The drive from Stone Edge House Hotel up to Ash Rake House was tense and fast and one that DS Thompson executed perfectly.
Thompson had installed his blue light onto the outside of his car without any instruction from Lewis and the vehicle and its flashing blue signal sped along the narrow old roads that cut through the landscape up to the parish of Ashlow.
"Sir, what exactly are we anticipating here" Hathaway turned his head to ask his boss in the back seat of Thompson's car. He had complied so far with Lewis's commands but there was a limit. He needed to know what Lewis thought they were all in for.
"I don't know, James. Hopefully nothing." Robbie replied as he scanned the road ahead "Best case scenario we'll see a broken-down car and that will be the end to it, and probably to what's left of my career. Next left, Thompson, that's the main road into the village. The house is on the left, keep an eye out."
Lewis's voice was low and serious. Hathaway felt nervous. He knew his boss had an innate talent to connect seemingly random facts when it came to a case. But this was not a case and whatever was going on involved Laura Hobson. Anxiety stabbed at him again. He didn't want to ask Lewis what he thought the worst-case scenario was.
Thompson's car whipped along the road that traversed the fields and farmland that made up the hilltop plateau. For much of the journey the roads were straight and quiet, occasionally meeting other roads at a crossroad. The routes were ancient packways wide enough only for horses and carts and nowhere near wide enough for two vehicles to pass. Luckily they didn't meet another car. A tractor pulled into a field gateway to let them pass by but otherwise Thompson was able to maintain top speed along the road that led up to Ashlow. Above them the sky was blue and the sun was already forging its way high above the landscape of the White Peak.
Robbie kept a lookout as the car sped along the old narrow roads. He was scanning for what he was hoping to see – what he had said to Hathaway – Laura's or McLeod's car perhaps broken down by the side of the road. But the surrounding trackways and roads were empty and as Thompson's car got in sight of the house at Ash Rake Robbie could clearly see both Laura's and McLeod's cars parked one behind the other on the access road.
Seconds later and Thompson, at high speed and at Lewis's instruction, expertly turned into the access track that led up to Ash Rake House. Both Thompson and Hathaway looked up to the house and outbuildings, searching for some clue as to know what was waiting for them. Robbie looked too. He still didn't know what he might find but seeing both cars parked outside had strengthened his conviction that there was something wrong.
As Thompson's car screeched up to a stop behind McLeod's car, Robbie was already unfastening his seat belt to get out.