Impression (DI Gardener 4)
Page 23
“That one?”
Prosser nodded. Gardener bagged it.
“And a cold cup of coffee, half full. But I’ve washed the cup since. The most worrying thing was the remains of his Chinese takeaway. It was left on the desk. A bad sign, that. Barry never left food.”
“Where’s the takeaway?”
“In that bin.” Prosser nodded again, towards a waste basket next to the desk. Reilly checked and bagged it.
“What you doing all this for? Why are you taking stuff?”
“Did you notice at any point that Barry’s car was missing?”
“Yes, sometime around ten. I went outside to stretch my legs.”
“What did you do then?”
“Came back in here and ran the place by myself. We still had jobs needed doing, and we were a driver short.”
“Did you try to contact Barry?”
“All night. Tried to put calls through to his car, but there was no response.”
“What about his mobile?” Reilly asked.
“Aye. Tried that dozens of times. No answer.”
Gardener thought about that. Barry Morrison did not have a mobile phone on his person or in his clothes when they had found him.
“I’ll need his number before we go. Did you call his brother?”
“Aye, called Billy most of the night as well. I thought there must be some family problem.”
“What? You couldn’t raise him, either?”
“No. But to be honest, he is on holiday. Him and his wife and children are on a long weekend break in the Lake District. He doesn’t like to be disturbed when he’s on holiday. Well, let’s put it this way, his wife insists he turn off his mobile so it doesn’t spoil their holiday.”
“So you haven’t managed to get through to him yet?”
“Not on his mobile.”
“Have you tried the hotel?” Reilly asked.
“Not sure where he’s staying.”
“We have to find him,” said Gardener. “Is it likely to be on the computer somewhere?”
Prosser glanced at the screen. “Maybe, but I’m not very good with these things.”
Gardener nodded to his partner. “Sean, you have a root around, see if you can locate him.” Then he led the driver outside. “Where’s the car now?”
“Over here.” Prosser directed Gardener to the end of the lot, behind a range of conifers, to the black Ford Focus.
“What time did you notice it was back?”
“About seven this morning, just before I phoned you lot.”
“Was the engine warm?”