Ultimate Dilemma (Justice Again Book 2)

by M A Comley

  “Hmm…now that is weird. Why would someone break into the house, remove one of the photos and then kill her father, or do it the other way around? Bloody hell, what are we up against here? During the PM, we discovered that Bruce only had a few weeks or months to live. He had stomach cancer. We chased it up with the doctor, and he told us that neither Nadia nor her sister were aware of his illness.”

  “Wow, that’s strange. If Nadia’s a nurse, wouldn’t she have recognised the signs if he was terminally ill?”

  “My thoughts exactly. The poor man had to go through months of chemo as well.”

  “Jesus. She had to have known, surely?”

  “I’m going to try and have another word with her. I take it she was on her way into work after leaving you guys.”

  “She was. She packed a holdall and was in and out within ten minutes tops. I asked her if she needed a lift or anything else, and she mumbled that she had it covered and to leave her alone to get on with her life.”

  “Odd thing to say when someone offers you help. Maybe we’ll leave her alone today and chase her up again tomorrow, once the sister has arrived. Hang on, were there any other photos of the family in the lounge?”

  “Yes, a few. Why?”

  “If you get the chance to either go back inside the house or to speak to a SOCO, ask them to take a shot of the photos, just so I know what we’re dealing with.”

  “Okay. Is there anything else you need?”

  “I don’t think so. I’m sure something will come to mind during the day; if it does, I’ll call you.”

  “I’ll get back to it. Ring you if anything useful crops up.”

  “Good luck.” Katy ended the call and blew out a breath. “If I wasn’t confused before, I am now. What do you make of the situation, Charlie?”

  She shrugged. “It’s beyond me at the moment. Maybe it signifies that the attack was more of a personal nature than one of chance which could occur through a robbery. Or maybe I’m talking out of my arse and don’t know what to think.”

  Katy laughed at the expression pulling at her features. “I’m glad it’s not just me feeling discombobulated. There, I promised AJ I would drop that word into a conversation today and I’ve fulfilled my promise, or threat, should I say.”

  Charlie laughed. “I was about to ask if you’d swallowed a dictionary for breakfast instead of your cereal. Does this mean I have this sort of thing to contend with on a daily basis?”

  Chuckling, Katy indicated and moved into a gap in the traffic. “I’ll try not to torture you too much. It’s a game we play at the weekends, it keeps our minds active.”

  Her partner glanced out of the window and mumbled something incoherent.

  “I missed that, what did you say?”

  “Whatever floats your boat.”

  “Enough said. Let’s return to base, see what the rest of the team have managed to dig up on the family.”

  “I think that’s a very wise move.”

  Karen had a snippet of news for them upon their arrival. “Boss, I’ve got the bank accounts for the victim and his daughter. Sadly, nothing to report there. Nadia was better off than her father by a mere few hundred pounds.”

  “Hardly ground-breaking news to help the investigation, no disrespect intended on your skills, Karen. We need more to go on than we’ve got so far. Looks like our only hope is that Patrick and Stephen have some form of success with the house-to-house task—that’s likely to take a few hours yet.”

  “Sorry,” Karen muttered.

  Katy wagged her finger at the sergeant. “Don’t you dare. If the clues aren’t there then there’s nothing we can do about it. I’ll bring the board up to date, maybe my partner will feel sorry for me and buy me a coffee to battle my blues.”

  Charlie tutted and made her way over to the machine. “Anyone else want one while I’m here?”

  Graham and Karen both raised their hands.

  Katy smiled and scribbled on the whiteboard, noting down that the family photo was missing from the house, something, the more she thought about, the more she considered to be a significant fact. After she’d completed the task, she drifted into her office just as the phone rang. She raced around the desk to answer it. “DI Katy Foster, how can I help?”

  “Hi, it’s Sean. I’ve heard on the grapevine a new case has landed on your desk.”

  “Heard on the grapevine, have you? The jungle drums were correct.”

  “Do you want to run it past me?”

  “Not really. So far there’s not much to tell.”

