Kay groaned inwardly at the call sign that had been randomly designated to the search operation, and crossed her fingers in the hope it wasn’t an omen.
Harrison replaced the radio on the desk in front of Kay and turned to Sharp.
‘Let’s hope your team perform well. Can’t have them slowing down SOCU, after all.’
A muscle worked in Sharp’s jaw. ‘They’re all good officers, Simon, and more than capable of the job in hand. Same as they were when we raided the nightclub.’
Harrison sniffed. ‘We’ll see. What do you think, Hunter? Reckon we’ll finally net Demiri after all this time?’
‘Hope so, guv.’
‘Shame we had to keep you here, really,’ he said. ‘I wouldn’t have minded seeing Demiri’s face when you turned up at his house.’
Kay’s eyes travelled across to Sharp once more.
The DI was standing with his hands in his pockets, contemplating the carpet.
‘Not a problem, guv,’ she said to Harrison, injecting more warmth into her words than she felt. ‘At least we’ll be able to filter all the information as it comes through and develop a strategic approach to questioning him as the searches continue.’
Harrison beamed. ‘You’re quite right, Hunter. Commendable thinking.’
He turned his attention to a uniformed police officer who approached them and ran his signature over a series of forms before dismissing the man, and then made his way across to the whiteboard and stood in front of it, hands on hips, apparently lost in thought.
Sharp sank into the chair next to hers and leaned forward, elbows on knees as they listened to the chatter over the airwaves.
Both searches were being coordinated through the communications team at HQ where, much to his obvious disgust, DS O’Reilly had been sent by Harrison to monitor progress and provide him with immediate access to the team coordinator if he needed to send an urgent message.
‘I should be out in the field,’ he’d grumbled to Kay on his way out the door.
Kay had smiled sweetly, but had had the sense to keep quiet.
‘The vest cameras from Piper and Miles are live,’ Debbie called over from her desk. ‘I’ve emailed you a link to the feed.’
Kay opened her emails and clicked on the link, and took a sip of tea while the screen loaded.
‘At last,’ Sharp muttered as the images flickered to life.
The live video recording from Gavin’s camera had sound, but Kay turned it down in favour of listening to O’Reilly’s commentary over the radio.
Team one were responsible for the raid on Demiri’s offices, while the second team had been tasked with his house.
Timed to precision, both teams converged on each of the properties within seconds of each other.
Kay watched as Gavin’s camera picked up the tactical response team hovering at the fringes of the gathered response vehicles, before he approached the front doors of the industrial unit.
She inhaled sharply as he placed his hand on the front door and it swung inwards.
‘Unlocked?’
‘Not a good sign,’ said Sharp.
Harrison spun away from the whiteboard. ‘What’s wrong?’
Sharp pointed at the video feed. ‘When we interviewed Demiri at his offices, the doors were locked and we had to wait to be admitted. There was a video camera above the door and an intercom system.’
Harrison rubbed his chin. ‘He’s probably expecting us, and couldn’t be bothered with the security charade.’
Kay caught the look that Sharp threw at Harrison and raised her eyebrow, but her DI gave a slight shake of his head and turned his attention back to the screen.
The black and white image wobbled slightly as Gavin moved through the door and held it open for Carys. Kay caught a flash of Carys’s face, the woman’s expression determined, and then the angle swung back to the reception area she and Sharp had entered only days before.
She frowned. ‘Guv? Where’s the reception desk?’
Sharp shook his head, his eyes never leaving the images on the screen.
On the radio, Gavin’s voice rang out, confirming her fears.
‘Looks like the place has been deserted.’
Harrison snatched the radio from the desk. ‘Piper – check the conference room off to the left.’
Kay held her breath as Gavin’s camera panned round and then began moving towards the large meeting room she and Sharp had been shown to by Demiri.
The door swung open, revealing a large empty space where the conference table had once been, and a darker rectangle against the far wall where the large flat screen television had once hung.
Harrison swore under his breath, then pulled his mobile phone from his pocket. ‘O’Reilly? Demiri’s offices are empty. What’s the status from the team at the house?’
Kay watched as the DCI’s face reddened, his eyes blazing at the image on the screen in front of him, before he ended the call.
‘Barnes has confirmed Demiri’s house has also been abandoned,’ he said, his voice dangerously low. He picked up the radio once more. ‘Piper – clear the building. Lock it down for forensics immediately.’
‘Understood, guv.’
‘He’s shut down all his operations, hasn’t he?’ said Kay. ‘He’s on the run.’
Next to her, Sharp slumped in his chair and ran a hand over his face.
Harrison handed Kay the radio, stormed away from her desk, then stalked into Sharp’s office and slammed the door with enough force to shake the windows.
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Jozef Demiri stood with his back to the room, his eyes travelling over the landscape before him.
A smile twitched at the corner of his mouth, but he knew he couldn’t relax.
Not yet.
However, it was too easy to imagine the reaction of the police when they discovered he’d outwitted them, and he wished he could see their faces when they discovered both his offices and home empty and devoid of any evidence.
He tugged at a loose thread on the woollen sweater he wore over a long-sleeved t-shirt and jeans, common clothing that he hadn’t worn in years in favour of his designer suits. His flight from his house had been executed in a moment’s panic as he realised how fast the police investigation was gaining ground.
He’d wanted to wait, wanted to taunt
