As he finished his call Red began eagerly, “Sir, I have confirmation the Huntsman was behind the Mickey Finn murder.”
Blake nodded absently, rubbing tired eyes. “Too late. That was Dover. He’s gone.”
“Sir?”
“This so-called Huntsman. We’ve had an alert at all exit points since you gave us the e-fit, but seems he’s long gone.”
“Gone, Sir?”
“Security cameras confirm. He went through the Port of Dover as a foot passenger the morning after Bill Andrews was killed. They’re sending the CCTV footage to forensics, but they’re confident it’s him. Just walked onto the Calais ferry, bold as brass.”
“But my e-fit?”
“Too late. It was well past midnight when we got to you, Cass. By the time the ME had checked you over state to produce the e-fit he was long gone. Once he reached Calais the whole of Europe is an open road. He could be anywhere by now.”
“Christ.”
“It wasn’t your fault, Cass.”
Red stared at the floor. “It was. It was all my fault.”
“Cass, that’s not true. Blaming yourself won’t solve anything.”
Red looked up at Blake, her mind racing. He was right on that point. “They must have an ID of some sort? The passport he used?”
“Regrettably, no. He bought a foot-passenger ticket using cash. No identity checks are made for outward bound travellers.”
“You’re joking!”
“I wish I was. Seems our so-called anti-terrorism initiative doesn’t apply to ferry ports. Least of all people leaving the country. We only worry about those coming in.”
“What about at Calais?”
“Same thing. No-one checks passports at Calais. They just wave you through. EU citizens have free right of movement.”
“For Christ’s sake! So we’ve lost the Huntsman, the pomme-rouge, everything...”
Blake slowly nodded confirmation. “I’ve alerted Interpol, but without more information... If he tries to use a major European airport the face recognition software could pick him up, but I wouldn’t hold my breath. I’m sorry. Besides, you’re due some leave from this weekend. With the Burns boys locked up and the Huntsman beyond our reach I’d say you’ve certainly earned the break. Doing anything special?”
“Family trip to the Lakes, Sir.”
“Very nice. Family?”
“Pippa and her three, Sir. Ella, Jack and Ruby.”
The Super nodded. “That will be the young lad locked up in the cells the other week?”
Red forced her eyes to meet Blake’s. “Sir?”
Blake let go a warm smile. “Cass, you don’t get to be Superintendent without knowing what’s going on in your own station. The custody suite is under full camera surveillance for a reason.”
“Oh my God. Sir, I...” Words failed her. Red swallowed hard. “Sorry, Sir. It won’t happen again.” She took deep breaths, trying to hide her embarrassment. “Did... Did the Guv know about this, Sir?”
“I discussed it with Bill, yes. But that’s as far as it went.”
“He never said anything.”
Blake smiled again. “One of the requirements for being a DCI, Cass, is knowing when to say something, and when not to say something. As Acting DCI I’m sure you’d agree this is a matter best laid to rest.”
“Thank you, Sir.”
“Oh, and Cass. DC Taylor’s loyalty to you is to be admired. You both could have lost your jobs over this. And then he wraps up the Burns gang for you while you were off. You must be very proud of him.”
Red swallowed hard, forcing the words out between clenched teeth. “Very proud, Sir.”
Chapter 89.
Red glanced down at the table as her Blackberry vibrated. “It’s Pippa. I’d better take this,” she told Anna Hargreaves. “Hi, hon. Whassup, babe?”
“Cass, I need an urgent favour. Are you busy?”
“No, just lazing about with my feet up. You know how a copper’s life is.”
“This is no time for joking, Cassandra. It’s Ruby. Deimante didn’t turn up at playgroup and I’m due in court for afternoon session. You couldn’t get her for me and take her to my mother’s, could you?”
“Sure. I’m heading out that way anyway. Anna and I will collect her and drop her off.”
“Thanks, Cass. I have no idea where Deimante’s got to.”
“I’m sure she just got held up somewhere. I’ll go for Rubes now and see you at home.”
“Thanks, Cass. Love you.”
Red covered her mouth with a hand, turning away from Anna. “Love you too,” she muttered, ending the call.
