Page 27 of The Girl in the Grave
Beth froze and felt the hairs on the back of her neck rising, as a voice in her head whispered,please act normal. Don’t freak out. Turning, she smiled at him.
‘No, thank you, that’s a very kind offer and I would love to say yes but I’m driving, and I have a busy day tomorrow. I only came in for a quick drink. Maybe another time.’
‘No problem. That would be nice.’
He lifted his hand and waved at her as he turned to walk away, and she waved before returning to the table where Bob and Phil were having a heated discussion about something whilst Audrey was chatting on her phone. She’d had enough for one night and was pleased with her effort to do something a little different and socialise more than she had in a long time. Excusing herself, she left them to it, feeling as if she’d started a new chapter in her life, and she liked it.
Forty
The gates to Dean&Sons were closed. Josh stared at the intercom, drumming his fingers on the steering wheel. On one hand, he wanted to go in there and search the place from top to bottom. On the other, he knew that unless the owners were very understanding he wouldn’t get to do that without a warrant, which could take hours, especially with so little real evidence to go on.
He turned to Sam. ‘Do you think we’re going to fuck it all up if we go in there now?’
‘Honest opinion?’
He nodded.
‘Then most probably, yes. They’ll likely refuse us entry because we have no real grounds to go in there.’
‘Or we can use Section 17 (1) of PACE—’
‘I know, it gives us the power to enter premises without a warrant “in order to save life and limb”. Look, Josh, I want to find her as much as you do. I’ve felt sick since we got the call about it, and I can’t stop thinking about how terrified she must be, but…’
‘But?’
‘We don’t have much to go on; the top brass are not going to fall for that. What if she’s already dead? She’s been gone since the early hours of the morning. If we barge in there and piss them off and she is in there, it’s going to make everything ten times worse.’
‘You’re right, let’s go back to the station and run it past the DI…’
Sam released the breath she’d been holding in.
‘… after you’ve pressed this buzzer and asked if you could speak to them. Tell them you’re trying to locate Jason Thompson. Ask them how well they know him, when they last saw him. You know the score, just keep them talking.’
‘And whilst I do that, what are you going to be doing?’
‘Just having a little mooch around the grounds, peering through a few windows. You know, that kind of thing.’
‘What if you get caught, Josh?’
‘I don’t know. I‘m not sure I care. If I hear the slightest whimper, then we’ll go get a warrant… if I can’t kick the bloody doors down to take a look myself first.’
‘Jesus, all this for a free coffee. I’ve been ripped off. Remind me the next time you offer to buy me a drink that it’s in exchange for my career.’
He started to laugh, then louder when she butted him in the ribs with her elbow.
‘Get in the back and duck down. I’ll speak to them, so they don’t realise you’re in the car. I wouldn’t be surprised if they have cameras installed, which is bad news if this all goes wrong.’
‘It won’t, it will be okay.’
He was out of the driver’s door and in the back of the car before Sam had unclipped her seat belt. Once she was in the driver’s seat she rolled the window down, leant forward and pressed hard on the buzzer. After a few moments there was a burst of static and a deep voice filtered through.
‘Hello, Dean&Sons, can I help you?’
‘Yes, my name is Detective Constable Sam Thomas. I wonder if it’s possible to come and have a chat with you about some enquiries I’ve been tasked with. It’s nothing to worry about.’
‘Of course, officer, I’ll open the gates. Drive through and up to the house.’
She heard Josh whisper ‘Bingo’ from behind her as the two huge, black ornate cast-iron gates began to slowly open in front of them. She started the car and, as soon as the gap was wide enough to drive through, she put her foot down.
