Need You Dead

106 Saturday 30 April

‘Shit!’ PC Trundle said. ‘Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit!’

They had stopped, momentarily, outside the Ginger Fox, staring at the road signs — although they knew this area like the back of their hands.

Trundle was trying to guess which way the car had gone. Which road would he have taken, he wondered? And every second that they wasted here meant the Mondeo was getting further and further away.

‘A23?’ Pip Edwards suggested. ‘That’s where I’d head.’

‘If that’s where he wanted to get to, he’d have hit it sooner.’ Trundle shook his head. ‘He’s been keeping to the back roads and obviously has local knowledge.’

‘Right, so let’s think for a moment,’ Edwards said. ‘Where’s he actually going?’

‘I’ve no idea.’

‘You’ve nicked a car, the police are on to you. You need to ditch it — but preferably somewhere else you can nick another car to shake them off.’

‘A pub car park?’

Edwards shrugged. ‘If he had the presence of mind, maybe. Not sure I’d think that if I was in a red-mist panic, I’d just keep driving, in the hope of getting away — as he has done. Perhaps losing us in a town. Crawley? Haywards Heath? Burgess Hill? Brighton? Could be any of those. So, straight on or one of the rights?’

The two officers stared ahead.

‘I don’t think he’s turned off — I think he’s carried on towards Henfield,’ said Trundle.

‘Do we toss a coin?’

Trundle pressed his radio button. ‘Ops-1, we have lost Golf Yankee One Four Golf Romeo X-ray. He could have gone one of three ways. We are terminating the pursuit.’ He gave the road numbers.

‘OK, Hotel Tango Two Eight One, stand down and stay where you are. We’ll see if he’s spotted on any of those routes. You’re in a good position if he doubles back, so stay put.’

‘Stay put,’ he repeated, flatly, sensing from the tone of Kim Sherwood’s voice that she felt they’d fucked up. ‘Yes, yes.’

Moments later Inspector Sherwood’s voice came through the radio again, sounding much more animated. ‘Subject vehicle has just been sighted! Single male occupant.’