Free Before It's Too Late by Jane Isaac Page B

been given a case to manage since the accident. He couldn’t afford to give Janus any reason to move him.
    He wandered out into the main office. It was a hive of activity. He caught Davies’ eye and she waved him over enthusiastically to her desk where she was bent over a computer screen.
    As he approached she cast him a quick sideways glance. “Enhanced footage has just come through.” She clicked another key. “There.” She pointed at the screen.
    Jackman drew closer. He could see the white Volkswagen van. The image was still a little blurred, but he could now make out the number plate. There was a rust circle around the diesel cap.
    “Belongs to a Guy Taylor in Coventry,” Davies said. “Not known to us. Keane’s gonna head out there.”
    Jackman nodded. “Good. What about the BMW?”
    She clicked the mouse and another photo appeared on the screen.
    He could see the BMW and number plate clearly marked.
    “Belongs to a Mr Galloway of Tiddington Road. Again, no intelligence.”
    Jackman thought back to the footage. It showed the car stopping next to Min, before speeding off down the road. “I’ll take that one.”
    She turned to face him, “Are you sure?”
    “Absolutely, could do with some fresh air.”

    Women. All around him. Painted faces surrounded by bubbles of sweet perfume staring into window displays, the clear glass bouncing back a faded reflection in the sunlight. Handbags balanced on open forearms.
    Some pushing toddlers in buggies, some in couples chatting as they wandered through the stores. Clinging dresses with scooped backs and plunging necklines. Crescents of curls dangling from tied ponytails.
    Royal Priors was busier than he’d anticipated this morning. Shoppers catching the stores early to avoid the heat of the day. A redhead dashed towards him, the trickle of sweat running down her neckline causing a stirring in his groin as she passed.
    He stole a deep breath, continued through the mall and glanced around. A department store was what he needed now with ample obliging assistants to tend to his every whim. Assistants that would move quickly from one customer to another. Not like the boutiques and smaller shops in Stratford, where assistants would recognise you, single you out in a crowd.
    No, he’d thought this one through. He wandered down the aisles and collected the provisions he needed for stage two. Very soon it would be time to shake things up a bit. And he couldn’t help but wonder what the detective would make of that.

Chapter Sixteen
    I stared at the two bottles of water that leant against the concrete in the corner of the pit, one almost empty, the part-loaf of bread, wrapped in an orange plastic wrapper, the few chocolate bars and a collection of apples beside. Last night’s delivery .
    It had been late when he’d come. I knew that because the gap at the top had only emitted a soft grey light and the pit was at its darkest. He. I’m pretty convinced that my captor is male. I’ve turned it over and over in my head. He needed to be robust, strong enough to carry me down here .
    Last night I’d heard footfalls above as he approached. At first I thought it might be a prowling animal, but then I heard the determined chink of metal, a thud as the chain fell to the floor .
    Thoughts of what he might have planned had reverberated around my skull. I was trembling even before the dazzling light burnt my pupils, causing me to bury my head in my hands. The next thing I knew packages were being fired into the pit like missiles. Later I discovered they were food parcels and blankets, but at the time I had no idea and I’d never experienced terror like it. Thud after thud made me shriek. A brief silence was followed by the scraping sound of the grill .
    Anger tore through me. I had an opportunity to see something, do something, at the very least pick up on something that might help me later – a slight lilt in his voice, the colour of his eyes, the shape of his frame. But I saw and