“Aww, how sweet,” Anna said, a smile playing on her lips.
“Shut it, Sergeant.” Red swigged the dregs of her coffee. “Come on. Juvenile emergency, we got ourselves a minor to rescue.”
~
“Where on earth could she have got to? She seemed fine this morning.”
Red shrugged, twirling her glass by its stem, glancing at the clock. “No harm done.”
“That’s not the point, Cassandra.”
“Pip, there’s probably a perfectly reasonable explanation. She’s never let us down before. She’s worked for you for nearly two years. We just bought her a car, for heaven’s sake.”
“Exactly! What if she’s gone off somewhere with it? Selling it on the black market or something.”
Red spluttered into her wine. “The black market? What is this, CSI: South Kensington?” Red covered Pippa’s hands with her own. “Relax, will you?” Her gaze caught sight of a tiny LED blinking to her right. “Answering machine. Bound to be her.”
“You have…one message,” came the robotic voice.
Red smiled at Pippa as the machine beeped, followed by the sound of traffic and wind. Deimante’s voice floated into the kitchen. “Miss Philippa, Miss Cass, it’s me, Deimante. I am so sorry, I have bad news from home in Lithuania and have to catch the ferry boat. There is a problem with my sister and I must go home for a few weeks. I tried to ring your mobiles, but they are busy.” A horn sounded in the distance. “I am sorry, I will call you soon. I…” The machine cut her dead.
Red pushed the delete button. “See. I told you there would be a reasonable explanation.”
Pippa swallowed a huge gulp of wine, then re-filled her glass. “I knew it! She’s stolen the car! We’ll never see her again!”
Red’s eyebrows crinkled. “Whoa, steady on there, Pip.” Red placed her hands on Pippa’s shoulders from behind, gently squeezing them. “You heard what she just said. She’ll be back.”
“I just knew it. We should never have employed a foreigner!” Pippa’s hand flew to her throat, “What else might she have taken? She was alone in the house all morning. Have you checked the safe? The jewelry?”
Red dropped to her knees before Pippa, taking her partner’s hands in her own. “Stop this, Pip. It’s crazy. Nothing is missing, okay? Deimante has gone home for a few days, that’s all.”
Tears stung Pippa’s eyes, betrayal evident in her face. “I trusted her, Cass, let her into our home, left my children with her for God’s sake!” Pippa stood angrily. “I need to check everything. She’s already got my car. You need to put an alert out for it.
“Pip, it is not your car. You gave it to Dei. It’s legally hers.”
Pippa slammed the door as she ran from the room. “Call yourself a police officer,” Red heard her shout from the stairs.
Red let go of a breath slowly, dropping into a kitchen chair, holding her head in her hands, pressing her forehead into the table, revelling in the lull.
She stayed that way, listening to loud thuds and muffled voices drifting down the stairs, doors slamming above her. Footsteps clattered down the hallway, a draft chilling the nape of her neck as the kitchen door swung open.
“My necklace, Cass. My diamond necklace. It’s gone!”
Red raised her head slowly, “Are you sure?”
“Of course I’m bloody sure. It was on my dr
essing table.”
Red felt her heart sink as she followed Pippa back upstairs.
“See. Look there. It’s gone!”
Red stared at the empty velvet display box on the dresser. “Are you sure you left it there?”
Pippa nodded, her hands clasped together, pressed to her lips, worry etched across her perfect brow. “It was the last thing Richard bought me before...”
Red sighed, pinching her bottom lip between her thumb and forefinger. “I can’t believe Deimante would do this, Pip.”
“You have to call this in, Cass. Report it as theft. She needs to be apprehended.”
“I know, I know. Just give me a moment to think.”
“Cass, she could be out of the country with it by now. Do something.”
Red reluctantly pulled out her mobile, scrolling through the index. “Pip, there’s nothing anyone can do tonight. They’re hardly gonna start a nationwide manhunt. It’s a missing necklace, not a missing child. Speaking of which, put a smile on that face of yours. We don’t want Ruby knowing anything’s wrong.”
A miniature buggy appeared in the doorway, a doll strapped awkwardly into it, Ruby pushing from behind.
“Hey, it’s past your bedtime, gorgeous.”
