by M A Comley
He tore the bag off her head. She blinked at the daylight seeping in through the dirty plastic window. “You! Why? Why are you doing this?”
He punched her in the mouth several times.
Blood dripped down her chin, and she spat out a loose tooth, which amused him.
“You women are so righteous. The way you look down your nose at us men all the time, thinking you’re the superior gender. You make me sick.”
“I don’t know what you mean. I’ve always treated you well. I’m not guilty of treating you any other way. You’re delusional.”
Her insult got under his skin. He punched her in the face and the body until he was exhausted. The woman had passed out long before he’d finished. He stood up, dusted himself down, and looked in one of the drawers for the clean T-shirt he kept there. He would burn his old one; no point in leaving evidence around for the police to find.
It was far too early to start lighting fires—and foolish to bring attention to himself. Instead, he would sneak back to Brinck’s cottage to see if she was telling the truth. He searched the woman’s coat for her house keys, heard them jangle, and pulled them out of her coat pocket. He left the shed and padlocked the door behind him. Ten minutes later, he unlocked the woman’s back door and entered the house, his ear cocked in case there was anyone inside the property. Satisfied he was alone, he rushed up the stairs to the main bedroom. He pushed the bed aside, threw back the carpet, and laughed when he saw the obvious floorboards she had mentioned. He withdrew the screwdriver he’d brought with him and inserted it into the narrow gap. Once he’d raised one of the floorboards, his eyes bulged in surprise at the pile of notes lying beneath it.
He began shoving the notes into his bag, remaining alert, listening for any movement outside the cottage. Once he’d filled the bag, he replaced the furnishings and ran down the stairs and out the back door, locking it behind him. He walked swiftly and confidently towards his home. He reached the gate just as a car pulled up in the road a few hundred feet away. A young woman and a man exited the car and went into one of the cottages. His eyes narrowed. He wished he could be a fly on the wall, as it was obvious to his well-trained eye that the two were police officers.
Smugly, he clutched the carrier bag tighter, stepped around the side of the house, and slipped into the kitchen at the rear of the property. His wife stared at him before her gaze dropped to the bag he was holding. “Don’t ask. Get my dinner. I’ve worked up an appetite. I’ll be back down in a few minutes.”
He walked past her, feeling her stiffen as he approached. After tutting his annoyance at her being in the same room as him, he went upstairs to hide his haul beneath the floorboards in his own bedroom. Laughing at the irony, he shifted the furniture around so his wife wouldn’t know.
He threw himself on his bed and looked up at the ceiling. The widest grin spread his lips apart. It was the only time he was really content—when he had someone at his mercy and their money stashed under his bed, awaiting the next get-rich scheme to come his way. He’d just learned of one such scheme, a real beauty; just needed the funds to set him up on the golden path to finally being the millionaire he deserved to be.
CHAPTER SEVEN
After going in front of the cameras, Lorne and AJ returned to the office, to sit by the phones and wait for the influx of calls a case like this usually brought in. Although, due to the location of the incident, she had a feeling the appeal wouldn’t attract that much attention. Karen and Graham’s trip out to the community had been a total waste of time because most of the inhabitants of the cottages they had visited were out when they arrived. Lorne had instructed the pair of detectives to return to base.
The phone on AJ’s desk rang. After just hanging up from a hoax call, he answered the phone warily. “Yes, that’s right. Do you know the victim?”
Lorne stepped closer to him and folded her arms, watching him jot down the information the caller was relaying to him. “May I take your number? Thank you for calling. You’ve been a great help.” AJ ended the call and looked up at Lorne. “This sounds promising, boss.”
“Did I hear right that Kath Brinck has a husband?”
“You did. Mrs. Wilson, the caller, was quite adamant the news people had got it wrong when they referred to Kath being a spinster.”
“That’s all well and good, but if she’s right, then where is this elusive husband? I’ll answer the phones if you’ll work your magic researching the infamous Mr. Brinck.”
Karen and Graham walked into the office, looking gloomy about their mission.
