by M A Comley
Katy stared down at the cup and shook her head. “You really are too good to me. I’ll be right back.”
“You might as well wait for Graham’s cup and take that.” The machine finished filling the cup, and Lorne took it from the dispenser and handed it to Katy with a wink.
Katy mimicked what Lorne had done when she entered the room and rolled her eyes. “Yes, boss.”
Lorne finished buying the other four coffees and distributed them to the rest of the team before she joined Sean at Graham’s desk.
“Why didn’t you tell me that you had a visual on her abductor?” Sean asked as Lorne stood alongside him, looking down at the screen.
“What was I supposed to tell you? That’s as good as the image gets. There’s no way I could have shown that picture to the media pack. I would have been a laughingstock. Grant me with some sense.”
Sean stood upright and glared at her. “In your office, now.” He motioned for her to go ahead of him.
She marched into her office, spilling her hot coffee over her hand in the process, which did nothing to improve her mood. Sean slammed the door behind them. Lorne placed the coffee on her desk and removed a tissue from her pocket to dry her hand before she fell into her chair.
Sean Roberts glared at her as he eased himself into his seat. “Less of the shitty attitude, Lorne. I have every right to ask questions regarding this case.”
“I think the super would put you in your place about that, Sean. Is it all right for me to call you Sean while you’re pulling me over the coals? Not too sure what the protocol is about that scenario.”
His chest inflated, and he chewed on his bottom lip for a moment or two before he answered. “Jesus Christ, woman, why do you persist to be the bane of my life?”
Lorne’s head shot back. “Excuse me? I wasn’t aware that I ever was.”
“Well, now you know,” he snapped back, his eyes drifting to the paperwork sitting on her desk.
Fearing he was about to have a go at her about her tardiness regarding the paperwork, she covered the files with her hand. “I’m working my way through that lot.”
His angry gaze met hers. “Are you trying to piss me off on purpose, Inspector?”
“No. I was just stating facts.”
“I told you to forgo all other work and to concentrate on finding Emma. That still stands. I also told you—not asked you, told you to keep me abreast of how the case was progressing. A few words before we entered the conference—that’s all it would have taken, Lorne.”
“What could I tell you? It’s obvious that Emma has been abducted. You virtually said the same yourself when you handed me the case. If we’d had a better image of the perpetrator, then you would have been the first person I told, Sean. As it stands, the image is worthless.” She growled and threw a pen across the table. It flew past him. “Damned if I do and damned if I don’t. That’s what this amounts to, doesn’t it? Feel free to pull me off the case at any time, Sean. Maybe you’d like Katy to take over as DI again? Is that what this is about?”
He slammed both of his fists onto the table. “Don’t be so effing absurd.”
“Well, what am I supposed to think if you come in here hounding me about not passing useless information on to you? I told you I’d do my best to keep you up to date on things, and I will, the second something important comes our way. An image of a man’s torso driving Emma’s car can hardly be classed as important in my book.”
His fists unclenched, and his hands covered his face. Her heart went out to him. It was obvious that Emma’s abduction was taking a significant toll on him. Suddenly feeling a right bitch, she left her chair and rounded the desk. She reached out and grabbed his arm, urging him to stand. He did so reluctantly, then she slid her arms around him. At first, he was resistant to her touch, then his arms slowly slid around her back. He crushed her to him, and Lorne gulped, struggling to breathe as his grip tightened.
Before she knew what was happening, Sean’s head tilted, and his lips sought out hers. Shock held her in place, her lips static as his roughly captured hers. His eyes were closed, oblivious to the surprise resonating in her own. She tried to pull away from him, but his hold on her refused to budge.
Suddenly, she turned her head to the side, forcing his lips away from hers, and she slapped her way out of his grasp.
His hands covered his face again. He muttered an apology. “I don’t know what came over me. I’m so sorry, Lorne.”
