Silver?’
‘Get away from me.’
‘Answer my question.’
‘I don’t have to. Aren’t you supposed to be out catching the kidnapper?’
‘You’re not the one who gives orders around here, darling. And if I find out you’ve been spying–’
‘Detective Sergeant McGowan, what the hell is going on?’ snapped DCS Fox.
McGowan jumped and a sound came from his trousers which sounded like a fart.
Fox did not look amused. ‘The case has reached a critical stage. What the hell are you still doing at the station?’
‘I’m on my way out, ma’am.’
‘Too bloody well right. Get moving.’
Once McGowan had gone, Fox turned to Ruby. ‘Whatever it was I saw there, Ms Silver, I didn’t like it. Once this case is over I think you and I and DCI Grant need to have a proper talk.’
39
In the morning, the woman who’d brought the eggs didn’t come.
‘Will there be something to eat?’ Lisa asked her sister.
‘Maybe later.’
Lisa whimpered with hunger and Emily had nothing to give her except a drink from their water bottle. It was half-full from the day before and Emily only realised too late perhaps they should save some for later. By then, Lisa had gulped most of it down. Emily screwed back the top and shook it. About a quarter remained.
‘Aren’t you going to have any, Em?’
Emily shook her head. She didn’t feel thirsty and she vaguely wondered, why not? Although it didn’t matter because this way she could keep it for Lisa.
Despite Emily’s best efforts, Lisa had noticed the red splodges on Emily’s tummy and she’d been scared. It was a good job Lisa hadn’t seen the patches on Emily’s arm where the skin was turning purple. If she saw those, Emily felt sure her little sister would panic. The dark blotches were weird. They looked like spilled paint and they didn’t rub away.
Emily closed her eyes.
‘Are you cold?’ Lisa said. ‘Shall I give you a hug to get you warm?’
‘Yes please. I’m not feeling well.’
Lisa snuggled up. ‘I hope Mummy comes soon and then she can make you better, just like she always does.’
40
When Grant received Ruby’s call, he was on his way to Brighton. They’d uncovered intelligence about Nick Riley’s mother owning an apartment. With a search warrant already secured, Grant and Chief Inspector Billingham would be raiding the property as soon as equipment and personnel were in place.
‘You have a lead on Riley, sir?’ Ruby asked.
‘Going there now. Riley’s mother died while he was in prison and she left her apartment to him. I don’t know the situation on the ground yet. Billingham and I are on our way. Has something happened at your end?’
‘It’s McGowan.’ Ruby hesitated. Was she being silly and wasting Grant’s time at a crucial moment?
‘If you’ve got something to say then spit it out.’
‘He was hanging around in the cubbyhole after you left and I thought it odd.’
‘McGowan is joining me. He left after with Diane. What of it?’
‘I saw him talking to Assistant Chief Constable Treadgold.’ Ruby blurted it out. ‘It was a private chat on the stairwell and then McGowan realised I was listening. I got the impression it was clandestine, the way they were talking and where they were talking.’
There was a small silence down the line.
‘Have you mentioned this to anyone else?’
‘No.’
‘McGowan knows you saw him?’
‘Yes.’
‘And he realises you know who he was talking to?’
‘I’m not sure. He can’t know for certain. He came after me except he was interrupted by DCS Fox. Do you think there’s anything in it?’
‘I don’t know, and you’re right to flag it up. I’ll have to get back to you on this.’
‘Everything all right, sir?’ the uniformed driver asked Grant.
‘Fine. Let’s get there as quick as we can.’
Grant stared out the window. Maybe the choice between Ruby and McGowan had been made for him. Grant already suspected McGowan as the source of the leak within his team. Leaking information had caused a problem on their previous case in which ACC Treadgold had come under suspicion.
