by M A Comley
“I’ll get right on it.”
Lorne’s mobile rang. She looked at the caller ID and smiled. “That’s spooky. I was just going to call you, Carol. How are you?”
“Lorne, please, help me…”
Chapter 13
Lorne sank into the chair behind her and stared at the phone. Katy placed a hand on her shoulder. “Lorne, what is it? What’s wrong?”
She shook her head, bewildered by what she’d heard. “It’s Carol. Something’s wrong.”
Katy shook Lorne’s shoulders. “You’re not making any sense. What’s going on?”
“He’s got her. It’s the only explanation I can think of.”
“Lorne, tell us what she said? For God’s sake, pull yourself out of this.”
Saving her partner a job, Lorne slapped herself around the face then shot out of the chair. “I don’t believe in coincidences, you know that. One minute, I’m receiving a call from the killer, and within minutes, my best friend is telling me she needs my help.”
“Shit! Okay. Let’s not jump to conclusions. Try and call her back. Do you know where she was today?”
Lorne banged her temple with her fist. “Crap! She was at the kennels. My God, I have to get over there. The dogs, Katy. If he’s hurt those damn dogs…”
“Calm down. We’ll contact control, ask them to get a patrol car out there. It’ll be quicker than if we try and get through the traffic. Stay calm. Ring Tony. See where he is.”
Lorne’s hand shook as she punched in Tony’s number. “Hello, love. What do I owe the pleasure?”
Her mouth was dry. “Where are you?”
“Out with Joe. Why? What’s wrong?”
“Something has happened to Carol. I think the killer has her.”
“How do you know that?”
“He rang me, threatened me to back off or he’d do something to punish me. Within minutes, I received a call from Carol, pleading me to help her before the line went dead. Tony, she was working at the kennels today. I’m terrified something has happened to the dogs. Can you get home quickly?”
“We’re on surveillance about ten miles away. We’ll leave now, but it’s going to take us a while to get back. Have you rung the kennels? Spoken to Cindy? Perhaps Carol didn’t show up for work today.”
“I’ll do that now. Katy just arranged for a patrol car to go over there. Tony, I’m scared.”
“Don’t be. We’ll sort this. Between us, we’ll get Carol back, if she has been abducted. Stay positive.”
“I’m trying. I’ll ring the kennels now.” Lorne hung up and immediately rang Cindy’s mobile. It rang and rang before a breathless Cindy answered the phone. “Hello?”
“Cindy, it’s Lorne. What’s going on there?”
“Lorne, please help us. The kennels are on fire.”
“What! No, not my babies. Have you called the fire brigade? I’m on my way.”
“Yes, they’re on their way. The men, they did this. They took Carol. I tried to help her. They hit me then set fire to the huge bale of straw by the back door. I couldn’t contain the fire. It spread so quickly.”
“Go. Do what you can to get all the dogs out. Put them in the house if necessary. Help is on the way, love.” She ended the call and turned to Katy. “I have to go. Hold the fort here until I can return.”
“Bollocks. I’m coming with you. I’ll drive. I don’t want you having an accident on top of everything else. Karen, get all available cars in that area over to Lorne’s place ASAP. We’ll be in touch when we can.”
“On it now. I’m so sorry, boss. Hope things aren’t as bad as they seem when you get there.”
Lorne heard what Karen called after them, but she was in too much of a daze to respond. Katy hooked her arm through Lorne’s, and together, they raced down the stairs and jumped into Katy’s car.
It took them thirty-five minutes to tackle the traffic. When they pulled into the drive, a fire engine was in attendance, plus four uniformed officers and two patrol cars. Before Katy had drawn the car to a halt, Lorne opened the door and sprinted towards the kennels, which were ablaze at one end.
A young fireman stood in her way. “You can’t go in there. Let’s do our job and get the fire under control before the wind gets up.”
“Is there anyone left in there? Person or animal, I mean? Sorry, I’m confused.”
