Chapter 44
Micah raced down the stairs to his car. Although it would have been quicker, he avoided taking the lift, since that was more likely to be noticed as the security system would automatically kick in if motion was detected. Even though the monitors were in use while the two detectives scoured the recorded footage for clues, they were being scrutinised too closely for him to risk anyone being alerted.
He’d managed to record five addresses, two of which had tentatively been ruled out because they were outside the area which was deemed possible for Melody to have walked.
One of them was also believed to be the address where she had lived with Thomas Sutton, the man she had called Daddy. The others were all within a fairly close radius.
Xavier hadn”t believed that Melody could have covered more than two miles an hour at the very most, given her condition, and likely less than that, since she”d been suffering frostbite, malnutrition, and exhaustion. Only two of the addresses corresponded with any kind of watercourse, which she”d told them she”d had to detour, and the first one of those was only a couple of miles away, so he was going to start there.
Micah jumped in his car and quickly drove out of the car park, pulling up just out of sight of the club in order to input the addresses and get his Satnav to formulate the quickest travel route between the three of them. Then he took off, driving in the direction of the first stop before the device had even finished its triangulation. He wasn”t wasting any time, and he wasn”t waiting around for the others to realise he”d gone.
Every hour Melody spent with that thug, was an hour too many. And every hour that passed decreased the likelihood of finding her safe. She”d already been gone too long.
A scarce ten minutes later, Micah pulled up outside the first property.
It wasn”t this one. He knew that already.
Or at least, this wasn”t the property she had escaped from. It was in a busy street with children playing, and neighbours chatting to each other over the fences. The question was what did he do now? Did he stop and ask around, or did he move on to the next address?