Though why would McGowan be speaking to Treadgold now? Grant quickly pulled up the police files on Riley. He scanned the information. Before being arrested for the Pearson case, Nick Riley did a term in prison in connection with the heist on the jewellery shop. In the heist, the shop assistant had been killed and Riley had been outside the premises acting as lookout which meant he got a lighter sentence than the rest of the gang. Some items of jewellery had never been recovered. And the officer in charge of the investigation? As he was then, DCI Treadgold. Very interesting.
It was possible McGowan was keeping Treadgold informed about the Glover case. It was also possible that if McGowan leaked information to Treadgold in the past to help Treadgold cover his tracks he was doing it again. Did this mean there was a link between Riley and Treadgold? Had the jewellery heist been another case in which Treadgold had been corrupt? It was possible.
Keep your eye on the ball, Grant told himself. Emily and Lisa are the priority. But if he got a shot at Treadgold afterwards, he’d definitely be taking it.
41
Waiting for Nick to come back after the handover was torture for her. They had taken the precaution of moving across town, leaving the children to their fate. When he finally came in with the money, he swaggered like a gunslinger from a Western movie. He thumped the bag on the floor and stood with his legs astride.
She ran into Nick’s arms and kissed him. She was relieved to see him. Things were going okay between them but there had always been a chance Nick would scarper with the loot and leave her behind. He swung her off her feet and they both whooped.
She recovered her breath. ‘Can I see it?’
‘Sure, get an eyeful.’
Unzipping the bag, she thrust in her hands. ‘Oh. My. God.’
This was what one million looked and felt like. Holding a bunch of notes to her face, she smelled them. ‘You’re a genius.’
He strutted with pride and she kept her grin to the maximum. It wasn’t all fake. The money made her genuinely delirious. Nick she felt much less enthusiastic about. Still, she wouldn’t need to be with him for much longer.
Taking a handful, she threw it in the air and it rained down like confetti. She could tell Nick still liked her and it was her job to make sure he stayed liking her. Her share in the million was her reward.
Nick was on a high. The look on Jack Glover’s face as he pushed in the knife had been worth the wait. Jack was too arrogant for his own good. At last, Nick had the pay-off he deserved because Jack Glover had been a stingy bastard in the past. He’d paid Nick a measly five thousand for the break-in at Pearson’s and that break-in had cost Nick six years of his life.
But there was more to the story.
While Nick was
in prison he’d done a lot of asking around. He was the type of man others avoided. The sort to go from cold to red hot in an instant which other offenders recognised and didn’t want to get on the wrong side of.
He had worn gloves when he’d broken into Daniel Pearson’s cottage and he’d not taken them off the entire time he’d been there. So how the hell had one of his thumbprints turned up at the scene? The prosecution used it to put him away. In prison he found out he’d been set up. By who, that’s what he wanted to know. And by the end of years of questioning his fellow inmates, Nick had his answer. By Jack fucking high and mighty Glover. Glover had paid him to break in and he’d made sure Nick was caught by the police.
For the rest of his time inside, Nick plotted his revenge. He wanted his just pay for being put away and not only that – he wanted Jack Glover to suffer. He wanted him to suffer and suffer and suffer. The one million was recompense for time wasted in a brick cell. But the agony inflicted on Jack by the taking of his children, that was the real reward.
‘This place is nice,’ she said. ‘Your mum had good taste. Will you sell it?’
‘Not sure. Don’t need to, do I? Not now I’m rolling in it.’
She giggled. ‘When do we leave?’
‘The boat sails in two hours. It’s safe here and we can hole up until then.’
‘Shouldn’t we get moving in case the police are onto us?’
‘They haven’t got a clue. Not about this place nor the rented house. There’s no need to sweat, besides, the boat hasn’t arrived yet and we can’t hang around at the marina.’
That was one of the advantages of his inside contacts. Nick had commissioned a ride over to France without too much hassle and on a luxury motor yacht, no less.
‘If you say so,’ she said.
‘I know so.’ Nick pulled her on top of him and groped her breasts. ‘This time tomorrow we’ll be halfway to sunny Spain and our new champagne lifestyle.’
Deadly Lies Page 19