by M A Comley
Dex complained noisily but wagged his tail nevertheless.
“Talkative soul, aren’t you?” Lorne ruffled his head.
“Always been the same. I’m dying to meet Sheba and the rest of the dogs. Have they all settled into their new home?”
“They have. I’m surprised it hasn’t taken them longer. The grounds are fantastic, secure, which we weren’t expecting, so no work to be done on that score for a change. You’ll see what I mean when we venture out the back. Enough about us, how are you? You look tired, and the sparkle is missing from those beautiful eyes of yours. Is everything all right?”
“I won’t bore you with the details now. It’s work-related, and today is supposed to be about us all catching up and having some fun.”
“Hear, hear,” Tony shouted, making his way towards them. “Come on, let’s have a drink and then do a tour of the place.”
Tony and Simon carried the wine and the cheesecakes into the house ahead of Lorne and Sally.
Lorne linked arms with her. “I meant what I said, it’s fabulous to see you. Can’t believe we’re living so close to each other now.”
You’ll hit another stratosphere when you learn the truth.
“We’re going to have so much fun. Time for both of us to start living our lives the way they should be lived, eh?”
“Definitely. I’m loving my retirement already. I have to say, I haven’t missed work at all.” They walked through the dated hallway. “Ignore the décor, it’s all going to be changed once we’re settled. I can’t wait to get stuck in.”
Sally laughed. “Same old Lorne, always thinking of the next adventure. You’re supposed to be taking it easy, remember?”
Lorne placed a hand over the wound in her stomach, the result of a knife attack a few months earlier. “I’m healing nicely, don’t worry about me.” She leaned in close and whispered, “I’ve already started drawing up the plans for the renovations I’d like to have done soon. Don’t tell Tony, though.”
“You’re incorrigible. You’ve got all the time in the world to think about that, at least get the unpacking out of the way first, although, if I were you, I’d be tempted to ignore the unpacking and give the renovations priority.”
Lorne placed a finger against her flushed cheek. “Now there’s a thought. Do you know any good builders?”
They both roared with laughter.
“What’s so funny?” Simon asked, eyeing them up curiously.
“Lorne just asked if I can recommend a good builder.”
And that’s how the day continued, full of laughter, good food and excellent wine. A day to remember for years to come. After their meat-filled barbecue and their indulgent pudding was out of the way, the four of them decided to let the dogs out of the kennels and go for a walk around the grounds. Dex and Sheba play-fought with the other dogs which had them all in fits of laughter. It was a joy to see them all running free.
“This is where our land ends,” Lorne announced, pointing to the hedgerow.
“Hmm…it’s quite an area you have here. I’d consider putting a gate in there, however.” Sally bubbled with excitement inside.
Lorne’s brow furrowed. “Are you mad? Why would I want to do that? The damn neighbours would probably traipse in and out all day long if we did that.”
“Is there a problem with that?” Sally asked, trying her very best to keep a straight face.
Simon coughed behind her. She glanced in his direction. He nodded for her to go ahead.
“Why do I sense we’re in the dark about something here? Spill, missus,” Lorne ordered, her eyes narrowing.
“I thought it might be a good idea to have access to next door, you know, in case there’s an emergency.”
Lorne shook her head. “I don’t really do chatting over the fence with a neighbour. Tony and I prefer our own company in that respect. So, I’ll be buggered if I’m going to put a damn gate in. Anyway, I have the dogs to consider.”
“That’s right, you have. And Dex would love the chance to play with his new doggy friends.”
Lorne scratched her head. “You seriously need a holiday of sorts, Sal, you’re talking gobbledygook. The sooner the better would be my advice.”
“Ah, that’s not likely to happen in the near future,” Sally replied, her heart pounding.
“Why? Because of this case you’ve been working on?”
Sally shook her head, tugged Lorne to the side until the house next door came into view and pointed. “Nice house.”
“It is. Another reason we’ll be keeping ourselves to ourselves. Can you imagine the kind of snobs who live in a place as grand as that?”
