Detective Lucy Harwin 01-The Lost Children

by Helen Phifer

  ‘Thanks, I’ll try not to.’

  As Lucy hung up, she looked up to see Mattie standing up and tugging on his coat. It was now or never. She walked across to his desk.

  ‘Can I have a word?’

  He nodded.

  ‘Not here.’

  He followed her to the ladies’ toilet – seeing as how she was the only woman upstairs, it was the best she could do for privacy.

  ‘What’s the matter, Lucy?’ Mattie asked. ‘I don’t get why you’re so pissed off with me.’

  ‘Have you been seeing Jane Toppan?’

  ‘Who?’

  ‘Ellie’s youth offending support worker. There’s no point denying it. Ellie saw you together.’

  Mattie’s face turned crimson. ‘What are you talking about? And even if I have, it’s not really any of your business who I see outside of work.’

  ‘Well, I think that it is,’ Lucy said, struggling to keep her anger under control. ‘You know how I feel about that woman. For fuck’s sake, all the time you’ve sat in the car listening to me slag off your latest lover, and you’ve never said one word. What’s wrong with you?’

  ‘I’ve been seeing a woman called Heidi, not Jane,’ Mattie said. ‘And she’s only my girlfriend – it’s not as if we’re planning on getting married or anything.’

  ‘Heidi who?’

  ‘Heidi Toppan,’ Mattie admitted, reluctantly. He looked a little baffled.

  ‘I bet she talks about me all the time, doesn’t she?’ Lucy pressed. ‘What do the pair of you do? Sit getting all cosy, while you’re slagging me off for what a shit parent I am, and how terrible it is to work with me?’

  ‘Don’t be daft. I didn’t know she was Ellie’s support worker, and she probably hasn’t realised that you’re Ellie’s mum. Even if we had, we’d never do that. But if the cap fits…’

  Lucy stared at him. It felt as if he’d just ripped her heart in two. So he thought she was a useless mother as well, did he? She turned away from him – he reached out to grab her arm, but she shrugged him away – and rushed out of the door. She didn’t stop, heading straight for the exit and her car.

  * * *

  Mattie stood there for several long moments, shocked by Lucy’s reaction. God, what had he said? And was Heidi really Ellie’s support worker? There must be some mistake. He ran after her, down to the car park, but it was too late – she was already driving out through the automatic gates.

  ‘Fuck, fuck, fuck.’

  Browning, who had just got out of his car, began to laugh. ‘Aw, what’s up? You two had a lovers’ tiff? And in public as well! Is super-cool Lucy losing her cool, I wonder?’

  Mattie turned to look at him. ‘Why don’t you fuck off and do something useful for a change?’

  Browning grabbed his chest. ‘Ouch, that really hurt, Matthew. No need to be like that. Send her a bunch of flowers and she’ll forgive you.’ He went inside, chuckling away to himself at his own joke.

  Mattie decided he’d had enough for one day. Let Browning do some work for a change. He was going home for a shower and to pack an overnight bag. Lucy could sulk all she wanted until tomorrow. He would sort things out with her then, when hopefully she would have calmed down enough to talk about it rationally and realise she was being stupid. He’d never once talked about her to Heidi – not in the way that she’d accused him of, anyway.

  He took out his phone and sent Lucy a text: Sorry x

  46

  As much as Lucy felt like drowning her sorrows in a bottle of wine or two, she surprised herself by not even opening the fridge door. Instead, she went upstairs and stripped off her suit, putting on some joggers, a T-shirt and her trainers instead. She was going to go for a power walk. She didn’t run – mainly because she was too unfit and she hated to get that hot and sweaty. Walking, though, she did do – knowing it wouldn’t result in requiring the aid of a paramedic to restart her heart. Although she did keep to the main roads where there were emergency defibrillators dotted around, just in case.

  She opened the playlist that Ellie had painstakingly added to her phone when she’d been in a rare good mood, and plugged in her earphones. She knew that if she didn’t do something to work off the anger that was bubbling away like a spring inside her chest, she would explode. And the explosion would probably be over something trivial, which would make everything a hundred times worse.

