by M A Comley
By the end of the weekend, Lorne had finally persuaded Charlie to go on a trip to Alton Towers with a friend of hers the following Saturday and Sunday, something she never thought she’d be able to do, given the objections that had tumbled out of her daughter’s mouth. Now all she had to do was think up something special to do with her husband while Charlie was away. She had the rest of the week to figure out that particular problem.
Chapter Eleven
When the blue sky travelled with her on the way into work on Monday morning, Lorne had a good feeling about the day ahead of her. AJ, already at his desk, looked up when Lorne walked into the incident room. She could tell things weren’t quite right by the way his shoulders slumped and the absence of his usual cheerful smile.
“Everything all right with Katy, AJ?”
“Still the same. Did you have a good weekend?”
“It was quiet. Come on. Let’s have it?”
His smile appeared then, and he waved a sheet of paper under her nose. “This will brighten your day.”
“You bloody wind-up merchant. What is it?” She read the handwritten note and let out a whoop of joy. “What have you done about it? Anything?”
“Nope, thought you’d prefer to deal with it when you arrived. Good news, yes?”
“The best we could hope for, I’d say. I’ll be right back.”
Lorne took the sheet of paper with her and trotted along the corridor to the chief’s office.
His PA was sorting through a pile of post.
“Is he in? I have good news I’d like to share with him.”
The PA looked down at her desk. “He’s not on the phone at the moment. Go on. I’m sure he won’t mind being interrupted.”
“Thanks.” Lorne knocked on Sean’s door before she entered.
“Lorne? Come in. Do you have good news or bad?”
“You know me so well. Actually, this piece of news is of the pleasant variety.” She placed the note on his desk in front of him.
Sean read it, looked up, and tilted his head. “Very interesting. What are you planning to do about it? Go and see this neighbour—this Mrs. Shaw—to corroborate what she’s told us?”
“First up, we need to obtain a warrant for any addresses the Platts own. Just in case the neighbour is wrong about the work being carried out on their primary residence. Don’t forget, I checked the place thoroughly myself. So far, the team haven’t uncovered info relating to them owning anything other than the property they live in.”
“Okay, then that could prove difficult. What if they’ve purchased another property in her maiden name? Have you looked into that? Or have they inherited a house from any relatives? Perhaps they haven’t transferred the names over on the deeds yet,” Sean suggested, to Lorne’s surprise.
“Good thinking. I have another idea, one that we should chase up this morning while the team are busy searching for that information.”
“Oh? Well, don’t stop there.”
Lorne crossed her arms and leaned her hip against the edge of his desk. “When I spoke to the woman at social services the other day, she mentioned the Platts had a grown-up son. I reckon we should pay him a visit. Then I think we should go and see the neighbour, Mrs. Shaw, just to clarify what she’s rung in and informed us about. For all we know, it could turn out that she has some kind of vendetta against the family.”
“You’re right. Do we know the son’s name?” Sean asked.
“No. Very remiss of me. I forgot to ask the other day. I’ll ring the woman back ASAP.”
“Okay, with regard to the neighbour, why don’t you send one of the guys out to take down a statement? It will help us time-wise. Not only that, if the Platts see us turn up there to talk to a neighbour, it might raise their suspicions and cause them to abscond.”
“I’ll send Stephen and Graham. AJ and Karen prefer to do the office side of things anyway. When do you want to head off?”
“Give me fifteen minutes. How’s that?”
“Suits me.” Lorne returned to the incident room. The rest of the team had arrived, and she filled them in on what had transpired.
“Stephen and Graham, I need you to use your discretion and go and see the Platts’ neighbour, Mrs. Shaw, to get a statement. Be careful. I’d advise taking a clipboard or something with you just to put the Platts off the scent if they happen to observe you arriving.”
“Sure,” Stephen replied. “So, this lady said she’s seen the tradesmen enter the house or not?”
“Yes, she didn’t mention whether they conducted any work there or whether she saw their vans turn up and the men just meet up with the Platts at the property. She was a little vague in that respect, so that’s what we need to ascertain. Plus, please bear in mind that I searched the address myself and didn’t see any signs of any work going on there.”
“Right, leave it with us. Do you want us to go now?”
“Yep, the sooner you get over there the better. I’ll be leaving with the chief in five minutes or so. We’ll compare notes when we get back and go from there.”
Lorne searched her desk for a name and extension number then picked up the phone. “Hello, Ms. Murray. This is Lorne Warner from the Met. We spoke the other day regarding the Platts.”
“I remember. What can I do for you?”
“During our conversation, you mentioned in passing that the Platts have an older child. I don’t suppose you can tell me his name and perhaps supply me with his address?”
“Sure, hold on while I get the information for you.”
Lorne heard the phone hit the desk, a metal drawer to what she presumed was a filing cabinet open, and the sound of paper being shuffled before the woman picked up the phone again. “Here it is. Denis Platt. He lives at 42 Cresswell Road in Islington.”
“Not far from his parents’ house then. Thanks, that’s a great help.”
