Toxic Justice, page 11
part #18 of DI Lorne Simpkins Series
The second Lorne arrived home, she gave Tony a long, hard kiss that took his breath away. “Wow, what did I do to deserve that?”
“Thank you for being you.”
He kissed her on the cheek and then removed her dinner from the oven. “Will steak and kidney pie do for you? I hope it’s not too spoilt. Eat this and then you can tell me all about your day.”
“There’s lots to tell.” She washed her hands and took her place at the table. Over dinner, she told him about the developments they’d had in the case and that now they were dealing with two suicide victims, not just one. “As if that wasn’t enough, when Sean and I were at Wendy’s mother’s house, Katy called me to say she was rushing off to the hospital as little Georgina had been taken to A&E.”
“Damn! Is she all right?”
“I’m still waiting on a call from Katy.”
“Wait a minute, back up, why were you with Sean in the first place and not Katy?”
Lorne shrugged and placed the last morsel of her delicious meal on the fork in her mouth. “It just worked out that way. Anyway, there’s something else I have to tell you, but I need a top-up of wine before I do.”
Tony nodded and filled her glass then cleared away the empty dishes from the table. “Do you want to go in the lounge? I can tidy this lot up later.”
“No, here’s fine. Well, Sean and I pulled up outside the latest victim’s house, and he dropped a bombshell on me.” She sipped some wine.
“Go on.” Tony reached across the table to hold her hand as if sensing she was about to tell him something bad.
“He told me that his marriage to Carmen was over.”
“Whoa! Of all the things I was expecting you to tell me, that wasn’t on the list. Really?”
Lorne nodded and inhaled a large breath. “There’s more. I need to tell you this, Tony, it’s eating away at me, has been for a few months.”
“Sounds ominous. You know you can tell me anything, Lorne. What is it?” His hand tightened around hers.
“A little while ago, Sean put me in a difficult predicament when he kissed me.” She looked up from her glass to gauge his reaction. There was very little. After several minutes of silence, he burst out laughing. Lorne was mortified. “What’s so funny?”
“Your face for a start. I knew something was troubling you, sussed it out months back. Don’t tell me, it happened around the time Sean’s goddaughter went missing, correct?”
Lorne slid her hand out from beneath his and thumped him in the arm. “What the fuck…why didn’t you say something?”
“Why didn’t you? I didn’t think we kept secrets from each other, Lorne.”
“Some secrets can cause a lot of damage to a relationship. I was protecting us.”
He grabbed her hand again. “The question is, did you kiss him back?”
“What? No, of course I didn’t.” She was infuriated by his suggestion.
“Then why do you look so worried? I trust you, Lorne. Anyway, I’m not surprised Sean still has a thing for you after all these years, you’re hot!”
It was Lorne’s turn to laugh. She slapped his hand. “I’m actually offended that you’re not jealous.”
He shrugged. “Why should I be jealous? I know how much you love me. When you’re not at work, you spend every minute of the day here, with me.”
“Maybe I should alter that in the future. I wouldn’t want you getting complacent.”
Before Tony could respond, Lorne’s mobile rang. She answered it immediately when she saw Katy’s name on the screen. “Hi, Katy, please tell me it’s good news.”
“Hi, it is and it isn’t. They’re insisting that she stays in overnight. They want to keep a close eye on her for a few days.”
“Any particular reason?”
“They’ve got machines monitoring her heart. It’s a little erratic at the moment.”
“Poor little mite. At least she’s in the right place, love.”
“She is. AJ and I are both exhausted. We’re going to head home now to get some sleep. We wanted to stay here, but the doctor said it would be pointless as they’ve sedated her.”
“It’s for the best, Katy. Get some rest.”
“I hate to ask, and I know we’re in the middle of a tough case, but would it be all right for me to take a few days off, Lorne?”
“It’s the weekend, numpty. Take Saturday, Sunday and Monday, and get back to me after the weekend with an update.”
