“There she is.” Mitch straightened in his seat as he watched Sienna close the curtains. Elea could just about make out that she was clutching a book in one hand.
“And there she goes,” Elea grumbled. “Off to bed early, to dream about kidnapping more little kiddies.” She turned to Mitch in earnest. “Let me go. I’ll get the truth out of them, like I did with—”
“Not on your nelly.” He grabbed her arm as her other hand crept to the door handle. “You’re not authorised. You were lucky with Hobbs because his missus backed you up, butshewon’t.” He pointed to the upstairs window. The main light flickered off and a softer light bloomed, most likely a bedside lamp. “She may be small, but she’s got serious form, and if it all kicks off, it’ll be you who gets arrested, not them.” He paused, studying Elea’s face. “I know it’s frustrating, but procedure is there to protect us. We’ll speak to them tomorrow, yeah?”
“Seriously?” Elea spoke sharply. “I didn’t win this job in a raffle, you know.” Her voice lowered to a mumble. “Condescending little prick.”
The blue flashing light of a television screen flickered through the downstairs window of the Thompson abode.
“Sorry. You’re right.” Mitch shifted in his seat. “I’m actually...a little in awe of you. I’ve just got this promotion, and I don’t want to lose my job.” He stared out at the streets that had not been kind to him once. “I don’t know what I’d do without it. I’m not much good at anything else.”
“I wouldn’t say that,” Elea stated reluctantly, lightening the mood. “But all right. If I must wait, then so be it.”
She stared at the house, imagining Ant settling down before his Xbox or PlayStation for the night. Her gaze lingered over their surroundings, but there were no clues to be had. The couple’s black refuse bin sat on the kerb, waiting to be emptied by the council in the morning. The compact front garden was paved over, with a red-brick wall and metal gate protecting their privacy. The car on their drive was nothing flashy. They seemed like any other couple on any other street. But Ant and Sienna had history. Apart from the numerous drug-dealing offences, they had both served time in prison for grievous bodily harm. Then there was the string of suspended sentences, which were becoming more commonplace now that the prisons were full.
The team had worked hard, uncovering a solid link between the Thompsons and Phil Hobbs. It wasn’t simply the address book tying them together. Mitch had tapped into his street informant, who claimed that Phil wasn’t merely acquainted with the couple; he was deep in debt with them. Word on the street was that the Thompsons had their hands in something darker. Human trafficking.
Elea blinked as droplets of rain splashed their car windscreen, quickly obscuring her view. Mitch cast his eyes beyond the streetlights at the dark clouds blotting the moon, their bellies full of rain. That would put an end to their surveillance. It wasn’t as if he could start the car to activate the wipers; that would only draw attention to them. There was no point sitting here freezing. She would speak to them tomorrow—all above board.
“Looks like it’s down for the night. Let’s go.” Mitch didn’t wait for a response as he started the car engine and slowly pulled away from the kerb.
Elea’s phone beeped with a text. It was another offer from Alice. Maybe it was time for this war to end.
Chapter 22
Swann parked his car in the narrow driveway of his countryside cottage. He sat for a moment, staring up at the blackening sky, a heaviness settling on his chest. It had killed him to pair Elea with Mitch, and he imagined them bonding while they watched the Thompsons’ address. Elea didn’t do small talk, but Mitch was good at reading people and wouldn’t wind her up. You had to be, Swann supposed, when you spent five of your teenage years living rough. Mitch was a decent person, and, right now, Swann hated him for it. With a sigh, he dragged himself from the driver’s seat, turning his thoughts to the family waiting for him.
Everything had happened so quickly with Alice. They’d been dating for six months when he’d ended their relationship. Work was demanding too much of his time. Alice had always wanted more than he’d been able to give. She gave him an ultimatum: his job or her. He chose his job. Then she came round to see him one night, armed with his favourite blended Scotch. Work had been tough, and he’d found himself letting her in. Hehadalways wanted children, but his relationship with Alice had run its course. That was the night that she’d conceived the twins.
Swann opened the front door. The familiar scents of home greeted him as he entered the hallway. He’d tried to finish early tonight and had texted Alice at half seven to say that he’d be home within the hour. The savoury aroma of garlic and herbs wafted from the kitchen, but as he rested his coat on the hook in the hall, he picked up on two sets of voices. Who else was in his house?
Jazz music was playing low in the background. It was from the Spotify playlist entitled “Dinner Party Music” that Alice used to play for guests. That was back before they had the twins. She was at her happiest when entertaining high-ranking colleagues and their wives. She was rarely praised for her policing, but her cooking was something else. He pushed open the door, the smile fading from his face at the sight of their dinner guest. Alice was sitting at the table with Elea, a bottle of red wine between them as if they were old friends.
Alice joined Swann’s side with the grace of a panther laying claim to her mate. She rested a hand on his chest and planted a kiss on his cheek with wine-stained lips. She was wearing make-up and had straightened her hair. Gone was the shirt decorated with splurges of puréed carrot; this evening she was wearing a figure-hugging dress that he’d never seen before. She flashed him a dazzling smile, but her eyes were disturbingly cold. “I invited Elea over for dinner. I hope you don’t mind.”
The awkward laugh that left his mouth came all on its own. “Of course I don’t mind. You could have told me, though. I would have bought some wine on the way home.” He almost said, “You could have warned me,” but stopped himself in time. It wasn’t Elea he was worried about. It was Alice, who, by the looks of it, didn’t need any more booze.
“All taken care of.” She raised the empty bottle from the table. “Oops, gone already? Never mind, I’ve got another one here somewhere.” A tinkly laugh escaped her as she turned to get some more. He didn’t believe her cheerful tone for a second. She was up to something, but what? He raised his eyebrows at Elea, who really shouldn’t have come. This was noFatal Attractionmoment. Her body language suggested that she was just as uncomfortable as he was with the situation. Elea delivered a slight, almost imperceptible shake of her head, a small acknowledgement of his surprise, and that he was right: she shouldn’t have accepted whatever invitation Alice had sent. No doubt it wasn’t the first. She was probably trying to get Elea here from the moment she touched down in the UK. His stomach knotted as the tension in the room grew. This was going to be a long night.
“How are my boys?” he uttered as Alice handed him a glass of wine.
“Asleep.” She looked at him over the rim of her glass as she took another sip.
Swann sat at the table, avoiding Elea’s gaze. Alice wobbled on her heels before muttering something beneath her breath and kicking them off. She filled his plate with osso buco, tortellini and sautéed asparagus, the rich aroma intensifying the uneasy churning in his stomach.
Elea thanked Alice for preparing the meal, her tone polite yet strained. “You shouldn’t have gone to so much trouble.”
“My pleasure,” Alice countered. “Now eat it all up!”
Swan caught the triumph in her eyes as she rested the veal on her plate. Elea used to be a vegetarian. Now she ate some meat, but certainly not veal. “I don’t eat babies,” she’d said to him once when he’d tried to persuade her to order some lamb. But could Alice have known that? They never ate veal. He stared at the bone sitting in a marrow sauce.
After topping up all their glasses, Alice took her place next to Swann, while Elea sat across from them. For Richard, this obvious show of unity was stiflingly hard to bear.
Alice’s smile turned brittle as she filled the silence. “I always cook for Richard, don’t I, darling? Family time is important, after all.”
Swann watched as Elea’s jaw tightened, but as she picked at her vegetables, she kept her tone light. “It must be exhausting, managing the household and the twins. I don’t know how you do it.”
“I make it work.” Alice picked up her wine glass. She took a large swallow, a plume of colour rising in her cheeks.