Simon snorted, and Sally tipped her head back, laughing until the tears cascaded down her cheeks. She grabbed Lorne and hugged her tightly. Pulling back, she studied her friend’s bewildered face. “They’re nice people.” Sally reached for Simon’s hand. He walked towards her and stood beside her, their hands clasped tightly together. “I don’t think they’re snobs at all. In fact, I hear they’re newlyweds.”
Realisation suddenly dawned on Lorne’s face, and she gasped. “No way! No frigging way! You haven’t?”
“Wait a minute, what the hell is everyone talking about?” Tony asked, his gaze drifting between the others.
“Don’t you see, Tony? Simon and Sally are our new neighbours.”
“Bloody hell. Is this a joke?” Tony asked Simon.
He shook his head. “Straight up, mate. I picked the house up at the auction this week.”
Lorne did something that surprised them all then. She turned away and performed a perfect cartwheel. “Yippee, yip, yip. I can’t believe it. This is the best news ever.” She stood erect and placed a hand on her wound. “Ouch! Maybe that wasn’t the best way to celebrate the news.”
All the dogs seemed to sense their enjoyment. They took off back to the house, barking and toppling over each other as they ran.
Sally and Simon were forced to get a taxi home that night as the celebrations went on into the early hours of the morning. Simon told Lorne he’d pick the car up the following day, sometime in the afternoon.
Sally arrived at work feeling more than a little fragile, and her head pounded as the taxi dropped her off at the station. She wasn’t keen on risking her licence and would cadge a lift from Jack after their shift ended, and if he didn’t feel like obliging, Simon could come out and pick her up.
“Good Lord, you didn’t drive into work in that state, did you?” Jack asked, the second he laid eyes on her. “You look rougher than a badger’s arse.”
“That bad, eh? And do you mind not shouting, I’m feeling a little brittle today.”
“Copious cups of coffee on the agenda this morning then, I take it.”
“Thanks for offering,” she said, gingerly heading for her office, hoping against hope the postal gods were smiling on her and her desk was relatively clear. She cautiously poked her head into the office and groaned. “No such luck.” She entered the room, placed her handbag on the floor and dropped into her chair. She opened her drawer and extracted a packet of Nurofen. Even removing the tablets from their plastic packaging grated on her delicate nerves.
Jack joined her and placed two coffees on her desk. “Looks like you could do with a double whammy first thing. How come you’re in this self-inflicted state? A celebration, was it? Tell me to mind my own business if you want,” he added, not pausing long enough for her to chip in with an answer.
Her brain rattled against her skull. “Rewind, sorry, what was your first question again?”
“Jesus. I don’t recall ever getting in the state you’re in, not the day before I was due back to work anyway.”
Sally raised a hand to stop him. “I can do without the lecture, partner.”
He stormed out of the office.
Damn, bang goes my lift home tonight. She drank the first coffee without it even touching the sides, even though it was still relatively hot. Then she tackled the first of the brown envelopes on he
r desk.
Thirty minutes later, the caffeine had done a remarkable job of making her feel near normal again, and she left the office.
Joanna was on the phone, concern etched into her features. She glanced in Sally’s direction. Sally crossed the room, ignoring her partner’s scowling and perched herself on the desk closest to Joanna.
“What’s up?” she mouthed.
“Hold the line a sec, Sergeant, DI Parker wants a word.”
Joanna passed the phone over, and Sally shrugged.
“Sergeant who?” she asked, covering the phone.
“Sorry, boss. It’s Sergeant Sullivan. You’ll want to speak to him. I was just about to patch the call through to you.”
Sally had an ominous tingling running the length of her spine. “Pat, it’s Sally. What’s going on?”
“Sorry to interrupt you, ma’am, you know me, always got my ear to the ground. Well, something happened overnight that you should be aware of. It might not be related; I’m probably thinking it is without really thinking about it, in fact.”
