With another click, they were there. ‘It’s quite grainy, isn’t it?’
‘’Fraid, so. You can see it’s the man who came in at ten. He heads over to the weights. After a bit of a warm up, he gets going. Looks like he’s heading to the treadmill now. I’ll give him his due, he’s good. I did see him as I passed through, about now. That’s me there. He was giving it some. He seemed determined. Wait, he’s stopped and holding a finger to his earbud. It’s like he’s listening to something.’
‘We put out an appeal this morning, looking for him and his wife. It’s possible that he heard it on the radio.’
Phil scratched his chin and acknowledged Brad as he placed the coffees on the desk. ‘Cheers.’ Brad left, closing the door behind him. ‘So he hears something about himself on the radio and look at him go. I’ve never seen anyone leave so abruptly, he nearly knocked that woman over. Back to the other camera.’ With a few clicks, they were looking at reception. ‘And he bangs out of the door like the place is on fire.’
‘Do you have a camera on the car park?’
‘No, sorry.’
Gina took a swig of the tepid machine coffee. It wasn’t pleasant but it was most welcome after the run she’d had. ‘Can we go back to the main gym footage?’
He nodded and replayed.
‘Don’t you think he looks agitated?’
‘Yes, he does. He’s constantly moving, even while wiping the sweat from his brow. It’s like he’s hyper. I mean it’s often like that in the gym but when I see him go on the treadmill, he’s also running his hands through his hair, then biting his nails. He can’t keep still. He stumbles a little here. Look, he’s angry so he hits the equipment. Maybe he’s on something.’
‘You think he could be using drugs?’
‘Well, I can’t be sure but it’s a possibility. I’ve seen it in people before and it’s not something I approve of but people do it. They want to build more muscle, they want to be faster. They sometimes reach their limits and they can’t accept that that’s all they can manage, so they start looking for other ways to get better. It’s an addiction. One I’ve suffered with but I’m proud to say, it’s all in my distant past. He’s disappointed with his performance, I can see that. I can also see that he’s acting all too superhuman.’
‘That would explain why we couldn’t catch him.’
Phil nodded. ‘Or, he might just be an agitated person, who can run really fast. Who really knows?’
Gina thought back to what the man in the café said. Also, the way that Grant lost Wyre and Kapoor, two of the fittest people she knew, the theory of him being on a drug to improve his performance seemed a distinct possibility and something she’d bear in mind when they caught up with him.
‘Why are you after him? I haven’t seen the news today.’ Phil finished his coffee and leaned back with his arms folded.
‘We’re investigating an incident last night and we need to speak to him. Do you know if he has a car registered with his membership?’
‘I’ll check on that when we go back out there. Are we done here for now, as I have to get back to work?’
‘Yes, could I please take a copy of the CCTV away? Apologies but I haven’t brought a hard drive or memory stick.’
Phil began fishing in a drawer. ‘You can borrow one of ours. I’ll get Brad to put the footage on this for you.’
‘Thank you, again.’ Gina passed him a card as Wyre finished writing a few notes down. ‘If he comes back or you think of anything else, please call me.’
‘Will do. Brad, pop the footage from reception and the gym on this hard drive. Time, from ten up to eleven.’ Phil looked up at Gina as Brad headed into the back room. ‘I’ll check his details, see if he has a car registered. Members can use the car park free but we have to have a registration number. Ah, there is Mr Braddock’s. I’ll write it down. It’s a blue Volvo.’
‘That’s great.’
‘If you want, you can head out to the car park and take a look. Brad will bring the hard drive out to you.’ Gina nodded, noticing that Phil probably wanted the police out of his gym. Two women entered, holding water bottles and Phil smiled and followed them towards the gym. ‘I best get back to it. Break’s over.’
Gina led the way to the car park. ‘We need to hurry over to the cabin. I know the owner will want to clean it soon as Taylor has now left.’ Stopping, Gina pointed at the Volvo. ‘Looks like we’ve found his car. Call it in.’ Gina glanced at the car. ‘What if Annabel’s in his boot?’ She ran over and tapped on it. It was hollow. She shook her head. ‘No damage to the car and nothing in the boot. This wasn’t used in the hit-and-run. It’s also dirty and there aren’t any marks breaking up that dirt.’ She paused in thought. ‘One thing’s for sure, he’ll be back for it and when he does come back, we need to be waiting for him. We need a car parked up, ready to block him off when he gets into it, for at least the rest of the day. Two officers, and make sure they can run fast. Also, we need his gym bag swabbed. If he was on something, I want to know what. We need to know what we’re dealing with. If he doesn’t come back for it, have the car taken to the pound where he’ll have to come to retrieve it or it may end up in evidence. He may not have used this car but he had opportunity and motive which means he’s a suspect.’
SEVENTEEN
Omar
Mrs Braddock said I should consider A-level maths. She often says to me, ‘Omar, you’re really gifted in this subject and I know you love it, too.’ I don’t have any trouble understanding anything she gives me but love it, no. I love her, not maths. I am gifted though. Quadratic equations – easy. Trig – easy. I try harder than anyone else because I know it’s a subject Mrs Braddock is passionate about.
Some of the class struggle, which is why they’re sometimes mean to me. They call me swot and I get picked on because they see the way I look at Mrs Braddock, or Annabel. In my head she’s Annabel and sometimes I almost forget myself and call her that in class. On Facebook, she uses the name Annie Bell. Her profile picture is of her dog, a scraggy-looking lurcher. She doesn’t friend pupils. I know that because I tried to add her and she rejected me and explained why the next day at school, like I was a dumb kid.It’s inappropriate.That’s her excuse. I’m not a kid though, not any more. One day, she will want me.
I search through her Facebook posts and going back a few months, I come across photos of him, her horrid husband. Pressing his photo on the screen, I imagine he’s here and he’s real and I’m squishing him like a spider. He even has his top off, showing off his abs. He doesn’t deserve someone as nice as Annabel. Turning to the mirror, I catch a glimpse of myself. I need to be more like him and then she’ll like me. My arms are thin and I wish my acne would clear. It’s crusted along my hairline and there’s nothing I can do to get rid of it. My chest and back are no better.
