‘Sharp, sir! It’s Hunter!’
His senior officer didn’t hesitate. He slapped Barnes on the shoulder, pushed Carys ahead of him, and shoved his way through the other officers until he reached Gavin.
‘What’s wrong?’
‘Adrian Webster appeared at our position further along the beach. Says he thinks he saw another dinghy. We couldn’t raise anyone on our radios, and Hunter didn’t want to phone you because of our operational orders.’
Sharp flapped his hand impatiently. ‘Where’s Hunter now?’
‘She ordered me to come and get you and a few others. She’s gone with Webster to find the other dinghy.’
‘She did what?’
Sharp turned and waved over the crowd to where Harrison stood talking to one of his SOCU colleagues.
The DCI’s head jerked up, and he hurried over, O’Reilly at his heels.
‘Good work everyone. Time for congratulating yourselves later, though—’
‘Hunter’s gone in search of another suspected dinghy,’ said Sharp, already edging away. He turned his attention to Gavin, Barnes and Carys. ‘All of you – with me, now.’
Harrison frowned. ‘What’s the rush?’
‘Had you heard of Adrian Webster before he had phoned the hotline following the press conference?’
‘No, I—’
‘Then, he’s not one of your informants?’
‘No. Is that a problem?’
‘It means he’s one of Demiri’s. Kay’s been set up.’
Harrison’s eyes widened. ‘Demiri’s here?’
O’Reilly placed a hand on Harrison’s sleeve. ‘Let’s get him.’
Gavin’s heart missed a beat, his attention snapping to the DS. ‘What did you say?’
O’Reilly took a step back, a look of fear crossing his face for a moment before he recovered. ‘What do you mean?’
‘It was you,’ Gavin snarled, and launched himself at the other detective.
O’Reilly stumbled backwards, his hands raising in a defensive position, but it did him no good.
Gavin’s fist found the man’s face with a satisfying crunch, seconds before O’Reilly howled in pain.
‘Piper!’
Gavin became aware of Sharp’s voice through the sound of blood rushing in his ears, and reined back his next strike, panting.
A hand on his shoulder spun him round, and Sharp’s grey eyes bore into him.
‘You’ve got thirty seconds to explain yourself, Piper.’
Gavin swallowed, Sharp’s tone reminding him that the DI had spent his pre-police years on a military parade ground, barking orders. He glanced over his shoulder, to see O’Reilly staggering to his feet, aided by Harrison.
The DS wore a hunted expression, and Gavin sneered at him before turning back to Sharp.
‘O’Reilly was one of the men who beat me up earlier this year,’ he said. ‘I recognise his voice now.’
Sharp took a step back. ‘Twenty seconds left.’
‘When they pounced on me in the car park that night, just before they laid into me, I heard one of them say to the other “let’s get him”. Exactly how O’Reilly said it just now. It’s why when Kay asked to see the CCTV footage of the attack, O’Reilly told her there wasn’t much to see – he’d obviously got hold of the recording and edited it before showing it to anyone. Only two men could be seen in the video, but there were three men there. O’Reilly stayed in the shadows, but I know it was him.’
Sharp peered around Gavin’s shoulder. ‘Is this true, O’Reilly?’
Dead silence met his words, and Gavin clenched his fists at the realisation that one of their own had ensured he’d been made to suffer.
But why?
He caught the stricken expression that crossed Carys’s face as she grasped what she was hearing, and that the detective sergeant she’d placed on a pedestal was responsible for the attack on her colleague.
‘O’Reilly, get yourself over to the ambulance and sort that nose out. Harrison – we’ll deal with this later,’ said Sharp. ‘Right now, one of my officers is in danger.’
He turned and took off at a sprint, the rest of the team at his heels.
‘Where did she go, Piper?’
‘There’s a row of groyne posts about quarter of a mile from our original position. Webster told us he’d seen a dinghy there.’
Carys drew level with them, the sound of Barnes’s heavy breathing several paces behind.
‘Guv? Kay isn’t a strong swimmer. We did our refresher training together. She can’t hold her breath underwater for long.’
Sharp said nothing, and they began to run faster.
Chapter Fifty-Two
Kay’s throat constricted.
Jozef Demiri towered over her, his white hair hidden under a dark woollen hat, a thick coat covering his shoulders protecting him from the elements.
He took a step back, and Kay began to struggle upright.
His boot connected with her knee before she could react.
Pain scorched through the joint, and Kay screamed, collapsing onto the sand as tears pricked her eyelids.
She hugged her hands around her knee and tried to think how long Gavin had been gone, and how long it might be until he returned with Sharp.
She gulped back a sob as she realised he might not find her.
They’d only had Webster’s vague description of where the supposed dinghy was, and she’d sent Gavin for reinforcements before Webster had provided more detail.
And all the while he’d been leading her into danger.
Demiri moved close, his heavy breathing reaching her ears over the noise of the surf.
At first, she thought he was out of breath, hobbled by age and the effort to move on the sand.
Then the realisation hit her with a fresh wave of sickness.
He was enjoying her torment.
‘Why now, Demiri?’ she spat. ‘We’d lost you. Why run and hide, only to show yourself now?’
He crouched next to her, the soft denim of his jeans brushing against her cheek, and she flinched before cursing her reaction.
‘I didn’t run and hide, bitch,’ he said. ‘I waited. For you. Your persistence will destroy you, Detective Hunter. You destroyed my business. I will destroy your life. Piece by piece.’
He straightened, his eyes never leaving hers.
‘I knew all I’d have to do was wait. Leave you a trail of breadcrumbs you wouldn’t be able to resist.’
‘Why Webster?’
‘Why not? The man was paid well. He provided me with somewhere to stay. I must say, detective, it excited me when you were sent to meet him after our phone call to your so-called hotline. I could hear your voice, and wondered
