Chapter Nine
The team gathered around, then armed with cups of steaming coffee, they thrashed out the relative facts to the cases. Lorne studied each of the team members, as one by one they revealed their conclusions. Nothing significant jumped out until AJ stepped forward and tapped the incident board with his pen.
“The only thing grabbing me is how much these cases are going to be dependent on the CCTV footage.”
“With nothing else showing up, I think you might be right, AJ,” Lorne agreed.
Sean folded his arms and rested his backside on a nearby desk. “Didn’t you say at the first scene, the number plate to the other vehicle had been masked in some way?”
Lorne nodded. “That’s right, but at least we know what kind of vehicle it is. Don’t we, AJ?”
“We do. What if I run the make, colour,
et cetera
through the system, plus the areas where all three bodies were found—they’re in pretty close proximity to each other, aren’t they? That in itself is a good indicator that the murderers live close by.”
“Great idea. Get on that right away, please. Anyone got anything else?”
Karen raised her hand. “If the men were working on the black, perhaps they dropped some kind of hint about the work they were undertaking to their workmates. It might be worth having a chat with them, boss.”
“Agreed,” Sean said, smiling at Karen.
“Stephen and Graham, I’d like you to arrange with each of the companies to quickly interview their staff, see if anything shows up there.”
Both men nodded, then Stephen suggested another good idea. “Shall I ask the bosses at each of the firms if they keep a record on mileage?”
Lorne tilted her head. “What are you getting at, Stephen?”
“Well, I’m not sure how relevant it will prove to be regarding the third victim, but the first two vics were found using their companies’ vehicles, weren’t they? Perhaps they had to log their mileage with the firms at the end of each working day. Armed with the information from those logs, maybe we’ll be able to work out how far the location where they were working on the sly is from their company’s headquarters and where their vehicles were dumped.”
“I’m with you. It’ll help in relation to AJ investigating the vehicle of the murderers, too.” Lorne’s heartbeat quickened with the prospect of stumbling across something that could lead to the murderers’ arrests. “What else do we have? There’s no proof of DNA that we know of yet at either of the scenes, and no sign of the weapon that was used to kill the vics, either. Any other suggestions?”
The team shook their heads in unison.
“The only other thing I can suggest is going to the media,” Karen offered.
“Hmm… I’m inclined to leave that for a little while, Karen. It might make us look stupid, especially as we have very little evidence to hand right now. Let’s revisit that once we’ve gone through what we’ve just discussed, okay?” Lorne said.
“Rightio.”
“Okay, people, let’s dig deep and see what shit we can find.”
By the end of the shift, AJ had uncovered three likely cars matching the description of the killers’ vehicle. Stephen and Graham returned to tell them that none of the victims’ colleagues could shed any light on where the men had been working on the black. That side of things was more exasperating to Lorne than she had anticipated.
Sean Roberts had returned to his own office during the afternoon and had only just reappeared for an update.
“So, if we have three addresses, do you want to check those out in the morning, Lorne?”
“Logically, I think we should do it tonight, just in case another tradesman’s life is in danger, not that there are that many left to kill off. Most of the trades—electrician, plumber, plasterer—have already been covered. But realistically, I think we would be better chasing them up in the morning.”
“Then that’s what we’ll do. Let’s call it a day here. Good work, folks. Hopefully, things will start looking up for us tomorrow. Good night, all.”
Lorne left the station with AJ. “Great work today, AJ, considering the amount of stress you must be under.”
“Thanks. I’m eager to remain busy. It’s hard blocking Katy and her dad’s circumstances out, though. I’m going to ring her later. Thought I’d leave it until about nine. She should be home from the hospital by then. Just wish I could have travelled up there with her.”
“I know. It’s a tough call. Maybe you should start applying for jobs in other divisions now, in case something like this rears its head in the future, eh?”
“I’m not so sure. It’s going to be a major pull leaving this team. The thought of not working alongside Katy is a killer, but worse than that, not being involved in such a shit-hot team, I fear would be detrimental to my career. It’s a toss-up to know what to do for the best.”
