by M A Comley
“Not really. As far as I was concerned, they had a loving relationship. What do I know? Maybe they just put on a show when I was around. If they were that happy, they wouldn’t have divorced, would they?”
“Can you tell us how long they were married?” Katy asked.
“Around fifteen years, I think.”
“And to you, everything was fine between Don and Julie?”
The woman looked perplexed. “Yes, I’ve just said.” She took another puff of her cigarette and thought the question over some more then added with a gasp, “My God, you don’t think Julie had anything to do with this?”
“Well, we can’t rule her out, especially after what the neighbour told us this morning.”
Ms. Alder’s head inclined. “What was that?”
“That Don and Julie were prone to having a lot of arguments. Are you telling me that you’re unaware of that?”
“They had disagreements, often. I wouldn’t really call them arguments, though.”
“Maybe they kept that side of things under wraps from you, too. Can you tell me where we can find this Julie Alder?” Katy asked with a smile.
“I’m not really sure. Let me check in my address book, see if I have the new address. I can’t think straight right now.” Ms. Alder left the room and returned with her handbag. She extracted a small pocket diary and turned to the address book section. “I’m sorry, no. I don’t even have a telephone number I can give you. How lax of me.”
“Would you say you used to be good friends?”
“Yes, that’s why I’m surprised I haven’t jotted down her new address. I was so sure I had it when we last met.”
“When did you see your ex-sister-in-law last?”
“Let me think…around a month ago, I believe.”
“This is so frustrating,” Katy said.
Lorne shot her a glance, praying that her partner would keep calm.
“Are you sure you didn’t pick up anything that might give us a clue as to where she’s calling home now?” Katy asked.
“No, I’m so sorry. No one is more upset about that than I am, I assure you. Maybe it was intentional on her part. You know, in case I passed the information on to Don. Not that I would have if she hadn’t wanted me to. Now he’s gone, and…”
Katy huffed out a sigh. “And the only possible lead we have could be living in Timbuktu for all we know.”
“Oh no, I don’t think she would have gone that far,” Ms. Alder quickly shot back, soon realising her mistake. “Sorry, that was dumb of me. She’s definitely still in the area. Of that much, I’m certain.”
Lorne coughed quietly to gain Katy’s attention. “Ms. Alder, perhaps you can tell us what bank she uses?”
“Good idea,” Katy praised her partner.
“Not so good, really. She didn’t believe in banks. You can’t trust them, she used to say. I’m inclined to agree with her after the banking debacles we’ve witnessed in recent times.”
“Another dead end. We’re getting nowhere fast today,” Katy complained.
“I’m sorry,” the woman repeated. “Can I see my brother?”
“Of course. My partner can ring the mortuary and arrange a visit. Will you do that, Lorne? While I keep asking Ms. Alder some questions, something might come to mind that will help us.”
“Of course. I’ll be right back.” Lorne left the room to ring Patti. “Hi, it’s Lorne. We’re at the victim’s sister’s house. She’d like to visit her brother ASAP.”
“Tell her she can come in this afternoon between three and four, Lorne. How are things going with the case? Or shouldn’t I ask?”
“Nope, you shouldn’t. All we’ve found out so far is that their marriage broke up, and the neighbour residing in the flat above Mr. Alder said they used to have a lot of lover’s tiffs. Nothing else has come to light yet. What about you?”
“Nothing noteworthy as yet. An injury to the head I missed on the initial examination.”
“Oh? Maybe the victim was knocked out and then stamped on with the heel while he lay on the ground?”
“Maybe, Lorne. We could speculate about that all day and not really come up with the correct answer. Anyway, I’ve got to fly. Talk soon.”
“Thanks, Patti.” Lorne went back into the lounge to relay the pathologist’s message regarding the visiting times. “Between three and four this afternoon.”
“Thank you, I’ll be there. I really don’t think there is anything else I can tell you about Julie. She doesn’t work because she was made redundant about a year ago.”
