name.
‘ Lorne, it’s your father.
What’s all this I hear from Tom, Charlie’s been kidnapped and you
won’t tell him why? He has a right to know, girl, we all
do…’
The sternness of his tone unnerved her. Where
work was concerned she had never put a foot wrong with her father.
Though, family matters were a different ball game.
Although proud of her achievements he
disapproved of the way, he felt, she neglected her motherly and
wifely duties. Where her father was concerned it was a case of “do
as I say, not as I do/did!” His hypocrisy at times drove her to
distraction. But then, that was men for you, wasn’t it?
‘ Hi Dad, yeah I’m doing fine considering, thanks for
asking…’ A part of her hurt that he’d stomped over her in his size
elevens without considering what she was going through. If anyone should know what an
invidious position I’m in, he should!
‘ Yes, yes. Well, are you
going to tell me what’s going on?’
‘ What, so you can go running
back to Tom and tell him? Grant me with some sense, Dad. I’m
telling you, like I told Tom, I cannot disclose what we know about
the case because it is a matter of state secrecy…’
‘ State secrecy? Huh! That’s
bullshit, Lorne and you know it, don’t try and pull the wool over
my eyes, young lady.’
The, ‘young
lady’ said in the tone he’d
said it didn’t bode well. ‘You have to trust me on this one, Dad.
If I tell you then I risk losing my job. The Chief has already
pulled me off the investigation. He’s in charge now. If it’s any
consolation, I really would like to tell you I could do with your
advice on a few things but my hands are tied!’
‘ Then, I’ll just have to
speak to someone who will tell me, I still have some friends in the
force, you know. Influential friends at that!’
The slamming down of the phone ended their confrontation.
Jesus, I’m surrounded by bloody angry men intent on hanging up on
me. When are you guys gonna
give me a bloody break?
Lorne buried her aching head in her
hands.
‘ Penny for them?’ The Chief
startled her out of her bout of self-pity.
‘ Come on, I’ll treat you to
a coffee and a Nurofen down the canteen. No arguments, there’s
little we can do around here for the time being. Five minutes, I
promise. It’ll help clear the cobwebs away, take my word on
that!’
‘ How can a girl refuse such
a generous offer?’
Charlie’s abduction had obviously swept
through the station quicker than a bush fire in Oz. In the canteen,
colleagues who usually stopped by her table for a quick chat,
looked uncomfortable and avoided her eyes.
She followed the Chief to a spare table at
the rear of the canteen, overlooking the car park. They sipped at
the barely passable cup of warm liquid the canteen staff laughingly
called “Rich Roast Coffee”.
‘ My day just seems to be
going from bad to worse.’
‘ How so?’ The Chief asked,
tilting his head.
‘ Apart from the fact that my
daughter has been kidnapped and is now in the hands of a murdering
scumbag, you mean? Well, somewhere along the line I’ve managed to
piss off my husband. Who is probably sat at home right now,
fretting over his daughter’s well-being, despising me, as much as
the man who abducted her. And, if that isn’t bad enough, I’ve also
managed to upset my father… He rang just before you came into my
office.’
The Chief uttered a meaningful, ‘Oh?’
‘ Don’t worry, I didn’t tell
him anything. That’s why he is furious with me. I don’t blame him,
he above Tom, should be in the loop as he is still bound by the,
official secrets act. Anyway, he says he has friends in the Service
and he’ll find out from them. God! As if having my daughter in that
monster’s hands and losing Pete isn’t enough!’
Reaching across the table he rested a
concerned hand over hers, ‘You mustn’t blame yourself, Lorne. Blame
the system by all means. But never blame yourself. If I had my way
I would get your father on
‘ Lorne, it’s your father.
What’s all this I hear from Tom, Charlie’s been kidnapped and you
won’t tell him why? He has a right to know, girl, we all
do…’
The sternness of his tone unnerved her. Where
work was concerned she had never put a foot wrong with her father.
Though, family matters were a different ball game.
Although proud of her achievements he
disapproved of the way, he felt, she neglected her motherly and
wifely duties. Where her father was concerned it was a case of “do
as I say, not as I do/did!” His hypocrisy at times drove her to
distraction. But then, that was men for you, wasn’t it?
‘ Hi Dad, yeah I’m doing fine considering, thanks for
asking…’ A part of her hurt that he’d stomped over her in his size
elevens without considering what she was going through. If anyone should know what an
invidious position I’m in, he should!
‘ Yes, yes. Well, are you
going to tell me what’s going on?’
‘ What, so you can go running
back to Tom and tell him? Grant me with some sense, Dad. I’m
telling you, like I told Tom, I cannot disclose what we know about
the case because it is a matter of state secrecy…’
‘ State secrecy? Huh! That’s
bullshit, Lorne and you know it, don’t try and pull the wool over
my eyes, young lady.’
The, ‘young
lady’ said in the tone he’d
said it didn’t bode well. ‘You have to trust me on this one, Dad.
If I tell you then I risk losing my job. The Chief has already
pulled me off the investigation. He’s in charge now. If it’s any
consolation, I really would like to tell you I could do with your
advice on a few things but my hands are tied!’
‘ Then, I’ll just have to
speak to someone who will tell me, I still have some friends in the
force, you know. Influential friends at that!’
The slamming down of the phone ended their confrontation.
Jesus, I’m surrounded by bloody angry men intent on hanging up on
me. When are you guys gonna
give me a bloody break?
Lorne buried her aching head in her
hands.
‘ Penny for them?’ The Chief
startled her out of her bout of self-pity.
‘ Come on, I’ll treat you to
a coffee and a Nurofen down the canteen. No arguments, there’s
little we can do around here for the time being. Five minutes, I
promise. It’ll help clear the cobwebs away, take my word on
that!’
‘ How can a girl refuse such
a generous offer?’
Charlie’s abduction had obviously swept
through the station quicker than a bush fire in Oz. In the canteen,
colleagues who usually stopped by her table for a quick chat,
looked uncomfortable and avoided her eyes.
She followed the Chief to a spare table at
the rear of the canteen, overlooking the car park. They sipped at
the barely passable cup of warm liquid the canteen staff laughingly
called “Rich Roast Coffee”.
‘ My day just seems to be
going from bad to worse.’
‘ How so?’ The Chief asked,
tilting his head.
‘ Apart from the fact that my
daughter has been kidnapped and is now in the hands of a murdering
scumbag, you mean? Well, somewhere along the line I’ve managed to
piss off my husband. Who is probably sat at home right now,
fretting over his daughter’s well-being, despising me, as much as
the man who abducted her. And, if that isn’t bad enough, I’ve also
managed to upset my father… He rang just before you came into my
office.’
The Chief uttered a meaningful, ‘Oh?’
‘ Don’t worry, I didn’t tell
him anything. That’s why he is furious with me. I don’t blame him,
he above Tom, should be in the loop as he is still bound by the,
official secrets act. Anyway, he says he has friends in the Service
and he’ll find out from them. God! As if having my daughter in that
monster’s hands and losing Pete isn’t enough!’
Reaching across the table he rested a
concerned hand over hers, ‘You mustn’t blame yourself, Lorne. Blame
the system by all means. But never blame yourself. If I had my way
I would get your father on
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