Dead at First Sight

117 Friday 12 October

Roy Grace, worried, removed his earpiece, riffled through his notes and found the number he was looking for. He dialled it.

A friendly-sounding woman answered after two rings. ‘Global Investigations. How can I help you?’

‘May I speak to Jack Roberts, please?’

‘I’m sorry, he’s out of the office for the rest of the afternoon.’

‘Can you give me his mobile number?’

‘I’m very sorry, sir, I’m not able to give that out.’

‘I’m Detective Superintendent Roy Grace of the Surrey and Sussex Major Crime Team. I met with Mr Roberts on Tuesday of last week. I need to speak with him very urgently — there is potentially a life at stake.’

‘Are you able to verify who you are, sir?’

‘I can send you through a scan of my warrant card. But you saw me in your office last week.’

Hesitantly, she gave him the number. Grace wrote it down. Immediately he rang the Digital Forensics Team and read out the number to one of its members, Daniel Salter, who answered. He asked Salter to locate the current position of the phone, as a matter of extreme urgency.

Ten minutes later, Salter called Roy Grace back with the GPS coordinates. The detective plotted them on his phone, then to double-check, looked at them on the map on the whiteboard.

Jack Roberts was less than two miles away from Primrose Farm Cottage. What was he doing?

Grace dialled the number.

‘Jack Roberts,’ the private investigator answered, almost instantly.

‘Mr Roberts, it’s Detective Superintendent Grace.’

He sounded hesitant. ‘Detective Superintendent — how can I help you?’

‘Can you tell me where you are and what you are doing?’

‘I’m afraid not. I’m on a covert operation for some clients. I think I’m about to have some very good news for you, but I can’t tell you where I am yet.’

‘Two miles west of the village of Forest Row in East Sussex?’

‘Very accurate, Detective Superintendent.’

‘Mr Roberts, I’ve a pretty good idea who your clients are and they are both in very considerable danger.’

‘That’s why I’m here, ready to go to their assistance.’

‘I appreciate your concern, but we have a major armed police operation in progress following several days of surveillance and intelligence gathering. I’d be very grateful for your cooperation. We both want the same thing.’

‘Of course, what do you need me to do?’

‘The best thing you can do for both your clients’ safety and your own would be to go back to your office. This may not be what you want to hear. I know your views on the police from what you told me when we met, but I need you to trust me.’

‘I’m sorry, Detective Superintendent, I promised Mrs Merrill and Major Fordwater I would be close to hand. I want to stay involved — it’s not often I get the chance of a live one, and it would be good for my business. I won’t go any closer and I won’t interfere. Is there any more information you need?’

‘Not at the moment, but stay in contact. I’m not happy about this but it’s too late to change things now,’ Grace replied. ‘We’ll stay in touch.’

‘I’d appreciate that.’

Grace ended the call and immediately updated Silver. ‘Can you trust Roberts to stay out of this?’ Helene Scott asked.

‘I hope so,’ he said.

And silently thought, So long as this doesn’t all go tits up.