Chapter 80

‘Penn, get someone to Leona's house. Two out of three murders have been committed at the victim's home. If our killer suspects we're onto them, it's unlikely they'd be that stupid, but we have to rule it out. Once you've done that, start thinking of other locations. Stace, start gathering CCTV from around the train station. We need to know what vehicle picked her up.'

‘On it, boss,' they said together before she ended the call.

They'd hotfooted it out of the ERA premises with a promise to Bobbi they'd be in touch the minute they knew anything.

Bryant had started the journey towards Cradley Heath while she'd been talking to the team.

She had no chance of getting CCTV direct from the station, but there was a chance someone had seen something.

‘Everybody is most likely gone by now, guv,' Bryant said, pulling up in front of the glass doors.

‘Fingers crossed the ticket master saw something,' she said, clinging to any shred of hope.

She was pretty sure the kiosk looked out onto the road.

She was proven right about the kiosk as she entered. The station appeared to be between arrivals and departures and was empty except for a man in his early sixties reading a book.

The ticket master was facing the other way. She tapped on the glass to get his attention. She didn't have time to wait.

‘Hey there,' she said as the man and his frown approached the glass. ‘There was a woman who came through here about an hour ago. Average build, brown hair, with a leopard-print suitcase.'

‘Okay,' he answered, waiting for more. It wasn't until the description came out of her mouth that she realised how little she had.

She took out her phone and found Leona's profile. She held it up. ‘This woman.'

The man's blank expression didn't change.

‘She got into a car. Do you know what type?' she pushed.

He frowned as though wondering if he was being asked a serious question. Given the numbers of people that passed by him every day, she couldn't really fault him.

He shrugged.

She knew that no amount of strong-arming was going to produce an answer.

She stepped away from the glass. ‘Okay, Bryant, if you have any bright ideas, now would be?—'

‘I saw her,' said the man with the book. ‘Sorry, I couldn't help overhearing. It was the suitcase that got my attention.'

‘You saw her outside?'

He nodded. ‘I was running late and missed my train anyway, but my wife has the exact same case. I can't tell you what make of car or anything. She was putting it into a boot, if that helps.'

Kim showed him her phone. ‘This woman?'

He nodded. ‘Definitely her.'

‘Did you see the driver of the car?'

He shook his head. ‘No, but I'm sure she's not in any danger.'

‘Why would you say that?'

‘Because she was under no coercion. She had a wide smile plastered across her face.'

‘Thank you,' Kim said, heading back towards the car.

They hadn't learned much about the vehicle, but they did now know that Leona Carter had been taken by someone she knew.