Cold Revenge (Willis/Carter #6)(88)

‘It didn’t work out with me and Tucker. It never got off the ground. I’m just not his type.’

‘I’m sorry.’

‘No, don’t be silly . . . it was a mistake anyway, from start to finish. I should have asked you first. I mean, asked if you were properly finished.’

‘I would have said yes because we are.’

‘But I would have seen by your face that you were lying. Tucker is in love with you, in his own quiet, non-assuming way, he’s burning up, Eb. I think you underestimate what an exciting guy he really is. You just need to make him feel relaxed and . . .’

‘You sound like you found hidden depths in him that I could never find.’ Willis looked across at Blackman, wide-eyed.

‘That’s because he doesn’t fancy me. He gets withdrawn around you. Just make him feel like you are willing to take the risk. It’s a big risk for him too, you know. He’s loved and lost. He has a lot to lose.’

They parked up across from Perry’s house and went up to the entrance together. Willis pressed the intercom and showed her badge to Vanessa Perry via the security camera.

‘I would prefer it if you didn’t come here, as I said last time,’ said Perry as he opened the door to them.

‘Exactly, we’ve come to give you a lift into the station, Mr Perry,’ said Willis. ‘We’d like to ask you some questions about the death of Tony Poulson.’

‘I need to call my solicitor.’

‘You can do that on the way.’





Chapter 43


When Willis got back from locking up Perry, she found Tucker working with Maxwell on possible locations for Yvonne Coombes in the inquiry team office, which was crammed with detectives assigned to the case.

‘How did Perry react?’ asked Carter.

‘He wasn’t pleased, I think he would have preferred some notice,’ she smiled. ‘We’ll leave him a few hours.’

‘I’ve just heard,’ announced Blackman. ‘Someone went round to Yvonne’s neighbours, and you were right, Eb, Bonny is there with the neighbour and we are happy that it’s safe for her to be left there for now. This woman is used to looking after her. Good news about the bin lorry as well, Yvonne can’t have been in it, it’s been verified that the weight of the lorry load wasn’t enough for there to have been someone in there. Now we just need to find her alive.’

‘So where is she?’ Willis looked towards Maxwell, who seemed to be happier now his maps and charts were spreading even further over the tables. ‘Wherever she is, she’s without her phone and her kid and she must be desperate.’

‘No one would nick the phone and just chuck it in the bin,’ said Carter. ‘She’s in trouble. Have we tried looking where she usually scores? She could have gone back to the streets on Finsbury Park?’

‘I don’t think so,’ said Blackman. ‘We have officers actively looking for her.’

Hector stood up from his seat and called them over to look at his screen. ‘This is what our analysts have found from looking at the CCTV,’ he said. ‘This is twelve last night. There’s someone following Yvonne. It’s a man wearing a big coat, so it’s impossible to see his build, but definitely between five eight and five ten. We’ll keep looking.’

‘It could be Gavin,’ said Willis as she stared at the frozen image on the screen. ‘But it’s too hard to call.’

‘Put him under surveillance straight away,’ said Carter.

Maxwell had stopped working to turn and listen to the conversation.

‘If he took her then he would have brought her to somewhere Douglas and him used to go,’ he said. ‘To the lockup, the second location, where Rachel McKinney must have been taken.’

‘Find me it, Chris,’ said Carter. ‘Keep looking for it; and Tucker, give him a hand.’

‘Will do.’

‘Douglas wants to see me today,’ said Willis after taking a call.

‘Don’t go,’ said Maxwell, and the office fell silent as his voice came out plaintive, pleading.

‘Why not?’ asked Tucker.

‘You can’t trust him,’ said Maxwell. ‘He will have seen the press conference. Just leave him to stew in it. I mean . . . it’s not worth the risk, one more murder is nothing to him if he senses he’s not going to get out of there.’

‘It’s okay, Chris, I’ll be okay. How are you getting on with the possible second sites?’

‘Yes, good.’ He turned away, embarrassed, and Tucker nodded reassuringly at Willis in an ‘I’ve got this’ way. Willis smiled back gratefully.

‘We are looking at all the notes again, listening to the dictation notes too. I am missing something, I’m sure,’ said Maxwell. ‘I wish we could talk to Rachel McKinney? She is the only survivor of the second site, she must have been there for all the days she was missing?’

‘She’s refused to speak,’ said Willis. ‘She’s got her life back, she doesn’t want us taking it away again.’

Yvonne Coombes opened her eyes and reached up to touch her throbbing head. Her hands were tied at the wrist and she rubbed the edge of her thumbs along a sticky-feeling cut. She remembered the first blow of the hammer, turning her head as it came towards her, she didn’t remember the second. Her left eye would not open; it was stuck together with blood. She tried rubbing it with the heel of her hand and gradually worked it free. She was hoping that, with both eyes open, she might be able to see something, but she couldn’t. She leaned back and her shoulders touched the bars of a cage. She moved her hands to one side and stretched out her fingers and felt plastic beneath her bottom. She reached forwards, stretched out her hands and felt the bars all around her and above.