Lorne took out her notebook again. “From where?”
“Let me see…there’s a small library in Gravesend.” Ms. Alder waved a hand at them and shook her head. “Silly me, she was made redundant because they closed down.”
“Great.” Lorne tutted.
“Oh, well, we’ll leave you now, Ms. Alder. If you remember anything, please give us a call. Here’s my card.” Katy handed the card to the woman then made her way to the front door.
“I will. Thank you for coming to tell me about my brother. I really appreciate it.” Her voice shook as though she would break down in tears once she saw them off the property.
“I hope we’ll have some good news for you soon. Bye for now.”
Lorne nodded at the woman as she brushed past her in the hallway. “Goodbye. My condolences again.”
The door closed behind them. Both detectives let out a frustrated sigh once they returned to the car.
Katy slapped the steering wheel. “What are the odds on the sister-in-law vanishing into thin air like that? If I didn’t know any better, I’d say this was a planned attack and she’s spent months setting it up, going so far as to cover her tracks since the day she left the marital home.”
“It certainly looks that way to me. The question is, how do we either link her to the crime or find out where she’s hiding?” Just as she finished speaking, Lorne’s mobile rang. “Hello?”
“Lorne, it’s Tara at the TV station.”
“Hi, Tara. I hope you have some good news for me. I could sure do with some.”
“Sorry you’re having a bad day. Hopefully this will cheer you up. Can you bring the dog in tomorrow?”
“Gosh, that soon? What time?”
“I’ve made special arrangements, mindful of your career, for the interview to be filmed around seven in the evening. How does that sound to you?”
She glanced sideways and winked at Katy. “Sounds great. I’ll have a word with my boss, see if I can go home earlier than normal. Shall I just report to reception when I arrive?”
“Yes, I’ll let them know you’ve got an interview arranged. I should be around, so I’ll see you then, Lorne.”
“Thanks, Tara.” She disconnected the call. “Can I leave a little early tomorrow? I have to go home and get back into London by seven. That will be difficult if I finish work around six, like normal.”
“I’m sure we can come to some arrangement. Right, where do we go from here?” Katy said.
“Back to the station, see if the gang has managed to dig anything else up.”
“I doubt it, but there’s nothing else we can do out here.”
Katy drove back to the station while Lorne rang home to tell Tony and Charlie the good news.
“Charlie, how is Onyx?”
“Hi, Mum. She’s fine, learning to trust a bit more every time I go in the kennel to see her. Shall I bathe her again today? I think it’s helping.”
“Yep, I thought the vet said she had to be bathed every day? I have exciting news for you.”
“Yeah, he did. Go on, surprise me,” Charlie said, exasperation evident in her teenage voice.
“Onyx is booked in for an interview with the local TV station tomorrow.”
“Mum, you can’t do that to the poor dog, parade her on screen looking like that.”
“She’ll be covered up with my T-shirt, love. It’ll be good to show the general public what the poor thing is going throu
gh.”
Charlie let out a heavy sigh. “I suppose you’re right. I’m looking at this from her point of view, though. She’s just learning to trust us, and now you want to whisk her out of her safe surroundings into a manic arena.”
“Overstating the point, as usual, dearest child of mine. I understand your misgivings, but the sooner we do this interview, the quicker we’re likely to get the person who treated her so badly banged up. Yes?”
“Yeees! Buuut!”
“I’m on the way back to the station now. Will you pass the message on to Tony for me please?”
“Okay, going now. Laters.”
Lorne hung up. “I swear, she gets worse every day. She’s definitely starting to see the world and circumstances through fresh eyes.”
“And that’s a bad thing?”
“No, I’m not saying that. Sometimes she can be a handful to contain, though. Her enthusiasm for the dogs and her protective nature are bound to get her in trouble one of these days. I never dreamed she would take on the role with such enthusiasm.”
“She has her mother’s determination and compassion running through her. Let’s put it this way—I never had any doubts about her making the rescue centre a success. Does Tony actually have any input into that place now?”
