Need You Dead

96 Saturday 30 April

With none of the team having anything useful to offer on the image, Grace ended the meeting, aware that Weatherley needed to get back to London.

He led the Super Recognizer back to his office, followed by Batchelor, and the three of them sat down.

‘So, tell us?’ Grace said.

Weatherley looked awkward. ‘I can tell you it’s not DS Exton. I’m afraid the images were not brilliant, as you said. If it’s OK with you I’d like to take them back to my office and see how much further we can enhance them.’

‘Yes, we can burn them on a disk or email them to you.’

Weatherley glanced at his watch. It was 6.45 p.m. ‘Email is fine and I’ll work on them first thing in the morning.’

‘Thanks, Tim, I really appreciate your help.’

Batchelor stood up. ‘Tim, I’ll show you back out to your car. When you get to the gates the barrier will open automatically.’

‘Thank you,’ he said.

As the two men left his office, Grace sat down at his desk, puzzled. Weatherley had definitely seen something in the footage, but why, he wondered, was he being so reticent?

Five minutes later he got an answer, but not the one he was expecting. A text pinged on his phone that stopped him in his tracks. It was Weatherley’s number, he recognized it from earlier.

Grace read it with growing panic. What did he mean by this? Did he mean that it was someone else he had seen here at Police HQ — or, God forbid, one of his team?

He immediately dialled Weatherley’s number, but it went straight to voicemail. He left him a message asking him to call him very urgently, and sent him a text as well.