“I know. Look, all I can say is that when I was out of the team, the one thing I missed the most was the camaraderie. You’re right—we are a great group of detectives. However, there’s one major thing against you—the higher-ups won’t put up with you and Katy being an item for long without moving at least one of you to either a different team or force.”
“I hear you. I’ll mull it over thoroughly this evening. Goodnight, Lorne.”
“Give my love to Katy when you talk to her. See you in the morning.”
Lorne watched AJ walk over to his sports car, a dejected figure with what looked like the world pressing down heavily on his shoulders. She didn’t envy one iota the decision process that lay ahead of him that evening.
The next morning, Lorne spent the first hour going through the pile of post that had miraculously appeared on Katy’s desk overnight. A knock on the door around ten came as a welcome relief. She glanced up to see an amused Sean leaning against the door frame.
“I’ve come to save you.”
Lorne pushed away the forms and sat back in her chair. “Have you finished your paperwork yet?”
“Nope. I’ll never finish my paperwork. I have left it at a convenient moment, though. We should set off soon.”
Lorne stood, slipped on her navy suit jacket, and followed him back out into the incident room. She collected the addresses they were due to visit from AJ. “Okay, we’re off. Just keep digging until we return, folks.”
“Maybe we should have asked an armed response team to accompany us today,” Sean said, he opened his car door then jumped in behind the steering wheel.
“We don’t want to seem to be going in there heavy-handed, Sean.”
“What kind of deterrent do you have to hand?”
“Pepper spray—that’s usually enough to combat any unjust behaviour. I’m up for a Taser session soon. I wonder who put me forward for that?”
Sean grinned. “I know how you’ve been banging on for years that Met coppers should be armed. Well, this is the next best thing. I thought you’d jump at the chance to have a high-voltage weapon in your hand.”
“You certainly have a way with words, Sean. Yes, I think it’s the way we should be going, although I’d still be careful whom I used the darn thing on. Even those things can be lethal if used in the wrong circumstances.”
“That’s why it’s important to use them more as a deterrent than an actual weapon. The officers in charge of the Tasers are told to shout and warn offenders before they aim their weapons and fire them. We’ve only had a few instances where the weapon has been used and the perpetrator has ended up in either the hospital or the mortuary.”
“I can still see the Met getting sued by those struck. Let’s face it, offenders don’t need much to start waving the human rights flag in the face of authority when it suits.”
“I have every confidence that you’ll use it responsibly, Lorne.”
“That, I can guarantee.”
They arrived at the first address within twenty minutes of leaving the station. Outside the small terraced house, Lorne pointed at the black Ford Mondeo. “Looks like the person we’ve called to see is in.”
Lorne eyed the car with concern. Even though the image of the vehicle had been super grainy, she still had a suspicion the car wasn’t the one they’d spotted on the CCTV cameras. She decided to keep this information to herself for the time being. Surveying the outside of the property, she had serious doubts that any form of renovation work had happened at the house in the past thirty years, let alone the last few weeks.
Armed with her warrant card, she knocked on the front door. They waited and waited for the door to open. In the end, Sean clenched his fist and banged heavily on the door five times.
“All right, all right. I’m comin’.” The door opened and a swaying man in his mid-twenties, wearing a food-stained T-shirt and striped boxer shorts, hung on to the door jamb for support.
Lorne got the impression he was either extremely hungover or very high on drugs. She flashed her ID in front of his dazed face. “Acting Detective Inspector Lorne Warner and DCI Sean Roberts. Mr. Tennant?”
“Yeah. What do you lot want?”
“One question—actually two, if you don’t mind. Does the Mondeo belong to you?” Lorne jerked her thumb at the car.
“Yeah, and?”
“Mind if we come in for a chat?”
“Yes, I do. What’s all this shit about?” he asked aggressively, trying to force himself to focus hard on what was going on if the strained expression on his face was anything to go by.
“It would be better to chat inside,” Lorne insisted. She took a step towards the man, but he refused to relinquish his hold on the door.
“No.”
