Ultimate Justice (13 page)

“What if you took your seatbelt off?”

Katy unlatched the seatbelt and subsequently fell against the door. “Ouch! Great idea, Lorne, thanks for that.” She grappled for the door handle and eased the door open.

“Be careful, hold on to the—” Before Lorne could finish warning her, Katy toppled out of the car and into the ditch, which was half-full of muddy water after the heavy rain that had fallen during the week.

“Crap!” Guided by the interior light, Katy found the phone and handed it to Lorne.

“Hi Sean.”

“I’m ten minutes away and a patrol car should be with you soon.”

“Don’t rush. We’re in a ditch. The bastard drove us off the road and disappeared.”

“Did you get the plate number?”

“He didn’t have one, just like the other night.”

“What do you mean, Lorne?”

She could hear the concern in his voice. “It’s the same car that crushed Croft’s vehicle. It’s probably the same guy or guys who put Croft in hospital, too. Don’t worry, we’re fine.”

“Christ, what have you got yourself caught up in this time?”

“Tony’s here now. I’ll tell you all about it when you get here.” She hung up as Tony opened her car door and yanked her free of the car. He held her tight and pressed his lips against her forehead.

“Baby, are you all right?”

Lorne pushed away from him and kissed his lips. “I’m fine. We’re fine, aren’t we, Katy?”

In the dim light, Lorne saw Katy’s head drop to survey the damage to her clothes. She shook out her legs one at a time, which proved pointless as she placed them back in the water after each shake.

Grinning, Tony said, “Climb back through the car, Katy. I’ll hoist you out.”

Seconds later, Katy was standing alongside them, dripping from her knees down. They heard a distant siren, and soon a police car came to a halt in front of them with its engine ticking. One of the coppers put down his window. “You guys okay?”

“Yeah, we’re fine. The car that forced us off the road headed that way. It might be worth taking a look in case the driver is up the road spying on us, monitoring the situation.”

“We’ll do that. I’ll call a breakdown truck to help you.”

“Don’t bother, I’ve got a tow bar on the van,” Tony said, pointing over his shoulder.

“Righto! We’ll be back in a mo’.”

They watched the police car turn around and head in the same direction as the four-by-four.

“He’ll be miles away by now,” Lorne said. “Come on, let’s see if we can pull the car out.”

“You two stand back—I’ll do it. Actually, go sit in the van before you catch a death—especially you, Katy. Hey, don’t let me stop you from stripping off those wet clothes.”

Katy shook her head and Lorne swiped his arm. “Perv! Are you sure you don’t need a hand getting the car out?”

“Nope.”

Lorne and Katy got in the back of the van and watched Tony attach the towrope between the Nova and the van. They had to stifle a laugh when he jumped down into the ditch and forgot it was half-full of filthy water.

Another car pulled up and Sean got out. He shook hands with Tony and went over to see if he could help. Between them, they managed to get the Nova back on the road. Surprisingly, it started on the first try. Katy and Lorne left the van to survey the damage at the rear. The car was a mess. The bumper was hanging off at one end and dragging on the ground. Tony gave it a good yank, and without too much effort the bumper came completely away from the car.

“Built to last, obviously,” Sean joked. “Can we go back to your place and have a chat?”

“That’d be good. Katy and I will take the Nova.”

Lorne jumped in the driver’s seat and Katy held her wet trousers away from her skin in the passenger’s seat beside her. It took them five minutes to get back to the house. Lorne’s father, his face twisted in anxiety, came to meet them in the drive.

“We’re fine, Dad. Charlie’s in a coma, the doctor insisted we should come home. Sorry about the car; I’ll get it repaired for you.”

“If you had been back at the hospital this wouldn’t have happened. Poor Charlie, are you going back there?” her father said abruptly.

Lorne frowned it wasn’t like her father to be so abrupt with her. “Are you sure you’re all right, Dad?”

He waved a hand at her. “I’m fine, concerned about everyone as usual. About Charlie and you girls, of course. Sean, it’s good to see you again.” Sam shook Sean’s hand.

Lorne knew not to push things with her father. The group walked into the house. Katy went upstairs to her room to change her clothes and joined in the conversation upon her return.

Sean turned to Katy, his brow furrowed. “So you’ve been working on this case at the station?”