“Thanks, I appreciate it.”
“You worry too much. Family comes first, Katy. Rest well, Georgina is in safe hands now.”
“You’re a star. Speak soon. Thanks, Lorne.”
Lorne ended the call and let out a relieved breath. “Thank goodness the little one is all right. Not sure I could cope with any more drama from a work colleague.”
“That’s good news. Does this mean Sean will be partnering you for the time being, until Katy returns to work?”
“Shit. I suppose it does. Don’t worry, I put him in his place at the pub tonight. Told him that you and I had a special bond that could never be broken.”
Tony left his seat and pulled her into his arms. “Want to show me how special it is?”
Feeling like a teenager about to get laid for the first time, she smiled and led him upstairs.
Chapter 9
After throwing the family barbecue on Sunday, Lorne was relieved to get back to work on Monday morning, even if it meant she was a man, or woman in Katy’s case, down. Sean knocked on her office door around nine-fifteen. “How are things at home?” she asked without hesitation.
“She left yesterday morning, with Sara,” he replied, flopping into the spare chair opposite her.
Lorne shook her head in disgust. “I’m so sorry, Sean. I thought, or should I say hoped, you might have worked things out after our chat on Friday.”
“I pleaded with her to talk on Saturday, that’s what we did for most of the day. I thought we were getting somewhere, but I was gravely mistaken. In the evening, I went out for a takeaway and when I came back she was upstairs throwing Sara’s toys into the boxes she’d gathered in the spare room. I’m devastated, but apart from tying her to the bed, I’m not sure there’s anything else I could have done to persuade her to stay. C’est la vie. Anyway, enough about my problems, you’ve heard enough about them already. How’s Katy and the baby?”
“She called me on Friday evening. The doctors were keeping Georgina in overnight. I haven’t heard from her since. I told her to take today off, I hope that was okay?”
“Of course it was. Did the doctors give any indication what was wrong with the child?”
“They’re monitoring her heart. That’s all I know on the subject, sorry.”
“Let’s hope there’s nothing majorly wrong with it and that they were only keeping her in as a precaution. So, it looks like you’re lumbered with me for a few days.”
Lorne groaned and then smiled. “Needs must I suppose. I’d like to really crack on with both cases today.”
“Let me know if you want me to do anything.”
“I’m all right at the moment if you have your own work to be going on with. I thought I’d leave it until ten then ring Patti, sorry, the pathologist, to see if she has any news for me.”
He rose from his seat. “I can take a hint when I hear one. I’ll pop back later. Ring me in the meantime if you need me for anything.”
Lorne smiled and watched him leave the room, relieved he didn’t appear to have brought his problems to work with him. She began toiling through her post but didn’t get very far before a call interrupted her. It was the desk sergeant.
“Hi, Mick. How can I help?”
“I have some sad news for you, guv.”
“You’ve grabbed my attention. What news?”
“Well, I had the radio on in the back room and just heard that the mother of Jonathon Giles attempted to commit suicide over the weekend.”
“What? No, tell me you’re mistaken.”
“I’m not. It’s what was on the radio. They wouldn’t have put it out if it was false, would they?”
“Shit. Okay, thanks for the information, Mick.” She hung up and placed her head in her hands as the information sank in. Unexpected tears filled her eyes. I failed her. Crap, we should have nailed these kids by now.
Lorne left the office to share the unwanted news with the rest of the team. They were all as flabbergasted as she was. Next, she sprinted down the corridor to tell Sean. He was sitting behind his desk when she stuck her head around the door. “Got two minutes?”
“Come in. What’s wrong?” he asked, frowning.
Lorne sank into the chair and swept a hand over her face. “I’ve just heard that Barbara Giles, Jonathon’s mother, attempted to take her own life over the weekend.”
Sean sat back in his chair and threw the pen he was holding onto the desk. “Damn! Hey, I know that look. You can pack it in right now, Lorne Warner, you’re not to blame for this, none of us are.”
