DI Lorne Simpkins 08 - Hostile Justice

by M A Comley

  “I can see that you’re living on your nerves. All I can say is that we have your back. I can’t do any more than I am doing right now. If I asked a patrol car to keep an eye on the place and the gang has your business under surveillance, it’ll highlight that you’ve contacted us. Maybe I can organise a plain-clothes team to keep an eye, drive past periodically during the day? How’d that be?” He swallowed noisily.

  “I suppose it would help ease my fears a little.”

  “How’s Jade handling this? Silly question, knowing my sister the way I do. I hope she’s not having too much of a hissy fit?”

  “Jade is Jade. At times she can be a wonderfully affectionate wife; at others, it is as though a little devil has taken possession of her. I never know what each day will bring my way regarding her moods.”

  “I’m sorry, Luigi. Do you think she should consider seeing another psychiatrist? Is Dad’s death still taking its toll on her?”

  His arms flew out to the side. “Who knows? Between you and me, this little scenario could bring things to a head.” His eyes clouded over with a shadow of sadness.

  “No, you don’t mean that? You two are fabulous together.”

  Slowly, he shook his head. “Correction, we used to be fabulous together. You’ve seen us lately—all we do is argue. I don’t want to walk on eggshells all the time when I’m at home, it’s supposed to be relaxing.”

  “I can understand that, love. Would you like me to have a word with her?”

  “You can try. I doubt you’ll have much success. It’s just another problem I have yet to find a solution for.”

  Lorne hugged him again. “Stick with it, for the boys’ sakes, eh? You can talk to either Tony or me if ever you need to, you know that, right?”

  Luigi pulled back and winked at her. “Maybe I married the wrong sister. Tony is a very lucky man. It’s a pity Tom didn’t realise that when he was married to you all those years.”

  Lorne’s cheeks heated up. “Hey, you’re my best brother-in-law.”

  He laughed. “I’m your only brother-in-law. See, you always try to turn a negative conversation into a light-hearted one. You have a special talent, Lorne. Don’t ever lose that.”

  “You’re too kind. Well, I better get back to my devoted husband. Looks like I’ll be working overtime tomorrow. I need to be nice to him tonight to soften the blow.”

  Luigi walked her back to the door. “Thanks for dropping by. Say hello to Tony and Charlie for me.” He kissed her cheek.

  Smiling, she turned and headed back to the car. “Go home soon, you hear me? I don’t like the idea of you being around here by yourself after dark, hon.”

  “Another half an hour, and I’ll call it quits. I promise.”

  “I’ll ring your house later to check up on you,” she threatened as she got in her car and drove off. She called in at the off licence to pick up a nice bottle of wine that she hoped would soften the blow when she told Tony her plans for tomorrow. She wished Derek would contact her before she arrived at the house and not when she got home, in case she hadn’t had time to warn Tony about the upcoming overtime with her name on it.

  She was five minutes away from the house when her mobile rang. She pulled over to the side of the road then answered. “Hi, Derek.”

  “Right, this is what I have…‌are you still up for it tomorrow?”

  “Sure. Give me the details.”

  “Okay. My informant, leading on from the enquiries I’ve made about this dodgy booze, came up with this information. If it’s correct then it could just be what we’re after. I have no reason to doubt what he’s told me—the guy always treats me well in that respect.”

  “Get to the point, Derek? What sort of thing are we talking about? Will we need to organise some form of backup? Armed response team maybe?”

  “I doubt that’ll be necessary, but who can tell nowadays? My guy told me that he’s got wind of some kind of mobile distillery doing the rounds.”

  “What? Is this some kind of joke?”

  “Nope. I’m deadly serious. I reckon they’ve got the idea off one of those shows from the States.”

  “What’s the object of this mobile distillery? All right, let me rephrase that, I understand what the object is, but do the people running this have a specific agenda in mind?”

  “Looks like they travel around the country, set up somewhere discreet, and sell the alcohol to guys running car boot stalls.”

  “Wow! If we can crack this, it might just be the end to all our problems. I don’t suppose you have a name behind this scam?”

