Three Hours : A Novel (2020) by Lupton Rosamund

Author:Lupton, Rosamund [Lupton, Rosamund]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

‘Nothing confrontational and not giving away that we know who he is,’ Dannisha says. ‘A place to start.’ Rose nods and Dannisha sends the text.

‘Do you think he knew we’d find out who he is?’ Dannisha asks.

‘Yes. He’s using his own mobile and his mother’s car is parked in Junior School’s car park. If it wasn’t for the snow we’d have found out his identity sooner.’

‘He could be tremendously idiotic,’ Dannisha says.

‘I’d go for tremendously arrogant. I think he wants us to know who he is.’

‘Yes, I agree with you.’

There’s a live feed to their command and control vehicle from the police team outside Victor Deakin’s house. Rose is glad they had the foresight to dispatch teams in advance to all the suspects’ houses, not wasting any time, especially in appalling driving conditions. A neighbour has told them that Victor’s parents are away, a riding holiday in Chile. Rose thinks Victor Deakin planned this for when there were no parental eyes on him.

She watches the screen and for a few moments she isn’t in the cramped police vehicle but hurrying along an icy path, a shortcut across the lawn, footprints in snow; other officers are at the back of the house. The sound of a battering ram against the door. A burglar alarm shrieking. Then footsteps, lots of footsteps, doors banging, voices. They’re in.

Perhaps they’ll get lucky and find a journal or letter outlining what Victor Deakin intends to do and the name of his accomplice; or failing that, perhaps he’s confided in someone and they will find something to lead them to that person, or maybe he’s been seeing a therapist and they’ll find a note of an appointment, a contact number, and she’ll be able to get a psychiatric evaluation. But if that isn’t the case, if they don’t get lucky, no journal, no confidant, no therapist, then it’s Rose’s job to help find the ID of his accomplice and predict their behaviour.

Her team and other officers are talking to Victor’s teachers and fellow students, anyone that can help. Under normal circumstances the gunman’s identity would not be made known, but nothing about this is normal and they have to find out everything they can about Victor Deakin as quickly as possible.

‘Who’s computer forensics lead at the house?’ she asks.

‘Lysander Kiehl,’ Thandie tells her.

Rose is glad it’s Lysander, his surname redundant not only because of his extraordinary first name, what were his parents thinking, but because of his reputation as being mind-blowingly brilliant on computers. Getting into Victor’s computer and what he’s been doing online is a way of getting inside his mind; it could well be Lysander who finds out what Victor Deakin intends to do.

On Dannisha’s phone Victor has marked the text as read.

‘Okay, let’s try calling him,’ Dannisha says.

She phones Victor Deakin’s mobile; all calls are on speakerphone. The call goes through to message but he hasn’t recorded a message, just silence, wrong-footing the caller.

‘You said he didn’t want to be at the school for sixth form?’ Dannisha asks.

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