Dead if You Don’t

78

Sunday 13 August

12.00–13.00

In the suite, Roy Grace stood over Giles Powell’s shoulder as the analyst pointed excitedly at figures on the monitor.

‘Sir, this pairing is interesting.’

Grace saw two car registration numbers on the screen. RW15 AVU and TR57 GPN. ‘Yes?’

‘These both pinged an ANPR camera at the Beddingham roundabout at 3.21 this morning. At 3.41 they pinged another just outside Newhaven Port. At 3.57 one at Peacehaven. At 4.07 one at Saltdean. At 4.16 they were both picked up on another ANPR camera on Marine Parade, Kemp Town. At 4.22 a.m. they were picked up by another on Kingsway, in Hove, both cars heading towards Shoreham. They were next picked up by an ANPR in Shoreham. Then nothing for some while.’

‘Are you sure, Giles?’

‘From their last recorded position, they could have headed north, through Southwick, in which case they would have been picked up by an ANPR on the A27, or continued west, and been located on the one towards Steyning. Or they could have driven into the harbour.’

‘Any other options?’ Grace asked.

‘They could have headed into Shoreham Beach, sir.’

Shoreham Beach was a vast warren of upmarket houses and apartment blocks, located between the harbour mouth and the beachfront to the west.

‘Have you done a check on these vehicles?’

‘Yes, sir,’ Powell said. ‘RW15 AVU is an Audi A4, registered to a Mr Richard Sanderson of Harewoods Lane, Haywards Heath, and TR57 GPN is a Volkswagen Golf registered to a Mr Iain Maclean of Adelaide Crescent, Hove.’

‘What do we know about either of them?’

‘No criminal records. I’ve given the details to DS Exton’s Outside Enquiry Team, sir, to see if they can locate these people or relatives urgently. But one possibility is they’re away on overseas trips, which is why their cars were selected.’

‘Quite possibly,’ Grace agreed.

‘Now this is where it gets interesting, sir: an hour after disappearing, bingo! We see the pair again apparently retracing their steps, pinging the same ANPR in Shoreham and on Kingsway in Hove heading east. Then disappearing.’

‘Heading somewhere into Hove — or Brighton?’ Grace asked.

‘In my opinion, yes.’

Grace thought for some moments. ‘Having deposited Mungo Brown somewhere in the Shoreham or Shoreham Beach area?’

‘Yes,’ Powell said. ‘Or Southwick — or somewhere to the west.’

‘I think it’s significant they went to Newhaven at the same time that Valbone Kadare went there in Dervishi’s Range Rover, which has subsequently disappeared. Could they have gone to pick him up after he dumped the car somewhere? Perhaps in a container?’

‘That would fit, sir.’

Grace called Oscar-1. An inspector who had taken over from Keith Ellis was on duty. He asked her to put out alerts for sightings of either the Audi or Golf, but with a strict instruction that the cars were not to be followed or stopped. Next, he asked her to put in place an immediate search of Newhaven Port for the Range Rover, index KK04 YXB. When he had done that he turned to the map on the wall. Shoreham Beach was an area that he and Cleo had once considered moving to, but the property prices had been prohibitive. The video and the tide chart made sense. Somewhere close to the water, for there to have been a crab present. A cave or a cavern? The whole Sussex coast was riddled with caves and had once been a smugglers’ paradise. It was fishing and smuggling that had, back in the seventeenth century, been the start of Brighton’s rise to prosperity.

Grace turned back to the map, studying the Shoreham area, trying to put himself into the mindset of a kidnapper. Where would I hide someone in this complex?

The waterfront of Shoreham Harbour was a good seven miles long. It would take days to search it properly. They now had, according to the demand sent to Mungo’s father, little over five hours.