She scampered around the desk and dropped into her chair. After smoothing down her shoulder-length hair, she withdrew another tissue from the box and dragged it across her mouth to remove the remains of her mocha-coloured lip gloss. Then she tore another couple of tissues from the box and threw them across the desk towards Sean, who had also slumped back into his chair. “You better get my lip gloss off before you leave this room. What happened, Sean?”
He shook his head and wiped his lips with the tissue. Staring down at the evidence of his wayward actions, he said, “Forgive me. I didn’t mean to do that. Please, can we forget it ever happened? Don’t tell Tony, for Christ’s sake. It was a mistake, Lorne—a genuine mistake.”
“An unforgivable mistake, Sean. One that has put me in an extremely difficult position.”
“I know. I’m sorry. It shouldn’t have happened. I regret my actions. I’m just so cut up about Emma going missing… she’s like a daughter to me. I needed to be comforted. That’s all.”
“You have a wife to do that for you at home, Sean. Don’t burden me with your emotions. I know how much Emma means to you without you resorting to emotional blackmail.”
“Don’t talk such rot. It was not emotional blackmail.” He rose from his chair, placed his hand on the doorknob and turned to face her again. “Please, I’m begging you to forget this ever took place, Lorne.”
She waved a hand in front of her. “It’s forgotten. Please, ensure that this type of thing never occurs in the future, or I won’t hesitate to get Tony involved.”
“I swear. I’m sorry,” he mumbled before he left the room.
Lorne remained in the same spot for a few minutes, stunned by Sean’s actions, her mind reeling as she relived the kiss. Her fingers touched her lips. Eventually, she shuddered and got on with her work. However, her concentration lay elsewhere, and her paperwork remained untouched for the next ten minutes. When she thought she was fully recovered from the shocking experience, she left the office, pinned a false smile on her face and circulated the team.
Katy watched her through narrowed eyes as she crossed the room towards her. “Everything all right with Roberts?” she asked, her voice low so the others couldn’t hear.
Lorne shrugged. “I think so,” she replied, avoiding Katy’s eyes, fearing that she would see right through her and keep hounding her for answers. “What have we got? Anything?”
“I was just about to come and see you. Nothing of value from the media appeal as yet. Probably too soon in the day for that to start to kick in. The desk sergeant just rang. Well, when Roberts was in with you… I thought it best not to come and interrupt your meeting…”
Lorne motioned with her hand for Katy to get to the point.
Raising an eyebrow, Katy picked up a piece of paper from her desk and read from it. “One of the Lansburys’ neighbours told uniformed officers that he thought he saw someone hanging around the Lansbury house about the time Emma went missing. In fact, after careful consideration, he was adamant he had.”
“That’s great news. Can he identify the person? Male or female? Is he sure it wasn’t the boyfriend?”
“The details are sketchy. Uniform told him that someone on the investigation team would drop by and see him within the next day or two.”
“I’ll get my coat. We should shoot over there now. This could be the break we’ve been waiting for, Katy.” She rushed back into her office to collect her coat and was pulling it on when she emerged again. Keys in hand, she joined Katy at the door.
On the journey do
wn the stairs, Katy cleared her throat and asked, “What went on in your office? There’s no point denying it. I know you well enough to realise when something is troubling you.”
Lorne remained silent until they walked through the reception area and were standing by the car. “I’d rather not talk about it, Katy.”
“Bloody hell. You can’t say that.”
Lorne shook her head and jumped in the car. Inside, she raised her hand to prevent her partner from saying anything else. “I said leave it. That’s the end of the subject. No cryptic comments from you, trying to goad the information out of me, because it just won’t work.”
“It must have been bad, judging by your reaction. He hasn’t threatened you with the sack, has he?”
“Katy, just do as I ask and leave well alone. The last thing I want to do is to fall out with you, as well.” She closed her eyes and bit down on her tongue.
“As well?”
