Chapter 28
Jo had made the call to Erling from her car, still parked across the road from the hotel. While she awaited his arrival, she thought through what she’d done and whether it might have been better to contact him earlier.
The amount of time he’d taken to answer her call had suggested she’d interrupted his evening. Plus she was still worried about the lie she’d told him about Gus, and whether he’d realized that it was in fact a lie.
She would have to face her boss now on both counts.
If only Rachael would appear at this late hour, to walk up the steps of the hotel. Or even better, for her and Kris to come back together.
She imagined the two of them walking along the main street carrying fish suppers, talking and laughing at how they’d outflanked Hugh Mowat and could now look forward to Kris’s inheritance, and maybe even the arrival of their child.
As this fairy tale played out in her head, she saw the boss’s vehicle approach and pull in behind her. Steeling herself, she emerged from the car to greet him.
‘Sir, I’m sorry to mess up your night off,’ she began before he raised a hand to stop her.
‘Well done for checking up on Rachael. I thought you would, and I’m glad you did. Let’s go take a look at the security tape.’
Her expression one of relief, she led him inside. Gail was still at her desk and she rose at their entrance.
‘I’ve locked Rachael’s room. The staff have been told not to go inside.’ She produced a key.
Erling thanked her and accepted it. ‘We’d like to look first at the recordings.’
‘Of course. DS Green knows where to go,’ she said. ‘Patrick’s still on duty if you need to talk to him,’ she added.
Jo stood alongside in silence as Erling ran through each recording, pausing and studying certain frames, in particular the entrance of a positive-looking Rachael and the point of entry of the hooded man. Then, finally, the exit of the hooded couple.
Eventually he sat back from the screen. ‘I believe that is Rachael leaving,’ he said. ‘Whether that’s Kris, I can’t tell. We can have that officially checked, although it will take time.’ He stood at that. ‘Now, let’s take a look at the room.’
As Erling unlocked the door and pushed it open, Jo felt her heart take off, just as it had the first time. How she longed to see Rachael emerge from the bathroom to greet them in surprise. But the room was as empty as the last time.
‘The clothes strewn around,’ she heard Erling say. ‘Would you say that was in any way significant?’
Jo shook her head. ‘The only difference from the last time we were here is the clothes on the chair at the table.’
Erling wandered round, not touching anything.
When he moved into the bathroom, Jo waited at the open door. She hadn’t gone in earlier, merely noted that the door lay open and the room was empty. Erling, standing with his back to her, was obviously studying the room intently.
‘What is it?’ Jo eventually said.
‘The toilet seat’s up,’ he said. ‘And there are drips of urine on the edge of the bowl.’
‘The hooded guy?’ Jo said.
‘I would think so,’ Erling said.
She knew that the cistern handle and the toilet seat would be good for collecting DNA. The urine itself, not so much.
‘We’ll have a forensic team in first thing,’ Erling said. ‘They’ll collect everything they can in here. Plus the security footage.’
They withdrew then and, with a final glance round the room, Erling closed and locked the door.
When they arrived back at reception, they found Gail waiting there with a middle-aged man.
‘This is Derek Taylor, the night porter,’ she said. ‘It’s my finish time.’
Erling thanked her and explained that a forensic team would arrive in the morning to examine Rachael’s room. Plus they would remove the security recordings for further study.
‘In the meantime, both the bedroom and the security room must remain locked and no one, I repeat no one, should enter either room,’ he told Taylor, handing over his card. ‘Should Ms Everett return, however, I’d like you to contact me immediately, regardless of the hour.’
Seemingly assured by the night porter’s positive response to this, Erling led the way back outside, where he now subjected Jo to close scrutiny, before saying, ‘Have you eaten yet, Detective Sergeant?’
‘No, I haven’t,’ she admitted.
‘Right,’ he told her firmly. ‘It’s time for a fish supper. My treat and no arguments.’