by M A Comley
She didn’t have to wait long. Larry appeared in the doorway, a holdall in his right hand. He secured the back door to the premises and whistled gaily as he walked towards his Audi. Her heart rate spiralled, and she had to talk herself out of backing down. She had to do this, for Kathryn, and for herself.
Claire swiftly closed in on him, as quick as a cheetah hunting down its prey. Within seconds she was behind him with a knife to his throat.
“What the…? The money is in the bag, take it…don’t hurt me, please. I have a wife and two kids.”
“Boys or girls?” Claire demanded, gruffly, disguising her voice even though it had been years since he’d last laid a hand on her.
“What? Why? Please, leave them out of this. Take the money…I promise not to report you to the police. I’ll keep schtum, you have my word.”
She snatched the car keys from his raised hand.
“Take the money and the car. I don’t care about material things.”
“You didn’t answer me, boys or girls?”
“Boys. Please, leave my family out of this.”
“Why should I? They have a right to know what kind of despicable animal their father is.”
He tried to turn around, but the knife nicked his throat. “Ouch! What do you mean? I’m not an animal.”
“Aren’t you? Why don’t I give you a few seconds to rethink your answer? Think long and hard, back fifteen years ago.”
Larry gulped. It was obvious he’d remembered. “I didn’t mean…I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he corrected himself.
She dug the knife deeper into his throat.
“All right, I remember, I’m sorry for lying. I’m sorry for everything. Please, it was a long time ago. I’m happy now. I have a young family of my own.”
“Maybe I’ll pay your sons a visit. Sneak into their room in the dead of night and rape them, like you did to me. Yes?”
He gulped again and sobbed. “I’m sorry. I was foolish then. Young and foolish. Please, please forgive me. I didn’t mean to do that to you. I’ve regretted my actions ever since that night. I was drunk. Your father dared me.”
“I’m well aware of what happened, I was there, listening to your disgusting conversation. The way you treated me was barbaric. No child should be subjected to such deplorable actions. How would you feel if the same thing happened to your sons? Boys can get raped as well as girls, or do you draw the line at that?”
“I would never hurt my sons, they mean the world to me.”
“I want you to know that once I kill you, I’m going to pay your wife and sons a visit and kill them as well. Rid the world of the evilness that you may have passed on in your genes.”
His elbow struck her in the face. He cried out for help and ran to the end of the alley. Ignoring the pain and the blood erupting from her nose, she bolted after him and launched herself at his back. She plunged the knife between his shoulder blades. He cried out and dropped to the ground with her on top of him at the edge of the alley.
Over and over she stabbed him. Initially, he cried out during the attack, but towards the end his cries for help and forgiveness receded. She’d had enough and decided to give his throat a permanent smile. She placed a hand over his nose. No breath—he was dead. Jumping to her feet, she dragged his body to one side of the alley. However, she wasn’t finished with him yet. She undid his belt and trousers and tugged them down. Then she sliced off his dick and placed the flaccid part in his mouth before the rigidity in his body crept in.
On her journey to the car, she dumped the bloody knife in the bin. She was wearing gloves anyway, so even if the police discovered it, they’d have a job being able to trace it back to her. She started the engine. It had been a while since she’d driven, her father had allowed her to take lessons just in case anything drastic happened to him. At first, the car was an untamed beast in her hands, until she got used to the feel of it on the open road. Claire drove around town and avoided drawing any attention to herself by sticking to the speed limit. She passed several cameras on the side of the road, but she was safe. Used to disguising herself over the years, she’d wrapped a scarf around the bottom half of her face; there was no way anyone would be able to make out who was driving the car if they spotted her on the cameras.
Ten minutes later, she headed back towards the house. Dumping the car at a disused warehouse close to her home, she snatched the bag off the back seat and ran the rest of the way home. She eased the front door open. Her father’s snoring drifting from the lounge forced out a sigh of relief from her. She locked the door and carried out the same ritual of fetching the chair from the kitchen to replace the key in its hiding place. Then, with the holdall in her hand, she snuck up the stairs again. I have to hide this money! It could be the one thing that saves us in the end. She glanced up at the hatch in the hallway. Dare she put it in the loft? Would the risk of waking her father be worth it?
She decided it would. Her father had an old kitchen chair in his bedroom, so she crept in there to collect it and placed it underneath the hatch, then opened the loft door. She squeezed the bag past the ladder and secured the door again.
“What are you doing?”
Claire’s heart skipped several beats. “Jesus, Kathryn, you scared the crap out of me. Go back in the bedroom, I won’t be long.”
After returning the chair to its rightful place in her father’s bedroom, Claire had a quick wash in the bathroom and joined her sister. She undressed quickly, slipped on her pyjamas and jumped into bed beside Kathryn.
“What were you doing?”
“Securing our future.”
“What’s that supposed to mean? Why can’t you just be straight with me for a change? Why do you insist on having secrets all the time?”
“Because I don’t want to worry you, love. Trust me. I have everything in hand. The less you know, the better.”
“Better for whom? Me or you?”
