Taste of Fury

by M A Comley

  “Worth asking the neighbours?” Charlie suggested.

  “You go left, I’ll go right.” Katy took three steps and knocked on the door to the next flat.

  The door was answered quickly by a young woman with bright red dyed hair. She wore a low top and shorts. “Yeah!”

  Katy produced her ID. “You haven’t done anything wrong,” she added quickly, sensing the woman was about to shut the door in her face.

  “Damn right I haven’t and neither has he, for a change. What do you want? Be quick, the kids are wanting their breakfast.”

  “I’ll be quick. I’m making enquiries about your neighbour, Megan Johnson.”

  “Who? Which side is that? We keep ourselves to ourselves, best way around here.”

  Katy pointed to next door. “Do you know much about her?”

  “Not really. See her now and again. Never spoken to her.”

  “Can you tell me if she lives alone?”

  “Nope. Next question.”

  Katy resisted the temptation to heave out an impatient sigh. “Have you seen her with anyone else?”

  By this time the woman was looking totally bored. “Nope. Next.”

  “What about someone who is disabled?”

  “Are you taking the piss? How would someone get up here in a wheelchair when the lift never bloody works?”

  “Okay, I’ll leave you to it. Thanks for your…” The door slamming shut in her face prevented her from finishing her sentence.

  She marched back to see if Charlie had fared any better with the other neighbour. “Thanks, that’s a big help. Sorry to have disturbed you.”

  The old lady, bent over slightly with age, smiled at Katy as she joined them. “That’s all right, dear. I like to do my best where the police are concerned. I never know when I might need your services.”

  “Thanks all the same. Enjoy the rest of your Sunday.”

  “You too, although saying that, you’re working, not much fun for you, is it?”

  “We get by,” Charlie replied.

  They walked away and started down the stairs. “How did you get on?” Katy asked.

  “The woman said she knew Megan well enough to say hello to, but couldn’t really give me much in the way of useful information.”

  “That’s a shame. I got the same reaction from the other neighbour, sort of. Did you manage to ask her if Megan’s disabled brother lives there as well?”

  “I asked, but the woman couldn’t give me a definitive answer.”

  They reached the car before either of them spoke again. “Jump in, let’s get out of here.”

  Charlie slid into the car and fastened her seatbelt. “Where to now?”

  “Back to the station to put our heads together.”

  “About the brother?”

  Katy turned to her and nodded. “Amongst other things.”

  They both remained lost in their thoughts during the twenty-minute journey back to the station. Katy had Charlie well-trained by now because as soon as they entered the incident room, her partner homed in on the vending machine to buy the coffees.

  Charlie placed a cup in front of Katy who had already booted up the computer. “I’m out of my depth a touch on this one, you know, with regard to the brother being disabled, it’s not something I’ve had to deal with either professionally or personally before. Do you have any knowledge on the subject?”

  “No, not really. I’m sure we can work it out between us.”

  “Ha, it could be a case of the blind leading the blind then, hang tight.” Katy blew on her drink and took a sip. “Let’s see what Google can come up with when I type in ‘where are disabled people likely to live?’”

  Charlie leaned over to view the search results. “I suppose it depends on the severity of his condition.”

  “Yep, you’re right. He could be in an assisted-living place with support on site or he might be living independently, if he’s only partially disabled. Ugh… see, told you I’d be out of my depth, is there such a thing as being partially disabled?”

  Charlie smiled. “I don’t think so. A person is either disabled or able-bodied, in my opinion.”

  Katy rolled her eyes. “Of course. Glad I said that to you and not someone else who would likely take offence.”

  Charlie looked at the results on the screen again. “There’s another option that isn’t listed up there.”

  Frowning, Katy asked, “Go on, what are you thinking?”

  “That possibly another member of the family is caring for the brother.”

  “They’d have to be an absolute angel to put their own life on hold for someone who wasn’t their immediate family, I mean either the parents or a sibling. Maybe they had another brother or sister, perhaps? Can you recall the article mentioning that?”

