by M A Comley
“Come on, Lorne, why have you really come back?”
Lorne’s gaze locked on to Katy’s. “Like I said, to lend my support to my daughter.”
“Is that all? Because something in my gut is telling me there’s more to it than that. Spill.”
Lorne’s gaze dropped to the desk she had called her own for fifteen to twenty years or more. When she spoke, it came out as a hesitant whisper. “I miss it.”
“Miss what?” Katy quickly pounced.
Lorne’s hand swept the room. “All of this and more.”
The revelation floored Katy. “What? Is this one of your wind-ups, Lorne Warner?”
She swallowed noisily and shook her head. “Nope. I know how bizarre that must sound, but this place has always been like a magnet to me. You’re aware how many times I jacked the job in, only to return again a few months later.”
“Jesus! I know all of that, but you ended your career because of the injury you received from that crazy woman on the kids’ bully case we were investigating.”
“I know. Okay, the best way I can describe what’s going on in here…” Lorne placed a hand over her chest, then continued, “I suppose what I’m trying to convey is, I’m likening the pain to childbirth.”
Katy’s head jutted forward, and a frown wrinkled her brow. “I’m not with you, bloody childbirth?”
“Yes, the pain we go through. Most women will tell you it’s a pain that you tend to forget.”
“Most women, eh? Not this frigging woman, I can tell you. It was enough to put me off wanting another kid in the future.”
“Come on, admit it, you’d love another little Georgie running around the place, in time, I’m sure.”
Katy shook her head. “Nope, mainly for two reasons, the first being the excruciating pain of labour, and the second, I’ve always wondered if we ever had another child if it would have the same heart defect Georgie was born with.”
“Shit! Me and my big mouth. I’d totally forgotten about her health issues. Charlie said she had to be hospitalised last year, is she better now?”
“At present her heart is ticking along nicely, but who’s to say what’s around the corner? The specialist is telling us if she has another bad bout like she had last year then there’s the possibility she might have to go on the transplant list for a new heart.”
Lorne slapped a hand to her face. “Oh God, I had no idea things were that bad. I’m so sorry, for her and for you. Having to cope with a sick child while you’re in a demanding job like this must take its toll on you. You’re to be admired, Katy.”
“I cope all right, better than I ever thought I would, maybe that’s my inner Lorne pushing me on some days.”
Lorne smiled. “Aww… that’s wonderful to hear. I’m always on the end of the phone, you know.”
“I know. Then there’s AJ’s new business which is growing weekly, well, let’s just say, it all keeps me on my toes at one time or another throughout the month. Therefore, there’s no time for me to sit back and take stock of whether things are going according to plan or not, not really.”
“That’s great to hear. Let’s hope you manage to keep the balls up in the air for years to come, Katy.”
“We’ll see how that pans out. Right, I’m going to have to get back to work now and hope you understand.”
“I do. I was wrong to turn up here unannounced.”
“It’s what anxious mothers do, apparently. What are you going to do about your dilemma?”
Lorne shrugged. “I’ve yet to figure that out. I’ll get out of your hair for now. Would it be all right to have a brief chat with Charlie before I head off?”
Katy smiled and left her chair. “I’ll go fetch her. My advice would be not to bulldoze her into doing something she may later regret, if you get my meaning, Lorne.”
“I have no intention of doing that, I promise. Trust me.”
“I do. I’ll send her in.”
Katy entered the incident room. Charlie had one eye on her screen and the other on her office. Katy walked over to her desk. “How are you getting on?”
“Fine. Is she making a nuisance of herself in there?”
“No, not at all. Cut her some slack, Charlie, she’s worried about you, that’s instilled in us as mothers.”
Charlie sat back and looked up at her. “I understand that… but showing up at my work like this is unforgivable, even for the prodigious Lorne Warner.”
“I’ve told you what I think. Go in there and have a chat with her. I told her I can spare you for a few minutes, it’s up to you how long you want the conversation to last, okay?”
