Deadly Lies by Ann Girdharry (read me a book .TXT) 📕

armed unit on standby. We’ll have sniper support for Alice but it will have to be from a distance. Again, we can’t risk alarming the abductor. The uniformed division are ready to give us full support to have the area locked down. Delaney and Ruby, do you think Alice is up to it?’

Tom answered first. ‘It’s an odd thing. The marital rift seems to have given her more strength than I gave her credit for.’

‘I agree and Alice told me she’s determined to carry out the demands to the letter,’ Ruby said. ‘I think she can do it.’

‘Good because it’s going to be tough and I can’t risk her cracking at the last minute. Keep talking to her and prepare her as best you can,’ Grant said. ‘Jack called me to request he take his wife’s place. I refused. I’ll give Jack permission to attend the exchange on the condition he remains in the background which means putting him inside a squad car on the perimeter.’

‘He won’t like that,’ Tom said.

‘Too bad. All we’re waiting for are the co-ordinates of the drop-off.’

McGowan stroked his moustache. ‘We know the perp’s going to choose a location which works for him and not for us, guv. And whoever he is, he’s a smart bastard.’

‘Of course he is except that doesn’t mean he’ll have the upper hand. I want everyone’s absolute best. I’ll be in command of the operation and we are going to get those children back.’

‘Yes, guv.’

‘And be ready to move at a second’s notice.’

Waiting was always the worst part. Grant shut himself in his office. Would they get a visual on the abductor during the exchange? What sort of instructions was Alice going to receive? Likely it would be to drop off the money and she would be told the location of the children because the abductor would want to get away, not walk into a trap.

Grant was too wired. The results of the DNA swabs at Jack’s apartment had come in and there was no trace of the children. Diane had tracked down the whereabouts of Zofia Kaminski, the woman who had made a rape allegation against Jack. She worked in a florist in London and Grant badly wanted to interview her. Travelling was out of the question with the drop-off likely to happen at any moment and Grant couldn’t spare anyone from his team. How long would the abductor keep them waiting?

The team were holding up under the pressure. Delaney and Ruby were on top of it with the family, Collins and McGowan had carried out some great detective work and everyone was giving it all they’d got.

Grant took the call from his paediatrician friend.

‘Hello, David. I got your message and I examined the video.’

He could tell by her voice she hadn’t liked what she’d seen. ‘And?’

‘The older child is ill. Emily’s six? It’s not looking good. She has limp body tone and she’s slurring. What’s more worrying are the red patches on her forearm.’

‘I didn’t see them.’

‘They’re barely visible but I caught a glimpse at the edge of her sleeve.’

‘How bad is it?’ Grant asked.

‘You said her blood was at the scene and you suspect the abductor used a blade, well, if Emily had a dirty wound or one which got infected, I think the infection may have become systemic. This isn’t a hard and fast diagnosis but those red patches tell me there’s a strong chance she has sepsis.’

‘Blood poisoning?’

‘It’s known as that although it’s much worse. Sepsis is life threatening. Untreated, it can take an adult’s life within twelve hours. Emily requires urgent treatment. Even with hospital intervention, if she enters the last stage of sepsis, which is septic shock, we might not be able to save her. Her vital organs will shut down.’

‘Jesus.’

‘If it’s sepsis Emily’s fever will turn to chills. Then the red patches will spread and become purple which is the first sign of organ failure. At that stage, her heart will struggle. You must find her, David. It might be a matter of hours.’

Grant hung up and shouted to the team in the cubbyhole.

‘Diane, I want the constables to phone every GP surgery in the area and hospitals in adjacent counties. Check if Emily’s been seen by a medical professional.’

He muttered, ‘And let’s hope to God she has.’

Hours later when they had not yet received the drop-off information, Grant was sweating.

Every kidnap case was different. Yet such a long time between a proof of life call and the final demands felt plain wrong. They were dealing with someone who planned carefully. For certain, the abductor had already chosen a location for the drop-off. They’d have carried out surveillance to make sure it met their needs while giving as few advantages as possible to the police team.

Did the delay mean there was an issue with the drop-off point? Grant was afraid Emily might be the problem.

McGowan clenched his left hand over his right fist. It was a habit of his when he was extremely stressed. ‘The delay doesn’t make sense. Something’s gone wrong.’

Grant rubbed his eyes. ‘We can’t make assumptions. We have to keep going forward.’

The kidnapper had a sick child on their hands. Wouldn’t it make them want to get rid of the children sooner? It wasn’t a reason for them to prolong it unless the kidnapper meant to kill the children.

Grant didn’t want to face that possibility, nor the other worst-case scenario; perhaps Emily was already dead.

33

Air rushed past Maria’s face as the train sped out of the station. She was perilously close to the edge and she stepped back. She’d done it. She had defied him. As soon as he realised she’d not stuck to the plan he would be furious. She must hide.

Pulling up the collar of her jacket, Maria hurried away. Where could she go? It was then she realised she had no money. He’d given her only enough to buy the return ticket. Wait – she had money at her apartment which would be