Page 22 of The Girl in the Grave
‘Does the hotel CCTV system cover back here?’
‘No, unfortunately not. It covers all the public areas or most of them. Daddy didn’t think it was worth the money having it installed back here. He said he didn’t want to know what the staff got up to in their own time as long as they worked hard when they were on shift.’
Sam raised an eyebrow at Josh: so Estelle’s daddy was either in charge or owned the place. Strange a woman her age calling him Daddy; a psychiatrist would have a field day with that one.
‘Is your father around to speak to?’
‘He’s on his way; he was on his way to London on business. As soon as I told him he turned around and began driving back.’
They reached a scuffed white door which Estelle pushed open. ‘Annie’s room is down the steps and straight along the corridor until you reach the end. The policeman is still outside her door. Do you want me to come down with you?’
Josh shook his head. ‘No, it’s okay. Thank you, I’ll go and speak to him. If you could show my colleagues the exits and how to access them from the rear of the hotel, that would be great.’
Estelle nodded. Her expression was one of pure misery and Josh felt sorry for her. Waiting for her to turn and leave, he realised he should have got suited and booted; he didn’t want to compromise any evidence the CSIs might later find. He went down the steps and shouted to Mickey, who popped his head around a corner at the far end of the gloomy corridor.
‘Have you got any kit in your van?’
He shrugged. ‘I think so; I don’t know if there’s enough though. You might have to wait for Claire to get here.’ He threw the van keys in his direction. Josh deftly caught them and ran back up the stairs and out of the front of the hotel, relieved to see the tourists had all left for a couple of hours. His phone rang and he heard Paton’s voice on the other end. At last.
‘Sarge, he’s done a runner.’
‘For God’s sake, how do you know that?’
‘I spoke to him over two hours ago on the phone, when he agreed to come to the station. Said he was out walking and would make his way here. He didn’t turn up. I’m so sorry.’
‘No shit.’ Josh wanted to punch something, anything. ‘Circulate him as top wanted; I want his picture emailed to everyone and their dog. Have you been to his house?’
‘Sat outside it now. There’s no sign of him, but his car is here.’
‘There’s no chance he’s coming back for it. Too obvious.’
A sickening thought filled Josh’s mind: what if he’d gone to finish Annie off? He had nothing to lose now, not if he thought they were onto him.
‘Go get a search warrant. I want the property searched from attic to cellar. Make sure it includes outbuildings, garages and sheds. Oh, and the car, I want it uplifted and sent for a full forensic examination.’
‘Yes, boss. I’ll get a couple of uniforms here to wait in case he turns up.’
Josh ended the call. He knew it wasn’t much of a link to Chantel Price, but it was all they had and enough to go on for now. Innocent people don’t run.
Thirty-Four
Carl had been dropped off at home a couple of hours ago. He’d gone inside, had a cold shower and been ready to go back out a short time later. He hadn’t beencompletelylying; he had felt light-headed at the mortuary, but he’d faked passing out. Blood and guts didn’t bother him – he’d got hardened to all sorts of horrific stuff doing his job, but he’d realised he had to get out of there. He couldn’t watch any longer: he had much more pressing things on his mind. He needed to see her, couldn’t stop thinking about her. His wife had never had the same effect on him that she had. Maybe in the early days, but not now. They used to sleep in separate bedrooms when he was on call, but now it was a permanent fixture. He was a man, he had needs. She couldn’t really blame him for looking elsewhere, could she? He had no idea what he would do if she found out though.
He scrolled through Facebook, scrutinising her every photograph. She was so beautiful, so alive. There was something very satisfying in trying to decide if she was happy on the day it had been taken. It was kind of like a game, one he enjoyed playing. He showered and changed into something bland, clothes that would make him blend in with the crowd and not stand out. Discretion was the key thing in this situation. You didn’t want to do anything to draw unnecessary attention to yourself. Not when you had so much fun to look forward to. He didn’t want to spoil it by getting caught before he’d even got going. This could go on for quite some time, and he relished the thought of having a little excitement to look forward to in his otherwise dreary life.
Driving to her house, he wondered if he should park up and wait for her. Should he surprise her, or let her know he was there? It was about time he upped his stakes; he wanted more. He didn’t know how she felt, but he was willing to take the risk for her. He just hoped she appreciated it.
Thirty-Five
Josh rustled his way into the hotel in an enormous triple-x-sized paper suit, the only one he could find in the back of Mickey’s van. It drowned him, but he didn’t want to wait any longer. He had to see the room for himself; he needed to see the fingernails and photograph in situ. He wouldn’t be satisfied until he had. He trusted Mickey, of course; he’d been a copper almost as long as he had, and experience was everything in this job.
The reception area corridor which led to the staff quarters and kitchens had been cordoned off, and there was a PCSO standing outside. Guests could still use the main stairs, the lifts, go to the reception desk and enter the lounge and bar. He’d requested the PCSO guarding the entrance to the corridor to only let guests through who showed their key cards in and out of the hotel, to keep the foot traffic to a minimum. It wasn’t ideal, but it was the best he could do in this situation. As much as he’d like to shut the hotel, it just wasn’t possible without drawing too much attention. Thank God they thought the girl had been taken from the staff entrance around the back: it was fully sealed off and out of bounds to anyone except police officers and police staff.
As he walked down the stairs he heard a burst of laughter come from Mickey, who stifled it when Josh glared at him.
‘Sorry, boss, but you look like the Marshmallow Man fromGhostbustersin that suit!’
‘Very funny. It’s the only size there was. I guess big Steely stocked the van up last. I don’t have time to wait for another smaller set of overalls, I need to take a look inside. She might not have long left, that is if she isn’t already dead.’