  “Not as yet. The guy just told me the location where the next drop-off is going to be. Do you want to meet up in the usual spot tomorrow?”

  “Yeah, okay. Let’s hope this is the gang we’re after. Where’s the actual location?”

  “Me too. In a car park in Ramsgate, so it’s going to be at least an hour’s run from our usual meeting place. I wouldn’t bank on being home any time before midnight.”

  Lorne groaned. “Well, if that’s what it takes, then I better prepare Katy for what’s ahead. I really appreciate this, Derek.”

  “Okay, want to meet up at eight tomorrow?”

  “Sure, we’ll be there.”

  Lorne hung up and filtered back onto the road after a car had passed. Her mind tried to figure out how best to tell Tony about her expected adventure the following evening. She’d only been back on the force just over a week, and she was already being forced into unpaid overtime. Not that she minded, but she knew Tony wouldn’t be impressed when she told him. Before accepting her return to the Met, this particular subject had been discussed at length, and she had assured him that she would turn down any overtime that she didn’t run past him first. It didn’t sit well with her that she was now on her way home to tell him that she’d agreed to embark on a late-night stakeout. She stroked the bottle of wine lying on the seat beside her. “Work your magic baby. I’m begging you.”

  Lorne’s mind drifted back to what her life had been like when she’d lived with Tom. Her working life back then, as a DI, had involved working anything upwards of seventy-hour weeks. She was conscious that she didn’t want to slip back into that routine again. Anyway, her take-home wage was significantly lower as a DS, and she didn’t feel the necessity to give the force more than they were paying for. Of course, there was that other little problem of her innate sense of duty as an officer of the community.

  Lorne entered the back door smiling broadly. “Hey, honey, I’m home.” The kitchen was empty. “Tony? Charlie? Anybody home?”

  She could hear the distant beat of music, signifying that Charlie was in her room listening to her iPod. That left her wondering where Tony was hiding. Slipping off her coat and shoes, she walked into the lounge and found him sound asleep on the sofa. Tentatively she sat down beside him and ran a finger down his cheek. He swiped at her hand, still asleep. She bent down and brushed her lips against his.

  He moaned and flung his arms around her neck. She pulled back and laughed. “You, sly old fox.”

  Tony sat up. “Nice to see I haven’t lost my touch attracting the babes.”

  “Have you had a good day?”

  “Same old, same old. How about you? You brought wine. Nice.”

  She gulped noisily. “I had quite an eventful day today. I flattened a suspect, and he called me a bloody elephant.”

  Tony sniggered but wisely didn’t respond. Rising to his feet, he took the wine back into the kitchen. “Fancy a glass now?”

  She followed him and flopped into a chair at the table. He poured the wine and joined her. “Dinner shouldn’t be long. Uh-oh, why the long face?”

  “I have something to tell you, and I’m not sure how you’re going to take it.”

  “Okay, you’ve got my full attention. Go on, try me.”

  She twiddled her glass, carefully turning it at the stem. “You know how we said that I wouldn’t be doing any overtime when I returned to the force, well…”

 
“When? Is it to do with the case you’re working at the moment?”

  Lorne’s gaze focused on his. “Yep. Normally I wouldn’t have said yes, but something major is going down tomorrow night that I just can’t ignore.”

  Tony reached out his hand and took hers. “I know what we said, Lorne, but sometimes we have to bend the rules slightly. Christ, I want this gang off the streets as much as you do. We are talking about Wendy’s case, aren’t we? Not the body found in the warehouse?”

  “Yes. We’ve got one of the gang members in custody. He’s the cheeky sod who was derogatory about my weight. The gang leader escaped me; however, there’s an alert out for him.”

  “So, why the overtime?”

  She related the telephone conversation she’d had with Derek about the mobile distillery and watched Tony’s eyes almost pop out of his head.

  “Christ, do you want my help?”

  She squeezed his hand between hers. “Nope, I think you’re doing enough for us already this week. Oh, on another note, I called in on Luigi on my way home to give him a mobile. He can give that number to the gang rather than his own mobile number. Jade’s still pretty pissed off with him.”

