Shaking her head in puzzlement, the woman stepped into the house, leaving the front door open for Lorne and Katy to follow her.
Once the three of them had travelled the length of the house and were in the kitchen, the woman sat at the round onyx table and motioned for them to join her.
“Okay, you’ve got my attention. What’s this about? Should Victor be here with us? I could call him.”
“No. This is very hard for me to say, Miss…?”
“Please, call me Tammy.”
“Tammy. It’s with regret that I have to tell you Victor’s body was discovered this morning in his van.”
“Body? I don’t understand?” Her trembling hand swept over her face.
“He’s dead. I’m sorry.”
“What? How? Where did the accident occur? When?”
“The thing is, Tammy, Victor’s death is suspicious. It wasn’t an accident—at least we don’t think it was,” Katy informed the distressed young woman.
Lorne’s gaze drifted to the large fridge behind the woman’s chair. A number of crayon pictures adorned the door, stuck up with multi-coloured magnets.
Shit! Another bloke with a young family.
Tammy gasped and covered her face with her hands. In between heavy sobs, she asked, “I don’t… understand… are you saying… he was killed by someone?”
“Is there someone we can call to be with you?” Lorne butted in and asked.
Katy gave her an apologetic look for not thinking to ask the woman that herself.
“My mother. Can I ring my mother?”
“Of course, or I can do it for you,” Lorne volunteered.
The woman reached for the mobile phone lying on the table and punched in a number, then she handed it over to Lorne.
“Hello, darling. I was just doing my housework, and then I was going to give you a ring.”
“Sorry, um… this is DS Lorne Warner. We’re with your daughter at her home, sharing some bad news. I wondered if it would be possible for you to come over to be with her.”
“Oh my! Bad news you say? About what?”
“About Victor Caprini. Can I tell your daughter to expect you soon?”
“Yes, I’ll leave immediately. Is Victor all right?”
“We’ll inform you of that when you get here. Please, drive carefully.”
“I’ll be ten minutes at the most.”
The woman hung up. Lorne pressed the button to end the call, then she smiled at Tammy. “Your mum will be here shortly.”
“Thank you. I can’t believe it. Why? Why would anyone kill Victor? He’s the sweetest man going. Never hurt anyone as far as I can remember. We were planning our wedding…”
“Damn!” Katy said. “You have our sincere sympathies. I’m sorry, but we need to ask a few questions. Are you up to answering them or would you rather wait until your mother gets here? Maybe Lorne can make you a cup of strong tea?”
“Yes, that would be good. Help yourselves to a drink, too. Do you mind waiting till Mum gets here? I don’t suppose I’ll be able to think straight at the moment.”
“That’s understandable,” Katy said as Lorne left the table to fill the kettle with water.
Ten minutes later, the front door opened, and Tammy’s mum bustled into the room. Mother and daughter flew into each other’s arms.
“What is it child? What’s wrong?”
“Victor’s dead, Mum. He’s dead.”
Lorne saw the mother’s legs weaken, and the woman almost toppled against the table. Lorne sprang to her feet and guided her to a spare chair next to her daughter. “Take a seat. We’ll try to explain what happened, although it’s not too clear right now.”
Mother and daughter clasped hands and listened, both struggling to hold back the tears.
Katy cleared her throat. “This is what we know as of this moment. Victor was found in a car park down by the river. The engine of his van was running, and there was a hosepipe running from the exhaust into the driver’s car window.”
“What? Why?” Tammy queried, clenching her mother’s hand tighter until her knuckles turned white.
“We think the murderer has set up the scene to look like suicide. Did Victor have any suicidal tendencies?”
Tammy snorted. “No. That sort of thing would never enter his mind. I can’t believe you would ask such a thing. Tell them, Mum… tell them how much he loved me and the girls and…” She pulled one of her hands from her mother’s in order to rub her belly. “This one,” she added.
Shit! She’s pregnant. Poor woman!
Katy’s gaze met Lorne’s then returned to the two crying women. “I’m so sorry. How many months are you gone?”
