by M A Comley
“Upstairs, the second door on the right. I don’t think it’s locked.”
Katy followed Lorne up the grand staircase.
“Thanks for giving her the number; she was ticking me off. I hate it when people expect you to do everything for them.”
“Play nice, Lorne, she’s just lost her husband, for fuck’s sake,” Katy whispered, glancing back over her shoulder in case the woman had followed them.
“I know. She just rubbed me up the wrong way when she dismissed her grief and homed in on her future. Genuine people don’t do that within minutes of learning about their spouse’s death.”
“That’s true. Let’s forget about that and concentrate on the task in hand.”
“Here it is. What’s the betting it’s locked?” Lorne tried the handle and breathed out a sigh of relief when the door opened.
They entered the room which was surprisingly tidy. It was dominated by a large mahogany desk. Around the room were several matching bookcases, filled with text books and literary fiction, along with several knick-knacks which Lorne presumed his wife had bought Larry as gifts over the years.
“Why don’t you take that end of the bookcase and we’ll meet in the middle?”
“Mind telling me what I’m searching for?” Katy asked, appearing to be daunted by the task ahead of her.
“A notebook, a list, anything along those lines.”
“We could be here all day.”
“Stop complaining and get on with it.” Lorne extracted the first book from the shelf and held it upside down by the front cover. Nothing fell out, so she moved on to the next book. Katy followed suit, and between them they searched the entire library of books within half an hour. “Nothing.”
Katy swivelled away from the shelves and stared at the desk. “You’re missing the most obvious hiding place, surely.”
“Ya think? That’s why I deliberately didn’t search there first. Let’s have a look.”
Lorne crossed the room and opened the first drawer. There was nothing in there apart from pens and other forms of stationery items such as paperclips et cetera. Katy got down on her knees beside her.
“What the heck are you doing?”
“Bear with me.” She stuck her head under the desk.
Lorne heard something being torn from the wood, and her partner emerged holding a small book in her hand.
“Methinks this guy has been watching too much TV.”
“Clever dick. He’s not the only one, eh?”
Katy grinned and handed the book to Lorne.
Opening the first page she was confronted by a list of men’s names. “Bingo. You’ve found it.”
Katy glanced towards the door and lowered her voice. “Are we going to take it without telling her or what?”
“I can’t do that. You know I prefer to do things by the book. We’ll shove it in an evidence bag and tell her.”
“What if she asks what it is?”
“Then we’ll say it’s a list of business contacts who we need to get in touch with to interview and promise to bring the book back in a few days.”
“Let’s hope that works.”
“It will. She’s too preoccupied with her own future to worry about this. Let’s get back to base.”
Lorne removed an evidence bag from her jacket pocket and slipped the notebook inside. Mrs Small was pacing the hallway at the bottom of the stairs. She looked up, her gaze immediately drawn to the bag Lorne was holding by her side.
She pointed and asked, “What’s that?”
“Information that we need to look into. A list of associates we’re keen to interview. We’ll return it in a few days.”
Mrs Small nodded, seemingly satisfied with the response. “Is that it? Are you done now?”
“For now, yes. We appreciate you letting us have a snoop around. We’ll be in touch soon, hopefully once we’ve caught the culprit.”
“Good. I hope you find them soon. I want to know why they did it. Why they decided to strip this family of my dear husband, the father of my children.”
“We’ll find out, you have my word on that, I promise.”
Back at the station, Lorne brought the team up to date. Actually, they all had information to share that proved interesting.
Graham had successfully traced the vehicle and sent a patrol car to search the area where the ANPR cameras had last spotted it. The patrol team discovered the vehicle within fifteen minutes of beginning their search. It had been abandoned by the killer and was en route to the forensic lab for them to examine.
“What about the driver, Graham? Could you make out who was driving the car?”
He turned to face his screen. “This is all we have, boss.”
Lorne joined him and peered over his shoulder. “Damn and blast. She or he has a scarf around their face. I’m still inclined to believe it’s a woman we’re after.” She filled the team in on what they’d found at the crime scene, the knife in the bin and the injuries the victim had suffered before and possibly after his death. Then she went on to reveal the book they had discovered at the victim’s house. Holding the evidence bag up, she announced, “This little book I feel is going to be the key to solving this case—at least I hope it will be. Want to know where my suspicions are leading me?” It was a rhetorical question. Lorne continued quickly. “My take is we’re going to stumble upon a paedophile ring.”
Katy’s hand swept over her pale face. “God, I hope not. There’s no telling how I’m going to react if we trace the rest of the men in that book.”
“I know what you mean, partner. We’re going to have to be professional about this. We need to track these men down before the killer homes in on them.”
Karen cleared her throat to speak. Lorne nodded for her to go ahead.
“I did some digging on Larry Small while you were out. Fifteen years ago, he was arrested for kerb crawling and for having sex with an underage girl. She was fifteen at the time.”
“It would appear that Larry wasn’t as innocent as his wife painted him to be,” Lorne stated.
“Do you think the wife knew?”
