They sat in silence, focusing on the road in front of them. Charlie hadn’t felt much like talking, following her disquieting phone call to Holloway, but fortunately neither had Sanderson. There was a lot to do today – Sanderson had already contacted her Met colleagues to discuss putting out a general alert for Stonehill – but Charlie suspected her colleague’s thoughts were focused rather closer to home. There was no question that she was risking a lot by backing Charlie. Disobeying Gardam could cost her her job, especially if they failed to find Stonehill or secure the evidence they needed.
‘I’m sorry, Charlie.’
Charlie was so wrapped up in her thoughts that she jumped slightly when Sanderson spoke. Her new boss was concentrating intently on driving, though whether this was for safety reasons or to avoid looking at her colleague was unclear.
‘I should have listened to you. You’re a good copper and I should have taken your concerns more seriously.’
Charlie wasn’t sure how to respond at first. She had been trying to make herself hate Sanderson for weeks now.
‘You were following the evidence. I don’t blame you for that,’ Charlie eventually replied.
‘I was following the evidence as I wanted to see it. Because it fitted so neatly, because it served my purpose …’
‘Helen lied to us,’ Charlie conceded, softening. ‘I understand why she did it, but it was always going to cause problems once her duplicity was revealed. You’d be a strange person and a pretty poor copper not to be suspicious of someone who’d lied to you so blatantly.’
‘I think I was so blinded by … the drama of it that I didn’t hesitate. It was the most shocking, most newsworthy case I’ve ever been involved in and I had the chance to bring it in. I guess I couldn’t resist that, though I’m embarrassed to admit it now.’
‘Listen, I don’t blame you for it. And in spite of everything, I’m sure Helen feels the same way.’
Sanderson glanced sheepishly at Charlie, clearly not entirely convinced that Helen would be so forgiving.
‘I just worry …’ Sanderson continued, after another long pause. ‘I worry that maybe I did exactly what Stonehill wanted me to do.’
Charlie didn’t contradict her colleague. She’d felt the same way for a while now and had previously cursed Sanderson for it. But now she felt nothing but sympathy for her old friend.
‘Then let’s take the fight back to him,’ she answered calmly.
Another fleeting smile from Sanderson, then she pressed down hard on the accelerator, bringing their speed up to the 90 mph mark. They were gambling a lot on their mission to London and suddenly it felt as if every second counted.