“Thinking about it, you’re right—I don’t really think he has. He’s Charlie’s odd-job man most of the time. Not sure I can see any other ex-MI6 officer being happy taking orders from a stroppy teenager, can you?”
They both laughed riotously at the thought.
CHAPTER FIVE
Felicity appeared to be watching the clock all afternoon, until finally, five o’clock struck on the grandfather clock in the hallway. Time to move into position. “Let’s go, girls. Get this task over with. We’ll be right back,” she announced to the girls who had been nominated to remain at the cottage.
The two cars drove out to the retail park on the outskirts of the town and parked. Kaz joined Mags, Elaine, Sally, and Felicity in the other car, and they ran through the plan one final time as they waited for six o’clock to come around. At five forty-five, aware of what she needed to do to entice Jordan, Kaz hopped back into her car. Felicity observed her friend closely, fearing that she would start her engine and leave the scene before they had the chance to grab their next victim.
The time dragged by, then at two minutes to six, Jordan came out the rear of the building. Using Dara’s photograph of her ex, the women recognised him right away. And there was no mistaking his arrogance, either, from the way he walked to the way he dressed. There was no confusion about the quality of his suit.
Felicity could see Kaz begin to get fidgety in her seat. She crossed her fingers, willing her friend not to back out.
“Come on, Kaz. Another few steps, and he’ll be within your grasp.”
“She looks nervous,” Mags said. “Do you think she’ll drive off?”
“I’m hoping not. I agree—she does seem exceedingly anxious. Ah, there it is, the devastating smile she always puts into place when she wants something.”
“She’s getting out now.” Elaine sat forward on the edge of the backseat. “Get him, Kaz.”
Each of the women in the car took a sharp breath when Kaz opened the car door and stepped elegantly from the vehicle. She tugged the hem down on her mid-thigh skirt and smiled at the man approaching her. Felicity pushed the button to lower the car window, but the pair were too far away for her to hear the exchange. Their body language was obvious enough, though. Kaz led Jordan around the front of the vehicle and opened the bonnet of her car. Jordan peered underneath, trying to help the faux damsel in distress. Kaz appeared at the side of the car and waved her arm, encouraging them to get a move on.
“Right, that’s our cue to get involved, girls. Are you ready?”
A mumbled reply came from each of the women, and they all left the car. The four of them tiptoed across the car park and stopped at the rear of the vehicle, awaiting further instructions from Kaz. Her signal came soon after, in the form of another hand gesture. This time, Felicity got the impression Kaz was eager to put the situation to bed.
Felicity pointed for Mags and Sally to take the route down one side of the car while she and Elaine went down the other. Jordan was talking smutty to his captive audience. Her stomach constricted and churned the more she heard the sickliness of his words. Shuddering away her disgust, she took a long breath to calm herself, knowing that there would be no point attacking the man if she was full of rage.
Giving the thumbs-up to Mags and Sally, they moved into position in unison.
“Hi, Kaz, who’s your friend?”
The smile broadened on Jordan’s face; to be surrounded by beautiful women was a man’s ultimate dream, wasn’t it? Felicity’s plan had worked, at least the initial signs were proving to be good. Jordan was definitely living up to his notorious reputation; she couldn’t foresee any problems with successfully slotting the next part of their scheme into action.
“I’m not sure, Kaz replied, “I forgot to get your name, what is it?”
“David,” he replied with a smirk.
“What?” Felicity shouted, stupefied.
“David Calleja. And your names are? I prefer to know who I am speaking to.”
“It doesn’t matter what our names are. Yours is definitely David and not Jordan?”
The man’s head tipped back when he laughed. “So you know my twin brother.”
Behind them a man’s voice boomed out. “Did I hear my name mentioned? Hello, ladies. Do I know you?”
Shit, damn and blast! Why hadn’t Dara warned us he had a twin who worked at the same frim? Bugger, what do we do now?
