Virtual Justice (10 page)

Bella really hadn’t expected him to say that. She hesitated before responding, “Maybe one day.”

“One day? Why don’t we make plans now? Wouldn’t you like that? Don’t you like having things to look forward to?”

She smiled, trying to disguise the cringing she felt inside. “Of course. We’ll talk more later. This meal is lovely. Do you use this restaurant much?”

“Ah, avoidance tactics. You really are so entertaining, at times.” He returned to his meal, and they ate the remainder of it in silence. However, the changing expressions on his face intimated that he was constantly thinking about what he’d said to her. Once or twice, she found her food hard to swallow because of the fear sticking in her throat.

He tidied away the plates and took her hand. “Come, my love. Let’s get reacquainted in the bedroom.”

No foreplay, just let’s get straight down to it, even on a full stomach.
She was apprehensive and tried to drag her feet to begin with. Once or twice, he looked over his shoulder and gave her a concerned look, which forced her to smile and up her pace. Her reluctance was a different matter entirely once his hands started to undress her. Her insides melted as his fingers set her skin on fire. Everything else that had happened that evening vanished in a flash as she surrendered to his loving embrace and sensitive touch.

After they had made love, she rested her head against his chest, which was rising and falling heavily after his exertions.

“That was incredible,” she told him shyly.

“It was. But it can be so much better.”

She pushed up on her elbow to look at him. “Oh, how so?” To her, their lovemaking could never be improved upon.

“I have a plan festering away in here.” He tapped his forehead and grinned.

“What sort of plan?”

He leaned in close and whispered, “How good are you at keeping secrets?”

“The best,” she replied excitedly. As a child, she’d always loved being privy to secrets and had been exceptional at keeping quiet about anything she heard if she’d been ordered not to open her mouth.

“You and I are going to form a wonderful partnership. One that no other couple has dared to form before. Are you up for that?”

“Of course. It sounds intriguing. What does it involve?”

“World domination.” He roared at his own joke, and Bella quickly found herself joining in, despite not knowing what he was referring to. She didn’t have the courage to press him further about his plans and decided to wait until he stopped laughing before she spoke again.

“Sounds like fun.”

“Oh, it’ll be that all right, my dear. Well? Are you with me?”

“You bet.”

He held out his hand. “Shake on it. There’s no going back after this.”

Cautiously, she glanced from his face to his outstretched hand and back again. She eventually slid her hand in his, and he shook it so hard that she thought her fingers were about to be pulled out of their sockets. He let out another laugh that she could only describe as demented and pulled her head against his chest again.

Bella fell asleep quite quickly, but awoke a few hours later to find the bed empty. She hesitated before going in search of Morris after what happened to her the last time. In the end, curiosity got the better of her, and she tentatively walked through the bedroom, still naked, and into the lounge. He sensed her arrival and greeted her with a smile as his eyes devoured her body.

“Couldn’t you sleep?” she asked.

He held out his hand and pulled her close. “No, I’m far too excited to sleep. I didn’t mean to wake you, though, my dear.”

“You didn’t. I slept well up until now. Would you like to discuss your plans further?”

“Let me get you my housecoat to wear.” He bent down to kiss her breast, then went in search of the gown.

Bella sat self-consciously on the sofa and rose again when he returned. He draped the robe around her shoulders, and they both sat down on the sofa.

He inhaled a breath and took her hand in his. “Now, where do I begin? Right, well…‌since we met through the dating agency, I thought it would be good for us to invite other members to join us.”

“Join us? I don’t understand.”

“When I say ‘join us,’ what I mean to say is, I think it would be fun to continue to date other people. What do you think?”

She felt as if a heavy load had landed on her chest, almost crushing the breath out of her. “I…‌well, I thought we had something special between us—”

He brushed his lips against the back of her hand. “We do, my dear. I just think it could be so much better. You’ll see what I mean once we start our little venture. Too many relationships go stale quickly, lose their spark. You don’t want that to happen to us, do you?”

She responded quickly without the need to consider her answer first. “Definitely not. However, I’m not sure I’ll be comfortable meeting and dating others after what we’ve shared this past week.”