Lorne shook her head, determined not to respond further, and guided the car out onto the main road. She could tell Katy’s mind was working overtime all the way to their destination. She pulled up outside the neighbour’s house and turned to look at Katy, who was sitting in her seat, her arms folded tightly across her chest, her chin jutting out obstinately. “Are you ready?”
Katy turned to face her. “I am. Are you?”
“As I’ll ever be. Can we please go in there as a combined force and not as if there is a large void between us?”
Katy shrugged. “However you want to play it is fine with me. You’re the boss, after all.”
“Seriously, Katy, I’ve had enough crap today to last me a frigging lifetime. Give me a break, will you?”
Katy’s response was to rip off her seat belt and exit the vehicle, slamming the car door behind her. Lorne leaned against the headrest and closed her eyes for an instant. When she opened them again, Katy was standing in front of the car, staring at her through the windscreen.
Christ, I’ve managed to tick off two colleagues within the space of half an hour. Way to go, Lorne.
“What’s the neighbour’s name?” she asked, getting out of the vehicle and pressing the key fob to lock it.
“Mr. Jameson,” Katy replied abruptly.
“Let’s see what he has to say then.” Lorne opened the gate to the small terraced house, which was virtually a stone’s throw away from the Lansburys’ house. “I’d say he definitely has a bird’s-eye view of their property from here. Fingers crossed.”
Katy didn’t get the opportunity to reply because the front door was pulled open before Lorne even had the chance to ring the bell. Mr. Jameson had obviously been watching out for them.
“You must be the investigators. The constables told me to expect you. Come in out of the cold. Would you like a cup of tea or coffee?”
“Hello, sir. We’re DI Lorne Warner and DS Katy Foster. No need to make a drink especially for us. All right if we come in for a quick chat?”
The man opened the front door wider to allow them access. There was a smell about the house that was hard to define. Lorne suspected it was a mixture of lavender and Deep Heat. The man had a curved spine and walked with a cane. She noted that his left leg wasn’t as strong as his right, hence the cane.
He showed them into a lounge with a bay window at the front of the house. The room was quite warm, thanks to the gas fire burning in the hearth. The couch was a dirty-pink colour, and the flowered cushions on either end looked as if they could do with a good wash. Lorne assumed the man lived alone at the address.
“Now then, what can I tell you nice young ladies that I didn’t already tell your colleagues? Nothing much is the answer,” he said, asking and answering his own question.
Lorne smiled. “If you wouldn’t mind recapping what you told the uniformed officers earlier, that would be a great help.”
“Ah, you think because my hair is failing out and going silver that my memory isn’t up to scratch—is that it?” the man said, a twinkle in his eye.
Lorne knew that he was pulling their legs rather than being sarcastic. “I’m quite partial to a bit of silver hair. My husband’s is turning that colour, rapidly.”
Her retort made Mr. Jameson laugh. “I suppose it comes to us all in the end. Okay, enough frivolity. This is important stuff, and young Emma doesn’t deserve what’s happening to her. If anything I tell you brings that girl home safely, then so be it. I want to help you as much as I can, Inspector.”
“Please, in your own time.”
“Well, I was sitting here, trying to keep warm in the one room, as always. I’d just watched the end of This Morning on the box and had my soup and toast for lunch. Eating gave me a surprise burst of energy, so I decided to do some housework. It doesn’t happen that often, as you can imagine. Life really is too short for all that crap. I digress. Forgive me. Anyway, I dragged the vacuum cleaner upstairs and began in the spare bedroom. I decided that my bedsheets needed changing. Thought I might as well do that before I hoovered the main bedroom. You know what it’s like when you have these damn feather pillows. The tiny little buggers always escape the fabric and end up embedding themselves in the carpet pile, not that there’s much of that after being trampled on for the past thirty years or so.”
Lorne genuinely liked the old man but could tell that Katy was getting restless listening to him droning on. “I know what you mean. Those feathers can be an absolute pain in the rear. I went over to synthetic pillows a few years ago and never have that problem now.”
