Impeding Justice (9 page)

‘
So where the fuck do we go
from here?’

‘
I can give you a few
addresses that we know about, if that will help. They’re locations
that Abromovski has either bought or rented out over the last few
years, but you won’t find it easy getting warrants to take a look
inside. They are what you might say, houses of ill-repute. And,
they are frequented by some very influential people. Though a stake
out might give you ammunition to get round the
barriers.’

‘
Bloody typical. Well, if I
get an inkling Charlie is in one of them, no fucking influence will
stop me getting in…Fire away with the addresses!’

After giving her the last one, he said, ‘By
the way, there’s just one more thing. The sweep of the area is
being extended to an intense one of the Houses of Parliament, it is
in progress as we speak. Every device including dogs is being
used…’

‘
And…?’

‘
Nothing as
yet...’

‘
Great. What if he is
leading us up a long winding garden path?’

Lorne cringed at the thought of what the
commissioner would say, if that turned out to be the case. But
somehow, she didn’t think so. She looked at her watch. Less than
eighteen hours to go…

‘
Can’t answer that one,
Inspector…’

The phone clicked and went dead.

Chapter Seventeen
.

'Bad news I’m afraid, Lorne.' The Chief
informed her when she stepped into his office moments later.

Not more bad news, I don’t think I can handle anymore
today!
She thought throwing
herself into the vacant chair opposite him.

'I’ve just heard that they have swept the
area in and around the Houses of Parliament and found absolutely
nothing.'

She let out a breath she’d unconsciously been
sucking in, 'Yeah, I know.'

'You
know
. How do you
know?' Roberts asked raising a puzzled eyebrow. Had one of her team
already told her? Wasn’t
he
supposed to be in
charge of the case now?

'Warner. He just rang me. He told me and
that’s why I’m here, to tell you. He said they’re just about to
undergo a more thorough search, he seems to think we are barking up
the wrong tree.'

'If he’s right, where does that leave us?' he
asked, concerned by her drawn, pale appearance. Since they had last
met approximately thirty minutes ago, her overall appearance had
deteriorated. He kicked himself for not anticipating how hard the
events of the last few days would affect her. But what could he do
about it? He’d already taken charge of the case, what more could he
do, send her home?

'Up the creek drifting dangerously towards
the rapids without a single paddle in reach or in sight!' Lorne
offered, melodramatically planting her elbows on her knees and
supporting her weary head in her hands.

'Do me a favour? Forget I’m the boss for a
second and answer me honestly.'

'Go on,' she said, eyeing him warily.

'By the look of things, I’d say you’re not
holding up too well, are you?' her boss asked tentatively.

Feeling like a bolt of lightning had struck
her; she sat upright, pushed her firm breasts out and fully
extended her slim neck upwards. 'Stop worrying about me, I’m fine,'
she said, offering him a false tired smile.

'Don’t bullshit a bullshitter, young lady. No
one’s going to think badly of you if you go home for a few
hours…'

'No way.
Absolutely
not. While
there’s a breath left in my body, I intend to do all I can to find
my daughter. Please don’t insist I go home, sir, because I’d hate
to
defy
your orders.'

'Of course, you’d never do that would you,
Lorne?' Roberts replied with a smile and a knowing glint in his
smoky grey eyes. If the tables were turned, he’d have responded in
exactly the same way, who wouldn’t have?

DS fox knocked on the Chief’s door.

'Come in, John, come up with anything
interesting?' The Chief asked as the other man stepped into the
room.

'Well, we searched every car park in that
area like you said. Our guys were just about to call it a day, when
uniform located the car. The tape is being brought in as we
speak.'

'At last, could this be the breakthrough
we’ve been waiting for? Get SOCO over there ASAP. Impound the
vehicle; see if any matches come up on the DNA database.'

'Yes, boss, I’ll get onto it straight away.'
John was about to turn and leave when Lorne stopped him.

'John, on my desk there’s a list of
addresses. MI6 gave them to me. There’s a possible link with
Abromovski. I want a twenty-four hour surveillance put on each
one.'

Fox hesitated for a moment unsure whether to
accept the order or not. When he glanced at the Chief, he nodded
his approval.

'Get on with it, Fox, what are you waiting
for?'

'Me, sir, I’m not waiting for anything, sir.
Ma’am… I’m on my way now, sir.'

When he left the office, Lorne and Roberts
exchanged awkward glances.

'Thanks for backing me up, Chief. I didn’t
have time to tell you that snippet of information.'

He shrugged, 'Don’t mention it. Now, all we
have to do is find something to keep you out of mischief. Any
ideas?'

'I’ll tell you what I’ll do. I’m going to
grab a quick bite to eat, do a few miles on the treadmill in the
basement gym, then have a long hot shower.'

'Why, Inspector, I think that’s a mighty fine
idea. I’ll see a renewed you in about an hour then.'

'You could always join me,' she said blushing
when she realised her mistake. She hastily corrected herself, 'Um,
I meant the bit about grabbing a bite to eat, and visiting the gym,
sir…Not the rest of it!'

'Oh and there was me thinking you were
inviting me to take a shower with you, for old time’s sake,' he
teased, enjoying her obvious discomfort.

His laughter followed her all the way down the hallway as
she headed for the canteen.
You stupid, stupid woman, you’re seriously losing it
Lorne.
She was still cursing
herself twenty minutes later as she attacked her rubbery
Lasagne.

After only managing to eat half her meal
,
she
pushed
her
plate away and
sipped her warm coffee in a daze. She found herself focusing on the
graffiti plastered wall of the building opposite for a while, tears
misted her eyes as the black pattern somehow morphed into Charlie’s
terrified face.
Hold on
Charlie baby, mummy’s going to find you, just hang in there and
stay strong sweetheart!