Ruby rubbed her tired eyes with tiny fists. “Mummy was shouting. She woke me up.”
“How about I come and tuck you in again?”
Ruby nodded. “And a story.”
“No story, babe. Sorry. Mummy’s a bit upset. She’s lost her...” A smile spread across Red’s face as her eyes dropped to the doll, fingering and the string of diamonds draped around its neck. “Wow! That’s a pretty necklace your dolly is wearing, Rubes. Mummy has one just like that.”
Chapter 90.
“Okay guys, listen up.” Red set her mug down on the desk. “As you all know I’m heading off tomorrow for a well-earned break, and chances are there’ll be no signal in the Lakes, so let’s get things straight before I go.” She waited as the briefing room went quiet. “So, Acting Detective Inspector James Mackenzie is in full charge in my absence,” she said, bowing slightly to Mackenzie. “And DC Terri Miller has sole custody of you two,” Red pointed in turn at Taylor and Harris.
Terri folded arms across her chest, raising her eyebrows in mock school-ma’am fashion. “I can handle that, Guv. They’ll do as they’re told.”
“Very funny, Guv,” Taylor said, adjusting his tie, colour kissing his cheeks. A ripple of laughter ran across the room.
“Before I go, I want to say thanks to everybody. You guys did good. We did good. The Burns mob are off the streets so give yourselves a pat on the back. But, you still have a job to do and I expect to come back to find everything exactly how I left it, understood?”
There was a uniform nodding of heads. Mac winked at her. “Get outta here, Guv. They’re in safe hands.”
~
Red felt her worries swirling down the plughole with the soapy shower water as she stood under the hot spray, rinsing her cares away. Through the glass she could see Pippa pacing the bedroom floor. Red grabbed a towel from the rail, stepping onto the tiled floor, leaving puddles in her wake. “What’s up, girlfriend?”
Pippa turned to face her, confusion scarring her features. She held up her hands despairingly. “How on Earth am I supposed to know where anything is? I’ve never packed a suitcase in my life. Come back Deimante, all is forgiven.”
Red towelled her hair as she padded across to her own wardrobe. “You really are a first-class snob, Philippa Crichton-Ward.” She slipped a dressing gown over shoulders still glistening with droplets of water. “You don’t know what a pleasure it is to put this lot away and play civilian for a few days.” She held up a pair of handcuffs. “But I’ll take these along. When Richard and Lucy take the kids out we can play cops and robbers.”
“Really, Cass, you are quite incorrigible. We have approximately four hours to get the children sorted, get ourselves packed and get the car loaded and all you can think about is handcuffing me to the bed. Come on, we need to get things moving. I mean, whose silly idea was it to drive all through the night?”
“Yours, I believe. So we would miss the traffic and not be caught in any jams with the common masses. Besides, I don’t see why you’re complaining. Madam will be chauffeured to the Lake District whilst the kids watch movies and play computer games in the back. Muggins here is the one doing all the driving.”
Pippa let a pair of silk panties drop from her fingers onto the bed. Wrapping arms around Red’s waist from behind, she moulded her body into Red’s back, breathing gently into her ear. “And that’s why I love you so much, Cass. You’re just so good at everything.”
Red turned, kissing Pippa on the lips. “Flattery will get you everywhere, lover.”
Chapter 91.
The sleek X5 came to a halt in the thin layer of unblemished snow that carpeted the forecourt. Red turned the key and the wipers stopped, allowing the soft white flakes to settle on the screen.
“Just look at this place,” Red whistled through her teeth. She leaned across and planted a kiss on Pippa’s lips. “It looks even better than the brochure.”
Pippa opened one eye. “Brochure?”
“Christ, Pip, have I been talking to myself for the past thirty miles?”
Pippa forced an unconvincing smile and returned the kiss. “Cass, of course I was listening. You were talking about daffodils and I said it would be good for the children to learn about Wordsworth, and perhaps visit Dove Cottage.”
“Pip, that was at least an hour ago. It wasn’t even snowing then.”
“Snowing? When?” Pippa’s eyes widened as she looked out. “Oh my goodness. Cass, snow! Isn’t it just so beautiful?”
