by M A Comley
“When will I be able to see my husband, you know, to say goodbye?”
“I’ll be speaking to the pathologist later today. I’ll get her to ring you to arrange a visitation.”
“Would it be possible to postpone that visitation until Laura returns? I’m not sure I’d be able to cope going to see him alone.”
“I think that’s a wise decision. People react in different ways to seeing a departed loved one. It’ll be good for you both to have each other’s support. Take care, Mrs. Sutherland. I’ll be in touch as the case progresses.”
“Even if it is established that my husband took his own life?”
“No, then we would lay his case to rest. We need to keep an open mind on things until it’s confirmed either way.”
“Thank you, Inspector.” She closed the door softly behind them.
Lorne and Katy returned to the car and jumped in.
“Where to now?” Katy asked.
“Back to visit Larry Watson.”
“Wouldn’t it be best to wait until you hear back from Patti regarding the PM first?”
“Maybe you’re right, but something is telling me we need to speak to Larry ASAP.”
Katy chuckled. “You and your gut instinct…”
“It’s rarely let me down in the past.” She laughed as she started the car and pulled out of the drive. “It was a beautiful house.”
“It was. What are you thinking?”
“Depending on the results of the PM, I don’t think we should rule out foul play. Maybe we should start digging into the family’s background just in case. You know we’ve seen it before when the kids have bumped off one of the parents in order to get a share from the estate.”
“Your mind can be so warped at times,” Katy chastised.
“Really? You don’t think we should do that?”
“I’m not sure I’d go down that route yet. Maybe he killed himself because of the stress he was under. There are just too many unanswered questions to make a genuine assumption at present.”
“Yep, that’s the frustrating part. That’s why I think we should look into everything, keep all the balls in the air until one drops.”
“Who am I to argue with the great Lorne Warner, DI extraordinaire?!”
Lorne tapped Katy’s thigh gently with her fist. “Now I know you’re taking the piss.”
They both laughed.
Within thirty minutes, they’d parked the car in the visitors’ car park at Donald Windsor Homes and walked into the showroom. Candice was on duty and recognised them immediately.
“Hello again. Back so soon?”
“Is it possible to speak to Larry Watson again, the JCB driver?” Lorne asked the friendly representative.
“I’ll have to contact Will to see if he’ll allow it. Shouldn’t be a problem. I’m just not supposed to go over his head, if you get my drift. Won’t be a jiffy.” Candice picked up the phone and walked out of the showroom to make the call. She returned to the office to find Lorne studying the model of the estate. “He’ll be down in a few minutes and promised to bring Larry with him.”
Lorne nodded her appreciation. “Sold any more houses since our last visit?”
“Five, I believe. They’re flying out. We’ve only got ten more to sell.”
“That’s a great accomplishment. You must all be very proud of the results you’ve achieved.”
“We are. Personally, I get a great sense of satisfaction every time a customer signs a contract. It really is a joint effort when a sale takes place.”
The outer door opened, and a concerned-looking Will stepped into the sales office. “Hello there. Bad news, I’m afraid. I couldn’t find Larry anywhere. The JCB hasn’t moved all morning. I thought he was here, but apparently he’s not.”
“How strange. Don’t your employees inform you if they can’t make it in to work?”
“Yes, they have to inform us. I’ve received no such call from Larry. One of the chippies called in sick this morning, but not Larry.” He removed his hard hat and ran a hand through his thick hair. “Can I ask why you’ve returned to question him?”
“We’d rather not say at the moment. We’ll drop by his house and have a word with him.”
“Maybe that would be best. Not good to have this much disruption on-site.”
“I wasn’t aware we’d caused that much disruption. I’m sorry about that, Will.”
He shook his head. “No, it’s me who should be apologising. Put it down to me having a stressful week with the build. Things seem to be snowballing this week. One problem after another.”
“Really? Anything we should be aware of?”
“No, not really. You get days when nothing goes right. Except we’re having a week of them this week. There’s a knock-on effect when one of the trades fails to show up on-site on time. We’ll get over it,” he added, his smile making the worry lines that were there earlier disappear.
“One thing I forgot to ask you the other day was whether you’d had any accidents on-site in recent months?” Lorne asked, folding her arms.
“Nothing more than usual. We get the odd mishap now and then. Nothing major, however. Why do you ask?”
“When we’ve visited the other sites in the area, several incidents came to our attention. Some of them could be attributed to Larry. All I’d say is maybe you should be more vigilant around here, and I’d definitely delve deeper into people’s references more before you take them on.”
Will replaced his helmet on his head and nodded. “I’ll take those words of wisdom on board. Thank you, Inspector. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to start ringing around the agencies for an available JCB driver. Oh, the joys of being a site manager. There’s always some sort of problem to sort out.”
Lorne smiled. “We all have our crosses to bear, I suppose. Good luck in your quest. Do you want me to send Larry your best wishes?”
Will sniggered and left the showroom office. Lorne and Katy said goodbye to Candice and returned to the car.
They drove the short distance to Larry’s home.
