‘That would be wonderful. Thank you. I am leaving the church shortly but I will ensure my staff know you’ll be late. Pick-up will be at the nursery.’ She clicked off.

I must remember to try that silent technique in my next interrogation.

Chapter Twenty-Nine

Chapter Twenty-Nine

JAKE DROPPED ME outside Gigi’s nursery and screeched on to Frederick’s house. He was going to scope out if anyone was home. If Frederick was there I was going to ring him with a made-up lead he needed to chase down on the other side of London. At least if it was just Camilla there with the kids I could tempt her out to the playground with Gigi while Jake searched the house. Talking to her could also provide much needed intel. I thought of how quiet and withdrawn she’d been at all the WAF meetings. Did she know she had things to hide?

We had fewer than ten hours until Peng flew out of here. We needed to know what was going on. We needed confirmation Frederick was the Snake. That he was the Coyote. We needed answers. That no one else was after Peng and that we could get the Tenebris Network shut down for good.

At least seeing Gigi would make me momentarily forget everything. A blast of brightness on this dark day.

I skipped up the steps to the Portakabin and banged on the door. Miss Jenna opened it. She frowned when she saw me.

‘Hi there, I’m here for Gigi.’

‘Oh, did Mr Easton not get hold of you?’

My heart skipped a beat.

‘I . . . no . . .’

‘He picked up Gigi twenty minutes ago. With Florence.’ She took in my face. ‘We know you two work together and you always usually pick up the girls together. He said he’d be fine to take her as he knew you’d be a while.’

‘Right.’ I tried to think. Miss Jenna was still staring at me. ‘Right. Yes. He must’ve left a message on my phone. Thank you.’

I heard myself say, ‘Thank you.’ How British was that. Thanking the woman who had handed my beloved only daughter over to a fucking homicidal sociopath.

I stumbled down the steps of the Portakabin. Hands shaking, I clicked on my GigiMap app. A blue dot was on Frederick’s road.

I rang Jake. ‘Frederick has Gigi. It could be a test.’

‘I’ve just arrived outside their house.’

‘GPS says she’s in there. Make sure he can’t see you. I’ll leave the line open so you can hear.’

I ran. I was at the end of his road in three minutes. I stopped. I had to think. I had to calm down. I took deep breaths.

It could be nothing.

He could’ve just been doing me a favour.

Or he knows and he’s fucking with me.