“Kathryn, don’t do this. I’ve told you before, everything I have ever done has been for you.”
“I don’t want that burden on my shoulders. It’s for us, not just me.”
“Of course it is. Now, let’s get some sleep, I’m exhausted.”
“Why? What have you done?” Kathryn asked, sounding exasperated.
“Hush now.” Claire pulled her sister tighter and kissed her cheek. All will be revealed soon enough.
Chapter 6
Lorne had a weird sensation running through her on the journey into the station that morning.
“Morning, Lorne. Is everything all right?” Katy was just getting out of her car when she drew up alongside her.
“I’m not sure. Something is playing havoc with my insides.”
“You mean from the injury?”
“No. Oh, I don’t know. Maybe I need a couple of cups of coffee to settle my nerves. How’s Georgina? Did you manage to get any sleep?”
“She was crawling around the living room floor last night when I got home. AJ said she’d been a nightmare all day and wanted to wear her out before he attempted to put her to bed. It seemed to do the trick, not a peep out of her all night. It’s heaven managing to get eight hours kip now and then. It definitely sets one up for the day. This is the best I’ve felt in weeks.”
“That’s wonderful news. Long may it continue. Now you know why there are all these adventure play parks around for the kids. Might be worth AJ taking her to one of those places a few times a week.”
“I said the same thing. I’m all for having a quiet life. Anyway, how did this conversation turn away from you? How are you feeling in yourself?”
They locked both cars and walked through the main entrance to the station.
“I’m all right. At least the pain in my stomach has subsided a little. I did take an extra dose of painkillers at seven this morning. I hate taking the damn things, but they seem to keep the pain at bay for a while.”
“That’s a relief. You looked like shit yesterday. I was too scared to tell you i
n case you snapped my head off.”
Lorne placed a hand over her chest. “What? Moi? Never.”
They both laughed and ascended the stairs, Lorne setting the pace.
“So what’s this feeling you’ve got? To do with the case?”
“I reckon. We’ll have to wait and see what develops this morning. Obviously, there’s been nothing overnight, otherwise Mick would have said something on the way in.”
“That’s a good thing. I much prefer to ease myself into the day rather than get a callout first thing to attend to.”
“Me, too. Shit happens at times, though.” Lorne pushed open the swing door to the incident room and switched on the light.
Katy walked towards the vending machine, turning on the computers on the team’s desks as she went.
Lorne paused at the whiteboard to appraise what they’d gathered so far about Denis Tallon’s death. The truth was, very little. The previous afternoon, after the revelation had come out from his niece, Emma, that he’d abused her from an early age, the investigation had switched directions slightly. They needed to dip further into Denis’s past to see what they could dig up about any probable links to child pornography sites or a possible paedophile ring. Lorne shuddered at the thought. These types of crimes had always appalled her, since her own daughter had suffered at the hands of The Unicorn. Thankfully, Charlie had emerged from her ordeal a courageous and well-balanced young lady, which was a huge relief to both of them.
Now Charlie was working alongside her, well, sort of. Working at the same station as a police officer. Although she was involved in the K9 division of the force, Lorne had a sneaky suspicion that she would move on from that role soon. She had high hopes that one day her daughter would fill her shoes and run the team she would be leaving in less than eight days.
“Penny for them?” Katy startled her. She held out a cup.
“Gosh, scare the shit out of me, why don’t you?”
Katy bit her lip. “Sorry.”
Lorne waved away her apology and perched on the desk behind her. “I was just thinking, daydreaming if you like.”
“I thought you were, about your retirement?”
“Yes and no. What Charlie was subjected to in the past has reared its ugly head again, as it often does in child abuse cases. I know it’s a different scenario, but as a mother it still hits the same heartbreaking spot.”
“Had you told me that a few years ago, I would have thought you were nuts, but now that I have a child of my own to protect, I totally respect where you’re coming from. The saving grace is that Charlie appears to have forgotten her past—that’s an observation from an outsider, of course. I’m not sure many young women would have been capable of doing that if they’d walked in her shoes during that terrible time.”
“I’m super proud of her achievements and the way she’s dealt with her life so far. If she was showing any signs of struggling then I wouldn’t be moving out of the area and starting a new life elsewhere.”
“Do you think Charlie will follow you? Let me rephrase that, are you hoping she will?”
“Honestly? I haven’t considered it. She has her own life to lead with Brandon now. He’s a genuinely nice lad, so I know she’ll be in safe hands.”
“That’s lovely to hear. It must be a load off your mind, too.”
“It is. Right, time to start the day proper as it were. I’ll be doing my usual of trawling through the mundane paperwork. Now that’s one job I’m particularly looking forward to passing over to you.”
“And the one job I’m having cold sweats thinking about doing every damn day.”
Lorne chuckled and walked into her office. She hadn’t been sitting at her desk long when the phone rang. “DI Warner.”
“Sorry to interrupt, ma’am, I thought you’d want to know about this one right away.”
“Oh dear, that sounds ominous, Mick. Let me get a pen and paper.”