“Four. That’s why we’re in the process of arranging the wedding. Victor wanted us married before this little one arrived. That’s not going to happen…”
Tammy’s mother hugged her as a sob broke free. “There, there, love. Don’t think about that now. Is there any chance this wasn’t a suicide, Inspector?”
Katy nodded. “A few days ago, we were called to a similar scene. A tradesman—actually, he was an electrician—was found in a car park with his van running. We also found evidence that he was likely murdered. We think the murderer staged both crimes as suicides to throw us off the scent.”
“So, you think they’re connected? Is that what you’re telling me? That my future son-in-law was killed by a serial killer?”
“I wouldn’t exactly go that far, Mrs—sorry, I didn’t get your name.”
“Eleanor Keen. Call me Eleanor, please.”
Katy continued, “There are an awful lot more tests to be carried out by the forensic team yet, but we really can’t discount the possibility of a serial killer.”
“But why? What’s the motive?” Eleanor asked.
Katy gave the woman a quizzical look.
“My ex was a copper, years ago, so I know all the terminology and a little about the procedure you’ll be working under.”
“I see. I’m not trying to pull the wool over your eyes, Eleanor. The truth is, it’s still too early to pinpoint the whys and wherefores on either of the cases. All we know is that there are a few aspects to both cases making us presume they’re linked in some way. As to the motive, we’re desperately seeking one, which is where you come in. Can you think of any reason why someone would single out Victor—
any
reason at all? It doesn’t matter if you think the possibility is trivial or not.”
Both women looked at each other and shook their heads.
“You’d know more about that than me, Tammy. Can you think of anything that has occurred out of the ordinary in the last few weeks or months?” Eleanor questioned her daughter gently.
“Like what? Victor has been working extra hours to help buy things for the baby and to put towards the wedding.”
Katy inhaled a breath then asked, “Is it possible that the stress became too much for Victor?”
“Why ask that, Inspector, when you’ve just admitted that you’re not treating this as a suicide?” Eleanor bit back sharply.
“Sorry, I have to ask. We’re not definite about your fiancé being murdered yet.”
Lorne noticed Tammy’s gaze drop to the table. She was wringing her hands as if she wanted to say something but was too scared to. Lorne covered Tammy’s hand and asked, “Tammy, is there something you’re neglecting to tell us?”
Tammy’s eyes sparkled with more tears when she turned her head to look at Lorne. “I’m not sure. He was trying to right his wrongs.”
Lorne frowned. “What do you mean by that, Tammy? What wrongs?”
The young woman slipped her hands from underneath Lorne’s and slumped back in the chair. “I can’t… what if whoever has killed him comes after me? Can
you
guarantee my safety? Can anyone?”
“If you feel you need any kind of protection, then, yes, we can provide it for you.” Lorne glanced at Katy, who nodded. “Please, you must tell us what you know. It could save us days of endless research.”
Tammy half-smiled at her mother. “Sorry, Mum. Victor had gambling debts.”
Eleanor gasped and covered her mouth with one of her hands.
Lorne asked, “Okay, and do we know what kind of gambling, Tammy?”
“Gambling, gambling, I don’t know. He kept it hidden from me for months, only told me a week or two ago.”
“Did he gamble on the horses, football? You know, online gambling, betting? Or did he go to a club or casino and get involved in card games, Tammy? He must have told you that?”
“He didn’t, and I was too naïve to ask. I heard the word
gambling
and hit the roof. He pretty much stopped talking to me about it there and then. I warned him that I wouldn’t marry him unless he’d cleared his debts first.”
“Tammy… why didn’t you tell me, love?” Eleanor looked disappointed and struggled to keep a smile on her face.
“How could I tell you that, Mum? It was an impossible situation, one that I needed to handle myself. You’ve been so kind to us, I didn’t want to burden you with this issue, too.”
“A daughter’s problems are never a burden on a mother, Tammy. You should know that.”
“So, when did you give Victor the ultimatum, Tammy?” Lorne asked.
“A few weeks back. I think it was guilt that made him confront the issue in the first place.”
“Guilt?” Lorne queried.
