by M A Comley
Her mother was just as pleased to see Dex as he was to see her. He trotted into the kitchen in search of his evening meal. “Thank goodness you found him,” her mother said, wiping her hands down the front of her apron and stroking Dex.
Sally burst into tears again and sobbed as she collapsed into the chair behind her. “Mum, it was awful.”
Her father then explained what had happened, anger prominent in his tone. “I hope it wasn’t that lot we got evicted from over the road to blame for this.”
Sally stared at him. “No, not after all this time, Dad, surely.”
Her mother crossed the room and wrapped her arm around Sally’s shoulder. “It doesn’t matter now. He’s safe, and that’s the important thing.”
Despite their meal tasting delicious, none of them had much of an appetite. The same couldn’t be said for Dex. He gobbled his meal then came to sit at the table, waiting for the remains of theirs. Sally cleared the table and started on the washing up. Halfway through the chore, her mobile rang.
“You take that, love. I’ll finish this off,” her father said, smiling and pushing her aside.
Sally answered the phone on the way into the lounge, and Dex sat on the sofa next to her. “Hi, I was going to ring you later.”
“You sound down. Is everything okay?” Simon asked.
“A bit of a mishap when I took Dex out for his evening walk.”
“Did he pull you over?”
“No, someone dog-napped him and tied him up.”
“What? Are you winding me up?”
“I would never joke about something like that, Simon. I’ve been in bits since I came home.”
“Sorry, you should have rung me.”
“I was preoccupied searching for my dog,” she snapped uncharacteristically. “Sorry, you didn’t deserve that. Ignore me. I was scared. He’s fine now. What are you ringing for?”
“Can’t I call to see how you’re doing?”
“We saw each other this morning, and I rang you at work during the day.” I shouldn’t be taking my bad mood out on him.
“Okay, I’ll leave the business talk until tomorrow then. I apologise for disturbing you at home. Glad Dex is safe and well.”
“Simon, don’t go. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to shut you out. It was horrendous.” Tears cascaded down her cheeks again as she recalled the image of Dex trussed up in the undergrowth.
“Look, I’m just about finished here. Do you want me to drop by?”
“No, honestly, I’m fine. All I want to do is cuddle one man tonight—that’s Dex. I just feel so damn guilty.”
“Why? What have you got to feel sorry about?”
“If I hadn’t rung Lorne, I could have kept a proper eye on him.”
“These things happen, love. There’s no need to blame yourself. Did you catch the bastard who did it?”
“No, there was no one around, except the man who was helping me look for Dex. Do you think someone targeted Dex? Do people usually carry around duct tape and string with them?”
“Not in my experience. Maybe Dex wasn’t targeted as such. Perhaps he was in the wrong place at the wrong time. Have you taken him to the vet?”
“No, he seems fine. He wasn’t tied up for long, ten minutes at the most. I’ll keep an eye on him. He’s eaten his dinner. If there was anything wrong, he would be off his food. Enough doom and gloom—how are Wilson and Jenkinson’s PMs going? Have you managed to find the COD yet?”
“Not conclusive, however, I found several nicks on the hyoid bones on each victim. Possible or probable cause for that is having their throats cut, the same as Aisha.”
“Which probably indicates that we’re searching for the same culprit, yes?”
“I’d go along with that theory. I’ll keep searching, see if I can find anything else, but I just wanted you to hear what we had so far.”
“Thanks, Simon. Sorry for snapping at you earlier.”
“No problem. I can’t wait to meet the other man in your life on Sunday.”
“Glad my abysmal behaviour hasn’t put you off. Mum and Dad are really looking forward to meeting you.”
“You were stressed. It’s understandable. There’s nothing to forgive. I’ll let you get some rest then, probably speak to you tomorrow.”
“Thanks for ringing, Simon. Have a good evening.”
Her mother coughed from the doorway. “Didn’t mean to eavesdrop, dear. Would you like a coffee?”