Lorne hung up and called over to AJ to ask him to conduct a detailed background check on the son. The phone on her desk rang. “Hello, DS… umm, I mean Acting Detective Inspector Warner speaking.”
“Hi, Lorne. It’s Patti. Just wanted to update you on the PMs I’ve performed to do with your case.”
“Hi, Patti. That’s great. I was going to give you a ring later anyway.”
“Oh, about what?”
“The case. We’ve got a couple of suspects in mind.”
“Excellent news. So you’ll be requiring my team to carry out a DNA search of the suspects’ property, is that right?”
“Exactly. We’re in the process of getting a warrant now. That could take a few days to be approved, so we’re chomping at the bit at this end. What did the PMs reveal? Anything unexpected?”
“Not really. The first two confirmed that both victims died before the fumes could take effect. Looking at the wounds on all three victims, it looks like the same weapon was used. Maybe the weapon will show up at the suspects’ house.”
“Let’s hope so. I met the couple yesterday, went to see them with the chief, and they seemed really shifty to me.” She lowered her voice and added, “Not that the chief picked up anything out of place.”
Patti laughed. “Typical of a paper-pusher! I bet he’s driving you around the bend by now.”
“So-so. He’s not being too dim so far. I better go. We’re off to visit the suspects’ son. I’ll call you the second we get the warrant. Perhaps we can all show up at the house at the same time.”
“Sounds like a plan. Good luck with the visit.”
As Lorne hung up, Sean Roberts entered the room. He clapped his hands. “Come on, Acting Inspector, get a wriggle on. Places to go, people to see, et cetera.”
Lorne shook her head at his jovial manner. She sensed a day of annoyance ahead of her. “I’m primed and ready to go.” She turned her attention to the team. “If you find out anything interesting, give me a call
, okay?”
AJ and Karen nodded their agreement. Lorne followed the chief out of the incident room and the station. Once in the car, she punched in the address to the sat nav and sat back as Sean drove. He tried to make small talk during the journey—mostly talking about what his wife, Carmen, and their baby daughter got up to over the weekend—but Lorne was only half-listening. Her mind was totally focused on the questions she wanted to ask Denis Platt when they got to his house, if he was at home. She cursed herself for not bothering to find out where he worked, and she knew that Sean would tease her about her absentmindedness once the truth came out.
The address turned out to be a terraced house that looked as though it had been divided into a couple of flats, as there were two doorbells at the side of the doorframe. The top flat appeared to be the one they were after. Lorne rang the bell. Sean nudged her in the ribs and pointed up to a woman looking out of the window in the flat above. The woman disappeared, and Lorne heard someone coming down the stairs. A young brunette opened the door. She wore subtle makeup and was dressed in jeans and a snug-fitting pink T-shirt.
“Yes?”
Lorne flashed her ID. “Sorry to trouble you. I’m Acting Inspector Lorne Warner, and this is my boss, DCI Sean Roberts. Is Denis Platt in, please?”
The woman’s brow wrinkled with concern. “He is. Can I ask what this is about? He’s just getting ready for work.”
“We won’t keep him long, I promise. It’s concerning a case we’re working on.” Lorne smiled at the woman.
“Just a moment. I’ll see if he has time to see you.” She closed the door, leaving them standing on the doorstep, bathing in the warm morning sun.
“I think we should be cautious, not show our hands too soon with the son.”
“I’ll leave the questioning to you then. The last thing we want is for the son to ring the parents and warn them.”
“My sentiments exactly. It’s going to be tricky, and there are no guarantees that won’t happen.” Lorne heard someone coming down the stairs and raised a finger to her lips.
The woman opened the door and invited them in. “He can spare you ten minutes before he leaves.”
“Where does Denis work?” Lorne asked, following the woman up the stairs, with Sean bringing up the rear.
“He works in a care home. Loves his job. Loves caring for people who can’t care for themselves.”
“He’s to be admired. Many people I know would struggle working in a role like that.”
“I say the same thing. You should hear some of the tales he tells when he comes home. He’s such a sensitive soul. He’d love to bring a handful of his patients back here every night and continue caring for them if he had the choice.” She paused midway up the flight of stairs and turned to face them. “He finds it hard to trust the carers on the nightshift. I keep telling him he can’t be on duty twenty-four hours a day.” She continued walking.
“He sounds a very considerate kind of man.”
They entered the lounge, where toys were strewn across the floor, and a man in his early-thirties was hurriedly trying to tidy them away. “Sorry about the mess.”
Lorne smiled. “How many have you got?”
“Kids? None. My siblings frequently visit and tend to take over the place, or should I say try and destroy the flat when they’re here,” Denis replied, smiling.
Lorne mentally stored that piece of information away and only nodded a response.
“Please take a seat. Sam said you wanted a word with me.”
Lorne and Sean sat on the couch, and Denis sat in an easy chair. Sam remained at the doorway to the lounge, resting against the doorframe with her arms folded.
Cautiously, Lorne began. “We’re investigating a sensitive crime that has taken place near your parents’ home. Can I ask how close you are to your parents?”
Denis immediately glanced over at his girlfriend. She smiled and nodded reassuringly at him.