  “No, I don’t think so. What about an aunt or uncle, perhaps? Do we know who took on being the kids’ guardian after the parents died?”

  Katy brought up the article and between them they scan read it to try to find the answer, but unfortunately, the information wasn’t listed. “Damn. Where the fuck could we find out?”

  “Would it come under Social Services? I’m not sure, I’m just throwing it into the mix.”

  “Possibly. I have a contact there.” Katy dashed into her office and found her friend’s number. She returned to the incident room, flopped into her seat and dialled Tania Quinn’s mobile. It rang several times and then went into voicemail. “Bugger, nice to know someone gets a Sunday off, unlike some I could mention.”

  In the meantime, Charlie had carried out a search of her own and come up with an emergency number for Social Services. She picked up the phone and rang the number. “There has to be someone on call, whether they’ll be able to divulge the information or not is another matter.”

  The automated system ran through different options, none of which were beneficial to them. Instead, Charlie remained on the line in a queue until she spoke to an actual person. She was caller number ten.

  “Wonderful, so much for this being an emergency number, what if someone was desperately in need of their help?” Katy grumbled. She picked up a pen and tapped it on the desk.

  “I suppose if someone is desperately ill, they would need to ring nine-nine-nine or one-one-one. Again, I might be talking out of my arse.”

  Katy chuckled. “You always manage to brighten a dull day.”

  She stared at the clock, it was coming up to twelve-fifteen and they’d been on hold, listening to what was supposed to be soothing music, for more than ten minutes. She left her seat to stretch her legs. “This is driving me bloody potty.”

  A woman’s voice came on the line. “Social Services, how may I help?”

  Charlie sat back in her chair and motioned for Katy to reply. “Ah, yes, sorry to trouble you. I’m DI Katy Foster, I’m in need of some information.”

  “You’re aware this is an emergency hotline and not an information service, aren’t you, Inspector?” the woman said abruptly.

  “Yes, and I apologise, but this really is a matter of life and death. We have a kidnapped child we’re trying to trace.”

  “I see. What do you need from me?”

  “We’re at a loss as to where to turn. We’re trying to contact the family of the person we believe may have kidnapped the child. The woman in question has a disabled brother. As far as we’re aware, he doesn’t live with her. What we need to find out is where the brother lives. It’s our only way of tracing this woman.”

  “I understand. I’ll see what I can do to help. What’s the brother’s name?”

  One hand held up with her fingers crossed, Katy replied, “It’s Daniel Johnson. There was an accident eighteen years ago, their parents were killed outright. Daniel was in a coma for a while and then classed as disabled after the accident.”

  “Just a moment, I’ll input the information to see what I can find.”

  “Wonderful.”

  “Ah yes, here we are. I thought I recognised the case. A terrible sha
me for the kids to contend with. According to our records, the aunt and uncle offered to care for Daniel and Megan. As far as I can tell, they’re still caring for Daniel.”

  “Marvellous. I don’t suppose you’d be willing to give me their address, would you? It’s imperative we find out where Megan is.”

  “I’m going to need you to send me some form of ID first, I can’t possibly hand over such sensitive information at the drop of a hat, I’m sure you understand.”

  “Totally. How do you want to do this?” Katy said, trying her hardest not to grit her teeth at having to jump through hoops for this woman.

  “I need you to scan your warrant card and send it to the following email address. That way it’ll come straight to me and I can action things immediately.”

  “Scan it? Won’t a photo of my card via my phone do? The technology is more up to date than having to hunt around for a scanner. I’m not even sure the printer in the office scans documents et cetera.”

  “It does, I can do it for you,” Charlie whispered.

  “Okay, ignore that. My partner said she’s willing to give it a go.”

  “That’s perfect, problem solved. If you give me your number, I’ll ring you back once I’ve received the email from you, and we’ll go from there.”

  Katy jotted down the email address the woman gave her and let Charlie do her bit regarding the scan. “What a bastard, having to prove who I am over the damn internet.”

