They waited for him to return.
Frank continued to tap his fingers, and Michael pulled out his phone. Not for the first time since they’d set off, he thought about texting Aaron. This was work, though. He’d told him he’d keep his distance. And he needed to be one hundred per cent focused when they went into White’s home. Slipping it back into his pocket again, he sighed and rested his head against the window, only to jump a mile when Bridgford reappeared.
“You wanker,” Michael hissed, lowering his window. “See anything?”
“Yep.” His expression sobered. “White’s car’s parked in front of the house, and there are lights on upstairs and down. No movement that I noticed, though.”
“He could still be going through the change,” Michael offered. “With any luck, it’ll incapacitate him while it lasts.”
“That’s what I was thinking.” Bridgford glanced back at the house. “Whoever came with him could be watching him or keeping an eye on Wilson. Or both. It’s impossible to tell from out here.”
“So we wait,” Frank said, leaning towards them. “Those are our orders.” He pulled out his phone and typed out a message. A few seconds later it vibrated with a reply. “Alpha Thomas and his pack are about twenty minutes out.”
Michael fidgeted in his seat. Twenty minutes seemed an age to sit in the car waiting. “You know, I reckon Blake’s grandmother’s cottage is only about a five-minute drive from here.”
Frank glanced over at him. “What’s your point?”
“Me and Miller could go take a look while we wait for Thomas and the others to arrive. We don’t all need to be sat here.”
“Bridgford’s already ascertained that White’s likely at this house. His car’s there.”
“But if he’s still going through the change, then maybe Blake left one of the others to watch him and went to check out his own cottage. It’s a long shot, I know. But wouldn’t hurt to go look. The last thing we need is to get everything under control here and then have Blake turn up guns blazing and take us by surprise.”
Frank wavered, obviously considering Michael’s reasoning. Then he sighed. “I guess you’re right. Take this car and we’ll wait with the others. Don’t be too long and keep in contact at all times.”
“Of course.” Michael faced Miller. “You set?”
“Yeah.” Miller seemed almost as keen to get out of there as Michael.
When Frank and Price got out of the car, Miller and Michael climbed into the front seats. Miller drove, Michael with his phone out following the map. “Carry along this road about half a mile and go through the traffic lights. Take the left after that, then the second right.”
The houses got considerably smaller as they went, but most of them still had fair-sized front gardens, offering more privacy than Michael was used to.
Parking a little way away, they got out and walked to the foot of the drive for number four Paddock End. Michael whispered. “Is that a light on upstairs?”
It was faint, like maybe in one of the rooms facing the back, but it definitely seemed like a sliver of light to him.
“Maybe.”
They crept a little closer, stopping when another light came on, illuminating one of the downstairs rooms. Unfortunately, the curtains were shut, but someone was definitely inside.
He radioed Frank. “Sierra one zero, Sierra one zero receiving Sierra four. Over.”
“Sierra four, go ahead. Over.”
“There’s life at Blake’s place.”
“Any idea who?”
“Not without going inside.”
“Is there a car there?”
“Can’t see one.”
“So could be Blake, or maybe a caretaker or someone.”
Michael frowned at the second idea. “A caretaker at ten fifteen at night.?”
