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are you so eager to lend a
hand on this?’
    His response of wanting a bit of action and
being at a loose end didn’t convince her. She had a gut feeling
there were other motives, but she could do with the help on
this.
    They swapped mobile numbers before going
their separate ways.
    Lorne went straight to DCI Roberts and filled
him in with the details of her meeting.
    ‘ You think you can trust
this guy, Lorne?’ Roberts asked her.
    ‘ About as much as I trust my
own team.’
    ‘ That much, huh?’
     

Chapter Eight.
     
    The décor of the lounge bar at the White Swan
looked as tired as ever.
    Lorne checked her watch. Just on six
o'clock.
    John spotted her and the DCI walk in and
rushed over, offering to buy them a drink.
    Her cynical side prodded her. Could he be the
one? His offer could indicate his guilt. Suck up to his seniors.
That way they’d never think of him as a mole.
    For Christ sake! Was she that fucked up by
all this, paranoia had set in?
    The Chief thanked John, but declined his
generosity, then walked over to the bar and gave the barmaid fifty
quid. Everyone cheered. Someone shouted: To Pete, God rest his
soul’. They all raised their glasses. The silence that followed
sounded louder than the cheer.
    Lorne surveyed the room. Every officer either
dabbed at their eyes or sat staring, allowing the tears to drip.
Some of her pain eased to see they shared her loss and it felt good
to know Pete had been so highly thought of.
    The DCI reminded them all they were due back
on duty in thirty minutes. He grabbed Lorne by the elbow and guided
her to a quiet corner ignoring the disgruntled groans.
    They sat alongside the large Inglenook
fireplace, a new addition to the bar and one that didn’t go well
with its surroundings. The heat from it blushed Lorne’s cheeks.
    The DCI faced her with his back to the group.
She could see them all over his shoulder.
    ‘ Right, Lorne, anyone
missing?’
    ‘ Simon Teller isn’t here,
nor is Flash Harry…
    ‘ Who?’
    ‘ Alan Jackson, he’s called
that because of his MR6 sports car. He’s rumoured to like his women
just as fast, if not faster than his cars. Everyone else seems to
be here… Hang on. Laura Crane, she's not here. I overheard a
conversation the other day concerning her. Now what the hell was it
about?’
    She rubbed her temple trawling through her
fuzzy mind.
    The Chief jumped when she snapped her thumb
and middle finger, ‘That’s right, she was talking to one of the
men. It appears her life is one long stream of work and caring for
her bedridden mother. I meant to have her in, point her towards the
counselling service and benevolent lot to see if there is anything
they can help her with, but all this blew up. I guess we can rule
her out.’
    ‘ Go and ring Warner, and give him all three names.’
    ‘ Not Laura Crane’s
surely…’
    ‘ All three,
Lorne…’
    Lorne pushed open the door to the ladies. She
held a hope in her that Laura might be in there, but it proved not
to be so.
    Mobile in hand she stepped into the last
cubical, dropped the loo seat, perched her pert bum on it and
placed the call.
    Warner answered after the first ring. She
gave him the names and a brief outline on each. His interest piqued
at her telling of Alan and his playboy ways.
    ‘ On a Copper’s salary,
sounds a bit suspicious don’t you think? You never mentioned this
earlier.’
    ‘ You asked about anyone who
has recently become flush, Alan’s been like it for
yonks.’
    He showed the same interest in Laura, coming
out with the cliché: “The quiet ones are the worst.”
    ‘ You’ll be working all
night, I take it?’ he asked.
    ‘ Yes. Get back to me the
minute you think you have something.’
    She had spoken this last into a dead phone.
‘Charming. Goodbye to you, too’
    Why did men always have to be so damn
rude?

 
    Chapter Nine .
     
    Lorne and the DCI arrived back at the station
before the rest of the team.
    ‘ Shall we have a quick
search around the