“I’m not sure. I’d like to think not. Thankfully, the man has two boys of his own and no girls. I dread to think what that family would have gone through if he’d had daughters.” She shuddered at the thought. “Okay, Katy, you and I will work on the list. I need everyone else to keep digging with regard to background checks et cetera. Stephen, I’d like you to get the financial side of things nailed down for me. See if there are any large amounts of cash being moved around between the victim’s personal accounts. Give me a lowdown on how Larry’s business was doing as well while you’re at it.”
Katy bought everyone a cup of coffee and joined Lorne in her office a little while later. Together they went through the list of names, securing the men’s likely addresses. The next step was to trace any possible convictions for them.
Two of the men had attempted rape charges to their names and had spent the minimal derisory sentence in prison for their crimes. Lorne was interested in speaking with those men first.
“Are we going to do it today or leave it until tomorrow?” Katy took a sip from her coffee.
“I’d love to do it today but I’m knackered. Let’s leave it until tomorrow and call it a day.”
“I’m all for that. Maybe the killer will strike again tonight and save us a job. Oh shit! Did I really say that out loud?”
Lorne chuckled. “You’re a wicked woman, DS Katy Foster, even though I’m inclined to agree with you. Paedophiles are the lowest of the low in this universe. They deserve everything they get and more sometimes.”
Chapter 7
When Lorne arrived home that evening, her stomach was telling her she’d overdone it. Tony was in the kitchen, preparing their meal.
“Hello, love. Crap, you look like shit.”
He left the pot he was stirring and rushed to help her, guiding her to a seat at the table.
“Sorry, I was fine on the drive home.
I got out of the car, and my stomach was on fire. I’ll be all right in a bit.”
“Have you had a painkiller recently?”
“Lunchtime, I think. You know how it is, you think you’ve taken one and end up forgetting.”
Tony reached for the tablets lying in the middle of the table and placed the box in front of her, then filled a glass with water from the tap. “Drink this. When are you going to learn to look after yourself properly?”
“Aww…I do, Tony. Don’t have a go, love. I’m tired.”
He placed his hands on either side of her face and kissed her gently on the lips. “I’m only looking out for you. You shouldn’t be back at work. I should bloody come down that station and give Sean a piece of my mind.”
“Eight more days, and I’ll be free. Don’t get angry, love. It’s wasted energy. There’s nothing we can do about it, so what’s the point? How have you got on today?”
“All the spare rooms and most of the master bedroom are now packed up.” He raised a hand to prevent her from talking. “Don’t worry, I’ve not taped up any of the boxes yet in case you need to get to anything.”
“You know me so well. Sod’s law that we’ll need something in an emergency. That’s always happened to me in the past.” She placed a hand on his cheek. “You spoil me. You’re such a treasure. Most men would probably make up one feeble excuse after another to get out of the packing.”
“What have I told you over the years? I’m not most men. I appreciate how hard you work and I’m willing to pull my weight, I always have done.”
“You have. I love you so much, Tony. What’s for dinner?”
“Stir-fry vegetables and a chicken kiev.”
“Yum, do you want me to taste the stir-fry? I know how difficult it is to get the flavours right.”
Tony laughed and helped her to her feet. “In other words, you don’t trust me on that score.”
Lorne took a spoon from the drawer nearest the stove and tasted the sauce. She mulled it over for a little while and realised that there was indeed something missing from the mix. She then opened the larder cupboard, selected the oyster sauce and waved the bottle at Tony.
“Damn, I knew I’d miss something out. You’re amazing to have detected that.”
“It’s not only at work where my detective skills come in handy. I’ll add a splash and finish off the dinner, if you want. My pain is dying down now.”
“If you’re sure. I haven’t taken Sheba out for a while; she could do with a run in the paddock for ten minutes.”
“Go. Leave this to me.”
He pecked her on the cheek and patted Sheba on the head. “Come on, girl. Let’s go find your ball or chase some squirrels.”
Lorne slipped off her jacket, put it on the back of a chair and returned to the stove. The vegetables still needed another five minutes cooking. She stirred them constantly in the sauce and checked on the kievs in the oven. To her amazement, Tony had prepared homemade kievs which looked good enough to eat, rather than resorting to the processed junk available in the supermarkets nowadays. She smiled, thinking back to his first attempt at cooking, when he’d placed dried spaghetti, without any water, in her expensive copper-bottom pot and ruined it. He’d definitely come a long way since then, thankfully. Even though he did most of the cooking, she still liked to keep her hand in and preferred to cook the meals herself on her days off. Most people found cooking stressful, but not Lorne. It was a form of relaxation therapy in her eyes, except when she’d been training Tony. Those days had been some of the most stressful of her life in the kitchen.
Tony entered the back door as she was dishing up. “Great timing as usual,” he said smugly. “That’s Sheba knackered for the night.”
“I’ll tell you what, once all this mess is cleared up, we’re both going to veg out in front of the TV. We deserve a night off.”
“I agree. Fancy a glass of wine with your meal?”
“I’ll give it a miss.”
“Sorry, I forgot about your painkillers. Okay, OJ it is for both of us then.”
“Don’t be an idiot. You have one, it won’t bother me.”
