Mortal Crimes 2

by Various Authors

  Angela thought for a second or two before she responded. “Well, like I said, I had worked my way through numerous au pairs—or Anthony had. Let me think. Do you know, I can’t for the life of me remember. How bloody silly of me.”

  “It really doesn’t matter.” Lorne stopped talking as the sound of a rattling tray filled the room and the butler approached them.

  “Thank you, Harry.” Angela smiled at the bent old man and patted his hand affectionately when he placed the tray down on the table beside her. “Why can’t I remember? How bizarre. Maybe Jai San can fill in the blanks later.”

  “How is she?” Lorne accepted the bone china cup and saucer from Angela after she had filled it with coffee served from a silver coffee pot. The aroma of the beans filled Lorne’s nostrils, reminding her how foolish she had been as a child walking down the high street and detesting the smell wafting out of the Cawardines coffee shop.

  “Jai San has gone into her shell. She gives the impression of being fine during the day—grateful to Anthony for the distraction, I suppose—but come the evening it’s a different story. I see her out there wandering around the garden in a daze. My heart breaks in two, seeing her like that. I’m not sure I could switch off my feelings as well as she appears to.”

  “Poor thing. Does she speak much English?” Lorne asked before sipping her coffee.

  “She gets by, and is improving daily. She constantly reads to Anthony; he loves stories, especially stories about King Arthur and Merlin. I think it also helps Jai San to learn the language. I give her the option of ringing home often so she doesn’t feel cut off, but she says once a month is enough. I don’t think she likes to take advantage.”

  “She sounds like a real sweetheart. I can’t wait to meet her.” Lorne hoped that Angela would take the hint that she was eager to meet the au pair, but she didn’t. Lorne came to the conclusion that the wealthy woman was lonely and in need of stimulating conversation. “You say you work for a charity, Angela—do you mind me asking which one?”

  Her smile broadened. “It’s a new heart charity called Beating Life. I’m the founder of it. My father died of heart disease when I was in my teens, and I always promised that if I ever came into money, the first thing I’d do was to set up a charity to help those suffering from the same illness.”

  Lorne wondered what she meant by ‘coming into money,’ but felt asking the question would seem too rude. Then she remembered Jade telling her that Angela had recently married a wealthy man. Roger, wasn’t it? That would explain her sudden wealth, but that was last year. Hadn’t the butler said she’d bought and renovated this place five years ago? Curiosity got the better of her, “Came into money?”

  “A long-lost aunt of mine left me this place in her will. Of course, it was a wreck when I took it over, but I didn’t really mind. I saw it as a labour of love, creating this place. When I married Roger last year, it was on the proviso that we live here.”

  “I see. I don’t blame you in the slightest. What does Roger do for a living?”

  Her chest puffed out. “He’s an accountant. He stays in London at his penthouse all week and returns home at the weekend.”

  Lorne found that snippet of information very odd, considering he had a small son of his own. Maybe he’d married Angela with the intention of her just being the boy’s mother? She bit her tongue and didn’t voice her concerns. “So with your husband working away and you busy most days with your charity, I can understand your need for employing an au pair. I admire you greatly for taking on another woman’s child like that, I’m not sure I could do it.”

  Angela’s brow furrowed slightly. “I’ve never really thought about it. I knew from the minute Roger and I started going out that he and Anthony came as a package; I didn’t see it as a problem between us.”

  Lorne could see the glow in the woman’s cheeks when she either spoke or thought about her husband. Looking around the room, Lorne spotted their wedding picture above the ornate fireplace. He seemed to be a likeable enough chap. He had thinning blond hair and youthful good looks. She could see the attraction, at a stretch. A very long stretch, he wasn’t her type at all. “He seems a nice man,” Lorne said.

  “He’s wonderful. I’m lucky to have him.”

  And he you, as you’ve taken on the responsibility of his son. Lorne drained the coffee in her cup and smiled at Angela. “Any chance I can have a quick chat with Jai San now? I hate to hurry things, but I’ll have to be making a move soon.”

