‘That means he’s almost certainly threatened her with a weapon of some sort,’ Dexter replied. ‘You sure it was a good idea to call off armed response?’
Caroline thought for a moment, more as a matter of courtesy than anything else. She knew the risks. She knew it went against conventional protocol. But she also felt she knew how Tom Mackintosh operated. It had all started to make a lot of sense. If it went wrong, Derek Arnold would have her strung up. He’d been strangely loyal and willing to put his neck on the line for her up until now, but even he would have his limits. There was no way she’d be able to get away with making a reckless mistake that cost Tom or Amie their lives.
Tom had thought many things through carefully. He’d clearly been infatuated with Amie for years. But he’d also been impulsive. He’d leapt on Gavin’s request to meet Martin Forbes and used it to frame him for murder. And it had worked, for a time. He’d acted quickly to kidnap Amie when the net started closing in. Caroline felt she knew his mind, and it was clear to her that it needed calming. No rash moves, no gangs of police officers, no weapons.
‘Yeah, I’m sure,’ she said. ‘Let’s go in.’
51
As they neared the clearing, they took in the scene in front of them. A large campfire roared in the middle of the clearing, with a series of wooden structures surrounding it. Each was almost completely enclosed, but open on the side closest to the fire, like a huge wooden trough turned on its side. Caroline could see how these could be cosy, given the right conditions.
She’d been about to turn to Dexter and tell him she didn’t think anyone was there, when she noticed movement. It was the unmistakeable gangly figure of Tom, the bright orange glow of the fire flickering across his face as he stoked it.
Before she could convince herself otherwise, she stepped forward and into the clearing.
It took a moment before Tom spotted her, but his reaction didn’t surprise her. It was as she thought: a young man who’d always wanted, always tried, to do the right thing but who’d got in well over his neck.
‘It’s okay, Tom,’ she said. ‘We just wanted to check you and Amie are okay.’
‘How did you find us?’ Tom replied, his voice hesitant, slightly shaky.
‘It’s our job. Amie’s family reported her missing. They’re worried about her.’
Tom shifted his weight to the other foot. ‘She’s fine,’ he said. ‘She’s a lot safer with me than she is with them, that’s for sure.’ There was a hint of venom in his reply which made Caroline uneasy. The light was difficult at best, and she didn’t know if it was because she was expecting something, but she felt sure he had something in his hand. Some sort of weapon, perhaps. Either way, she couldn’t take any chances.
‘Does she think that too?’ she asked him.
‘She doesn’t know what’s best for her. Not yet. But she will do.’
‘Are you sure? It’s bitter out here, Tom. She could be frightened. Scared. She’s got a family who are worried for her. Why don’t we do what’s best for her, eh?’
Tom’s eyes narrowed. ‘You don’t know what’s best for her. No-one does.’
‘How about you let me see her and ask her, then? I just want to make sure she’s okay,’ Caroline replied, her heart beating heavily in her chest. She hoped her nerves weren’t showing. She needed to maintain control of the situation. Tom looked at her, and she could almost see the cogs turning in his mind as he tried to suss out her intentions. ‘We just want to make sure she’s safe.’
Tom raised his arms slightly, and Caroline got her first sure glimpse of what was in his hand. It was almost certainly a camping knife. ‘Alright,’ he said, far more casually than she’d expected. ‘Come and have a look.’
‘Will you put the knife down first, please, Tom?’
‘Nope.’
‘I really think it’d be safer,’ Caroline replied.
‘I don’t.’
Caroline turned her head towards Dexter, who gave her the slightest, almost imperceptible nod. I’ve got your back were the unspoken words. She stepped forward and watched as Tom turned slightly, opening his body towards one of the shelters. As she got closer, she began to make out Amie’s form inside it, the flickering campfire light occasionally giving her better glimpses. She saw the light playing on Amie’s eyes, looking back at her. They were wide, watery. Scared.
As Caroline stepped closer, she could see Amie’s mouth had been bound with tape, her hands still underneath a woollen blanket. Caroline wouldn’t have been surprised if they were tied together. She wanted to ask Amie if she was okay, but she could clearly see she wasn’t. In any case, the last thing they needed was for her to become a live wire and send the situation spiralling out of control. Caroline needed to keep things calm and level. If they could get the knife from Tom, they’d be ahead. Right now, though, they were far from it.
‘That’ll do. No closer,’ Tom said.
Caroline’s heart sank. She’d been hoping Dexter might manage to somehow outflank Tom, but he was doing all-too-good a job of keeping everyone well within his sights. Now she was between Tom and Amie. On the face of it, she was in a position to protect her, but in reality she knew it was more akin to getting between a lion and its prey.
Amie was trying to mumble or murmur something, but it was inaudible beneath the tape that bound her mouth. She looked more angry than scared now, having seemingly grown in confidence since Caroline and Dexter had arrived, and Caroline suspected it might be best
