by M A Comley
“We usually prefer people to make an appointment to see Will. He’s an exceptionally busy man, you see.”
“No doubt. It’s on police business, and we have the authority to turn up where and when we like during an investigation.”
Candice’s head lowered in defeat, and she rushed behind her desk to place the call. “Hi, Will. I appreciate how busy you are at the moment, but is it possible for you to join me in the sales office for a second?”
There was a slight pause while the man on the other end of the line said something before Candice added, “Thanks, I’ll see you soon.” She replaced the phone in its docking station and glanced up, her cheeks slightly crimson. “He’ll be with you shortly. Can I get either of you a drink while you wait?”
Lorne shook her head. “No thanks. You can fill me in a little on the site while we wait for Will to arrive, if you don’t mind.”
Candice left her chair and walked to the model laid out at the centre of the room, encased in glass. “There are one hundred thirty houses on the site, or there will be once the build is finished. We’re approximately halfway through at present and on schedule to finish in a year’s time.”
“Are all the properties sold? What does the site consist of?”
“We’re seventy-five percent sold now. The site consists of mainly three- to four-bedroom homes with the odd two-bedroom semi dotted here and there, to meet the affordable housing quota laid down by the government.”
“I see. What are your price ranges compared to the other newbuild sites in the area?”
“We’re on a par. Some of our properties are even cheaper than our rivals’, which is why we always seem to sell out first.”
Lorne glanced at the flag blowing in the wind outside the window. “Five-star excellence and ninety percent of your customers would recommend you. That’s a fantastic accomplishment.”
“We’re proud of our achievements. We all do our best to ensure the customer is happy at every stage of the process.”
The door burst open, and a man around five-eight walked into the showroom. Although he smiled as he entered, Lorne sensed he was more than a little stressed at having to be there.
“Candice? You needed to see me?” he asked without looking in either Katy’s or Lorne’s direction.
“Yes, Will. This is DI Warner and DI Foster. They requested to see you urgently.”
Lorne extended her hand to the man, who shook it a little hesitantly. “I’m DI Warner, and this is my partner, DS Foster. Thanks for taking time out of your busy schedule. Is there somewhere we can have a private chat with you?”
“I’d take you to the site office, only it’s at the other end of the site, and what with the weather we’ve had recently, it’s in a bit of a mess. All right if we use one of the show homes, Candice?”
“Of course. We haven’t got anyone booked in for a visit for a few hours.”
“Ladies, if you’d like to follow me.” He removed his high-vis coat and hard hat, left them on the desk and walked through one of the doors on the left. Lorne and Katy followed him down a narrow path and into a beautifully decorated show home. The scent of roses filled the entrance hall.
Will led them into the home, and they stepped out of their shoes, leaving them at the front door. He walked through the first door and into an open-plan kitchen-diner that took Lorne’s breath away.
“Will here do? Take a seat, ladies.”
“This is beautiful. Are all the houses this grand?” Lorne asked.
“They’re the same build quality, but each style of house is individually laid out inside. We have twenty-nine differently styled homes to deal with on this site.”
“That must put you under a lot of pressure, to ensure all parts of the build are finished to an exact standard.”
“It does, but I love my job, so it’s a pleasure to come to work every day. We have an exceptional team here, which tends to make my job easier.”
“I hope you don’t mind me saying, but you looked stressed when you came in the office.”
“I prefer to get on with my job without too much interference from the sales office. Sometimes it doesn’t pan out that way.”
“I completely understand. It must take a lot of effort on your part to keep the schedule on track, right?”
He smiled. “Some days are better than others. Mostly, I prefer to keep ahead of schedule where I can, just in case we hit some kind of glitch further down the line.”
“Makes sense to me. Is there just you running this site?”
“I have a capable assistant, Nathan. I’d be lost without him by my side. That’s for sure.”
“How does that work? Is he in charge of certain areas of the site while you deal with the rest of it?” Lorne asked. She liked this man, as he was proving to be very open and genuinely proud of his development.
“Not really. It’s all about teamwork. We have a meeting every morning when we arrive and go from there. Now and then, something of this nature crops up to derail our well-laid-out plans, but in general, I’d say life is a breeze.”
“Wow, I wish my working day went as well as yours apparently does. Okay, down to the nitty-gritty of why we’re really here.”
Will, his smile still in place, tilted his head to one side. “Go on. I’m all ears.”
“We’re here to see a man called Larry Watson.”
Will’s eyebrow rose. “What’s he done?”
“How long has he worked for you?”
“A few weeks. Although, this is the third time we’ve employed him.”
“May I ask why you keep taking him back?”
Will shrugged. “He’s an experienced JCB driver, and there aren’t many of his calibre in this area.”
“I see. Are you aware that he’s worked on other sites in the area and caused a few accidents?”
“I’d heard rumours. However, I took those rumours with a pinch of salt. Is that what you want to see him about? The accidents?”
“If you wouldn’t mind. You’re saying it as though the accidents were minor?”
“Are you telling me they weren’t?”
