Page 126 of 36 Hours

She shook her head. ‘Nah, not seen that one for a while, but this one’s just as bad. Old white Escort. Probably not even legal.’

‘You say he had a suitcase?’

‘Yeah, a big one. Looks like he plans on being gone some time.’

Kim nodded her understanding and walked away.

She doubted Peter Harris had the funds to take an extended trip. And according to him, he had no family and few friends. So if he wasn’t travelling, what else might he have put in that suitcase?

NINETY-THREE

5.45P.M.

‘Guys, we are in the shit,’ Kim said once she had Stacey and Penn on the other end of the phone.

‘I’m trying, boss,’ Penn said, and Kim could hear the emotion in his voice.

‘Forget the tiles for a minute. We’ve got to think like our killer. He’s had us running round like idiots for almost thirty-six hours. The game is almost up, but he’s not as clever as we gave him credit for. Look at the places he’s sent us. Saltwells, a well-known nature reserve; Dudley Zoo, a tourist attraction; Clent, a beauty spot; the Red House Glass Cone, a famous historic location; the Obelisk, something that can be seen for miles; the famous Singing Cave.’

‘And now it’s the finale. How can he better what he’s already done?’ Bryant asked.

‘Wait, wait, wait,’ Penn said, moving tiles around on the desk. ‘I’ve got it. The tiles are the location. It’s the Black Country Museum.’

‘Are you sure, Penn?’ Kim asked. They couldn’t afford to make a mistake now.

He hesitated for just a second, and she could hear the tiles being moved around.

‘Absolutely positive,’ he said. ‘That’s what the tiles spell out.’

‘Then I suggest you two get your asses there. Now.’

NINETY-FOUR

6.15P.M.

‘The keyholder is on his way back,’ Penn called as he and Stacey got out of the car.

They had pulled into the car park of the Black Country Museum parking area just seconds after Kim and Bryant had.

‘From where?’ Kim asked.

‘Merry Hill.’

‘Too long. We’ve got forty-five minutes,’ she said, looking along the edge of the site.

Their killer had got himself and Nazeera in somehow, and she doubted that it was in full view of the main entrance.

The entire site was twenty-six acres. She was sure there were vulnerable spots around the perimeter, but she didn’t have the time to look. She considered calling for uniform assistance but even if she did, she couldn’t wait or spare anyone to stay here and brief them. The four of them knew what they were looking for, so it was all that she had right now.

‘Bryant, pull your car over there,’ she said, pointing towards the far side of the entrance and café. There was six-feet-high wooden fencing with a runner at the bottom that was too low to give a foothold to reach the second runner, about five feet up the fence.

Within a minute, he had reversed the car so that the long, rear part of his estate vehicle was only a few inches from the fence.

She opened the car door and stepped on the seat to get up onto the roof of the vehicle. She moved carefully to the rear of the car.

Kim was able to steady herself by hanging on to the top of the fence before she cocked her leg over and straddled the fence.

‘Jesus,’ Stacey said as Kim swung her other leg over and lowered herself to the ground.