He hesitated for just a second before striding across the room and hauling her to her feet.
He threw the phone to the floor and stamped on it. She heard the sickening crack as parts flew out of it.
He pushed her out of the cottage and towards the door. She heard the sound of multiple sirens in the distance. They were coming. The girls were alive. The girls were safe.
And she was now on her own.
SEVENTY-EIGHT
‘What do you mean it’s gone off?’ Bryant said as Leanne reloaded the app.
‘The light stopped flashing before it faded completely.’
‘You said we were less than a mile away?’
‘We were. We are,’ she said, going to the app menu.
‘Which way?’ the driver asked at a crossroads.
‘Go straight over,’ she said, tapping in some codes.
Bryant fought the urge to stop the car, get out and call Kim’s name.
‘What are you doing? Do you realise that every second counts? He could be beating the bloody shit out—’
‘I’m accessing the data files. The program does an update, a backup to file every ten seconds. If I can look at the exact distance there was between us, I can get us back on track, and you shouting at me isn’t going to make me do it any quicker.’
Bryant decided to shut up. Explaining was slowing her down.
‘Got it,’ she said, looking at the time on the screen, the map and then out the window.
‘Go back,’ Leanne instructed. ‘Back to the crossroads and turn left.’
The driver radioed in and then turned in the middle of the road. Bryant watched as the accompanying cars did the same thing.
‘About a third of a mile down is another left turn. She’s there somewhere, and that’s the closest I can get,’ she said as the car approached the lights.
‘Nothing down there,’ Bryant said. ‘Just some—Oh shit.’
‘What’s down there?’
‘A few derelict cottages. Bought by a developer over ten years ago. Couldn’t get insurance to cover the build cos of subsidence.’
‘Perfect place,’ Leanne said as the car made the left turn. ‘Shelter, quiet, unused buildings.’
Bryant had the car door open before it had stopped moving. The lights and sirens continued from all three cars.
‘There’s no other car here,’ he said across the roof to Leanne.
‘I think it’s the spot,’ she said, heading towards the middle cottage.
‘Check ’em all,’ Bryant called to the officers who had all now been briefed as to what they were looking for.
The absence of a vehicle was scaring the shit out of him. Had Symes finished with them all and, despite not caring about dying, had chosen to scarper anyway?
‘Where the—?’
‘Shush, did you hear that?’ Bryant said as they entered the cottage.