  “I’ve been twittering on, do forgive me.” Instead of ringing a bell, as Lorne expected her to do, Angela left the room and came back with her arm wrapped around a tiny Asian girl’s shoulders. “Lorne, this is our little treasure, Jai San.”

  The girl bowed her head and didn’t look Lorne in the eye until she spoke. “Hello, Jai San. There’s no need to be afraid. Is it all right if Jai San sits with us for a while?”

  “Of course.” Angela guided the girl to the other end of the sofa Lorne was sitting on and went back to her own seat.

  Lorne moved to the seat next to Jai San. “There really is no need to worry. Do you mind if I ask you a few questions about your sister?”

  Water filled eyes met Lorne’s and her heart went out to her. Jai San nodded slowly.

  “I’m sorry for your loss. It must have been a great shock to you.”

  “My baby sister was coming here for a better life…like me. Now she’s gone.”

  Lorne reached for her hand and held it firmly in her own. “Can I ask how your sister came to be on that ship?”

  “The lady at the agency arranged it.”

  Lorne looked over her shoulder at Angela, who quickly rose and left the room to find something. She came back seconds later and held out a business card for Lorne to take.

  “Here you go—forgive my absentmindedness. This is the agency we contacted to employ Jai San.”

  “Ah, that’s very helpful, thank you.” Lorne sensed that Jai San was beginning to feel uncomfortable. She proceeded with caution. “How did you come to work for the agency?”

  Jai San fidgeted in her seat for several minutes, and Lorne was about to ask the question again when the young woman’s head lifted and their gazes met. “I met a man.”

  Lorne continued to smile at Jai San to put the girl at ease. “Where did you meet this man? In the UK?”

  “Yes. I came here with three other girls. A man promised us a better life in England and gave us a lift in his boat.” She fell silent until Lorne squeezed her hand to urge her to go on. “It was a trick. When we got here, he…he sold us.”

  “Sold you!” Angela cried out.

  Lorne had suspected as much, so she wasn’t as surprised as Angela by the revelation. She turned to see Angela shaking her head a look of disgust on her face. Lorne gave her a warning glance, hoping that Angela would restrain her emotions.

  Jai San took a little coaxing to continue her woeful tale. Lorne felt the young girl was just on the edge of divulging valuable information when they heard a noise out in the hallway.

  “Get out of my way, old man.” The door to the lounge swung open, and in stomped Roger.

  On a Thursday! Angela has already told me that Roger never comes home during the week. How odd, Lorne thought. The instant Jai San heard his voice out in the hallway, her grip tightened on Lorne’s hand. Was that out of fear?

  Angela bolted out of the chair and ran to greet him. “Roger! What are you doing here? Not that it isn’t lovely to see you, of course, but you’re not due home until tomorrow.”

  He gave his wife a half-smile and kissed her briefly on the lips before he walked over to where Lorne and Jai San were sitting. He held out his hand and introduced himself. “Roger North, and you are?”

  Lorne shook his hand and noticed his shake was firm but clammy. Her father had drummed into her at the beginning of her police career that you could tell a lot from a man’s handshake.

  “Now, Roger, you naughty man, you know very well who this is; I told you Lor
ne was coming.”

  Lorne rose from her seat so he wasn’t towering over her, and their gazes locked. She felt his eyes burning their way through hers. She was determined not to look away, to hold his stare until he broke contact.

  Eventually, he turned to his wife. “That’s right—I totally forgot. I had an appointment in the area and thought I’d drop in to surprise you, sweetheart.”

  Well, your gullible wife might believe that story, mate, but I’m afraid I don’t. What have you got to hide? Lorne dropped down in her seat again and automatically reached for Jai San’s hand, but the girl fought to pull her hand away, Lorne refused to give up, and eventually, the young girl let out an exasperated sigh and stopped struggling.

  She watched Roger’s reaction to the incident with interest. His eyes narrowed, but a slight smile remained on his face. Lorne glanced sideways and saw Jai San’s head bowed, her focus lingering on a spot on the carpet in front of her. There’s something dodgy going on here, and I’m not liking it.

