the woman on the other end of the line, no doubt dressed in a designer suit, with pristine manicured fingernails and her hair shaped and coiffed by an exclusive hair stylist in Oxford Street.
“I understand that, Ms. Brownlee. But as with any business, I’d expect work colleagues to be aware of the dangers surrounding them. Especially as this is the second serious crime of this nature to have happened within the last forty-eight hours.”
“Things happen.”
Which to Lorne sounded like the phrase ‘Shit happens.’ “Okay, I’m not sure where you’re coming from on this issue, Ms. Brownlee, but I’m officially asking you to make sure the other footballers are aware of this situation and to make sure they get adequate security until the criminals are apprehended.”
“Officially? You mean you can make people obtain extra security?”
The snootiness in the woman’s voice and her attitude made Lorne shudder. The woman had Lorne by the short and curlies.
“What harm can it do?” Lorne snapped back at her.
“I’m a busy person, Inspector. If that’s all…I’ll be going now.” And with that bumptious retort, Ms. Brownlee hung up.
Lorne made a note on her pad to call back and give the heartless woman a piece of her mind when there was a lull in the case.
Tracy entered the room and gave Lorne a sheet of paper with the name of the Kellys’ designer: Danielle Styles of Styles Interiors. Lorne added the sheet to her growing to-do pile.
• • •
A few hours later, John and Molly returned from the Kendricksons’ home at the same time Katy stormed through the door. Lorne pondered whom to tackle first, but after noticing the way Katy’s mouth was twitching in anger, she thought that John and Molly would be quicker to get out of the way. “John, what did you learn? Did you get the photos?”
He handed her his phone, and she scrolled through the pictures. She quickly found what she’d been expecting. “As I thought, the furnishings are different from the other properties.”
“Ma’am?” John queried.
“With that in mind, I think we’re looking at a totally different gang. With the first two houses, the décors were the same. Do we know what security firm the Kendricksons used?”
“Hang on a mo. I wrote it down here somewhere.”
Molly tutted and told her, “It’s ‘Trust Us,’ ma’am.”
“Hmm…That’s interesting. It’s the same firm as the other families. And yet the décor is different. I’ll need to check into this further before making any assumptions.” But her gut instinct, the thing she’d always relied heavily upon, was telling her that there was something dodgy about the security firm.
Speaking of which, she walked over to Katy’s desk and perched on the edge of the desk beside it. “Katy?”
“Ma’am?” she replied pensively.
“How did it go? With the security firm, I mean.”
Katy threw her pen across her desk. “Jumped-up little prick wouldn’t tell me anything. Get a warrant, he said.”
“I see, and your response to that was?”
Katy gave her a quizzical look and shrugged. “I left. What else could I do?”
“I see. Well, maybe we’ll both go and see them tomorrow.”
Katy’s frown turned into a scowl. “With a warrant?”
“Not necessary, DS Foster. You’ll see.” Lorne winked.
Lorne smiled, turned, and headed back to her office, but heard the new recruit mutter, “Good luck on that one; you’re gonna need it.”
By the time seven o’clock came around, Lorne had a stinking headache and decided to call it a day. She drove back home in a daze, her thoughts caught up in the complexities of the case and worrying if Tony had arrived safely in Afghanistan.
As usual, Henry met her at the front door, whined, and bolted to the back door to be let out.
“All right, boy. Busting are you?” She ruffled his head and unlocked the back door to let him out.
After putting on the kettle and searching for her painkillers in
“I understand that, Ms. Brownlee. But as with any business, I’d expect work colleagues to be aware of the dangers surrounding them. Especially as this is the second serious crime of this nature to have happened within the last forty-eight hours.”
“Things happen.”
Which to Lorne sounded like the phrase ‘Shit happens.’ “Okay, I’m not sure where you’re coming from on this issue, Ms. Brownlee, but I’m officially asking you to make sure the other footballers are aware of this situation and to make sure they get adequate security until the criminals are apprehended.”
“Officially? You mean you can make people obtain extra security?”
The snootiness in the woman’s voice and her attitude made Lorne shudder. The woman had Lorne by the short and curlies.
“What harm can it do?” Lorne snapped back at her.
“I’m a busy person, Inspector. If that’s all…I’ll be going now.” And with that bumptious retort, Ms. Brownlee hung up.
Lorne made a note on her pad to call back and give the heartless woman a piece of her mind when there was a lull in the case.
Tracy entered the room and gave Lorne a sheet of paper with the name of the Kellys’ designer: Danielle Styles of Styles Interiors. Lorne added the sheet to her growing to-do pile.
• • •
A few hours later, John and Molly returned from the Kendricksons’ home at the same time Katy stormed through the door. Lorne pondered whom to tackle first, but after noticing the way Katy’s mouth was twitching in anger, she thought that John and Molly would be quicker to get out of the way. “John, what did you learn? Did you get the photos?”
He handed her his phone, and she scrolled through the pictures. She quickly found what she’d been expecting. “As I thought, the furnishings are different from the other properties.”
“Ma’am?” John queried.
“With that in mind, I think we’re looking at a totally different gang. With the first two houses, the décors were the same. Do we know what security firm the Kendricksons used?”
“Hang on a mo. I wrote it down here somewhere.”
Molly tutted and told her, “It’s ‘Trust Us,’ ma’am.”
“Hmm…That’s interesting. It’s the same firm as the other families. And yet the décor is different. I’ll need to check into this further before making any assumptions.” But her gut instinct, the thing she’d always relied heavily upon, was telling her that there was something dodgy about the security firm.
Speaking of which, she walked over to Katy’s desk and perched on the edge of the desk beside it. “Katy?”
“Ma’am?” she replied pensively.
“How did it go? With the security firm, I mean.”
Katy threw her pen across her desk. “Jumped-up little prick wouldn’t tell me anything. Get a warrant, he said.”
“I see, and your response to that was?”
Katy gave her a quizzical look and shrugged. “I left. What else could I do?”
“I see. Well, maybe we’ll both go and see them tomorrow.”
Katy’s frown turned into a scowl. “With a warrant?”
“Not necessary, DS Foster. You’ll see.” Lorne winked.
Lorne smiled, turned, and headed back to her office, but heard the new recruit mutter, “Good luck on that one; you’re gonna need it.”
By the time seven o’clock came around, Lorne had a stinking headache and decided to call it a day. She drove back home in a daze, her thoughts caught up in the complexities of the case and worrying if Tony had arrived safely in Afghanistan.
As usual, Henry met her at the front door, whined, and bolted to the back door to be let out.
“All right, boy. Busting are you?” She ruffled his head and unlocked the back door to let him out.
After putting on the kettle and searching for her painkillers in
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