by MA Comley
Lorne glanced down at the table beside Carol and saw a sheet of paper. “Oh, the fax, you mean. Gosh, I forgot all about that. Too excited about my husband coming home.”
“Yeah right,” Tony mumbled.
“Can I see it?” Lorne reached out as Carol handed her the picture. She studied it hard for a while before she shook her head. “Katy was right. It is a na—wait a minute. I know her. Dammit, where do I know her from?”
Tony took the picture, looked at it, then shook his head. “Not sure I recognise her from the agency pictures we saw.”
“Never mind, it’ll come to me. What can you tell us, Carol?”
“Well, she’s the killer all right. Except she’s being forced to do it. I’m not sure if blackmailed would be too harsh a word for what he’s doing to her in order for her to carry out the deeds.”
“So there are two killers. He kills the women, and she kills the men, or attempts to. The latest victim is in hospital. That’s how we’ve got the photo ID of his attacker.” Lorne explained to a puzzled-looking Carol.
“That’s what I’m seeing. If only I could give you more. I can see his outline but can’t zero in on his features.”
“That’s a shame. Keep working on it for me.”
“Of course. But if you know this woman, you should pick her up right away.”
“I intend to as soon as I figure out who she is. It’s so bloody annoying.”
Charlie reached over the table and took the picture from her mother’s hand. “Let me try something.” She turned the picture face down on the table and then turned it the right way up again. “What about now?”
Lorne shook her head. “Nope, nothing.”
Charlie turned the photo over for a few seconds more and then placed the photo in front of her face. Lorne twisted her head this way and that until she got a neck ache for her trouble. Then it hit her. She snatched the photo and ran into the lounge to call Katy.
“Katy, it’s me. I know who the killer is.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
“You managed to identify her from the picture?”
“Yes.”
“But when you didn’t get back to me, I assumed you didn’t know her. Anyway, that doesn’t matter. Who do you think it is?”
“Bella Croft.”
“No way! Really? Did we look at the same picture?”
“It is her. I’m positive. All right, it’s not a very good likeness, but I know it’s her. The question is, what do you intend doing about it?”
“Arrest her, of course.”
“I wouldn’t. I’d set up some sort of surveillance on her as we know she’s working as part of a team. Why don’t you and I team up? We could follow her. She’s bound to lead us to the bloke.”
“Hmm…let me run it past Roberts. I’ll call you back in a sec.”
Lorne glanced at the doorway to see Tony standing there. She rushed over to him and helped him to the sofa. “The doctor said to keep off your leg as much as possible for the next few days. Listen to him, okay?”
“What was that all about?”
“Stop changing the subject, mister. Katy sent a picture through earlier, and I recognised the woman as the one Katy and I visited the other day. Come to think of it, she had a really bad mark around her neck as though someone had tried to strangle her.”
“Maybe they had.”
The ringing telephone interrupted their conversation. “Hello.”
“We’re good to go, Lorne. I’m tied up today, and I’m sure you’ll be wanting to spend some time with Tony tonight. How does tomorrow sound?” Katy asked, her voice buzzing with excitement.
“Sounds great. What time?” Lorne asked. She smiled at Tony, awaiting his nod of approval. He had no hesitation in giving it.
“I’ll pick you up after work, about six-ish if you like?”
“You’re on. See you then.”
• • •
Bella had her instructions to be at Morris’s flat by no later than seven that evening. When she arrived, he was pacing around the living room. A funny cartoon image of a character with steam coming out of his ears entered her head.
“Everything okay, Morris?” She walked up to him and touched his forearm. Automatically, his fist clenched and powered into her stomach. Doubled over in pain, Bella stared at the floor in front of his feet. She saw his foot coming towards her and put her arms up to prevent it from making contact with her ribs. “Morris, please. Stop it!”
“You stupid bitch. I trust you with one bloody job, and you can’t even get that right.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about. What have I done?”