“I bet you twenty quid he’s skiving and down the pub somewhere,” Lorne said as they approached the front door of the house.
“Forgive me if I don’t take you up on that, because I fear you might be right. We’ll soon find out.”
Barbara seemed surprised to see them when she opened the door. “You again. He’s not here.”
“Isn’t he here? We’ve just come from the site, and they told us that Larry isn’t at work today. His boss was under the impression that he was off work through illness. Are you telling us that isn’t the case, Barbara?”
She chewed on her gum and shook her head. “That bloody man is a law unto himself. I can’t keep tabs on him from one day to the next, not that I want to. I told you what the situation was between us the other day. The sooner I’m out of here, the better, as far as I’m concerned. He wouldn’t recognise doing a decent day’s job in a month of Sundays, that one.”
“When was the last time you saw him?”
“I heard him come home late last night after the pub. I heard him get up and stumbling around the house about six thirty this morning. He left the house not long after, and I presumed he’d gone to work.”
“He didn’t show up, although his boss was under the impression he was at work until we visited the site to question him. Any idea where he’s likely to be?”
“Down the pub, for all I know. Are they even open yet?” She chewed her gum and tapped her foot impatiently. “I’m just getting ready to head off for work myself now. Sorry I can’t help you further.”
Lorne smiled. “No problem. One last question before we let you get on. Does he have a local where he prefers to drink?”
“You can try the Rose and Crown at the end of the road. If he’s not there, then it’s anybody’s guess where he is. Sorry, I really must get my arse into gear now.”
“You go. Thanks for your help.”
Barbara swiftly closed the door
.
Lorne nudged Katy. “Come on, we’ll leave the car here and walk back to the pub. We passed it at the end of the road.”
When they entered the pub, all the occupants turned to look at them. All of them were men, a mixture of young and old. There was a pool table at one end of the room. Lorne scanned the room quickly and shook her head. “I can’t see him. Maybe he’s in the loo.”
“Well, I’m not volunteering to go in there to take a look. Why don’t we ask the barman if he’s seen him?”
“Good thinking. Is he likely to give us the truth, though?”
“Only one way of finding out,” Katy replied.
Under the gaze of the inquisitive patrons, Lorne and Katy approached the bar. A tall bearded man walked the length of it towards them.
“What can I get you, ladies?” he asked gruffly.
Lorne produced her ID. “Met police. We’re looking for Larry Watson. Do you know him?”
The man laughed. “Everyone knows Slacker Larry. What’s he done?”
“We’d just like to have a word with him. Has he been in today?”
“Nope. He was here until chucking-out time last night. No sign of him so far today. Give him time, though. He’s in here more than he’s at home with his missus. Most of my punters are, in fact. Must be the superb ambience. What do you think, ladies?”
“It must be,” Lorne replied, resisting the urge to shudder when she saw the state of the man’s teeth. “Thanks for your help. If he should drop by, can you tell him Inspector Warner wants a quick word with him? Here’s my card.”
“I’ll do that. Are you sure you ladies wouldn’t like a drink?” The bartender flashed his blackened teeth in a toothy grin.
“No, not while we’re on duty. Maybe we’ll come by and sample the beer one day after work.”
“You do that. It’ll be a pleasure to serve you. Have a nice day.”
Lorne and Katy briskly left the pub. “Oh crap, what an awful experience. That guy gave me the creeps.”
Katy closed her eyes and shuddered. “Me too. Notice the lack of women in there? Hardly surprising with a brute like that standing behind the bar, eh?”
“I think you’ve hit the nail on the head. Bugger, where do we look for Larry now?”
They started the short walk back to the car, pulling their coats around their necks to ward off the sudden breeze that had struck up.
“We might as well go back to the station,” Katy suggested.
Feeling pissed off that they hadn’t accomplished much, Lorne decided to stop off at the baker’s for comfort food in the shape of rolls and cakes for the team.
“You’re too good to us and not very good for my waistline,” Katy complained when Lorne handed her the bags of goodies to hold on the journey back.
“Once in a while, it doesn’t hurt to have a blowout. Pete never used to complain.”
Katy rolled her eyes. “By what you’ve told me about him, he was constantly either filling his mouth or talking about food.”
“That’s true. He had a penchant for Chunky Kit Kats, bless him. I still miss not having him around. I don’t mean that disrespectfully towards you. He was not only a good partner but also a very dear friend. The type of person who only drifts into your life once in a blue moon.”
Katy placed a hand on Lorne’s forearm. “It’s all right to talk about him, you know. I never mind. I know how close you two were. It’s hard to lose someone we care about.”
“Yep, maybe it’s me feeling a little melancholy about what’s going on with Jade. Just ignore me.”
“Hey, that’s totally understandable. Try to think positively. It’s not like you to be negative, Lorne.”
“I know. That’s why I’m hoping there’s nothing serious going on with my sister. It would really cut me up. The guilt of shutting her out for the past few years will be tough to live with if anything bad happens to her.”
“Okay, let me stop you right there. You’ve hardly cut her out of your life for the past few years. That’s ludicrous for you to say that. You’ve always been at the end of the phone for her. It’s not as if you’ve ever missed her birthday or Christmas, is it?”
