The Secret Child (DI Amy Winter #2)(76)

A loud click filled the air as the line went dead. Silence. A gathering of thoughts. ‘Well, listeners, I can see we’ve had quite an influx of callers. We’ll go to them right after this break.’

Leaning forward, Paddy clicked the pause button. ‘That’s it. Some follow-up calls from members of the public but nothing significant. Toby’s father is aware. The family liaison officer is with him now.’

‘Right.’ Amy nodded, staring into space. Her mind was still on the call.

Paddy straightened, groaning as he rubbed the base of his spine. ‘He must have known they wouldn’t let him slate Dr Curtis live on air.’

‘Definitely. But that’s not why he did it. None of what you heard was genuine. By posing as Toby’s father, he was playing a game.’

‘Why?’

‘The same reason he left Ellen’s bloodied nightdress at the scene. To get back at Stuart Coughlan. At me. At the system. Who knows? If he gets away with this, we might never hear from him again. He’s no serial offender. This is coming to an end, and he’s squeezing the last few drops of satisfaction out of it while he can.’

‘Then time is running out.’

‘Effectively, yes. Whoever the kidnapper is, he’s taken on the persona of a dead man who’s ready to go back to where he came from. Today’s operation may be the only chance we have of bringing him in.’

The words had barely left Amy’s lips before Molly threw open the door. ‘Have you heard?’ Her face was animated, her brows raised. Having gauged their reaction, she reined her excitement in. ‘Sorry, ma’am . . . Sarge.’

‘Heard what?’ Amy relaxed her features. It was nice to see some of Molly’s old sparkle back.

‘They’ve arrested the courier. He’s on his way in.’

After locking her computer terminal, Amy left her desk. An arrest package had been in place since the early hours. Their next task would be to put together an interview plan that would harvest some results. Solicitors may need to be arranged, disclosure given. But they had only a few hours before Luka was due to call. ‘At least this way we’ll find out if Luka and the courier are the same person,’ Molly said, trotting beside Amy as they hurried to the custody block. ‘By the way, have you been in the ladies’ toilets?’

‘No. Why?’ Amy lied.

‘There’s a big dent on the inside of one of the doors. Looks like someone punched it. Weird, or what?’

‘Nothing surprises me in this place.’ Amy ignored the sharp sting of her grazed right knuckle as she shoved her hand into her trouser pocket. An image of Poppy Grimes came to her mind’s eye. ‘Pocket rocket,’ Jack had called her, because, even at the tender age of four, she wasn’t afraid to use her fists. But it was not aggression that caused little Poppy to lash out – it was pure, unadulterated fear. Amy had spent her whole life trying to overcome her past. Today she’d lost the battle. Poppy Grimes was back. But was Amy strong enough to live with her?





CHAPTER FIFTY-SIX

This time tomorrow it could be all over, Amy thought, her paperwork under her arm as she entered the interview room. Her thoughts went once again to Ellen, and she wondered how Toby was holding up. Were they together somewhere safe? She could not bear to imagine the alternative. Luka seemed to delight in saying how weak and frail the boy was. It was imperative their interview with the courier reaped results.

Pike had advised her to leave the interview to Molly and Steve. ‘It’s the role of a DC,’ she’d said. But Amy had a personal connection with Luka. She could not allow someone else to take control. She had chosen her interview partner wisely. Steve came with a wealth of knowledge but was more likely to take over the interview. Molly was content to be guided by her and follow her lead. Much was said about interview tactics and the ‘mind games’ police played, but all they wanted was to extract the truth and gather as much evidence as they could.

The courier’s name was Jamie Richmond. Background research had revealed a family man who worked in an Argos warehouse and enjoyed riding his motorbike at weekends. His fingerprints were uploaded to the system, confirming he had not been arrested before.

The interview room was in need of a paint job, housing a small table and four chairs. Above the door was a warning light to signal the interview was in progress. Below it, at eye level, was a small peephole. A black strip ran across the wall in a horizontal line. Tapping that would result in an army of police officers racing from their offices to assist. Often, Amy would hear the heavy footfall of boots as yet another false alarm was activated. It didn’t matter how many times it went off throughout the station, nearby officers dropped what they were doing every time. Not that Amy thought she needed it today. Beneath Jamie’s rough exterior was a man who seemed frightened and insecure. Just seconds in, his presence was enough to tell her that he was not Luka Volkov. He may have intimidated Stuart when he delivered the package, but he withered when confronted by police.

His hair was shaggy but clean, his beard carrying on a couple of inches below his chin. His custody sweatshirt barely stretched over his broad frame. Along with his mobile phone, his clothes had been seized for forensics when he was booked in. Amy was surprised at his decision not to avail himself of the duty solicitor, given the seriousness of the crime. Just three questions into the interview he had progressed from answering ‘No comment’ to speaking in full flow.