Katy swallowed and looked guilty. “Yeah, but only a little.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“I mean, I kept coming up against a wall. Something stinks. I told Lorne my suspicions and she said it resembled what happened when Charlie was abducted. Certain doors closed during that case, as well.” Katy glanced over at Lorne for backup.

“We all know what we’re dealing with here, Sean. People with money, not knowing what to spend it on, going down the perverted sex route. Men out to fulfill their petty little sexual fantasies. Croft has stumbled upon a massive import business, and I’m going to do everything in my power to put a stop to the business before it gets out of control. Innocent people are either dying or being sold into slavery, and for what? The promise of a far better life, that’s what. I’ve rid the world of one of these bastards already; if I have to spend the rest of my life hunting these sick shits down, I’ll do it.”

Tony sought her hand. “We’ll do it.”

Then Katy grabbed Lorne’s other hand. “Yes, we’ll do it. Hey, we could be the Three Musketeers, I want to be D’Artagnan.”

Sean cleared his throat. “DS Foster, you’re forgetting one thing.”

“I am?” Katy said, her tone riddled with sarcasm.

“You’re still employed by the Met,” Sean stated, raising an eyebrow.

Lorne snorted. “Well, it’s a shame the Met doesn’t value her as much as we do. Answer me one thing, Sean: would a male officer have been put in Katy’s position? No, they wouldn’t. Over the years, I’ve witnessed plenty of incidents where a male officer has hit a prisoner or suspect. Christ, Pete even did it a few times, and not
once
was he ever suspended or pulled over the coals for it.”

“The Met has changed, Lorne. Prisoners are touting the human rights card nowadays.”

“That’s bullshit and you bloody know it. Sort it out, Sean, or Katy will join our team. Won’t you, Katy?”

“Damn right. I like to feel appreciated at work, and to be honest, I know Lorne had her problems when she worked for the Met, and, well, I can see the same thing happening to me. A person can only take so much of being unappreciated—surely you can see that, sir.”

He held his hands up. “Hey, you don’t have to convince me, Katy. Lorne will tell you that I was on her side at all times.”

Lorne narrowed her eyes at him. “Hmm…‌a touch of selective memory there, I think, Sean. Anyway, do what you can for her. The Met still has major problems with equality. If this isn’t resolved soon, I’ve advised Katy to bypass the union rep and employ a good solicitor.” She placed a hand on either side of her head and said, “I can foresee plenty of compensation coming your way, young lady, and in the not too distant future.”

Lorne’s antics broke the ice a little and they all laughed—everyone except her father. “Everything all right, Dad? You seem a little distant this evening.”

“Apart from nearly losing my daughter and my granddaughter, yep, everything is just dandy.”

“Sorry, Dad, that was insensitive of me. The doctor assured me the hospital would ring the minute she wakes up.”

“Well, I’m not sure you should be involved in this case. Yes, you have Katy and Sean to fall back on in the Force, but with our limited resources, I don’t see what you can do to stop this gang, Lorne.”

“Neither do I, yet. But I have to try. Don’t forget that Tony has excellent contacts, as well. Everything is all a bit thin on the ground at the moment. Maybe that’ll change when Katy and I visit the agency on Monday.”

“Agency? What agency?” Sean interrupted.

Lorne went through what they had uncovered about the case so far. The two wealthy homes she had visited whose maids/au pairs had each lost family members in the shipwreck. “We rang the agency to get their side of the story the other day, and they were more than a little evasive with their answers. I think a face-to-face visit might remedy that. We’ve tried to research the agency, but keep coming up blank. Sounds to me like it’s a front for something more sinister.”

“Human trafficking, you mean?” Sean asked, looking thoughtful.

“Human trafficking, prostitution, I wouldn’t put it past them to be involved with the latest craze to hit our shores snuff movies either—all the heinous crimes you can think of to do with the sex trade, I bet you’ll find a connection at that agency.”

“The owner is hardly going to admit to anything when you arrive on her doorstep, Lorne.”

“Yeah, I know that, thanks for pointing it out, Sean, but
I have ways of making people talk
,” she said in her best Herr Flick voice.

The doorbell rang, and Tony opened the back door. He paid the bloke in the crash helmet thirty pounds and took the two brown take-away bags from him. Lorne left the table and went over to the oven to collect the warmed plates and proceeded to dish up the Indian meal. “Bit of everything for all of you?”

They all agreed and hungrily queued up to take a plate once Lorne had finished serving up.