“No. Cindy is in the house. We’ve called for an ambulance. They’re held up on another call. ETA is five minutes. Cindy was brave. We think she got all the dogs out.”
Tears sprang to Lorne’s eyes. “Oh, thank God for that. Thank you for what you’re doing for us. I’m extremely grateful.”
“You’re welcome. It’s lucky the house wasn’t closer. Otherwise we’d be looking at a different outcome.”
Lorne smiled and rushed past Katy into the house. Katy joined her in the kitchen, where they found twenty bewildered dogs wandering around and Cindy coughing badly.
“Hello, love. How are you feeling?”
Cindy was clearly struggling to breathe.
“Silly question. Stay calm. Don’t try to speak. Have you had a drink?”
“Water… think I need something more,” Cindy said, trying to lighten the mood.
Lorne bent down and hugged her. “I’ll never be able to thank you enough for saving them all. They are all safe, aren’t they?”
“Yes. We need to get the vet out here to check them over… the smoke was pretty bad.”
“I’ll do that. Do you have your vet’s number?” Katy asked.
Lorne tore the card from the fridge magnet and handed it to Katy. Then she got on her knees and held out her arms to the dogs. Most of them looked away, scared and confused, but a couple of the residents who had been with them the longest came to see her. Lorne scanned the room. “Where’s Sheba, Cindy?”
Cindy began to sob. “She tried to help Carol; the men beat her with a stick. She ran off, Lorne. I would have gone after her, but the other dogs needed me.”
Lorne buried her head in her hands. “No! Not my beautiful dog.”
Katy flung an arm around her shoulder. “Don’t crack now, Lorne. Hold it together. We’ll find her. She’ll be scared, but once her fear subsides, she’ll come home.”
Wiping her tears, Lorne turned to Katy and nodded. “I know you’re right, but it’s hard not to imagine her lying in a ditch somewhere, desperate for my help. Cindy, don’t think I blame you for this, though. You’ve gone above and beyond to save the rest of the dogs. I’ll be eternally grateful to you for showing such determination and outright bravery, love. Many people would have run away and refused to go back in the kennel as soon as a spark took hold.”
“Thank you, Lorne. I couldn’t let that happen… you know how I feel about the dogs.” Cindy petted a few dogs lying by her feet and started to cough again.
Lorne pulled her shoulders back. Katy was right—she couldn’t crumble, not with so much still at stake. “Don’t speak. Save your breath, Cindy. I can hear the ambulance coming now.”
“I’m going to send the constables off to do house-to-house enquiries, see if anyone can identify what vehicle they took off in,” Katy said. “Cindy, did you see it?”
“It was a dark car. I’m sorry, my mind was focused on how I was going to save the dogs.”
Katy held up her hand. “That’s understandable.” She left through the back door and returned within ten minutes with two paramedics.
Pre-empting the paramedics’ arrival, Lorne had distributed the dogs around the house, in the lounge and in the bedrooms and called the vet for advice. Her regular vet advised that if any of the dogs looked in severe distress, he would come out as an emergency. Otherwise, he would visit them once they were settled in their temporary accommodation. Lorne looked around at the dogs and decided that none of them had any visible effects, apart from being dazed. They all wagged their tails when she either stroked them or called out their names. Lorne ended the call to the vet by saying that she would keep him informed with
the dogs’ whereabouts once it was decided and they would go from there.
Lorne stood by Cindy’s side again and placed a hand on her shoulder.
“We’re going to get you to hospital. You need a thorough check-up, and you’ll probably be kept in overnight,” the older of the two paramedics told Cindy.
“Don’t worry, I’ll ring your parents, Cindy.”
“Thanks, Lorne. I didn’t ring them before because I didn’t want to worry them. Please assure them that I’m okay.”
“I will. You take care of yourself, and we’ll see you soon.” She kissed Cindy on the cheek.
The paramedics wheeled Cindy out the back door and into the ambulance. Lorne waved them off and cried with relief when Tony’s car pulled into the drive. Tony and Joe rushed towards her, and her husband gathered her in his arms. “Are you all right? Who’s in the ambulance?”
