Chapter Seven
Lorne arrived at work early the following morning to find AJ already tapping at his keyboard. “Did you sleep here last night?”
He glanced up and gave her a quick smile. “Not quite. I worked until ten, went home, and came back in at six this morning.”
“Why? Cold bed without Katy around?”
“You know me so well. I miss her.”
“I do, too, if it’s any consolation. Have you heard from her yet?”
He swivelled his chair in her direction and sat back. “Yeah, her dad isn’t so good. Worse than any of them feared, I think. He’s on all kinds of machines right now. Not sure he’s responding well to the treatment or not. It’s hard for them to tell just yet.”
“I’m sorry to hear that. Let’s try and remain positive about things, eh? What are you working on?”
“I don’t know. This and that. A lot of things all at the same time, really. I keep switching between the CCTV discs to the men’s background checks, hoping that something I’ve missed shows up. No good so far, though.”
“Don’t be so hard on yourself, AJ. You’re doing a great job. Whoever said a copper’s job was an easy one was a born bloody liar. Nothing is ever cut and dried. You know that, hon.”
“I know. I’m just used to spotting things that others fail to see. It’s just not working like that on this case. I might dump everything I have and start afresh. What do you think?”
“I still think you’re being too harsh on yourself. There is such a thing as trying too hard, AJ—”
The phone on Lorne’s desk interrupted her. She took three strides and answered it. “Hello. DS Warner. How may I help?”
“Sorry to disturb you, ma’am. It’s control here. I thought you might like to know that a body has been found on your patch.”
AJ had turned back to look at his computer screen. Lorne clicked her fingers to get his attention then put the phone on speaker. “I see. And where was the body found?”
“In a car park, close to the river in Wandsworth Park.”
“I see. Okay, we’ll get down there straight away. I take it the pathologist has been made aware of the discovery and the location?”
“Yes, ma’am. She’s on her way down there now.”
“Thanks. We’ll get over there ASAP, the second the rest of the team turn up for duty.”
Lorne hung up. “I suppose I better try and contact the chief, make him aware. I have a feeling I’m going to get lumbered with babysitting him. I’d much rather have you as a partner but… them’s the breaks!” She added the last part behind her hand conspiratorially.
“Makes sense to have me here, going through the relevant information, Lorne. Hopefully, something will spring into life soon. I’m still trying to track down one of the bosses of the deceased men to get their worksheet. I’ll focus on making that happen while you’re out and about today, if you like?”
“Good idea. There has to be something obvious linking these crimes. I’m just hoping this scene doesn’t end up being a third victim. The second the controller mentioned the body was found in a car park, the hairs on the back of my neck stood on end.”
“Never thought of that. I hope you’re wrong.”
The door swung open, and the rest of the team filtered in. Lorne filled them in and asked them all to revisit what they’d been working on the day before until any new information came to hand. Then she walked along the corridor to DCI Roberts’s office.
His personal assistant welcomed her with a warm smile. “He’s just on the phone, Sergeant. Or should that be ‘Acting Detective Inspector’?”
“It should be, yes, but you know me—I’m not really one for blowing my own trumpet.” She let out a large breath. “Looks like we have another body to contend with. I just hope it’s not connected.” She looked at her wrist, noting the time—almost nine o’clock.
Come on Sean. Time’s marching on.
“Oh, how awful. There’s no such thing as being safe nowadays, is there?” Sean’s assistant stated. “Ah, he’s finished his call.” She leapt out of her chair and knocked on his door. When beckoned, she opened the door and announced Lorne’s arrival.
Lorne thanked the woman and walked into Sean’s office. “Morning. How’s things?”
“Social call is this, Sergeant? And there was me thinking you were knee-deep in a murder investigation.”
Lorne pulled a face at him. “I’m just heading out to another scene and wondered if you intended tagging along?”
“I see. Another victim to do with the case you’re already working, do you think?”
“My list of attributes might be extensive, but being a mind reader isn’t one of them, Chief. I won’t know until I attend the scene and see for myself. Are you coming with me, or am I going it alone?”
“Like I told you yesterday, I’ll be partnering you on this investigation.”
“Then I hate to rush you, but I think we should get our arses over to the scene ASAP.”
