Page 122 of 36 Hours

‘What now?’ Stacey asked, looking back towards the building.

‘It’s here somewhere,’ Penn said. ‘He may have changed the rules, but he hasn’t outright lied to us yet.’

‘It can’t be. Perhaps he put something somewhere and it’s been picked up.’

‘He would have allowed for that. He had to be sure that it stayed here or made its way—Hang on,’ Penn said before rushing back into reception.

‘Okay, Jack, you said plenty of strangers. Any of them hand in any lost property?’

‘Actually, a woman handed in a bag she found by the bushes over there.’

He nodded towards the furthest point away from the building.

‘It’s nothing special, and there’s no identification or money in it. Most likely someone dumped it, but I’ve got it just there in case the owner realises they lost it and fancies a board game tonight,’ he said, nodding towards the end of his desk.

‘Pass it here,’ Penn said, holding out his hand.

Jack shrugged and did so.

They both peered inside. The only thing it contained was Scrabble tiles. But there was no doubt in Penn’s mind. Somehow, this was their next clue.

NINETY

4P.M.

Jared showed them into his room for the second time. His landlady and fierce protector appeared to be nowhere in sight.

Kim wasn’t sure if he was surprised to see them or not.

Unlike the last time, Kim made a beeline for the gaming chair that nestled into the half-circle desk.

Bryant chose to stand, forcing Jared to take a seat on the bed.

Sometimes power dynamics were everything.

‘I think you know why we’re here,’ she said, chancing her arm that he’d just admit the whole thing.

‘Because you couldn’t resist my charm and good looks,’ he said with a cheeky grin that probably translated better through the lens and was completely lost on her.

‘No,’ she said flatly.

She held his gaze and waited a full minute before speaking again. It was long enough to see one of his nervous tells. His thumb tapped against his index finger as he waited for her to speak.

‘You been watching the news?’

‘Not much,’ he said.

The tapping paused and then resumed.

‘Did you know we’ve been chasing our tails around the Black Country after someone who is really starting to piss us off?’

He nodded but said nothing.

‘Trouble is, Jared, this thing has your fingerprints all over it.’

He wasn’t as surprised as he should have been but recovered quickly. ‘Thousands of people…okay, maybe not thousands, but a lot of people can make great trails.’

‘Yeah, but I have it on good authority that there’s a rhythm to these things, almost like a signature.’