The siren screamed again before Thorne could think of anything to say, so he just hung up. He was tucking the phone back into his pocket when he had the idea.
Garvey had taken Spibey’s jacket and briefcase, his paperwork, the ID he had used when talking to the officers outside Collins’ flat. So, why not…?
He pulled his phone out again, searched through the memory and dialled the number he had called first thing that morning, the last time he had spoken to Brian Spibey.
The mobile rang three times, four, then it was answered.
‘You took your time, Mr Thorne.’
Thorne needed a moment to catch his breath. The casual tone, the lightness in the man’s voice, sent a shiver through his chest and shoulders. ‘Is she alive?’
‘You might need to be a little more specific.’
‘Look, I know what this is all about, Simon, and we need to talk about it.’
‘My name’s Anthony.’
‘Sorry… Anthony. We need to talk about what happened to your father. I think we can get the case looked at again.’ It was nonsense, but Thorne could think of no other way to reach the man. He winced at Garvey’s reaction, the playful mockery in his voice, which made it clear that he thought it was nonsense, too.
‘Really? You’d do that for me? After all these bodies?’
Thorne’s mouth went dry. These bodies, not those. Was Garvey looking down at the body of Debbie Mitchell even as they were talking?
‘Are you still there?’
‘I’m still here,’ Thorne said.
‘I suppose you’re tracing this.’
‘No.’
‘Using cell-site location or whatever.’
‘No, really.’ There would not have been time, and there was no point when Thorne knew precisely where Garvey was.
‘It’s a lot more high-tech these days than when they were blundering around trying to catch my father.’
‘That’s true.’
‘Not that you haven’t been doing a fair bit of blundering yourself.’
‘I can’t argue with that,’ Thorne said. ‘But you’ve been pretty clever.’
‘Right. The “we can talk about this” approach didn’t work, so now you’re trying to flatter me.’ Garvey sighed. ‘You’re very predictable.’
‘I’m just trying to save a woman’s life.’
‘You know, it’s awfully noisy where you are,’ Garvey said. ‘Wailing sirens and what have you.’
‘Tell me if Debbie’s alive-’
‘I’ve got enough of a headache as it is.’
‘Just get out of there,’ Thorne said. ‘If she’s still alive, just run. OK? I don’t care.’
‘Makes me think I should get a move on.’
‘Anthony-’
The line went dead.
Thorne turned to look at the driver, who had not taken his eyes off the road for a moment. At the speed they were travelling, Thorne was more than grateful, but he knew that the man had been listening.
‘Five minutes,’ the driver said.
Thorne could only close his eyes and clench his fists, and hope that Debbie Mitchell had that long.
FORTY-ONE
She took another step towards the kitchen, one eye on the doorway that led out into the hall, where the man was still on the phone.
‘I need to take this,’ he’d said, looking down at the phone’s small screen and smiling before answering. ‘You took your time, Mr Thorne.’ He’d taken a step or two towards the door then, looking at her and shaking his head as if to say, ‘What a pain in the arse. Just give me a minute.’
Debbie had nodded her understanding and signalled to him that she’d make some tea, biting her lip and trying not to let her face give anything away until he stepped out into the hall and lowered his voice.
You took your time, Mr Thorne…
It wasn’t what he’d said that was making her insides churn and slop, though she knew that was no way for a detective to talk to his colleague. It was what she’d seen as he’d raised himself up from her side a minute or two earlier. The sudden flash of red where his jacket had fallen open, the slash and spatter of it.
The bloodstain on his shirt.
She could hear him muttering now, a laugh in his voice as she stood on the threshold to the kitchen and beckoned Jason to her. He was still engrossed in his colouring book.
She hissed his name. Got no response.
She called him again, raising her voice a little. When Jason turned his head towards her, she looked to the sitting-room door to make sure she had not been overheard.
She counted to three and took a deep breath, fighting back tears and a desperate need to urinate. ‘Come with Mummy, Jason…’
He nodded at her.
‘Please, chicken.’
Jason got up slowly, then, for an agonisingly long few seconds, stood staring at the wall, as though he’d forgotten what he was meant to be doing. Debbie held out her hand and waved. She clicked her tongue and made ‘puff-puff’ noises until, with a spin and a smile, her son was bounding across the carpet towards her.
She almost dragged him into the kitchen and quietly pushed the door closed. She could see straight away that he was agitated, picking up on her terror. But there was no time to calm him.
She eased up the volume on the radio, then bent down to whisper in Jason’s ear.
‘Let’s go blow at the trains,’ she said.
He beamed and grabbed at her, squeezed away the trembling in her free hand, while the other gently pushed down on the handle of the back door.
FORTY-TWO
Brigstocke had called no more than a minute or so after Thorne had finished talking to Garvey. The DCI had arrived at Nina Collins’ flat with a team of detectives from Barnet station and a unit from CO19 that had been stood down from the scene in Euston and had left before Thorne had.
‘How far away are you?’
‘Minutes.’
‘What do you think, Tom?’
Though nominally his senior officer, Brigstocke sounded keen to get Thorne’s feedback. Thorne was both gratified and appalled by the courtesy, if that’s what it was.
‘I think you should go in,’ he said.
‘Shouldn’t we hang back a bit?’ Brigstocke asked. ‘Assess things, I mean? He could well be armed.’
‘There’s no reason to think he’s got anything,’ Thorne said. ‘But it doesn’t matter either way. He’ll just use whatever he can find. He used a mug-tree back there, for Christ’s sake.’
‘Right.’
‘Put the fucking door in, Russell. Don’t give him the chance.’
So, for the second time in less than an hour, Thorne arrived at a crime scene and could do no more than search