  “That’s nothing new. Jade’s always hacked off with someone about something or other. She’ll come round; she usually does.”

  “I’m not so sure. Luigi hinted at a separation, even divorce.”

  “Oh shit. Let’s get this case out of the way, and maybe that’ll alleviate the pressure a little. We’ll see what the outcome is then. I wouldn’t intervene just yet, love.”

  Lorne withdrew her hands and sat back in the chair. Henry, who’d been lying under the table, rested his head in her lap. “Hello, boy, sorry to neglect you. Tony, I know you’re right, but sometimes I could physically shake that sister of mine. Dad was always the one who could read her and handle her foul moods, not me.”

  “I’m sure you’re worrying about nothing. It’ll turn out to be the stressful situation that’s at the root of their problems. They’ll be good by the weekend, you’ll see.”

  “I wish I had your faith. How’s Charlie been today?”

  “A little better. She had a call from Wendy’s mum asking if she would give a eulogy at the funeral.”

  Lorne’s heart skipped several erratic beats before she responded. “Yikes, what did she say?”

  “She was quiet for a while and then told Wendy’s mum that she’d be honoured to speak at the funeral. I have to say, she’s braver than I was at her age.”

  “I’ll go up and see her. I’ve arranged to go into work later tomorrow, just after lunch, so really we aren’t calling the stakeout overtime as such. I’ve also cleared it with Katy for me to attend Wendy’s funeral on Wednesday. Since she’s a victim in the case, it won’t be considered me taking time off.”

  “That’s great. I was worried that Charlie would have to go alone. You pop up and see her, and I’ll get on with dinner. It’ll be ready in half an hour or so, okay?”

  She got up and kissed Tony on the lips. “What’s on the menu?”

  “Pork chops and veggies.”

  “Sounds yummy. Come on, Henry, let’s go see Charlie.” Lorne’s weary legs carried her up to her daughter’s bedroom. She tapped on the door lightly and pushed it open. Charlie looked up and smiled.

  “Can we come in?”

  “Sure.” Charlie patted the bed for Henry to jump up.

  Lorne sat halfway down the bed and nodded at the photo album open in front of her daughter. “Looking back over old times with Wendy?”

  “Yeah, I’m trying to get some inspiration. Has Tony told you?”

  “About the eulogy? Yes…‌are you all right with that? Do you need help?”

  “I could use some guidance, definitely. You had to give one when you lost Pete, didn’t you? I can understand better now how hard that must have been for you. I just don’t know where to start, Mum. I know where to end it, obviously, but how on earth do I begin?”

  Lorne’s eyes misted up when she recalled what she’d said about her partner, when she’d sadly said goodbye to him almost five years ago.

  Has it really been that long? “We’ll have a chat about it after we’ve eaten. I’m taking the morning off because I have to work late tomorrow evening, so we can sit down and figure something out then if you like—after you’ve seen to the dogs first thing, of course.”

  Charlie stretched forward and hugged her. “You’re the best, Mum. I love you.”

  “I love you too, sweetheart. I’m sorry you’re having to deal with this shit.” Lorne suddenly held Charlie at arm’s length. “Oh hey! We caught one of the boys today.”

  Charlie hugged Lorne again, even tighter this time. “Really? Oh, Mum, that’s fantastic. I bet the force has missed you being around, eh? You always did get speedy results when you got your teeth in a case.”

  Lorne chuckled. “I didn’t arrest the youth all by myself, you know. It was a team effort. I’m hoping to catch more people behind this counterfeit outfit tomorrow. I’ll tell you more about that after tomorrow, all right?”

  “Great. What will the culprits get?”

  “It depends what we can pin on them. I need to speak to the Crown Prosecution Services yet. Are you ready for dinner?”

  “I’m starving.” The three of them trundled back downstairs. Charlie let Henry out into the garden while Lorne laid the table and poured them all a glass of wine. During the meal, everyone was in a reflective mood. Lorne thought back to the words that had come from her heart at Pete’s funeral and decided that’s what she’ll suggest Charlie do for Wendy. Speak from the heart.

