Bad Sister(82)

‘The road to West Ashbury goes to West Ashbury.’

‘Oh my God, Mack. Stop talking in riddles, man.’

He smiled. Clearly, he was enjoying prolonging the tension.

‘It only goes to West Ashbury, no further. It’s a small hamlet off Ashbury. There are a few roads, but they are all no-through ones. If our driver went there, there’s a strong possibility the van, full of lovely forensic evidence, is still there.’

‘Fabulous. Oh, and thanks for wasting ten minutes dragging that out, just to showboat.’ Lindsay grabbed her suit jacket from the back of her chair and headed for the door. She heard Mack mumbling as he followed.

‘Oh, Ma’am,’ DC Sewell called after her. Lindsay had given up asking her to call her Boss, or Guv like the others. ‘There’s a call for you.’

‘Take a message. I’m on my way out.’ Lindsay swung the door open.

‘It’s Connie Summers, Ma’am, she sounds a bit upset.’

Lindsay stopped dead, her stomach flipping. Now what had happened? Connie must’ve only just got back from Manchester, had she had another intruder? She let the door fall back, knocking into Mack, and took the call.

‘Wade. How can I help?’ She wanted to keep the call professional, not come across as a concerned friend. She didn’t want the others thinking she’d gone soft.

‘There’s a dead rat in my kitchen.’ Connie’s voice sounded wobbly.

‘Okaaay.’ Lindsay frowned, while trying hard not to sing the lyrics to UB40’s hit eighties song, ‘Rat in Mi Kitchen’. What did she want her to do about that?

‘It was here when I got back. When I left on Tuesday, it wasn’t. Someone’s been inside the house while I’ve been away, left it for me as some kind of … I don’t know, a message. It stinks, Lindsay.’

Lindsay’s lips twitched with the urge to laugh.

‘Look, I understand why you’re rattled. The incident at your office the other day has put you on edge. But I imagine your cat brought the rat in, or you just have a rat issue …’

‘Amber isn’t here. I took her to my mum’s before I went to Manchester, and there was no rat when I left.’

‘Amber probably brought it in prior to Tuesday, alive, then injured it and it died while you were gone. There’s a perfectly good explanation. Have you checked around the house – is there anything else untoward, any windows or doors been forced that you can see?’

‘No, nothing like that.’

‘Then I’m sure it’s fine. Just a rat. Horrible creatures, but at least it’s dead. If it’d reassure you, make you feel better, I’ll send a DC around?’

‘No, no need to do that. It unnerved me, that’s all. If you don’t think it’s anything to worry about … I might go over to Mum’s and pick Amber up now. I was going to leave it as I’m so tired, but I think I want her here. I’m sorry for bothering you with this. You’re clearly right. I’m being oversensitive, it’s been a hell of a visit to Manchester.’

‘Perhaps I’ll bring over a bottle of wine tomorrow night and you can bring me up to speed?’

‘Sure, that’d be good.’

Lindsay paused after she’d replaced the receiver. Was Connie being oversensitive? Or was Lindsay being too flippant about her concerns? There had been someone in the downstairs toilet at Connie’s consultancy – that was a certainty. Whether that person was Brett, or someone they’d not considered, was up in the air. Could that same person have got into her house? It seemed unlikely. Unless they had a key – as Connie said there was no sign of anyone having broken in. Lindsay was suddenly aware of eyes on her.

‘Sorry, Mack. Let’s go.’ She strode towards him, and together they walked to the car. All the while, Lindsay was thinking about Connie. After they were done for the night and before heading back home to Plymouth, she’d pop over to Connie’s house and check no one was hanging around. Ensure the house was secure. Put her own mind at ease. ‘I assume we have all hands on deck for this?’

‘I’ve done the necessary, Boss. I’ve got maps of the land, dwellings, barns and everything. There’s a farm there with various outbuildings, I thought that’d be a good place to begin.’

‘Sounds the perfect drop-zone, doesn’t it? Let’s hope our friend thought so too.’





CHAPTER EIGHTY-FOUR


Connie


Wednesday 21/Thursday 22 June

Connie held her breath as she wrapped the dead rat in newspaper, then rushed outside and deposited it into the wheelie bin. She shuddered as it hit the bottom of the empty bin with a thud. Back inside the kitchen she squeezed a handful of washing-up liquid into her palm and rubbed her hands together until the lather dripped down her arms. Disgusting disease-carrying creatures. She still had a tingle of concern travelling up and down her spine, but, as Lindsay wasn’t unduly worried, then she shouldn’t be either. Her explanation did make sense. Even so, Connie waived the ice-cold lager and bath, and phoned for a taxi to take her to Shaldon. She’d have an hour with her mum – having to concentrate on keeping from her all that was going on would definitely take her mind off this current rat situation. Then she’d return home with Amber. Any further rats would swiftly be dealt with by her. She hoped.