When they went back to SI10 in the late afternoon, Thompson was busy checking names on the prison visiting list Tony had sent from New York. He was comparing names with the airport passengers record, but so far the tedious job had led to no result.
An hour later, Chas Jarvis came into the office with a dossier. He clapped it on his hand. "I've got news from the lab."
He obtained rapt attention from all of them immediately. "So they've run new tests to see if they could find hints by enhancing the quality of the image and apparently there were reflections and other hints. I'll spare you the details but they were able to deduce the approximate area where the shot had been taken."
"So you know where it is?" James was eager to know.
"We've got a pretty good idea." Chas confirmed. He spread a map over the desk where a large circle had been drawn. "It's probably a garage located around here. I'm sending a team there to check addresses." He silenced Dempsey with a raised hand and looked at him straight in the eyes. "I don't want to see you in the neighbourhood. Is that clear?"
"What! You kidding! I wanna go!" James was furious and even though Harry would have wanted to go too, James' reaction made her think that Chas was maybe right to keep them away from it.
"Look, I'm trusting you with this case, I tell you things as they come up, don't make me regret it or I'll have to take back that clearance."
James watched him with disgust, even contempt, his fists clenched; Chas knew he had to make his point now or he would lose the control of the situation. It was a battle of will, and nearly every officer in the room was watching the two men glaring at each other. Most of them thought they wouldn't want to have the American looking at them like that, he looked murderous, but Chas didn't lower his gaze. Deep down inside, James knew Chas was right but he didn't like it. Finally, he shook his head and kicked a nearby chair, defeated.
There was a sudden intake of breath as the entire office seemed to relax. Chas leaned over the map again and showed a few specific places to Thompson. Harry stood up and joined her husband at the window where he was staring moodily the sun setting over the buildings. She put a hand on his arm and whispered: "It's better this way." She wasn't expecting him to answer and she just stayed near him while Chas was giving orders to his men.
The superintendant joined them not long after. "I don't know how long it's gonna take them. You could go to have some rest and I'll call.."
James turned to him with an unwavering look. "I'm not leaving till they've found her."
Chas nodded, he knew he would get that kind of answer. "You can wait in my office."
...
Three hours later, night had fallen on the city and Chas' office was in semi-darkness. There was nothing to hear apart from the rustling of a page as one of the two men sitting in the office turned a paper over, reading random files coming from the records to kill time. When the phone rang, Chas picked it up in a kind of frenzy. The tension had been mounting with every minute as they waited for news from the team on the field. "Yes?"
James sat straighter on his chair and Harry rubbed her eyes and raised her head, she had been drowsing on the sofa. Chas was listening attentively and taking notes. He hung up and looked up. "They've found her."
Dempsey found it strange. The news was half-comforting, half-distressing. They finally had the body to try and find clues and hints; but it also made it real, his daughter's best friend was dead. Killed by mad men coming from his past. It wasn't an easy thought to deal with.
Chas sighed "Listen, there's nothing to be done now. My guys are securing a perimeter and looking for clues around the scene, but the scientific team won't go there before tomorrow morning and then we'll have to wait for the analysis to be run. We won't have anything new before tomorrow. You should go to that flat we found you and rest a bit. There will be lots to do tomorrow."