Page 77

He lets the words sink in.
‘You think Jason saw Matthew … in the bivouac?’
‘I do,’ says Mac.
‘But why would he refer to him as a ghost?’
‘You know, someone who isn’t supposed to exist. I think Matthew confronted Jason in his tent. He wanted him to tell him who killed his father, and when Jason didn’t give him the answers he wanted, he whacked him in the head and used the storm as cover. It’s why I flew out to Morocco on the first plane I could get. Just bloody annoying it still took me two days to get here.’
‘Who did Jason think killed Glenn?’ I ask.
‘Well, this is the thing. Are you guys ready?’
‘This isn’t your podcast – get to the point,’ snaps Pete.
Mac can hardly sit still. ‘No idea how he did it, but it looks like Jason managed to get hold of CCTV from Glenn’s neighbour on the day of his death. And it showsAdrienneat Glenn’s house.’
‘What?’ Pete’s eyes flash, and he grabs the laptop so it faces him. ‘You didn’t tell me that in the car. Show me.’
Mac reaches over and scrolls to the image file. He clicks on it – even though it’s a grainy black-and-white image, it’s unmistakably Adrienne. The timestamp reads six a.m. ‘Pretty early to be going to his house,’ I say. I’m proud of how calm my voice sounds, despite my brain going into overdrive.
‘It was the morning of the Yorkshire 100. She must have stopped there before driving to the starting line,’ Pete says. I can almost hear the cogs turning in his mind. Piecing things together.
‘What do you think she was there to do? Apologize?’ Mac asks.
Pete hesitates before eventually shaking his head.
‘I don’t think so either,’ continues Mac. ‘All we know is Adrienne was probably the last person to see Glenn alive. And after what she accused him of, she might as well have killed him. Did Adrienne tell the police she’d been there?’
‘No,’ Pete says in a quiet voice.
‘Aha! If it was an innocent visit, she would have told them. But she hid it. Motive, opportunity. I think that was enough for Jason. So it might have been enough for Matthew too.’
‘It’s fucking absurd,’ Pete splutters.
I put my hand on his arm, squeezing it.
‘So you think Matthew’s here, right now, to avenge his dad? And do what to Adrienne – try to hurt her?’ I ask.
‘We have to warn her,’ says Pete, standing up. ‘Get her to safety.’
‘Wait a sec,’ I say. ‘Nabil. Before we go rushing to Adrienne, tell me what you found out at the hospital.’ My heart feels tight as a realization sinks in – Pete didn’t rush here because I asked. He came because he thinks his ex-wife is in danger.
Pete nods, his eyes dark. ‘Well, you were right to ask the question. There was something weird. Traces of sedative were found in his system.’
‘And that contributed to his death?’
‘Looks like it, combined with his pre-existing heart condition and the brutality of the course.’
Now it’s Mac’s turn to look shocked. ‘We were both keeping things from each other on that car ride then, huh?’
‘His family insist he would never take drugs like that,’ continues Pete.
‘So … someone did this to him,’ I say.
‘And that’s a terrifying thought,’ adds Pete.
‘Presumably Boones knows about the sedatives? I can’t believe the race is still on,’ Mac says, leaning back in his chair.