Stepping out of his father’s room, he went through to his own. Dropping on to all fours, he extended his arm under the bed and blindly rummaged around for a few moments until he felt his fingers brush against the cold glass of the screen. Teasing it into reach, he pulled the mobile phone out, holding it in his palm. Pressing the power button, he waited for it to power up which took a matter of seconds. A musical tune sounded as the company logo flashed up soon to be replaced by the lock screen and he typed in the four-digit pin. There was no going back. Not now.
Leaving the house as quickly as he could, a strange sensation passed over him. It wasn’t nerves. He didn’t suffer from that type of thing. Exam stress, peer pressure… people talked about that stuff all the time but it never bothered him. This was an alien feeling though, one he couldn’t interpret. Maybe this was what other people felt, his brothers. One going into battle, the other heading to prison. Was it anticipation, excitement… fear? Whatever it was, he didn’t like it and tried to push the feeling aside. However, the intensity of the sensation only grew with each step he took through the woods.
Chapter Thirty-Three
Returning to the station, Tom Janssen found an excited detective constable waiting for them in ops. The handwriting examples collected for comparison would be sent away for confirmation but even a cursory inspection proved conclusive. Neither of the samples collected from the Bettanys came close and Mark McCall’s were a definite bust. Despite this, Eric was bouncing as he entered with Tamara only a step behind.
“You must have had a positive experience at the surgery for you to be so enthusiastic,” he said as Eric bounded over. Knowing how Colin Bettany intimidated the young man, he seemed remarkably upbeat. Eric tried to hide his insecurity around dealing with professionals, doing well in the most part. However, to someone proficient in reading people the effect it had on him was fairly obvious. Eric would get better with experience. “How did you find Colin and Marie?” The question wasn’t a test, he found the Bettanys a curious family.
“Didn’t see them to be fair. I called ahead and they had samples ready for me at reception. Odd though. I figured they would take every opportunity to speak to us about the case, find out what’s going on but they were both in surgery.”
“I thought they were getting locums in,” Tamara said, leaning against a desk and folding her arms in front of her.
“Alice said they’ve struggled to get locums to cover the entire surgery so both are seeing patients as and when required,” he replied. Thinking of Alice, he hadn’t seen her in days such were his preoccupations with the case. She seemed to understand, though, and it’s not like he had a murder inquiry every week. “What’s got you so excited then?” Eric was shifting the weight between his feet, clearly frustrated at the deviation in the conversation.
“I got a voicemail on my way back from the surgery from the mobile network. The one Holly’s phone was registered to. It’s active. For the second time today.”
He exchanged a quick glance with Tamara and she recognised the significance as much as he did. Slapping Eric on the upper arm, he inclined his head. “Well, why didn’t you say so?” The tone playful as much as it was sarcastic. “When?”
“Last night, around 2 A.M., it popped up on the network connecting to a local cell tower. That lasted for only four minutes before it dropped off again. The provider said the handset made a call lasting less than two minutes.”
“Switched on to make the call and then off again, I should imagine. Do we know who the call was to?” Janssen cast a sideways glance to Tamara, seeing the hope and expectation in her. Eric shook his head.
“Not yet. The call was made to someone registered with a different provider. I’ve put in a request off the back of our previous court order. Still waiting to hear back.”
“You said it was recorded twice.” Eric nodded. “When was the second?”
“Just before half past nine this morning,” Eric replied, turning to his computer and bringing up a map on the screen. There were two circles, shaded in burgundy, and they partially overlapped at the limits of each tower’s cover. “This is where the signal connects to these towers, alternating between the two, hence the crossover. The key thing is, it’s active now.”
Pulling out a chair, Tom sat down weighing the rationale behind the information. “Why now, after a week? And why make a call in the middle of the night, to whom?” It was an odd turn of events, completely unexpected.
“Do you think someone found the phone?” Eric suggested. By the look on Tamara’s face, she was unconvinced. So was he. The detailed search of the area turned up nothing. If the phone was mislaid or discarded, then it wouldn’t lend itself to someone stumbling across it. Eric broadened the idea. “Or maybe someone stole it and thinks they’re safe to turn it on.” The second idea was far less probable than the first.
“Unlikely,” Tamara replied, her brow furrowed in concentration. To Janssen it looked as if she was piecing something together. “I was with Maddie earlier. Her phone was passcode protected. She said before that her and Holly were given new phones recently. Most people are security conscious regarding their mobiles these days. It’s probable that Holly was equally so.”
“Whoever has the phone knows her pin,” he said in response. Tamara nodded. “Or she passed it on before her death.” The likelihood of that struck him as a slim possibility. The motive for Holly’s murder wasn’t robbery as far as
