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Chapter 70

‘Hehasn’t said where in Carlisle yet?’ Poe said.

Conference Room A, the bigger of Carleton Hall’s two incident rooms, was packed with officers from London and Cumbria. Poe was wedged between Bradshaw and Nightingale. Mathers had just started her briefing.

‘Not yet,’ she said.

‘Was it a text this time?’

‘It was. How did you know?’

‘Because he’s already near the meeting place,’ Poe said. ‘He didn’t call in case sound gave away his position. He’ll be watching the area to make sure it’s safe.’

‘I agree,’ Mathers said. ‘We’ll get the phone’s location but it won’t be until later today. We need a fresh warrant for each phone and he’s using burners. Linda, can you take everyone through the logistics?’

A plainclothed cop got to her feet. Poe had seen her in London, on the periphery of the main investigation.

‘At nine o’clock we move, in convoy, up to Durranhill, which I understand is Carlisle’s headquarters building,’ she said. ‘We then split into our assigned teams as per last night’s briefing. We don’t expect the Botanist to give us the final location until just before eleven. Detective Superintendent Nightingale will have a team of fifty officers in vehicles to be used in reserve should we need them, and air support is already above the city. Sergeant Poe from the National Crime Agency will walk Henning Stahl to the location and try to keep eyes on him at all times. Detective Chief Superintendent Mathers will be in overall strategic command as the gold commander. Detective Superintendent Nightingale, with herlocal expertise, will manage the operation on the ground. This is as much planning as we can do, given we don’t yet have a location. Are there any questions?’

There were a few. Not many, as the previous briefing had been thorough.

‘Are you OK, Mr Stahl?’ Mathers asked. ‘What do you think of all this?’

‘I think I picked a pretty stupid week to give up drinking.’

Which was exactly the right thing to say to a room full of jumpy cops. After the laughter had died down, Mathers said, ‘Don’t worry, one way or another, this will all be over by lunchtime.’

Poe frowned.