Dead of Winter

Chapter 67

It was six a.m. and nearly dawn.

Davidson called Carter, Ebony and Robbo for a meeting in his office. The atmosphere in the office was tired, sweaty. Davidson opened the window; a blast of cold air hit his face and filtered round the room.

‘Have we found Justin de Lange yet?’

‘No, sir.’

‘The fingertips we received in the post?’

‘We can’t be sure who they belong to, only that whoever he was he raped and killed Tanya and that his fingerprints match the print at Blackdown Barn and the one next to Sophie Carmichael at Rose Cottage.’

Robbo handed Davidson a printout of an order from a company that customized ambulances.

‘Justin de Lange ordered three ambulances and one of them was to be kept plain white. The small aircraft company that ferries medical supplies — it has booked airspace later on today. It’s due to fly out from a small airport near Beacon Heath, just off the M25, at five this afternoon. Booked in for two passengers.’

‘Do we know who?’

‘No, sir,’ said Ebony. ‘But Martingale is due to operate today. I rang the hospital. He has an operation booked for early this afternoon. I think we need to get a warrant now, sir, if we’re to stop the boy being operated on. I think Martingale must be involved.’

‘Carter?’ Carter had been checking his phone.

‘When we went to his house, sir, he had plaques all over the wall for best orchids in this and that show. All the shows are in spring. I asked him if he was over at all around the time of his daughter’s murder. He said he wasn’t; he lied. He was awarded top prize just two weeks before she was killed. Here is the plaque to prove it. He just couldn’t bear to keep it to himself.’ He enlarged the image; it showed the date.

‘Added to the fact he said he didn’t know Digger. .’ He turned his phone around to show Davidson.

Davidson excused himself as he took a call from Harding. He looked up when it finished.

‘Neither Helen or Michael Tapp is a match for their son Alex’s DNA.’