“Chins up, guys. We never have down days, only good days, remember. Anyway, we think we’ve found a possible lead. Apparently, Kath Brinck isn’t the spinster we believe her to be. There’s a Mr. Brinck out there, according to a call we’ve just received.”
“Now that is interesting,” Karen agreed. “Want us to man the phones, boss?”
“That’d be great. I’ll get back to the grind of working through my paperwork. If anything interesting crops up, let me know straight away.” Lorne headed back to her own office, but before she started on the paperwork vying for her attention, she decided to ring her local vet to see if they were treating Kath Brinck’s dog. “Hi, this is Lorne Warner.”
“Hello, Lorne. What can we do for you today?” Gail, the friendly receptionist, asked.
“I was wondering if you’re treating a dog that was battered and left at the roadside. Sorry, I should have said this is police business, nothing to do with my work at the rescue centre.”
“Ah, yes. The poor dog was in a bad way when he came in, but Dr. Hinds has operated. Sadly, we had to amputate the rear right leg as it was too severely damaged to save. He’s doing well now. Any news on his owner?”
“Nothing yet, but I’m not sure a positive outcome is likely. I was really concerned about the dog. Thanks for the update.”
“He’ll get there. I do hope you find his owner.”
“If we’re unsuccessful, we’ll take the dog on, okay?”
“You’re one in a million, Lorne.”
Lorne ended the call with a smile on her face. Knowing that the dog was improving made her feel hopeful that they would find Kath alive sometime soon.
AJ knocked on the door about thirty minutes later.
“Anything?”
“I’ve managed to locate two Brincks in the area: one in the East End, the other in Henley. I’ve tried calling them both, but got no reply. Wanted to know what to do next, boss. Shall I ask uniform to take a look?”
“Good idea, AJ. There’s no point in us venturing over there if you’ve had no reply. See what uniform say and we’ll pick it up in the morning.”
“Okay, boss.”
He left Lorne to her thoughts. She would love to visit Brinck this evening, but there was little point turning up at an empty house. Leaving the trip to the uniformed officer was more efficient.
An hour later, the team went their separate ways in the car park. Lorne deliberately drove through the village where the incidences had occurred again. She slowed the car down to a virtual crawl, searching every nook and cranny in the country roads, in case she spotted someone lingering, ready to pounce on yet another victim, but she saw nothing.
Disappointed, she headed home.
Tony was stirring a pot of chicken curry Lorne had rustled up a few days ago and had popped in the freezer.
“Yum, smells scrummy. Let me see if there’s enough heat in it.” After kissing Tony on the lips, she dipped the spoon in the pot, blew on the contents, and inserted it in her mouth under Tony’s watchful gaze. “Yum, that’s to die for. Did you add anything to it?”
“No, maybe a pinch of chilli for extra heat. It’s just you and me tonight. Looks like we’ve got enough here to serve up for breakfast, too.”
Lorne laughed. “I’d never get any work done if we did that. Where’s Charlie?”
“She’s out there with the dogs, bedding them down for the evening, then she’s going out with Brandon
again.”
Lorne’s nose twitched. She lowered her voice and kept her eyes on the back door in case her daughter came in. “She seems pretty keen on him. Do you think it’ll last?”
Tony chuckled and shrugged. “I doubt if anyone can say that these days, Lorne. They do appear to be inseparable at present.”
“That’s what concerns me.” Tony’s eyes rolled up to the ceiling. “Don’t bloody look like that. She’s my baby. I’m worried, naturally worried, as every mother would be in my situation.”
“Not every mother. Maybe some mothers are eager to get their twenty-one-year-old daughters off their hands.”
Lorne’s mouth dropped open then closed quickly. “Really? I’m dreading the day she leaves home for good. We’ve been through such a lot together. We’re more like best friends than mother and daughter. I suppose if I knew Brandon more, it might be different, but honestly, what do we truly know about him?”
The back door opened, and a happy Charlie bounced through the room. She kissed Lorne on the cheek and ran upstairs.
Tony held Lorne’s bemused face between both of his hands. “Your face is a picture. Lorne there’s no doubting how happy she is with Brandon. Let’s just see how things pan out for now, eh?”
