Carter froze. Did that mean she would see them as well?
‘Get into the car, Carter. I’ll drive. Just get in, close the windows and take some deep breaths.’ Marie held out her hand for the keys.
You won’t keep them out by shutting the windows, he thought, almost giggling at the notion.
‘The car, Carter! Bloody get in!’
He did as he was told and they set off, hurtling down the lane and over the fields. Suddenly she braked and pulled over.
‘Look.’
She pointed. Across a vast field he saw a bright orange glow spreading across the old corn stooks.
‘The farmer is burning off his field, getting rid of the old stubble. It’s supposed to be illegal, but they still do it. That’s all it is. Just a farmer at work. Okay?’
Carter closed his eyes and sank down in the seat. How could he be so stupid?
‘It’s okay, honestly. You’re safe. The smoke was a trigger, that’s all. It caused a flashback, a panic attack.’ She smiled at him gently.
‘Yes, I suppose it did.’ He bit his lip. Let her believe that. It was certainly better than the truth. He remembered her reaction when he first mentioned seeing the guys. How could Marie be expected to understand, when he certainly did not?
‘I’ll get you back home and we’ll have a cup of strong coffee, yeah?’
He put on a weak smile and nodded.
This couldn’t go on. He had to find that damn money, sort out whatever Jack and Tom needed, and kiss them goodbye. Otherwise he would go mad.
CHAPTER FIVE
The following morning, Marie arrived at the station early. The CID office was empty, which allowed for a private call to Laura Archer. The psychologist wouldn’t be at work yet, but she could leave a short message on her answerphone asking for an appointment.
She didn’t feel that she was being disloyal to Carter. In the early days, she had accompanied him on so many of his visits that, in the absence of a next of kin, it had been agreed that she would speak for him if things got difficult. It meant she had his blessing to consult with Laura if she felt the need.
She left a message and switched on her computer.
‘Is McLean in yet, Marie?’
Marie jumped. She hadn’t noticed Superintendent Crooke come into the office. She hurriedly stood up. ‘I haven’t seen him, ma’am.’ She noticed the deep, worried creases in the super’s forehead, and the dark shadows beneath her eyes. Marie suspected that Carter was not the only one suffering from lack of sleep. ‘Nothing’s happened, has it, ma’am? With your niece, I mean.’
‘Nothing she is aware of, Marie, but I was up at three in the morning chasing round the garden like a madwoman. I’m certain someone was out there, watching the house. Well, watching Leah’s bedroom window to be precise.’
‘Who was on duty, ma’am? They did show, didn’t they?’ She had heard Carter put in the request to uniform to keep an eye on the place while on patrol.
‘Oh yes, I saw your crew on several occasions. I’m not complaining about that. Whoever it was just seemed to pick the time when there was no one here. If I hadn’t got up for a call of nature, I’d never have seen him.’
Marie wondered how he knew which window was the girl’s. Or even know that she was there, and not in her own flat? ‘Want me to check out the garden, ma’am? See if the intruder left any traces?’
Ruth Crooke shook her head. ‘Did it myself, at first light. Fine tooth-comb and all that. There’s nothing.’ She massaged her temples for a moment. ‘I’m not even a hundred per cent sure there really was someone. I may be a police officer, but I was half asleep, had a bursting bladder and was deeply worried about Leah.’ She shrugged. ‘Doesn’t make me the most reliable witness, does it?’
Marie shook her head. It was weird. Crooke loathed Carter and vice versa, but the super didn’t seem to have it in for her or anyone else. She positively liked Jackman, and he in turn was quite happy to let Ruth Crooke call him by his first name. No one else did that.
Ruth Crooke was shrewd, and very aware of what went on in her division. She was also straight-laced, and everything had to be done by the book. She had been an awesome and very active copper in her early years, and then when she finally made superintendent, she found that the post suited her. Although she would never admit it, she revelled in the bureaucracy. She understood all about service performance indicators, information cascades and the rest of that rubbish. Somehow, despite the red tape, the budgets, targets and flow charts she managed to keep the division ticking over.
Marie just could not understand why Ruth Crooke persisted in holding Carter back. Whatever, right now she felt genuinely sorry for the super. ‘Pound to a penny, ma’am, if you think someone was there, he was there.’
‘I appreciate your confidence, Sergeant. I just wish I felt as sure myself.’ She turned away. ‘Tell McLean to come to my office when he gets in, if you would.’
‘Yes, of course.’
Marie felt decidedly unsettled.
*
Danny Hurley looked out of place. Under the watchful eye of the shop assistant, he wandered around the upmarket handmade chocolate shop looking for the right gift. He took a while to decide on the right box and the gift wrapping, and then he paid the uneasy girl with a fifty pound note. She made sure to test it under the light box.
‘She must be very special,’ she said.
Danny’s eyes lit up. ‘Believe me, darling, she is.’
He left the shop and sauntered over to the bridge. He stood for a while at the bottom of the ramp, listening to a busker playing a guitar. Danny clicked his fingers and swayed to the beat. When the song ended, Danny threw a tenner into the open guitar case. ‘Sweet, man. Really sweet.’ He nodded appreciatively and walked off. The amazed musician grabbed the note and stared after him.
Another man joined Danny on the bridge and they walked together in silence until they reached the far bank. They strolled a little way along the riverside path until they came to a wooden bench where they sat in silence, staring at the slow moving water. The other man looked thin, unhealthy, with lank hair and skin like unbaked dough.
Danny glanced around briefly, reached into his trouser pocket and took out an envelope. Wordlessly, he passed it to the man, who put it in his pocket without looking at it. ‘Same as before?’ he muttered.
‘No.’ Danny nodded towards the university buildings, further along the towpath. ‘Her car this time. Red Citroen Saxo.’ In a whisper, he gave him the registration number and handed over a pass card and a key. ‘The card will get you in to the Emerson House car park, west side. She parks along the back row. Their CCTV is rubbish, just two cameras for the whole area. Go in at one forty exactly and you are clear for one minute fifty-five seconds. Plus, if she’s being watched by the Old Bill, they are coming up to shift change, so you’re safe as houses. Got it?’
‘Understood.’