Page 107 of A Game of Lies

There’s a sound from the pipe. A creak of the plastic, a low rushing as the momentum gathers. And Ffion remembers.

What are you scared of?Aliyah had asked Henry, at the start of the show.

Me?he’d replied.Water. I almost drowned when I was a kid.

Water.

It rushes into the confession pod like a pipe just burst, hitting the wall on the opposite side, spraying Ffion from head to foot, covering the floor within seconds. In the tiny metal box the sound is magnified, as though she’s standing by a waterfall, a roaring in her ears. In the seconds it takes to shake herself into action – although what action can she take? she thinks, as she hammers in vain at the door – it covers her boots.

And still it comes.

FORTY-FOUR

TUESDAY | LEO

There will be questions later, Leo knows, but for now he’s grateful for DCI Boccacci’s brisk acceptance of this turn of events.

‘Helicopter’s on its way,’ she tells him. ‘The dog unit’s committed but they’ll make their way over as soon as they come free.’

A second after she ends the call, Leo’s phone rings again. Caleb has tied Dave up, and the dog is howling worse than ever, the lead pulled so taut it looks as if it might snap. Leo moves away from the noise.

‘I’ve got a team of six going up Pen y Ddraig now,’ Huw says. ‘We’ll hold off if we get a sighting on Henry, given the risk assessment, but it’ll give you more eyes on the ground.’

‘Thanks, Huw.’ There’s silence on the other end of the phone and Leo wonders why Huw called him. He should have had all the information he needs from the dispatcher who requested search-and-rescue support. ‘If you’ve got any questions,’ Leo says, ‘just give me a shout.’

Huw clears his throat. ‘Control Room said Ffion’s gone after him.’

‘It looks that way.’ Or it’s the other way around, Leo thinks, but doesn’t share.

Another pause. ‘It’s times like this when I’m glad I’m no longer married to her.’ Huw laughs, but it sounds forced.

‘Ffion’s a front-line officer,’ Leo says, surprised by his sudden urge to defend her. ‘She’s committed.’ The sound of Ffion’s name prompts a torrent of barks from Dave, followed by a mournful howl.

‘She bloody should be.’ Beneath the poor joke, there’s a crack in Huw’s voice.

Leo takes a moment. ‘We’ll find her,’ he says. He ends the call and puts his phone in his pocket, his gaze fixed on the ground.

There’s a light tap on his shoulder. ‘You okay?’ George says.

‘Fine.’ Leo doesn’t mean to sound so snappy. He softens it. ‘Thanks.’

‘The dog’s going nuts.’

‘So I see.’

‘He’s desperate to be with Ffion.’

‘Look, I don’t mean to be heartless, but I don’t have the bandwidth to worry about a distraught dog when one of our officers is missing.’

‘No, listen to what I’m saying. He wants to find Ffion.’

‘We all want—’

George cuts him off. ‘So why don’t we let him?’

FORTY-FIVE

TUESDAY | HENRY

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