Chapter Fifty-Eight

HAVING SEARCHED THE crowd in vain, Tim was worried about Juliet and Verity Tandy. He’d instructed his team not to use pagers but set their phones to silent so they could text each other. “Where are you? Are you OK?” he texted Juliet now. He waited five minutes for a reply, knowing that she would answer immediately if she could.

The spectators’ enthusiasm for the game was dwindling noticeably. Returning to them, he saw Giash Chakrabati stationed unobtrusively near the side entrance and Ricky MacFadyen talking to Arthur Knipes. “I need to leave now,” the old man was saying angrily. “I can’t wait until the end.” Ricky caught Tim’s eye. Tim nodded as he approached them. Ricky understood the Knipes were free to go if they wished.

“Would you like a hand getting back to your car, sir?”

“Certainly not. I won’t require help, but if I do there’s always Susannah.” Mrs Knipes had her back to Tim, so he couldn’t see her expression.

“We’ll arrange for the gate to be opened for you, Mr Knipes.” Tim observed that Andy Carstairs and Veronica Start were deep in conversation. He beckoned to Giash.

“PC Chakrabati, would you mind asking Mrs Start to open the gates for Mr and Mrs Knipes? And when she’s done that, I’d like to speak to her myself.”

Tim was irritated when a few minutes later he saw Giash and Andy walking away with Veronica Start.

“Jesus,” he muttered to himself. “It’s not as if we’re exactly overstaffed here.”

He looked at his phone again. Still no message from Juliet.

The Knipes were moving more slowly than when they’d arrived. They seemed to be arguing. At one point, Arthur Knipes halted his wheelchair and stabbed a finger at his watch. Susannah Knipes bent to say something to him and they moved on again. Veronica Start had opened the gate and was patiently waiting for them to drive through it, Andy still at her side, Giash standing at some distance. Finally, the silver people-carrier edged along the far side of the sweep and through the gate. Veronica Start flicked her remote control tag and the gate swung back again smoothly. Tim and the trio converged outside the main entrance. He spoke to Giash.

“When did you last see PC Tandy?”

“About half an hour ago, sir.”

“Try texting her, will you? Ask her where she is. Mrs Start, we need to get into the school. It’s urgent. Can you open the door, please?”

She looked panic-stricken. “I’m sorry, I can’t. Mr Lennard has the only set of keys we’ve taken out of the building today.”

“We’ve lost sight of him for the moment. We think he’s gone back into the school. I assume you know his mobile number. Can you call him?”

“I’m sorry, I can’t,” she said again. “When Mr Lennard came to the school, he had a mobile jammer system fitted, to prevent students from using their mobile phones here. It means the staff can’t get reception, either.”

“Right,” said Tim. “We’re going to go in. We’ll need back-up. Armed police with a battering ram. I’ll call Superintendent Thornton now. PC Chakrabati, we’re going to stop the netball match. Go and tell DC MacFadyen. I want you to take the names and contact details of everyone present, including the netball players. Then ask them to leave. Make sure no-one stays. Ask the visiting netball team to collect their kit from the foyer and go. Mrs Start, please open the gates for people as they leave but make sure you don’t let anyone else in. DC Carstairs will help you.”

Veronica Start stared at him like a trapped rabbit.

“DI Yates, a word,” said Andy, drawing Tim to one side. “Mrs Start has requested police protection. I think she’s traumatised.”

“She will be fucking traumatised if we don’t find Juliet and Verity Tandy soon,” said Tim, sotto voce but furiously. “Get her organised. I’m going to call Thornton.”

He moved to the shelter of the school porch and took out his phone.