  As she marched out of her front door and down the path, her neighbour, Sam, waved his hand at her. Even he didn’t pause to speak to her like he always did – she must be giving off some awful don’t-fuck-with-me vibe. She would walk it out of her system. She was angry with herself for the way she’d reacted to the news of Mattie seeing Jane – or Heidi, or whatever it was she called herself. Technically, it had nothing at all to do with her, so she should have kept her nose out and her opinions to herself. What did it matter who he was sleeping with? They were friends, and deep down Lucy knew he’d never betray her by bitching about her. So why had she felt so cross with him?

  For the first time, it struck her that maybe the cause of all this anger was jealousy. Maybe Ellie was right. Do you like him, Lucy? She shook her head. The idea was ridiculous. She had to get a grip. Maybe she had this Jane all wrong; maybe they just rubbed each other up the wrong way. Mattie was normally a really good judge of character, so if he liked this woman, she must be OK. Lucy should apologise to him. And she would have to try to make more of an effort with Jane, even if it killed her.

  Lucy put her head down so that she wouldn’t have to look at anyone or stop and speak to them. She marched on to the soothing sound of Ella Fitzgerald’s voice, and began to feel the tension and stress of the last few days melt away. At least she’d put things right with Ellie, who was her main priority.

  She passed houses, shops and run-down amusement arcades, before crossing the road to walk along the promenade. She stopped to look at the view. She’d been so busy working that she’d forgotten what a beautiful part of England this was to live in. She gazed along the ramshackle pier stretching out into the sea, thinking it was such a shame the council had let it go to rack and ruin. When she’d been a teenager, she’d spent most of her spare time hanging around on there with her friends. They’d used to congregate in the brightly lit, warm amusement arcade, playing the penny slots, looking around on the floor for loose change the tourists would drop. Lucy’s best friend’s mum had worked in the arcade, and let them shelter in there for hours. Then, when they’d got bored, they would head into the run-down café next door where they’d share a milkshake.

  The pier was a magnificent Victorian structure. Lucy thought that the fact that it was still standing, despite having been shut for the last ten years, was a testament to the builders who’d constructed it. It was silhouetted against the sky, which had filled with fire as the sun began to set over the sea. Lucy sighed. It was a beautiful view. She could stand watching it forever… Except that she had a date.

  She checked the time. Crap. If she didn’t want to be ridiculously late, she was going to have to run back home whether it was good for her health or not. She sent Stephen a quick text, apologising for the fact that she would now be a little later than eight. Then she began to run, cursing herself, because now she was going to be all hot and sweaty.

  When she reached her house, she headed straight upstairs for a shower, then blasted her hair dry as best as she could. It was still damp as she tried to run the straighteners through it, and she cringed at the hissing noise her hair made between the heated pads. She got dressed, doing the quickest make-up job ever and hoping for the best. At least Stephen had seen her when she’d looked cool and collected at the hospital the other night. She just hoped the shock of seeing her looking like a fried mess tonight wouldn’t put him off for life.

  By the time she reached the pub and parked in the last available space, it was almost eight thirty. As she had no idea what car Stephen drove, she had no way of knowing whether or not he was here. Inhaling deeply, she applied anoth
er coat of lipstick before getting out of the car. Her stomach was in knots – but she wasn’t sure whether it was because she was nervous at the prospect of an actual date with an actual man, or whether it was just hunger. This was the first time she’d thought about dating since George had left her. Until now, she’d been too devastated by their break-up.

  God, she was late. She was so late that she wouldn’t be surprised if Stephen hadn’t already left. Forcing herself to walk through the doors into the chic, newly refurbished pub, she looked around. She couldn’t see him. Not that she could quite remember what he looked like – she’d been so busy at the hospital that she hadn’t taken that much notice.

  ‘Lucy!’ The voice came from behind her. She turned around to see Stephen walking through the pub doors, looking even more flustered than she felt. ‘I’m so sorry,’ he said. ‘There was an emergency and I got called back in to help out. I didn’t think I’d ever get away. I completely understand if you’ve been hanging around and don’t want to stay.’

