by M A Comley
“Nope, not going to happen for a few more days yet, ladies. No amount of begging will alter that decision, either.”
Katy shrugged. “You can’t blame a girl for trying, Jim. What else is in there?”
“A purse.” He opened the zipped compartment of the red purse and ran his gloved hand down the credit and debit cards in the slotted fabric area. “Looks like a fair few cards here. Do we know what the young lady did for a living?”
“Primarily, she was a student, but to make ends meet, she performed at a pole-dancing club a few nights a week.”
“It’s such a shame when students have to step out of their comfort zones and lower themselves to be involved in such careers. I can’t ever see universities explaining the complexities of studying with them full-time, ‘Come study with us, exorbitant fees of over thirty grand, but hey, you can always go and show off your body parts to pay for our fees.’”
“You’re right there. The problem is, the girl’s parents had no idea she had this job. The shock must have been horrendous for them when they learned what she was having to endure just to survive being a student,” Lorne stated, glad that Charlie had never wanted to get involved with higher education and was doing so well running her own business caring for the dogs on a daily basis. Handing over the day-to-day running to Charlie had given her a purpose in life that many teenagers had to wait until they were in their thirties to obtain.
“It’s a worrying fact that they have to do things so degrading just to get an education. Oh, look, don’t get me started. My girl is eighteen. I have this dilemma coming up next year when she goes off to uni. The thing is, I’d rather get a second job than have her degrade herself in such a way.”
“Then you’re one in a million, Jim. Like I said, Noelle’s parents were totally unaware of what was going on in their daughter’s life, until it was too late. What else is in the purse?” Lorne asked, peering over his shoulder.
“Looks like she had a fair amount of cash on her. Would that be tips from the club where she worked?” Jim suggested.
Katy nodded. “Might be. Okay, if we’re looking at three suspects from the CCTV footage at the club the night before she disappeared, this proves that they were after Noelle from the very beginning.”
“Because of the money left in her purse, you mean?” Lorne said.
“It has to be. If her attack had been a genuine attempt to rob her, then why was her jewellery still at her flat and the money left untouched in her purse? Okay, we have to be somewhere else soon, Jim. Is there anything else of significance inside the handbag?”
He tipped out the remainder of the contents and shook his head. “There doesn’t appear to be. A lipstick, compact mirror, a few pens, and a notepad. Nothing else.”
“Okay, we’re going to leave you to it then. Can you promise me that you’ll treat the address book as urgent and pass it over to us ASAP?”
“Of course, you have my word on that. If we find anything else, I’ll be sure to ring and let you know.” Jim tucked the items back in the handbag and placed it in another evidence bag, along with the evidence bag he’d tipped out the contents of the handbag onto.
“Thanks, guys. Speak soon. Very soon,” Katy said, emphasising how urgent the matter was before they left the yard and got back in the car.
Once they arrived at Dilbert’s residence, Lorne could tell instantly someone was at home or had at least visited. The curtains that had been open before were drawn. “Looks like we’re in luck,” Lorne noted, stepping out of the vehicle.
“All right. Let’s be cautious about this, bearing in mind what went on with Simms.”
“You don’t need to remind me,” Lorne said, miffed that Katy kept bringing up the subject that she’d made the unforgiveable mistake of letting a suspect slip through her fingers, not once, but twice.
“Calm down. I wasn’t having a dig. I’ll forgive you snapping at me given your fragile state this morning.”
“Thanks. I appreciate that,” Lorne replied grudgingly.
Katy knocked on the door.
Lorne watched the window carefully, looking for any sign of curtain twitching by the occupant. “There, he’s seen us.”
Katy rapped on the door a second time then bent down and shouted through the letterbox. “Mr. Dilbert, it’s the police. We’d like a chat with you, if that’s okay? Shit! Looks like he’s going out the back way.”
They spun around and frantically looked left and right for a possible alleyway. “Here!” Lorne pointed at a gap in between the houses on her left.
Katy and Lorne bolted down the narrow passageway to the rear of the properties.
