“Do you want me to drive?” asked PC Morgan.
“No,” said Adrian, climbing into the driver’s seat. Adrenaline filled his veins, but he managed a thin smile and a shake of the head. “But, don’t worry, I’m fine to drive. And I know how this truck handles better than anyone. Do you want me to head the same way I came? The Newbridge road?”
“Yes,” said PC Morgan, jumping into the passenger seat, slamming the door and clipping the police-issued mobile phone onto his yellow jacket. “That’s the quickest route back. And as long as you drive safely, you’ll be okay to push the speed limit, son.”
Once they’d both belted up, Adrian put the car into gear and headed for the car park exit. Keeping his calm, he took them smoothly out onto the main street.
“What’s an AFO?” he asked, without taking his eyes from the road. “You told PC Lewis you needed AFOs?”
“Authorised firearms officers. Look, I don’t want you to worry, son. As police officers in this country we’re trained to deal with these situations, even though we don’t carry firearms. But in cases where a person is armed, we need to call in AFOs just in case the situation turns ugly. I’m sure it won’t come to that, but we have to follow procedures.”
Adrian loved hearing people say they didn’t want him to worry because that was precisely what he ended up doing. While he concentrated on driving, PC Morgan kept close tabs on the video movement on Adrian’s phone. With the mobile device on his lapel, he stayed in constant communication with PC Lewis.
“Bobby. Looks as though they’re moving outside. Out onto the back patio. The external camera only covers the lawn down to the end of the garden.”
Adrian’s pulse hammered in his neck. His heart cried out to be there with Leonard, even though his head reasoned that having the police with him right now was the best he could hope for. If anything happened to Lenny, and the person was still standing, Adrian wasn’t sure what he would do to them.
“No, Bobby. Stick to the plan. Come in from the front of the premises. See if the intruder used any mode of transport. If anything happens, they’ll have to come back out that way. Hang on.”
Adrian glanced over at the phone in PC Morgan’s hand.
“Mr Lamperton, would you or Mr Day have left the front door open?”
“No. After the intruder, Lenny knows to keep the door shut.”
“Good to hear. But is there an access path around the side of the house?”
“There is. To the right of the front door.”
“Did you catch that, Bobby?” said PC Morgan, then to Adrian, “Looks like they’re leading your friend to the end of the garden. They’ll be out of camera range in a moment. Good job I know this area well. Take the next right up ahead.”
“What?” said Adrian, his head snapping round to look at PC Morgan. “But that’s not the road to—”
“Do as I say. I’m fairly sure I know where they’re heading. There’s a pathway from the back of your place that leads directly to the Hughes farm.”
Adrian slowed the truck and took a hard right, before bumping and bouncing down a small lane. A few minutes farther along, through the gaps in hedgerows, Adrian glimpsed a dark-coloured vehicle parked just beyond a turnstile. Only as they drove closer and PC Morgan told him to stop did he realise the make and model.
An old black Ford Fiesta.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Sins
Leonard had not seen his cousin since the funeral. Back then, Matthew had dressed in a black suit and tie, with dark glasses. Today he wore a dark-grey hoodie covering his head, matching grey track bottoms more befitting a teenager and black motorcycle boots. Without the sunglasses to hide them, his dark, wild eyes darted around the room, checking each corner, before settling to glower at Leonard.
When Leonard met his gaze, Matthew levelled the gun directly at his chest. More from a primal instinct than anything, Leonard sensed by his cousin’s shifty body language that he was unbalanced.
“You couldn’t leave things alone, could you?” came the nasally voice, which might have sounded amusing under any other circumstances. “You had to pry, didn’t you? Had to keep digging? You couldn’t just leave things alone.”
“Matthew. What are you doing here?”
“Is that it? Is that what you found?” said Matthew, his head turning to the Welsh dresser, the barrel of the gun flicking in the same direction. “Where did he hide it? There was nothing here last time I came.”
“Boarded up behind that wall,” said Leonard, pointing to the side of the chimney breast. When Matthew turned in that direction, Leonard used the heel of his left palm to push the envelope beneath the drawer on the table.
“Don’t lie to me,” said Matthew, returning his glare. “That alcove was empty when I came here last.”
So Matthew had been the intruder.