  “Please don’t let me interrupt your conversation,” Roger said.

  Lorne, ever the suspicious type, regarded his tone as taunting.

  It was Jai San who spoke next, in the quietest of voices. “I finished now.”

  Lorne felt the girl stiffen beside her, and she sensed that a barrier had been erected and it would be pointless to continue. Thinking she had enough information to go on already, Lorne decided to end the meeting. Roger was making her feel uncomfortable, anyway, and she sensed that Jai San was dying to get away from him, too. It bothered her that Angela didn’t seem to pick up on the strain that had developed in the room the minute her husband had walked into it. Was love really that blind?

  Lorne gently squeezed Jai San’s hand before she released it. “Thank you for being so brave, Jai San. Again, I’m so sorry for your loss. You have my word that I will get the people concerned and take great pleasure in seeing them locked away for many years to come.”

  Roger made a noise in his throat, and Lorne immediately looked up at him. His eyebrows shot up questioningly. She bit back the sarcastic retort that was balancing precariously on the tip of her tongue and issued him a taut smile, instead. It irked Lorne that he seemed somehow triumphant that he’d interrupted their meeting.

  “Jai San, you may go now,” Roger said, dismissing the young girl. She left the room without making eye contact with anyone and closed the door gently behind her.

  “Well, that was a revelation,” Angela said as she flopped down in her chair.

  Lorne refused to go over the details Jai San had confided in her in front of Roger and stood up, her intentions obvious. She was disappointed their meeting had been drawn to a close early, either intentionally or otherwise, by Angela’s husband. To wipe the smug smile off his face she tried to bluff her way out of a frustrating and awkward situation. “She’s given me some valuable information that will go a long way to solving this case. Thank you for your hospitality, Angela. It was a pleasure meeting you both. I’ll be in touch with good news soon, I hope.”

  “You’re not leaving on my account, are you?” Roger asked, a little too slyly for Lorne’s liking.

  “People to see and places to go, I’m afraid.” Lorne held her hand out first to Angela and then to her husband before she left the room. She let out a huge sigh when she walked through the hallway toward the front door. Out of the corner of her eye, standing in an alcove, she saw Jai San. Lorne rushed over to her. The girl had tears streaming from her eyes. “Please help me get out of here. Please.”

  The words shocked Lorne. “I’ll do everything in my power, Jai San. Hang in there. I’ll be back for you soon.”

  Chapter Ten

  “Katy will be here soon,” Tony said. He approached her chair from behind, hooked an arm around under her chin, and kissed the top of her head. “I hate it when you’re so quiet.”

  Lorne sighed. “I hate being quiet. It’s nothing you’ve done, hon. I’m just thinking about the case. It’s so frustrating.”

  “I know, but you know what they say about a problem shared. You know it’s going to take a little time for things to slot into place on this one. Let’s see what Katy has for us before we start getting downhearted and frustrated, huh?”

  “You’re right, as usual. I thought I’d make a lasagne for dinner—what do you think?”

  He loosened his grip and sat at the table next to her. His eyes sparkled with delight. “I’d say I’ve died and gone to heaven. I love your lasagnes. Anything I can do to help?”

  Knowing what her husband’s knife skills and cooking abilities were like, she shook her head vigorously. “I’ll be fine messing about in here on my own. If you’re looking for a job, you could ring that agency for me. I forgot to ring them earlier and got distracted when the new arrivals turned up. See what you can find out about Jai San—discreetly, of course.”

  “On my way, if my efficient cooking skills aren’t wanted around here,” he said, pretending to be hurt.

  Lorne watched him leave the room with a broad smile on her face. She really was the luckiest girl alive to have such a wonderful man by her side. She thought back to her life with her ex and an involuntary shudder coursed through her. Enough of this. Get your arse in gear, girl.

  She was chopping the onions, tears spilling from her eyes, when Tony came back into the kitchen almost ten minutes later. “Any good?” She asked, pressing the tea towel into her eyes, hoping it would ease the stinging. It didn’t; if anything, it only made things worse.

