Deadly Dozen: 12 Mysteries/Thrillers

by Diane Capri

  Lorne smiled. She liked the way her husband was thinking. “Agreed. Maybe it’s time we tightened the screws a little. I’m going to give Fiona a ring, see how things are with the girls.”

  Tony kissed her cheek lightly and walked back out into the kitchen.

  “Hi, Fiona. I’m sorry, did I wake you?”

  Fiona coughed. “Lazy Saturday lie-in after a hectic week. I was just getting up, is that you, Lorne?”

  “It is. How’s the boy settling in?” Lorne sat down on the sofa and booted her laptop to check her email.

  “He’s doing great. We’re all spoiling him rotten. He’s grown very attached to Ami. Hang on a sec—yep, I can’t see either of them here; she must have taken him out for his walk. The last few days, she’s been up with the birds to take him out. Who’d have thought it? Usually on a Saturday, she doesn’t surface until mid-afternoon. Apparently, Blackie’s brought her out of her shell.”

  “That’s excellent news. And how’s Linda, dare I ask?” Lorne tapped in her password as she spoke, and the email notification popped up that she had five new messages. She scrolled through the first four and opened the final message, a replica of the message she had received in the phone call. She switched on the printer and printed a copy, intending to give it to Katy as proof of Gibson’s harassment, although the email address looked suspiciously like one that had been made up specifically for the occasion. She’d been so engrossed in printing the email off that she’d forgotten that Fiona was talking to her.

  “… Anyway, she seems to be getting stronger, physically and mentally. Any news at your end, Lorne?”

  “Not so much at the moment. Tony and I called in at the nightclub to question the owner but drew a blank. He wasn’t very cooperative, I’m afraid. We’re intending to pay Gibson a visit at his work on Monday.”

  “Really? That’s brave of you.”

  Lorne wasn’t sure if she should tell Fiona about the threatening call and email she had received. She decided against it. “Brave or stupid—not sure which, Fiona. We’ll see on Monday. You have a good weekend. Don’t hesitate to get in touch, day or night, okay?”

  “That’s reassuring. Thanks, Lorne. Let me know what the scumbag says on Monday, will you?”

  “Sure, no problem.”

  Lorne disconnected the call and stared down at the email she’d printed off and thought. Despicable piece of dirt. Well, when I’ve finished with you, matey, Mummy and Daddy won’t be able to buy you out of trouble anymore.

  #

  Gibson watched the girls’ flat from his hiding place, behind the parked transit van opposite.

  The Chinese girl came into view around the corner. What’s this? They’ve got a dog now? Hmm… Well that throws a different light on things.

  She had been easy to manipulate—they all were. Bloody women. Only good for one thing and most of the time, they managed to screw that up. All of them, give you the eye, a blatant come-on and yet balk at the first sign of contact.

  Well, I’ll show them that I’m not the type to be messed with.

  A smile curved his lips. So you think a damn dog is going to protect you, do you? I have every intention of having a piece of that other girl’s arse. She’s who I’m really after the stuck-up bitch who looks down her nose at any man who glances her way. I’ve only seen her once but…

  Gibson watched Ami walk up the street and enter the flat.

  He waited a few minutes before he moved from his position and ducked down the alley running alongside the flat. Through a tiny hole in the fence, he saw Ami let the German shepherd out into the garden.

  The dumb dog was incapable of picking up his scent and warn the girls he was nearby. If you think that mangy mutt is going to stop me from having some fun, you’ve got another think coming, sweethearts.

  Gibson turned and made his way back to the car, already hatching a plan of how he was going to get to Fiona. He had something special lined up for her. The other girls had got off light compared to what he had planned for the snotty bitch.

  He dipped around the next corner and slid into his Ferrari, and let out an hysterical laugh. You’re a demented bastard, at times.

  He drove away at speed, the acceleration made his mind work faster. By the time he reached his destination, he’d deviously hatched a master plan and slotted all the intricate parts together.

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  “Hi, Katy. How are things?” Lorne stared at the print-out of the email on the table in front of her.