“I know; you’re right. I’m being overprotective and foolish. How long before dinner?”
“Ten to fifteen minutes. Waiting on the rice to cook.”
“Right, I’m going to take Sheba out for a quick play in the paddock, if that’s okay? Clear my head a little.”
“Everything all right at work?”
“Usual frustrations. I’ll fill you in over dinner. Be right back. Come on, girl, fetch your ball.” Sheba leapt to her feet and bounced around until Lorne let her out the back door. They played fetch for ten minutes and returned to the house to find Charlie changed and ready to set off for the evening. “Going anywhere special, love?”
“There’s a new film on at the cinema. We’re going out for a meal, too. Have a relaxing evening, you two. Don’t get up to anything while I’m out; wouldn’t want any baby Charlies making an appearance in nine months’ time.”
Lorne swiped her daughter’s arm. “Bloody cheek, it should be me saying that to you, not the other way around. Gosh, the thought of having two of you running around causing mischief is enough to put anyone off having kids.” Lorne winked at her daughter.
“Yeah, right. You do talk a lot of bullshit at times, Mum.”
Lorne laughed. “Don’t hold back, love, tell us how it is. Go, have fun. Take care.”
“Yes, Mum.” Charlie’s exasperation at her mother’s warning was clear in her tone.
Tony wrapped his arms around Lorne once Charlie had left the house. “She’ll be fine. You worry too much. We’ll have our curry and snuggle up for the evening on the couch, make the most of our time alone.”
Lorne recognised the glint in his eye. “Hey, Agent Boy, you better behave yourself. We don’t want Charlie’s premonition coming true. I’m long past my nappy-changing days.”
“Yeah, we better leave that up to Charlie now.”
Lorne pushed away from him. “No way, don’t even joke about things like that.”
Over their meal, Lorne went through what had happened regarding the case that day and what she and AJ intended to do the next morning.
“You think the husband is the abductor?”
“I don’t know. We need to question him first to discount him. It’s pretty strange that Kath told people she was a spinster, don’t you think?”
“Maybe Kath went away, left the dog with a dog-sitter or something? You can’t go marching in there, accusing the bloke of abducting her, until you know for definite that she’s missing.”
“Get you, Mr. Private Dick. I get what you’re saying. It is puzzling me that the witness thought Kath was a spinster, though. Maybe if Kath has gone away, perhaps she’ll see the news bulletins tonight and ring the station to say she’s safe and well. We won’t know until the morning.”
“So, you haven’t had any sightings of the woman reported?”
“Nothing. It’s a mystery; her cottage was empty. If someone was looking after the dog in her absence… oh I don’t know… if I was looking after someone’s dog, and the dog went missing, I’d be frantic, out there looking for the dog at every opportunity. I’ve been through the village a few times now and seen no one. Which leads me to believe the woman may have been abducted, given what’s happened to Nadine.”
“Okay, if we go along those lines, then do you think the offender could be holding her somewhere near her home?”
Lorne contemplated his question for a moment or two before she answered. “It’s something we should consider. Maybe we should carry out a thorough search of the area. My take is that the community has suffered a lot in the past few days. I’d hate to make them even more uncomfortable about living in their homes. We’ll see how we go with Mr. Brinck tomorrow and go from there. It’s all pretty exasperating, and I don’t know how to combat it. Maybe I’m missing Katy too much—you know, bouncing ideas off her. Nothing against AJ, of course, but you get used to being with certain people; Katy and I are usually on the same wavelength.”
“I understand. Even when I was out in the field, going it alone, I appreciated joining up with some agents rather than others during joint cases. Mind if I make an observation, love?”
Lorne frowned. “Go for it.”
“I know this will sound bad, and in a way, I’m glad of the way you are now, but…”
“Stop waffling and spit it out, Tony.”
“Okay, I’m thinking back to when we first met—my initial opinion of you was that you had a smart mouth and a feisty kick-arse attitude. That’s changed over the years; you’ve mellowed.”