“Aren’t we? We know who’s responsible for her son’s death and yet our hands are tied. That’s what upsets me more than anything about this frigging case. We need to up the ante and get these kids brought in, Sean. Crap, I hate the thought of letting those parents down. What if Wendy’s mother attempts to do the same thing? Shit, not sure if I could cope with that amount of guilt weighing me down.” She jumped out of her chair again and darted across the room to the door.
“Hey, where are you rushing off to?”
“I need to get in touch with Patti first and then ring Mr Giles to see if there is anything we can do to help.”
“Okay, just go steady, Lorne.”
“I will. I’ll get back to you if I learn anything new.” She trotted back to her office and immediately dialled the pathology lab. “Patti, I’m glad I caught you. Any news for me? Wait, before you tell me, I have some grave news for you.”
“I’m all ears.”
“Jonathon Giles’s mother attempted suicide over the weekend, hence my call. I need something to cling on to for her sake, Patti.”
“Bloody hell. The poor woman must have been beside herself to have wanted to join her son so quickly after his death. Right, this is what we’ve got so far. Nothing as yet from the phones you handed in. The texts that were sent were from burner phones apparently. We’re still awaiting the results of the laptops. I’ll get on to the tech guys and tell them it’s a matter of urgency now, not that they weren’t treating it as such before. I’ll stop wittering on and get on the blower to them.”
“Thanks, Patti. Keep me in the loop. I need to nail these bastards soon. What they’ve done is having a ripple effect, and I hate to imagine where that’s going to lead next. I got the impression that the other victim’s mother, Pauline Foxley, is as vulnerable as Barbara Giles.”
“I’m on it now. I’ll get back to you as and when I come up with something useful.”
Lorne hung up and placed her head in her hands. A slight tap on the door made her look up. Karen was standing in the doorway with a cup of coffee in her hand.
“Thought you might be in need of this, boss.”
Lorne smiled, appreciating her colleague’s thoughtfulness. “Thanks, Karen. It’s just what I needed.”
“Is there anything I can do to help?”
“No, not at present. We’re at the hands of the forensics team. I hate us being in limbo like this.”
“I understand your frustration. I’ll keep doing some research, see what I can find out then.” Karen left the room.
The morning dragged by until Lorne received yet another devastating call that rocked her professional world.
“Hello. DI Warner. How may I help?”
“DI Warner, I’m Mr Yates, the headmaster of St. Jacob’s. I’ve heard you’re dealing with a number of cases to do with pupils committing suicide.”
“That’s right, sir. I believe one of the victim’s sisters attends your school, is that correct?”
“Yes, Jonathon Giles’s sister, Gracie, is a pupil here. I’ve just heard that her own mother is in hospital after attempting to take her own life. We’re all devastated by this news.”
“I can imagine. My whole team are in shock about this, too.”
“But that’s not why I’m ringing you.”
“It’s not? May I ask what your call is about then, sir?” Lorne detected a sadness in the man’s voice and closed her eyes, dreading what he was about to say next.
“Unfortunately, we were informed this morning that one of our female pupils died, or should I say committed suicide over the weekend.”
Lorne gasped. “Oh no, that’s dreadful. Do you know how or why she did it?”
“We have very little information. Her mother rang me first thing in floods of tears. I really didn’t want to pry into the ins and outs of what she’d been subjected to over the weekend.”
“That’s understandable. Can you give me the woman’s address? I’ll shoot over there now and see if she’ll speak to me. If there’s a bullying element to it then we have a right to be involved in the case. If not, then her daughter must have been in a desperate state about something and we need to find out what that something was.”
“A dreadful situation. I don’t mind confiding in you that I feel quite numb by the news. In all the time I’ve spent teaching, something along these lines has only occurred twice. That’s two times too many, I can tell you.”
“I know what you mean. It’s the burden of guilt that’s attached, isn’t it?”