Sean left a little after ten o’clock and they all decided to turn in for the night after their exhausting day. Lorne quickly rang the ICU to ask if Charlie’s condition had changed, but it hadn’t. The night sister reassured her that if Charlie regained consciousness, she would ring Lorne immediately, day or night. Safe in the knowledge that her daughter was being well cared for by experienced medical staff, Lorne went to bed, she slept fitfully that night, and even had a nightmare in which she had been driven off the road and ended up in a river, fighting for breath.

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

T
he telephone woke them
at ten past seven the next morning. Lorne sat upright in bed and answered it on the second ring. “Hello?”

“Mrs. Simpkins, it’s the ICU. We’re pleased to inform you that Charlie has now woken up. You’re free to visit at any time.”

“Is she talking? Is she moving? Is she in pain?” She fired the questions off one after the other without pausing long enough for the nurse to answer.

“Yes, she’s talking, and yes, she’s in pain. We’ll have a chat when you get here.”

“Oh, thank you so much. Tell her I’ll be with her within the hour.”

“I will. Please drive safely, there’s no need to rush.”

Lorne replaced the phone on the bedside table and enthusiastically shook her husband. “Tony, Tony—she’s awake.”

“That’s great, hon. Do you want me to come with you?”

“Someone has to stay here and look after this place, I’m not sure dad is up to it at the moment, he looked exhausted to me yesterday.”

He sat up. “You get ready; I’ll stay here and see to the dogs. Take Katy with you—oh, and you’d better ring Tom before you go.”

She turned and kissed him hard on the cheek. “I’ll ring him after I’ve had a shower.” She leapt out of the bed and skipped into the bathroom, where she found herself singing one of Charlie’s favourite songs during her shower. “
Don’t ya wish your girlfriend was hot like me? Don’t ya, don’t ya…
”

Before getting dressed, she walked along the hallway to Charlie’s room, where Katy was sleeping, and tapped on the door. “Katy, are you awake?”

“I am now,” came Katy’s muffled reply.

“Get dressed, hon, we have to get to the hospital. Charlie’s awake.”

Lorne heard the bed springs boing and Katy groaned as if one of the springs had dug in her as she moved. “That’s wonderful news. Can I grab a quick shower?”

“Of course. I’ll knock up some breakfast.”

“I don’t want any of that leftover curry—my stomach is too delicate this morning.”

Lorne laughed. “I’ll fix you some toast and marmalade. We don’t do leftovers in this house.”

She ran back into the bedroom, threw on a pair of jeans and a fleecy jumper to ward off the chill of the morning, and went downstairs. Henry was at the kitchen door, whining to go out. “Sorry, pal, I guess in all the excitement I forgot about you.” She hugged him and kissed his nose. “Charlie’s coming home.” Henry reached out a paw and scratched the back door. “All right, matey, there you go.” She opened the door and watched him run over to the large hydrangea bush near the entrance of the drive and cock his leg.

She had to wait for her guest to stop running the shower before she could fill the kettle. Katy came downstairs approximately ten minutes later. Lorne placed a cup of coffee and two slices of toast in front of Katy, and then took a cup of coffee in to her father. By now, it was almost seven thirty.

Her father stirred as she entered his room. “I heard the phone. Was it the hospital, love?”

“Good news, Dad,” she said, noting how pale he looked. “Charlie’s awake. Katy and I are just going to leave now. The sister said she’s in pain; I don’t know how much, though. I’ll find out more when I get there. Damn, we forgot to ring Jade last night to tell her.”

Her father moaned as he sat up in bed, and Lorne pulled the pillow up behind him to ensure that he was comfortable. “Leave Jade to me. You just be concerned about your daughter. Let’s hope she’s going to be okay—for all our sakes.”

“Meaning what, exactly, Dad?”

“This place, for instance. To be honest, love, I’m not sure I can help out much more. Everything is so much effort these days.”

Lorne was aghast; it was the first time he’d confided in her that he was struggling to cope. Had she really been taking him for granted that much? That was another thing she’d have to sort out sooner rather than later. If Katy came on board with the P.I. business, that would leave her more time to care for the animals—it was her responsibility, after all, and no one else’s. Guilt wrapped around her like a cold mist. Where would she be without her family to fall back on? Was she expecting too much of them? If they were finding it hard, wouldn’t they let her know?