by Diane Capri
Her father slid his hand from under hers and leaned back in his chair, his arms folded tightly across his chest.
She inhaled deeply. “First off, I need to get out there and help people. I can’t keep going back to the force, though, Dad. You know I don’t fit into their male dominated society. So I figured becoming a PI would be the next best thing. I love helping the animals out, and I would never want to give up this place. However, I have a niggling doubt that something is missing. I don’t feel complete.”
She leaned over the table and whispered, “I’m doing this as much for Tony as for me. Do you seriously think he’s going to be happy mucking out kennels for the rest of his life? He’s getting used to his leg now, and once that happens, he’ll need more stimulation than picking up dog turds all day long. I know he doesn’t seem keen on the idea now, but I’m sure once the cases start rolling in, he’ll be the first one sifting through them, pouncing on the juicier ones.” She sat back in her chair and laughed.
“Can I talk now?”
She smiled and nodded.
“I can understand where you’re coming from, especially where Tony is concerned, but I just don’t think you’ve thought everything through thoroughly. Like I say, I’m not getting any younger. It takes two of you to run this place as it is now, and you’re expecting me to do it on my own.” He raised a hand to silence Lorne before she could speak. “You’ve had your say, without interruptions. Please give me the same courtesy.”
She squeezed her lips together and ran two fingers over them, pretending to zip her mouth shut.
Her father rolled his eyes. “All this PI stuff can be tough, you know. Have you considered how you’re going to do background checks on people, et cetera? There are certain things you won’t be able to find out on the Internet. Obviously, it depends what type of cases come in. All the same, I don’t think you’ve done enough homework on the subject. Although I do understand your need to want to help people, nothing gave me greater pleasure than to help you in your investigation when Charlie was kidnapped. However, I was helping an active police investigation. We had certain files and other outside agencies we could call on for help. That’s how you and Tony met, if you remember?”
“I’m hardly likely to forget how we met, Dad. Oops, sorry. Can I speak?”
Her father smirked and nodded, then took a sip of coffee.
“I didn’t go into this project without some thought, Dad. I’m still in touch with DCI Roberts—who is constantly begging me to return, I hasten to add. He’s aware of my intentions and has offered to lend a hand when he can. He understands me, knows that I wouldn’t abuse any help offered. I know there’ll be certain things he can’t help me with, wearing his jobsworth hat, but that’s where I’m hoping Katy will be willing to step in.”
“Katy?”
“My former partner. Once I tell her what I’m up to, I hope she’ll volunteer to assist and carry out certain activities for me that Roberts won’t be able to give the go-ahead for.”
“That sounds mighty dangerous for Katy, Lorne. She could lose her job for helping you out, if she gets caught.”
Lorne gulped down some more of her coffee. “I know. Anyway, if they kick her out, she can always come work for me.”
“You’re assuming that the business will be a success, then.”
“Of course.” Lorne picked up the diploma she’d gained through the night classes she’d attended without her father knowing of it. “This diploma is linked to a website of reputable PIs. I’m sure I’ll get plenty of business coming my way from there. Roberts and Katy have promised to put the word around for me, too. I don’t really want to go down the route of taking an ad out in the local press, but if I have to, I will. Once the jobs start streaming in, Tony will want some of the action. I’m sure we’ll be able to count on his contacts at MI6 on the odd occasion to help out, too.
“You know how these things work, Dad. Between us, we’re all well connected, and if it means getting criminals off the streets, then I’m sure everyone will be clambering to lend us a helping hand. We’ll be saving them a job, anyway.”
“And this place?”
“If you’ll be kind enough to take over the everyday running of the place, Tony and I will help out when we can. The PI business will probably take a while to get going. At the weekends, when Charlie comes to visit, she’ll lend a hand. She’s always keen to help out with the animals. I was actually going to ask her to take over the place eventually—not now, but after she leaves school. She loves animals. What do you think?”