“You’re such a great boss, Katy. Thank you, I won’t be long.”
Katy was tempted to give Charlie a reassuring hug before she headed for the office but resisted the temptation. Her heart went out to Charlie, but she knew her new partner would emerge from the office triumphant.
A full ten minutes later, mother and daughter came out of the office, their eyes glistening with tears but smiling.
“I’m going to love you and leave you all now. I’ll be hanging around for the next few days. Maybe we can have lunch one day, investigation permitting, of course,” Lorne said, her voice strained with emotion.
“Let’s play it by ear for now. It was lovely to see you again, Lorne. I’m always around if you need to chat, got that?”
“Thanks, Katy.”
Lorne pecked Charlie on the cheek and left the incident room.
Charlie heaved out a relieved sigh. “Not sure what you said to her in there, but I was expecting her to pounce on me the second I closed the door. However, nothing as foreboding as I was anticipating it would be.”
“Glad to hear it. Right, that’s enough excitement for us to contend with for one day. Let’s get back to focussing on the two cases we’re dealing with. Anyone got anything they want to share so far?” The team all shook their heads. “That’s disappointing to hear. Let’s dig deep, guys. Someone must know something out there.”
Charlie retook her seat. “Would it be worth holding another media conference?”
“Good call. Let’s just say it can’t hurt. I’ll organise one right away.”
Katy went back into her office and rang Emma Braunton, the new Social Media Officer for the station. “Hi, Emma, it’s DI Foster. I was wondering if you could organise a media appeal in the near future for me, please.”
“Of course. When do you need it?”
“Like yesterday would be good.”
“Leave it with me. I’ll get back to you ASAP.”
“Great, I’ll wait to hear from you.” Katy ended the call and tackled a couple of emails she’d set aside to respond to while she waited.
Within the hour, Emma returned her call for help. “Hi, I’ve managed to grab a slot for late afternoon, at around five, how’s that for you?”
“Perfect. I’ll meet you down in the conference room ten minutes before.”
“I’ll be there.”
“Thanks, Emma.”
Her next task was to work out what she was going to say at the appeal. Before she did that, she checked in with the team to see if they’d managed to uncover anything as yet. They’d still come up blank. Although she didn’t let on, disappointment flooded through her. Why doesn’t anything go our way? Why is it more and more of these crimes are proving to be time-wasters? She found herself answering her own question. Mainly due to the fact there were so many true crime programmes on the TV nowadays which tended to aid criminals on how the justice system worked with regard to DNA evidence et cetera. All super frustrating for a serving officer to have to contend with.
The afternoon dragged by. At four-thirty, Katy bought the team a cup of coffee, and they discussed where they should go next with the investigation.
“What about immigration, checking there to see if the men had any problems on that front?” Charlie suggested.
“Worth a punt, although I think had either of them had difficulties in that respect, it
would have come to our attention by now. Graham, can you ring the gym again, see if Mamadou was a member there, as well as Adama? If so, ask if they attended sessions together.”
Graham picked up his phone and made the call. He replaced it in the docking station a few minutes later and shook his head. “Nope, Mamadou was neither a member nor has he been signed in as a guest.”
“Damn, okay. Grr… this is so bloody frustrating, for all of us. I’ll drink this and take a wander downstairs. You guys needn’t hang around. I’ll have a word with the desk sergeant, get him and his team to man the phones tonight. I have a feeling the appeal isn’t going to produce any valuable information or calls. I’d love to be proved wrong. Right, I’ll get down there now. I’ll see you all in the morning.”
“All right if I hang around?” Charlie asked, surprising Katy.
“Of course. Won’t your mum be waiting for you?”
“Nope. She’s staying at the Premier Inn. I told her I’d meet her there at seven for dinner. I’ve got bags of time to fill until then.”