“You’re right. I’ve never done that.”
“So, stop beating yourself up over something that doesn’t exist. Fingers crossed the results come back negative so that you two can make amends and get on with your lives again.”
“But what if it’s not? How the hell are we all going to cope then?”
“You’ll cope, Lorne. You always do.”
Chapter 9
When it came in, the call surprised Lorne. She picked up the phone, expecting it to be Patti, ringing to give her the results of the PM.
“DI Warner,” the muffled voice said, “I’m giving you one warning. Either you adhere to that warning or suffer the dire consequences.”
Her heart pounded. “Who is this?”
“I can be who you want me to be. Either your best friend or your worst enemy. The choice is yours.”
“With a proviso attached, I take it?”
Laughter filled the line. “You sure do cotton on quickly. I’ll give you that.”
She tried to concentrate on the gruff voice. The person obviously intended to disguise it well. In the past, that had only happened when she knew the person she was speaking to. “Larry? Is that you?”
Again, more laughter filtered down the line. “Nice try. You’ll never guess who this is. You’re wasting your time on this case. Why don’t you call an end to it now, before you’re in too deep?”
“If you think I’m going to give up that easily, then you have no idea who you’re dealing with. I’ve dealt with the vilest criminals over the years, fought long, hard battles with most of them—and you know what? I always come out on top.”
“Not this time, lady cop. Mark my words on that. I’m watching your every move. Every step you take, I’ll be close behind you. Watching, ready to pounce if I have to.”
She tried to think back to the visits she and Katy had made over the past week or so. She hadn’t been expecting someone to have followed her, but she hadn’t earned a reputation for being one of the best coppers in the capital without having her wits about her at all times. Had someone been watching her, either she or Katy would have picked up on that. “Idle threats don’t wash with me, either.”
“I don’t deal with them, lady. Like I’ve already stated, if you don’t adhere to the warning… you’re only going to have yourself to blame for the outcome.”
“I reiterate, bigger men than you have tried to play games like this with me in the past and failed. My team and I are closing in on you—I give you my word on that. I’d advise you handing yourself in before the net closes in around you. I’m even prepared to put a deal on the table if you come in of your own accord. How’s that?”
“Laughable. There’s no way that is ever going to happen. I have an agenda that I’m willing to see through to its conclusion, whether you’re standing in my way or not. My advice to you would be to close the case now and mark it as being unsolved—that is if you don’t want things to get personal. I know where you live, lady.”
His final words struck fear into her heart. Not again! She couldn’t put her family at risk again. What is it with these criminals? No one plays the game properly any more. In the good old days, the criminals committed the crimes and the coppers tracked them down—end of. Lately, every damn one of them wanted to up the ante and come after her personally. No more! I will not be bullied by a faceless criminal. Not any more.
His laughter broke through her thoughts. “I see that I’ve struck a chord. You really wouldn’t want your family to suffer because of your stupidity, or should I say stubbornness, would you?”
“I’ll do what’s necessary to bring you to justice. Threats don’t wash with me, the idle variety or any other kind.”
“We’ll see about that… it was nice chatting with you, Inspector. I hope you don’t live to regret the stubborn streak runnin
g through you. There are plenty more bodies for you to discover yet. Some might indeed be closer to home than others.” His laughter was the last thing she heard before the line went dead.
Gathering her senses quickly, Lorne shot out of her chair and into the outer office. “The killer has just rung me. Karen, I need to get the call traced ASAP.”
“Landline or your mobile, boss?”
“Landline.” Lorne paced the area close to Karen’s desk.
“What did he say, Lorne?” Katy asked.
Lorne stopped and stared at her. “His voice was disguised. I tried to distinguish an accent or something, but it was impossible to detect. He warned me to back off or suffer the consequences. Even went as far as to threaten my family. He took pleasure in telling me that he knows where I live.”
“Sit down. I’ll get you a coffee.” Katy grabbed Lorne by the arm, steering her to the nearest chair.
Lorne sat down then immediately jumped to her feet to start pacing again. “I can’t sit down. We need to get out there and find this shit! No one threatens my family and gets away with it… no one.”
A silence fell over the incident room for the next ten minutes as the stunned team waited for Karen to seek an answer from the tech guys.
“Nothing, boss. They believe it could have been a burner phone.”
Disappointed with that response, Lorne kicked out at the chair close to her, sending it skating across the room and into the wall on the far side.
“What’s going on here?”
Lorne closed her eyes when she heard DCI Roberts’s angry voice behind her. Slowly, she turned to face him.
“Lorne? I asked a question.”
“I’m aware of that, sir. Care to discuss this in my office?”
“Very well. After you.”
Her stomach churning, Lorne led the way into her office under the watchful gaze of the rest of her team. Crap! This is all I need. She rounded the desk, dropped into the chair and picked up a pen to play with to keep her hands from shaking in anger.
“Well? I walk in and find my best inspector attacking the furniture, and I’m waiting to hear why.”