  “I know you well enough to know when something’s up, Lorne. I can hear it in your voice. Come on. Give?”

  Had Lorne become that easy to read since her retirement, or was Katy just getting more astute with experience? “Okay, we paid the nightclub owner a visit, but that was a waste of time. I’m guessing you guys got the same response as we did. Then yesterday, I received a crank call and a dubious email.”

  “Interesting. Yeah, we got nothing out of the owner of the club. Tell me more about the call and email?”

  “There actually wasn’t much to them, but they both said pretty much the same thing; warned me and Tony to back off. I’m betting it was Gibson behind them, but I have no way of knowing. I wondered if forensics could look into the ISP for me. I know it’s a lot to ask.”

  Lorne heard Katy take a sharp breath. “Not sure about that, Lorne. Funds are getting tighter every day. Forward me a copy, and I’ll see what I can do, AJ might be able to help out there. What do you plan on doing next—with the investigation, I mean?”

  She hesitated for a moment before admitting, “Well, we thought we’d go pay our friendly rapist a personal visit.”

  “Shit! A word of warning, if I may. Be careful; his parents are well connected. If I were you I wouldn’t go near him yet.”

  “Ah, but you’re not me, and my hubby is an ex-MI6 agent. I think I have all the bases covered, don’t you?”

  Katy blew out an exasperated breath and snorted. “Just be careful. I’ve got to go. My gym instructor will be yanking on her ponytail wondering where I am. I’ll be in touch soon. Take care.”

  “Have fun. I’ll keep you up-to-date with what happens.”

  After hanging up, Lorne went back to her family in the kitchen and clapped to get their attention. “This is what I have planned for today: I’m making this a family fun day. It’s been ages since we all spent the day together, what with getting this place up and running. I’m not saying that we take the day off—only that we make it a happy, special day, if you like. Tony, is the field at the back all fenced now?”

  He nodded and tilted his head. “It is. Why?”

  “I thought we’d give the dogs a good old run-around. They spend too much time cooped up in their kennels. The four of us can keep a proper eye on them. It’ll do us all good to get some exercise too.”

  Charlie scraped her chair back and was halfway to the back door before she replied, “Excellent. I’ll get the dogs’ leashes ready. Come on, guys. Get a move on.”

  Sam Collins grunted as he stood up. “I think I’m getting too old for this lark, Lorne.”

  “Nonsense, Dad. I bet you’re fitter than me at the moment.”

  “I doubt that. I suppose I’ll appreciate our meal out this evening more if I burn off a few calories. Just a few, mind.”

  She punched Tony’s shoulder lightly and pulled her reluctant husband out of his chair. “You want a sixteen-year-old to show you up? Come on. It’ll be fun.”

  And it was. The dogs ran and ran, played, and rolled each other savouring their long awaited freedom. Charlie was chased the length and breadth of the field, laughing and screeching like a teenager should.

  At four o’clock, they locked the exhausted dogs back in their kennels, showered and changed, and set off for the restaurant. Lorne had chosen an award-winning Indian restaurant for their family meal together, and they feasted on the banquet menu for four. Lorne loved to sample all the dishes on the menu instead of sticking to one boring main meal.

 
; After their overindulgence at the restaurant, Lorne drove home and they all collapsed into bed, exhausted and satisfied by their fun day together.

  The following morning, the sound of the telephone ringing woke a bleary-eyed Lorne. She cleared her throat and answered the phone by her bed; the clock read seven thirty-two. “Hello? You better have a good reason to be ringing me at this hour on a Sunday morning,” she told the caller, a little offhandedly.

  “Oh, I do.”

  Katy’s tone immediately grabbed Lorne’s attention. She sat upright against the headboard. “Go on. I’m listening.”

  “We’ve got him.”

  Lorne excitedly gave Tony a swift kick. He groaned and hid his head under the pillow. She lifted the pillow and whispered. “They’ve got him.”

  “Got who?” Tony mumbled groggily.

  Lorne ignored him and asked Katy, “How? Did he rape someone else?”

