Free The Silent Room by Mari Hannah

they took him?’
    Ryan shook his head. ‘Not a whisper.’
    ‘ No words exchanged – you sure?’
    ‘The co-driver told it the same way.’
    Grace wasn’t happy. Keen to see the footage for herself, she suggested reconvening at her place. The introduction of news programmes 24/7 ensured that the video taken at the scene would be replayed over and over, hyping up the intrigue, making Jack look like a dangerous fugitive. As she carried on talking, Ryan stopped listening. His thoughts were still on Irwin. The security guard had proved to be more intuitive than Ryan had given him credit for, specifically in his observations of Eloise O’Neil.
    ‘Ryan?’ Grace said. ‘Are you even listening to me?’
    He looked up. ‘Sorry, I was miles away. What did you say?’
    ‘Nothing. Where were you – if I’m allowed to ask?’
    ‘According to Irwin, O’Neil has her doubts about Jack’s guilt. I asked Godfrey to contact her and tell her what he told me. I was wondering if he’d done so. You think I should call her and repeat my offer to assist her enquiry? I know Jack better than anyone. I have a lot to give, expertise Maguire stupidly dismissed out of hand.’
    Grace was shaking her head. ‘That’s a really dumb idea. Eloise is a fine officer. I respect her but she’s not like you and I. She plays by the book or she doesn’t play. We can’t afford to tip her off that you’re not on a golf course practising your putting. She’d lock you up as soon as look at you.’
    ‘For . . . ?’
    A raised eyebrow screamed: Wanna list? She proceeded to give him one. ‘How about, disobeying a lawful order? Or maybe neglect of duty? Or, because you’ve been stripped of your warrant card, she might prefer impersonating a police officer.’
    ‘Why should I be any different? Maguire’s been doing it for years.’
    Grace laughed. ‘I’m not joking, Ryan. You’ve seen her. Any magistrate would melt if she asked for a remand in custody to keep you out of her hair. Besides, you said yourself it was a feeling Irwin had, nothing she actually said. She’s very deep and therefore not easy to read. He could’ve picked her up wrong. I’ve done it myself on numerous occasions. No, we need more information before tackling her again.’
    Ryan had only met O’Neil the once but she fascinated him. In other circumstances he was sure they would get along. He didn’t know her well enough to make a judgement call. Grace knew her better. If she was wary of pooling information, it was probably wise to hold back. They had the opportunity to work incognito, to do a rubber heeler’ of their own with no one looking over their shoulder. It made sense to keep it that way. When they had positive intelligence to share, Grace would facilitate a meeting.
    ‘Did Irwin say anything about the hijackers?’ she asked.
    ‘Big bastards. Foreign. That’s it.’
    ‘Foreign?’
    ‘Well, one of them is. Irwin’s no linguist. He told me that only one of them spoke, that he was probably Eastern European. Storey disagrees strongly. He thinks Scandinavian – definitely not European, Eastern or any other kind. His best guess was Icelandic or Norwegian. The voice was muffled through a balaclava. He couldn’t be sure. There wasn’t a lot of conversation going on. The hijackers let their weapons do the talking.’
    Ryan checked his watch: two thirty.
    Catching the eye of a waitress, he signed an imaginary bill on his hand. As she hurried off to sort it, he turned to Grace, rubbing his chin with the palm of his hand, a smile playing round his lips.
    ‘Something amusing you?’ she asked.
    ‘Maybe.’
    ‘Care to tell me what?’
    ‘Maguire never asked Storey about accents, only Irwin.’
    ‘You’re kidding me!’
    Ryan shook his head. ‘I didn’t push it in case the lad got suspicious.’
    ‘And who do you believe?’
    ‘My money’s on the graduate, which means O’Neil and Maguire might be looking in the wrong direction.’ He met her gaze across the