Page 64

CHAPTER 64

MELANIE – D AY F IVE

‘A maths teacher ?’ Melanie can’t believe it. She marches from her office to the incident room. ‘We may have something, people.’ Her voice is so loud that several heads turn. ‘Right. Stay on the line, Matthew.’ She strides further, up to Sam’s desk, and holds the phone in front of her.

‘I’m putting you on speaker this end, Matt. I’m with one of my DSs – Sam. He’s working through the black Volvo drivers caught on cameras within a few miles of the canal when Amelie disappeared. You said one was a maths teacher, Sam?’

‘That’s right. Neighbour confirmed occupation.’

‘Look his name up, will you? We may have a link. And you look up the girl’s full name, Matthew.’

‘Olivia something,’ Matthew says. ‘I can’t remember. Hang on.’

Complete hush across the incident room.

‘Here it is. Olivia Miles. ’

‘John Miles,’ Sam says almost simultaneously.

A beat of disbelief. Adrenaline shoots right through Melanie’s body. She’d expected the breakthrough to come from the photofit. It takes her a moment to accept it’s been here all along. A note in Matthew’s diary. A girl ... in ... his .. . office.

‘Right. I think this may be our man, Matthew. I’ll ring you back. Need to get everything going. He’s not at home, we know that, but we’ll do a full search of his house. Speak to the neighbours again. Check his Volvo across live ANPR.’

‘No. Don’t ring off, Mel. Where does he live?’ Matthew’s tone is desperate.

‘I promise I’ll ring straight back. The minute I have everything in play.’ She’s already thinking of a helicopter. An armed response team. The cascade of liaison. The search. Forensics.

Melanie moves to the front of the room. She needs to be sure the whole team’s heard. ‘OK. Listen up. We have a name, people. John Miles. Maths teacher. Oxford area. Sam will brief you. I’m getting everything going. This is it.’ The words catch in her throat a moment. ‘It’s today.’

She leaves Sam to brief further and marches back to her office to put in the immediate calls so she can target support teams once she knows the geography.

She gets the search of John Miles’ house approved first. Local uniforms and full forensics. Also a repeat visit to the neighbours to try to get information on where the family might have gone. Show them the photofit. She updates her superintendent with a voice message – not risking a phone call after the press conference – saying that for now ANPR is their best hope unless John Miles has switched cars. They have the Volvo number plate.

Melanie strides back into the main office. Sam is at his desk, the whole team on their phones. ‘Anything?’

‘Yes. Just coming up.’ Sam swings his screen to share the ANPR report with Melanie. It shows John Miles’ black Volvo picked up on several cameras Tuesday, travelling from mid Devon to Oxford. The day Amelie disappeared. Then again on several cameras Thursday travelling M4 west towards Bristol. About halfway between Swindon and Bristol, it turns off north towards open countryside and farmland. Disappears. No sightings picked up by any cameras since.

‘Right. Let’s get on the road. M5 north. Let’s get the helicopter up, checking this area.’ She circles a zone around Malmesbury. ‘Chances are, he’s stuck to rural roads since.’

In the car with Sam heading north, Melanie gets an unwelcome update. A text first then full details on the system. John Miles has a gun licence. A shotgun held legitimately. Turns out he’s an enthusiastic member of a local gun club. Attends meetings monthly. Melanie instructs her team to try for a photo from the gun club and to speak to as many members as possible to see if there’s any clue where he might go for shooting practice. Any favourite haunts? Rural areas or farmland west of Oxford?

She watches the digital file for updates as Sam drives and then dials Matthew again.

‘Right. Matthew. Sorry to leave you hanging. Shall I send a car? Or do you want to drive yourself? You need to head for Bristol. I don’t have a location yet – and you know I can’t give you the exact details. But we believe it’s possible John Miles is in the Malmesbury area. That’s east of Bristol. I’ll update you when I know more. But you’ll have to stay behind cordons. Yes?’

‘Of course. And you know all this from cameras?’

‘Yes. Last sighting Thursday so he’s either not moving or sticking to rural lanes. I have a helicopter going up right now, looking for the car.’

‘OK. I’ll drive myself but can you send a car for Sally? She’s still struggling ...’ Matthew has to pause. He can’t bear to share the full truth. ‘After the press conference.’

‘OK. I’ll do that.’

‘Anything else, Mel? Any sightings of Amelie in the car?’

‘Sorry. Nothing certain.’ She’s not ready to tell him about the gun. Not yet. Instead there is this terrible moment of silence and the fear and all the imaginings hang between them. A loudhailer. A line of police moving slowly side by side.

Melanie waits. She stares at the road ahead. There are no more words. And at last it is Matthew who ends the call.