Despite only being four storeys tall, the concrete and darkened privacy glass structure of Kent Police’s headquarters at Gravesend cast a long shadow over Gavin as he walked across the concourse from the car park beside Sharp.
Behind them, a steady stream of liveried vehicles roared towards the dual carriageway, sirens blaring as soon as they met the traffic leading past the industrial park.
The steel bollards on either side of the baked paving slabs created a guard of honour, gleaming in the sun’s glare and making him squint against the harsh light.
His black canvas backpack bumped against his right shoulder, the bag laden with several manila folders containing briefing documents and his laptop. He unzipped a side pocket on it when they drew closer, pulled out his Northfleet security card and clipped it to his belt while Sharp swiped his own across a security panel to the right of the door.
As soon as he followed the DCI into the atrium, he exhaled.
Cool air conditioning wicked away the moisture at the nape of his neck, and he straightened his tie.
‘Which floor are we on, guv?’ he said, following Sharp to the two lifts beside a vending machine and trying to ignore the taunting cans of soft drink behind the glass.
‘Third.’ Sharp stepped into the empty lift and jabbed the button. ‘Chief Superintendent Greensmith will be in attendance, as well as the area commander for East Division.’
Gavin swallowed, the thought of so many superior officers in one room causing his heart to palpitate. He glanced sideways at Sharp, who was eyeing him closely.
The DCI winked. ‘Don’t worry. If anyone’s arse is going to get kicked on this one, it’ll be mine. Just make sure you can lay your hands on the information I need when I’m asked, and you’ll be all right. This will be good experience for you, if anything.’
Managing a faint smile, Gavin watched the numbers above the lift doors blink from left to right as they ascended. ‘I’ll try to remember that, guv.’
There was a slight bump as the lift came to a standstill, and then he was following the DCI past rows of partitioned desks, every one taken by a harried-looking officer.
Phones rang, voices called across the room to one another, and as they approached the last row before a suite of private offices, he saw that the enormous screen on the wall nearest to him displayed a live aerial view of the pub.
The volume had been muted, but it appeared that the police helicopter was flying a circular route encompassing the countryside north of the M20 between Maidstone and Lenham, its progress methodical.
‘Oof… Watch where you’re going.’
He stumbled, turning his attention back to where he was walking. ‘I’m so sorry.’
Crouching to pick up the paperwork that now covered the carpet tiles like cheap confetti, his cheeks burning, he looked up at the woman he’d collided with.
She wore a uniform that looked as if it had been pressed to within an inch of its life, and when he rose to his feet his heart sank at the sight of the pips on her shoulder epaulettes.
‘Detective Constable Piper, meet Assistant Chief Constable Tess Bainbridge,’ said Sharp. ‘The ACC is acting as our firearms commander on this one, given her experience in anti-terrorism operations.’
Gavin handed over the paperwork, sure that the volume of conversations in the room had ebbed around him while everyone stared. ‘Sorry, ma’am.’
She cocked a perfectly tweaked eyebrow in response. ‘In a hurry to get to our meeting, Detective Piper?’
‘I… yes, I am.’ He nodded towards the screen. ‘Is that a live feed?’
‘It is. We’ve had the helicopter up at regular intervals using thermal imaging equipment since the call came in last night.’ Bainbridge’s lips thinned. ‘No luck yet, but the chief constable’s approved the budget so we’ll keep looking.’
He glanced over his shoulder as the hubbub in the room increased. ‘Are all of these people taking calls from the public, or…?’
‘No. This is our tactical command centre, purely for managing the search and arrest. We’ve got another team downstairs fielding phone calls from the public and media, specially trained for the role.’ Her eyes softened. ‘Maybe another time I’ll give you the grand tour, but given the current situation…’
‘Please, lead the way,’ said Sharp.
Gavin’s heart sank as the DCI aimed a slight shake of his head at him before falling into step beside Bainbridge.
The two senior officers hurried away, heads lowered in conversation.
‘Nice one, Piper,’ he muttered. ‘At this rate, Laura will make sergeant before you.’
Three doors along from the open-plan space, he walked into a large conference room full of senior officers.
An ash-coloured oval table filled the centre of the room, with twelve chairs placed around it at intervals and a smaller screen on the wall beside the door displaying the same aerial footage he’d seen a moment before.
This time, however, the sound was turned up and after taking a seat beside Sharp with his back to the window, his attention wandered back to the running commentary.
‘The pilot’s with the National Police Air Service. He and the crew are talking to another team downstairs,’ the DCI murmured. ‘They’ll stay in the air for three to four hours, stop to refuel and return to the site.’
‘Do they alternate crew members, guv?’
‘Yes.’ Sharp checked his watch. ‘I would think this is the second crew up now if the aircraft has been used all night.’