  “Go on, I’m only sitting here twiddling my thumbs anyway.” He sucked in a breath.

  “Are you all right? You don’t sound it.”

  “Fine. The stitches punishing me, that’s all.”

  “You’re nuts being back at work so soon. If I were in your shoes, I would have milked it for at least a couple of months.”

  Sean laughed. “And I’d call you a liar to your face. Don’t give me that bullshit, you’d be back behind your desk within a week, knowing you.”

  “I wouldn’t be so sure about that. I have a five-year-old who I’m barely seeing at the moment.”

  “Yeah, I have a child of similar age, so I totally hear you on that score.”

  “How did Sara take your injury?” Katy asked, referring to his daughter.

  “She clucked around, fussed over me like a mother hen. I didn’t get a lot of sympathy from Carmen.”

  “Should that surprise you, considering you’re now divorced?”

  “I guess. It would’ve been nice to know that she still cared a touch. No such luck. I suppose that’s told me one thing: there’s no way back, even if I had thoughts in that direction.”

  “Life goes on, Sean. It won’t do you any good dwelling on what might have been. There are plenty more—”

  “Please don’t finish that shitty proverb. At my age, the last thing I need is to go to any nightclubs on a fishing expedition.”

  “Actually, I’d feel the same and I’m, what, a good ten years younger than you?”

  “Cheeky sod.”

  “Have you thought about swiping right?”

  “Thought about it, yes, done anything about it, no. I’ve figured it’s not my scene. I’ll be fine, don’t worry about me, I’m feeling sorry for myself, that’s all. Back to the case. Anything I can help you with?”

  “Not really. You know what we’re up against during the first few days of an investigation. This one is no different. To give you a brief rundown, Nadia Crawford, who is a nurse, came home from work to find her father sparked out on the floor with his throat cut.”

  “Heck, poor woman. Why aren’t you treating it as a cut-and-dried case?”

  “Because certain facts have come out.”

  “Are you going to share those with me or are you expecting me to guess what they are, Inspector?”

  She disclosed the main points causing her concern.

  “So, what you’re really telling me is that because she was covered in his blood you think she has something to do with his death?”

  “See, that’s my dilemma. I do and I don’t. On the one hand, I can understand why, as a nurse, she would want to try and help her father, but on the other, shouldn’t she have known not to touch the body, or at least take a step back?”

  “To me, instinct would and could have thrown all logic out of the window. My advice would be not to come down too heavily on her. She’s grieving, you need to remember that.”

  “I know, which is why I’ve kept a rein on my doubts up until now. What about her father having cancer and her not knowing, what do you read into that?”

  He sighed. “Not a lot. From a male point of view, we don’t tend to take much notice of our health, or should I say, we prefer not to burden our loved ones with issues like that. Take me for instance. The doctor told me I shouldn’t return to work for at least six months, and here I am, sitting behind my desk ready for action after only a week.”

  “Yeah, but you have
a screw loose. Oops…sorry, did I say that out loud?” Katy laughed.

  “You can mock me all you like, Katy Foster, or should that be Jackson? Either way, men react differently to women when they’re injured or sick, we all know that.”

  “But cancer? You’d keep that illness from your loved ones?”

  “I’m not sure I would have. Look, until you delve into the type of relationship they had, you can’t really speculate, can you?”

  “True enough. Father and daughter shared the same house, meaning they must have been close. The fact that she’s a nurse and he kept the truth from her is becoming a thorn in my side. I simply can’t get my head around it. Have you got any idea how much chemo takes out of the person being treated? She wasn’t aware he was having it. I find that incredulous to believe.”

  “Are you sure she didn’t know? You’ve only got the doctor’s word on that, right?”

  “True, I suppose. I really need to have another chat with her. There are too many variables I need to sort out.”

  “I don’t have to tell you to be sensible about this, do I?”

  “You’re right, you don’t. Otherwise, I would’ve hauled her arse in for questioning already.”