Sean pushed back his chair and hitched on his jacket. “Then what are we waiting for? My car or yours?”
Lorne shrugged. “Couldn’t give a damn, sir.”
He winked at her. “I can tell this is going to be fun. Just like old times when we were first starting out on the job.”
Lorne turned on her heel, swept her mid-length brown hair over her shoulder, and mumbled, “Christ, I bloody hope not. You were even more insufferable back then.”
Patti and her team were already in attendance when Lorne and Sean pulled into the car park. Lorne flashed her ID at the uniformed officer behind the crime scene tape.
“Hi, Patti. I’m not sure if you’ve had the pleasure of meeting my boss before or not. This is DCI Sean Roberts.”
Patti showed her bloody gloves as if apologising for not shaking his hand. “Pleased to meet you. No Katy?”
“No, she’s been called away on a family emergency, hence me being lumb… I mean, hence me being partnered with DCI Roberts. Can you tell us if the cases are connected at all, Patti?”
“I’ve only been here a short time myself, Lorne. However, my initial findings are intimating that might be the case.”
“How can you tell, Patti?” Roberts asked as he bent down to study the body.
Lorne tutted and handed him a spare pair of plastic gloves from her jacket pocket. “You might want to put these on, sir, before you go any nearer to the body.”
Sean looked up and glared at Lorne. “I’m well aware that I shouldn’t touch the body without protection, Sergeant. I’ll thank you not to treat me like a novice.”
Patti and Lorne exchanged glances. Then Patti pointed out that the body had a head injury similar to the first two victims’. “The only thing different that I’ve picked up so far is the fact that there was no hosepipe used. That could be a case of the murderers becoming sloppy, or it might indicate the likelihood of them being disturbed around the time the murder was being committed.”
“Which is probable, given the location. Why is the murderer carrying out these crimes in such public locations?” Sean asked.
“That’s what we’re trying to figure out, boss. Why indeed? Have you got an ID on the victim yet, Patti?”
Patti flipped over a wallet she’d already sealed in one of the evidence bags. The man’s name and photo stared back at them. “Jeff Whitmore. Here’s the thing, you’ll never guess what kind of work he does.”
“Let me think—judging by what we’ve found out about the other guys already, I’m going to guess he’s a tradesman of sorts. The question is which one?”
“Correct. Looks like he’s a plasterer.”
“How strange. That has to be the link, doesn’t it? Do we know how long he’s been dead?” Lorne asked.
Patti chewed the inside of her lip for a second or two. “I’d say no more than four to five hours.”
“How do you know he’s a plasterer, Patti?” Sean asked. He approached the man’s vehicle and looked in the back of the car.
“Well, although the car he’s in appears to be a personal vehicle, unlike the other victims, I can see remnants of plaster dust in the rear and a few tools of the trade. Apart from that, his ID states that he belongs to the Master Federation of Plasterers.”
Sean rubbed his chin with his thumb and forefinger. “I see. Is he around the same age as the other victims?”
Lorne stood over the victim and assessed his age. “I guess they’re similar in age. I’d probably put this guy at being a little older. Why?”
Sean shrugged. “I don’t know. Thought it would be a good question to ask.”
“Oh, that’s all right then. You just let us know if you determine the significance behind your question, boss. Until then, it’s always best if we stick to the facts.”
Sean glared at her. “Your sarcasm needs to be kept under control, Sergeant.”
Patti cleared her throat. “Is playtime finished now, children?”
Lorne chuckled. “Sorry, Patti. I forgot how easy it is to wind my boss up. I promise to behave from now on. So, again, we’ve established he’s a tradesman. We have to be looking at all the men working at the same location, and yet, our initial questioning didn’t come up with any likely place of interest.”
Sean studied the scene around him, looking thoughtful. “What if their employers didn’t know?” he offered.
Lorne rubbed at her chin. “If you’re suggesting that each of them were working on the side, we’re already looking into that angle.”
“Sounds feasible to me.”
“What do you think, Patti?”
“I have no idea. All I can give you is the time and cause of deaths on the victims. It’s up to you to come up with the whys and wherefores of the case.”