“All right then, why don’t you attend the appeal with me? You can get a feel for what goes on in case you need to step in for me in the future.”
Charlie beamed. “I’d love that, thanks, boss.”
They made their way downstairs, and Katy introduced Charlie to Emma. The room had been set up, and Katy was surprised to see it already half filled with dozens of journalists. She turned to Emma and patted her on the back. “I have to admit, I wasn’t expecting you to come up with the goods. There must be thirty bodies in there.”
“I do my best. Must be a slow news day, they all jumped at the chance to attend.”
The three of them entered the conference room and took their seats behind the long table with the Met’s emblem draped at the front. Emma opened the conference and made the introductions.
It was Katy’s turn to address the waiting crowd. She laid it on the line, told them that they were now dealing with two atrocious crimes which they had difficulty connecting at present. Then she made a plea to the public for help and pointed out the number to ring at the bottom of the screen.
After some of the journalists asked a few inane questions that Katy found impossible to answer, given the minimal amount of evidence they had to hand, Emma drew the conference to a halt.
The journalists mumbled their discontent and filtered out of the room.
“Not the best appeal we’ve ever put out there,” Katy mumbled.
Charlie held up her crossed fingers. “Let’s hope we obtain a lorry load of information from it, otherwise…”
“Yeah, okay, there’s no need for you to finish off your sentence. Thanks, Emma, you’ve been amazing. We’re going to call it a day now and start again early tomorrow. Hopefully, we’ll have a lot of information to work our way through in the morning.”
“Let’s hope so. It won’t be through lack of trying, will it? Enjoy your evening. Give me a shout if you need anything else in the near future.”
“I’ll do that. Goodnight.”
Katy and Charlie ascended the stairs at around six-fifteen. “Are you going to meet your mum now?” Katy enquired.
“I might wander over there early, that’ll shock the hell out of her.”
“Be gentle with her, Charlie.”
Charlie stopped halfway up the concrete stairs to the first floor. “What are you saying? Is there something more to her visit? Has she confided in you?”
Katy cringed and turned to face her, one hand on the black rail to help steady her swift movement. “Calm down. No, not really. All I’m saying is, if I know Lorne there will be some other agenda going on in that head of hers. Be patient with her. Don’t look at it as though she’s interfering, consider it as her being worried about her only child.”
“That’s just what I don’t need, her treating me like a child. I’m twenty-six years old, for fuck’s sake. Yes, I’m having personal issues, but you point me in the direction of a woman who has never had a problem with her relationship over the years. Ha, what am I saying? She’s a prime example.”
“Precisely, hang on to that thought when you speak with her. Maybe she’s ‘sticking her oar in’ because of that very fact, that her relationship was deplorable. Perhaps guilt is a contributing factor here. Oh, I don’t know. All I’m saying is, listen to what she says with an open mind.”
“I will. Thanks for the pep talk, Katy. I can’t say I’m looking forward to being grilled as much as the steak we’ll probably be devouring in the restaurant this evening.”
Katy chuckled. “You’ll both come out the other side laughing, at least, I hope you will. Just tell her what you’ve told me, that you and Brandon have grown apart and your lives have gone in opposite directions. That is what you said, wasn’t it?”
“Not verbatim, but it’ll do. What plans have you got tonight?”
“Not sure. If it was left to me, feet up with a takeaway and a glass or two of wine to help me unwind. No doubt my husband and daughter will do everything they can to ensure that doesn’t come to fruition.”
They continued their journey, collected their coats and bags, and then descended the stairs together.
Katy gave Charlie an unexpected hug in the car park. “You’re stronger than you give yourself credit for, young lady. Stay true to yourself, always.”
“I will. Thanks for being a good friend as well as a top-notch boss, Katy.”
She blushed. “Get away with you. Have fun. Just ensure you come to work tomorrow with a clear head.”
“I promise. Have a good one.”
“You, too. Tell Lorne I’ll catch up with her soon.”