  “Okay, that’s me told. Any issues, you know where I am. Try not tie yourself up in knots on this one, not yet anyway.”

  “Thanks for your support, sir,” she replied, her words etched with sarcasm.

  “You’re welcome.”

  She ended the call, shaking her head. Two hours of mindless paperwork would sort her out.

  Halfway through her mundane chore, Patrick called.

  “Hi, how’s it going down there?”

  “I think we have something, boss. One of the elderly neighbours was taking his pooch for a walk and spotted someone in a hoodie lingering on the corner.”

  She sat upright and pulled her shoulders back. “Excellent news. Did he get a good look at them?”

  “I wouldn’t get too excited. Mr Cole told me he’s as blind as a bat without his glasses on, and here’s the bad news: he never ventures out with his glasses on, doesn’t see the point in wearing them out in the street at night.”

  “What the actual fuck is that supposed to mean? Jesus, some people’s ideas get skewed as they get older, don’t they? Okay, is that all?”

  “Yes, at the moment.”

  “Well, keep knocking on the doors. If one person saw a stranger lurking, the odds are in our favour that someone else might have seen them, too. Good job, Patrick.”

  “Thanks for the unexpected praise, boss, I wouldn’t get too carried away just yet. Back to the grind. I’ll call you if anything else shows up.”

  Katy hung up and glanced up at the blue skies taunting her through the window. What she wouldn’t give to be sunbathing on a Greek island instead of being stuck inside on one of the hottest days of the year. She jumped up and opened the window a bit wider, her mind in desperate need of a break.

  Charlie knocked on her door and entered. “Just checking to see if you’re surviving okay.”

  “I am, thanks. Patrick just called. One of the neighbours spotted someone on the street corner.”

  “Interesting. Is that it?”

  “Yep, the neighbour has notoriously bad eyesight.”

  “Helpful.” Charlie rolled her eyes.

  “Not really. Patrick is surging on, in the hope that another neighbour witnessed the same person. I hope it doesn’t turn out to be a wild goose chase or the equivalent. I don’t think my nerves could stand it.”

  “We’re plodding on with the background checks and getting nowhere fast.”

  “We need a break. Do you think the perp knew the victim was dying?”

  “We have no way of knowing that. What’s your line of thinking there, that someone might have set out to have intentionally done him a favour?”

  Katy’s arms flew out to the sides then slammed against her thighs. “Who bloody knows? At this juncture, I’m willing to listen to every plausible option going. Let’s face it, we’re paddling against the tide so far.”

  “True enough. I wouldn’t know where to begin if you asked me to take a punt on my suggestion.”

  “Nope, me neither. We’ll bear it in mind and move on.” She clicked her fingers. “Patrick also informed me that when Nadia showed up at the house, she requested a family photo from the lounge. The frame was empty; she was distraught about that.”

  “It doesn’t make sense. If we’re putting this down to a burglary, I’ve never heard of a burglar taking a photo out of a frame and leaving with the picture, have you?”

  “Never. Perplexing ain’t the word, is it?”

  “It’s all beyond me. I don’t mind admitting that I’m out of my depth on this one, sorry.”

  “Bollocks, don’t you dare apologise. We’re all out of our depths, Charlie. Until more clues or evidence comes our way then we’re screwed, well and truly.”

  “I forgot the evidence part. Maybe they’ll find a fingerprint on the frame.”

  “Possibly.” She ran a finger and thumb around her chin as she thought. “I know one thing, this case is doing my head in already, and we’re less than twenty-four hours into it.”

  “Maybe we’re guilty of overthinking things because of the way Nadia dealt with her father at the scene.”

  “I think you’re right. I need to block that from my mind until some form of evidence pointing in her direction shows up. If we’re going along the lines of a simple burglary, we need to find out how the bastard got in.”

  “Maybe Bruce Crawford let the intruder in,” Charlie said with a shrug.

  “As in, the person walked up to the front door and knocked on it?”

  Charlie chuckled. “Now you’ve said it out loud, perhaps that was a daft suggestion. Proves I’m struggling as much as you are.”