Sobbing, Lorne explained what had happened. Tony kissed her forehead repeatedly as she retold the terrifying events. “We need to find Sheba, Tony. She’s out there and needs our help.”
“I know. Look, first things first—we need to find temporary accommodation for the dogs. Let’s get them settled then concentrate on finding Sheba, and more importantly Carol.”
“See? My mind is all screwed up. Carol’s safety should be at the forefront of my mind, not Sheba.”
Tony held her shoulders and shook her slightly. “Stop it. No one will blame you for being concerned about Sheba. There’s little we can do about Carol’s plight until whoever has taken her gets in touch with their demands.”
“I feel so guilty.”
“There’s nothing you could have done differently. All you’re doing is investigating terrible crimes because that’s your job.”
“But he warned me what would happen.”
Katy walked up behind Lorne and placed a hand on her back. “Blaming yourself isn’t going to help. We all need to remain positive about this situation.”
“I know you’re right, but it’s still going to be difficult for me to get past the guilt I’m feeling. Katy, I need you to take charge. I’m incapable of thinking straight right now. I don’t know what to do for the best.”
“I’m sure things will seem a lot clearer for you in the morning. Let’s leave things as they are for now. I’ll ring Roberts, make him aware of what’s going on.”
“Okay. Tell him I’m going to take the day off tomorrow. Shit, Jade has her appointment in the afternoon. I can’t back out of that. We need to find Sheba tonight, guys. Please help me find her. We don’t know how badly injured she is. If I catch up with those bastards, they won’t know what’s bloody hit them.”
“That’s the Lorne we know and love,” Katy replied, chuckling before she turned away and walked across the gravel towards the paddock to ring Roberts.
Lorne watched her on the phone, her mind racing about what they should do next. Another car pulled into the drive. Lorne ran towards it and opened the car door before it had a chance to stop. “Charlie, everything’s such a mess. Carol has been abducted, and the men who took her hit Sheba with a stick. She’s run off, and we need to find her.”
“Mum, slow down. The fire. What about the dogs?”
“They’re in the house. They all made it out alive, thanks to Cindy. The paramedics have rushed Cindy to hospital. I think she’ll be all right, but who knows? Damn, I need to ring her parents.”
“Okay, are you all right?”
“I’m scared for Carol and for Sheba. These guys have murdered numerous people already, Charlie. I don’t want their next victim to be Carol; she doesn’t deserve to be dragged into this.”
“Have they contacted you at all?”
“One of them rang me just before things kicked off here. He warned me to end the investigation or suffer the consequences. He must have been close by when he made the call because Carol rang me within minutes later, if I remember rightly—everything is such a blur.”
Charlie got out of the car and hugged her mother. “I’ll ring Brandon. We’ll search the area before we lose any more light. It’ll be dark in an hour or so. If Sheba is close, we’ll find her. Don’t worry, Mum. I’m sure Carol’s spirit guides will make sure no harm comes to her.”
“I hope you’re right on both counts, darling. If I can leave the search for Sheba in your capable hands, I can concentrate on trying to house the dogs.”
Charlie grabbed her phone from her bag and rushed into the house. Tony, Joe and Lorne entered the back door. Tony crossed the kitchen to fill the kettle, and within minutes, he’d made them all a cup of coffee. He and Joe waited patiently while Lorne went through her local contacts of nearby kennels to see if anyone could house the dogs temporarily. She assured them that it would only be for a few days until the kennels could be repaired. Most of them agreed to take four or five of the dogs each.
Charlie breezed through the kitchen a few minutes later. “I’ll keep in touch, let you know if we find her. Love you, Mum.”
“Love you too, sweetie. I’ll keep my fingers crossed that you find her.”
“We’ll have this and then start to ferry the dogs,” Tony said, sipping his drink.
There was a knock on the back door before the fireman who had prevented Lorne from going into the kennels poked his head into the room. “Hi, we’ve got the fire under control now. There’s enough damage done, but it could have been a whole lot worse. We’re going now.”