He lunged forwards and yanked her up by her hair then banged her back against the wall. His breath hot on her face, he sneered. “You didn’t kill him. You’re an idiot. I should wash my hands of you—or better still, kill you, for what you’re worth.”
She gasped, realising her mistake. She’d thought she had killed him. She had intended to, despite liking Phil. Had her feelings clouded her effort when she’d wielded the knife?
“But—”
“Shut up. I’m angry enough as it is. Don’t make it any worse on yourself.” He pushed her head back, and her skull hit the wall not once, but twice. She closed her eyes, intending to block out his twisted features and the pain he was dishing out. Suddenly, his grasp loosened, and he set her free. He began pacing the room again, sticking to the same path in a small circle. She stayed pinned against the wall, too scared to move.
Then he acted as if a light bulb had gone off in his head. Morris dipped into the bedroom and came out again, pulling on a suit jacket over his matching pinstriped trousers. “Come on.”
“Where are we go—”
The evil glare he gave her silently told her she should shut up if she knew what was best for her. So she did. She ran to keep up with him. Then they hopped in the lift and rode it in silence down to the basement car park.
In the car, he turned over the engine, and as he drove out of the car park and into the lit street, his demeanour changed again, and he told her of his plans.
“I’m going to meet a pa—I mean a lady friend of mine. We met a few months ago when—oh, that doesn’t matter. What I want is for you to help me kill her. I’ve arranged to meet her at a pub. After half an hour or so, I’ll ask her if she fancies going on to a restaurant for a meal. She’ll jump at the chance, I’m sure. When we get outside, I’ll take her around the back of the building. Once we start kissing, you sneak up on her and kill her. All right?”
Bella stared straight in front of her. Confused by what had taken place in the last fifteen minutes or so, she wasn’t quite sure how to react. In the end, she nodded her agreement.
“I can’t hear you,” he demanded.
“Okay.”
“Good. I’m looking forward to this. We’ll get you back on track, and then you can try out your seduction techniques again with another conquest tomorrow evening.”
She swiftly turned to look at him, her mouth gaping open. “Tomorrow? I have to kill someone else tomorrow?”
“No. You haven’t been listening to me, again. Tonight, you’re going to kill my friend, and then tomorrow, I’ll be trusting you to go it alone again. Have you got a problem with that plan?”
“Of course not. I understand.” She folded her shaking hands in her lap and contemplated how she could escape this man. Yeah, I want to escape him, but then, when he shows me his gentle side, I want to love him and be loved by him. It’s a no-win situation.
He squeezed her leg and eased his way through the thick traffic to their destination. The pub’s car park was fairly quiet when they got there. Morris parked near the entrance, evidently thinking about his get-away. “Stay here for twenty-five minutes and then go round the back of the pub and wait for us. Be sure to keep well hidden until you’re needed. As soon as I start kissing her, you attack. I don’t want to be glued to her lips for long.” He wiped his mouth in disgust at the thought
of the task ahead. Morris left the car, leaving his keys dangling temptingly in the ignition. However, Bella wasn’t foolish enough to entertain driving off and leaving him there. She knew if she did that, she would end up in a body bag.
Instead, she decided to bounce around a few ideas of her own concerning what would happen the following evening. She was so caught up in her thoughts that she almost missed her cue to leave the car.
Keeping to the shadows, she dashed across the car park and crouched at the end of the pub behind the skip, which with her hapless luck, happened to be full to bursting. She pinched her nostrils to ward off the putrid smell and pulled from her bag the knife that Morris had supplied her with. She twisted it beside her and wondered if she might go ahead early with the plan that had been playing out in her mind. Deciding that she needed more time to put all the details together, she got ready to strike.
