‘I miss her accent ringing through the station.’ PC Smith stood and left the room. They’d worked closely together for years and Gina could see the veil of worry that was smothering him.
‘Can one of you see if he’s alright?’ Gina felt a knot in her throat as she tried to swallow. Their colleague had been missing all day. Mr Kapoor had called several times, almost in tears, and everyone in the room had been stunned into silence.
Wyre nodded and headed out after PC Smith.
Gina turned to address the room. ‘Let’s work with what we can. Otis Norton, our witness at the lake. He’s due in, isn’t he?’
O’Connor nodded. ‘In about half an hour. He said his wife had a medical appointment and he’d come as soon as it was over.’
An appointment. To satisfy Gina, Otis Norton would have to back that up with some evidence. ‘Have we confirmed that?’
‘Yes. Mrs Norton was due to see her doctor at five this evening so I suppose he could be here anytime now.’
Briggs’s phone rang and he headed to the corner of the room to take the call.
‘Vincent Jordan, Amber’s landlord. Where are we with him?’
Jacob checked through a batch of notes. ‘No prior.’
‘But there’s something off about him. I don’t trust him.’
O’Connor piped up. ‘With good reason, guv.’
‘What do you have?’
‘Just before the briefing, I finally got hold of EL Electrical. Mr Lehman recalled seeing a missed call from Vincent Jordan but is adamant that they haven’t actually spoken since the first week in January. There was a message on his phone asking him to pop by and change some bulbs in the apartment block and that it wasn’t urgent.’
‘That’s a far cry from the conversation he said he had. How about the timing?’
‘Mr Lehman claims it was at six twenty-five on the evening as stated on his message.’
‘A half-truth. Sounds suspicious to me and he couldn’t get us out of his bungalow quick enough. Actually, later this evening, I want to head back to Amber’s block. I can’t get over the fact that Mr Slater had a camera in his daughter’s hallway. Maybe one of the men or women who came back to Amber’s is the person who killed her. Can we identify anyone in those videos? I know they’re grainy but it’s worth a shot. I recognised the girl in one. Lauren Sandiford. When we spoke to Lauren, she didn’t say anything about being in any type of relationship with Amber but the video tells us otherwise. They were kissing in the hallway.’ Gina looked down. ‘I hate this, it feels like we’re violating Amber using the videos in this way. What happened between her and Lauren should have been private.’ The thick snow falling outside caught her attention as it settled on the ledge.
‘But looking might lead us to her killer.’ Jacob grabbed a muffin. Wyre re-entered and leaned against the door frame.
‘It seems that everyone had been in Amber’s apartment, sometimes just to hang out and eat food. We saw clips of Curtis Gallagher with her eating a takeaway. Corrine Blake and Amber had been trying on clothes together at one point in the lounge. We don’t see Tyrone Heard at all but from what I’ve heard he doesn’t hang around with them much. So, tonight, we’ll head back to Amber’s block and talk to everyone again. The weather is diabolical so I’m hoping that they’ll all be in. After that, I’m going to perch up outside Vincent Jordan’s bungalow. We can’t take any risks of him being dangerous if he’s cornered or of us being wrong, which is why I want to observe him for a short while. Any sign of Kapoor or anything even remotely odd, I’ll be calling it in so be on standby. Anyone care to join me?’
Wyre put her hand up. ‘I’ll sit it out with you, guv. I don’t have much to go home for and I’d rather be doing something practical tonight. I want to help find Kapoor.’
‘Great. We have a plan then. Wyre and I are on surveillance and interviews. O’Connor could you keep ringing around various campsites looking for the Collinses and let me know if the ANPR flags up the Discovery? The press release will also be going out soon so we’re expecting to be busy back here. I need everything followed up thoroughly. Kapoor is out there somewhere. She may be tied up. She may be cold and hungry or hurt. She is our absolute priority. Every crumb of information matters.’
‘I’m on it, guv.’
‘Jacob, could you liaise with forensics, find out if there are any updates and go through all the interviews and the case so far? Maybe we’ve missed something. Look at everything again. Photos, timelines, the lot. Right, what are we waiting for?’
PC Smith headed in through the door, his face ashen and arms folded. ‘Otis Norton has arrived. I’ve put him in the last interview room.’
Everyone began to work on their tasks and the hum of the room got louder.
‘I can’t express how scared I am that something bad has happened to Jhanvi. She wouldn’t hurt anyone.’ PC Smith took a deep breath. ‘Count me in for an all-nighter. I’m not leaving until she’s been found safe.’ His throat bobbed as he swallowed. ‘We have to find her.’
47
‘Otis Norton, as we’ve already explained, the tape is rolling and this interview is being recorded.’ Gina waited for the man to acknowledge that statement. Jacob sat up straight in the chair next to her.
‘I’m not in any trouble, am I?’ His sovereign ring flashed light across the side of the plain wall as he fidgeted to get comfortable.
Gina made a mental note that he was dressed far more casually than the day she spoke to him at the lake. Jeans, a worn-looking jumper and a navy blue puffy winter coat. ‘This is a voluntary interview. We just need to speak to you again about your discovery of Amber Slater’s body on the morning of Monday the twenty-fifth of January. Hopefully, we won’t have to keep you too long.’
