Deadly Dozen: 12 Mysteries/Thrillers (104 page)

Fiona glanced over at Lorne, a pleading in her eyes.

“Come on. Let’s go. There’s no point hanging around here.”

Lorne and the girls hurried out of the courtroom. Lorne looked out the main doors to see the excited crowd pushing and pulling each other for the best position. “We’re going to have to face them. It’s either make a run for it now or wait until Gibson milks his victory. Are you three up to this?”

Three nods came her way. Lorne grabbed Ami’s hand and rushed through the doors, they were immediately pounced on by a reporter she knew well. “Ms Simpkins, how do you feel about today’s verdict?”

Lorne ignored the question, but after it was followed by several similar ones, she heard a voice behind her shout out, “Gibson might have been found not guilty in there, but he knows he’s guilty of not one, but three heinous crimes. He’ll get what’s coming to him!”

Fiona lifted her head, and with a sobbing Linda clinging to her arm, she stormed past Lorne and ran down the remaining steps. Thankfully, the crowd remained in place, waiting for the victorious defendant.

“You really shouldn’t have said that, Fiona,” Lorne reprimanded as they dashed along the street to the car park.

“I know, but I just couldn’t hold back any longer. They ask such dumb questions. Anyway, it’s true.” Fiona chewed her bottom lip as if she wanted to take back the threat.

“Meaning?” Lorne demanded, an uneasy feeling tugging at her gut.

Fiona’s face reddened, and her expression darkened. “I won’t let him get away with this, Lorne.”

“You can’t go taking things into your own hands. Why should you end up in prison? Two wrongs will never make a right.”

“I know that, Lorne.” Fiona had the decency to look ashamed for a second or two before the injustice of the situation sunk in, and hatred darkened her features once more. “I’ve said too much. The less you know, the better.”

“What? You can’t be serious? I won’t let you do this. I demand to know what you’re planning to do?”

But Lorne was already speaking to the girls’ backs as they broke away from her and hurriedly made their way to their car. Damn!

She turned to face the courtroom again, contemplating what she should do next, when the arrogant Gibson, his arms raised and fists clenched in victory, appeared at the top of the steps. After their initial enthusiasm, the crowd’s shouting died down.

Lorne walked back to listen to what he had to say.

“My name has been dragged through the mud. My reputation is now in tatters because of these false allegations. I’m delighted that the jury saw through the three girls’ lies. They have conspired against me in the hope that telling the same unbelievable stories, I would be thrown behind bars. Maybe they’ve watched too many crime or forensic shows on TV and believed they had thought of the perfect crime to stitch me up. Anyway, I’m glad the jury saw through their scam and had the sense to show me their support. I’m an innocent bystander in this crime; they’re the criminals for the lies they’ve told and the damage they’ve caused my, until now, unblemished reputation.”

You jumped up little… Maybe the girls would be justified if they went it alone. Men like him deserved to be pulled down a peg or two.

Thinking she couldn’t listen to his lies anymore, Lorne made her way back to the car. On the way, she rang Katy. “Hiya. It’s me. The bastard got off with it.”

“Shit! Bet that didn’t go down well with the girls.”

“Nope. I have a funny feeling they’re going to try to mete out their own justice.”

Katy tutted and released a heavy breath. “I hope you tried to dissuade them, Lorne?”

“Of course I did, but the look in Fiona’s eyes was enough to tell me to butt out. I’ll let them calm down for a day or two and then get in touch with them. I’ll try to talk them out of what they have planned.”

“Very wise. Give me a call if you need backup at all. Gotta fly, I’ve got to interview a suspect.”

Lorne hung up and started the engine. She drove home on autopilot again, something she seemed to be doing more and more those days, her mind lingering on the day’s events and what the girls’ plans likely were.

Tony was in the courtyard waiting for her. He opened the car and kissed her on the lips when she got out. “Not good news, I take it.”

“How can a guy like that twist the jury around his finger? What’s wrong with people? Why can’t they see when they’re being played?”

Tony placed an arm around her shoulder and pulled her head against his chest. “We’ll get him, Lorne.”

“We better do it quick, before the girls beat us to it,” she stated, pulling away from him. “It might have been a spur-of-the-moment comment, but Fiona threatened they were going to get revenge.”

Tony shook his head. “Great! You’re talking vigilante style?”

Lorne shrugged and threw her arms out to the side and walked towards the back door. “Who knows?”

Carol was standing by the kettle and flicked the switch when Lorne and Tony came through the door. “He got off, then?”

“As you predicted, Carol. The justice system is so screwed up at the moment.”

“Hmm… You can see why some folks are intent on taking the law into their own hands.”

“What makes you say that, Carol?” Lorne asked, wondering if she’d had one of her visions.

Carol hitched up her left shoulder. “Not sure, really. Maybe something I read in the newspaper the other day sparked a memory. I’m sure the girls wouldn’t do anything like that.”

The more Lorne thought about it, the more her apprehension grew, until curiosity finally got the better of her.

Directly after lunch was finished, she rang Fiona. The young woman was a little offhand with her, not what Lorne had expected at all. She found it tough to raise the subject about wanting retribution and danced around it. Finally, she had ended the call, telling Fiona that she was only a phone call away and that if either of them needed her help in the future, she’d drop everything to help them.

