IMPOSTURE: Hunters become the hunted in this gripping murder mystery by Ray Clark (good romance books to read txt) 📗

asking he brought them both a drink, one of which was bottled water for Gardener. Despite appearances, Gardener liked him.

“Clever stuff, this,” said Farrah, taking his seat, with a hi-energy drink. “We stood a camera in the centre of the scene, letting it slowly rotate on the stand. It continuously takes photos of every inch of the scene but it doesn’t do it in the style of a film.

“We then moved the tripod to all four corners of that scene and did the same again. The program mashes all the pictures together and builds up a full 3D image. It’s accurate to within millimetres of objects and street furniture, such as phone boxes, etc.”

“And electric boxes?” asked Reilly.

“Oh yes, we got that. Once it’s completely mapped, you can then do a virtual walk through of the crime scene from your desk, adding or taking things away as you see fit to try different hypotheses on what actually happened.”

“It all sounds very interesting, Mr Farrah,” said Gardener.

“We’re currently trialling a new system from a company called White Tile, which does a similar kind of thing but in real time using wearable tech in the form of glasses. The OIC can walk through a live scene, recording everything as they go, and virtually tag the evidence as they process the scene. It has a few bugs but may be the way we go in the future.”

Farrah continued, tapping more keys. A 3D map of Burley in Wharfedale appeared on the monitor, with a four-wheel drive vehicle parked at one side of the road, which Gardener took to be the park. Farrah hit another button. As he set things in motion, he talked his way through it.

“They started their journey from the parkland area on Main Street, opposite the row of two-storey cottages. Any further back, they wouldn’t have been able to see the intended target. Judging by all the information we’ve fed in, the vehicle was moving slowly to start with and then somewhere around here” – Farrah pointed to the map of Main Street on the screen – “it picked up speed. Serious speed.

“From the damage done to the wall we estimate possibly sixty mph. It came to a stop at the railings, but not before removing a speed sign in the process. We’re obviously not sure what happened then but from what you’ve said we know a witness by the name of Edward Makepeace happened upon the scene.”

Farrah glanced at Gardener. “How have you got on with him, has he been able to tell you anything more?”

“I’m afraid not,” said Gardener. “All of this happened during his walk.”

“Where did he walk to and from, did he tell you?”

“Around the village,” said Reilly. “Came out of his house, left the village at one end, walked along the A65 and then came back in at the other end, and saw the mess.”

“So if the damaged vehicle didn’t pass him, it must have gone towards Leeds and not Skipton.”

“If it did,” Gardener replied, “we don’t have anything to back that up on the traffic cameras.”

“Yet,” added Reilly.

“We rely heavily on witness statements and CCTV. There is very little CCTV in the village – or the area – and because of the time it happened, no witnesses. That end of the village doesn’t have any houses.”

“Must have caused a hell of a racket,” said Reilly, “somebody must have heard it.”

“We’ve spoken to everybody,” continued Gardener. “One or two did hear a loud bang, but no one went to see what was going on. Most of them were dazed from being woken up, and when nothing else occurred they went back to sleep, thinking they’d dreamed it.”

“If only they had,” said Farrah. “We had a team filming the road using a digital pressure scanner. It actually managed to pick up the tyre tread pattern when the vehicle was only inching along, which we passed on to one of your lads.”

Gardener remembered Patrick Edwards sharing that little nugget, which was quite useful. “I don’t suppose you’ve identified the vehicle in the hit and run, have you?”

“Funny you should ask about the registration plate,” said Farrah, tapping buttons all over the place at an incredible speed. “I think I can finally help you with that one.”

That comment alone, if it was true, lifted Gardener’s spirits. “How have you done that?”

“The 3D mapping discovered a CCTV camera, bloody well hidden from the naked eye.”

“Where?”

“The people who live at the house with the damaged wall.”

“How did we miss that?” Reilly asked, of no one in particular.

Gardener watched the scene unfold on the screen again, with the white 4x4 travelling at speed before crashing into the wall and then swerving away. He was still wondering what had caused the collision. The computer suddenly beeped a few times and zeroed in on an object placed on the trunk of a tree, hidden by branches.

“There it is,” said Farrah.

Gardener and Reilly leaned in closer.

“If those people are still away, how the hell did you get into the CCTV?” asked Reilly.

“Do you really want to know?” asked Farrah.

“I don’t think so,” replied Gardener.

The computer switched images and then zoomed in on the white 4x4, and the rear registration plate as it sped away.

Chapter Twelve

As quickly as the information was digesting, Gardener’s phone rang. He listened to a message before glancing at Reilly.

“That was Winter in cyber, he’s found something interesting.”

“I wouldn’t have banked on this much good luck when I woke up this morning,” said Reilly. “Let’s head to his office.”

“Thank you, Mr Farrah,” said Gardener, “I really appreciate what you’ve done for us.”

“Keep me posted,” he said.

Gardener and Reilly left Farrah’s office. On the way to his new destination, Gardener phoned Edwards and gave him the registration of the vehicle. Five minutes