The uniformed officers found entrances to five tracks in the first wood. When Ed and the team checked, two led to ruined buildings but nothing that could have been used as a long-term hideout. By 17.30 they’d moved on. Bursted Wood had three tracks but only one led to a building, which was in a good state of repair. The team approached it cautiously but it was empty. Ed prepared to shift their focus to Gorsley Wood. The hideout had to be there; all they had to do was find the entrance to the right track.
A new thought struck her.
‘Mike, you said something about buildings being on older maps. If the tracks are old then wouldn’t they be shown on old maps?’
‘But we’re not looking on maps for the tracks,’ said Nat, ‘we’ve got uniform out looking for the entrances where the tracks join the road.’
‘But if an old track has been unused for years perhaps the entrance will be obscured.’
‘Or the perpetrator may have deliberately concealed the entrance to the track he’s using.’
‘Good point, Jenny.’ Ed turned to Mike and repeated her question. ‘Old tracks, like old buildings, they’d be on older maps, wouldn’t they?’
‘If we had the right map, I’m sure they’d be marked.’
‘Take Jenny and get down to the Reference Library. See what you can find. I’ll have the Station call the librarian to make sure there’s somebody to meet you.’
While Mike and Jenny were at the Library, three entrances were found to Gorsley Wood. Ed and Nat explored all three but found only one ruined building. By the time Mike and Jenny returned, the sun was down and the light was fading rapidly.
‘There’s two tracks we didn’t explore in Upper Hardres Wood and one in Bursted. Here in Gorsley Wood there’s a total of five tracks.’
‘We’ve already checked these three,’ said Ed, pointing at the map. ‘The other two must be hidden. Where should we start, Mike?’
‘The nearest is about half a mile back up this lane. Watch out for the ditch on the left when you turn the car round.’
Jenny dabbed her brake lights and rolled to a stop. Nat pulled in behind her. Mike walked back to say that Ed and Nat should start looking from where they were parked. He and Jenny would go 200 yards further on and work backwards. It was now dark but Ed specified no torches. When they met in the middle, neither pair had found anything that looked like a concealed entrance among the holly bushes and briars which formed a natural hedge between the wood and the lane.
‘I’m used to searching urban streets, Mike. What exactly should I be looking for?’
‘The verge around these woods is scrubby – there’s no lush grass to be flattened but the hedge must be thinner. He must move that part of the hedge to get in and out, so there shouldn’t be even a modest bush.’
‘Even if he’s concealed the entrance, the track must be clear inside the wood,’ said Nat.
Ed smiled. ‘Right, Nat, over you go and take a look from the other side.’
With great difficulty and quiet cursing, Nat followed Ed’s instruction. He started at Mike’s car and two-thirds of the way back to Ed’s car he signalled success but scrambled back out into the lane.
‘That’s where the track is but it’s completely overgrown, no chance he could’ve used it.’
They drove to the second spot Mike had marked and began a similar search with Nat on the inside from the beginning. As they approached a dog rose, Nat signalled excitedly and moments later the hedge began moving out towards the lane. Mike went to help and soon a section of the brambles, supported by wire and floating fencing posts, swung open like an improvised gate to reveal a rough but drivable track.
‘This must be it.’ Breaking her own order, but shielding the beam with her hand, Ed examined the ground. ‘Look, multiple tyre marks. This must be the one. Mike and Jenny, make your way along the track but stop and wait out of sight 10 to 15 yards from the building. Keep pace with us because we’ll be slower in the woods. Nat, you go 20 yards to the left and I’ll go right. We’ll approach the building in a line but when Mike and Jenny stop, Nat and I will continue to the rear of the building and then make our way round to the front. If nothing happens, we’ll go in and try to take him by surprise. Remember, no torches. We don’t want him to be spooked by approaching lights.’
Mike thought they should be cautious. ‘He might be armed and dangerous.’
‘We should go in en masse,’ said Nat, excited by the chance of some action.
‘I’m sure he’s deranged but I don’t think he’s dangerous.’
‘What about the pound of flesh, boss?’
Since her miscall, Ed had tried to forget the blood-soaked parcel but Jenny couldn’t.
‘When Nat and I are at the door, Mike and Jenny come up quickly and follow us in. Jenny, you look after Tyler. Mike, I want you ready to help whoever is confronting the abductor. We’ll start by taking it gently and try to take him by surprise.’
There were mutters of agreement and the four officers entered Gorsley Wood.
By the time Ed had gone ten yards into the trees it was so dark she couldn’t see Mike or Jenny on the track let alone Nat in the trees on the far side. Movement was difficult. The uneven ground and vegetation made progress slow. She tried lifting her feet clear of exposed roots but stray briars repeatedly snagged her legs and she was pleased she had swapped her skirt for a pair of trousers. After what seemed to be a very long 20 minutes the trees began to thin out, and ahead she could see a cleared patch of ground and the shadowy outlines of a building.
Alongside the building was a smaller outline of an open-fronted shed with the indistinct form of a vehicle parked inside. Ed wanted to punch the air in victory and relief. She’d got it right. It must be the abductor’s car. There was a muffled curse from Nat. Ed winced. Don’t blow it now! Fortunately, there was no responding light or sound from the building. She glanced at her watch. It was nearly 23.00. Perhaps the perpetrator and his victim were asleep. Nat was waiting for her at the back of the building.
‘What was that bloody noise?’
‘Sorry, boss, I nearly slipped into his shit hole. From the smell I’d definitely say he’s here.’
‘His vehicle’s parked in the shed on the other side. There’s only one entrance to the main building, directly opposite where we’re standing. In case we’ve missed something we’ll circle again. You cover the side I’ve just done and I’ll take yours. Wait at the door so we can go in together. If it’s unlocked, we’ll go in quietly, leaving the door open for Mike and Jenny. Once inside, you go right and I’ll go left.’
‘If they’re not together and I get Tyler should I leave her and come to help you?’
You will get Tyler, thought Ed, can’t you remember the girls’ descriptions of the place?
‘I’m a fully trained police officer, Nat, and I work out regularly in the gym. I can handle it. What can a lone abductor possibly do to hurt me? If you get him, no excessive force. If you get Tyler, show your Warrant Card and signal no noise. Remember, go quietly and gently. I want him taken by surprise with a minimum fuss.’
‘But what if it’s Drakes-Moulton or Podzansky? They could be real trouble.’
‘If it’s either of them, it will be good to know you’re close at hand.’
‘Shout if you need me.’
‘Okay, but don’t come unless I call you.’