Lorne jumped out of her chair and rushed to see the men off. “I can’t thank you enough.”
“All in a day’s work. Glad there weren’t any fatalities to deal with.”
“So am I. My friend and my own dog are missing, but we’re dealing with that. Your help was appreciated, I promise you.”
“Hope they turn up soon. Take care.”
Lorne smiled. “So do I.”
Katy was standing by her car, still on the phone with Roberts.
Lorne wandered over to where she was standing and mouthed, “Is everything all right?”
“Yes, sir. We’ll keep you informed. I’ll pass on your best wishes to Lorne and Tony and see you in the morning with an update, if there is one. Good night.” She ended the call and let out a long breath. “Jesus, he wanted to know the ins and outs of a duck’s arse. I’ve been on the phone with him all this time. I’m gagging for a coffee. Any chance before I set off?”
“Tony’s just made a drink. Dare I ask what Roberts said?”
“I thought he’d be really uptight about you having time off, but he was apologetic and very concerned.” Katy lowered her voice to add, “He’s obviously still head over heels in love with you, hon.”
Lorne closed her eyes and shook her head. “Not what I want to hear, Katy. I love Tony, and Christ, Sean’s married anyway. Maybe it’s a case of him wanting what he can’t have. Never go back—that’s my motto. I can’t stress enough that I don’t have the same feelings for him. I regard him as a friend—sometimes, when he’s not snapping my head off—but that’s it as far as I’m concerned. Nothing will ever get in the way of Tony and me having a happy marriage. Nothing. Is that clear enough?”
“Hey, it’s not me you should be saying this all to. It’s Sean.”
“Not right now. I have enough on my plate, what with what Jade is going through at present too. Can my life get any more complicated?”
“Don’t think about it. Once all this is over, perhaps take him to one side and lay it on the table for him once and for all.”
Lorne rolled her eyes. “I thought I’d done that already after he kissed me in my office. He’s been fine with me since then, if a little reluctant to meet my gaze now and again. However, I thought we’d got past it. Clearly not. Jesus, I can do without this shit adding to the complications in my life overwhelming me right now.”
“I’m sure he’ll be fine. He was only showing his concern.”
“Which should have taken a two-second call, not bloody ten minutes,” she said, stomping off towards the house.
Ka
ty ran after her and pulled her arm. “If you go in there all worked up, Tony is going to wonder why.”
“Katy, my bloody head is spinning. I can do without this added pressure.”
“I know. Forget I said anything. I was only giving you my perspective on things.”
“I’m overreacting, I know. It’s hard not to in the circumstances. Just ignore me.” Lorne pushed open the door as her mobile rang. She looked down and saw Carol’s name lit up on the screen. She gasped. “It’s her. I’m going to put her on speaker. Keep quiet, everyone.”
“Carol? Is that you?”
“Sadly not, Inspector. Your friend is indisposed right now,” the muffled voice said.
In the background, Lorne could hear Carol talking. Or is she praying? She swallowed hard to keep her temper in check. “What do you want in exchange for Carol?”
“I’ve told you what I want—for you to stop the investigation.”
“You broke the deadline. You told me that I had until the end of the day to comply with your wishes.”
“So? I took your friend to give me extra bargaining power. Are you going to end the investigation now?”
“Why set fire to the kennels? Don’t you have any compassion at all?”
“I have plenty, very little for those mangy mutts, though. Answer my question,” he growled.
Lorne could hear footsteps as though he were walking on a wooden floor, then Carol’s scream reverberated around the room.
“No, please! Don’t hurt her. She’s done nothing wrong.”
“Her type give me the willies. If I killed her, I could rid the world of another looney psychic. I’d probably be a hero for doing the deed too.” He roared with laughter.
Lorne cringed. Her mind wasn’t functioning correctly, with all the stress she was under. Had this conversation happened when she was on form, she would have had a swift comeback waiting for him, but there was nothing. Tears welled up in her eyes, and she looked over at Tony for assistance.