  “Yep. At least, he tried to.”

  “You’re joking! Poor girl. What happened?”

  Anger emanated from Katy as she recounted the incident. “The bastard had the audacity to try and rape the girl outside the nightclub this time. The thing is, someone heard the girl scream. She tried to escape him and ran up the alley. He chased her. She was lucky; two guys heard her scream and bolted up the alley to find out what was going on. They apprehended him, made a citizen’s arrest, and confined him in the alley until our boys arrived. The girl was taken to hospital, but thankfully, she only suffered superficial bruising.”

  “So has he been banged up?”

  “At the moment, yes. But he’s got his high-profile brief on his way in to see him. To be honest, I don’t think we’ll be able to hold him for more than a few hours. I think the lines to the ‘super’ are already glowing red.”

  “Thanks for keeping me up to date, Katy. I guess I’ll knock my plan on the head to visit him.”

  “Any further developments, I’ll let you know. Speak soon.”

  Lorne let out a relieved sigh as she replaced the phone in its docking station on the bedside cabinet, but she was only too aware how cases like that one turned out. Best not get too excited about the news.

  Tony slung a lazy arm across her and pulled her back down under the covers for a snuggle.

  “Five minutes, then I need to get up and see to the animals.”

  Tony growled near her ear. “You need to take care of this animal first.”

  #

  Charlie was hard at work long before Lorne and Tony finally surfaced. Leaving the mucking out in her daughter’s capable hands, Lorne sat on the sofa and rang Fiona. “Hi, Fiona? It’s Lorne.”

  “Crumbs. If you’re ringing this early on a Sunday something, must be up. What is it?” Apprehension lingered in Fiona’s voice.

  Lorne expelled a heavy breath. “Good news and bad.”

  “Okay, good news first then, please.”

  “Gibson has been arrested.”

  “But that’s wonderful news. Why?”

  “He tried to attack another girl and got caught in the act.”

  Fiona sighed. “Not so wonderful, then.”

  “Yeah, you could say that. The bad news is that he’s employed a top solicitor, who’s on his way to the station now to see him. In my experience, these things have a tendency not to go according to plan, at least from the victim’s point of view.”

  “I see. In that case I’m not going to tell the other girls yet. I wouldn’t want to get their hopes up, anyway.”

  “I agree. I’ll let you know what happens, I just wanted to keep you up to date with things. Be in touch soon. Enjoy the rest of your weekend.”

  “You, too. Thanks for ringing.”

  Lorne ended the call and sat back, contemplating how to proceed with the case. She’d need to wait to see what the outcome was with Katy before anything else. Maybe this is the frustrating side of being a PI that I hadn’t envisaged not being in the thick of it at the station.

  It was well past lunchtime before Lorne received an answer to her problem. The phone rang, and she pounced on it before anyone else could. “What happened?”

  “The bastard blamed it all on the girl. We’ll have to see what the Crown Prosecution Service has to say about things. Our hands are tied until then.”

  “Damn. Thanks, Katy. You know what? I think we’ll still go pay him a visit at work tomorrow. You know how I love to see worms squirm.”

  Katy laughed, and they both hung up.

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  Outside the office block where Gibson worked, Lorne and Tony got out of their vehicle and headed inside the building. The reception area seemed to stretch skywards for miles. Metal railings acted as steps to the eye as it was drawn upwards to the angled glass roof.

  The pretty receptionist smiled broadly at them as they approached.

  “We’d like to see Graham Gibson, if that’s possible?” Lorne asked.

  “May I ask what it’s concerning?” the receptionist asked, her smile never faltering.

  “It’s personal,” Lorne responded vaguely.

  “I see. Unfortunately, our employees aren’t allowed to have visits of a personal nature. Maybe you should try and contact him at home this evening.”

  Lorne leaned in close and whispered, “When I say personal, I mean it’s a surprise visit.” She tapped her nose. “He’s won a prize. We’re from the local paper.” Lorne pointed at Tony who was sporting his camera around his neck.