  Lucy laughed. ‘Don’t be daft, I’ve only just got here myself. I thought that you’d left because you were fed up with waiting for me.’

  He grinned at her. ‘No, absolutely not. I can honestly, hand on my heart, say that I’d quite happily wait all night for you.’

  Lucy felt the slow burn of her cheeks beginning to blush. She nodded towards the bar. ‘What are we waiting for, then? I’m starving, and now we’ve decided that we’re both worth waiting for, let’s get a drink.’

  ‘What do you fancy?’ Stephen asked. ‘Red, white, Prosecco?’

  ‘Would you mind if I just had a lime and soda?’ Lucy asked. ‘I’m trying to cut down – oh dear, that sounds terrible. It’s not that I’m a raging alcoholic or anything, but I do need to drive back; I’ll need my car if I get a call-out in the night. Work is crazy at the moment.’

  ‘That sounds good to me,’ Stephen said. ‘I’ll have the same. It’s probably a good idea –

  I’ve not eaten much today so I don’t want to be drunk after a glass. Whatever would you think of me?’

  Lucy went and sat at a table in the corner whilst Stephen waited at the bar. He came back with the drinks and a menu, which he tried to pass to her – but she shook her head.

  ‘I already know what I want: steak, chips and salad. The steak well-done, please.’

  ‘Good choice,’ Stephen said. ‘I’ll have the same. Gosh, we’re easily pleased, aren’t we?’ He winked at her and went back to the bar. Lucy smiled to herself. He was so nice and easy-going, she would bet all his patients fell in love with him. She watched as he leant over the bar to give his order to the barman, and she couldn’t help but admire the view. He turned around and she looked away, hoping he didn’t have some secret psychic ability that meant he could tell what a pervert she was.

  He sat opposite her, took out his phone and turned it off. ‘I’ve done my good deeds for the day. I hope you don’t mind, but I prefer the art of conversation. I hate it when you see couples and families out for a meal and all they do is stare down at their phones. They should be talking to each other, I think. But then, I’m a little old-fashioned. My colleagues all laugh at me.’

  Lucy took out her phone, checking it first to make sure she had no missed calls, then followed suit. ‘You know what? I think you’re right. We rely on our phones far too much. Do you go on Facebook or Twitter?’

  Stephen laughed. ‘I barely have time to answer my mother’s text messages when she’s checking up on me – usually asking if I’ve eaten anything in the last twenty-four hours. I wouldn’t know where to start with Twitter.’

  Lucy smiled. ‘So, do you ever get any spare time?’

  He laughed even louder. ‘Sorry, I’m being daft. I do get some spare time, just not a lot. When I have time off, I like to go back and visit my parents and my younger sister, although it’s not always possible, with the distance.’

  ‘Why? How far away do they live? Florida?’

  ‘Close! New York. Well, Lower East Side, to be exact. I love England, though, and Brooklyn Bay is the closest to NYC that I’ll get over here. Even if it is only by name.’

  ‘New York!’ Lucy said. ‘Wow, that’s amazing. It’s been on my bucket list for years. I’ve always wanted to go there. You don’t sound American though.’

  ‘No, I don’t. That’s because I was born and bred in England. My dad came over here for work and met my mum. Then they had me, and I went to school here until I was a teenager. Then, when he got transferred back, we all moved over there – I came back for university. So that’s how I got to keep my terribly British accent.’

  Lucy laughed. ‘I’m impressed. My life isn’t anything like so glamorous. My parents were both born in Brooklyn Bay – they met working on the fairground on the pier. The furthest we ever went on holiday was to Scarborough. They’re both dead now, though – they died in a car crash when I was twenty-one.’

  ‘Lucy, I’m so sorry to hear that,’ Stephen said. ‘It must have been tough for you. Do you have any brothers or sisters?’

  ‘I have an older sister, but we’re not close.’

  They continued to chat away. Stephen promised that if Lucy ever wanted to go to New York, he would take her – even if they only went as friends. He said that he would show her the sights like a native New Yorker. Lucy felt herself liking him all the more. The thought of going to her dream destination with such a good-looking guy made her forget all about what a shitty day she’d had. The murders, Mattie and Jane were pushed to the back of her mind.

