‘You need a bath,’ she said, stirring sugar into one of the mugs of coffee.
‘How was she today?’ he asked, stroking his wife’s long auburn hair.
‘Not good,’ said Tracey. She turned and linked her arms round his neck, kissing him hard on the lips.
Rose broke away first. ‘Is she asleep?’
‘Just dropped off.’
‘I’ll go up and see her.’
Tracey released him. ‘Was it bad?’ she asked.
Rose frowned, not understanding what she meant.
‘Gatwick. The surveillance.’
‘Waste of a weekend,’ he said. ‘All foreplay and no orgasm.’
Tracey smiled coyly. ‘I’ll see if I can remedy that,’ she said. ‘Go and see your little girl, then come to bed.’
Rose went upstairs. Kelly’s bedroom door was ajar and a nightlight cast shadows from the toys scattered around the room. He sat down on the bed, taking care not to disturb the drip line that ran across the sheet and into her left forearm. He ran his hand down the side of her face. There were dark patches under her eyes and her chest barely moved as she breathed.
‘It’s going to be okay, sweetheart,’ Rose whispered. ‘Daddy’s going to do whatever it takes to make you better.’
The phone rang. Sewell slid off the bed and padded over to answer it.
It was Superintendent Hargrove. ‘I gather you’re not happy, Mr Sewell.’
‘Damn right I’m not,’ said Sewell. ‘Your Rottweilers won’t even let me talk to my lawyer.’
‘What do you intend to talk to him about?’ asked Hargrove.
‘No one knows where I am and I need someone on my side.’ Sewell thought it best not to mention that he wanted Garden to check up on his firm’s financial status.
‘As we prevented your murder, you can assume we’re on your side, Mr Sewell. Your partner was looking for a hitman. If we hadn’t presented him with our man, you’d be lying in a shallow grave in the New Forest with a bullet in your skull.’
Sewell sighed. Every conversation he had with the superintendent went around in circles. ‘Fine. I’m grateful. But I need to know my legal position.’
‘You’re helping us put a criminal behind bars.’
‘But I’m the one who’s being held at the moment.’
‘It won’t be for long, Mr Sewell.’
‘Two days, you said. Which means one more day to go.’ Sewell sensed hesitation in the superintendent. ‘One more day to go, right?’ he pressed. ‘I’m out tomorrow?’
‘I hope so,’ said Hargrove.
‘You’d better do more than hope,’ said Sewell. ‘Look, I can go at any time, can I?’
‘I’d rather you didn’t, but I can’t stop you. You don’t need a lawyer to tell you that.’
‘You’re saying I can go home now?’
‘Yes, Mr Sewell, but I’d rather you didn’t. As soon as Hendrickson sees you he’ll know he’s been set up.’
‘So you’ll have to arrest him?’
‘Probably. Which means that our secondary investigation gets blown out of the water.’
‘So?’
‘Another potential murderer will get away with it.’
‘Like I said, so?’
‘What if you were the potential victim, Mr Sewell? What if we needed someone else to stay hidden for a few days so that we could catch Hendrickson in the act? Wouldn’t you want that person to co-operate?’
‘There you go again,’ said Sewell. ‘Now it’s a few days. You said two before.’
The superintendent sighed. ‘I’m as unhappy about this as you are,’ he said, ‘but we now have a second ongoing investigation. Another contract has come to light, and we want the same man who nailed your partner to go after this person. If you surface, Hendrickson will tip off the other person and all hell will break loose. And you will put my man at risk.’
‘Have you got Hendrickson under surveillance?’
‘We know where he is.’
Sewell pounced on the evasion. ‘Do you have men watching him?’
‘We don’t have a car outside his house, but we have him red-flagged at all ports and airports. If he was going to run, we’d know. We’re watching his credit-card activity so we’ll know if he buys a ticket to go anywhere. He doesn’t suspect anything so there’s no reason for him to run. He thinks he got away with murdering you. Provided you stay where you are, that won’t change.’
‘I want my laptop,’ said Sewell. ‘I’ve got work to do.’
‘I can’t allow you to send emails,’ said Hargrove.
‘You’re monitoring all calls so you’d hear if I fired up the modem. Look, I’m not asking for much. My laptop – and I need cash. Someone told the Rottweilers I can’t use my credit cards and I’m running low on funds.’
‘I’ll sort that out,’ said Hargrove.
‘And my computer?’
‘Where is it?’ asked Hargrove.
‘In the boot of my car.’
‘The car in your garage? The BMW?’
‘That’s it.’
‘Okay. Give your keys to the sergeant on duty and I’ll pick it up for you. I’ll drop it round tomorrow.’
‘If you don’t, I’m walking.’
‘The sergeant says you were threatening arson.’
‘That’s still a possibility,’ said Sewell, and hung up before the superintendent could respond.
Shepherd was making himself a cup of coffee when one of his mobile phones rang. He had three lined up on the kitchen table. One was personal, one was the phone Hargrove used to contact him, the third, which was ringing, was for his current operation. He picked it up. It was Angie Kerr. He pressed the green button to take the call. ‘Yeah,’ he said.
‘Is that Tony?’
‘Yeah. Have you got the money?’
‘Yes. And the photographs. Can you see me today?’
‘The sooner the better,’ said Shepherd. He looked at his watch. It was ten thirty. His car was already wired for sound and vision but it would take at least an hour for the surveillance team to get into position. ‘How about midday?’
‘Okay. Piccadilly Gardens again?’
‘No,’ said Shepherd. ‘From now on I call the shots. You’re not handing money to me in a crowded square. We do it where no one can see us.’ He wanted it captured on video and the only way to do that was in his car. ‘Where are you now?’
‘Home. Charlie went out and said he wouldn’t be back all day.’
‘And there’s no problem with you leaving the house?’
‘No, I’m here on my own.’
‘Better make it some distance away,’ said Shepherd. ‘Do you know Altrincham? There’s a Safeway supermarket there.’ It was a ten-minute drive from Hale Barnes, a small town that had long ago been engulfed by Greater Manchester.
‘I know it.’
‘I’ll be in a grey Volvo. Drive around the car park until you see me, then park away from me. Don’t look at me. Get out of your car and go into the supermarket. That’ll give me a chance to check that you’re not being followed. Wait two minutes, then walk out. If I’m sitting with both hands on the steering-wheel, it’s safe to come to my car. If my hands aren’t on the wheel the meeting’s cancelled and you wait for me to call you. Have you got that?’
‘Yes, but who do you think’ll be following me?’
‘Better safe than sorry,’ he said curtly. ‘Just do as I say. Be there at noon.’ He cut the connection.