“You’re waffling, Pat, you know I hate wafflers. Get to the point, man.”
He gulped noisily. “It’s probably nothing. I know you’re working on a cold case at the moment. Well, something was reported last night and…”
“You got my attention at the beginning of this conversation, Pat. Don’t let it wander, get to the point, please?”
He heaved out a sigh. “Sorry, this one has shaken me to the core. Okay, there was an incident that took place. An intruder entered a house and killed a child. Smothered her with a pillow, they did.”
Sally closed her eyes and shook her head. “Fuck. Excuse my language. Okay, I can understand why it’s upset you so much. Who’s the SIO?”
“Brian Jessop. He’s new around here. Want me to see if he’ll drop by and see you?”
“You read my mind, Pat. ASAP, if you will. It could be a coincidence.”
“Neither you nor I believe in such things, do we, Inspector? I’ll get on to him now. I hope I haven’t spoken out of turn, ma’am?”
“Not as far as I’m concerned, Pat. Any information you’ve supplied in the past on a case has always been worth chasing up. I appreciate you contacting me regarding this one.”
“I’ll get in touch with Jessop now, ma’am.”
Sally ended the call and handed the phone back to Joanna. “Shit. I take it you got the gist of that?” she asked the other members of the team who were all staring at her. “As Pat just said, we don’t believe in coincidences. I hope for our sakes I’m wrong in this instance. If not, it means the killer has bloody resurfaced.”
8
Jack threw his pen across the desk and covered his face with his hands then slid them through his hair and onto the top of his head. “No frigging way! We can’t say that yet, boss, it’s too soon to speculate something like that.”
“Let’s hold fire on speculation until we’ve got the confirmed facts from the SIO. Pat’s getting on to him, to see if he’ll drop by and see me. I’ll leave it until midday. If he hasn’t made contact by then, I’ll chase him up.”
No sooner had she told the team that, than the door burst open and a young suited man entered the room. His hair was slicked back with a severe amount of gel. His face contorted in what Sally read as anger stroke confusion.
“Who’s in charge around here?”
Sally left the desk she was perched on and offered her outstretched hand. “That would be me, DI Sally Parker. Am I right in thinking you’re Brian Jessop?”
“Yes, I’m a sergeant.”
“Thanks for clearing that up, Sergeant. Do you want to take a seat in my office?”
“Here will do.”
Sally glanced past him at Jack who was making the sign that he thought Jessop was a dickhead. She suppressed the laugh threatening to emerge and invited the sergeant to take a seat.
He declined. “I’ve been instructed by the desk sergeant to come and see you. Something about a cold case you’re working on.”
“Pat believes there is a similarity between the case you’re working on and the one we’re investigating.”
“You’re not having it.”
Sally frowned and tilted her head. “Excuse me? Having what?”
“My case.”
“Did I mention anything about taking over your investigation?” she snapped back. Jessop’s churlish behaviour was prodding her annoyance gene with a very large stick.
“It’s my first real case. You might think I’m still wet behind the ears, but I’ll fight you every step of the way on this one.”
Jack got to his feet and approached the sergeant.
Sally held up a hand. “Jack, it’s okay.”
“I ain’t gonna stand by and let a pipsqueak like him talk to you like that.”
“I can handle it, partner. Sit down,” she replied.
All this time Jessop ignored Jack, his gaze remaining firmly focused on Sally. “I won’t be intimidated either.”
Sally rolled her eyes. “Why don’t you try and calm down, take a seat, and we’ll discuss this like adults?”
He huffed out a breath and dropped into a chair.
“Jack, can you get Mr Jessop a coffee?”
Jack left his seat, strode past her and muttered, “If I must.”
“Black for me,” Jessop shouted.
His abruptness didn’t recede at all over the next ten minutes as Sally ran through the Pickrel case with him. “I don’t get it. Still not sure why you asked me to come and see you when I’m chocka with a new case.”
