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On cue, the whole room descended into silence as each of them stared on and digested.
“Isn’t this…” Brigg asked.
“Where the hell has this scum been hiding?” asked Rawson.
Briggs finally finished his sentence. “Isn’t this the bloke who pulled the trigger on your missus?”
Gardener nodded. “The information I have about the photo-fit is minimal. They call him Felix. He’s about five foot three with a face full of warts and a misshapen head. He’s usually dressed in jeans, and a black leather jacket with a golden eagle emblem on the back and an American slogan. He’s perhaps nineteen or twenty.”
“Is he involved in all of this?” asked Thornton.
Gardener nodded again. “To what extent I’m not sure, but I would like to speak to him in connection with the child abductions. He was seen with David Vickers on the day he went missing, buying him presents.”
“I don’t believe this,” said Sharp. “We’ve had stuff out on this bloke for a year… because of what he did…”
“It’s okay, Colin,” said Gardener, “you can say it.”
Sharp’s expression said that he was still too embarrassed to bring it up. “Well, since he, you know…”
“I think what he’s trying to say is,” offered Briggs, “that we’ve been looking for him since he shot Sarah, and we haven’t found a thing. Now, we’re involved in one of the biggest child abduction cases we’ve ever had, and who should rear his ugly head but this scally?”
“Well put,” said Dave Rawson. “Even ugly doesn’t do it justice.”
“How is he tied in with this lot?” asked Bob Anderson.
“From the information compiled, we know he was a colleague of Plum’s. The two appear to have been quite close.”
PC Benson put his hand up. “I think I might have seen him recently, sir.”
“Where?”
“One of the nightclubs in Leeds. But it was late and I’d had a few.”
“I appreciate that, and the fact that you haven’t been with us long so you may not know the backdrop to what we’re talking about. Have you noticed anything strange about his behaviour? Drug peddling, anything?”
Benson paused. “I’m sorry, sir. I never paid him a great deal of attention, other than to look at him.”
A mixture of emotions warred within Gardener. Disappointment, due to the lack of information surrounding Warthead. Frustration, because his wife’s killer was alive and elusive. Anger, because he desperately wanted the chance to avenge Sarah’s pointless death.
“Never mind. From now on, you’re all looking out for him. Frank, Bob, I’d like you two personally on his case. When you find him, bring him straight here. Whatever the time, day or night. When you find him, find me.”
“It might not be that simple, Stewart,” said Briggs.
“Meaning what?”
“Meaning that this might be personal.”
“Not yet, it isn’t,” replied Reilly.
Sharp nodded, agreeing. “We want him for questioning, sir, in connection with the abductions. But he might not be involved.”
“Bit of a coincidence, isn’t it?” said Briggs. “But if he is, Stewart, then it is personal and I’ll have to remove you from the case.”
Another silence descended. As Gardener peered around the room, he realized it didn’t take a genius to work out what they were thinking.
Anderson broke the tension. “Then you’ll have to remove us all, sir.”
“Pardon?” asked Briggs.