Chapter Eighteen.

Refreshed and rejuvenated after her gym
visit, Lorne found the Chief and the team engrossed in the details
of the case once more.

The Chief smiled at her. At least outwardly she had
settled
his
mind. Inwardly, she felt she would
never settle her emotions back into place again.

‘
I was just saying,
Inspector, that AJ has been checking through the addresses Tony
gave us and something very promising has turned up. Actually, AJ,
why don’t you fill everyone in?’

The young man, whose character had been in
question only hours before, stepped up to the white marker board at
the front of the room.

‘
Of the four addresses we
were given. Two of them flagged up as being of interest to the Vice
Squad. In fact, they’ve had them under surveillance for the last
couple of months. I contacted a mate of mine who works with that
team and, off the record, he informed me that the ‘clientele’ enter
the place as bold as brass. As unconcerned, as if the building
housed a public gallery or something, and not used for illegal
activities. My mate thinks that the customers have been assured by
someone who can be believed, that there will never be a raid on the
place.’

The Chief shook his head in disgust,
‘Anything else, AJ?’

‘
Yes there is, Chief. There
was a disturbing incident outside one of these houses only last
week. Apparently, one of the girls at the Knightsbridge house
managed to escape. She didn’t get very far though. A couple of
thugs jumped on her and dragged her back to the house. The
surveillance team radioed in for backup, but was instructed to
leave well alone. After the girl and two guys re-entered the house
they heard a girl screaming for a couple of minutes, then there was
silence. They are assuming she was beaten up, maybe, even killed,
but on that score, nothing has left the building that could be said
to be disguising a body. They have all entrances
covered…’

He trailed off as he looked in her direction.
Lorne had been hanging on his every word and it must have shown.
She hadn’t meant it to. During her workout in the gym she’d given
herself a severe talking to about the importance of not
overreacting no matter how gruesome she found the details they
uncovered to be. She’d made a promise to Charlie to have a PMA at
all times. It was the only way she could see of making it through
this torrid time. She had failed her first test.

The Chief nodded reassuringly at her.

‘
There’s something mighty
strange and frustrating about this case and the more we delve into
it, the more I detest what we are uncovering.’

‘
Corruption comes to mind,
Chief.’

‘
We have no evidence of
that, DC Teller, and until we do I’d rather any thoughts like that
remained that way, as thoughts. Am I making myself
clear?’

They all affirmed, but looking around them,
Lorne realised from their glances at each other that the entire
team were of the same mind. Teller was the only one to have enough
balls to voice his opinion, that’s all.

Chapter Nineteen.

Her head felt as if someone had taken a swing
at it with an axe.

Confused, Charlie looked below her and found
that she was laying on a wafer thin mattress.

The room spun around her when she sat up. She flopped back
down, and let out a groan.
What’s happening to me?

The edge of the bed squashed down. Someone
had sat on it. Her heart thumped to her stomach. A hand brushed her
leg. Fear catapulted her to the top of the bed where she scrunched
up into a terrified ball against the cold, damp wall.

‘
Ssh, it’s okay, I not ’urt
you.’ The voice of a young foreign girl whispered.

Charlie opened her eyes. The girl sitting
next to her looked no older than herself. She had blonde, messy
hair and vivid make-up plastered over her face.

‘
Where am I?’

‘
I don’t know. We don’t
know.’

‘
We?’

‘
Yes, look around you. There
are many ’ere.’ The girl appeared afraid and agitated, looking over
her shoulder after every other word.

Charlie raised her muzzy head. Her stinging
eyes took a while to grow accustomed to the darkness.

She saw the room resembled a long, narrow
passageway. The bed she occupied stood at the end and on either
side right up to the door at the other end forty or fifty,
prison-like bunk beds lined the walls. On each bunk, she could just
make out the forms of girls, all of whom looked tiny. At the far
end a single bulb swayed on a wire suspended from the ceiling. It
gave off a dim glow. Further light trickled in from two windows,
which had metal bars across them.

The rank smell of stale body odour tinged her
nostrils causing her to gag.

‘
What’s your
name?’

‘
My name is Carma. I am from
Romania. And yours?’

‘
It’s Charlie. How long have
you been here, Carma?’ Taking guidance from Carma, she kept her
voice as a whisper. She had so many questions she wanted to ask but
the sentences jumbled up in her muzzy head.

‘
I don’t know ’ow long,
maybe two months maybe three.’

‘
My head feels
funny…’

Carma’s eyes brimmed with tears as she told
her, ‘They ’ave drugged you, see here.’

She pointed to a needle mark in the natural
bend of Charlie’s arm.

‘
It is ’eroin. They give it
to us daily; it controls us as if we were a bunch of dogs. You’ll
get used to it.’

Heroin! Shit, I don’t want to get used to
it!

Before she could ask any more questions,
Carma took flight back to her own bunk.

A grating noise filled the room. The bolt on
the door moved up and down. Each girl scampered down off her bed
and stood to attention.

The door opened. Three huge men walked in.
Charlie froze.

A whisper beside her urged, ‘Get up quick, or
your life won’t be worth living!’

She tried to swing her legs over the side of
the thin mattress but fell back defeated as her limbs flailed out
of control. Her groan echoed in the silence.

The men worked their way up the line towards
her.

The fear she hadn’t let go of gripped her
afresh.

‘
We have a party tonight
girls, very, very important persons coming.’ The man spoke with a
strong accent, not like the girl, but rougher. They’d had a Russian
exchange student at school last year, this voice sounded similar,
just older and deeper.

Charlie tried to see if she recognised any of the men, she
didn’t. Despair entered her as she watched them.
Where am I? What is this place? Oh,
Mum, please come, please…