“No problem, Mum. It was Simon. He’s keen to meet you on Sunday. A coffee would be lovely, thank you.”
“You stay there. We’ll be in shortly. I’m looking forward to Sunday and meeting the man who has captured your heart, too. It’s wonderful to see a smile on your face again.”
“I wasn’t aware that I was smiling,” she replied, her cheeks burning.
Her mother left the room, and Sally pulled Dex tighter to her and kissed his nose. “How are you, my handsome boy?”
Dex licked the side of her face and rested his head against her chest. All was right in his world again, and it was beginning to take shape in hers again, finally.
CHAPTER NINE
The rain was lashing down when Sally pulled into the station car park the next day. She protected her head with her coat and ran for cover. Jack was waiting by the entrance, under the entrance porch, for her to join him.
“Nice day, if you have gills,” he joked. When Sally didn’t crack a smile, he asked, “Everything all right?”
“Yeah, I’ll fill you in later. How are things at home?”
“The usual. I’m here if you need a chat.”
Sally rubbed his arm. “Thanks. We need to crack on with the case ASAP this morning.”
They rushed up the stairs to the incident room to find the rest of her team already at their desks, working. “Morning, all. Any news come in overnight?”
The other three members of the team shook their heads.
“Okay, I received a snippet of news last night from the pathologist. He believes all three victims were killed by the same person. So, if we find the killer for Aisha, we can bang them up on all three charges.”
“All we need to find now is a connection between the three victims,” Jack said.
“Exactly. We’re going to need to question every family member we can find during the day, not forgetting that Jack and I have an appointment with the teachers at the school this afternoon at four. Any news on Warren Dean yet?”
Joanna shook her head. “Yes and no, boss. I’ve managed to track down what haulage firm he works for. The bad news is he’s been working abroad, filling in for a driver in Germany, for the last month or so.”
“Any idea when he’s due to return to the UK?”
“They couldn’t tell me that, said they would contact me as soon as he docks.”
Sally raised a questioning eyebrow. “Can you really see that happening?”
Joanna shrugged. “We’ll have to wait and see, boss. I’m still delving into his background. He’s got a record. Was banged up on a GBH charge for eighteen months. I’ve located his address, not far from where he used to live.”
“Excellent work. Do me a favour and contact Border Control, put him on the person-of-interest list. That way, we won’t have to rely on his firm contacting us when he lands on our shores again.”
Joanna turned to face her desk. “I’ll get on it now, boss.”
Sally stopped at the coffee machine on her way into the office. She opened the window, which was steamed up because of the rain, then settled behind her desk.
Jack entered the room moments later. “Any decision on what we’re going to do about what Falkirk said yesterday?”
She waved her hand in front of her. “I’ve left it with the DCI. I called Lorne last night to get her take on things, and she said it’s not unheard of for coppers to falsify evidence.”
“Maybe down there and in the larger forces, it’s a done thing, but we ain’t used to that kind of shit around here. Bit of a shocker to
unfold, that was.”
“Having slept on it, I have to say I think we’ve got enough on our plate to deal with right now, Jack. Let’s see what Green does about it. If he’s got any balls, he’ll make sure Falkirk’s cases are reinvestigated. Personally, I can’t see it working out that way. All I can say is my conscience is clear. I passed the information to my superior officer to take action.”
He tapped the side of his nose and pointed at her. “I’m with you. I think if I were in your shoes, I’d pass the buck in the DCI’s direction, too. Smart move.”
She rubbed her chest. “It still hurts the heart, Jack. What if there are dozens of innocent people sitting in prison because of a bent copper?”
“I know. Let’s hope you’re wrong about that. Anything specific you want me to tackle?”
“Just make sure we have all the information we need ready for the school visit this afternoon. Do some background checks, see if anything comes up. Also, get a list of family members we need to visit regarding Wilson and Jenkinson. Maybe we can squeeze some of those in this afternoon, before we’re due at the school. I need to spend some time in the office today before this paperwork gets out of hand.”
