Cold Revenge (Willis/Carter #6)(97)

‘All press communication is on lockdown,’ said Bowie. ‘We don’t want this discussed outside these walls.’

‘Perry must know the plans,’ said Willis. Bowie was nodding.

First chance he got Tucker took Willis to one side. ‘Nice try, Eb, not like you to want to pervert the course of justice?’

‘I want Archie back, any way we can get him. If the Mafia step in to take the heat off Perry they can get Archie on any yacht in any small harbour in the UK and that will be it.’

‘It’s not going to happen,’ Tucker said, reaching out to squeeze Willis’s hand.

Blackman walked into the room. ‘How’s Cabrina?’ asked Willis.

‘She’s holding up. I left someone with her.’

Willis moved to talk to Laptop. ‘Do we have a list of the leases they have bought up for the new restaurants?’

‘We do, they’re all around the capital. Let me find that for you.’ Laptop leafed through a file and removed the printout.

‘Have we any leads on Dwyer’s whereabouts?’ asked Willis. ‘Has the surveillance team kept on them?’

‘The concierge in Arena Vista Tower says she was last seen when she left there earlier today. He said she’d had a visit from two men shortly before. There’d been reports of a woman seen dangling from the floor that she lives on, but Cathy Dwyer denied it, apparently, laughed it off. She wasn’t seen after she went into the club in Shoreditch. We sent someone in there to look around. It seems there is another exit and Cathy Dwyer had gone.’

‘That gives her plenty of time to liaise with the people who bought the van and pick up Cabrina’s car from outside here after she came back from the pizza place. I’m going in to ask Perry if he knows anything about the abduction plans, or Margery Farm. Are you free to assist Tucker?’

‘Definitely,’ Laptop replied.

Jeremy Sutton QC was in position next to Stephen Perry. Stephen had spent the last few hours in the cells, which was never pleasant – it was impossible to ignore the smell of those who had gone before and a hard bed with minimum cover was lacking the comfort he was used to. Perry was therefore angry and he glared straight at them.

‘Mr Perry, there have been some developments, as I expect Mr Sutton has made you aware of.’

‘A police officer’s son is missing, he told me, but what that has to do with me I don’t know. I’ve been in here. Charge me or let me go.’

‘We are searching for a little boy,’ said Tucker.

‘Good luck, I hope you find him,’ said Perry. ‘I would never be involved in something as low as kidnapping a child.’

‘Mr Perry,’ said Willis, ‘the van the boy was abducted in was bought by someone working for the company that you and Cathy Dwyer jointly own and, since that time, we have been unable to locate Ms Dwyer. Do you know where she would be?’

‘Ridiculous. Obviously there is no connection with GET and the van. Whoever you’ve hired to try and set us up is an amateur at best.’

‘You know what your new associates are capable of?’ asked Tucker.

‘I’m not answering that. No comment, these are suppositions, what ifs. I wouldn’t have thought you had time to waste on such things.’

‘We know you are in business with Alex Ramirez and others,’ said Willis. ‘You set up GET Enterprises in order to start your empire with Douglas and his restaurants.’

‘So what?’

‘While Mr Ramirez has a legitimate face here in the UK,’ Willis continued, ‘he also has Mafia connections abroad and the two people I saw Cathy Dwyer with in his bar were well-known crime bosses.’

‘We don’t know anything of that. We are in the hospitality business, not on the set of The Godfather,’ he scoffed.

‘We’re not going to fall for that, Mr Perry,’ said Willis. ‘You are anything but naive. You’ve spent time in prison yourself for running cocaine for these types of guys, don’t tell me you haven’t taken their money to set you and Douglas up?’

‘No comment.’

Willis opened her phone and turned to show Perry the screen displaying the crying emoji.

‘Douglas sent me this. Do you think Cathy Dwyer is under so much pressure, out there on her own, that she’s made bad decisions without you? If she’s kidnapped the boy then she’s not going to come out of this well, and neither will you if you don’t co-operate. This is your time to open up, Mr Perry. We are on the way to finding Archie and, when we do, anyone involved in this will be charged and can expect a lengthy sentence. Gavin Heathcote is being tracked down as we speak. We believe he is holding Yvonne Coombes at a location that you may be familiar with. It’s a field on Margery Farm.’

Willis could see him chewing things over in his head.

‘Please take some time to discuss with your legal team,’ she said. ‘Interview terminated.’

Willis left him talking to his lawyer. Outside she and Tucker talked it through.

‘Have you heard from Douglas again?’ Tucker asked.

‘No, we need to get on the road and find Dwyer.’

Laptop came in with some information. ‘Cathy Dwyer’s gone back to her flat.’

‘Alone?’ asked Willis.

‘Yes,’ he answered.