  “It’s better to be safe and all that. Can you imagine the number of calls they have to contend with? Fake calls at that.”

  “All right, you’ve convinced me again. How long is it going to take?”

  “More time if you persist in asking me questions.”

  Charlie worked her magic with the computer mouse and the scanner and before long, a light traced a line under the lid.

  “All the years I’ve been here, I just thought it was a damn printer.”

  They both laughed. Charlie sourced the document from the computer, attached it to an email and hit the send button.

  Within seconds, the woman from Social Services was on the line, verifying that the documentation had been substantiated.

  Thank fuck for that! Not sure what I would have done if she’d rejected it. “Great to hear. Now, about that information. You know, what with time being of the essence and all that jazz.”

  “There’s no need to be grouchy, Inspector, we all have our protocols to adhere to, as you’re well aware.”

  “I am. Can we get on with this, please?”

  “Very well. The children were placed with their Aunt Gail and Uncle Sam. Their address is number eight Whittaker Close, East Finchley. Do you need the postcode?”

  “If you wouldn’t mind.”

  The woman read it out and Charlie entered it on a clean page in her notebook.

  “That’s very kind of you. I don’t suppose there’s anything on their records that we should be cautious of, is there?”

  “Wait, I’ll just check. No, I don’t believe so. Apart from Daniel being severely disabled. He has problems communicating with the family.”

  “How sad. Okay, we’ll take it easy when we go and question them. I can’t thank you enough for your help.”

  “My pleasure. I hope you locate the kidnapped child. If you hadn’t mentioned that, I doubt I would have been so willing to divulge the information, not over the phone and definitely not on a Sunday.”

  “So glad you took pity on me. Enjoy the rest of your day.”

  “Ha, I doubt it. Good luck.”

  Katy hung up and her gaze was immediately drawn to the clock. It was getting ever closer to one, with ten minutes to spare.

  Reading Katy’s mind, Charlie said, “Would you rather visit them tomorrow?”

  “I would, however, my conscience refuses to allow me to even consider putting it off. I’ll give AJ a call on the way. I doubt he’s going to be happy with me, although under the circumstances, a child going missing, I’m hoping he’ll at least be a bit more understanding than usual.”

  “Good luck with that one.”

  They switched off the computer and slipped on their jackets.

  “What about Brandon?” Katy asked as they raced down the stairs and out to the car.

  “Nah, I won’t bother. I have more important things on my mind than being subjected to silent treatment. I’ll suffer his wrath once I’m at home, face to face is always better than delivering the news over the phone. It is in our relationship, anyway.”

  “I know things will be a thousand times worse if I don’t ring AJ. Here, you drive, that way I can concentrate on pacifying him without fear of causing an accident.” She threw Charlie the car keys.

  Charlie smiled, adjusted the driver’s seat to suit her longer legs and drove out of the car park. Katy inhaled and exhaled a few times, doing her best to try to calm her racing heart.

  “Hi, AJ, it’s me.”

  “Are you on your way home? If so, I’ll put the dinner on.”

  She closed her eyes, imagining his hopeful face and beaming smile on the other end. “No, believe me, I’m so sorry to let you down at this late stage. Something major has transpired and I have to visit someone urgently.”

  “It’s fine. Don’t worry about us. Georgie, go get your coat on, sweetheart, we’re going to McDonalds for lunch.”

  Georgie screeched in the background and Katy’s heart sank. She hated that place. She’d always been brought up to think of McDonalds as supporters of the IRA back in their heyday and had avoided spending her well-earned money there over the years. She tried her hardest not to react, but it was an impossible task.

  “Can’t you go elsewhere? You know how I feel about that place, AJ!”

  “Exactly, which is why we avoid it when we’re with you. Georgie and I love going there, we just never tell you when we have a sneaky burger and chips.”

  “What? Do you realise what you’re saying? You’re teaching our child to be deceitful, you think that’s right, AJ?”

