Deadline

'What do you mean, the legal age of consent? She's fifteen, for God's sake!'

Bolt's mouth went dry. 'What?'

'She's fifteen years old, mate,' he snapped, disgust in his voice. 'Only just turned as well. Why on earth do you think I called the police about it? They've been getting up to all sorts as well. She even filmed some of it on her mobile phone. He should be locked up.'

Bolt thought of Emma at the mercy of a murdering thug with a predilection for young girls.

'Didn't you know any of this? What the hell are you phoning for?'

'Listen to me,' Bolt snapped. 'Is your daughter still seeing him?'

'Course not. What do you take me for? I grounded her as soon as I found out about it. And confiscated her mobile. But she's been sneaking out to see him. I got the police round here to talk to her but she wouldn't tell them anything. Denies everything. He even gave her this software that wiped all their conversations off her computer. I've been at my wits' end trying to sort it out. I've threatened her, locked her in her room, even found out where he lived and went round. But the bastard wasn't there.'

'Is Lisa at home now?'

'Yeah. She hasn't been out for the last few days, except for school. She's just moping about, not speaking. I'm hoping she's over him.'

'Have you still got her mobile phone?'

'I gave it back to her yesterday if she promised not to call him. So far, I don't think she has. She's a good girl, you know. That bastard corrupted her. If I could get my hands on him…'

'I know exactly how you feel,' Bolt told him, 'but in the meantime you can help us locate him, because we're very interested in talking to him about a number of matters.'

'What kind of matters?'

'The kind that'll put him away for a very long time.'

Bouchera grunted. 'Good.'

'But I need to know straight away if Lisa hears from him, or if you hear him speaking to her. Understand? And if you can get the number he's speaking to her from, even better.' Bolt gave Bouchera his mobile number, then wrote down the daughter's number and the name of her service provider. 'It doesn't matter what time of day or night it is, call immediately. It's extremely urgent.'

'Course I will,' replied Bouchera. 'I want to see that bastard suffer.'

Bolt thanked him and ended the call. There was still no proof Ridgers was involved, but Bolt's gut instinct was telling him he was definitely on to something here.

Ordinarily, the excitement at getting a lead like this would have been surging through him, but instead he felt a growing sense of dread. Time was running out and Scott Ridgers could be anywhere. If he didn't find him, and the ransom op failed, then he was convinced now that Emma was as good as dead. But he wasn't going to give up. Not while there was still an ounce of fight in him.

Thirty-six

The phone rang as he pulled out into the road. It was a message from Mo, wondering where he was. There was obvious concern in his colleague's voice. The time of the message was 1.27 – just over half an hour ago.

But Bolt didn't call him back. Instead he called Tina. 'I need you to check on whether there are any mobile numbers registered to a Mr Scott Ridgers of Hanbury Gardens, N19,' he told her. It was a long shot that someone like Ridgers would have registered anything in his name, particularly a mobile phone. Criminals don't like giving the authorities a means of tracing them. And even if he'd done so, Bolt doubted whether he would have taken it with him on a job as important and risky as a kidnap. But it was still worth a try.

Tina asked who Scott Ridgers was.

'I'll explain later, I promise.'

'You sound excited. Where are you? People have been asking. I mean, it's a big day, and you've been gone a long time.'

There was a trace of criticism in her voice, something Bolt hadn't heard from Tina before, and he wondered if his team were beginning to lose respect for him. If so, it was something he was going to have to counter. Just not now.

'I've been following something up, and I'm on the way back. I won't be long.'

He hung up and called Mo, telling him a briefer version of the same story – that he'd been following up on a lead – deliberately keeping details scarce. He didn't want to tell his friend too much about Ridgers, still less ask him a favour, because Bolt had the distinct feeling he would refuse.

Mo told him to hold on while he went somewhere private.

'Why are you working on a lead that no one knows anything about?' he asked. 'On a day as important as this one.'

'It's just something that's come up, OK? From the past.'

'Do you want to share it?'

'I'll tell you about it later.'

There was a pause.

'I think this is getting too personal for you, boss,' he said eventually.

It was the first time Bolt could remember Mo questioning his abilities, and it galled him. He felt like telling his old friend to butt out.

'I'm not going to mess this up, Mo. '

'Don't, please. I respect you, boss. Don't make me lose that respect.'

There was a genuine pain in his voice that cut into Bolt, and neither man spoke for a few seconds, both unsure what to say. It was Bolt who finally broke the silence.

'This time, Mo, I'm going to have to ask you to be the one to have faith. I promise you I know what I'm doing.'

'OK. That's good enough for me. But don't try to do everything on your own. It won't work.'

Bolt said he wouldn't, and it was with an element of genuine relief that he ended the call.

There was a traffic snarl-up around Millbank and it wasn't until twenty to three that he finally reached the office, having already found out from Tina that there was no mobile anywhere in the UK registered in the name of a Scott Ridgers of Hanbury Gardens, N19. He hadn't even made the incident room before Barry collared him. He didn't look very happy at all.

'Where the hell have you been?' he demanded.

Bolt knew immediately that he was going to have to tell him, but as soon as he started talking, Barry's expression darkened.

'Let's get to my office,' he snapped, looking round to make sure that no one was witnessing his wrath.

'What's going on, Mike?' he asked, his voice laden with exasperation, when they were behind closed doors. 'I thought I told you not to go running off on a wild goose chase.'

'With all due respect, sir, I don't think it is a wild goose chase.'

Bolt explained about Scott Ridgers' absence over the past few days, though he didn't mention his taste for underage girls, since he wasn't sure what relevance this had.

'So, what the hell does that prove? Maybe he's gone on holiday.'

'He's been gone since Monday. You've got to admit, it's coincidental.'

Barry nodded furiously. 'Yes, it is coincidental, isn't it? But that's all it is. A coincidence. It doesn't help us one fucking iota.'

Bolt couldn't remember the last time his boss had sworn. It was a measure of his anger and the pressure he and they were all under.

'I thought it was better than just waiting around. I'm convinced I'm on to something.'

'Did Tina say there was a mobile registered in his name?'

Bolt admitted there wasn't.

'So you're not on to something, are you? Listen, Mike, you're going to have to pull yourself together. I don't know what the hell's got into you over this, but whatever it is, it's got to stop. And what's happened to your face? You've got a bloody great bruise coming up.'

'I had an accident. Banged my head against the car door.'

Barry's gaze then dropped to the bloodstains on his shirt.

'Are you all right to go through with this tonight? Because if you're not… if you're not well or something…'