“You will. With my expert guidance, you’ll be empowered to do anything, go anywhere. With confidence raising you to new and fascinating levels.”

Unsure, Bella didn’t say another word. As she listened to his plan unravel, a sense of foreboding washed over her. It was matched by a morbid fascination. After listening to his obviously well-thought-out plan, she followed him back into the bedroom. Their lovemaking was gentle yet intense and lasted for over an hour. Apparently satisfied, Morris fell asleep. As she listened to his steady breathing, she recounted his plan until she fell asleep wearing a broad smile.

CHAPTER TEN

T
he following day, Lorne and Tony were busy organising their day. Lorne had suggested they visit a number of agencies to see if Karen Meldrew was registered with them. They had retrieved a couple of agency names from Karen’s computer, but Lorne had an inkling Karen probably contacted others. While they were checking out one or two, they might as well check all the known agencies in the London area.

Charlie joined them after finishing her daily duties.

“Sorry, sweetheart. I’ve been so wrapped up in this case I forgot to ask how the visits went yesterday.”

Charlie sat down at the table and tucked into a huge bowl of cornflakes and milk. In between mouthfuls, she said, “I think two of the couples want to rehome two of the smaller dogs. They’re going to ring me today to confirm that. So you’ll have to slot some home visits into your busy schedule.”

“Not a problem. If you could make the appointments for the weekend, that would be better for me.”

“Sure. I think that would suit the couples more anyway as they work full-time.”

Lorne cringed. “Full-time? You know how I feel about that, Charlie.”

“I know, Mum. Geez, grant me with some sense. In one case, the wife has just been made redundant, and in the other, the couple are expecting a baby, and the wife is due to go on maternity leave in the next few weeks.”

Lorne cringed again, and Charlie glared at her.

“Don’t look at me like that. I’ve told them both to expect a grilling from you. I also made them aware that you don’t agree with placing dogs where newborns are about to arrive.”

“Good girl. I knew I could count on you to consider the dog’s welfare.”

“Of course. Hey, another guy dropped by late in the afternoon. He seemed interested in the couple of spaniels we have, including Rusty. I tried to dissuade him about my boy, though. He said that he’d call back and see you another time.”

“Did you tell him that you were in charge of the kennels?”

“Yep. I got the feeling he didn’t want to deal with someone so young, just saw me as a kennel maid.”

“Oh well. If he gets in touch again, I’ll be sure to put him right on that front. Sorry, love.”

“No need. As you’ve always told me, it takes all sorts to make a world. All right if I start training Rusty now? All the chores are done. I got up an extra hour early today.”

“Just to let you know, we’ll be going out soon. It could be an all-day job. Can you take the phone with you?”

Charlie pushed back her chair and put her dirty dish in the sink. “Sure, I’ll leave it on the post outside the paddock. Have a good day.”

Lorne smiled as her daughter skipped out the back door. She looked happier than she had in all her young life. If anyone deserved such happiness, it was Charlie after all the shit that had been thrown at her over the past few years.

“She’s growing into a fine young woman. She seems so much more balanced nowadays,” Tony commented as the door closed behind Charlie.

“She does, doesn’t she? I wonder why that is? The responsibility I’ve given her? The fact that she lives with us rather than Tom? I’m not sure why she’s doing so well, but I’m glad to see her flourishing the way she is.”

“I’m not sure, either, but it sure beats having a grumpy teenager around the place. Where are we going to start first?”

Lorne looked down at the list in front of her. “Would you rather start in central London and work your way out or vice-versa?”

“Why don’t we take the ones in central London first? By the time we get there, the traffic should have eased a little.”

“Done. I’ll just have a quick tidy round, and we’ll head off, okay? How’s the leg, by the way?”

“About the same. I’ll take some painkillers and make an appointment with the doc—anything to stop your incessant nagging.” Tony winked and then winced when he stood up.

Lorne suspected there was more going on with his leg than he was willing to let on. The previous few nights, he’d taken to getting into bed once the lights were off. He’d also been wearing his pyjama bottoms to bed, which he’d never done before. If he didn’t make the appointment with the doctor by the end of the day, then she would.