“Yes, guilt. He’s been a bit funny towards me since I announced that I was pregnant. I knew there was something major wrong. I just couldn’t put my finger on what it could be. I’m not one of these down-trodden women. I speak my mind when things are troubling me. I’d had enough of taking crap from him and gave him the ultimatum one Friday night. He broke down in tears. I was torn between kicking him in the… balls and throwing my arms around him. For the sake of the baby, I went with the latter option.”
Katy coughed slightly, intimating that she was about to interrupt Lorne’s line of questioning. “He must have told you what type of debt was involved? Did he mention how he intended to pay it back at all? To whom he was in debt to?”
“No. I told him to deal with it himself. Was that the wrong thing to do? Am I to blame for this?” Tammy wailed and buried her head in her hands.
“That’s nonsense. Isn’t it, detectives?” Eleanor’s eyes pleaded with Lorne and Katy to pour water on her daughter’s unnecessary blame on herself for her partner’s errant ways.
“Your mum’s right, Tammy. This isn’t your fault. Look, we don’t even know if Victor’s gambling is the cause of the problem. It’s purely conjecture at this time. The last thing you should be doing right now is getting stressed, for the baby’s sake,” Katy said.
Lorne tilted her head and studied her partner. What she was saying was totally out of character for Katy.
What’s going on with you, missy?
” Lorne had an inkling, but she hoped to goodness that she was wrong about it.
Katy caught Lorne eyeing her in puzzlement, and her eyes darted away.
“I know I need to stay calm, but how can I? Victor is dead. My whole world has been ripped apart, and I want to know why. Promise me you’ll catch the bastard who has done this.”
“You have our word. Will you give us permission to delve into Victor’s financial background, look at his bank accounts,
et cetera
? That might throw up some clues for us to follow up on.”
“Of course. I have nothing to hide. Neither has he now. As far as I know, he only had the one bank account with Lloyds.” She shrugged. “He could have had others I didn’t know about, though.”
“We have his wallet at the mortuary. We can check how many credit cards he had and get the information we need from them. Is there anything else you can think of that we should know about?”
“Such as what? Isn’t that enough?”
“What about his vehicle? Did he have a loan or a lease on that? Again, if he has, that might have been at a higher rate than normal. We could trace it back to the people he was in debt to. Just a suggestion, nothing concrete again. Speculation really.”
“The van belongs to work. Our car is in the garage. We can’t afford to pay the bill they’ve given us. It’s over five hundred pounds. More stress that we’ve both had to deal with lately.”
“Nonsense. I’ll pay that bill for you. You can’t be without a car, love. Again, you should have told me that,” Eleanor mildly chastised her daughter.
“I can’t come running to you with every bill we get, Mum. You have your own expenses to find every month.”
“I also have a good pension, too, sweetheart. Anyway, we can discuss that once the detectives have gone. Was there anything else, ladies?”
Lorne and Katy stood up to leave. “If you can just get us the up-to-date bank statements—perhaps mortgage payments, too—we’ll be on our way.”
Tammy left the kitchen. Moments later, Lorne heard her rummaging through a cabinet and cussing in the next room.
“You will do your best to find the culprit, won’t you?” Eleanor pleaded in a hushed voice.
“We will. If Tammy thinks of anything else once we’ve gone, will you get her to call us? Here’s my card. Again, we’re sorry to have brought such sad news today. You have our assurances that we won’t let this case drop until we find the murderer or murderers.”
“Thank you.” Eleanor placed the business card on the table. “I’m grateful for anything you do or are able to find out. Knowing that this person is still out there will be playing on our minds. Can you offer Tammy some protection?”
“I can certainly look into the possibility once we get back to the station. I haven’t heard anything that would suggest Tammy herself is in any imminent danger, though,” Katy replied.
“I can see if she and the kids will come back to my house, but if anything untoward happened to us there, Tammy would never forgive herself. If I can persuade her, and I give you my address, could you see to it that a police car checks our area regularly? That would ease the stress a little.”
“I’ll arrange that immediately. Tammy really shouldn’t be alone right now, so that’s a great idea if she stays with you. Ring me at all if you need anything, okay?”