Tess Bainbridge turned away from the group of senior officers she’d been talking to, and raised her voice. ‘Right, if you could all take your seats please, we’ll make a start. The chief constable wants to release a statement by noon providing an update so we’d best make sure he has something to say. Can someone mute the screen?’
Moments later, the door was closed and a silence fell amongst the gathered officers.
‘If I could please start with an update from you, Devon?’ said Bainbridge, flipping open a leather-bound notepad. ‘We’ll work our way up the chain of command first, and then proceed with what needs to be done to bring in this suspect.’
Sharp cleared his throat. ‘At the present time, we have officers conducting house-to-house enquiries in the immediate vicinity of the White Hart. That includes all properties within a two-mile radius, including any that are holiday homes. We’re working on the basis that although we spoke to many homeowners last night, it was impossible to conduct thorough searches of outbuildings and private land until daylight. Paul Disher is managing our local tactical firearms team, and is on standby if we uncover suspicious activity.’
‘Paul’s an excellent officer,’ said Bainbridge, nodding to herself as she jotted notes. ‘I’ve worked with him on a couple of operations before and he’s the right man to have around you when the shit hits the fan.’
‘Good to know, ma’am. From what DI Hunter told me last night about his handling of the situation, I have no doubt he’s an asset to our investigation.’
‘Kay Hunter is silver commander on this one?’
‘She is, and DS Ian Barnes is her deputy SIO.’
‘What’s their current remit?’
‘They’re working with their team to interview everyone who was in the pub last night prior to the shooting, and I’ve been informed that a sketch artist will be working with the husband of the woman who works there to provide images of both the victim and the suspect by this afternoon. We’ve also made progress with drawing up a list of firearms certificate holders in the divisional area and will start those interviews this afternoon.’
‘That’s good progress within the time you’ve had, Devon. Thanks.’ Bainbridge turned to Susan Greensmith. ‘That’s going to be a significant number of people to get to within a short amount of time. How are we managing manpower?’
‘The initial visits will be kept shorter for those who live farthest away from the crime scene,’ explained the chief superintendent. ‘It’ll be the case that certificate holders will be asked about their movements last night, and a brief check in relation to the security of their firearms will be carried out while officers are at the premises. For those firearms holders closer to the pub, the same checks will take place but we’ll be speaking to alibis as well.’
‘Good, thanks.’ Bainbridge peered at the large screen on the wall and leaned closer to the conference phone in the middle of the table. ‘Constable Woods, can you let us have an update airside, please?’
Sharp leaned closer and murmured in Gavin’s ear. ‘That’s Erin Woods, one of the tactical flight officers on board. She’s based with the NPAS at their Redhill base.’
He nodded in response, then listened as the woman’s voice carried over the speakers.
‘Ma’am, we’re continuing a watching brief on all major routes leading past the crime scene and coordinating with Traffic division on minor roads,’ she said. ‘Infrared hasn’t picked up anything suspicious within wooded areas around the White Hart, and one instance we had this morning of someone crossing a field was confirmed by on-ground officers as being a local out on a run.’
‘Any abandoned vehicles or suspicious activity within the five-mile radius of the pub?’
Watching the live feed as the TFO provided her update, Gavin’s stomach lurched as the helicopter banked and began its next circuit of the area.
‘Negative, ma’am,’ said Erin, raising her voice over the clatter of the helicopter’s rotors. ‘The burned-out car that was spotted earlier this morning has been eliminated from enquiries and its owner located. We’ll continue to provide regular updates throughout the day.’
‘Thank you, constable.’
Gavin listened as the ACC continued to work her way around the table, providing suggestions to her officers and listening without interruption as each person spoke.
Finally, after the last update was provided by an older DCI from East Division confirming no suspicious activity at that end of the county, Bainbridge shuffled the papers in front of her and eyed the people gathered around the table.
‘I have to agree with what I’ve heard this morning, in that the general consensus is that this shooting incident wasn’t a random attack but that the victim was the only person the killer had in mind. Given that no shots were fired at or inside the pub, and there have been no reports of threatening behaviour in the area, we should assume that the general public are not in as much danger as was first thought.’ The ACC slipped the paperwork into the leather folder and zipped it closed. ‘I would therefore like to lower the current threat level, issue an updated media release informing the public that we believe this to be an isolated incident, and then concentrate our efforts on the immediate area around the White Hart pub.’
She pushed back her chair, focusing her attention on Sharp. ‘Devon, I’d like you to continue to act as gold commander for the search and arrest of the killer. I expect regular updates, and remind your team not to take any risks. One death this week is enough.’
Gavin rose to his feet beside the DCI as Bainbridge left the room without another word, his hands trembling while he gathered his notes.
When he turned to Sharp, the man’s face was grim.
‘You heard her, Piper,’ he murmured. ‘Let’s make sure everyone back at the incident room goes home safe once this is over.’