‘Classic,’ said Gavin, shaking his head.
A murmur of agreement filled the room.
If a car was disposed of under suspicious circumstances, or the buyer wanted to remain unknown, it was a simple enough exercise to forge documentation or complete required transfer forms in an illegible scrawl.
The Licencing Authority dealt with so many documents on a day-to-day basis that it could be six months before one of their administrative staff found the time to query the discrepancy with the seller of the vehicle.
‘Kay, I’d like you and Barnes to go there first thing tomorrow morning. Don’t phone ahead – I don’t want to give the owner the chance to come up with an excuse.’
‘Or an alibi,’ said Carys.
Chapter Fifteen
Kay turned her key in the lock, stepped into the warmth of the hallway and nearly tripped over the suitcase that had been left open next to the front door.
‘Sorry,’ Adam called from the kitchen. ‘Last minute packing. Nearly forgot spare razors.’
Kay looped her handbag over the newel post of the stair bannister and hooked her jacket over the top of it before kicking off her shoes and padding along the hallway.
Adam stood next to the sink, washing out a coffee mug. He glanced over his shoulder as she appeared.
‘I’m wondering whether I should go,’ he said, drying his hands on a tea towel.
She frowned. ‘Why? What’s happened? Is there something wrong at work?’
‘No,’ he said, and crossed the tiles to where she stood at the centre worktop. He reached up and hooked a tendril of her hair behind her ear. ‘I’m worried about you. About this investigation with Demiri.’
‘I’ll be okay.’ She wrapped her fingers around his. ‘You can’t cancel. You’ve been looking forward to this conference for months. Think of all the networking opportunities you’ll miss out on if you don’t go.’
‘I know, Kay but there’ll be another conference next year.’
She squeezed his hand before moving to one of the bar stools next to the worktop, and sitting. ‘Adam, you know as well as I do that if you don’t go now, you won’t meet the same people that are there this year. You don’t have to worry about me – Sharp was with me earlier today when we spoke to Demiri.’ Her lips thinned. ‘Demiri’s a lying bastard, but it went fine. No threats. No bluster. Nothing at all. Besides, I think it’ll be weeks before we’ve got anything to pin on him – he’s too clever. There are too many layers to his organisation we have to chip away at first. You’ll be back in, what, three days?’
‘Yeah.’
‘What time’s your taxi picking you up?’
Adam checked his watch. ‘It’ll be here in twenty minutes or so.’
‘Go and get those razors, or you’ll forget them.’
‘Right.’
She waited until he’d left the kitchen before she let out her breath.
She could hear the note of fear in his voice, and knew he was still unsure about leaving her alone in the house now that she and the team were once more going after Demiri, but she couldn’t let the Albanian rule their lives.
He’d already caused too much damage, too much grief, but she was determined that he’d pay for what he’d done to her.
She slid off the stool and pulled open one of the cupboard doors, took out a wine glass and then selected one of the bottles of Shiraz off the rack built into the central worktop and poured out a measure.
Adam’s footsteps sounded on the stairs and he grinned as he entered the kitchen.
‘I reckon I’ve got time for a small one of those,’ he said, grabbing a glass and filling it.
‘Cheers,’ said Kay. ‘Here’s to a successful trip, and lots of ideas for the business.’
He clinked his glass against hers. ‘Oh, I’ve got plenty of those,’ he said. ‘It’s the implementation that has my head spinning.’
‘Do you have anyone in mind you’re going to employ to give you some spare time?’
‘There’s a young graduate over at a practice near Paddock Wood I’ve got my eye on. Met him at that function we went to a couple of months ago. I know he’s keen to move into a larger surgery environment and take on more responsibility.’
‘Sounds good.’
‘Yeah. I’ll give him a call next week once I’m back.’
The sound of a car pulling onto the driveway reached them, and Kay craned her neck as headlight beams bounced off the hallway wall.
‘Taxi’s here.’
‘He’s early.’
Adam drained the dregs of his wine glass and put it on the worktop before pulling her into an embrace.
‘I’m going to miss you.’
‘I’ll miss you, too.’
The taxi driver honked the car horn.
‘Someone’s in a rush.’
‘Yeah, I’d imagine the interchange with the M25’s a nightmare this time of evening. Best not keep him waiting.’
He pulled away, and Kay followed him out to the hallway before opening the door for him as he wheeled his case over the step.
The driver popped the boot, and for a fleeting moment Kay thought of the woman who’d been brutally murdered.
She tried to clear the thought as Adam lifted his case into the back and slammed the lid shut.
He bent down, spoke to the driver, then returned from the car, his eyes serious.
‘For goodness’ sake, be careful, okay?’
‘Don’t worry,’ she smiled, and kissed him. ‘I’ll still be here when you get back.’
‘Make sure you are.’
He gave her arm a squeeze, then jogged round to the passenger door of the taxi and climbed in.
Kay waved as the car reversed out the driveway and into the lane, then shut the door as it powered away.
She slipped the two large bolts across the top and bottom of the panelling, then walked through to the kitchen and did the same for the back door.
She realised with a jolt that this was the first time she’d been alone in the house for any length of time since the Professional Standards investigation the previous year.
And the first time since she’d