  “Don’t start on me, Katy. I care about my daughter and her needs.”

  “And you’re saying I don’t? How can taking her out to McDonalds like that be caring for our daughter?”

  “What time should we expect you home now?” AJ swiftly changed the subject.

  “I don’t know. I’ll give you a call later on.”

  “Don’t bother, we probably won’t be here. I’ll take Georgie out for the day to make up for you not wanting to be with her.”

  “AJ! Where the hell is this coming from? If you only knew what we were up against here, you’d be encouraging me to remain at work and do my best.”

  “You have made it perfectly clear where your priorities lie over the past few weeks, Katy. Things are going to be changing around here. I’ve decided that Georgie needs at least one adult in her life who prioritises her well-being. I’m volunteering to be that person. Let’s face it, she can no longer rely on you, can she?”

  Tears pricked Katy’s eyes and she shook her head. “You’re not being fair, AJ. I wasn’t going to tell you this for fear of it upsetting you, but what the heck… we have to remain out in the field on this one because as it stands, we have a child who has been kidnapped. I don’t want to get into a long drawn-out debate about this, I’m putting another child’s life before my own. I think on this occasion, it’s warranted, don’t you?”

  “Umm… you should have said sooner.”

  “You reckon? You didn’t give me a damn chance. Go, AJ, have your damn burger and manky fries from that place, I hope you suffer the consequences later.”

  “Bloody charming.” He ended the call.

  Katy jabbed at the button. Her leg bounced up and down as her anger grew. “I never expected that. What is wrong with him? I’m out here, on my day off, trying to keep this place safe, a safer environment in which to bring up our child and he slates me for it.”

  Charlie gave her a sympathetic look. “It’s because he cares so much about you and Georgie. He
wants to spend time with you and is bitter that you’re devoting too much time to your work, it’s only natural, Katy.”

  “If he hadn’t been a copper once upon a time, I could completely understand where you’re coming from, partner. But he knows what we have to endure in order to bring down some of these criminals. You name one criminal we’ve arrested since you’ve joined us who committed all their crimes between the hours of nine to five?”

  “I understand your frustrations, I truly do. But on the other hand, you need to recognise AJ’s point of view as well.”

  She sighed, feeling defeated. “I do. I swear I do, especially with Georgie’s condition always rattling around in my head. Maybe I should take a leaf out of your mother’s book and bloody retire!”

  Charlie bashed her hand against her thigh. “You can’t do that! I know Mum threw in the towel a number of times, but she also returned to her role a couple of times too, because she needed to feel wanted. To achieve the maximum results throughout her career, to maintain the balance in her life. That’s how I perceived it, anyway. Don’t be like Mum, you’re going to need to take a step back, delegate more if necessary, if that’s what it takes to keep your marriage alive.”

  Katy shrugged. “Maybe it was the wrong call for us to tie the knot. Anyway, what made you so damn wise, young lady?”

  “I think you know the answer to that one, boss.”

  Her leg stilled and she inhaled her final deep, calming breath. “I do. I miss her, you know. Ouch! And that’s not me intimating that you’re a poor replacement, far from it. We’re all lucky to have you on the team, and I’m even more fortunate to have you by my side as my partner. I never had a single doubt when Roberts ran the idea past me, you know.”

  Her partner turned briefly and her face lit up. “What if you hadn’t wanted a Lorne mark two to work with?”

  “I seriously believe I would be up shit creek right now. We’re a force to be reckoned with, long may it continue.”

  Charlie wagged her finger. “But not if the consequences mean the destruction of your marriage, agreed?”

  “Yep. I’d be lost without AJ and Georgie in my life. You’re right on two counts. Firstly, I need to have a serious discussion with AJ about where we go from here, and secondly, I need to definitely delegate more. Rein in my enthusiasm and keep it under control. I never used to be a go-getter, not really. I think when Lorne first laid eyes on me, she despised me; I used to be so far up my own backside. You do know my history, don’t you?”