He smiled. “I can take a hint. I’ll leave you to it.”
Alone again, Sally wasn’t in the mood for tackling the boring paperwork, so she picked up the phone on the desk. “Hi, it’s only me. How are you?”
“Hello, It’s Only You. I’m fine. More to the point, how are you feeling after your little scare last night?”
She relaxed in her chair as she listened to Simon’s soothing voice. She loved his Scottish accent, which was one of the things that had attracted her to him. They had known each other for over five years before either of them had shown any real interest in the other. She kicked herself under the table for wasting so much time, but then she reminded herself she had a good enough excuse for not getting involved sooner: she’d been married to Darryl at the time. Her ex’s evil features filled her mind, and she shuddered. Pushing Darryl aside as quickly as he’d appeared, she replied, “We had a good night. I let Dex sleep on the bed last night as a special treat. When I woke up this morning, he was still curled up beside me, sleeping peacefully.”
“Hmm... am I allowed to be jealous of a dog?”
Sally groaned. “Gosh, don’t say that...”
“Hey, are you all right? I was only teasing.”
“I know. It doesn’t matter, honestly. It’s just the past emerging. Darryl used to be jealous of everything that got too close to me, including Dex, which is why he lived with Mum and Dad for a while.”
“No! I’m so sorry. I had no idea, Sal. What a bloody moron. You’re best shot of him.”
“When I was drifting off to sleep last night, I was reflecting on what Dex went through, and his name cropped up. If he wasn’t in prison now, I wouldn’t have put it past him to do that to my boy. He’s warped, a twisted fucker. If only I hadn’t fallen for his charming, manipulative ways... sorry, I’m prattling on.”
“Hey, if it helps to vent then vent away. Fancy dinner tonight?”
“Well... I hate to put Dex first, but would you mind if we left it for another day?”
“Tomorrow then?”
She blew out a relieved breath—she hadn’t detected a note of rejection in his voice. He really was one in a million.
“Sod it, go on then. Tonight would be lovely. Besides, I missed not seeing you last night.”
“Ha, well, you know what the solution to that is. No pressure on my part, of course.”
“I know. I just need to get used to the idea. Be patient with me.”
“Hey, after what you’ve been through in the past, that’s a no-brainer. I will say one thing in my defence, if I may?”
“Go on.”
“I might not have had that many relationships, but I’ve always treated the women I’ve dated with the utmost respect, and I meant what I said the other day. It took a lot to ask you to share my home. I’ve never given anyone else that option before.”
Her heart began pounding rhythmically. “I know, I appreciate the offer, and just to reiterate, I didn’t flat-out reject it. Blame my screwed-up head if that helps.”
“Let’s hope your heart has a word with your head and you come to the right decision in the end. Oops... my assistant needs me. I’m going to have to love you and leave you.”
“Okay. Shall I meet you at the usual restaurant at seven?”
“Marvellous. If anything changes, I’ll ring you. Have a good day.”
“You, too.” Sally ended the call, sipped her coffee, and contemplated the evening ahead of her with a huge smile on her face. This is what love should feel like! Not what I experienced during my sham of a marriage.
After finishing her drink, she whizzed through the post and paperwork she had neglected for the past day or so. Relieved and satisfied that it was out of the way, she could concentrate all her efforts on finding the killer who had left behind three victims.
Sally sent Jordan out for sandwiches and cakes to boost the team’s fading morale as twelve thirty approached. Just after lunch, they gathered around the incident board and highlighted what they’d discovered that morning, which really wasn’t much to shout about.
Sally tutted. “Okay, so Jack and I will get on with interviewing the family members and friends of all three victims this afternoon. I need you guys to keep digging into Warren Dean’s past.”
“That’s a lot of people we have to interview, boss. I’m not averse to taking on all that responsibility, but it makes more sense to split the work up. Leave one member of the team here while four of us go out and about.”