  They ate their meals and shared a gigantic dessert, finishing with coffee. Stephen insisted on paying the bill. Lucy wanted to split it, but he wouldn’t hear of it. As they walked out to their cars, Lucy found that she didn’t want the date to end. She’d had a lovely, civilised evening, and she desperately wanted to ask him back to hers for coffee. As they reached her car, Stephen leant down to kiss her cheek just as she turned to say goodbye. Their lips met. Both of them pulled away, a little embarrassed, and laughed.

  Lucy plucked up her courage. ‘Would you like to come back to mine for coffee? I’ve had such a nice time and I don’t want it to end just yet. But it would be just coffee, mind.’

  He grinned. ‘Coffee would be great. If I’m honest with you I couldn’t do anything more energetic if I wanted to. My last set of shifts were horrendous, so if I fall asleep on your sofa, I won’t be at all insulted if you poke me and tell me it’s time to leave.’

  Throwing all caution to the wind, Lucy gave him her address and told him to follow her home. There was something about him that made her feel safe. He actually reminded her of Mattie: easy-going and fun to be with.

  She beat him to her house and, while she was waiting, quickly turned on her phone to check she had no missed calls. God forbid that work had needed her – if there’d been another murder, she’d be so mad with herself for not having been available. She needed to prove to Tom that she could cope with it all.

  Stephen’s car parked behind her just as she saw that she had two missed calls and three text messages from Mattie, all telling her to ring him. That was OK – if it had been work-related and serious, Tom would have called as well. As it was, it was late and she had no intention of calling Mattie back. He could wait until the morning. She’d apologise to him then.

  There was a fourth text message from an unknown number. She felt her heart miss a beat to see it was from Chris Corkill, telling her to ring him. She got out of her car and looked over at Stephen, who was smiling at her as he got out of his own car. She lifted her phone to her ear and mouthed ‘sorry’ to him. He never even flinched, which she took as a good sign. Taking her door key out of her purse, she walked towards the house.

  ‘Hello?’

  ‘Sorry it’s so late, Chris. It’s DI Harwin, here. Lucy.’ She unlocked the door and walked into the hallway.

  ‘Lucy! Good of you to get back to me. I’ve not stopped since you left, and I thought that you might want to see the finished resul
ts. I was just calling to let you know I’ve emailed them to the address you left me. I hope that’s OK?’

  ‘It’s amazing,’ Lucy said. ‘Thank you so much, Chris. I’ll nip to work now to take a look. I can’t believe that you’ve done it already.’

  ‘Like I said, I was excited to have the chance to work on it,’ Chris said. ‘My motive is entirely selfish; it’s a two-way street. I think the images are pretty good, but I’m biased and would say that.’

  He laughed and she smiled. ‘Well, I’m praying they’re clear enough for us to put out an appeal tomorrow, so if they are, you’re very good.’

  ‘I’ll let you be the judge of that,’ Chris said. ‘But I think you’ll be pleased with them. Hopefully you’ll have a much better chance of identifying your suspect now. Let me know. I’m at home now and going to bed.’

  ‘Yes, of course,’ Lucy said. ‘I’ll speak to you tomorrow. Thanks again.’

  As she ended the call, she realised that Stephen was standing next to her, having come into the hallway behind her. She’d momentarily forgotten about him in all the excitement. She wished that she’d given Chris her personal email to send them to, but she might get in trouble. It wasn’t secure and this was top-secret work stuff. Besides it wouldn’t have looked very professional to send them to her Hotmail account.

  ‘I’m so sorry,’ Lucy said, ‘but I have to go to work for a short time. I don’t think I’ll be long. I wouldn’t go if it wasn’t very important.’

  Stephen bent down and she felt his lips brush against her cheek. ‘Thank you for a lovely evening, Lucy. I understand. I really do. I think we both have pretty crazy, all-consuming jobs that we wouldn’t change for the world. I’m knackered anyway, so I think I’ll go home, drink my coffee and have sweet dreams about you, if that’s OK?’