“You’re very kind.”
After Tammy supplied them with the paperwork they’d requested, Lorne and Katy left the house and headed back to the station.
Chapter Six
The team had their heads down when they arrived back at the incident room. AJ looked up and motioned for Katy to join him at his desk. Lorne hung back, thinking he was going to discuss something personal with her.
Katy turned to face Lorne, wearing a puzzled look.
“Something wrong?” Lorne asked.
“I’ve been summoned to see the chief.”
“Oh, no need to look so worried. I’m sure he just wants a quick update on the case,” Lorne tried to reassure Katy, without much success, judging by the way Katy’s shoulders slumped and her head hung low as she left the room.
Lorne drew the team’s attention, and together, they filled in the incident board with the little they knew about the two victims. “So, should we be looking at the fact that they’re both tradesmen as the prime clue here?” Lorne asked.
“It would appear that way,” AJ agreed. Then, looking thoughtful, he added, “I don’t suppose we should discount the fact that Victor had some kind of gambling problem, either, although nothing has shown up in Paul Lee’s accounts to attest to his involvement in the same fate.”
“That’s true enough. It’s clear we need to dig deeper into both men’s pasts to see what other similarities they share. I also think we should start delving into their work schedules. I need to know if Victor was at work when he was killed. We’re already assuming that Paul was working somewhere on the side. How do we find out where they were working, if indeed that is the link here?”
AJ nodded. “I can see where you’re coming from on that, Lorne. Maybe the two firms worked alongside each other occasionally. I’ll ring the men in charge, see what they have to say about things. Not sure they’ll be able to put us on the right track if they were working on the black, however.”
The room fell silent when Katy returned to the room, looking pale. She dropped her backside onto the nearest desk, and Lorne rushed to her side. “Katy? Whatever is the matter?”
“I have to go.”
Lorne glanced sideways and saw a concerned AJ approaching. “Katy?” he asked and wrapped a gentle arm around her shoulders.
“It’s my Dad. I have to go.”
Lorne rubbed her partner’s arm. “Oh, no. What’s wrong? Is he ill?”
“He’s in hospital. Dad’s had a heart attack. I don’t know if I’m going to make it in time,” Katy mumbled as tears slipped from her eyes.
“Go. What are you still doing here? Do you want to take AJ with you?”
AJ looked shocked. “Can I? Should I go with you, Katy?”
Katy shook her head. “No. You stay here. I have to go alone.”
Before she could say anything else, the incident room door opened and DCI Sean Roberts entered. “Are you still here, Inspector? I thought I told you to get on the road immediately.”
“I’m just coming to terms with things first, sir.” She catapulted herself off the desk and ran into her office.
While Katy gathered her things together, Sean called the rest of the team around. “Right, listen up, ladies and gents. DI Foster has an emergency situation she needs to attend to back in Manchester. For the interim, I’m putting Lorne in charge of the case. Actually, we’ll be running the investigation jointly, if that’s agreeable with you, DS Warner?”
Lorne’s eyes almost popped out of her head.
Crap! What do you expect me to do, Sean? Refuse? Nothing like running it by me first and seeing if I’m up to the task before dropping it in my lap like this!
“Of course, why wouldn’t I agree?”
Sean grinned smugly. “That’s what I hoped you would say. AJ, go and check how Katy is, will you?”
AJ looked as shell-shocked by the unfolding events as Lorne felt. Once AJ was out of earshot, Lorne leaned in to Sean and asked, “It doesn’t sound too good for Katy’s dad. When did it happen?”
“I got the call while you were out this morning. Her mother didn’t want me to contact Katy until she had more news. She didn’t want Katy driving all the way up there if it was a mild attack. Apparently, this is his second one in as many years.”
“Damn, Katy never said.” Lorne stared in the direction of Katy’s office. She could hear Katy crying and AJ trying to comfort her.
“The other one was minor compared to this, I think, Lorne. The quicker she gets on the road, the better.”
“What about AJ going with her? It’s not good for her to be going all that way on her own. I know I wouldn’t want to do it.”
