‘Well I wish we’d stopped. That’s all I’m saying.’ Jessie looked sulkily out of the car window.
Deepak sighed and shook his head. A reply felt unnecessary. She knew what he was thinking, what he would say. They were working, they might lose Helen Hibbert if they stopped now, the fish and chip shop would still be there once they had finished … all that. She knew what he would say because she had heard it all before. Many times.
‘Look,’ said Deepak, staring through the windscreen. ‘If she goes any further down there, we’re going to lose her.’
‘Then we get out of the car and follow her.’
Deepak didn’t look happy about that.
‘What, now you don’t want to follow her?’
He shrugged. ‘It’s cold. I didn’t bring appropriate clothing.’
Jessie smiled, looked away.
After leaving the Sloane house, they had gone back to Helen Hibbert’s flat to question her and found her leaving, pulling a suitcase behind her. They had followed her, trying to be as inconspicuous as possible. Deepak was very good, she had to give him that. All the way down the A14 to Harwich. Sometimes he had been one car behind her, sometimes two or three. At one point he was even in front. But he never once lost sight of her. And never let her know she was being tailed.
They had pulled back as she had negotiated the old narrow lanes of Harwich, waiting until she had parked and got out before bringing their car alongside her. They had watched as she set off walking, pulling her suitcase behind her.
‘Looks like she’s got a hot date,’ said Jessie, then turned to Deepak. ‘Sorry. Cold date.’
‘Very funny,’ he said, face straight.
They watched her walk towards the stacked old boats.
‘Very brave,’ said Deepak.
‘Or stupid,’ said Jessie.
‘Maybe she’s meeting someone there,’ said Deepak.
‘Let’s hope it’s who she wants to meet.’
Deepak leaned over to the glove compartment, took out a pair of miniature binoculars.
‘You think of everything, don’t you?’ said Jessie. ‘Apart from bringing warm clothing, of course.’
Deepak ignored her, watched Helen Hibbert.
‘She’s stopped,’ he said.
‘Let me see.’ Jessie made a grab for the binoculars. Deepak held her off.
‘Just a minute.’ He kept watching. ‘There’s somebody with her.’
‘Let me see.’
Again he stopped her. He smiled. ‘Well, well, well … ’
‘What? What?’ Jessie scowled. ‘I hate it when you do this.’
He put the binoculars down, turned to his superior. ‘This gets better.’