‘Are you worried that your child will be bad, because you think you are?’ Adrian said, familiar with those feelings himself. The idea that he had been passed any of his father’s genes plagued him throughout his teens and then when Andrea had fallen pregnant, he’d been convinced his genetic make-up would ruin the life of his child.

‘How could you know that?’

‘Congratulations, you’re human, that’s a normal way to feel. Can I ask you something? How the hell are we getting out of here?’

After another round of crashing noises in the kitchen, Finn came back with a canister of petrol and started to throw it over the covered furniture.

‘What are you doing, Finn?’

‘Getting rid of the problem. They can’t prosecute me if there is no evidence.’

It looked like Adrian’s words had only succeeded in upsetting Finn Blackwell further. He may just have sped up the process. At least if Finn wasn’t taking orders any more they had a chance of talking him round. Didn’t they?

Chapter Forty-Eight

Imogen felt sick. Where the hell was Adrian? It wasn’t like him to turn his phone off. It was like him to do something rash though. She rushed from the car into the station to find Gary; he was the only person she could rely on right now. He had all the facts at least.

‘Gary!’ was all Imogen could think of to say as she swung the door to his office open to see him hunched over the workstation, furiously tapping away.

‘I’m trying, Imogen,’ Gary said.

‘Do we have any idea where he went?’

‘His phone’s last location seemed to be on his way home, which is where he said he was going.’

‘Has anyone checked there?’ Imogen said.

‘There’s a car on its way there now.’

‘What about Finn Blackwell?’

‘Adrian left just before he was fully released. Said he was tired and needed to grab a shower, seeing as the Blackwell arrest was a bust and you were off out with DI Walsh. I found some footage of him leaving the station, but he was hanging back and waiting for something when he got outside.’

‘OK, so he’s obviously followed Finn Blackwell … somewhere. Any idea where?’ Imogen said.

‘How can you know that?’

‘It’s probably something we would have done together if I had been here …’ A thought had just dawned on her. ‘Which of course he knew and so he made me go with Matt to the building. Idiot.’

‘Well let’s find him before we start calling him names, shall we?’ Gary said.

Imogen realised her hands were balled into tight fists. Adrian had tried to protect her by making sure she couldn’t follow him into his bad decision. Again.

‘He didn’t say anything at all to you before he left?’ she asked Gary.

‘We’ve kind of fallen out, nothing major, but I don’t think he would have come to me.’

‘Well shit. There must be some clue here,’ Imogen said.