During the following two days, Lorne thoroughly cleaned the house and kennels. It got rid of the frustrations, but the sense of failure and disgust remained. By the time Lorne’s father was released from hospital, her feelings had dissipated to little more than a niggling annoyance.

As she settled her father into his bed, he patted the cover, insisting she sit with him.

She sat. “What’s up, Dad?”

He reached out, clutched her hand, and placed it lovingly against his pyjama-clad chest. “I was about to ask the same thing, love.”

“I’m fine, Dad. I’m concerned about you, that’s all.” Lorne’s head dipped.

Her father lifted her chin with a finger, forcing her to look him in the eye. “That’s part of it. Lorne, I know the case didn’t turn out as planned, but I won’t allow you to blame yourself for that,” he said softly.

She smiled a reassuring smile. “Even when you’re desperately ill, you’re still the most perceptive man I know. Rest, now. I’ll bring you in a cuppa in a while.” She handed him the latest Karen Rose novel, and he grinned.

“Everything will work out for the best, you’ll see.”

Lorne kissed his forehead and left the room, contemplating his words as she made her way back to the kitchen where Tony was waiting for her.

“Why the sad face, hon?”

“I’m not sad, Tony. Just distracted.”

He walked towards her, threw his arms over her shoulders and pulled her to him. “You think and worry too much.”

He was right. It would be impossible to switch off a niggling doubt just like that, though.

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

Several weeks later, Fiona was scan-reading a new account, ready for an opening meeting with the client, when her office phone rang. “Hello?”

“He’s here. Shit, what do I do?”

“Linda, who’s there? What are you talking about?” Fiona stared ahead at the large picture of a black rose that adorned her small office wall.

Her sister’s heavy breathing surged down the line. “Gibson.”

That hated name grabbed Fiona’s full attention. “Don’t panic. Is anyone there with you?”

“Yes, my boss. Oh, Fiona, he keeps looking over and smirking at me.”

“Okay, you know what we discussed. We knew there was a possibility he’d show up there, hon. I’m sure he won’t do anything while someone else is around. What does he want?”

“Christ, my skin is crawling. He’s after a new house. Of all the estate agents in this road, let alone this city, he chooses to come in here and badger me.”

Fiona’s brain clicked into gear. This might be the opportunity they’d been waiting for. It was time to put their plan into action. “Don’t let it show how scared you are of him. Smile as though you’re fine with what happened and that you’ve forgiven him.”

“What? Are you insane?” Linda whispered harshly.

“Just do it. We’ll talk later.”

Reluctantly Linda agreed before hanging up. For the next ten minutes, Fiona jotted down notes that had nothing to do with the clients she had to meet that morning. She scribbled away frantically until a knock on the door startled her.

“Ready?” her boss poked his head in the office. His smile dropped when she looked up at him. “Anything wrong?”

Fiona hastily gathered her plans and tucked them into the drawer of her desk. “Nothing. Just making some final adjustments. Be with you in two minutes; need to powder my nose first.”

Her boss shook his head, unconvinced by her words.

She nipped to the loo to replenish her lipstick and pulled a comb through her hair. As she studied her reflection in the mirror, she wondered if she could ever go through with the plan she’d hatched. Narrowing her eyes, she conjured up Gibson’s smug face and knew instantly that the decision was a no-brainer. She forced his image from her mind again to concentrate on the large contract she had to try to obtain in the upcoming meeting.

After several hours of strained negotiations with her boss by her side, Fiona breathed a sigh of relief when she left the boardroom with the signed contract in her sweaty palm and the promise of a hefty bonus winging its way to her bank account. On the journey home, her business day complete, she pondered how she was going to broach the subject of revenge with the girls and wondered if they would have enough courage to carry out the plan.

Letting herself in to the communal hallway outside their flat, her gaze rose to the ceiling when she heard her sister’s shrill voice retelling the day’s events. She opened the flat door to find a distraught Ami listening and trying to comfort Linda.

Fiona plonked herself down on the sofa and wrapped an arm around her sister’s shuddering shoulders. “Listen, Linda, I’ve put up with this for months now. I cannot and will not put up with it any longer.”

Linda spun round to look at her. She frowned. “I’m sorry I’m such a burden to you, Fi—”

“My God, is that what you seriously think?” Fiona shot back in disbelief. “Oh, I see. You think I was having a go at you. Nothing could be further from the truth! I meant I think it’s time to put an end to this guy torturing you—both of you—and this is how we’re going to do it.”

For the next half hour, Fiona explained the proposal that had preoccupied her mind at work for most of the day. At times, Linda and Ami stared at her open-mouthed, but as Fiona reached the end of her speech the pair nodded and rubbed their hands together in glee.

All they had to do was wait patiently for the appropriate time to present itself.

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

The girls didn’t have to wait long for the opportune moment to arrive.

Two days later, Gibson entered the estate agent’s office where Linda worked. Again he dealt with her boss. Linda had reassured her boss that she was over what had happened and that she would be the ultimate professional when dealing with Gibson. With the extortionate amount of disposable income he was willing to invest in the ‘right property,’ Gibson was being treated as a very special client. Linda knew that if she showed any distaste or hatred towards him, he would probably take his business elsewhere, and the blame would lie at her door, jeopardising her future career.

Linda was busy updating the pictures to a few of the properties they’d had on their books for a while.