  Katy stretched her arms up over her head and yawned. “It’s draining the shit out of me. I’m going to give the hotel where Nadia is staying a call. Her sister should have arrived by now, right?”

  Charlie nodded. “I think so. Want me to do it for you?”

  “Go on then. I could do with emptying my bladder. I’ll be right back.”

  “TMI,” Charlie grumbled and turned her back.

  Katy rushed past her, in a hurry to go to the loo now she’d mentioned it. She tidied up her hair while she was in the ladies’ and, after spending a penny and washing her hands, returned to the incident room. She was greeted by a smiling Charlie, her puzzling frown a thing of the past. “I take it you’ve got some good news for a change.”

  “Yep, she’s not long arrived. I asked the receptionist to put me through to her room. She’s willing to meet up with us. I told her to expect us within half an hour. She’ll be waiting for us in the bar.”

  “What are we waiting for then? Let’s get going. We’ll pick up a sandwich on the way. Anyone else want one?”

  “I could do with a cheese and pickle on white, boss, and a sneaky doughnut on the side.” Graham dug into his pocket and withdrew his wallet.

  Katy held up a hand. “I’ll get them, I’m feeling generous.”

  “I won’t argue with you then.” Graham grinned.

  “Karen?”

  “Thanks all the same, boss, but I knocked up a salad before I came to work. It’s sitting in the fridge.”

  Katy winked. “Rather you than me. I don’t know how you find the time to prepare anything first thing.”

  “Where there’s a will… I’ve got a wedding coming up at the end of the month, I need to fit into my dress, otherwise I’ll have to buy another one, and funds are tight right now.”

  “Great incentive. Charlie, are you ready?”

  “Ready when you are.”

  They left the station and stopped off at the baker’s a few streets away. “What do you fancy?” Katy asked, ready to dart into the shop.

  “Tuna and mayo on a brown roll, if you don’t mind. I’ll skip the afters, though.”

  “I think I’ll have the
same. I won’t be a jiffy.”

  After eating their lunch and swilling it down with the water Katy had bought, taking a leaf out of Charlie’s well-intention book, they made their way inside the hotel to the bar area. Charlie was the first to spot Penny. She was sitting at the table in front of the bay window staring at the passersby in the street.

  “Hi, would you be Penny?” Katy asked.

  “Sorry, I was miles away. Wishing I was back up in Scotland with my hubby. Yes. Are you the detective I spoke to earlier?”

  Katy and Charlie flashed their warrant cards.

  “My partner did. DI Katy Foster and DC Charlie Simpkins. Thank you for agreeing to see us, we’re so sorry for your loss.”

  Tears sparkled in the young woman’s eyes. She motioned for them to take a seat and then sipped at her coffee. “Can I get you a drink?”

  “No, thank you, we’ve not long had one. Did you have a good trip down?”

  “Long and boring. I hate train journeys at the best of times. Sitting there contemplating what I’ve been told about my father’s death…well, it made the journey a thousand times worse.”

  “I can imagine. Will you be here long?”

  “I’ll be around however long my sister needs me. I can’t believe she’s decided to continue to work. If I’d known she wouldn’t be around, I think I would’ve stayed at home and travelled down just to attend the funeral. Do you know when that’s likely to be?”

  Katy shook her head. “I don’t think the pathologist will delay releasing your father’s body. It’ll be up to you and Nadia to make the arrangements then. Could be a few weeks or months, depending how busy the funeral home is.”

  “I can’t face it. I think Nadia has it all in hand, at least, that’s what she told me.”

  “I see. She seems a very level-headed person to me.”

  “You’re not wrong. She was always more practical than me. I have a tendency to fall apart at the seams when faced with adverse circumstances such as this.”

  “Are you up to speaking to us today? The last thing I want to do is cause you any further distress, especially after your long journey.”

  “Of course. Don’t worry about me. I must warn you I’m still a bit tearful and I might break down and cry now and again, so you’ll have to forgive me if that happens.”