In the distance she heard voices and a soft girlish giggle. Her hand almost dropped the knife as her palms grew sweatier the closer the voices came. Then she saw them. She could just make out the girl’s slim features and bobbed haircut, but that was all. Morris had his arm around her shoulders. Seeing that, Bella’s pulse escalated and her lip turned into a snarl. She was ready, as he knew she would be. Morris leaned against the wall and pulled the girl into his arms. Bella stood up and crept over to the kissing couple, the knife poised, the blade angled down ready for impact. She plunged the knife into the girl’s back. Morris turned the girl around when he saw Bella withdraw the blade. He placed a hand over the shocked girl’s mouth and urged Bella to get on with the assault.
Bella repeatedly plunged the knife into the girl’s chest, trying to make amends for messing up the previous night. She watched the smile broaden on Morris’s face and knew that she was back in his good books and that the sex would be fantastic between them when they got back to his flat.
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
Lorne spent the morning being twitchy at home. Charlie complained she was in her way more than once, and Tony shook his head continuously as she busied herself with cleaning out the kitchen cupboards.
“Stop!” He took the saucepan from her, guided her over to the chair, and gently pushed her into it. “You’re making me exhausted. Give it a rest, love.”
“I can’t just sit around and do nothing until six o’clock tonight. I’ll go out of my mind. If I had my way, that Bella Croft would be sitting in an interview room right now, being torn apart.”
“I know, but Katy did tell you she had a heavy workload at the moment, didn’t she? I’m sure she wants this woman off the streets as much as you do. I’ll make you a nice cup of coffee. How’s that?”
Lorne nodded. The sound of the telephone ringing made her bolt out of her chair again. Tony let out an exasperated breath as she left the room.
“Hello?”
“We’ve got another victim, Lorne,” Katy told her glumly.
“Damn. I knew we should have picked that Bella up quickly.”
“It’s a female victim. A Madeline Vincent, single, aged thirty-four.”
“Killed on another date in a restaurant?”
“Nope, this was at a pub on the outskirts of town.”
“Do you want to go and pick up Bella early? Any witnesses at the scene?”
“Hang on a minute. No, there were no witnesses, and no, thinking things over, I think we should stick to our plan. The rate these incidents are happening, male, female, male et cetera, I think if we follow her this evening, we’ll either catch her in the act or when she meets up with her partner in crime.”
“You’ll be working the case as normal until then, won’t you?”
“That was a daft question, Lorne, and you know it. I was just keeping you up to date on things. I’ll see you later, as agreed.”
Lorne hung up and kicked out at the table next to the sofa.
“Hey, don’t take your bad mood out on the furniture. That cost at least fifty quid.”
“Sorry.” She tried to smile but was too angry. “That was Katy. They’ve found another victim, a woman.”
“Shit! Does she still want to go ahead with the plan this evening?”
“Yeah. She’ll be up against things all day. I’m hoping she doesn’t back out.”
“She wouldn’t do that. Have faith, love.”
• • •
At five minutes to six, Katy pulled into the drive. Lorne was out of the house and running towards the car before she’d even pulled on the handbrake.
“You’re keen.”
Lorne appraised how tired Katy looked and felt guilty for suggesting they add probable hours to her already-long day. “We’ve got a killer to catch. Rough day?”
“Could’ve been better. Let’s see what tonight brings, eh? I’ve got a feeling we’re getting close to catching these buggers.”
“If things go according to plan. Have you got the appropriate backup organised?”
“Yep, everyone is on standby. Remember, we’re only going to follow the suspect, if she leaves the house, that is.”
“Yeah, I know. Things could get ugly, though, if she does make a move.”
“I realise that, Lorne, and I’ve made the necessary calls. Stop worrying. I had a good teacher to this police lark, remember?”
Lorne smiled and let go of the harsh breath she felt as if she’d been holding in all day. “I know. I’m sorry. Just slap me down if I go OTT, all right?”
“Er, don’t worry. I will.”