Thinking on her feet, Felicity said, “No. We’re friends of Dara. She told us that you like to party and we wondered if you’d be up for a special celebration we have planned for this evening.”
Jordan pointed to his chest. “Just me? Or would it be all right if my brother joined us?” Jordan’s eyebrows wiggled. He might have thought the movement was seductive, but Felicity had to force back the rising bile. The man was gross, so full of crap that if he exploded, it would cover the Sahara Desert twice over.
“That’s up to David. Have you got anything special planned tonight?” Felicity asked with a broad smile.
“No, as it happens, I don’t have anything on this evening. Just a minute…”
Uh oh, I think he’s the brighter of the two men. I know what’s coming next.
David continued to look perplexed and rubbed his chin between his forefinger and thumb. “I don’t understand why you would invite Jordan to a party. It’s not like he and Dara parted on good terms, is it?”
She waved a hand in front of her. “We’re on the lookout for men who enjoy a good time with the ladies. We fell out with Dara a long time ago. The thing is, when I was planning this party, I remember her mentioning that Jordan used to be the life and soul of every party they threw. Some of the men we had lined up for this evening’s entertainment had to drop out at the last minute.” She winked at both men. “There’s always room for two handsome guys like you to join us. Eh, girls?”
“Oh, yes.” Mags ran a hand slowly down the length of Jordan’s arm. His smile stretched farther, if that were at all possible.
Jordan shook his head light-heartedly at his brother. “Come on, bro. I won’t tell your missus.”
That one comment summed up the despicable man. Felicity totted up all the torture techniques she had lined up for the man and doubled them in an instant.
David hesitated for several seconds. Kaz didn’t disappoint—she placed her hands on his shoulders and whispered something in his ear, bringing an unexpected flush to his cheeks.
He nodded. “All right. I’ll come, on one proviso.”
“Which is?” Kaz fluttered her eyelashes at him.
“That you and I spend some time together away from this lot.”
Kaz giggled. “I think that can be arranged, sweetie. The pleasure will be all m
ine, in fact.”
Jordan rubbed his hands together in glee. “Good job, bro. Right, now that’s sorted, where’s the part-tee?”
Felicity’s excitement started to mount again once that certain obstacle had been overcome. “We’ll go in our cars. We can drop you back here either later on or tomorrow. How does that sound?”
“Sounds good to me. I like the idea of an all-nighter. Don’t you, bro?” Jordan agreed, sounding keen.
“Okay by me,” David said, giving Kaz a toothy smile.
“Right, Kaz and Mags, why don’t you take David with you? And Jordan can come in my car with Elaine and Sally. You can keep the girls company in the back while I drive,” Felicity said, winking at Jordan.
The group split up. As they walked back to Felicity’s car, Jordan threw an arm around the two ladies accompanying him.
He’s just too full of himself, that one.
When the group arrived at the darkened cottage, the women teasingly showed the two men into the house.
“Hey, put some lights on?” Jordan complained.
“No, it’s more atmospheric like this. Girls, hold our guests’ hands, and we’ll show them where the party is. The other girls should have completed the preparations by now.”
“You mean there are more of you?” David asked.
Kaz sniggered. “Yes, but you’re all mine. You wouldn’t be able to handle anyone else.”
They wound their way through the cottage, along the familiar route the women knew by heart, down the stairs to the cellar.
Felicity called out, “We’re here girls. Is everything set up?”
Silence filled the damp, musty room, then a little voice said, “We’re ready and waiting, Oh Merciful One.”
Felicity cringed, hoping that the strange label wouldn’t raise their guests’ suspicions. She heard the cellar door close at the top of the stairs after the final person had passed through the doorway.
Only a few more steps, and everyone would be on level ground, where the men would be easier to subdue.
“Go!” she shouted. Within seconds, the room started to glow as numerous candles were lit.
“Ooo…I like this,” Jordan uttered. “It’s nice having a little intimacy with a lady or two.”