by M A Comley
Lorne hugged Janine. “I have to repay the compliment, Janine. You look stunning, if a little flustered. Can I lend a hand with anything? No good asking my husband; he only deals with charred offerings.”
“Charming... don’t listen to her, Janine. I taught her everything she knows in the kitchen.”
Lorne spun around and swiped his arm. “Why, you cheeky little...”
“Now, now children, we don’t want any domestic wrangles this evening,” Chris warned playfully. “I’m going to break open a couple of bottles of red, if that’s agreeable to everyone.”
“Not on our account, I hope. We should have dropped by the off-licence on our way home. Sorry. Not very thoughtful of me, given your kindness,” Lorne replied sheepishly.
“We don’t do self-recrimination in this house, Lorne. You’re our guests,” Chris said, opening the cupboard and reaching for the large wine glasses.
Over dinner, the conversation was jovial until Janine asked, “Do your parents live in London, Lorne?”
Lorne picked up her glass, sat back in her chair, and smiled. “Unfortunately, neither of them are with us now. Mum passed away from cancer about fifteen years ago, and Dad died from a heart attack after recovering from meningitis nearly five years ago. The galling part is we all thought he was on the mend.” Lorne sighed heavily. “I’ve always blamed myself for his demise.”
Tony grabbed one of her hands and kissed the back of it. “Nonsense, Lorne. When it’s time for someone special to leave us, that’s when they slip away, often when we’re least expecting it.”
“Tony’s right, love. Why do you blame yourself?” Janine asked quietly, gathering Sally’s hand in her own and squeezing it tightly enough to make her daughter wince.
“My partner and I messed up an investigation and ended up getting ourselves abducted by slave traders. I still cringe when I think of what would have happened if...” She leaned over and kissed Tony on the cheek. “If my real-life hero hadn’t come to our rescue.”
“How wonderful, but how did that affect your father’s health?” Janine asked before the realisation struck her. She waved the notion away. “Ignore me. I can be a little dumb at times. So the stress of the situation caused your father to have a heart attack, is that right?”
“It didn’t help matters. Although I suspect the relief of knowing Katy and I were both safe was more of a contributing factor to his sudden departure.” Lorne’s gaze drifted down to the table. “I was so excited to see him I rushed in the back door of the house, only to find him slumped over the kitchen table.” She wiped a tear on the back of her hand. “He’s still around us, though. I have a very dear psychic friend who assures me that both dad and Pete, my first partner on the job, are watching over me.” Lorne spotted the puzzlement cross her friend’s face. “We’ve already had this conversation, haven’t we, Sally?”
Sally chewed her lip. “It’s not really for me, Lorne, not that I’ve had any real dealings with psychics.”
“Don’t knock it until you try it. That’s what my old dad used to say. Katy felt the same way, too, until recently.”
“What made her change her mind?” Janine asked. “By the way, I’m a believer.”
Sally looked sharply in her mother’s direction. “Really, Mum? You’ve never told me that.”
“I’m allowed to have secrets, dear.” Janine winked at her daughter.
“Carol, my psychic friend, who also lends a hand at the rescue centre, helped us to solve a case.” Tony chuckled, making Lorne correct herself. “All right, let me rephrase that. A victim who sadly lost her life was instrumental in guiding Carol to where her murder took place, which ultimately led Katy and me to arrest the murder suspect. I doubt he would ever have been discovered if it hadn’t been for Carol and Noelle’s input. Don’t ever rule out using a psychic, Sally. Hey, my partner, Pete, was the biggest sceptic around. I have a feeling he’s regretting his harsh words to Carol now, because he spends most of his time watching over me and is prone to popping up unexpectedly when I’m in need of assistance.” Lorne smiled as his chubby face entered her mind.
“It sounds like you’ve always been surrounded by good people, Lorne,” Janine suggested.
“I’ve never really thought about it that way, Janine.” She winked at Tony. “And he’s the best husband around. There’s no doubting that fact.”