During the trip, Katy went through how her day had panned out and ended with the information she had managed to gather about the victim so far. “No boyfriend, ever. She’s been in and out of hospital, suffering from anorexia for years. I visited her mum today, and she was understandably devastated by her daughter’s death, especially as she seemed to be on the road to recovery, finally.”
“Does her mum know how she met the person she was on a date with? Was it online?”
“Madeline lived with her mum, and according to her mother, she said that she didn’t really use the computer that much.”
“So how did she meet this man? Maybe we’re missing something here. Could be that the killers have changed their MO.”
“You mean after the online site was closed down. Do you think that’s a contributing factor?”
“That’s what I’m thinking, but how are they meeting their victims now? The women, at least.”
“You’re right. Phil Parkinson met the woman online. This doesn’t make sense, does it?”
“Let’s hope we get to the bottom of this tonight.”
The evening had suddenly grown dark, which was a blessing, as they drew up in Bella’s road. Katy parked in a space on the opposite side of the road and about twenty feet away from the woman’s flat. They sat and watched the street’s comings and goings. People came home from work, several take-away vans delivered meals for the next hour or so until, finally, Bella left her flat.
“Here we go.” Katy turned on the engine and eased the car out of the space.
“Don’t get too close.”
Katy shook her head. “Me, no novice, remember?”
Bella walked briskly to the end of her road. At the bottom, it joined a main B road. “I think she’s going to look for a taxi. Hold back.”
Lorne was right. Within a minute, a taxi drew up alongside Bella, and she hopped in. They followed the taxi into the heart of the city. “Damn, if she gets out now, we’re up shit creak with regard to parking.”
“If that happens, you get out and follow her, and I’ll dump the car somewhere and come back to you.”
The taxi crawled to a stop. Lorne frantically glanced around, searching for a space. “There, the driver is indicating to come out.”
“I see it. Keep an eye on which way Bella goes while I park.” Katy pulled up behind the car exiting the space and drummed her fingers impatiently on the steering wheel.
“She’s going in there.” Lorne pointed to a high-rise apartment-type building
.
“Go. I’ll catch you up when this dumbo has stopped pratting around.”
Lorne yanked open the door and jumped out of the vehicle. She weaved in and out of the waiting traffic and followed Bella into the building. Holding back, she watched as the woman headed into the basement car park. That’s strange. Why isn’t she using the lift in the main building? From her hiding place, tucked behind a pillar, Lorne watched Bella go through the car park, swinging her handbag as if she didn’t have a care in the world. Lorne felt a hand on her shoulder and turned sharply to find Katy panting behind her.
“Let’s move with her but keep hidden behind the pillars.”
They moved through the car park, keeping a fair distance between themselves and Bella, until she reached the door at the end. As soon as Bella disappeared, Lorne and Katy ran the rest of the way, then halted at the door to spy through the glass panel at their suspect. Bella was waiting for the lift to arrive.
“How shall we play this?” Lorne asked.
“Would it be best to see on which level the lift stops and then take the stairs?”
“I’ve got a better idea. As soon as she gets in the lift, I’ll take the stairs. You ring me to let me know what floor she gets out on. How’s that?”
“Yep, then I’ll take the lift up when it comes back down.”
Lorne shook her head. “I’m not sure that’s a good idea. What if he lives in the penthouse, and the lift goes directly into the apartment?”
“I never thought of that. In that case, I’d rather go up first, if that’s okay?”
It wasn’t. However, Lorne agreed. “Get ready. She’s getting in.”
The lift doors opened, and Bella entered. The second the doors closed behind her, Katy bolted past the lift and up the stairs. Lorne held her phone at the ready. She dialled Katy’s number when the lift reached its destination.
“Top floor, Katy. I’m on my way.”
“I’m halfway there. See you in a mo.”
Lorne took off up the stairs in pursuit of her former partner and the suspect. Ten flights up, she caught up with Katy. Both of them were panting hard. Katy pointed at the only door on the floor. “She must have gone in there.”