‘One down, four to go,’ Mike said quietly.
The helicopter circled for the fifth time. Suddenly they radioed that they had found an area of possible disturbance near a small very narrow pathway that was invisible from the forensic tent.
‘Big enough for us to get through?’ demanded Mike.
Back came the distorted voice, warning that it was doubtful, but that it was conceivable a dog could make its way round to the ledge.
Not long after this news, Langton’s old brown Rover came splashing through the puddles and parked behind Kumar’s BMW. Barolli plodded over with a rain cape and boots. Langton pulled on the boots, but ignored the rain cape. He waved across to Anna before he headed over.
‘Mike sent me a text saying that you’d found Rebekka. I’ve been trying to track down who instigated that bloody press helicopter. I’d place a bet that it’s Kumar hoping for front-page news so he can allege Oates won’t get a fair trial. Anyway, air traffic control is onto it now.’
‘Yeah, I’d put my money on it being him too,’ she said, pulling her hood up as they made their way over to the mortuary van. Langton took a long time looking at the remains of the child it had taken five years to find. He asked that they take her straight to the mortuary, as he wanted a post mortem done as soon as possible.
‘Maybe wait – when we find the other bodies they’ll need to be taken to the mortuary as well,’ Anna suggested.
‘There’s a second van on standby and judging by how long it’s taken you to find her I doubt we’ll be uncovering the others until…’ He looked at his wristwatch. ‘Christ, it’ll be getting dark soon. I’ve not got this whole circus for another day, you know. Why is it taking so long?’
Annoyed with him, she walked off without answering. If he’d seen what they had been up against all day he’d have bloody known.
Langton, still refusing to put on his rain cape, joined Mike, who was at the catering wagon ordering sandwiches and coffee. They had pulled out a canopy for shelter, but the rainwater was flowing off the sides as if it was coming from a tap, creating an ever-deepening muddy puddle. Anna, who was with Barolli, could see that they were having a heated argument. Barolli pulled at his cape as the rain was dripping down his neck.
Mike came over to report that Langton wanted the burial sites found today, so he could cut the number of officers at the quarry by half and the digging-out could be done the next day. Anna remarked how Langton had already complained to her about the time they were taking. Mike was not happy.
‘I’d like to see him bloody climbing up and down those frigging rope ladders; it’s already very slippery and the rain’s getting worse.’
‘I doubt he’ll attempt a climb with his knee, but at least he’s now driving himself.’
‘It’s not him I’m worried about, it’s the guys doing the hard work on the ledge.’
Anna turned the binoculars onto the search team, who looked like black ants climbing up and onto the lower ledge. Some had already begun digging.
‘They got the sniffer dogs up there now,’ Mike told her, ‘but the handlers didn’t like it, they had to go round past the woods and miles on foot to the far side; it’s just a small narrow path and crumbling fast.’
There was a lot of action, but no radio feedback that they had found anything. All they could do was stand and wait as the ground all around became like a bog. Anna sat in her car for a while to warm up; her feet were freezing cold. She could see Mike pacing up and down, and Langton and Barolli sharing binoculars as they monitored the action on the ledge. Mike constantly had to fiddle with his earpiece to get reception.
‘Mike,’ Langton called over, from where he was sheltering under the canopy. Mike sloshed through the puddles towards him.
‘What’s going on over there?’ Langton demanded.
‘They’re having no luck; it’s a big area. One of the dogs got excited but it was a dead animal. I think it’s becoming too dangerous up there with the weather, so I’m thinking of calling them back.’
‘Get him out there. We’ll lose the light soon and it’s not going to be easy, arc lamps on or not. Get the pilot to do one more circle and to stand by with the searchlight; it’ll help the team on the ledge to see what they’re doing.’
Although Mike felt Langton was wrong to continue the operation he said nothing. As the senior officer present it was now Langton’s decision alone whether or not to use Oates again. Langton finally put on his rain cape and looked up to the cloud-darkened sky. In the distance they could see a flash of lightning, which was eventually followed by a low rumble as the sound waves travelled across the grey sky.
‘Looks like that storm is heading our way,’ Mike said in an attempt to dissuade Langton from continuing the search. But Langton walked off, leaving Mike to signal to the armed officers, who were sitting in their vehicle waiting for instructions.
‘Get him out!’ he shouted across to them.
Langton, back under the caterers’ canopy, watched as Oates was led to the edge of the quarry. He saw them remove his handcuffs and watched him clamber down, accompanied by the armed guards, to the floor of the quarry.
Anna, who was by the winch vehicle, turned as Langton came to stand beside her and Barolli.
‘If my knee wasn’t shit I’d be down there. Look at the little prick.’
Oates was shadow-boxing again, dancing around the two armed guards, fooling around.
‘He’s bloody loving it, isn’t he?’
Anna nodded as they watched Oates climbing up to join the search teams on the ledge.
‘Athletic little sod, though, isn’t he?’ Langton said.
Mike had ordered the huge arc lamps to be moved into position, and their iron tripod stands sank deeply into the clay. They had four lamps altogether, spaced around the quarry, each connected to the portable generator, ready to be switched on.
‘Is that ours?’ Langton looked up at the helicopter coming into view.
‘No it’s that News Flight one,’ Anna said. ‘It’s been in and out, hovering around us like a gnat.’
Langton snatched her binoculars, and swore loudly.
‘They got a fucking camera; they’re filming us. This was supposed to have been bloody sorted.’ He moved away, shouting into his mobile phone, heading for the cover of the caterers’ canopy to protect his phone from the rain.
Oates could be seen moving amongst the search team. He bent down a couple of times and gestured for them to move further along the ledge. He repeatedly leaned forwards, staring closely at the ground, and then straightened up, looking to his left and right along the ledge.
Anna passed the binoculars to Barolli.
‘You know, I think he’s stringing us along. He’s moving this way and that and it looks as if he doesn’t know what he’s doing. Maybe he never intended us to find the other victims.’
Mike returned, by now very worried about the encroaching lightning and the safety of everyone on the ledge.
‘Might be lucky – Oates could fall off,’ Barolli said.
‘Christ, don’t say that, Paul.’
Anna pointed across the quarry.
‘You know what I don’t like – that narrow path the dogs were let loose on. I’m just concerned that all this could be Oates setting us up; he’s got no handcuffs on, what if he did a runner? He said he knows this area like the back of his hand, maybe that was the way he got to that ledge because it’s a long way down from the first ledge and we’re supposed to believe he carried the bodies.’
Mike sighed and said that even if Oates attempted to escape, with two armed guards he wouldn’t get far.
‘I’d like to blow his head off,’ Barolli said, stamping his feet.