“We’ve had our differences over the years. Why do you ask?”
“To be honest, I’m going to lay my cards on the table with you from the word go.”
“Okay.”
Lorne shuffled to the edge of her seat, purposely touching her leg to Sean’s as she continued, “We visited your parents’ house yesterday, in connection with this crime, and well, let’s just say we left there feeling very dissatisfied.”
“In what way? Hang on, what sort of crime are we talking about?” Denis asked.
Sam walked across the room and sat on the arm of her boyfriend’s chair, and they linked hands.
Lorne inhaled and exhaled a large breath. “Actually, there have been three crimes committed. We believe the victims were murdered.”
“What? And you think my parents have something to do with these murders?”
Lorne noticed the way the couple’s hands tightened. She felt Sean’s leg press against her own. She wasn’t sure if it was a warning not to continue. Maybe she had said too much already. She didn’t think so—she had a feeling she could trust this man, though she wasn’t sure why. “We’re not sure, to be honest. We have evidence of a vehicle similar to the one your parents own being used in the crimes. One question, if I may?”
Denis nodded.
“Do your parents own another home?”
“No. Why?”
“Okay, then have your parents conducted any form of renovations on their family home in the last few weeks?”
“Not that I know of. I’m confused. What does that have to do with the crimes you mentioned?”
Lorne’s mobile rang. She pulled it from her jacket pocket and saw the caller was Stephen. “Sorry, this is important.” Lorne gave Sean an apologetic smile and rushed into the hallway. “This better be important,” she said into the phone.
“It is, boss—very.”
“Let’s have it then, Stephen.”
“We’ve just finished taking a statement from Mrs. Shaw, and she raised an interesting point that we seemed to have overlooked, boss.”
Lorne exhaled an impatient breath. “Which is, Stephen?”
“When I asked if she had actually seen the tradesmen enter the house with their tools, she looked at me as if I was crazy. ‘Of course,’ she said, adamantly. When I told her that you had searched the house and found no such work had taken place, she scratched her head and said she couldn’t understand that at all.”
“Get to the point, Stephen. We’re questioning the son, and he has to leave for work soon.”
“Sorry. Okay, I then asked Mrs. Shaw if she’d heard any noise coming from inside the house when this supposed work was taking place, and she admitted she’d heard a lot of noise, especially when she was in the back garden.”
“Meaning what? They have another building in the garden that I missed?”
“No. She seems to think it was taking place in the cellar.”
“Shit! A cellar? I didn’t have a clue those houses had a cellar. Shit!”
“Neither did we! The thing is, you wouldn’t know looking at the front elevation of the house. Go around the back, and it’s a different matter. Graham and I snuck around the back alley and spotted that five out of the seven properties in that row have another level.”
“Good work, Stephen. Are you heading back to the station now?”
“Yep, unless you want us to do anything else?”
“Nope. We shouldn’t be long here. See you later.”
Lorne disconnected the call and opened the lounge door. Sean glanced her way. “Can I see you for a second, sir?”
Sean joined her in the hallway and leaned in close to whisper, “So much for not giving too much away. What the fuck was that all about in there, Lorne?”
“Forget about that for a second. That was Stephen with some very interesting news about the parents’ house.”
“Okay, you’ve got my atte
ntion. This better be good, Lorne.”
Lorne pulled a face at him. “It is. They have a cellar.”
Sean’s eyes protruded. “What? Were you aware of that?”
Lorne growled. “Of course I wasn’t bloody aware of it. But it makes sense, doesn’t it?”
“Shit. I hope your cock-up doesn’t land us in a pile of shit, Sergeant. You should never have divulged what you have to Denis and his girlfriend. Never.” He chastised her, neglecting to refer to her proper title, the one he’d forced her to take.
“Don’t you see, Sean? He’s different from them. Look at the career path he’s chosen to take.”
“What? Are you insane, woman? What the effing hell does that have to do with anything?” He pointed at her. “Are you forgetting that the parents are foster parents? The same could be said about them for goodness’s sake.”
Lorne shook her head. “All right then. Let’s see what your powers of observation are like. Spot the difference between the two homes?”
“Doh! One’s a three-storey house, as we’ve just discovered, and this is a bloody flat.”
“That’s good, for starters. Now really give the question some consideration.” Lorne tapped her foot and crossed her arms impatiently as her anger heated her cheeks.
Sean’s mouth turned down at the sides, and he shook his head in resignation. “Nope, nothing is springing to mind. What are you getting at?”
“The tidiness of the two properties. Anyone would think that Denis and Sam were the foster parents, not the other way round. Don’t tell me you didn’t spot that the minute we arrived?”
“Can’t say I did. How strange. I wonder how often the kids stay here? You said even their bedrooms at the Platts’ home were immaculate, right?”
“Yep. There’s more to this than is currently apparent. The question is how do we proceed now?”
“Ask them outright? How often the kids stay here? Why they stay here? Denis also said that his parents hadn’t done any renovations to their property lately, either. What’s that all about? If the neighbour knows, how is it that Denis doesn’t?”