“Yes, you’ve hit the nail on the head. Let me find the woman’s address for you.” Lorne heard him flick through some papers. “Here we go, it’s a Tina Watson of number ten Pickering Walk in Stoke Newington. Her daughter’s name was Christina.”
“Thank you, Mr Yates. I’ll pay the mother a visit now. I appreciate your call. Please, don’t blame yourself for this.”
“I’ll try.”
He ended the call. Lorne punched in Sean’s number and waited for him to answer.
“DCI Roberts. Is that you, Lorne?”
“It is. Are you ready to get on the road? I’ve received a call from the head at St. Jacob’s. He told me that one of his pupils has taken her own life.”
“Damn, not another one. Is it relevant to the cases we’re working on?”
“I can’t answer that until I’ve spoken to the parents, Sean. Which is my intention now.”
“I’ll join you outside; we’ll take my car.”
“See you in two ticks.” Lorne placed the phone back in the docking station and hitched on her coat. She halted in the incident room just long enough to inform the rest of the team what had occurred. “I don’t need to tell you what to do. Graham, get the CCTV footage from Friday ready to view. The details are sketchy on where and why the girl did it, but forewarned and all that. I’ll see you all soon.”
She rushed out of the room and down the stairs. Sean was already sitting in his car. As soon as he spotted her exiting the building, he drove towards her.
“Where are we going?”
“Stoke Newington. Do you want me to deal with the satnav?”
“If you would,” he replied, shifting through the gears and exiting the car park.
Lorne punched in the details and then reclined against the headrest. “This is seriously starting to tick me off now. If I find out this girl died because she was bullied, I’m pulling that gang in for questioning.”
Sean shook his head. “You know you can’t do that without proof, Lorne. Did you ring the pathology lab?”
“Yep, that’s when my frustration levels started to mount. Nothing on the phones, looks like they used burners. Patti is hopefully going to get back to me soon with regard to the laptops.”
“That’s taking a while. They need a rocket up their arses.”
“Patti assured me that they’re going to make it a priority now. I told her that Jonathon’s mother is in hospital. Crap, I wish I had the time to visit her. I feel such a shit for not doing that.”
“You can’t split yourself in two, Lorne. Let’s see what we can find out about this incident first and maybe we can call at the hospital afterwards, how’s that?”
Lorne nodded and smiled. “Good thinking.”
They drew up outside a detached house in a quiet cul-de-sac around fifteen minutes later. Sean had used his siren to ease through the traffic during certain parts of the journey to get there quickly, much to Lorne’s relief.
“Are you coming in with me this time?”
He turned to face her. “Yes, no more meltdowns, I promise. I’m going to have to deal with my personal life at the end of my shift, I realise that.”
Lorne patted him on the thigh. “Good man. There are people out there worse off than us. I’ve learnt to accept that over the years from my own experience.”
“I know. Thanks for the pep talk. Let’s go in there united and find out what the heck went on.”
“Mind if I take the lead on this one?” she asked tentatively.
“In other words, this is going to take a woman’s touch.”
“That sums it up perfectly.”
They left the car and walked up the gravel drive to the large, red-painted front door. Lorne rang the bell and looked over her shoulder to see if they had drawn the neighbours’ attention while they waited for someone to receive them. Lorne had a touch of street envy; not a twitching curtain in sight. She wished she’d lived in a house like this when she’d been married to Tom. Nowadays she wouldn’t give up the life she had running the rescue centre. She loved living in the rural country idyll she now called home.
A man in his forties opened the door wearing a harsh frown. “Can I help you?”
Lorne produced her warrant card. “Hello, Mr Watson. I’m Detective Inspector Lorne Warner, and this is my boss, Detective Chief Inspector Sean Roberts. Would it be possible to come in and speak with you for a moment or two?”
He let out a long sigh. “I think I can guess what this is about. We just want to move on with our lives. My wife is grieving terribly, and I’m not sure going over what happened to Christina is going to help much.”