6
Yao leapt out of bed quickly after his alarm woke him at four a.m. He’d been to the pub the night before and gone to bed later than normal during the week. He leaned down and kissed his wife, Akissi, on the forehead. As usual, she didn’t stir, she’d always been a sound sleeper. He ran a hand over the bump of her stomach. Another couple of months and he’d be a father for the first time. He skipped out of the bedroom, his heart filled with joy, the way it always was when he pictured himself pushing a pram with his newborn child inside.
He left the house and jumped in his car. He held his breath as he turned the key in the ignition, hoping that it would start. It had been temperamental for weeks now, but neither he nor Akissi had the spare cash to take it to the garage for a service. At the weekend, they had kitted out and decorated the nursery which had drained them of any excess money they had for the time being. Only last night he’d asked at the pub if they had any shifts going behind the bar to tide them over for a few months until they had replaced the funds they’d used for the decorating. The landlord had told him he would be first on the list to contact, if any vacancies came up.
He had no idea how he would manage the extra shifts if they arose, what with having to get up at four every morning to begin his stint as a postman, but when necessity struck, people had to dig deep into their resolve and do what was necessary in order to survive. At least that’s what his parents had instilled in him as a teenager. They’d encouraged him to take on a paper round at the age of thirteen to earn himself extra cash, which he religiously saved. His parents had always been poor. Most of their money went on keeping a roof over their heads and feeding him and his four sisters. Nevertheless, he had grown up in a loving environment. He was hoping to emulate that side of things with his new family. At the same time, he was doing everything he could to make them financially secure in the future as well. He and Akissi had decided to save as much money as they could and start up a new business of their own, sourcing and selling products through an online shopping outlet. A friend of his had earnt thousands for very little outlay, enough to spark an interest in Yao, although Akissi had raised significant reservations once she’d announced they were expecting their first child.
The journey into work was always completed within fifteen minutes. He turned the corner to the road where the sorting office was situated
at the same time every day without any hitches. Not this morning. He slammed on his brakes, narrowly avoiding the large van stretched across the road. This was a partially residential area, so rather than beep his horn and cause havoc with the residents, waking them at this ungodly hour, Yao hopped out of the vehicle to see what was going on.
He went around the other side of the van and approached the driver’s door. Out of nowhere, two arms grabbed him around the waist and tackled him to the ground. Yao was fairly fit, but at first, he was winded by the force of the impact of hitting the ground at speed. However, he recovered well; his ability to fend off an attacker was enhanced by his knowledge of karate. Bouncing to his feet, he took up the stance for attack.
The young man stood his ground, his fists raised in front of him. “Come on then, big man, do your worst.”
Yao needed no further encouragement. He ran at the man and gave him several accurate, painful chops to his forearm and neck. The man hit the ground. Another couple of men emerged from the back of the van; one of them had a heavy rope in his hands. Yao had no chance of fighting the two heavily built thugs at the same time. He decided to unleash his deadly weapons, otherwise known as his hands, on the man holding the rope.
The man grunted with every blow until he tumbled to the ground.
Yao took up the attack stance again, inviting the other man to come at him. Whack! A blow to his head felled Yao and he ended up on his knees, next to the goon he’d put there moments earlier. Another blow finished him off.
Yao woke with a shock when a bucket of cold water was poured over his head. He was seated. He tried to stand but found himself anchored to the chair by rope wrapped around his middle. His hands were bound behind his back, and there were five men standing around him, a couple of them obviously carrying injuries that his previous self-defence moves had caused. “What the fuck is going on here?” His gaze darted around his surroundings. It looked like he was in some kind of workshop, maybe a garage, or even a warehouse. Yes, there was a car pit over to one side of the room.
A blond man took a step towards him. He had something in his hand down by his side. The object rose as he got closer and came down on his chest. Yao let out a howl, the pain shooting through him like no other he’d ever encountered.