“Shit! He just rounded the corner. I’m going to call for backup.” Katy slowed her pace, dug out her phone, and dialled the station.
“I’ll carry on,” Lorne shouted, squeezing past her colleague and upping her speed. The pounding on the concrete surface did little to ease the pain in her head. She had to dig deep into her resolve to combat the urge to throw up. Keeping a constant eye both up ahead and at the wheelie bins she passed in case the suspect had hidden behind one of them, she continued through the maze-like area until she reached the end and was confronted by a patch of open grassland, a community playing field of some sort.
Lorne glanced over her shoulder while she caught her breath just as Katy halted beside her.
“They’re sending out a couple of cars. Did you see which way he went?”
Lorne shook her head and gulped in a lungful of fresh air. “No. Shall we make a start? Looks like some kind of changing room over there.”
“Good place as any to start.”
They marched over to the newly decorated wooden structure on the edge of the field near the car park. Lorne armed herself with her pepper spray and gingerly approached the front door. She tried the handle and found the door locked. Something caught her attention in the car park just beyond. Lorne nudged Katy. “Did you hear that? It came from behind the recycle bins.”
“Yep, let’s take a look.”
Dilbert emerged from behind the bins before they could get within ten feet of his position. He laughed, gave them the bird, and bolted again.
“Damn! Where the bloody hell is that backup?”
Lorne and Katy chased the suspect as he ran through the parked cars and hopped over a fence. Then someone yelled out in pain. “Quick, the idiot has hurt himself.”
In the distance, sirens approached. Lorne pointed to the end of the fence, and they tore around the panel. Lorne spotted the suspect lying on the ground, tears streaming down his face.
“Help me. Don’t just stand there. Call me an ambulance, you idiots.”
Katy punched 999 into her phone.
You’re an ambulance, Lorne wanted to say, but she bit down on that witty retort and said instead, “They’re on their way. It’s not always a good idea to run from the police, is it?” she said smugly.
He spat on the ground close to Lorne’s feet. “Well, I didn’t know there was going to be a bloody boulder sitting on the other side of the fence, did I?”
“Lucky break for us then.” Lorne laughed. “No pun intended.”
The youngster spat again and fixed her with an evil glare.
“While we have your undivided attention, do you mind telling us why you took off like that?”
“’Cause you guys are forever knocking on my door, causing me aggro.”
“We are? Have you ever asked yourself why that is, Mr. Dilbert? We don’t tend to ‘cause ag’ to innocent people.”
He snorted and narrowed his eyes. “You expect me to believe that. I’ve made a few mistakes in my life and get pounced on by your lot all the frigging time, whether I’m guilty or not. What’s bloody fair about that?”
Lorne hitched up a shoulder as Katy rejoined them. “Shit happens, I guess. If you see fit to run every time a copper knocks at your door, what are we supposed to glean from that?”
“Well, I ain’t guilty. Where’s that effing ambulance? Just ’cau
se you’ve got me here, it doesn’t mean I’m gonna answer your questions.”
“That’s up to you. It’ll only make matters worse for you if you don’t. Your choice—I’d advise you to make the right one.” Katy gave him a dazzling smile and a nonchalant shrug.
Two Panda cars pulled into the car park and four uniformed officers joined them.
“Well, as you can see, gentlemen, we managed to apprehend the suspect all by ourselves. We’re waiting for the ambulance to arrive now. You can head back to the station. Thanks, all the same.”
Disgruntled, the PCs hopped back in their vehicles and departed the scene just as the paramedics screeched to a halt in the car park. One paramedic trotted up to them with his medical bag at his side while the other, a female, opened up the rear door of the ambulance and pulled out a stretcher.
“Hello, ladies. What do we have here then?” the older male paramedic asked. He bent down beside the suspect to check out the man’s injury for himself.
“The foolish young man vaulted the fence in his haste to get away from us and came a cropper. I suspect he’s broken his ankle,” Katy said.
The paramedic nodded. “Looks like a break to me. A hospital trip is in order here.”