Sally shook her head, which was now clear of the alcohol she’d consumed the previous day. Jack muttered something again. Sally glared at her partner and pulled an imaginary zip across her lips. “Don’t you see? It’s the same MO.”
Jessop blew out an exasperated breath. “Is it? Really? Almost twenty years apart?”
“I know it sounds like I’m building my hopes up on this one, but I think we should work together on this case, both cases. Are you up for that?”
“Honestly? No. I’m not relinquishing my hold on this case, whether you’re a senior officer or not, ma’am.” The ‘ma’am’ was said through gritted teeth.
Sally saw Jack fidgeting in his chair out of her peripheral vision. She shot her partner a warning glance.
“Why the hostility, Sergeant Jessop? Don’t you want to pool our resources? Not even for the families’ sakes?”
“Not really, no. This is my chance to hit the big time. If I can solve this case, then I can see a bright future ahead of me and a swift climb up the promotional ladder.”
Jack growled. Sally shot him another warning glance.
“While I admire your ambition, that’s not the way the force works, Brian. Is it all right if I call you Brian?”
“I don’t mind. Can I call you Sally?” he asked, smirking.
You’re a tosser, man. One who needs to be put in his place.
“No, I’m your senior officer. I’ve earned the respect of my colleagues over the years because of the cases I’ve solved and the promotions I’ve achieved through my extremely hard work. For your information, I’ve solved around fifty cases throughout my career so far. Going by what you’ve just said about your own ambitions, I reckon I should be ranked a commander by now.”
“Maybe your gender has gone against you on that score, Inspector.”
“Possibly. I do wonder if that’s the truth sometimes. Anyway, we’ve veered off the subject slightly. Look, I’m willing to let you take the credit for solving your case. I have never said otherwise. What do you say? Shall we try and figure this out together?”
He shook his head slowly. “I can’t do that, ma’am. My DI wouldn’t accept it.”
“What if I clear it with your DI first, how about that?”
He sat and chewed his bottom lip for a while. “You could ask. I’d still feel awkward about working alongside you.”
“May I ask why?”
He shr
ugged. “I can’t put my finger on it. I just don’t see how combining the two cases is going to get us anywhere.”
Sally had heard enough. She leaned back and took out her notebook. “What’s the name of your DI?”
“DI James Wagstaff. He’s a tough man to get around, ma’am, just warning you.”
Sally entered her office and contacted Wagstaff. Once she’d explained the situation to him, he agreed that it would be better if they worked together.
“Will you tell Jessop that or shall I?” she enquired.
“I’m granting you permission to do it.”
“Coward.”
Wagstaff laughed. “He means well, Sally. Eager pup syndrome. Be gentle with him.”
Sally’s mood lightened. “Gee, thanks, James. I’ll send him back to you once I’ve chewed his balls off.”
“I’m glad I’m not in his position.”
“Any hassle from him, and I’ll come after your gonads, matey.”
“Ouch! I hear you.” Wagstaff ended the call.
Sally left her desk and returned to find the team and Jessop sitting in silence. Which didn’t bode well if the team was expected to welcome Jessop into their investigation. She smiled as Jessop faced her. “Looks like we’re gonna share the case, Brian. DI Wagstaff is of the same opinion as me. It would be unprofessional of us not to link the cases, whether there is a nineteen-year gap between the crimes or not.”
“Great. Not what I was expecting to be confronted with when I travelled into work this morning. We’d better make the most of it then. I’m going out to the scene. Do you want to tag along?”
“I’m willing to let you take the lead on that one, if I can trust you to share the information with us?”
“I’m not one for not following instructions, Inspector. If DI Wagstaff has ordered me to liaise with you, then so be it.”
“Maybe you should tag along, boss,” Joanna piped up.
Sally weighed the decision up for a second or two, the fact that they’d been grappling around searching for clues at the end of the previous week prominent in her mind. “Okay, I think Joanna is right. I’ll come to the scene with you. You can fill me in on the details en route. I take it you want to get over there ASAP?”