  “Oh, how wonderful. I’m sure we can bend the rules an eensy weensy bit, this time. Take the lift up to the tenth floor. The whole office is open-planned. I seem to recall his desk is somewhere in the centre of the room. The names are suspended from the ceiling; you’ll be able to find him easily enough once you’re there.”

  “You’re very kind. Oh, one last thing: I’d appreciate it if you don’t tell anyone up there that we’re on our way. I’d love to get his colleagues’ reactions on film. It’ll look more authentic for the article if their responses are more natural.”

  The receptionist gleefully rubbed her hands together. “Excellent. My lips are sealed.”

  On the journey over to the glass lift Tony said, “You’ll get pimples on your tongue for telling porkies.”

  She stuck the tip of her tongue out at him. “Any appeared yet?”

  He laughed and shook his head. “It is going to get you in big trouble one of these days.”

  Tony was probably right, and she hoped that wouldn’t turn out to be the case today—at least, not before she had a chance of having some fun at Gibson’s expense.

  Lorne and Tony took the lift to the tenth floor of the building in silence. When the doors slid open, they stepped out into a narrow corridor. The door they needed was immediately to their right.

  Her pulse was racing, she paused to take a calming breath before Tony pushed open the door and stood back for her to enter the room before him.

  The receptionist had told them to look up at the ceiling for where Gibson’s desk was located, but upon entering the room, Lorne knew that would be pointless. Before them stood a crowd of people; at a rough count, she estimated there to be at least fifty to sixty suited young businessmen and women. In the middle of the group stood a smiling Gibson, his arms loosely draped around a petite blonde who looked as if she hadn’t eaten a proper wholesome meal in months, and a busty brunette who wore a skirt a few inches larger than a belt.

  Lorne tried hard not to show the revulsion flowing through her. By the welcoming committee, it was obvious that the receptionist had gone against her word and pre-warned Gibson, which rankled Lorne. She heard Tony mumble something but couldn’t make out what it was.

  She put her shoulders back and plastered a false smile on her face, she approached the group with Tony a step or two behind her. “Mr. Gibson, I presume.”

  “The one and only,” he smugly replied, much to the crowd’s delight.

  As much as she wanted to rip into him, Lorne knew she would have to bide her time and play along with
her act. “I’ve heard such a lot about you. Any chance we talk privately somewhere?”

  Gibson tilted his head back and laughed loudly. “Anything you have to ask me, you can do it in front of my adoring fans.”

  Anger bubbled dangerously near the surface. He really was an arrogant little fucker, one that she was going to enjoy tearing to bits. “I wouldn’t want to keep your workmates from their jobs.”

  “They can make up the time later, during lunch or after work. They’re as excited about my success as I am.” He turned his head first one way and then the other, kissing the cheek of the girl who was attached to each arm.

  That action sent Lorne’s anger monitor into the red zone. “My partner here would like to take some pictures as we speak, if that’s okay with you?” Lorne turned to Tony and raised her eyes to the ceiling. He smiled and pointed his camera in Gibson’s direction. In other words he was ready, willing, and certainly able to help take him down.

  Gibson turned his head to the right slightly and lifted his chin. “Fire away. This is my best side. Wouldn’t you agree, girls?”

  The girls giggled inanely.

  “I’d like to ask some general questions first.”

  His smile broadened, and with his gaze glued on the camera, he nodded.

  “So what kind of hobbies do you have, Mr. Gibson?”

  He raised an eyebrow. “Oh you know, I work hard and play even harder.”

  Again his band of merry followers chuckled. Lorne ground her teeth together. “Meaning what, exactly?” she asked, trying her darnedest to keep her tone light and interested.

  “Well, a job like this means that we get to entertain corporate clients at top restaurants—”

  “Wouldn’t that be classed as work-related? I’m talking about your off-duty activities, things that occupy your spare time.” Lorne shuffled closer to Gibson as the group began to dwindle. She didn’t want the group to dissipate too much before she hit him where it hurt.

  “Oh, I see. I usually hang out in a nightclub in town. When I’m not there, I go to the gym around the corner.”