‘You’re good at sharing what you know,’ she said, squeezing his hand. ‘I think that’s a great idea – as long as you don’t stretch yourself too thin. You don’t want to get exhausted from it all.’
‘Don’t worry, I’ll only do a few a year to keep my hand in. We could travel together, if your work allowed it. About time we had a holiday anyway. We could turn it into a working holiday – I could do my lecture, and then we could have a few days to explore before we come home.’
‘Sounds great. I could get used to that.’
‘Fantastic.’ He smiled, and took a long draught of his beer, a look of contentment in his eyes. ‘So, are you going to tell me what’s happening about that car crash the other night? Any developments?’
Kay checked the landlord was still busy with customers in the other bar, and lowered her voice to tell Adam what she could of the ongoing investigation.
‘The thing is,’ she said, and took a deep breath. ‘Gavin traced the vehicle identification number to a business owned by Jozef Demiri.’
Adam’s eyes hardened and he set down his glass. ‘Demiri?’
Kay put her finger to her lips. ‘Yeah.’
‘Kay, listen to me. You stay away from him, all right? I know it’s your job, but let one of the others deal with him. It’s too dangerous.’
‘I need to do this, Adam. I want him put away, and I want to be there when we do it.’
‘You know how dangerous he is. I know you want this, but for Christ’s sake don’t go anywhere near him on your own.’
‘I won’t be on my own. Sharp’ll be with me.’ Her mouth quirked. ‘I don’t think he trusts me with what I’ll do to Demiri if he lets me go alone.’
‘It’s not funny, Kay. Not with his reputation.’
She held up her hand. ‘I know. I’m sorry. I’ll be careful.’
‘I wish I wasn’t going away now.’
‘I’ll be fine. Honest.’
He ran a hand over his face. ‘You make sure you lock all the doors and windows while I’m away. And keep the security lights on around the house, too.’
‘Okay.’
‘Promise me, Kay.’
‘I promise.’
‘All right.’ His eyes softened and he pointed at her empty glass. ‘Another one of those?’
‘Thought you’d never ask.’
Chapter Ten
Kay and Sharp left the police station immediately after the next morning’s briefing, intent on interviewing Jozef Demiri as soon as possible.
Kay drove, their pace slowed by the amount of traffic on the A20 between Maidstone and Ashford – a result of a multiple collision at Folkestone, and the authorities’ decision to utilise the M20 motorway for Operation Stack, a strategy whereby all the trucks that couldn’t use the Channel Tunnel or ferries to France were parked on the motorway, thereby preventing anyone else from using it.
‘Just as well we didn’t make an appointment,’ said Sharp, grumbling under his breath.
Kay said nothing, the traffic jam doing nothing to tame her excitement at the prospect of meeting Demiri face to face.
Proving who was responsible for removing the gun from the evidence locker and bringing Demiri to justice was all that had kept her focused during her darkest moments.
She slowed as they entered the outskirts of Ashford and negotiated a series of roundabouts before she swung the car into a small business park.
Signs stacked one on top of the other like a totem pole at the entrance to the business park confirmed the presence of Demiri’s offices. It didn’t take long to find the glass-enshrouded low level unit that his software business occupied. She locked the car and they made their way towards the building, Sharp at her side.
‘I’ll take the lead,’ he said. ‘We both know we’re going to be under the microscope with this one. I don’t want to give Larch or anyone else an excuse to question this investigation.’
‘Understood, guv.’
Kay fought down her excitement and followed Sharp as he approached the double doors to the building. Her eyes fell upon a brass plaque to the side of the entrance portico.
Delight Investments.
She had been amazed DCI Larch hadn’t intervened in their plans to speak with Demiri. As it was, after delivering the report Kay had prepared for him, Sharp had had to clear the meeting with the Chief Superintendent, and was ordered to report to headquarters the moment they returned from their interview.
An intercom was set underneath the plaque, and she waited while Sharp pressed the button and announced their arrival.
A faint buzz sounded, followed by a click, and the door opened under Sharp’s touch.
The door closed automatically behind Kay, and the thick carpet under her feet silenced her footsteps as they approached a sumptuous mahogany reception desk. A chandelier hung from the high ceiling, and Kay realised with a shock that it was real crystal. It seemed out of place within a modern office building, and she couldn’t help but wonder who Demiri was trying to impress.
A young woman sat behind the reception desk, her blonde hair swept up into an efficient bun, and Kay realised the woman’s black suit probably cost three times as much as the one she herself wore. The woman looked up from her computer screen as they approached and smiled.
‘Good morning. Can I help you?’
Kay thought she could hear the trace of a foreign accent, but the woman’s English was perfectly enunciated.
‘Detective Inspector Sharp, and my colleague Detective Sergeant Hunter,’ said Sharp by way of introduction. He held up his warrant card. ‘We’d like a word with Mr Demiri, please.’
‘Do you have an appointment?’
‘No. This isn’t a social visit.’
‘Oh.’ The woman’s face fell, her smile disappearing, and she glanced back at the computer screen. ‘Well, I’m afraid he has an appointment in half an hour, and his calendar is busy for the rest of the day.’
‘We’ll see him now, if you could let him know we’re here.’
The woman bit her lip. ‘That – that’s rather awkward.’
Sharp smiled. ‘I understand. We can wait here until
