‘We can’t afford to follow only one lead at the moment.’
‘And what about all the photos at the rental flat?’
‘Again, I can’t say anything.’
Gina knew what was going on now. Did they suspect that Briggs had set Craig up? Briggs would know exactly how to frame a person. She wanted to shake her head but refrained. ‘I shouldn’t have asked. I understand.’
‘It’s late and I am parched and tired. The press haven’t stopped calling and asking questions all day. They were flooding the car park up until about eight this evening.’ He glanced at his chunky wristwatch. ‘I tell you what, would you like to grab a drink? Maybe we can clock off and catch up on all the missed years.’
A heaviness spread across her chest What she needed right now was to crack the case and prove that Briggs wasn’t the person they thought he was. So, what if he knew the victims. What did that prove? She looked up at Brodie again. There was so much more and he wasn’t going to let her in. He couldn’t. ‘I, err… I’d really like to take you up on that drink but I’m so tired. Maybe when things calm down.’
‘No worries. I’d love to know how life has treated you over the past few years and I’ve got a few tales of my own.’
‘Guv.’ Jacob stood panting in her doorway.
‘What is it?’
‘Lindy Pickering is missing. It looks like someone broke into her house, took her and there’s blood everywhere. We have to go.’
‘Damn, I’m on my way.’
Jacob left her and Brodie alone again. ‘Where is the DCI at the moment?’
‘He’s currently waiting to be questioned again at Birmingham as we speak and it’s not looking good. I shouldn’t have told you this so I’m relying on your discretion. TheBirmingham team aren’t ruling out him working with someone else. He’s in big trouble.’
THIRTY-ONE
Saturday, 22 November
After updating Jacob with what Brodie had told her, they’d swiftly left the station and drove to the scene. Gina jogged alongside Jacob towards Lindy’s house. She’d checked her personal phone again but if Briggs was being questioned, there was no way he’d be able to call her from whichever phone he’d been using. She wondered if he’d got rid of it.
A PC had dragged tape around two lamp posts to cordon off the area and another two PCs were knocking on doors opposite. Every house had a long drive and a hedged off perimeter that would easily block camera doorbells. She glanced up and couldn’t see any CCTV either.
‘You can head around the side path, guv,’ the PC guarding the cordon said. ‘Keith in forensics has already put the stepping plates down and the person who called it in is being treated for shock at the minute. She almost fainted so the paramedics are treating her as we speak. Keith also said that Bernard and the rest of the team were still at the flat in Nightingale House which is why he’s here.’
Gina glanced back to check out the witness but she couldn’t see who was sitting in the back of the ambulance behind all the bushes. All she could see was the light from the vehicle glowing. She’d tried to look as they walked past but a paramedic had been blocking the view. ‘Great. I’ll check out the scene and speak to the witness after. Has the house been searched for people?’ She assumed it had if Keith was in there but she had to check.
‘Yes, and the annexe. There is no one in either.’
The PC passed her a bag containing protective clothing. She pulled the crime scene suit over her clothes and popped everything else on so not to contaminate the scene.
‘Keith said to keep to the plates alongside the edge of the path. We’ve also taken elimination prints and swabs from the witness. She went inside the kitchen.’
‘Great, thank you. Do you have a name?’
‘Pia Yates. The witness said that before she came over Lindy mentioned that she was home and when she arrived, she called us straight away.’
‘Thank you.’ Gina followed Jacob alongside the large house and headed towards the path, while placing the elastic from the face mask behind her ears.
She thought of Craig and Justine, and then Lindy. Lindy and Pia had to be good friends if Pia was visiting so late at night. It was a little past midnight now. On reaching the garden, Gina first noticed the huge egg chair and patio sofa set that filled the space. Leaves from the surrounding trees had gathered in piles along the one side of the tall fence. A breeze whipped past her neck, sending a shiver down her spine.
On reaching the back door, Gina knew exactly how the intruder entered the premises. The window had been smashed, just like at Maura’s house. She stepped in first, her boot clunking on the first stepping plate. She took in the scene. The key was still in the lock, on the inside. No doubt it would be taken to thelab. A spray of blood reached up the back wall, thinning out as it got higher.
‘There was definitely a struggle here.’ Jacob stepped inside. ‘Broken plates, a knife on the floor and a smashed empty wine bottle. Upturned chair. No phones here. Blood spatter.’
She took a deep breath, imagining the struggle that must have taken place. It looked like Lindy fought. The scene was screaming kidnap. Her biggest fear now was that a double murderer had taken her. Their main suspect was Craig Crawford and they’d failed to locate him. She swallowed as she thought of Briggs again. This must prove them all wrong if they suspect him. She wondered what motive he’d have for hurting Lindy. She wasn’t on Zavier’s little list. ‘There’s a fair bit of blood, too. Lindy is hurt. There isn’t enough blood to show that she bled out.’ She swallowed. ‘I fear Lindy doesn’t have much time. We don’t know how long our killer toyed with Kain until he was murdered and the same with Zavier. How long has she got? Why? This eliminates the theory that the first murder had something to do with Kain being in debt to Craig, and I have to ask why Craig Crawford would want to take Lindy?’
Her head hurt with the lack of clarity on the case, that and the fact that Briggs was involved. What else might Brodie not be telling her? She tried to think about it all rationally.If Craig had nothing to hide, he wouldn’t be on the run and the rental apartment wouldn’t have been full of those horrible photos. Briggs would not have done that. The phone call he made to Kain, it had to have been about something else, but what?
