‘How close was he to the suspect?’ Gina asked.
Jacob pulled out the typed-up statement and began to scan the information on it. ‘The suspect bumped into him. That was another thing he said – there wasn’t even an apology. Our man shouted at the suspect. As per his statement, he called him a wanker, but he was completely ignored. Mr Cooper stated that he knew he’d had a couple of drinks so he didn’t pursue the incident any further, which is when he continued on towards Herring Crescent, where he lives. Of course, he never got home as he spotted the Jenkinses’ front door alight and called the fire brigade.’
He handed Gina the statement. She was immediately drawn to one piece of information, though she couldn’t work out why. ‘Dark messy hair, about five nine or ten. Average build. Mr Cooper said that he watched the suspect rubbing his neck and left shoulder as he approached, as if he were in some discomfort.’ Gina stood and began pacing the incident room. She stopped and closed her eyes. ‘Where’s my mind going with this?’
‘Are you okay, ma’am?’ Wyre asked, entering with a mug of coffee.
‘Shh.’ Briggs held a finger up to his mouth.
‘Yes, there’s just something…’ Gina trailed off as she stared into space.
‘What are you thinking?’ Briggs asked.
The room was silent as she tapped the statement and smiled.
‘I’ve got it. I know who we’re looking for. Briefing in the incident room in two minutes. I want everyone there.’
Forty-Eight
‘Get all the information we have on Jeffrey Wall – now.’ All the old notes flashed through her mind. Luke, Deborah’s workplace, the pub, the school. His car had been in the Angel Arms car park all that night; it hadn’t moved. He’d been in the office – or had he? Did the staff just assume he was in the office, therefore providing his alibi without thinking? He must have left by foot, avoiding the cameras. As the person who was watching the CCTV that night he’d certainly know where he could walk to avoid detection. Clever, not even a shadow on the footage. So where the hell had he left the van?’
Jacob stood and walked over to Gina. ‘The barrel man at the pub?’
She turned to face him and her smile turned into a grin. ‘He’s about five ten with brown hair, but there’s an even bigger giveaway…’
‘Guv?’ Wyre said.
‘The day we went back to the pub, I watched as he brought the barrel up from the cellar. He placed it down for a moment and I noticed him rubbing his neck. Imagine carrying barrels like that, for years. It would do me in. He was carrying the barrel on his left shoulder. It’s him. Paula, put a warrant out for his arrest and let all departments know. We need to get to him before dawn. Surprise the bastard.’ She grabbed her coat.
‘Did you just call me Paula? I think that’s the first time you’ve ever used my first name,’ she said with a smile.
‘Indeed I did. Now quick, we need to apply for a search warrant on Wall’s property. I’ll call our lovely magistrate Daniel Berwick and let him know we’re on our way to get it signed.’
‘On it now, guv.’ Wyre turned back to her computer and began typing away.
Jacob took the statement from Gina, held it to his lips and kissed it. ‘Thank you, Mr Cooper.’ His phone rang and he smiled as he listened to the other person on the line. ‘Add a chipped tooth to the description.’
Briggs stood. ‘Nail the bastard and keep me updated on everything.’
Forty-Nine
As they charged through Wall’s door, led by the enforcer, Gina called out, ‘Jeff Wall, this is DI Harte and DS Driscoll. We have a warrant for your arrest and a warrant to search the property.’ She crept a few steps closer to one of the closed doors. She wriggled in her stab vest and realised it was a little bit tight. Her breath was ejected with force every time she exhaled. She felt for her truncheon and pepper spray, which were all accessible and in their rightful place. She flung the door open as officers flooded the other rooms in unison. She pulled out her torch as she entered the dark kitchen-lounge. ‘Bloody hell, it stinks in here,’ she said as she covered her nose.
Jacob brushed past her. ‘Fortunately, it only smells of old bin,’ he replied. The curtains were drawn on the old split-level cottage. Wall lived on the ground floor.
‘There’s no one here,’ one of the officers shouted.
‘Where the hell is he?’ Gina whispered. She stepped around the room, flashing her torch into every corner and crevice. The seventies’ brown and orange wallpaper had peeled in strips off the walls, revealing the damp plaster beneath. The old tiled fireplace was devoid of any waste and the room was freezing. Hardly any furniture occupied the space in the small room. A floral two-seater sofa was pushed against the back wall. An old teak coffee table sat in front of it. She flashed her torch a little closer to the table. There was a single coffee cup containing a mass of mould that resembled mushrooms. An old box-style television filled the corner of the room by the window. Gina walked over to the fireplace and got a closer view of a photo in a frame. ‘He has a photo of Deborah. Was this taken outside the school?’
Jacob walked over to her and stared at the photo. ‘That’s definitely the school her kids attended.’
The photo had been taken from a distance. Deborah had been standing there, unaware that she was being watched. Gina felt a wash of nausea spreading through her body. Fanning her face, she took a step back.
‘Guv?’ Jacob said.
‘What?’
‘You look a bit peaky, are you alright? I know it whiffs in here but we’ve smelled worse.’
Gina shook her head. ‘I’m okay, it’s just the remnants of this virus.’ She knew it was a lie. It was the smell of rot and the thought that Deborah was somewhere out there, still being held by this monster. The hairs on her neck prickled as she thought of Terry. She imagined his filthy hands all over her naked body as she wept. She hoped that Wall’s filthy hands weren’t all over Deborah while they were here.
‘Tell me about it. When I awoke in the night, I had to spend several minutes coughing my guts up.’
‘Thank you, Jacob,’ she said, taking a deep breath. She turned back to the photo. That photo confirmed everything.
Wyre entered and headed straight to Gina. ‘Is that who I think it is?’
‘Certainly is. Now we need to figure out where he’s keeping her and where he is now. We need to get hold of him quick. We don’t even know if Deborah’s okay after everything she’s been through. I don’t know what I’ll tell her family if the outcome isn’t good.’ Gina adjusted her stab vest and turned away from Wyre.
‘We’ve obtained his current vehicle registration from the DVLA and we have officers on the lookout for his car. We’ll catch him,’ Wyre replied.
‘I know we will,’ said Gina. ‘I just hope it’s not too late for Deborah.’