Dilbert slapped the ground. “Aww… damn. Can’t you just bandage it up or somethin’? I got places to go and people to see. Ain’t got time to be laid up in a hospital bed.”
“Tough. The last thing we want is you suing us for negligence.” Katy told him. She winced when the paramedics cut Dilbert’s jeans open to reveal the bone jutting out of his skin just above the ankle.
“Man, look at that. Jesus, that’s well and truly busted. Hey, lady, I might not be able to sue you for negligence, but I’ll make sure I pin something on you. I’m innocent, and you still gave chase. You effing did this to me, and I’m gonna make sure you bloody pay for what you’ve done.”
Katy glanced at Lorne and then the paramedic, who was suppressing a grin.
“Since when did innocent people run away from the police?” he said.
“Precisely,” Lorne agreed. “I’d advise you to keep your threats to yourself, Mr. Dilbert, because they’re not going to wash with us.”
After struggling to erect the temperamental stretcher that appeared to get stuck halfway a few times before finally playing ball, the female paramedic joined them.
“Okay, let’s see if we can strap this up just to make it more comfortable for the journey and to keep the wound clean,” the paramedic attending the suspect said.
Katy and Lorne stepped away from the scene for a conflab. “What do you suggest we do now?” Katy asked.
“We’re going to have to accompany him to the hospital. Whether we’ll get the chance to interview him there is hard to say. He’ll probably be taken down to theatre as soon as he arrives. Time is getting on. It could turn out to be an all-nighter, and for what? If he’s saying he’s innocent, we could end up wasting valuable time just by babysitting him at the hospital.”
“You’re right. Hey, he might be innocent, but we haven’t laid any claims at his door yet. Knowing he has a past record for sexual assault, we can hardly deem him as totally innocent, can we?”
“Good point.” Lorne slapped her fist against her thigh. “We’re wasting time, though. Can’t we assign a uniformed officer to watch over him at the hospital and pick up the slack in the morning?”
Katy ran a finger across her lips as she thought. “It would make sense. Let me ring the station, see what I can arrange at short notice.”
Lorne went back to watch over the suspect, who was going for the award in the world’s worst patient category, crying out and even threatening to thump the paramedic caring for him at one point.
“Calm down. Let the man do his job. The quicker the wound is dressed, the faster we can all get out of here.”
“But he’s hurting me,” Dilbert whined like a ten-year-old boy.
“Can you give him a painkiller of sorts?” she asked the paramedic.
“Already done it. It’ll kick in soon. Providing the patient is patient that is.”
Everyone laughed, except the suspect.
“Crap. What am I? Someone for you to take a pop at, to test your frigging jokes on to pass the time away? Get a life,” he retorted aggressively.
“That’s sorted,” Katy said, coming back to the group. “I’ve arranged for a uniformed officer to take care of Mr. Dilbert at the hospital. We have to get back to the station. We’ll drop by and see you in the morning to interview you. Don’t even think about trying to leave the hospital before we’ve had a chance to chat. Got that?”
The man tutted and slapped the ground again. “Like I’ve got a bloody choice.”
“We’ll accompany you to the hospital grounds and then head off. All right?” Katy told the paramedics, who looked relieved to hear the news.
Dilbert continued to cry out in pain for the next ten minutes. He issued threats and shouted expletives as the paramedics tried their best to make their patient more comfortable. Eventually, his cries died down to a whimper once the painkillers kicked in. After the paramedics loaded Dilbert in the back of the ambulance, Katy and Lorne followed them to the hospital in their vehicle. Once the suspect was safely delivered, they drove back to the station.
After bringing the team up to date with what had taken place during the afternoon, Katy gave everyone permission to head home for the day.
Lorne called home before she left the station.
Charlie answered the phone, sounding relaxed. “Hi, love. It’s me. Just setting off home now. Do you need me to stop off for anything?”
“Mmm… fish and chips would be good. Just kidding.” Charlie laughed. “Tony’s still out. He rang earlier, said he’d be home about six thirty.”
“That’s great. I should be with you about that time, too. Have you heard from Carol today?”