His mouth twisted, and he closed one eye. “I’m sure she’d jump at the chance to work here or run the place, but what about her education—her higher education, I mean?”
“I’m not going to force her into going to uni, Dad. We’ve discussed it a few times, and she’s not bothered about going to uni and getting into debt at such a young age. She’s more mature than other kids her age because of what she’s been through over the past few years. I’m willing to let her make her own decisions in life.”
“Ha! If I know Charlie, she’ll be wanting to team up with her mum in the PI business. You remember what she said to you in her hospital bed when we got her back from the Unicorn?”
“I do indeed. She wanted to sign up for the Met there and then, the little minx. Nah, I’m sure she’ll love running this place for me. Is it safe to call Tony back in now?”
Her father tutted and smiled. “I’m sure he’ll be grateful he’s not caught up in a crossfire any longer.”
Lorne leaned back in the chair and called over her shoulder, “Tony! It’s safe to return now.”
They heard the news on the TV being switched off and Lorne’s husband, looking kind of sheepish, rejoined them.
“So? What’s been decided in my absence?” Tony asked, sitting down next to Lorne.
Her father spoke first. “Well, as my daughter has it all figured out, I’m willing to give her suggestion a go. I’ll do what I can around this place on the proviso that when you’re not busy PIing, you’ll promise to toe the line around here. Actually, I’d like to help out on that side of things once Charlie takes over the reins here.”
“Whoa, hold on a minute. What’s this about Charlie?” Tony asked Lorne.
She grinned broadly and patted the top of his hand. “You leave everything to me, darling. I have it all worked out up here.” Lorne tapped the side of her head with her forefinger and winked at him.
“Oh, God. That’s what I was afraid of,” Tony mumbled, before Lorne clipped him round the head.
CHAPTER THREE
Fiona, Linda, and Ami were sitting on the sofa in the lounge, each of them hoping that one of the others would be the first to speak.
Finally, Fiona took the initiative, her voice buoyant and far from downhearted. “I say we have Indian tonight. My treat, of course.”
Ami cringed.
Fiona realised she had come across too jovial. If she could have, she would have given herself a hard kick. The three of them had been tiptoeing around each other for a good hour, and it left her feeling more than a little restless. She stood up and searched the dresser drawer for the takeaway menu, and handed it to her sister.
Linda shook her head and pushed the folded piece of paper away. “I couldn’t eat a thing.”
“Aww, come on, Sis. You have to keep your strength up.”
“Do I?” Linda snapped back. “For what, exactly? More disbelieving questions from the police?” She buried her head in her hands and sobbed so hard her shoulders shook.
Ami took it as her cue to leave the room.
Fiona knelt on the floor in front of her distraught sister, and rocked her gently in her arms. “Shh…now. You’ve cried enough tears over what that bastard has done, sweetheart. The police said they’ll be visiting that rapist shit, Gibson. Let’s just see what they come up with, shall we?”
After pulling out of Fiona’s arms, Linda took a hankie from her sleeve, dried her eyes, and blew her nose on it.
“But you heard what the detective said. It’ll be his word against mine.”
Fiona knew that. She was still confused as to why her sister hadn’t at least tried to fight off her attacker. As yet Linda hadn’t gone over the events leading up to the attack, and Fiona thought it would be best to leave the questioning until her sister was better equipped emotionally to deal with the painful memory of that night, which she had so far attempted to block out. The police had questioned her before Fiona had arrived, and Linda had found the questioning so traumatic that both Ami and Fiona had skirted around what had happened with the police since.
Now that Linda had the courage to refer to her attacker, Fiona seized the opportunity to find out more. “Can you tell me what happened, sweetie?”
Linda’s eyes widened as if the thought of going over the details again would completely destroy her.
Fiona rubbed the back of her sister’s hand, which was now winding a fresh tissue through her fingers. “Only if you feel up to it, of course.”
