Wendy was about to head into the interview room to speak to Father Joseph with DCI Culverhouse again when Steve Wing stopped her.
‘I’ve just had a call which might interest you,’ he said, between mouthfuls of sausage roll.
‘Can it wait, Steve?’ Wendy said, keen not to waste any more time.
‘Uh, not if you’re going to the interview room, no. This is probably something you’ll want to know about first.’
Although Steve had a reputation for pratting about at times, Wendy could see by the look on his face that the message was something worth hearing.
‘Go on.’
‘Earlier today I spoke to James Aston again, formerly called Harry Gallagher. He seemed a bit uneasy but I just put that down to the situation, you know. Father Joseph being in custody, all the memories coming flooding back and that. I didn’t think much of it at the time, but the thing is he just called me back. He said he didn’t want to sound as if he was panicking, but he hasn’t had any messages from Ben since yesterday.’
‘So what? I thought he was sending the camera drone over weekly?’ Wendy said.
‘He was. But recently he’s been doing it every day. He said he was worried because Ben always leaves a message, without fail. Even if it’s just to say “no news”, he always does it. James said he sort of treated it like a dead man’s switch: if Ben didn’t leave a message, he’d assume it was because he was unable to.’
Wendy shuffled uncomfortably. ‘He might be ill or something.’
‘Might be,’ Steve said. ‘But James seemed pretty convinced something was wrong.’
She thought about this for a moment. ‘I think we have to bear in mind that things have changed pretty quickly. Father Joseph’s in custody, there are officers searching the farm for evidence. I should imagine he either thinks there’s no use sending messages out or it’s passed him by because of everything that’s going on.’
Steve put on an uneasy smile, and shook his head. ‘I dunno. The search officers are making a point of keeping things respectful where they can. They’ve not just gone in and turned the place upside down. The church organisers and rankers are under twenty-four hour watch. The residents themselves aren’t being harassed or anything. Other than being asked if they want to provide witness statements, that is.’
‘And are they?’ Wendy asked.
‘Not really. Most are supportive of the church and are pissed off that we’re trying to ruin things for them. The atmosphere’s pretty hostile for a religious community. Kind of a good thing, I guess, as anyone who does want to talk, will. At least we’re not wasting our time speaking to people who’ll try to deflect from the issues when we could be using those officers to search. We’re short-staffed enough as it is over there. The place is huge.’
Wendy considered her options. ‘Right. I’d say the best way forward is to try and locate Ben Gallagher at the farm. People will know where he is, or where he’s meant to be. Speak to James Aston again and get him to mark on an aerial map where Ben’s lodging is. We’ll make sure officers keep a specific eye out for him. Is there any chance he could’ve escaped?’
Steve shook his head. ‘No. Only way out is through the main gate, as we know, and there are officers stationed on it. He’s definitely still in there somewhere. The only question is whether he’s alive or dead.’