Red managed a rueful smile. “Welcome back to the land of the living, Counsel. Speaking of which…” She leaned over the seat to check on the children. “Bless ‘em. Completely spark-o. Seems almost a shame to wake them up.”
Pippa snaked a hand across the console. “Let them sleep. Let’s just sit here a minute and recover from the journey.”
“I’m so sorry, Your Highness. I thought I was the one driving.”
Pippa clutched Red’s hand tight. “You know full well what I mean, Cass. Being a passenger is every bit as tiring as driving.”
“How would you know? You’ve never driven.”
“Cass, let’s not argue. Just unclip that seat belt and give me a hug. I really need one just now.”
Red leaned across and pulled Pippa towards her. “It might help if you took your belt off too.”
“Sorry.” Pippa let the seatbelt slide free and shifted in her seat. “Now, lover, let’s get – Oh, bother.”
“What now?”
“The gear lever is in the way.”
Red ran her hand over the gear-stick, raising her eyebrows suggestively.
Pippa slapped her playfully on the arm. “Cass! The children.”
“What about the children?” came a voice from behind.
Red and Pippa whipped round simultaneously to confront a bleary-eyed Ella easing herself upright.
“Mum, how much longer? I feel like I’ve just…” Ella did a double-take as she looked through the window. “Snow! Oh my God! It’s snowing!” She checked through all the windows, just to be sure it was everywhere. “Jack! Tues! Wake up! It’s snowing!”
Chapter 92.
“Last one in gets the smallest room!”
Ella grabbed Ruby and ran across the forecourt, kicking snow into the air as she went, to Ruby’s delight. Red chased behind, playfully trying to catch them. Jack watched ruefully as Pippa loaded his arms with bags.
“You’re always telling me you’re not a kid, Jack. Well a gentleman would always offer to carry the heavy bags for the ladies.”
Jack scowled. “But Mum…”
“Hoist by your own petard, young man.”
“Eh?” Jack glanced down at his crotch. “What petard?”
“Come on, you two!” Red shouted, waving the
key. “I’ll bring the bags in later. Let’s get the kettle on.”
Jack thrust the cases back at Pippa. “Come on, Mum. Beat ya there!”
Jack made to race off but Pippa grabbed him by the hood, reeling him round. Scooping up a handful of snow she thrust it into her son’s face. “Last one gets the smallest room!”
Pippa made an ungainly attempt at a run as Jack brushed the snow from his face and gave chase.
“Mum! Behind you!” shouted Ella.
As her son raced past Pippa grabbed the hood again, yanking Jack back. He careered into her and they both sprawled to the ground in a fit of giggles. Ruby and Ella raced back, grabbing handfuls of snow to shower them with, before collapsing on the ground together.
“Is this a private party or can anyone join in?” Red scooped a handful of snow into a ball.
“Come on, Cassie!” Ruby yelled.
“Cass! Cass! Cass!” yelled Ella and Jack.
Red ran full speed at the group, snowball in hand. “Prepare to repel borders! Jack this one’s for y – Ohhhh shit!” Red’s legs slid out from beneath her, arms flailing wildly as if she was fending off a swarm of killer bees.
Ella grabbed Ruby and rolled out of the way. Jack scrambled to his knees and dragged himself to the right, turning just in time to see Red land full force on Pippa, knocking the breath from her.
For a moment there was an anxious silence, the two figures laying prostrate one on top of the other in the falling snow. Red propped herself up on one elbow.
“Thanks, Pip. You make a great cushion.”
The children fell about laughing, throwing snow over the two adults.
Red let herself lower gently and pressed a quick kiss on Pippa’s lips. “May as well make the most of it.” She wrapped her arms around Pippa, burying her head in Pippa’s coat as a giggling Ruby showered them with snow.
“Windermere’s Edge!” Ella shouted, waving the key. “Come on, you two. I need a drink.”
Red pushed herself back onto her elbows. “She’s got a point there, lover. Come on.” Cass struggled to her knees, grabbing Pippa’s gloved hand to pull her up. As Cass hauled, the glove slipped off Pippa’s hand, sending Red sprawling backwards into the snow again, to everybody’s amusement but Red’s.
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