They had a hit from CCTV on the A4 out of London towards Heathrow. A quick check confirmed that Philip Tooting was planning to leave the country on a BA flight to Buenos Aires. The unit deployed to the airport was instructed to procure airport staff cooperation and take Tooting by surprise. A senior manager at the airport contacted BA, who agreed to position the flight as delayed so that Tooting stayed in the business lounge.

Kelly glanced at Matt’s iPad and saw that he was watching five separate frames on the one small screen.

An alert popped up on his phone.

‘Christ.’

‘What?’ Kelly turned to him.

‘The PC injured at Graeme Millar’s cottage. He died in the air.’

‘Fuck.’ She spoke in a low whisper. ‘Wasn’t he wearing a stab vest?’

‘Yes, but the knife came in the side, under his arm. It went into his brachial artery.’

Kelly stared out of the window into the blackness and they drove on in silence.

‘Do we know the suspects? Are they talking?’ she finally asked, after clearing a lump in her throat. Both men apprehended at Graeme’s cottage had been taken to Kendal for questioning.

‘Not yet.’

The cars sped through the gloom of the falling night and Kelly felt nauseous. She hadn’t eaten properly in days and the fatigue was kicking in; it would soon be replaced by adrenalin, but until then, the motion of the car made her drowsy.

They turned off to Portinscale and made their way to the private lane that led to Allerdale House. Suddenly the car jolted forward and made a brutal emergency stop. Kelly’s head swung forward and then backwards, banging on the rear rest and coming to a stop. Her neck screamed in agony. Matt put his hand out to her.

‘Sorry, ma’am,’ said the driver. ‘Obstruction ahead.’

They listened on the radio, nursing their whiplashed necks, as the two ARVs apprehended a car containing a driver and a passenger.

‘Police! Hands on the wheel! Stay inside the vehicle, do not move your hands!’

They saw high-visibility jackets up ahead and the glint of weapons pointing at the vehicle. The driver was unknown, but the passenger was positively ID’d as Sebastian Montague-Roland. Both men were arrested and read their rights. Neither made a comment.

The ARV commander informed Matt and Kelly that they could leave their vehicle, and they did so, rubbing their necks gingerly.

Sebastian Montague-Roland looked shaken but still arrogant as he sat in the back of one patrol vehicle; the second man, whom neither Kelly nor Matt had seen before, sat in another. They were to be taken to Eden House for formal interview. Meanwhile, she and Matt would accompany a search of the escape vehicle as well as the property to see what they could find. A forensic team had already been called.

Chapter 57