Sean contemplated the suggestion for a second or two then shook his head. “To be honest, I just don’t think we can spare him at this time. I know how callous that sounds, but then I suppose that’s the downside of getting involved with someone working on the same team as yourself. I’m sure AJ will understand that the case should, and has to, come first.”
“Yeah, he’ll understand. I can’t see either of them liking the situation, though. Can we not draft someone in from another team for a few days?”
“Limited funds, Lorne. You know the mantra as well as I do. That’s the end of the matter as far as I’m concerned. Now, do you think we’ll be able to work together well on this case or not?”
Lorne grimaced.
Like I have a lot of choice!
“I’m sure we’ll be able to cope… if you can stay out of my way long enough for me to investigate the crimes we’ve been dealing with.”
“Still as spiky as ever, Lorne. So, to go with your role, you better have this new title, Acting Detective Inspector Warner. How’s that?”
“Sounds kind of suffocating even to my ears. I’ll stick to DS Warner if it’s all the same to you,” she responded, unimpressed by her newly acquired promotion. All she could think about was how annoyed Tony was likely to be about her temporary role once she informed him. Even though Roberts had twisted her arm, Lorne had gone against the promise she’d made to Tony about not getting too involved when she returned to the Met. She hated the thought of him thinking she was a liar and that, a few years down the line, she would discard the promise as if it meant nothing in the grand scheme of things. This wasn’t of her choosing—none of it was.
He’ll understand that, won’t he?
She asked herself, then cursing her insecurity. She was being totally unreasonable, letting her mind continue to dwell on how her ex-husband—not her present husband—would deal with the scenario. Lorne realised Tony and Tom were akin to yin and yang in that respect.
You’re worrying unnecessarily, Lorne.
Katy and AJ came out of the office, neither of them looking as if their time alone had helped.
“Are you sure you’re going to be able to drive all that way by yourself, Katy?” Lorne asked, rubbing her partner’s arm again.
“Unless the Met wants to let me highjack one of their choppers, I have limited options open to me. It’s only a couple of hours, Lorne. I can remain focused for that long I’m sure.”
Lorne nodded. “Keep us informed on how your dad is, all right?”
“I will. It’ll be via AJ, if that’s all right. I want to devote as much time to being with Dad as I can while I’m there. Crap, the guilt is rife right now. Does that ever ease?”
“With time. You have nothing to feel guilty about, Katy. Just go. You should get there before it gets dark.”
“I’m going.” She turned to AJ and pecked him on the cheek. “I’ll call you when I get there, and yes, I’ll drive carefully.”
The team wished their boss well then returned to work once Katy had left the room. Lorne was aware that she would need to keep AJ busy so his mind wouldn’t wander too much. “AJ, I want you to contact both men’s places of work to get their itinerary for the last few days. Let’s see if we can see any similarities there first before we go down any other lines of enquiries. They might have met up on a previous job or something.”
Sean held his hands up in front of him. “Right, I see you have this under control for now, Lorne. I have a few tasks awaiting my attention on my desk. I should be finished within an hour or two.”
“You can leave the investigation in our capable hands for now, Chief. I’ll call you if I need any assistance.”
Sean raised an eyebrow, shrugged, and walked out of the room.
During the rest of the afternoon, the team embarked on their duties in a subdued atmosphere. Lorne found herself distracted when her mind drifted to what Katy was going through. Losing her own father suddenly had been a devastating ordeal for Lorne, one that she wouldn’t wish on her worst enemy. She hoped that Katy’s father had a strong heart and that he overcame his plight quickly. The statistics of people suffering a heart attack the second they gave up work to enjoy their retirement had never sat comfortably with Lorne. The body was an undiscovered law unto itself at times. She made a note to say an extra prayer for Katy’s dad that night.
Mentally exhausted, Lorne instructed the team to call it a day at six. Wearily, she drove home, running through how she should broach the subject to Tony about her forced temporary promotion.
Charlie was in the paddock, training Sheba on the obstacle course, when Lorne pulled into the drive. “Hey, you two, you’re looking good. Can you give me five minutes to have a private chat with Tony, sweetheart?”