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  Lorne slept in until ten o’clock the following morning. After getting dressed, she and Charlie sat at the kitchen table and planned out what direction Wendy’s eulogy should take.

  “Start off with how you met. Put in a few humorous situations, not too many, the balance has to be right. Then I’d personally finish with how you felt about Wendy and the fact that you’ll miss her being your best friend, sharing what life has to throw at you in the future, that kind of thing.”

  “Thanks, Mum, that’s a big help. I’ll get to work on this today and leave it on the table for you to look over when you get home, if that’s okay?”

  “Sure. If you get stuck, I’m sure Tony will be able to lend you a hand…‌won’t you, love?”

  Tony had joined the pair of them moments earlier and was standing behind Lorne rubbing her shoulders.

  “I sure will. I’d be happy to help in fact.”

  Lorne drove into work shortly after they’d devoured a curry Lorne had frozen a few weeks earlier. She decided that it would be best to eat her main meal at lunchtime in case her stomach was too churned up with anticipation later. Blowing out a breath, she regretted her decision and pinched the half-inch fold of fat draping itself casually over the waistband of her trousers.

  Hopefully, you’ll run that excess off later.

  Today she was dressed prepared for a chase. She wore a trouser suit and flat heels with a spare pair of trainers lying on the backseat should they be needed—anything to avoid a negative outcome in capturing Troy Wardley.

  • • •

  That evening, Lorne and Katy set off at around seven-thirty, unsure what the traffic would be like at that time of night. As it happened, they arrived at the rendezvous with ten minutes to spare. Derek flashed his lights when he saw them pull into the car park. Katy parked alongside his car and opened the window.

  Lorne leaned across and asked, “Everything okay, Derek?”

  “Yep, I haven’t heard anything to the contrary. Do you want to take the two cars or go in one?”

  Katy shrugged. “You might as well come with us. We’ll be using the department’s fuel instead of yours then.”

  Derek locked his car, slid into the backseat, and shouted, “Ouch! What the bloody hell was that?”

  “Oops, sorry. You’ve probably sat on my hairbrush. Sorry about the pain in the ars
e…‌now you know how we feel when you’re around.”

  Lorne and Katy laughed. Derek grumbled, “Ha bloody ha! And there was me thinking I was doing you some kind of favour.”

  Lorne reached into the back and tickled him under the chin. “There, there, little one. We were only messing around. You’ll have to instruct Katy where to go”

  “What? No sat nav?”

  “Of course, but we’ll still need an address to put into the machine, numpty.”

  He grumbled and gave the address, settling into his seat. Lorne turned to face him again. “Make sure you buckle up. Katy’s notorious for being a bad driver.” She disguised the chuckle dying to escape when she saw the horrified expression on his face.

  Katy shook her head at Lorne. “Bloody cheek. Compared to your driving, I’m Lewis Hamilton’s kid sister.”

  “In your dreams,” Derek replied with a snort.

  Almost an hour later, they pulled up outside the location. In the distance, they could see an old Volkswagen camper van sitting in the corner of the car park, close to the exit.

  “Okay, that looks suspicious. Any suggestions on how we get over there without letting them know?” Katy asked, turning off her headlights and leaving the engine running.

  “I know what I’d do,” Derek said under his breath.

  “Don’t be shy, Derek. We’ll take on board any ideas you might have.”

  He unbuckled his seatbelt and sat forward, holding on to their headrests. “I’d go down the side road there. See where that brings you out? My suspicion is that we’ll come out nearer to the van, but it’ll still give us the protection we need from being seen.”

  “I agree,” Lorne said.

  “All right, let’s do it.” Katy took the turning and slowly made her way towards the end of the road. Through the hedgerow surrounding the car park, they spotted the van at regular intervals. “Can you see any form of life inside? A light maybe?”

  “Not yet. How about you, Derek?”

  “That’s a negative from me too. Wait…‌another car has just pulled in. Christ, lucky we moved, otherwise, our cover would have been blown. Hang on, two guys are getting out and walking up to the van. “