Lorne sighed. “Sadly not. One man has been left bedridden for the rest of his life, and the other man has been told that he’ll have a permanent limp.”
“Ouch! I wasn’t aware of that.” Will shifted uncomfortably in his seat.
“Did you not check out his references before you offered him a contract?”
“We tend to leave that to head office. It’s up to them to take on that responsibility. I have enough paperwork to deal with day in day out as it is.”
Lorne rolled her eyes. “I know that feeling. My job is about fifty-fifty, or that’s how it seems at times. Paperwork is the bane of my life. Sorry, I’ve strayed off topic. Is Larry Watson on-site today?”
“He is. Do you want me to get him for you?” Will chewed on his lip then added, “The thing is, that I’d rather not have him in here. He’s going to be filthy, and Candice will kill me if he steps foot in here and she has viewings later. The cleaners have already been and gone today.”
“Is there somewhere else where we can question him then?”
“What about the back of the car?” Katy suggested.
Lorne nodded and chuckled. “Okay, I’m up for that, providing he takes his boots off before he gets in.”
Will stood up. “I’ll go and hunt him down then. I shouldn’t be too long.”
“Is it all right if we have a quick nose around?” Lorne asked, always interested in keeping up with the latest design trends where houses were concerned.
Will opened the front door and called back over his shoulder. “Feel free. I’ll be about five to ten minutes anyway.”
Lorne walked up the stairs ahead of Katy. “I love the colours they’ve used in this one. What would you call it? Heather?”
“It’s a yucky purple to me,” Katy replied, seemingly unimpressed by the interior.
Lorne had no idea what Katy’s house looked like on th
e inside as she’d never visited her and AJ’s home. Not that either of them had the time to socialise with each other much after hours, what with Lorne having the rescue centre to deal with and a family of her own to look after. There were times lately, when she found herself thinking hard about what she wanted in life. Starting up the rescue centre had been a lifelong ambition of hers at one point, and between them, she and her family had saved many abandoned or abused dogs. However, whether it was her age beginning to show, she was getting to the stage where she was desperate to have more in life. Looking around at the beautifully furnished home only heightened her lust to have what she considered to be out of her league.
When they entered the master bedroom, which was huge by modern housing standards, Lorne dug Katy in the ribs and asked, “Surely this is pulling at your heartstrings, isn’t it?”
“Not really. Where’s the character, Lorne? You’d be nuts if you gave up your cosy place for something as bland as this.”
“It’s hardly what I would call bland. Of course, you have to take into consideration the environmental importance of owning a new home. They’re supposed to be up to seventy or eighty percent more efficient to run than an old wreck of a house like mine. Wouldn’t you want that peace of mind?”
“Nope. Nothing you can say would convince me to buy one of these houses. Now, can we get out of here?”
Lorne tutted. “You’re such a grouch sometimes. A girl is allowed to dream now and again, isn’t she?”
Katy left the room and walked down the stairs. “Whatever, Lorne. I’m out of here.”
They slipped on their shoes in silence and left the house. Will was walking across the car park towards their car, with two other men. One of the men was slightly shorter than Will and dressed in the same kind of uniform, while the other man was around six-three and dressed in grubby jeans and a stained white T-shirt.
Will introduced the two men. “This is my assistant manager, Nathan Davies, and this is Larry Watson.”
“Pleased to meet you both,” Lorne replied. “Mr. Watson, we’d like to have a chat with you, if that’s okay?”
“Not sure about what, but Will told me that I had to come and speak to you, so here I am.” His arms lifted out to the side and slapped against his thighs.
“If you’d like to get in the back of my car. Take your boots off, if you will?”
“Why not out here? I hate being confined in a car. I get enough of that working the JCB every day,” Larry complained.
Will thumped the man gently in the top of the arm. “Just do it, Larry. Stop bloody moaning for a change.”
“All right, all right,” Larry groaned and reached for the back door of Lorne’s car.
“Boots!” Will shouted.
“I’ve gotta sit inside before I can take me boots off, boss. Give me a break!”
Lorne rolled her eyes at Katy. She could tell they were in for a hell of a ride with this character. “Thanks, Will. We’ll try not to keep him away from his work for long.”
“Good luck, ladies. You’re going to need it.” Will and Nathan walked away from the car, laughing.
Lorne and Katy jumped in the front seats. Katy withdrew her notebook and flipped it open. Lorne turned sideways in her seat so that she had eye contact with Larry. “We won’t keep you long, hopefully.”
“I don’t get what this is all about. I ain’t done nothing wrong.”
“Okay, let’s put it this way—you’ll be helping with our enquiries.”
“What enquiries?” Larry folded his arms tightly across his chest and glared at her, a sneer contorting his mouth.
“We’re investigating a couple of incidents that have occurred on several local sites, and your name has cropped up a few times as a person of interest whom we should speak to.”
“Person of interest? What’s that supposed to bloody mean?”
“Am I right in saying that you used to work at Harris Homes?”
“Yeah, what about it?”
“An incident took place there a few months ago. You ran over one of your colleagues whilst manoeuvring your digger, right?”
