He wiped his mouth with the paper napkin that had been wrapped around his burger. He was pleased with himself. He had been right: she was perfect. He was beginning to really like her, anticipating that it could be a few weeks or even more, depending on how she turned out. He doubted that she had even been reported missing yet.
It took a little persuasion to get her to accept a room for the night, saying that it would just be until she made contact with her friend.
She looked dubious, chewing at her bitten nails again. Then she crumpled the ketchup-stained napkin into a ball and tossed it into the waste bin by the side of the stall.
‘Are you sure? I don’t know if I should.’
‘I don’t want you to think I’m coming on to you in any way, Heather. I just really need to get back as I have to do some studying and be up early in the morning. It’s only a small box room, and you might have to use your sleeping bag, but you’ll be safe until you decide what you’re going to do next.’
‘Do you live far away?’
‘Two tube stops then a change and we’re there.’
She smiled, hitched her canvas bag onto her shoulder as he picked up the strap wrapped around her sleeping bag. ‘Are you coming?’
‘This is really kind of you; I really appreciate it, thanks ever so much.’
They disappeared, heading towards Leicester Square tube station. Just another ordinary looking young couple stopping as he pointed out the hanging lanterns as they passed the entrance to China Town.
Nothing gave any hint of the horror that would come.
Chapter One
The entire team had been called together by DCI Ridley for a briefing in the boardroom of Kensington Police Station. Chairs had been placed around the large meeting table and along the walls in two tiers. Stacks of notebooks and pencils were placed in the centre of the table should they be required. Squashed in the corner was a trolley with tea and coffee.
The officers arrived in dribs and drabs; some dealt with crimes like assaults, robbery, burglary and fraud. Others were part of the safeguarding units, dealing with sexual offences, domestic abuse and offences against children. They helped themselves to refreshments then sat down at the table expectantly. Fourteen officers were already at the table by the time DC Laura Wade and DS Anik Joshi arrived, carrying their Starbucks coffees. Laura glanced at her watch. There was no sign of DS Jack Warr, and she suspected he would leave it to the last minute, so she placed her jacket on the seat next to her to reserve it. Anik eased the lid off his coffee, glanced towards the door and said under his breath, ‘Jack’s going to be late as usual. Any idea what the briefing’s about?’
‘No, I only got the e-mail last night. But whatever it is, it’s got to be something big. I’ve never seen so many from other departments present in previous briefings.’
‘Me too.’
The two chairs at the top of the table remained empty, as well as the one next to Laura. She glanced at her watch again. It was five to nine. Two female clerical staff hurried in. One squeezed past a seated officer and flicked a wall switch that lowered a large white screen at the far end of the boardroom. The other went to the top end of the table and switched on a laptop that projected the Met Police crest onto the white screen. They then left the room.
At exactly one minute to nine, Jack — still wearing his overcoat — strode into the boardroom. He went straight to the refreshment trolley and poured himself a cup of tea, heaping in sugar before turning to look around the table. Laura raised her hand to indicate that she had saved the chair beside her, and he beamed. He had just sat down as Detective Chief Superintendent Ian Henderson walked in, giving a brief nod to everyone. He hesitated before he spoke.
‘Due to personal matters, which I can’t go into at present, DCI Simon Ridley, will be stepping down from his position here for some time. I will be introducing you to an officer whom I admire greatly that will be taking over from him. He will decide how all the cases you are involved in will be handled in DCI Ridley’s absence. As I said, I can’t give you any details regarding the situation, it must be treated with the utmost discretion and not revealed under any circumstances to anyone outside this station.’
Nobody knew quite how to interpret what Henderson had just said. There was a strong sense of confusion, but no one wanted to ask any questions. There was a light knock on the boardroom door and the Superintendent walked briskly over to open it. DCI Nathan Clarke was ushered into the room and stood next to Henderson.
‘This is Detective Chief Inspector Nathan Clarke. He has a full list of our ongoing cases for you to discuss with him. I apologise to everyone for having been unable to give any formal notice before this morning. It is imperative that we continue to practise the high standards and commitment the teams here have always had. Thank you, and I urge you to respect my request for the utmost privacy during this time.’
Henderson walked out leaving DCI Clarke facing everyone. If they had hoped to get some further insight into what had just occurred, they didn’t get it. Clarke opened a Word document on the laptop, then, using a laser pointer, pointed towards the large screen at the end of the table.
‘Ladies and gentlemen, when I indicate your names on the screen, please could you give me an update regarding the investigation you are attached to.’
Clarke was tall and had a deep voice. He was dressed in an immaculate grey suit with a pristine white shirt, and tie. Everyone around the table craned their necks to look at the screen. They were still bemused at the morning’s development but followed Clarke’s request and waited in turn as he passed from name to name.
After an hour they were all released and returned to the incident room. It proved difficult for anyone to discuss the situation or ask questions regarding Ridley’s departure, as Clarke’s secretary was already moving his computer and other equipment into Ridley’s office. This was odd, as normally Ridley’s computer and laptop would have remained there and anyone taking over in his absence would simply use a log-in code to use them, but nobody paid particular attention. Clarke instructed her to remove various personal items belonging to Ridley, including a large pot plant and a box of framed pictures and commendations. The team were then each handed a typed single page giving them details of Clarke’s impressive career with the Met. It appeared he had been a serious high-flyer, excelling in IT and establishing a forward-thinking Guide to Digital Evidence program to help all Met officers to become computer literate. He had also led a team on an investigation into burner phones and mobiles to enhance tracking and arrests.
Lunch break was the first opportunity for the team to voice their concerns about what had taken place that morning. The consensus was that Ridley was ill, perhaps with some form of cancer, and had taken time out to have chemo. Amid all the frantic speculation, Jack kept his thoughts to himself, but inside he was upset and angry. Surely he had been a close enough friend for Ridley to have had a private conversation with him about what was going on. Unlike the rest of the team, Jack had been privy to Ridley’s cancer diagnosis the previous year, but he had been assured that he was in the clear, in complete remission. He had already been absent for two weeks prior to this morning, telling Jack he was taking a well-earned break. What the hell was going on? Thankfully, Jack was able to avoid getting involved in any discussions with his colleagues, as Clarke was already arranging one-on-one meetings with everyone.
Jack’s own meeting with him was quite lengthy. He had been overseeing the investigation of a violent knife attack at a local corner shop and officers had made an arrest the day before. Jack would have to go through a lengthy court process as the suspect, Rodney Middleton, had a long history of violence and had been refused bail. Clarke listened attentively as Jack outlined the entire investigation which resulted in officers tracking down the offender to his flat. Clarke looked over the statements and suggested that Jack delve further into the medical background of the assailant. From his previous record it had been suggested Middleton was a schizophrenic and he had been transferred to a psychiatric unit for assessment. He told Jack the CPS would want a full medical history, and it was best to get a warrant issued.