•\ \ \ \ \ •\ \ \ \ \ •

Lorne insisted she should drive if Tony was in pain. They arrived at the first agency, Soul Partners, at just gone ten. The young, busty girl on reception came across as enthusiastic, until Lorne asked to see the owner or manager of the business.

“About what?” she asked abruptly.

“We need information about a possible member of yours.” She watched the woman intently, noticing that her movements had become jittery. “Is that a problem?”

“No. Er…‌I mean, yes.”

“Which is it?” Lorne prompted, suspecting that they weren’t going to get anywhere fast.

“We don’t usually give out members’ information to all and sundry.”

“I’m not asking you to divulge anything personal. I just wanted to know if a certain person was a member of your agency. That’s all.” Lorne’s reply was accompanied by one of her best smiles, which usually put people at ease. Not this girl, though.

“The manager is out of the office at the moment. You’ll have to make an appointment to see her.”

Lorne shrugged. “No worries. I’ll get my friend DS Foster to come down with a warrant.”

The girl’s eyes widened with fear, and she stuttered her response, “Er…‌there’s no need for that. I’ll ring her and make her aware of the situation. Take a seat.”

Lorne turned and winked at Tony, and they both took a seat while the girl rang her boss. Two minutes later, the door behind the receptionist opened, and a petite woman in her early fifties came out of the office, with her hand outstretched, ready to shake hands with Lorne and Tony.

“Emily Fortenham. You wanted to see me about one of our members?”

“A possible member. Mind if we talk in your office?”

The woman frowned then gave a brief nod. “Come through. Sandra, rustle up some coffee, will you?”

“Not for us, thanks.” Lorne smiled at the receptionist as she walked past her desk.

Once the door was closed behind them, they all sat.

Lorne turned to Ms. Fortenham. “We just wanted to know if a Karen Meldrew was—sorry—
is
registered with your agency.”

The woman tapped the keys on her laptop and waited for the results to appear on her screen. “Nope. Nothing is coming up on here.”

Tony leaned over to Lorne and whispered, “We’re assuming she used her proper name. Maybe she used a false name for her research. I know I would.”

“Damn, I didn’t think of that.”

“I’m sorry I can’t help.” Ms. Fortenham sat back in her chair.

“The thing is, the person we’re looking for was writing a book, so she could have been using an assumed name. Would it be possible to look through your database? I take it you do have photos of all your members on file?”

“Of course. How else could we match people?”

“On that note, how do you know the photos are real? True identities, I mean. Couldn’t the ugliest person around upload an image of a rippling-muscled hunk just so he can pull a beautiful woman?”

The woman looked horrified by Lorne’s suggestion, and her brow furrowed as she contemplated her answer. “To be honest, all our members sign a contract to say the information they upload is accurate and truthful.”

“So, once they upload, you check the accuracy of each member’s profile. Is that correct?”

Ms. Fortenham shuffled in her seat. “Most of the time.”

“Ah, I knew there would be a flaw somewhere.” An unexpected anger soared through her. “How can you live with yourself? As long as the money keeps rolling in, you’re happy not to keep a tight rein on things. Is that it?”

“I don’t like what you’re inferring.”

Lorne let out a heavy breath.
What’s the point?
“Is it possible for us to take a look at your members’ profiles?”

“Not without some kind of formal paperwork.”

Lorne took out her mobile and hit the number that would connect her to Katy’s mobile. “Hi, sorry to trouble you. Can you organise a warrant for me?”

“What? You know I can’t do that, Lorne,” Katy replied with obvious confusion.

“That’s great. I think we could be onto something here at this particular agency. The manager—stroke—
owner
doesn’t carry out thorough checks. This could be where Karen met her killer.”

“Okay, I get what you’re up to now. Play it calmly. Not everyone appreciates being threatened into supplying information.”

“Yep, I know—”

“Wait a minute. Did you say killer? Has someone been murdered?” The colour drained from Ms. Fortenham’s cheeks.

“Just a minute, DS Foster.” Lorne covered the mouthpiece to her phone and asked the woman, “Yes, the woman we need information about has been murdered. Now, are you willing to assist us in this matter or not?”