The chief constable notices Ruiz and pauses. “Vincent?”
“Thomas.”
“You’ve grown fat.”
“No fatter than you.”
The two men stare at each other.
“We should have a beer,” says Fryer, turning and striding towards Drury’s office. He slams the door with such force it bounces open again, allowing everyone to hear his contained fury.
“What in fuck’s name were you thinking arresting Hayden McBain? Have you heard the radio? They’re crucifying us. They’re saying we arrested the grieving brother of a murder victim—a teenage girl we took three years to find. Do you see how it looks?”
The DCI tries to hold his ground. “With all due respect, sir, we can’t let a mob rule the streets. Augie Shaw is dead. Someone threw a petrol bomb through his front window.”
“Someone? You don’t know who?”
“McBain and his uncle incited the riot. We have witnesses. He doesn’t have the right to take the law into his own hands.”
“Don’t tell me about his rights, Detective.” Fryer drops his voice. “Did Augie Shaw have an opportunity to escape from the house?”
“Yes, sir.”
“So he was complicit in his own death.”
“He didn’t start the fire.”
“I accept that, DCI, but answer me this: do you believe Augie Shaw killed the Heymans?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Did he kidnap Natasha McBain?”
“Quite possibly, sir.”
“Augie Shaw could be the answer to your prayers, Stephen. Wrap this up. Close the file on the Heymans and let the coroner decide what happened to Natasha McBain.”
I knock on the open door. “You’re making a mistake. Augie Shaw didn’t kidnap the Bingham Girls.”
Fryer’s face reddens. “And you know that for certain?”
“It was someone older, more experienced. Someone with knowledge of the case.”
“What knowledge?”
“Police didn’t publicize the fact that Emily Martinez waited for the girls on Sunday morning. Whoever took the girls knew this, which means it had to be someone close to the families or close to the investigation.”
Fryer waves his gloves dismissively. “That’s a big call from someone who’s only been here for a few days. This case has been the subject of two police investigations and a judicial inquiry.”
“If you close the file you’re giving up on Piper Hadley.”
“I’ve kept an open mind on this, Professor, but there isn’t one piece of credible evidence to suggest that Piper is still alive. If she escaped with Natasha McBain, we’d have found her by now. If she didn’t, the question is why? My guess is that she’s dead. She died three years ago or sometime between now and then.”
“You don’t know that.”
“In all fairness, Professor, neither do you.” His voice softens. “You’re the sort of poker player who doubles down because you’re losing badly and you think that’s the way to catch up. It’s not. You double down when you’re winning, not losing. Trust me. Walk away.”
The chief constable turns to Drury. “What’s your plan of action?”
“I’ve organized a media conference with the Hadleys. In the meantime we’re doing another search of the area, checking alibis and re-interviewing witnesses. If nothing comes up, I’ll scale the investigation down for Christmas and prepare a file for the coroner.”
Fryer nods approvingly. “Covering the spread. Wise move.”
32
Ruiz joins me in the lift and we ride down together in silence. My medication is wearing off. I can feel the other “man” waking inside me, ready to dance like a drunk.
“They don’t believe Piper is alive,” I say.
“Maybe they’re right.”
“She deserves more.”
The doors slide open. My right leg stops swinging and I pitch forward. Ruiz catches me. I straighten and pull back my shoulders, trying to pretend that nothing has happened. I can see our reflections in the large pane of glass beside the door—a man with a limp and another with a twitching arm. Both proud. Both damaged.
“You don’t have to stay,” I tell him. “You should go back to London. Where are you spending Christmas?”
“Claire has invited me to her place. I’m worried Miranda might be there.”
Claire is Ruiz’s daughter. Miranda is his most recent ex-wife, the one he’s still sleeping with.
“I thought you two were tearing up the sheets,” I say.
“I’m not complaining about the sex but she wants me to have feelings.”