Janine raised her husband’s hand. “I think I can challenge you on that one, dear.”
Out of the corner of her eye, Lorne noticed Sally’s head drop. She placed a finger under Sally’s chin, forcing her to meet her gaze. “You’ll find someone special of your own soon enough. Promise me you won’t let your disastrous marriage to Darryl put you off tying the knot in the future. There truly are some decent guys around. Tony and your dad are living proof of that, hon. Don’t forget, my marriage to Tom was a pretty shambolic affair.”
Sally smiled at Lorne. “I know. You understand how hard it is to trust when you’ve suffered gravely at the hands of a partner, don’t you?”
“I do. When the right time presents itself, you’ll understand what I mean.” Lorne added mischievously, “If it hasn’t already, that is.”
Sally’s cheeks turned scarlet, and she swiftly exchanged awkward glances with her parents.
“Oh, yes, what’s all this, then?” her mother teased.
Acting innocent, Lorne bit her lip. “Sorry, have I spoken out of turn?”
Sally pointed at her. “I’ll pay you back for that.”
“Are you holding out on us, Sally Parker?” Janine prompted.
“Time to go for that walk, Lorne. Tony, do you want to join us, or would you rather entertain my parents with your spy stories?” Sally rose from the table, avoiding eye contact with her mother, ignoring her intrusive question.
“Would you mind if I give it a miss, Sally? My leg is a little sore.”
Lorne patted her husband on the thigh, grateful he’d opted to remain at the house, giving her the opportunity to catch up with her friend.
Janine pounced swiftly. “What’s wrong with your leg, Tony?”
Lorne cringed and closed her eyes when she saw Tony’s hands dip under the table. Bloody hell, here comes the damn party trick! Upon hearing Janine and Sally gasp, she opened her eyes to see Tony holding his prosthetic limb and pointing at an area on the calf.
“I have a slight niggle here. It’ll be fine later. Don’t worry.”
Lorne was the first person to burst into laughter, followed by Tony and Chris. Eventually, Sally and Janine recovered from the shock to see the funny side of Tony’s off-the-wall prank.
“Oh my, dare I ask how that occurred?” Janine asked, taking a large gulp of wine from her glass.
“Courtesy of the Taliban during a covert operation. It’s no big deal, Janine, a little inconvenient at times when I get stuck in the mud in the paddock at home, nothing major.”
Again, they all laughed.
Lorne tugged Sally’s arm. “You mentioned something about a walk? I’ve heard this tale a thousand times over and lived through the hell of his recuperation for months; I don’t need to hear or think about it again, hon.”
Sensing where they were going, Dex excitedly ran to pick up his lead. Sally popped the torch in her pocket, and they set off. When they returned three quarters of an hour later, they found an open-mouthed Janine and Chris sitting at the table, enthralled by Tony’s tales.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
The following morning, after a relatively comfortable night, Lorne, Tony, and Sally set off for the station in their separate cars. As Tony drove, Lorne answered her mobile. “Hi, Katy. How’s it going back at the ranch?”
“It’s proving to be very interesting.”
“Do tell. Maybe we should head back if things are hotting-up down there,” Lorne replied. “I’m going to put you on speaker so Tony can hear, okay?”
“Sure and yes, I think you should return, if you consider things have dried up at that end. After I sent you the files
of the old cases relating to Claire Knight, I started making enquiries into what’s going on in the woman’s life now.”
“And? I can tell you’re excited about something. Spill, partner.”
“Although we can’t interview her former husbands for obvious reasons, we can have a word with her most recent beau. She divorced Allan Watts earlier this year.”
“Great work. Have you made contact with him yet?”
“No, that’s the next step on my agenda. He lives in the heart of the city.”
“Okay, what about the marital home? Did she buy him out, or did he give it to her as part of the divorce settlement?”
“I knew you would ask about that.”
“Sorry to be so predictable. Once you’ve experienced a divorce, it’s the little things that bother you the most.”