He grinned and saw to the drinks. Once the meals were plated, Lorne placed them on the kitchen table.
“How was work?” he asked.
“So-so. It’s early days yet. Another murder happened overnight, same MO. The victim’s penis was cut off.”
“Ugh…now that piece of news could have definitely waited until after we’d eaten.”
“Sorry, I didn’t think.”
“What’s your gut instinct telling you?”
Lorne finished her mouthful of chicken and took a sip of juice. “That we’re looking at a spate of revenge killings. The evidence is minimal at present, but so far it’s highlighting a possible paedophile ring.”
Tony grunted. “I’m saying nothing. You know my thoughts about people with that despicable trait running through their genes.”
Lorne covered his hand with hers. “Yep, I feel the same way. It doesn’t mean I’ll treat the investigation any different to how I would normally.”
“I don’t know how you do it.”
“That’s the thing, I don’t have to do it for much longer, love.”
Tony raised his glass and clinked it against hers. “Thank God for that. We’re both getting too old for this shit!”
They both laughed and completed their meal whilst discussing what lay ahead of them over the coming few months.
“I’m so glad to have you by my side for this amazing adventure, Tony.”
“As opposed to Tom?”
“He would never have agreed to the move. He was always stubborn, dug his heels in a lot whenever I suggested anything. Take this place, for instance. He would never have agreed to run a kennel. Whereas you, even with your background of travelling the world as an undercover agent, you had no objections at all. You’re one in a million, Tony. I’m thankful every day for having you in my life.”
“You’re getting soppy in your old age, love.”
“Maybe I am. Maybe I just appreciate the people around me more than I have done in the past. I’ll be sad when it comes to saying goodbye to Charlie and Carol.” Tears misted her eyes. Feeling foolish, she swiped them away.
“They’ll visit often, I have no doubt about that.”
“I hope so. Fancy some ice cream? The kievs were superb by the way, you clever man.”
“There, I thought I’d surprise you with my skill.”
“You did that.”
They cleared the table between them, washed and dried the dishes then took their bowl of salted caramel ice cream into the lounge.
“Fancy watching a film?”
“Why not? Hopefully I’ll keep my eyes open until the end.”
Tony popped a DVD in the machine, but before the credits had a chance to roll, the house phone rang. Lorne was the closest and answered it, preparing herself for bad news. “Hello.”
“How’s my best friend getting on with her packing?”
“Sally, how the devil are you? No kidding, I was going to ring you at the weekend.”
Her old friend chuckled. “I’ve saved you a job. Are you almost ready for the big move?”
“Tony has been an angel. He’s supervising that side of things. I’d say he’s fifty percent there.”
“Why aren’t you doing it? Oh wait, that was a dumb question, given your injury. You should be taking care of yourself. I’m glad Tony is on hand to help you. You’ve got a good’un there.”
“I can vouch for that. I’m at work for the next eight days, and yes, I’m counting down the days.”
“What? Are you insane?”
“Nope. My DCI pulled a fast one, told me he wouldn’t allow me sick pay if I didn’t show up for work.”
“Wow, Sean must really want to hang on to you. That’s crap, though. I’m afraid I would’ve told him where to stick his job. You’re still recovering from your operation. What if you have a relapse?”
&nb
sp; “I’m taking it easy, I promise. Katy is doing a lot of the heavy lifting as it were at work.” She had to bite her tongue, keeping the fact that Sean hadn’t actioned her pension a secret, with Tony present.
“What a way to treat a serving officer of your calibre. That DCI of yours needs stringing up. I’ll volunteer to do it if I’m ever down that way. Hugs to you, hon. Do you even have the time to get excited about the move?”
“Yes, I’m finding the time to have the odd daydream, my partner will attest to that, although the latest investigation we’re dealing with is a tad gruesome.”
“Eww…please don’t go into details. I hated working on the gruesome cases, much prefer dealing with cold cases these days.”
“Each to their own. I think I’d find them frustrating, and let’s face it, there’s enough frustration flying around when dealing with a case committed the week before, let alone investigating one that happened decades earlier.”
“It took a while to get used to, but now I enjoy it. Maybe when you move, you can pay me a visit at the station, help out on a case or two?”
“Get out of here. What part of the concept of taking early retirement don’t you understand?”
“It was worth a try. I really enjoyed working on that case with you a few years ago.”
“Is that bitch still trying everything she can to get out of prison?”
“Yep, her appeals keep getting thrown out, I’m pleased to say. She’s manipulated one man too many over the years. Last I heard was that prison life didn’t agree with her and she was ageing rapidly.”
“It couldn’t happen to a nicer person. The way that woman ruled her daughters, forced them to do her dirty work for her…well, I’m not even going to go there. Evil bitch deserves to rot in prison.”
“Couldn’t agree more. Anyway, I’d better let you get on. Don’t go overdoing it. We’ll catch up soon. I can’t believe you’ll be living around the corner from me in a couple of weeks.”
“Hardly around the corner, but I get what you mean. Twenty minutes away is better than what it is now. Give my love to Simon. Tell him Tony and I can’t wait to see him again.”