“Okay, thinking about it logically for a moment, I think you might be on to something, Sean. The first two victims’ bodies were found during the night or early morning. We’ve yet to determine how long this victim has been lying here. However, considering how early it is now, I think it’s safe to presume he was killed around the same time as the other men, yes?”
Patti and Sean both nodded.
“It would appear that way, although I won’t be able to verify that until I’ve carried out the PM,” Patti said. “I see where you’re going, Lorne. You think the men carried out the work in the evening, long after their normal jobs had been conducted.”
“Exactly. It’s all adding up to that line of thinking. I’ve got AJ comparing the first two victims’ time sheets to see if they met up on a site somewhere,” Lorne said.
Sean shook his head. “Maybe we should do an in-depth study of the areas where the bodies were found and try to draw some kind of conclusion from that. Compare tyre prints to the vehicles, soil debris in the moulds, that kind of thing. How difficult can it be to compare sites?”
“Crap, do you have any idea how many people are renovating their homes or businesses in the London area at present?” Lorne asked.
“I can only imagine,” Sean replied.
Patti withdrew from the conversation and carried on with her investigation of the body. “Look, all I can do is search the evidence I have to hand and see if anything significant shows up. Maybe I’ll stumble across a receipt or two for supplies that links the victims. Anything right now will be a bonus, won’t it?”
“If there’s nothing more we can do here, I think we should head back to the station,” Lorne said.
Sean frowned. “What about informing the relatives?”
“I meant after we’ve visited the victim’s relatives, of course.” Lorne smiled. She’d intended to test Roberts, to see if he could still prioritise what needed to be actioned out in the field. He’d passed with flying colours.
He glanced at her through narrowed eyes. Lorne jotted down the man’s address in her notebook then said cheerio to Patti, telling her they’d be in touch later to see if she had any news for them.
“I know what that was about back there,” Sean said, inserting the key in the ignition and starting the car.
Lorne placed her hand over her chest and fluttered her eyelashes at him. “Not sure what you’re getting at, sir.”
“Hmm… oh, look, there’s one of those pink farm animals shooting across the sky.”
Lorne grinned. “Nice to see you’re on the ball anyway. Right, how do I work this complicated contraption?”
“It’s a sat nav like any other, Sergeant. Just punch in the address… here, let me do it. First, I have to think about how to proceed in the case, then I have to plan the route, too. Whatever do you do when I’m not around, Lorne?”
Lorne shook her head and puffed out her cheeks.
You walked into that one, girl.
“I leave most things for Katy to do. I generally tend to just tag along for the ride,” she told him, glancing out the window as they set off.
“That much I’ve already figured out for myself, Sergeant. Maybe we should investigate your role with a bit more depth at your next assessment. Agreed?”
Lorne snapped her head round to face him, her mouth hanging open. She was ready to give him a tirade of abuse until she realised it was his turn to wind her up. Instead, she tutted and tapped her wrist. “We should get a move on. The first few hours to any investigation are imperative.”
“I’m well aware of the gravity of the situation, Sergeant.”
The rest of the journey was conducted in silence. Then as Sean pulled up outside a small terraced house, in a narrow road on the outskirts of Putney, he said, “I’ll let you take the lead on this, Lorne.”
“Thanks. I’m probably a little rusty myself. Since working with Katy, I’ve tended to take a backseat on this type of thing.”
They left the car and walked up the tiny path to the red front door, which looked newly painted. The road was fairly quiet. Not even a curtain twitched as far as Lorne could tell. She inhaled a large breath and rang the doorbell. A smartly dressed woman in her early forties opened the door.
“Hello. I’m in a rush, so I’d appreciate you being quick.”
“Sorry. Are you Mrs. Whitmore?”
Puzzled, she looked both Lorne and Sean up and down. “Yes, and you are?”
Lorne flashed her warrant card in front of the woman. “Acting DI Lorne Warner, and this is my boss, DCI Sean Roberts. Do you mind if we come in for a chat, Mrs. Whitmore?”
The woman seemed confused. “What? Why? The thing is, I have to go out now. If I don’t leave within a few minutes, I’ll be late for my interview. I need this job, detectives. I can’t be late. Can this not wait until later?”
Lorne tried to put the woman at ease with one of her smiles. “I’m sorry. It really is very important.”