“Well, I looked at the land registry, and although the house was once registered in his name, that all changed about a month before the divorce was finalised.”
“Very interesting. I wonder what Knight brought to the party, in the way of possessions? Umm... also, why is she currently called Knight and not Watts? What made her drop his name so quickly?”
“I need to pay him a visit to ask those questions, and more.”
“I think we should see if anything has surfaced at this end overnight. Then, if Sally doesn’t mind, we should get on the road. We could be back in London around midday,” Tony suggested, glancing at the clock on the dashboard.
“It would be great if you could conduct the questioning, Lorne.”
She was aware how self-conscious Katy had become since her bump had started to develop. “You’ve got it. We’ll ring when we’re on our way. Take it easy, Katy. Just keep digging for dirt. By what I’ve read so far, I’m sure we’re going to uncover a mountain of questionable activity we can hit this lady with, and I use the term loosely. Externally, she might exude ladylike qualities, but I bet the more we dig up on her, that idea will be tossed aside pretty damn quickly.”
“All right. One question before you go, if I may? What’s your interpretation of the daughter, Lucy?”
“She seems genuine enough. Who can tell at this early stage? I sensed a certain amount of animosity between the mother and daughter. It’s unclear what that was about. We’ll bear her in mind as the investigation progresses. Sally’s going to question Ryan’s friends today, I believe. Maybe they’ll be able to fill in the gaps on that front.”
“Rightio, the team is busy delving into the other family members’ pasts now. We’re still no further forward with identifying these two mysterious women at this point.”
“Don’t fret about that for now. Maybe I should get in touch with Gemma at the TV station again and ask her to run an update story. Have we got the artist impressions back on the witnesses yet?”
“Yes. Want me to get in touch with her?”
“Great idea. If nothing else, the fact that these women’s pictures are paraded on TV might spook them into making a major slipup.”
“We can live in hope on that one. If the artist’s impressions are any good. Be in touch soon.” Katy hung up.
“Very interesting, eh?” Lorne rested her head back against the cushioned headrest.
“Like you say, if we keep the pressure on, someone will mess up sooner or later. They have to.”
They followed Sally into the station car park. “You’re lucky to live in such a beautiful area, Sally. What a peaceful drive into work that was compared to the mass traffic jams I have to contend with every day, driving into London.”
“It has its moments, Lorne, especially when there are major roadworks. Drivers’ brains turn to mush when their autopilot journey is disrupted.”
“My partner just called. Looks like things are coming together a little down there.”
“So you’re going back?”
“Would you mind?”
Sally shrugged. “Not at all. It makes perfect sense, considering where the crime occurred. We’ll keep digging and asking questions at this end and keep you up to date if anything shows up. I’m going to be questioning Ryan’s friends today. That’s the aim anyway. Are you going to get on the road now? You should miss the main crush on the A11 at this time of the morning.”
“That’s what we were thinking. I told Katy we’d be back just before lunch.”
“Do you want to see if we’ve had any developments overnight first?”
Lorne smiled. “You read my mind. Maybe we could grab a quick coffee with you then take off.”
The three of them entered the station only to be disappointed by the news that nothing new concerning the case had appeared on Sally’s desk. Lorne and Tony remained true to their word. They drank their coffee swiftly, shook hands with the team, wished them good luck, then headed back to London. Passing the beautiful flat, open countryside on the way had a calming effect over Lorne that she hadn’t felt in years. She placed her hand on Tony’s thigh while he drove. “Maybe we should consider retiring to this part of the world when we’re old and grey, what do you think?”
“Why am I not surprised to hear you say that? Are you sure you wouldn’t get bored?”
“Life is what you make it, Tony. You know that. We’ve both led pretty hectic lives to date. Perhaps going for a totally opposite lifestyle to what we have today would do us both the world of good. We could still renovate properties in our spare time.”