“No. I meant to call her at lunchtime, but something happened to distract me.”
“Nothing major, I hope?”
“No. One of the dogs was sick. He’s all right now, though. No need for you to worry. I gave him one of those special pills we got from the vet.”
“Well done, you. All right, look, the chippie is quite close to Carol’s house. I’ll drop in and see her first. Are you okay with that? I shouldn’t be any later than quarter to seven. Will your hunger pangs last that long?”
“Yeah, I’ll grab a biscuit to stave off the pain until then. Give my love to Carol and tell her I’ve enjoyed her not being here today. I’ve had no one to boss around.” Charlie chuckled.
“I’ll pass that on. See you later.” Lorne hung up and tapped her forehead with her fingertips.
“What’s wrong?” Katy asked, just stepping out of her office.
“Damn, we forgot to ring the Chesterfields to tell them about Noelle’s car.”
Katy waved her hand. “Go. I can do that before I head off. Enjoy your evening.”
Grateful that Katy took onus of the situation, she said farewell to the team and set off.
CHAPTER EIGHT
Lorne hadn’t rung Carol to inform her of her imminent arrival, and by the looks of things, she thought she might regret that decision. Carol’s house was in darkness, except for the soft glow of candlelight emanating from the lounge window. Lorne shuddered at the spooky scene she saw inside, of Carol sitting at the table in a trance-like state, and knocked on the door. It took another round of knocking to jolt Carol out of her trance and to open the front door.
Carol thrust the door open, grabbed Lorne’s forearm, and yanked her into the house. “Quick, take a seat. I’m in conversation with Noelle. I just hope your appearance hasn’t put her off.”
Lorne cringed. Being part of a séance hadn’t figured highly on her evening agenda, but Carol was virtually forcing her to take part. She leaned in and whispered, “So, she’s finally divulged her name then?”
“Yes, the information is coming through slowly, as I suggested it would. Spirits have to
learn they can trust us before they reveal intimate details about their past lives. Now sit there and be quiet. I’ll see if I can call her forward again.”
“Do you have to? Can’t you tell me what she said and then pick up where you left off after I’ve gone? I only dropped by to see how you are. Charlie and Tony will be expecting their tea, Carol.”
“Nonsense, the chip shop is only up the road, Lorne. Now, hush. Spirits surrounding us, please step forward.”
Lorne’s eyes roamed the semi-darkened room while her stomach tied itself into knots. Straining her eyesight, she discovered a dull light starting to come towards them from its hideaway in the corner of the room. As the orb drew closer, its glow grew more intense and vivid. Lorne reached for Carol’s hand, needing support. Carol wrapped her hands around Lorne’s.
“Noelle, that’s it, child. Come closer. Lorne won’t hurt you. If anything, she is trying her hardest to help you. Come closer, dear.”
Lorne held her breath as the light came to a halt approximately two feet from where she sat. Carol squeezed harder, obviously trying to reassure her. It didn’t work—Lorne’s heart rate escalated so fast that she thought she was going to pass out. She struggled to breathe properly.
“Breathe deeply. In through your nose and out through your mouth. She won’t harm you. All Noelle wants to do is guide you,” Carol said out of the corner of her mouth.
Lorne gulped and nodded, then carried out Carol’s instructions.
“Noelle has just arrived this evening, Lorne. She’s trying to tell me where her body lies. She’s very distressed about her death, as you can imagine. I’ve told her how important it is for her to help us locate her body. If we can find it, her move towards the light will be instantaneous. At the moment, her restless soul is unwilling to move on.”
At a loss for what to say in the company of the spirit, Lorne finally swallowed hard and whispered, “I see.”
She understood some parts of Carol’s work, but not the interaction with a spirit. Usually, when Carol contacted a spirit, she closed her eyes and rocked back and forth. However, Carol seemed far more relaxed than normal, conversing with the spirit as if Noelle were a long-lost friend. Lorne remained mesmerised by the dull light, which, thankfully, hadn’t manifested into anything scarier than that, yet.