He pointed at Lorne. “I’ve been mulling it over, wondering if I’d be able to get used to them after having feather pillows all these years. I might give them a try.”
Katy coughed slightly. “You were saying, Mr. Jameson?”
“Oops, off on a tangent again. Sorry, chuck. Anyway, I was vacuuming underneath the window in my bedroom when something caught my eye out the window. I’m not a nosy bugger, really. Honestly, I’m not. It’s just this man gave me the impression he was up to no good. When I saw him go round the side of the Lansburys’ house and he didn’t reappear, I thought he must have been a guest of theirs, so didn’t think anything more about it until your lot came knocking on my door earlier.”
“Did you get a good look at the man?” Lorne asked.
“Not really. He had one of those hooded sweatshirts on. It’s no good you asking me to do one of those line-up thingamajigs, either, because I never saw his face.”
“That’s a shame,” Lorne replied. “Could the person have been a woman perhaps?”
Mr. Jameson’s mouth turned down at the sides as he considered the question. “You know what, I really wouldn’t like to say. I just assumed the person was male because of the way he or she was dressed. Is that bad of me to draw that conclusion?”
“No, not at all. We’ll keep that side of things open then until we hear otherwise from one of the other neighbours perhaps.”
“By the sounds of things, I think the uniformed guys said that I was the only one to come up with anything useful.”
Lorne smiled. “Well, we’ll have to see how things pan out. I take it you never saw the person again that day?”
“No. I finished what I had to do upstairs then shot back down here again in the warm. I hate the bloody winter, don’t you?”
“It’s not good, I’ll admit. We’re coming up to the bad time of year with Christmas looming in the next few days.”
He shook his head. “Nothing to get excited about in this house. Since my wife died, it’s just another day to me. None of my kids bother coming to see me. They might ring me once in a blue moon to see if I’m still alive, no doubt waiting in the wings for their inheritance to come their way.” He leaned forward in his chair. “The thing is, they’re going to be bitterly disappointed when the will is read because I’ve left everything I own to the Dogs Trust and the Woodland Trust, not that I have much. But that will teach them for neglecting me in my old age.”
“I’m sorry your family treats you badly. You don’t
deserve that.”
“You’re right. I don’t, lass. They used to visit weekly when Dora was alive. That’s the galling part. Not sure what I did to change things except bury my dear wife.”
“Would you like me to give them a call? I would be willing to do that for you. I hate the thought of you spending Christmas all alone.”
“You’re very sweet, dear, but what’s done is done. I ain’t going to force them to come and see me if they don’t want to. Let them deal with the guilt once I’m dead and gone—that’s what I say. Look, I’ve taken up enough of your time already. I don’t want you to stay here longer than necessary. I want you out there searching for that precious girl. She often speaks to me if I’m out pottering around in the garden during the summer.” His eyes moistened.
“Okay, we better get going then. Thank you for your help, Mr. Jameson.” Lorne stood up, and Katy followed.
“You’re welcome,” he said, struggling to get to his feet to show them to the door. “Bring her home to us, Inspector.”
“We’ll do our best, I assure you. Take care, sir, and Merry Christmas.”
“And to you. I hope you get some time off at Christmas to enjoy the festivities with your family.”
When they reached the front door, Katy exited the house before Lorne, who turned to face the old man and hugged him, tears misting her eyes as she pecked him on the cheek. “Take care of yourself.”
When Lorne pulled away, Mr. Jameson’s face was a picture. “I can tell you’re a very special person, Inspector. Wishing you luck with the investigation.”
Lorne waved at him from the gate.
Katy was standing by the car, glancing towards the Lansburys’ house.
“What do you think we should do now, Katy?”
“Is this some kind of test?”
Lorne tutted and crossed the road to the Lansburys’ house.
Katy caught up with her and tugged her arm. “I’m sorry. That was uncalled for.”
Lorne nodded. “You’re right. It was.”
“Where are we going?”
“I need to see where the side entrance leads to and figure out how this person got into the house.”