“And that’s what you call ‘taking it easy’? You wouldn’t be able to hand over the reins to a builder. You’d be knee-high in plaster and concrete within days of starting a new project. Don’t you dare deny that, either.”
Lorne looked out the passenger window and chortled. “You really do know me so well. Sometimes such bountiful knowledge is a huge disadvantage to me.”
“That’s true.” He laughed.
Once they were back in London, Tony dropped Lorne off at the police station and continued home, promising to pick her up after work at around six.
Lorne appreciated her team’s round of applause to welcome her back into the fold. Katy surprised her when she gave her a hug and a peck on the cheek. Lorne suspected her partner’s hormones were to blame for her overly affectionate display. “I’ve missed you guys, too, but let’s face it: it’s only been a day.”
“Do you want to grab a bite to eat first before we drive over to see Watts?” Katy asked, resting her backside on the nearest desk.
“Why not. Are you up to eating? You look a little pale.”
“I’m fine. Nothing a Subway chicken tikka won’t put right.”
* * *
Replete, Lorne and Katy left the station around one thirty and arrived at Allan Watts’s run-down flat approximately twenty minutes later. “Quite a contrast. Lucy’s home in Norfolk is beautiful, a newly-renovated barn conversion on the river. It’ll be interesting to see what he has to say and why he and the mysterious Claire Knight got divorced.”
“You reckon he’ll tell us?”
Lorne shrugged. “There’s only one way to find out.”
She rang the doorbell to the flat. A few minutes later, a grey-haired gentleman, who appeared to have just woken up, opened the door. His forehead creased as he peered at them. “Yes, can I help you?”
Lorne and Katy flashed their IDs under his nose. “DI Lorne Warner and DS Katy Foster. Do you mind if we come in for a chat, Mr. Watts?”
“About what?” he asked, rubbing at the stubble covering his chin as his frown deepened.
“Personal family business that I don’t think your neighbours should hear about,” Lorne replied, skirting the truth a little.
He sighed heavily. “I bet I can guess what ‘family’ you’re referring to. You better come in.”
Lorne and Katy followed him up the narrow passage, in need of repainting at the bottom, and through into the tiny open-plan living room cum kitchen, which was a total mess. There wasn’t a clear surface in sight. Lorne gulped down the bile rising in her throat and regretted asking to speak to the man pri
vately. Her heart went out to Katy, who looked as though she were about to regurgitate her lunch.
“Okay, hit me with it?” Watts prompted.
“We’re dealing with a major crime and really only here to ask you about any background information you can give us regarding Claire Knight and her family,” Lorne told him.
“In what respect? I’m not sure I’m the right person to be talking to if you want an unbiased opinion. You are aware that Claire and I got divorced earlier this year, right?”
“Yes, we’re aware of that. Can you tell us why?”
“Why?”
“We’re just trying to find out more about the family. While digging into Claire’s background, some inaccuracies, shall we say, cropped up that we found rather puzzling, and we feel they need investigating further.”
“Why come to me? To be honest with you, ladies, I can’t stand the bloody woman, and to say I hope she rots in hell would be a gross understatement.”
“Can you tell us why you hate her so much?” Lorne pressed.
“Look around you.” His hand swept across the room. “This time last year, I was smugly tucked up in my mansion in Fulham. Can you imagine the humiliation I’m feeling at the moment?”
“It must be hard when your life is turned upside down like this. It would make us understand more if you could tell us why. Wasn’t the house in your name?”
His chin sank to rest on his chest. “It was.” He raised his head and shook it then raked a hand through his thinning hair. “Until she manipulated me into signing it over to her. She’s an evil bitch. Mark my words when I tell you that. She’d sooner walk over you than around you to get what she wants in this life.”
“If that’s the case, why did you marry her? She must have had at least a few good qualities you admired before you proposed to her.”
“Thinking back, I can’t recall any. She employs tactics similar to what a conman would use to get money out of rich widows. Do you get where I’m coming from, Inspector?”