Charlie waved her hand in front of her. “Of course. We’ll be in for dinner in about half an hour, Mum.”
“Crikey, give me a chance.”
“The dinner is done. No need for you to get your hands dirty. Tony and I threw a few ingredients into a dish and made a chicken casserole.”
Lorne blew her daughter a kiss. “You two are brilliant. What would I ever do without you?”
“Mainly? You’d starve. Did you have a good day?”
“I’ll fill you in over dinner, sweetie. Quite eventful really,” Lorne called over her shoulder as she crossed the driveway and walked towards the house.
Tony was chopping the accompanying vegetables and putting them in a pot when she walked through the back door. “Hello, you. Good day?” He kissed her on the cheek.
“Kind of. Can we sit down and have a chat?”
Tony’s nose wrinkled. “Oops… that sounds ominous. Did I do something wrong?”
“Not at all. I think
I
might have, though. Be gentle with me, okay?”
Lorne grabbed Tony’s hand and led him over to the table. Once seated, she gripped both of his hands in her own and looked down at the way his fingers entwined effortlessly around hers. She loved this man so much.
“You’re starting to worry me, love. Should I be worried?”
“Not really. Okay, I’m just going to come straight out with it. Katy has had to return to Manchester. Her dad’s suffered a massive heart attack.”
“Oh, Lorne, that’s dreadful. What are the odds on him making it?”
“They’re not sure yet. She’s driven up there alone. It’s a tough call for her. She’ll ring when she has any news either way.”
“I wish her dad the best. Now what are you fretting about? I have a rough idea what you’re going to say next anyway.”
“You do?”
Tony smiled. “I’m not daft, Lorne. I know how these things work. I take it you’re in charge of the team, temporarily, am I right?”
“Yes, you are. Sorry, darling, I tried to get out of it, but…”
“Why are you apologising?”
“Because it means that I will be reneging on a deal we made. That doesn’t sit comfortably with me. You’d feel the same if the tables were turned, yes?”
“It’s not the same in the slightest, Lorne. This is an emergency. Neither of us could have anticipated such dire circumstances falling upon us. Anyway, I’m not that much of an ogre that I would expect you to keep to your word all the time. ‘Shit happens,’ as a wise man once said.” He leaned forward and kissed the tip of her nose.
“I was so lucky the day you walked into my life.”
Tony tilted his head back and laughed. “I seem to recall at the time you were cursing that particular event. We hardly hit it off the second we met, did we?”
Lorne’s memory drifted back to the secretive meeting he’d called when he was a MI6 agent, regarding the Unicorn and the mole he’d helped uncover in her team at the time. Actually, Tony had done so much more than uncovering the mole. If it hadn’t been for his relentless digging, she would have been none the wiser about AJ coming from a well-to-do family with a father high up in the government. Not that it affected AJ in the least—he was such an unpretentious, compassionate guy. That’s why Katy had fallen for him after working alongside him for only a few months.
“Penny for them?”
Lorne shook herself out of her daze. “Just reflecting on our first meeting. That and other similar episodes that have occurred in the years since that eventful day. Like I’ve said already, I’m lucky to have found you. How’s your case going? I take it you’ve decided to proceed with it?”
“Yep, Joe and I are going to begin in earnest tomorrow. We carried out a few background checks today, just to verify the authenticity of the case, and everything appeared to be genuine enough. We’ll start going over the missing man’s movements on that day and go from there. I think, initially, it will be a case of pounding the pavement, armed with his photo and asking if anyone can remember seeing him just before he went missing. Let’s hope we find the guy anyway. His wedding is fast approaching. I can only imagine the expense that has entailed.”
“Good luck. If I can be of assistance, just shout.”
“Thanks. I’ll tell you what you can do to help right now—either lay the table or dish up dinner.”
“I don’t mind serving up. I think I’m a little better at portion control than you are. You can go and tell Charlie the coast is clear. I asked her to give us five minutes for a chat.”
Tony tutted and shook his head. “You mean you were dreading telling me that much, eh? When will you learn, Mrs. Warner?”
Lorne grinned. “I know. I’m totally dumb at times.”