He unfolded his arms and ran a hand through his spiky blond hair. “An unfortunate incident, one that I regretted as soon as it happened. I just didn’t see Joel behind me. You know these diggers have a reversing beeper that warns people to get out of the way, right?”
“I took it for granted they would. Isn’t it your responsibility to check around you, all the same, before you actually begin the manoeuvre?” Lorne asked.
“Yeah, I suppose, but we’re on a tight schedule here, and everything is carried out at breakneck speed. We’re all aware of that, and the men are instructed to keep their wits about them at all times. I can’t do their thinking for them. There are too many of them, for a start. Honestly, it wasn’t my fault, no matter who tries to lay the blame at my door. Do you seriously think these guys would have taken me on if they thought I’d deliberately carried out an act like that? No way!”
“Okay, I’m willing to accept what you say about that. There’s another incident that has come to our attention at Sutherland Homes.”
“Jesus, really? You can’t be serious? Accidents happen on-site all the bloody time. Why are you singling me out, for fuck’s sake?”
“Try and control your language and your temper, Larry. Otherwise, we’ll be forced to take you in for questioning down at the station, under caution.”
Larry’s chest rose, then he exhaled a large breath and began chewing on the inside of his mouth. “Go on.”
“As I was saying, an incident that happened at Sutherland Homes cropped up during a visit earlier, and your name was mentioned in connection to the accident.”
“What do you want me to say? ‘Yeah, guilty as charged’? It was a minor incident, and again, the guy either didn’t hear or chose to ignore the reversing warning on my vehicle. By the time I realised he was there—these things have a blind spot, in case you don’t know—it was too late, and he was lying on the floor behind me. A group of men shouted for me to stop. If they hadn’t, I would have run over him for sure. Building sites are dangerous places to work. I’m not being funny when I say that. There are signs up all over the place, and we’re given strict instructions to be aware at all times. Health and safety regimes are tough on-site. Take my word on that.”
“I’ve noticed the signs on other sites. We haven’t stepped far enough onto this site to see if it’s the same case here. Have you caused any accidents here, Larry? This is your third stint working here, right?”
“Right and no, nothing like that has happened here. This place is a different kettle of fish to the others. Standards are higher.”
Lorne nodded, accepting his excuse. “If that’s the case, why did you leave in the past?”
Larry fell silent for a while, as if contemplating his response, before he said, “What can I say? I get bored easily.”
“I can imagine, driving around in a JCB all day. Why don’t you try your hand at something else if you get bored doing the same thing day in day out?”
“I can’t retrain at my time of life.”
“What are you? Thirty-five?”
“Nearly thirty-nine. I’m better off sticking to doing what I know best. It’s not a bad job, really.”
“If you concentrate on the task in hand and don’t knock anyone over, eh?”
“How many times do I have to tell you? Neither of those incidents were intentional. You have my word on that.”
“How are things at home, Larry? Do you have a happy home life?”
“What the fuck has that got to do with anything?”
“It’s a simple question. If people are happy at home, it can affect how they relate to their day job.”
“What a load of codswallop that bloody is. Are you happy in your job?”
Lorne was shocked at his enquiry. “I am, exceptionally happy if you must know.” The lie tripped off her tongue after the way she’d been feeling during the day.
> “Glad to hear it… Not everyone is that fortunate.”
“I suppose so. Okay, thanks for taking time out of your schedule to speak with us. If we have any further questions, we’ll be in touch.”
Larry grunted a goodbye and stepped out of the car. Lorne and Katy stared after him as he walked away.
“Well, what did you make of him?” Lorne asked.
“I haven’t quite made my mind up as yet. You?”
“My thoughts entirely. I’ve had enough for the day. Let’s get back to the station, see if the guys have got anything new for us, and then head home.”
After battling the heaving afternoon traffic for almost three quarters of an hour, they finally arrived at the station. They were just climbing the stairs to the incident room when Lorne’s mobile rang.
She looked at the caller ID and groaned. “Oh heck, it’s Jade. I’m probably in for an earbashing. I promised I would ring her at the weekend and forgot.” She answered the call. “Hi, Jade. First of all, I owe you an apology—”
“No, you don’t,” her sister replied, sounding a little subdued. “Lorne, I need to see you.”
She halted halfway up the stairs, her brow furrowing as her heart rate sped up. “What is it, love? Is something wrong with the boys? Or Luigi?”
Her sister let out a shuddering breath. “No. They’re all fine. I’m not, though… I found a lump.”
Chapter 7
Tears blurred Lorne’s vision as she drove to her sister’s house. No, this can’t be happening. Not again. I can’t lose another member of my family to this bloody disease! Their mother had lost her battle to cancer almost twenty-two years before, and it had devastated her family. Truth be told, her father had never really recovered from her mother’s death. His health had declined gradually over the years until the day they’d lost him too. That day was also the contributing factor why Lorne and Jade had drifted apart. She felt that Jade somehow blamed her for their father’s death because he was living with Lorne at the time. Lorne had been abducted by criminals during a case, putting their already-frail father under a lot of stress, and that fact was also hard to dismiss.