Sucking in a deep shuddering breath, Linda kept her gaze focused on the rug beside Fiona. “Abigail and I were on the dance floor when Gibson joined us. We started chatting, and Abigail left us to it. I was so enthralled with him that I barely noticed she had gone…”
“Go on,” Fiona encouraged quietly.
Linda let out a huge sigh and tucked a stray section of hair behind her left ear. “We danced for a while and then had a couple of drinks at the bar. I didn’t have many, I swear. Gibson pulled me onto the floor just as the slow numbers were starting, and that’s when he asked if we could leave. The place was crowded, far busier than usual. There was some kind of hen party going on. I just wanted to get out of there.”
Fiona could tell her sister was trying to shuffle her thoughts into some kind of chronological order. She waited patiently.
Linda swallowed hard. “We went outside. The bouncer and Gibson shared a secret joke. He told me that there wouldn’t be a problem for us to get back into the nightclub when we wanted to return. Anyway, we went in search of his car. Things were going great until we reached his penthouse.”
Fiona nodded, urging her to go on.
“All of a sudden, he pulled my arms behind me and put something around my wrists. At first I didn’t know what it was, then I realised it was handcuffs. Everything happened so fast.
“I know we had this discussion years ago that if we found ourselves in such a situation, we should lash out, scratch the offender or scream out for help. But I just couldn’t. His mouth was clamped over mine like a vice. I tried to bite him, but it was too difficult.” Tears sprang from Linda’s eyes and began running down her cheeks.
Fiona took the near-shredded tissue from her sister’s grasp and dabbed the salty line away. “Come on, hon. You’re doing so well.”
“He covered my mouth with his and placed his hand up my skirt. Fi, I was so frightened. By then, I would have done just about anything to get out of there alive. The look in his eyes was so… I thought he was going to kill me.”
“I’d be frantic too, if I’d been in your shoes. How did your ankle get busted up?”
“I’m not sure. I passed out about then. Although, I do hazily remember that he threatened me. I felt him do unspeakable things to me. I swear I wasn’t drunk. Maybe he used that date rape drug or something, I don’t know. My heart was pounding out of control…”
By now, Fiona’s own heart was pounding like a runaway train in her chest. “What threat did he make, love?”
“He told me, if I didn’t comply…that he’d come after you next.”
“What?”
Linda nodded as more tears spilled from her red eyes. Fiona got up from the floor and sat on the sofa next to her sister.
“I didn’t want the same thing to happen to you, Fi. I was about to give in, but I passed out. It didn’t stop me feeling his grubby hands on me, though.”
Fiona covered her face with her hands then ran them through her hair. “Oh, Linda. If only you could’ve struck out at him. We could’ve—would’ve—dealt with the consequences after you were out of harm’s way. You’re always putting others first, when you should be thinking of your own needs.”
“I’m not so sure. How can you take the word of a rapist? I wasn’t aware that Gibson even knew you.”
“That’s what I wanted to ask you, Linda. How do you know this lowlife?”
Linda turned to face her. “He’s always at the club. A friend of a friend, you might say. He used to have a girlfriend up until a few weeks ago. He’s been eyeing me up for weeks, and I suppose he finally plucked up enough courage to talk to me this week. I wish he hadn’t bothered. What’s going to happen now? The police said they’re going to see him, to ask his side of the story, but you can imagine what the little shit will be telling them, can’t you?”
“The police will find out the truth, love. He may be a slimy git, but they’ll pick up if he’s telling the truth or not. And as for him coming after me, we’ll see about that. If I get my hands on him, I’ll rip his balls off and feed them to him, one after the other.”
Linda smiled and pecked her on the cheek. “For your sake and his, I hope the two of you never meet.”
Fiona privately hoped she would have the pleasure of meeting Gibson, and soon. Preferably in the same environment as the one where he’d left her sister.
From now on, she’d ensure that she carried Mace, along with the bottle of perfume and the personal alarm she always carried in her designer handbags. Fiona picked up the menu from the table. “Let’s order dinner and open a bottle of wine, eh?”
