by M A Comley
“I told Jack to take care of you.”
“He never told me that.” She grabbed his hand once more.
“Anyway, that aside, I’m dying to know what Jack’s take on it is.”
“If you must know, he said I was being foolish and to go for it.”
“Then your partner’s common sense has rocketed in my estimation.”
Sally chuckled. “It’s more like you bloody men sticking together.”
“So, what other concerns do you have?”
The conversation halted when the waiter appeared and placed their plates in front of them. “Enjoy your meals.” He smiled before he disappeared.
“This looks scrummy,” Sally said, her tummy grumbling at the smell wafting from her plate.
“Stop changing the subject. Come on, let’s try and sort this out so we can move on.”
Move on? Does that mean what I think it means? That if I reject his offer, he’s going to dump me? She momentarily lost her appetite as a lump of panic lodged in her throat.
“Hey, you’re not eating. Don’t you like it?” Simon looked concerned.
“Yes, it’s lovely. Okay, I’m just going to come out and ask. When you said ‘move on’, what exactly did you mean by that?”
He placed his knife and fork down and looked her in the eye. “Your face is a picture. I think we’re on different wavelengths here, Sal. I just meant that we’ll discuss it when we’re further down the line. Did you think I was going to dump you?”
Her head dipped in shame. “Yes,” she mumbled.
He placed a finger under her chin and raised her head. “Never. If there’s any dumping going to happen, it’ll be you that instigates it, not me.”
The tension subsided in her shoulders, and she exhaled the breath she’d been holding in. “Thank goodness. Hey, maybe that little faux pas highlights how little we really know each other.”
“Nonsense. Stop making excuses and eat your dinner.”
Sniggering, she tucked into her meal and moaned with pleasure. “This really is superb.”
“See? You really should trust my judgement.”
“Okay, I have a question for you.” He nodded for her to continue while he put a piece of barbecue-coated chicken in his mouth. “We’ve known each other—what? Four or five years? Why did it take you so long to ask me out?”
He almost choked on his chicken. “Well, that came out of the blue. Cards-on-the-table time it is then. I fancied you—is that how the kids put it?”
Laughing, she nodded, enjoying his embarrassing moment. “It is.”
“I fancied you the first time I met you, but you were with Darryl back then. I kept tabs on what was going on with you once I saw you coming to work with bruises. Then when Jack told me that you and he had arrested Darryl, I had to bide my time before I asked you out. I knew your emotions would be in turmoil and you’d be unlikely to trust another man in the near future.”
“So you had a spy, did you? Wait until I get my hands on that bloody underhanded partner of mine.”
“Hey, I don’t want him getting into trouble. Another reason I delayed asking you out was because I thought you’d knock me back.”
“Why?”
“Apart from the trust issue, I thought you were too good for me. Look at you—you’re a stunner. You can have your pick of any bloke out there.”
Her heart pounded. “You’re talking crap, but I appreciate your kind words. And do me a favour?”
“I’m deadly serious. You’re beautiful. Go on, what favour?”
“Stop putting yourself down. After all, it was your good looks and your caring manner that sparked my interest in you in the first place.”
His boyish face lit up. “Mind if I ask when that was exactly?”
“About the second time I met you.”
“Bloody hell, really? You mean we’ve wasted four flipping years?”
“Hard to believe, but yes. We did have certain obstacles in our way, though.”
He winked at her. “And look how well we’ve overcome them...”
“Like I said before, ten out of ten for trying. Bear with me. There’s Mum and Dad to consider in this equation, not forgetting Dex, too.”
“I know. I’m prepared to be patient. I can’t wait to meet them on Sunday. Your dad’s a builder, right?”
“Yep, he got screwed over by a client he was working for a few years ago, and that’s where their money troubles began. I stepped in to help them out financially.”
“That was honourable of you, Sal. Not every child would do that for their parents.”
