Chapter 95
Chapter 95
‘What do you mean he’s escaped?’
Helen was aware that she was shouting, that the rest of the team could hear, but she couldn’t contain herself.
‘Have you searched the house? He’s definitely not in there?’
A crestfallen DC Wilson shook his head, angling a glance at the open door of her office to the officers beyond, many of whom were clearly eavesdropping. This was still preferable to looking at a stupefied DS Brooks or his incandescent boss.
‘Yes, we searched it top to bottom, twice. Besides, the son, Archie, confirmed that Reynolds left. Crawled on his hands and knees down the garden, then out the back gate.’
‘But why on earth weren’t there officers there, covering the rear passageway?’
‘I felt …’ Wilson continued, stumbling. ‘I felt that it was important to stay on the main suspect. It looked like he meant business, that he had a plan, and as he knows the area much better than us, I felt we needed all officers in pursuit.’
‘Except it wasn’t him, was it?’ Helen hissed.
Charlie shot a warning look at her, but Helen was not to be appeased.
‘Look, I’m sorry if I seem angry, but our main suspect has vanished . He could be doing a bunk, he could be heading to Naomi, he could be bloody anywhere.’
Wilson said nothing, shamefaced.
‘Did he spot you?’ Helen demanded. ‘How careful were you?’
‘Very careful,’ Wilson emphasized. ‘But he must have known he was being watched.’
‘Why take the risk then?’ Helen countered. ‘If we’d seen through his ruse, there would be no easy way to explain this whole stunt. It would have been clear he was trying to do a bunk.’
‘Maybe he felt he had to,’ Charlie intervened.
‘Why?’ Helen demanded, before a thought landed. ‘Because of Armstrong, you mean?’
Charlie nodded cautiously, as if unwilling to offer this thought.
‘If he’d got wind of Armstrong’s arrest somehow,’ she continued carefully, ‘then he would have known the game was up, and that all that remained was to get out of Southampton as fast as he could.’
‘But he could only have known that if someone tipped him off,’ Helen muttered angrily. ‘It wasn’t like Armstrong’s arrest was in the press or anything …’
‘Well don’t look at me,’ Wilson protested, also keeping his voice low. ‘No one wants to nail this guy more than I do.’
‘It’s all right, DC Wilson, no one’s accusing you of anything. I know you did your best.’
Her junior colleague looked mightily relieved, as Helen pressed on decisively.
‘OK, DS Brooks, I want you to run the rule over Reynolds’ comms – phone, email, social media, the works – to see if he had any advance warning. DC Wilson, you’re with me. We’re going to liaise with uniform, with traffic, the eye in the sky. All our efforts have to go into tracking our fugitive now.’
She was already on her way to the door, Wilson scurrying after her.
‘We have to find Reynolds.’