Dead of Winter

Chapter 48

Back at Fletcher House Ebony and Carter joined Robbo at his desk to take a look at the CCTV footage of the surrounding streets leading to the Arsenal stadium.

‘I’ve been looking for all sightings of Alex Tapp on CCTV in the area.’

‘This is Alex leaving the stadium at half time. He’s wearing his Arsenal shirt. Here he’s looking around.’

‘Is he looking for someone?’ asked Carter. ‘What’s he got in his hands? Looks like a book.’

‘Bigger,’ said Ebony. ‘A laptop, or tablet maybe.’

‘Yes,’ agreed Robbo. ‘He’s carrying it as if it’s important to him, precious. Was there any mention of him having disappeared with his laptop?’ He turned to ask Carter who shook his head in reply. ‘Here, he crosses the road past the Tesco’s on the corner, then he keeps walking. He seems to know where to go.’

‘He’s headed back towards the Underground station,’ said Carter.

‘Ah. You think so, and then he doubles back. Here.’ Robbo double-clicked on another film at the bottom of the screen. ‘We pick him up again walking on the pavement opposite Tesco’s, as if someone has told him to double-back and throw us off the scent. Here he walks up towards Highbury Hill. Then we lose him again until. . this.’ Robbo clicked on another film. ‘This was taken off St Paul’s Road down towards Highbury Corner, that’s about a fifteen-minute walk from the stadium.’ The squeeze around Robbo’s PC became even tighter as everyone moved closer to get a better look at the grainy image on the screen.

‘He’s with a woman,’ said Carter. He looked at the screen as Alex turned to look up at the woman. ‘How tall is Alex, Ebb, do we know?’

‘Five five, Sarge.’

‘So the woman is what, five nine? She looks a good few inches taller than him.’

‘She could have heels, Sarge; she could be anything from about five four.’

‘Long dark hair, probably a wig,’ said Carter. ‘You can see how she’s keeping her head down while she’s talking to Alex. She knows she might be on camera. What do we think about Alex? Ebb?’

‘He looks nervous, Sarge. He keeps looking over his shoulder. He’s having second thoughts maybe.’

‘Now her arm goes around him,’ said Carter.

‘Maternal,’ said Robbo.

‘Agreed,’ said Carter. ‘She’s not promised him sex obviously. She’s not coming on to him. She’s promised him something else. . love, friendship, something he’s been missing. Something he wants so badly he’s prepared to walk out on his friend in the middle of his team’s match on his birthday. Whatever it is she’s promised it’s worth the world to him.’

‘There. .’ said Ebony. ‘He’s turning again. Looking behind.’

‘But he knows he could easily run from her.’ Robbo stared at the screen. He enlarged it. ‘He passes a policeman there. He could easily say something but he doesn’t. She leaves her arm around him and he looks up and smiles at her. He seems to be finally sure of what he’s doing at this point.

‘We lose him for a bit after they turn down the next street. But after a few more minutes. . look at this.’ Robbo moved onto another clip where a van door was opening and Alex was getting into the passenger seat. ‘Bingo.’

‘Shit. .’ Carter shook his head.

‘Yeah, we have a match to the plates, but they don’t belong to that vehicle. They were stolen a week before Alex’s abduction. Nothing’s been seen of them since that day,’ said Robbo

‘Who is she?’ Carter enlarged the picture of the woman for a better look.

‘Sandford says it’s a definite result matching the hair sample from Blackdown Barn and Sonny’s flat. Same woman, definitely.’

‘Maybe this is her?’ Carter picked up his keys and his coat and looked across at Ebony.

‘Let’s go, Ebb. I want to see what Sandford’s found.’