‘Where was he heading?’ Gina and Wyre were poised to go.
‘I don’t know exactly but he said that when he had a boat of his own, he enjoyed taking the Stratford to Kings Norton route and he said how beautiful Wootton Wawen was and the aqueduct. I had a little conversation with him as I know who the boat belongs to and the boat community look out for each other.’
O’Connor headed across the road. ‘Bear with me.’ Gina left Wyre holding the fort for a moment and hurried over to her colleague knowing that time was of the essence. ‘He’s on the Stratford to Kings Norton route and has a particular liking of Wootton Wawen. Get the chopper out. Find that boat.’
He ran over to uniform, leaving Gina to go back to the two women and Wyre.
‘When did you last see him?’
‘Monday. He said he was taking the boat for a ride out. I got worried and checked with the boat’s owner, Seth. He’s working in Amsterdam and I know that boat is his pride and joy. He confirmed that his friend, Evan, was okay to use the boat, that he’d asked him to paint it and said that he could take it out. I saw Evan working on the boat and assumed he was doing a job for Seth, but I didn’t know they were friends. After that I didn’t take much notice of him. He’s come and gone over the past three weeks, painting the top and the top front of the boat in blue. I even thought to ask him if he wanted to paint our boat after.’
‘Did he bring anyone to the boat at any time?’
The woman wrapped her arm in front of her body and her friend left. Gina heard the kettle boiling.
‘No. He said he was going to take the boat out and that his wife was working. He said she’d join him in a day or two. He seemed lovely and even showed us a picture of her and a child. What’s happened to them all?’
Gina pulled up photos of Cally and Annabel on her phone. ‘Is this them?’
Deanna scrunched her brow. Her partner came out with a tray of hot milky coffees and offered them around. Gina and Wyre took one as they thanked her.
‘Yes. I remember saying how cute that little girl was and I could tell how much he loved them. I’ve never seen a person grin so much with pride. He told me how they’d been married a few years, that she was a teacher and how much he loved his little girl.’
‘So, you haven’t seen him since Monday?’
‘No, we left the boat on Monday and came back this afternoon. Thought we’d spend the night on it while we gave it a clean out. We don’t live far so we’re here a lot.’ The woman drank her coffee down.
Her partner piped up. ‘Is everything okay? He seemed so nice? He’s not hurt, is he?’
Gina drank the warm coffee down, grateful of the perk that the caffeine would give her. They were all going to need to be on their best form. ‘We are concerned. If you see him or if he comes back here, call me immediately. Do not approach him.’
Arching her brows, Deanna gave her partner her empty cup. ‘So he’s dangerous.’
‘I can’t discuss the investigation with you but here’s my card. It has my number on it. Have you seen the news this week?’
Deanna shook her head. ‘No, I’ve been so busy.’
‘The woman you just identified is missing and we’re worried about her safety.’
The woman went to speak and then stopped as she furrowed her brow as everything clicked into place.
‘As I said, if you see him, call us immediately.’
‘I will, thank you for the warning.’ She gave her partner a worried glance.
O’Connor ran over and Gina stepped away not wanting the women to hear whatever it was that he had to say. Any gossip on social media could hinder the case. She left them with Wyre and knew her colleague would be wrapping up their conversation. ‘Guv, the eye in the sky has spotted three boats close to the area of investigation. There are also several moored up at Wootton Wawen.’
‘Where are the three?’
‘One is just past Wootton Wawen as if it was cruising from Stratford, one is before Wootton Wawen and the other is a little further on. I have the exact locations messaged to me.’
‘Forward that info to me. Let’s hope that he’s a little nostalgic when it comes to Wootton Wawen and he’s not further away. Let’s concentrate on or before Wootton Wawen but we need someone to head to the third location too, the one a little further up. I’ll head over now. We can’t waste any more time. We need to bring those children and Annabel home and we can’t lose them.’ Gina swallowed as she ran to her car knowing that O’Connor would fill Wyre in. As she turned her engine on, she almost trembled at what they might be walking in to. Two dead children and a dead woman? A hostage situation? Or maybe Evan Bryson isn’t on any of those boats. He might already be on another route that could take their search much further out, giving him an opportunity to slip away.
SIXTY-TWO
Gina pulled up behind PC Smith. Wyre would join them in a moment. Uniformed officers were already on the scene of the first boat, just before Wootton Wawen. She ran, phone in hand, stab vest making her sweat like mad. Although chilly, she was boiling as she ran along the slim path until it reached the canal. The landscape was in pitch darkness. In the distance she could see street lights flickering as the gentle breeze caught the branches on the opposite side of the road.
‘Here, guv.’ PC Smith shone his torch in her face.