“Rightio. A chap just rung us to say he found his boss in an alley behind the betting shop he owned.”
“Okay, I take it his boss is dead, right?”
“Damn, yes, that’s right. The thing is, ma’am, the man’s penis was cut off.”
Lorne looked up, her gaze locking on to a plane passing her window. “Wow, okay. Katy and I will shoot over there now. Give me the address, Mick. I take it SOCO and the pathologist have been informed?”
“They’re at the scene now.”
After noting down the address, Lorne ended the call and shot out of her chair. “Katy, grab your jacket. We’ve got another one.”
“Another what? Murder?”
Lorne nodded. “Yep. Same MO, too.”
“Ouch,” Graham muttered as Lorne swept past him.
“Keep doing the necessary digging into Denis Tallon’s past, folks. Don’t forget to delve into Emma’s parents’ pasts as well, just in case something shows up there. We can’t discount anything at this point. Katy and I will be back soon, I hope.”
Lorne let Katy drive to the location. They ducked under the crime scene tape after showing their IDs to the constable guarding the scene.
Once they were suited and booted in their protective clothing, Lorne and Katy approached the crime scene. Lorne stood behind Patti who was kneeling, examining the victim.
“Hey, what have we got?”
Patti glanced up and flashed a taut smile. “A dead body missing his tadger.”
“Crikey, I haven’t heard that term in a while. Was it removed pre- or post-mortem?”
“Post, I believe. But fear not, we have found the missing part.” Patti held up an evidence bag containing the body part.
“Okay, are you going to tell us where it was found?”
“In his mouth. Not poking out of his mouth like the previous one, no, this one was shoved inside. And they say size doesn’t matter,” Patti added drolly.
Lorne chuckled and rolled her eyes. “You’re a nightmare. Would you be making jokes if you were a male?”
“Probably.” Patti grinned. “Lighten up. This has been the highlight of a miserable day for me, don’t put a damper on it.”
“Whatever. Where did all the blood come from?” Lorne was looking over the victim’s body. The blood was mostly staining the ground around the man’s head.
Patti pulled on the victim’s shoulder, and Lorne spotted the large slit in the man’s throat.
“He went out with an extra smile to when he entered the world then,” Lorne noted.
“You could say that. I’m taking a wild stab at this and suggesting this case is linked to the victim we have sitting in the fridge back at the lab.”
“I sort of came to the same conclusion.” She scanned the surrounding area. “Any weapon found?”
“Nothing yet. By the size of the wound, I’m guessing a large kitchen knife was used.”
“Maybe it’s around here somewhere.”
“I’ve got my men searching the area. I’ll give you a shout if we find anything.”
“I need to have a chat with the guy who reported the incident. Have you seen him?”
“He’s inside. Told me he needed a brandy to steady his nerves. I hope he hasn’t gone over the top and isn’t tanked.”
“So do I. We’ll leave our suits over there and put them on again once we’ve finished with him.”
“Good idea. I’ll carry on here and speak to you soon.”
Lorne and Katy disrobed and walked around the corner to the front of the shop. It was closed. Lorne knocked on the window. A man in his early thirties peered around an internal door. Lorne flashed her warrant card at him. He rushed to the front door and invited them in.
“Hello there. DI Lorne Warner, and this is my partner, DS Katy Foster.”
“Hi, I’m Jack Drew. I was the one who found him and rang you guys. Bloody hell, it was such a shock to find him lying there like that.”
“You look shaken up. Would you prefer to do this in the office?”
“Yes, I need another shot of brandy. I�
��m trying to pluck up the courage to ring Susie, his wife.”
“There’s no need for you to do that. We’ll handle that side of things, if you can give us his wife’s address and phone number.”
“Phew, that would be a load off my mind. I wouldn’t know where to begin. I suppose you guys must be used to that.”
“We are. It’s not easy for us either. People react differently when they hear the news. Can you tell us a bit about the deceased?”
“Larry Small, he’s owned this business for around ten years now, I think.”
“Is it a busy betting shop?” Lorne asked while Katy jotted down the information.
“It has its moments. Depends if there are any major sporting events on, such as the World Cup in football and rugby. They’re the real money spinners for us.”
“Can you recall Larry mentioning if he’d had any kind of problems with a punter recently?”
“We get the odd spat with the customers, but nothing that would warrant one of them wanting to kill him. I’m shocked this has happened. I’ve always regarded Larry as a decent chap, who is, sorry was, devoted to his family. Shit, I think you need to tell Susie quickly. I saw a bloody nosy reporter and a photographer hanging around before you showed up.”
“We’ll pay her a visit shortly after we’ve spoken to you. Can you tell me if you get many women punters placing bets with you?”
“Sometimes. I suppose it would work out that women are around five percent of our trade.”
“I see. Did you know much about Larry’s personal life?”
“Such as what?”
Lorne shrugged. “Was he the type to have an affair?”
“No way. As I told you, Larry was devoted to his family. He’s got two little boys, Gary and Zac. He idolised those kids, spent every spare moment with his family.”