Chapter 30

Chapter 30

‘So our top priority now is to find the Renault Movano, registration OT16 VXL.'

Charlie was addressing the team, who were crowded around her in the incident room.

‘Thanks to the testimony of an eyewitness I spoke to this morning, we can now link this van to the sites of two possible abductions …'

As she spoke, Charlie clocked surprised reactions on several faces, but she pressed on:

‘… at the Lordship Road underpass and at the Portswood allotments. We are therefore now formally adding Mia Davies as a possible victim, so I'll need someone to contact her family, see what we can find out about her movements, her family history?'

Eyes dropped, no one present relishing the idea of acting as a glorified family liaison officer. Predictably it was DC Malik, solid, reliable DC Malik, who finally stepped forward.

‘Thank you, DC Malik, much appreciated. I shouldn't have to remind the rest of you that it's often the unglamorous tasks that hold the key to bringing an investigation such as this to a successful conclusion. I'm glad one of you seems to have heeded this lesson. DC Malik will take point on Mia Davies then …'

Charlie pinned a photo of the smiling blonde teen to the board, before turning her attention back to the team.

‘As for the rest of you, I want you to focus on Ryan Marwood. He's currently on his way back to the station – DI Grace and I will question him shortly. In the meantime, we need chapter and verse on his recent movements, his known associates, his digital footprint. DC Reid, perhaps you can make contact with his mother, Lorraine? She was quite agitated when our officers showed up to bring Ryan in, so we might glean something from her if you can get her on side.'

‘Sure thing,' DC Reid responded, looking less than thrilled.

‘Let's also get down to the council pound. Talk to Marwood's co-workers, see if they've witnessed anything suspicious, if Marwood let slip anything that might be pertinent to our enquiries and, DC Edwards, I want you to liaise with traffic and uniform. Odds on, it was Marwood who took that van from his workplace, using it to cruise the streets looking for vulnerable girls. Where did it go after it left the underpass that night? Has it been spotted anywhere since? Picked up any parking fines or speeding tickets? Let's have uniformed officers searching car parks, lock-ups, back streets near the Marwood home, ditto the woodland and industrial estates near where he works. Locate that van and I think we'll have Marwood bang to rights, probably on forensic evidence alone.'

‘Straightaway, boss.'

‘That's the spirit. Same goes for the rest of you …'

Charlie hesitated now as she saw the main door open behind them. She'd been expecting Helen and was surprised, and disconcerted, to see that it was Chief Superintendent Rebecca Holmes. It was unusual for top brass to penetrate this private space, and it usually only meant one thing – trouble. Swallowing down her unease, however, Charlie pressed on, trying to sound confident and purposeful.

‘This is an urgent, developing situation, so I need maximum energy and total focus. Lives hang in the balance, so no distractions, no excuses please, we need results .'

‘Well said, DS Brooks,' Holmes said as she approached, smiling approvingly. ‘A very rousing speech, which I'm sure this fine team of officers will respond to.'

Holmes ran an eye over them, as if daring any of them to dissent.

‘So what's the latest?' the station chief continued, returning her gaze to Charlie. ‘Are we making progress?'

‘Yes, we have several important new leads,' Charlie responded briskly. ‘We have a Renault Movano van which we think our prime suspect Ryan Marwood used to abduct Naomi Watson. We also believe we can link the same van to the possible abduction of another suspect—'

‘I meant with the shooting in Freemantle?' Holmes interrupted curtly, her good humour evaporating.

‘Yes, we're making progress on that too,' Charlie blustered, wrong-footed. ‘But it's still early days and we're very much in the information gathering phase – talking to witnesses, chasing down the ballistics results …'

‘And who's taking the lead on it?' Holmes persisted, unimpressed.

‘Well, DI Grace, of course, but—'

‘So where is she?'

‘I'm not entirely sure,' Charlie responded uncertainly, her eye drifting to the open doorway. ‘But I've no doubt she'll be back soon and then—'

‘So in the meantime, you are the senior officer in charge?'

‘That's right.'

‘Yet you appear to have deployed pretty much the whole team to work a putative missing person's case. How many officers are currently working the Freemantle shooting, DS Brooks?'

Charlie hesitated, well aware that the whole team was watching her, intrigued, amused even, by the unfolding spectacle. Were they expecting her to backtrack? To throw Helen under a bus? If so, they were sorely mistaken, Charlie increasingly convinced that Helen's suspicions about an active predator might be right.

‘Just … just a couple of officers at the moment. DI Grace felt that the unfolding Naomi Watson situation was more urgent and that a short, sharp burst of activity, deploying maximum resources, was necessary and most likely to result in a successful—'

‘But I expressly told DI Grace to prioritize the shooting investigation.'

All sense of bonhomie was now long gone, Holmes' fury clear for all to see.

‘Of course, ma'am, and we all understand the importance of that investigation. It's just that DI Grace, well both of us, think we're really onto something here, so—'

‘I'll leave it to DI Grace to explain why she deliberately disobeyed a direct order,' Holmes continued, almost as if she hadn't heard Charlie's interjection. ‘But let me make one thing plain. The Freemantle shooting is your, our , top priority and I expect resources and manpower to be deployed accordingly.'

There was little Charlie could do but nod, provoking a smirk from DC Jennings.

‘I'm glad we understand each other. I expect to hear news of progress shortly.'

Another nod from Charlie, as Holmes pivoted and walked away. But as she reached the door, she paused, turning back to fix Charlie with a stare.

‘And you can tell DI Grace that I want to see her in my office as soon as she's back.'

With that, she departed, slamming the door loudly behind her.