“I might manage a little. Why don’t you and Ami order, and I’ll have a little of each of your meals? They’re always huge portions, anyway—too big for one person.”
“Ami, have you decided what you’re going to have yet?” Fiona called out, picking up the phone, ready to dial and place the order.
A red-eyed Ami came back into the room and collapsed on the sofa beside Linda. “I couldn’t eat anything. Linda, I’m so sorry.”
The two sisters exchanged puzzled glances, and then eyed their flatmate with concern. Ami was such a sensitive soul. Linda’s attack had hit her hard.
Fiona put the phone back in its docking station and sat down beside Ami. She threw an arm around her friend’s shoulders and hugged her. “It’s all right, Ami. Linda will be fine, eventually. I’ll make sure of that. There’s no need for any of us to worry. We’ll all watch out for each other. Buck up, sweetie.”
Ami looked at both of them and gave a simple nod. “I’m being silly. It’s Linda we need to take care of.”
Fiona searched deep into the Chinese girl’s tiny black eyes and spotted something she hadn’t noticed before. She had no idea what that something was, but right then wasn’t the right time to delve further. Maybe Ami had been abused before and wasn’t sure how to share it, maybe she was devastated by what Linda had gone through and simply didn’t know how to show her how much she cared. Either way, Fiona had a feeling that the three of them would be crawling over eggshells for a while, not wishing to upset each other.
Fiona also realised that it would be up to her to make sure everyone recovered from the trauma and the undeniably fraught emotions. She had to come up with a plan that would help all of them get their lives back on track, and fast.
Eventually, the three of them decided they would indeed split two meals between the three of them. Fiona placed the order for a chicken tikka and a chicken korma. While they waited for the food to arrive, Ami poured them each a glass of Chablis.
When the doorbell rang about forty minutes later, both Ami and Linda jumped up in the air.
“Calm down, you two. It’ll be the delivery guy.” Despite her reassuring words, Fiona still checked who was at the door through the spyhole before she opened it. Crumbs, Fi. You’re getting as nervy as the others.
That was when the idea came to her. She knew exactly how to bring safety and security back into the flatmate’s world, but the
idea would need thorough examination before she acted upon it.
The evening remained subdued, and the girls went to bed early. However, they each checked that the safety chain was securely fastened before turning in for the night.
Once in bed, Fiona shuddered at the thought of living the rest of her life in fear and spent the next few hours going through the local paper, searching for an ad that would help put her safety plan into action.
On the penultimate page, she found the very ad she was looking for. She picked up the pen from the bedside table beside her and circled the ad several times. Then, she turned off the light and snuggled under the quilt, smiling as part one of her new plan slotted into place.
Now all she had to do was ring her boss and arrange yet another day off.
CHAPTER FOUR
Another Indian summer morning streamed through the curtains. Lorne jumped out of bed before Tony pounced on her as he usually did first thing.
“Do you want to go in the garden, boy?” she asked Henry. The spritely dog was already halfway down the stairs before she’d stepped off the first step. She opened the kitchen door and held onto his collar. “No chasing the chickens, you hear me? We need their eggs for breakfast, and if you keep chasing them, they’ll give up laying.”
Henry whined a little before she set him free. Lorne watched the dog immediately run after the black cockerel that had his chest puffed out and was in the middle of his dawn alarm call. The cockerel half ran and half flew across the yard and leapt over the chicken-wired enclosure where the other birds were pecking around disinterested, before Henry had the chance to sink his teeth in to his rump.
Lorne laughed, then stretched. She walked through the back door and filled the kettle, ready for her morning cup of coffee.
A few minutes later, a sleepy Tony joined her in the kitchen. He snuck up behind her and enveloped her in his strong arms. “Morning, Mrs. Warner.”
She turned to face him. It didn’t matter how many times she heard the name—it still sent a tiny ripple of excitement through her. “Morning, Mr. Warner. Sleep well?”