“I know, but the house would have been repossessed if I hadn’t taken over the mortgage. That’s a huge obstacle for me regarding your proposition. I couldn’t afford to contribute to your household bills and keep running my family home.”
“If that’s all you’re worried about, then don’t be. I wouldn’t expect you to contribute. I manage to run my house successfully myself, young lady, and that isn’t going to change.”
“I’m not a leech. I would have to pay my way, Simon. There might be some girls out there who prefer to be kept by their man, but I’m not one of them.”
“I know that. Right, here’s another solution then. How is your father doing for work now?”
“He’s not. Hasn’t had any employment except general handyman jobs for months. Why?” She narrowed her eyes inquisitively.
“Hear me out. I’ve been looking at going down the renovation route, you know, buying rundown houses and selling them for a profit. The one thing that has put me off jumping in is finding a reliable builder who won’t rip me off. Do you think your father would be up for that?”
Her eyes widened. “He’d bite your hand off if you suggested that to him. He’s really good at his job. You can see for yourself when you visit the house on Sunday. He built the conservatory from scratch himself and maintains the house without Mum ever needing to nag him. Most builders shy away from carrying out work on their own properties. I won’t say anything. Why don’t you strike up a conversation with him on Sunday about it?” She left her seat, ran around the table, and kissed him on the lips. Then she dashed back and threw herself into her chair again.
“Are you drunk?” he asked, sounding a little taken aback by her exuberant behaviour.
“No, although I would welcome the opportunity after the day I’ve had.”
“Ah, alas, you’d be on your own. I have a PM to perform at seven in the morning. Another urgent case for an impatient Inspector I know.”
“We’re the pits, aren’t we?” She laughed.
“I wouldn’t necessarily say that about you, but patience isn’t really one of your finer attributes. Not that I’m complaining. You certainly keep me on my toes. That’s sorted then, about asking your father. Do you think he’ll mind?”
“Not at all, and he definitely won’t rip you off. I can’t thank you enough for this, Simon.”
“Hey, let’s wait and see if he agrees first. I’ve been thinking about property developing for a while now.”
“Hey, I think Lorne used to be into property developing. Maybe she can give you a few pointers. I could ask her and Tony, her husband, to come up for the weekend soon to discuss it.”
“Of course, I remember her. A very good detective and lovely lady, to boot. That would be amazing. Does she still dabble in it now?”
“No, she runs a rescue centre for abandoned dogs along with her daughter and her husband. He’s also a private investigator.”
“Crikey! Do they ever get time off?”
“Not much. She’s never been the type to sit around and do bugger all on her day off.”
“Well, I’d value her opinion, and your father’s of course, about a few properties I’ve had my eye on over the past few weeks.”
“How exciting. I’m pretty mean with a paintbrush. I don’t mind lending a hand at the end.”
“You have enough to do with your own career.”
“I know. Oh, well, the op
tion is there if you need it. Dad is going to be thrilled about this. Hey, promise me that you won’t take him on just to make me happy.”
“I’ll guarantee that.” He raised his glass and clinked it against hers for the second toast of the evening. “To our new partnership.”
“Thank you, Simon. You truly are one in a million. Neither my dad nor I will let you down.”
“I love you, Sally Parker.”
“I love you, too, Simon Bracknall, expert pathologist and future property developer.”
They spent the rest of the evening just enjoying being in each other’s company, alone in the restaurant, which anyone would have thought they’d booked for the entire evening. After their meal, they stepped outside to wait for Sally’s taxi to arrive. It was drizzling, so Simon insisted that they hang out in his car. Once inside, he leaned over and kissed her. His deep, exploring kiss took her breath away, and because of the drink she had consumed, she felt suddenly light-headed. He reached into the backseat and produced a bunch of red roses. Her eyes filled up with tears.
“Simon, they’re beautiful. You shouldn’t have.”
The taxi’s headlights lit up the car as it pulled into the car park alongside them.
“You better go. Thank you for a wonderful evening. I’ll call you tomorrow.”