  “Forget your own tip, did you?”

  She poked her tongue out at him. “Go on.”

  “The owner was really cagey. She refused to answer any questions over the phone and repeatedly told me that she ran a legitimate business.”

  “Oh, did she now? Well, when people start ramming that down your throat, in my experience, the opposite is usually true. I’ll see if Katy wants to pay the agency a visit with me over the weekend—an unofficial kind of visit if you like.”

  “Why don’t you leave it until Monday, and we’ll both go. Katy will be looking forward to her weekend off.”

  The back door opened midway through Tony’s sentence. “Too bloody right I am.”

  Although Katy smiled when she spoke, Lorne noticed an angry glint in her eyes. She stepped forward and kissed Katy on both cheeks. “How lovely to see you. Tony, will you get Katy’s bags for her, please?”

  “Bags? That’ll be one bag. I’m only staying the weekend, in case you’ve forgotten.” Katy handed Tony the keys to her car. He gave her a welcome peck on the cheek and walked out the back door.

  “Something wrong, love?” Lorne asked.

  Her former partner sat down at the kitchen table and clenched her hands together in front of her. “I’ve had better days. I’m definitely looking forward to the weekend.”

  “Anything you want to talk about? I’m a good listener.”

  Katy smiled. “Correct that; you’re the best listener around, Lorne. When I’m ready. Is that okay?”

  “Of course it is—no pressure, you know that. Want to make yourself a coffee while I finish preparing the dinner?”

  Tony stormed through the back door, carrying Katy’s overnight bag in one hand and angrily waving the evening paper in the other. “Bloody idiot is going to get himself killed.”

  “What? Oh crap, is that Croft’s story?”

  “I only scanned through it, but the fool has named names and places. It’s only a small story, but shit, it’s going to do a hell of a lot of damage. Especially to him.” Tony shook his head in disbelief.

  “Do you think I should give him a ring?” Lorne asked, her mind racing.

  “I’d leave it for today. We’ll get in touch tomorrow.”

  “You’re probably right—let things calm down a bit first. Okay, no more shop talk. We have a guest, and it’s her birthday weekend.”

  Katy screwed up her nose. “Now, don’t go treating me like royalty or anything. I’m just another year older, th
at’s all.”

  Tony sniggered and went over to cuddle his wife. “Yeah, when you get to Lorne’s age, you stop wanting to be reminded.”

  Lorne swiped him around the head. “I think you’re forgetting one thing, matey: you’re a couple of years older than me.”

  Katy laughed at the banter between them, and Lorne could sense the relief emanating from her. Maybe she’ll open up later and tell me what’s going on. I hope her damn ex isn’t causing her any grief.

  The evening ended up being a blast. Her father joined them and started to regale them with numerous funny incidents that had happened during his time as a DCI in the Met. They washed down Lorne’s sumptuous lasagne with three bottles of special red that eagle-eyed Tony had seen in the bargain bin at Oddbins in the High Street.

  At the end of the evening, Lorne showed Katy to her room. Before closing the door, she asked, “Feel up to talking yet?”

  “Thanks for a wonderful evening, Lorne. I’d rather not spoil it, if you don’t mind. I promise I’ll tell you tomorrow. What do you have planned?”

  Lorne shuffled her feet. “Umm…well, I thought we’d pay a few people a visit, if that’s all right with you. I’ll fill you in on what I’ve found out this week on the way.”

  “Yep, sounds great to me. Thanks again for tonight; I appreciated it. You all really made me feel part of the family.”

  “Never doubt that, Katy. You are—and always will be—part of our family. Goodnight, hon.”

  “Goodnight.”

  *

  First thing the following morning, Lorne tried to ring Croft but couldn’t get a reply. Worried, she hurriedly threw a breakfast together for all of them, then jumped in the car with Katy and set off for Croft’s flat.

  “Did you sleep well, Katy?”

  “Like a log. Why is that? I haven’t slept well in months now, and yet one night at your place, and I’m down for the count all night.”