“Wow, you really think that? Maybe it’s because I’m more settled now. I’m in lurrrrve with my man. Back then, Tom and I argued most days. That’s bound to take a toll on a person. Maybe I was less forgiving in those days. I know I’ve never been one to suffer fools gladly; however, being happy at home certainly has an impact on the way I do things at work now. At least I think it has… I’ve never really contemplated the idea until now.”
He leaned forward and gave her a lingering kiss as if appreciating the underlying compliment she had just given him. “Although I’m delighted to hear you utter those words, maybe you should take a step back and see if our loving relationship is making your work suffer. In a roundabout way, I guess I’m telling you to get back to your kick-arse ways and perhaps that will ease your frustrations about the case.”
Lorne thought over his words for a moment or two, realising that he’d given an accurate appraisal of her work life. It was her turn to kiss him, after which, she said, “How come God made you so smart? It was a rhetorical question. I’m glad we met all those years ago. I dread to think what Charlie’s and my life would be like right now if you hadn’t come along and rescued me from my dismal marriage.”
“Not sure it truly happened like that, but whichever way we got together, I’m really glad we did. Not every woman would have stuck around with an ex-MI6 agent reduced to one leg.”
“I guess we were made to be together. Anyway, less of the maudlin talk. How was your day?”
“Pretty dire. Joe and I called at a couple of solicitor offices today, left a few cards and gave them a brief rundown on what we could offer them, but we didn’t seem to spark any interest.”
“Typical solicitors. Maybe something will come your way from them in the future, now that they’re aware of your services.”
“We can live in hope. Joe also came up with the idea of setting up a website or placing an ad in one of the London papers. That sort of thing could be pricey, though.”
Her hand touched his. “We’ve got a few savings tucked away. You’re welcome to use those if you want.”
He smiled and kissed the tip of her nose. “Thanks for the offer, but I’d rather not touch the savings. You never know—we might have to pay for a w
edding soon.”
“Bloody hell, don’t say that, even in jest.”
“Who’s jesting? I’m serious.”
“I wish you weren’t. I’m going to do the dishes then have a soak in the bath.”
“Go on, I know a hint when I hear one. I’ll do the dishes while you hop in the bath.”
Her hand ran down his cheek. “Not every girl has a wonderful husband like you at her disposal.”
Lorne walked up the stairs on weary legs and ran the bath. She poured in her favourite lavender bubble bath and was soon relaxing in the tub. She heard the phone ring, and within seconds, Tony was standing beside her, holding out the phone. “It’s Carol. She needs an urgent word.”
She snatched the phone. “Hi, Carol. What’s wrong?”
“Lorne, sorry to disturb you, but the spirits are restless, love.”
Her stomach flipped a few somersaults. “About what, Carol?”
Carol sighed heavily. “The information I gave you the other day. It’s just got much clearer. I need to know if Charlie is with you.”
Lorne swiftly sat up in the bath. The water slopped over the edge as the cruel hand of fear squeezed her heart. “No, she’s out with Brandon. My God, are you telling me that they’re in trouble?”
“I don’t want to alarm you, but yes, that’s what I’m picking up, sweetie. Do you know where they are?”
“They’re going out to dinner and on to the cinema. Let me try and ring her and get back to you, okay?”
Lorne disconnected and rang Charlie’s mobile number. The phone rang and rang until the answerphone kicked in. “Charlie, it’s me. Ring me the second you get this message. Love you.”
Tony’s look of horror reflected how she was feeling herself. “Try and stay calm. Ring Carol back and get the gist of what she’s talking about before you start thinking the worst.”
Tears welled up in her eyes. “I can sense something is wrong now, Tony.”
“Stop! Ring Carol. Let me do it while you get dressed.”
“Okay, put the phone on speaker.” She dried herself quickly, and they both rushed into the bedroom. As the line connected, Carol’s initial warning from the spirits ran through her mind. Two people in hospital after being involved in a car accident. “Carol, I’m getting dressed as we speak. Are we talking about what the spirits were referring to before? The car accident and two people in hospital?”