Sally kissed him again. “Thank you, for everything. I love you,” she slurred, feeling like the luckiest girl in the world.
CHAPTER TWELVE
Sally’s head was fuzzy when she woke the following morning amid the bright sunlight flooding her bedroom. She turned over to see the time. It was seven forty-five. “Jesus, I’m going to be late.”
She rushed into the bathroom, quickly showered, and ran back into the bedroom, where she slipped into her grey skirt suit and red blouse before drying her hair. She ran down the stairs, let Dex out into the garden, and switched on the kettle. When she looked up at the clock on the wall, she decided she didn’t have time for either a drink or breakfast. She wiped Dex’s feet and hugged him. “See you later, boy. Behave yourself today.” There was no sign of her parents being awake, so she crept out of the house.
It didn’t take her long to realise that something was wrong with the car—it was sloping to one side. At first, she thought that her vision was playing tricks on her. However, as she rounded the car, she looked down and saw that both of the nearside tyres had been slashed. She aimed a sharp kick at the deflated rubber. “Damn, damn, damn.” Not wanting to go back in the house and wake her parents, she called for a taxi.
She arrived at the station in a foul mood and five minutes later than normal. Jack opened his mouth to say something, and she silenced him with a raised hand. “Don’t start on me. Some bastard slashed two of my tyres, and I had to wait for a taxi to pick me up, which took forever because of the roadworks and the mothers dropping their kids off to school. I need a coffee to calm me down.”
“Slashed your tyres?” Jack asked, his eyes wide in shock.
“I’m glad there’s nothing wrong with your hearing, Jack. Let me go see what rubbish has arrived in the post, and then we’ll shoot off.” She kicked out at the table leg in front of her. “We’ve got a bloody lot on today. I could do without this stress first thing in the morning.”
“You can’t ignore it, boss, not if your tyres were intentionally slashed. We need to look into it.”
“I haven’t got time, Jack. We’ll have to take your car today, sorry.”
He shrugged. “It makes no odds to me. But we need to sort out who did that to your car. If I didn’t know any better, it looks like someone has a vendetta against you.”
“Crap! I never thought about it like that. You’re referring to what happened to Dex the other night?”
“Yes. Are your parents aware of this? They should be keeping a vigilant eye open just in case.”
“No, they were asleep when I set off. Shit!”
“What?”
“They’re always up and about at that time of day. I never thought to check on them or go back in the house to tell them.” She pulled her mobile out of her jacket and called home. The phone rang and rang. She was just about to hang up and redial when her father answered the phone, his voice groggy. “Dad, thank God. Are you all right?”
“Sally? Why shouldn’t we be? What’s wrong, love?”
“I was worried when you didn’t answer. Dad, did you see anyone hanging around the house last night?”
“No! What’s this about, love?” he asked, sounding more alert.
“I had to ring for a taxi this morning because some arsehole slashed my tyres.”
Her dad whistled down the phone, nearly deafening Sally. “What? Outside the house? Last night?”
“Yes, umm... I was tipsy when I came home last night, didn’t notice anything wrong. They might have been already damaged. I have no way of knowing.”
“Do you want me to sort the tyres out for you, love, or do you think it would be a good idea if you dusted them for prints first?”
“I hadn’t thought of that. I’ll get onto SOCO right away, see if they can come out this morning. After that, if you wouldn’t mind sorting replacements out for me, that would be great. I’ll get Jack to drop me home this evening.” Sally eyed her partner, who gave her a thumbs-up.
“Any problems, let me know, and I’ll come over and pick you up, love. Any ideas who would do such a thing?”
“I’m at a loss right now, Dad. It might have something to do with the case I’m working on. Not sure yet. Keep a watchful eye on things around there, you know, after what happened with Dex the other day...”
“You don’t think it could be those skanky bastards who moved out last year?”
“Maybe, but it’s been a while. Perhaps they thought they would let the dust settle a little before they took retribution. Let’s keep that theory between you and me for now, okay? The last thing we need is Mum’s stress levels rocketing again.”
