‘Jack can’t have been gone long,’ Ruby said. ‘I saw him when Alice was about halfway up the hill.’
They could see a small dust cloud some way ahead.
‘That’s thrown up by Jack’s tyres. Looks like he’s turned off the road and is taking a dirt track. Can you find it on the satnav?’ Hunter asked.
‘Got it. It’s two hundred metres ahead on the right.’
‘Where’s he going? Why would the father cut and run leaving half a million sitting in the middle of nowhere and while we’re waiting for news on his children?’
‘Good question,’ Ruby said. ‘It makes it sound like Jack knows something we don’t.’
‘Please call me Sarah, and I know Chief Inspector Billingham isn’t good at diplomacy so I’m sorry if he’s rubbed any of you the wrong way.’
‘Don’t worry about it and oh, call me Ruby. I don’t see any more dust. I think he’s stopped.’
They took the turn for the track. It was two lines of dirt with a band of weeds down the middle. They followed as fast as they could, the car bouncing and tussocks of grass scraping against the front bumper. Sarah swore now and again as the steering jerked in her hands. As they rounded a corner, they found Jack’s car abandoned at the side.
‘He must have continued on foot,’ Ruby said. ‘This is getting strange.’
She got out as quickly as Sarah.
‘Take a good look around, Ruby. Let’s see if we can pick up his trail.’
They tramped through the undergrowth, scanning in all directions. It was a pretty flat landscape with scrubby bushes and rocks and a few trees.
‘There he is,’ Ruby said. ‘It looks like he’s moving fast.’
‘He hasn’t seen us which is good. I’m going after him. You stay here.’
Sarah started jogging after Jack Glover and Ruby went with her.
‘You’re kidding me, right? Of course I’m not staying put.’
‘I thought you were a criminal psychologist,’ Sarah said, her breathing steady as she ran. ‘I didn’t imagine you’d be up for action.’
‘Then you thought wrong. I’m in training for a fun run so I should be able to keep up and I’m a climber, and us climbers are feistier than you think.’
Sarah cut her a quick grin. ‘Aren’t you a dark horse. Okay, we follow him and we need to be careful because we don’t know what we’re walking into.’
Jack seemed to know where he was going. He was heading along a path which followed a stream.
‘Do you see that bag he’s carrying?’ Sarah said.
They exchanged a glance. It was a black holdall and very like the bag Alice had packed half a million pounds in.
‘Someone examined the bag Alice took with her, right?’ Sarah asked. ‘It hasn’t been swapped at the last minute has it?’
‘It can’t have been. Tom checked it.’
They jogged after Jack, keeping out of sight as well as they could. Jack’s attention was focused ahead and he never once glanced behind. A cluster of buildings came into view. It looked like an abandoned farm and Jack made straight for it.
When they reached the first barn they crouched at the corner.
Ruby caught her breath. ‘Do you know this place?’ she whispered.
‘No and it’s in the middle of goddam nowhere. Looks disused. Must have been a farm at one time.’
‘What do we do?’
‘We call for backup.’ But when Sarah tried to send a message, her radio wasn’t working. Neither was there a phone signal.
‘Damn we’re out of range. The South Downs has that effect because sometimes the signal gets cut off.’ Sarah peeked around the corner. ‘I can’t see a thing. I’m going to find out what’s going on. You stay here.’
‘I’m coming too,’ Ruby said.
Sarah’s hand landed on Ruby’s arm. ‘Wait – you’re a civilian and this isn’t safe. Whatever Jack Glover is up to it doesn’t look good.’
‘If you think I’m letting you go on your own, think again.’
Sarah was stern. ‘You could get back to the car and drive until you get a signal. That would be prudent.’
‘Prudent, my arse. No way am I leaving you here.’
‘Okay then, on the condition you stay behind me.’
Scooting around the barn, they dashed to the next building. Ruby was so close to Sarah that when the DI stopped abruptly Ruby banged into her. Sarah signalled for them to get low. Not twenty metres away, Jack was standing in the middle of a courtyard amidst the buildings. He was talking to another man.
Jack was angry. He dropped the bag and the other man opened it and checked inside.
‘It’s a drop-off,’ Sarah whispered in Ruby’s ear. ‘And I’m betting it’s the real one.’
Ruby’s heart was hammering and she was sweating. If Jack Glover was handing over money did it mean the children were close?
‘Lisa and Emily,’ she whispered. ‘They could be here.’
The other man gripped the holdall and made to move off. Jack grabbed him and they heard Jack shouting.
‘You bastard. You promised! Where are my children!’
The other man sneered and in a lightning quick move he took out a knife and stabbed Jack in the belly. ‘You think you’re better than me, but you’re not.’
Sarah shouted and ran out. The stranger fled.
Jack staggered into Sarah’s arms. With a look of surprise, he stared at the red stain spreading across his shirt. Sarah lowered him to the ground and Ruby ripped open Jack’s shirt.
‘Oh shit. Ruby, put your hands right here and apply as much pressure as you can.’
‘What are we going to do? He might die.’
Then Sarah was gone leaving Ruby trying desperately to stem the blood flow. Within seconds, Jack Glover was having problems breathing. He stared up at her.
‘Who was that man? Where are Emily and Lisa?’ Ruby demanded.
Jack’s eyes were losing focus.
‘Answer me!’
‘My children,’ he whispered.
‘Where are they? Who was that man?’
From the way Jack approached the man and the way they spoke together, Ruby felt sure they knew each other.
Sarah came running back and she was covered in dirt and her trousers were ripped. ‘The bastard got away. Press harder,