She knew Jack was talking sense, however, Sally was eager to question all the individuals herself. “Okay, well, you know how much of a control freak I am. It was a rhetorical question, guys,” she added quickly as several of her colleagues opened their mouths to speak. “I realise we’re against time here, so I’m willing to let Joanna and Stuart visit the burglars’ families. Good compromise, yes?”
Everyone nodded their acceptance.
“Remember that our priority remains searching for something that links the three victims. I want to know why Wilson and Jenkinson turned to crime in the first place and why they continued to rob their community.”
“Yes, boss,” Joanna replied, jotting down Sally’s instructions.
“Jack, you and I are going to pay Aisha’s father a visit. I haven’t finished that line of enquiries just yet. I’m a little annoyed that he hasn’t at least picked up the phone to make contact with us.”
~ ~ ~
Mr. Maqsood’s grocery store was in the small village of Knotley, about a ten-minute commute from the couple’s home. Sally parked the car in the lay-by, then she and Jack left the car and approached the shop. Outside, a vast array of fruit and veg, all top quality, not a brown leaf or bruise in sight, was on display. The man obviously cared about the produce he offered to the public. Stepping inside the store, Sally’s first assumption of the store owner proved to be an accurate one. Quickly surveying the shelves, she was amazed to see nothing out of place and all the products were set in precise lines with the product names facing forwards.
“Neatest small store I’ve ever seen,” Sally whispered.
“Yeah, I was thinking the same. Some would say the person might be a little obsessed with how things look.”
“I’d be inclined to think along those lines, too.”
They walked to the end of the first row of shelves and found a Middle Eastern man in his mid-fifties to early sixties sitting behind the counter, smiling at them. He hopped off his stool and approached the counter between them.
“Hello, Mr. Maqsood. I’m DI Sally Parker, and this is my partner, DS Jack Blackman. Is it all right if we have a quiet word with you?” Sally showed the man her warrant card.
He leaned forward to study her ID, the smile on his face long forgotten. When his eyes met Sally’s again, a darkness appeared in his features. �
�Ah, yes, you are the two detectives who visited my home and upset my wife.”
“I’m sorry she felt that way. It wasn’t our intention. All we’re trying to do is track down the person responsible for your daughter’s death. I thought you would both appreciate that.”
“Why? Ten years ago this happened. Why revisit the case now?” His gaze narrowed as he rested his hands, which were balled into tight fists, on the counter in front of him.
“As I explained to your wife the other day, new evidence has come to our attention. Forgive me, but I really don’t understand why you’re both so uptight about this. Surely, any parent would want closure for their child’s death, don’t you?”
“Of course we want closure. I just don’t understand why it has taken ten years for you lot to start reinvestigating the case. I hope that husband of hers is at the top of your suspect list, because last time, it was as though he never existed.”
“He’s up there, along with everyone else we’ve interviewed so far.”
His eyes turned to tiny slits. “Everyone else? Are you including my wife in that sweeping statement, Inspector?”
Sally shrugged. “Like I said, everyone is on the list until we have evidence to prove their innocence.”
He raised one of his hands, pointed his finger and waved it from side to side. “Now wait just a minute. I think you have that the wrong way round. Shouldn’t you be investigating this crime with the intention of proving someone’s guilt?”
“I tend to look at things differently. I like to delve deeper when I investigate, to prove a person is either innocent or guilty, sir. It’s why I’ve never failed to apprehend, arrest and imprison a guilty person. If during that process I tick people off, then there is very little I can do about that.”
“You should be ashamed of yourself saying that.”
“Why? The results speak for themselves. The only people who should be against the way I tackle a case are the guilty parties. Are you placing yourself in that category, sir?”
He huffed. “Don’t be so absurd. What are my wife and I supposed to be guilty of?” His tone was becoming more irate, and with it, his accent was getting thicker.