Sean winked at Lorne. “I’ll have to ask you to accompany us to the station in that case, Mr. Tennant.”
The man’s head tilted first one way then the other. “What? What the fuck for? What have I done wrong?”
“Well, for a start, you’re obstructing a police enquiry into a murder case, and for another, it looks like you’re high on what I’m guessing to be an illegal substance. Am I right?”
The man’s eyes switched between expanding and narrowing, the more irate he grew. “No. On both counts.”
Sean barged past Tennant and pulled Lorne by the forearm before the man could object and slam the door in her face.
“Hey, what the fuck? You can’t come in here like that.”
“If you have nothing to hide, then you won’t mind if we take a quick look around, will you?”
The detectives walked farther into the house, which smelt of a mixture of rancid takeaway cartons and the herby, citrusy smell of Marijuana. Lorne shook her head and pinched her nose in disgust. “I’ll take a look upstairs while you chat with him, if you like?”
“Thanks. I get all the peachy jobs.”
Lorne grinned and ran up the stairs two at a time.
The quicker we get out of this dump, the better—if only for health reasons.
She swiftly moved between the rooms on the first floor and saw no evidence of any renovation work— just an eyesore of clutter and grime in every room. Every square inch of the property was filled from floor to ceiling with
stuff
—old newspapers and cardboard boxes that seemed as though they were about to burst open, and spill their contents at any second. The one saving factor was that the smell upstairs turned out to be far less intrusive than what she’d left Sean to contend with downstairs.
“Anything, Inspector?” Sean shouted, obviously as eager as she was to withdraw from the premises.
“Nothing, boss. I’m coming now.” Lorne started back down the stairs then realised she hadn’t looked behind the final door on the landing. Tentatively, she pushed open the door. What it revealed made her stomach lurch, and she almost lost its contents. The bathroom was pure filth. Scum marks were clearly visible in the bathtub. The toilet was virtually full to the brim with toilet paper.
Shit! I dread to think what is lurking beneath that. Nope, I’ve seen all I need to see in this dump!
Lorne swiftly descended the stairs. “Have you checked down here?” she asked Roberts. Looking into his eyes, she could tell he was chomping at the bit to leave.
Sean nodded and sighed. “Yep, nothing here.”
“What did I tell you? Now, fuck off and leave me alone.”
Lorne walked past and glared at the man. “You’re filth. You need to get this place cleaned before your neighbours start complaining about the stench. The council has the right to order you to clean this place up if people’s lives are at risk, you know. If they aren’t living here already, I bet an army of rats will find their way in and take up residence soon.”
The man visibly cringed. “You’re winding me up?”
“Nope, deadly serious. Get off your lazy friggin’ backside, stop smoking dope, and clean this shithole up ASAP.”
Sean burst out laughing once they were back in the car. “That’s what I love about you—you’re such a straight talker.”
“I doubt it’ll make a difference. He’ll consider what I said for all of ten seconds. Jesus, how the hell people live in such hovels is beyond me. I’m going to do him—and the neighbours—a favour and report him. I wasn’t joking back there. The rat population is growing in this country because of dunderheads like that, owning properties and not maintaining them properly. I saw a programme about it on TV last week.”
Sean laughed again. “It’s really incensed you, hasn’t it?”
“Too bloody right.” She looked over her shoulder at the backseat. “Why don’t posh cars like this come with a shower cubicle? They bloody well should.”
Sean ignored the comment and put the car into gear. “Where’s the next address?”
“Around five miles south of here.”
“Let’s hope the house is in better nick than this one. Not sure the inside of my nose could take another battering.”
“Mine either.”
They pulled up outside the address, but there was no sign of the vehicle in the street. “I’ll go and knock on the door just in case. You never know—the car might be in the garage or workshop,” Lorne volunteered, jumping out of the car.
She knocked on the front door but received no answer. Then she decided to ask the neighbours on either side of the property if they knew much about the occupants. The first neighbour answered the door almost immediately. Lorne flashed her warrant card and introduced herself to the elderly lady cowering behind the door.
“Hello, what can I do for you?”