“Yes, love. I hear you on that one.”
“I’ll give you a call back in a sec. Bye for now.”
She hung up and rang the Scenes of Crime Department. They agreed to slot a visit in at eleven that morning, in between other jobs they already had booked. Sally called her father back to make him aware of the situation. Then she stopped at the vending machine, grabbed two coffees, and entered her office. The day had only just begun, and she was already exhausted. She looked down at the stack of envelopes littering her desk and threw a bunch of files on them. “I can’t handle you yet, boys, sorry.”
The shrill of the phone startled her. “Hello. DI Parker. How can I help?”
“Hello, beautiful. I had five minutes spare so thought I’d see how you are?”
“Pissed off and exhausted if you must know,” Sally replied, moodily. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to sound like a grump. Some bugger slashed two of my tyres last night, so the day hasn’t started off in the best way.”
“That sucks. Any idea when it happened?”
“Nope, I was too tipsy to notice when I got home last night. I’m beginning to think someone has got it in for me.”
“Hmm... I have to say the thought crossed my mind, too. Maybe you’re getting closer to finding out who the real killer is.”
Sally sat upright in her chair. “I wasn’t really thinking along those lines, but you could be right. Okay, I better go. Lots to do, people to see, and all that. I’ll ring you later on this evening if that’s okay, Simon?”
“Of course. I’ve got a hectic day ahead myself.”
Sally hung up, her mood a little brighter after speaking to Simon. How can I have doubts that he’s the right man for me? She shouldn’t was the answer, plain and simple.
Jack knocked on her door and waved his white cotton hanky. “Safe to come in, or am I in danger of getting my head bitten off?”
“Idiot. Sorry for my foul mood. All gone now, thanks to the coffee.”
Jack raised an eyebrow. “Really? It never works that quickly for me. Are you sure
it wasn’t to do with the phone call you just received?”
“Smart arse. Were you spying on me?”
“Nope, wouldn’t dream of it. I have better things to do with my day than eavesdrop on a lovers’ conversation.”
Sally’s cheeks felt hot all of a sudden. “Bugger off, Bullet. Are you ready to rumble?” She downed both cool cups of coffee one after the other and walked around the desk towards him.
“I’m ready. It was you holding us up.”
“Not anymore. I say we call in to see Dawn Ward first. Let’s hope she’s in.”
They drove out to Thetford, where Parson’s Road was a small cul-de-sac separating the edge of town and the wide-open countryside. Sally had always liked this area of Norfolk for that reason. Maybe it was the forest drawing her, although the recent discovery of the two burglars’ bodies made her reconsider that idea. The white house had red-painted windowsills and a matching red door and gate. A red Nissan Micra was sitting outside the gate.
“We might be in luck here,” Jack announced as they exited the car.
Sally took the lead up the path. The flowerbeds on either side were just showing signs of life. Daffodils waved hello in the breeze, making Sally smile. She was looking forward to the spring and summer ahead. She rang the bell, and within seconds, a blonde woman in her mid-to-late forties, wearing a long jumper over black leggings, opened the door. “Hello, are you Dawn Ward?”
The woman frowned and eyed Sally and Jack nervously. “I am. Who wants to know?”
Sally produced her warrant card and held it up in front of the woman. “DI Sally Parker, and this is my partner, DS Jack Blackman. Would it be possible for us to come inside for a quick chat?”
Mrs. Ward pushed back the door and walked through the house. Jack closed the door behind them. In the kitchen, Mrs. Ward motioned for them to take a seat at a circular pine table. The room was a little cluttered for Sally’s taste. Its bookshelves bulged with books, and an untidy pile of toys was stacked in the corner of the room. “Excuse the mess. I look after my grandchild a few days a week.”
Sally smiled, hoping to put the woman at ease. “We’re here concerning a cold case we’re investigating. Maybe you remember the teacher at your son’s school who was murdered, Aisha Thomas, the music teacher?”
