Ed’s business sense won over his emotional shock at Emma’s reappearance. It was her superior officer who earned his respect by suggesting they relocate to a private room at the Central Library. Once there, all four were able to digest the implications of the WhatsApp message, and Mickey Palmer’s legacy could be evaluated by both Ed and O’Brien. The document pages were spread on the table in front of Ed now, but it was his friend’s fate that held their attention.
‘There is a slim possibility it did come from Billie,’ argued Robin. ‘He obviously kept your covering letter, as it’s not here. The number it came from is certainly the one he used, and he could simply have changed his mind before getting to Bootle.’
‘That still doesn’t explain why he ignored my messages while sending that one to Emma… sorry… Emily.’ Ed offered her an apologetic glance.
‘It doesn’t,’ she agreed. ‘But nothing gets around the fact that you now know I use both those names—yet Billie doesn’t. He’s not going to call me Emily, is he? He’s only ever known me as Emma, or Em. Which then begs the question: if that wasn’t Billie, who was it? And how did they get my number and his phone?’
Robin’s voice broke the silence that followed. ‘I’m afraid it gets even more complicated. That was his new phone. The old one went on a curious journey. Have a look at this.’ He set his own handset down on the table and explained how Billie had been concerned about hacking, causing the episode at All Star Lanes and the discovery of the tracking bug. ‘This is where it is now: somewhere in deepest Lancashire. I used their own tactics against them.’
‘Explain that.’ O’Brien shot him a look.
‘I work in the communications industry. I got one of my colleagues to overlay a similar piece of software on top of the one they planted. We just wanted to see if the voicemails were genuine. Now I’m convinced they weren’t.’
Emily leaned forward. ‘You have a name? The officer who left the voicemails?’
‘I can do better than that. Listen to this.’ A recording of the second voicemail from Billie’s phone came over the speaker, prompting an immediate reaction from Emily.
‘Tanner? Charlie Tanner… fuck me! I never saw that.’
‘Excuse me,’ said O’Brien, reaching into his jacket pocket. He glanced at his phone, vibrations building to an audible buzz. ‘I’ll have to take this. Base,’ he said in explanation, stood up and made for the door. ‘Yes, Pauline…’
As he left the room, Emily shook herself out of her reverie and took over. ‘Let me see that tracking information again. Did Tanner collect Billie’s phone in person?’
‘A uniformed officer picked it up and took it back to GMP HQ. Then later it showed up here, not far from Clitheroe in Lancashire. I’ve checked, and it just seems like a private house out in the sticks. That wouldn’t be Tanner’s home address, would it?’
‘No, it wouldn’t.’ Emily had a puzzled look on her face as she zoomed in on the map. ‘But I do know whose address it is.’
*
‘Say that again.’ O’Brien was stood in the corridor, his phone clamped to his ear.
Pauline’s voice held little emotion, but he knew her well enough to understand how much she was holding back. ‘The chief’s given us twenty-four hours from noon today. Unless you have something concrete by then. We’ve nothing fresh here.’
O’Brien swallowed a sigh. ‘Understandable, I suppose. He won’t want useful officers sitting idle on a dead-end project.’
‘But you don’t think this is one?’
He could hear the hope behind the question. ‘No. I’m sure of it. We’ve had a few interesting developments. I’ll need an hour or two today before I call him. What is it now, twelve forty? If he gets back on to you, tell him my phone’s switched off and you couldn’t reach me.’
‘Will do. One more thing: our man in Manchester needs a word. Are you in a position to meet, or do you want to phone him?’
‘I’ll give him a call now.’ O’Brien rang off and immediately looked for another contact on his display. He only had to wait a couple of seconds to get a response. ‘Tanner? What have you got for me?’
*
It was a surprise to learn how closely Emily was connected to Eric Vinke, but Ed was more shocked to learn that Billie’s phone had been taken to the writer’s home in Lancashire. Emily was adamant she recognised it on Google Maps, having visited the house several times with her mother.
‘I haven’t been there for about… fifteen years. But that’s definitely it. You can see the extension to the original property on here, and I remember seeing the photos. He was very proud of it. Designed it himself.’
‘But why would this policeman have taken the phone there?’
Emily’s brain was in turbo mode. ‘My uncle knew about that.’ She pointed to the open folder Ed was still studying. ‘We were about to work together on a second book, and he was going to figure out the best way of using the information without risking a legal case. Then he stopped communicating. Maybe he knows Tanner. Or maybe… Gris knows him.’
In the silence that followed, Ed glanced at Robin, receiving only raised eyebrows in return. He returned his attention to the papers in the folder, still puzzled by what he had been reading. He scarcely noticed the next part of the conversation between his partner and Emily.
‘Look, I realise it complicates things if this is your uncle’s place, but I do think we have to think about the ramifications of both Billie’s phones potentially being in Gris’s hands—if he's alive.’
‘Sorry. Yes, you’re right. If this is Gris’s work, or even Meredith’s, then we have to assume he now has all our contact details.’
‘Worse than that. He almost certainly has Billie as well. You did say your friend saw a second man enter the Bootle house. And we know Billie was heading there yesterday.’
She nodded slowly. ‘Correct. The way I’m seeing it is this: Meredith got to Wally first and killed him after extracting information, probably about the history of the document. Billie must have arrived in the middle of it, or shortly after, and so Meredith had to deal with him too. He’d need to find out about Billie’s connection, so he’ll want to question him somewhere. And this could be where he’s taken him.’
‘But why would he go there? What’s the link to your uncle?’
‘The only thing that springs to mind is they were on opposite sides of the argument. Uncle Eric liked to explore conspiracy theories, to uncover the stuff people like Gris wanted to keep quiet. So I’m wondering if he went too far.’
‘Who?’ said Robin. ‘Peter Gris?’
‘No. My uncle. Maybe he got a visit from Meredith too.’
Respecting the implication, and with Emily’s attention on pause, Ed gave a small cough to alert her to his own contribution. ‘Can I say something?’
‘What?’
‘This document. There’s something wrong with it.’
Now he had her undivided attention. ‘Wrong? You mean fake?’
Ed swallowed hard. ‘No. I… it’s just this one letter. The one about Ismay. It’s supposed to be from the Seaman’s Association in Belfast.’
‘That’s right. One of the unions.’
‘No, it’s not.’ Ed was on home territory now. ‘There’s no such union. No such company to my certain knowledge. There never has been.’
It was a second, baffling revelation to consider. Quickly followed by a third. Ed’s phone produced an audible alert, and he checked the short message on screen. ‘I don’t like this. Chrissie says she’s just had a very odd text from Billie.’