Guaranteed Justice (8 page)

“Are you sure? You really are too kind.”

Lorne smiled as if Fiona was in the room with her. You think that’s going to be the extent of my kindness? “We’ll see you later. Give my regards to Linda, and tell her to keep her chin pointing upwards.”

Lorne hung up and went in search of Tony. She found him with an axe trying to cut down the tree he’d started to annihilate the day before. By the look of things, the tree seemed to be fighting back. He had numerous scratches across the back of his hands and a raised red mark, approximately three inches long, on his left cheek.

“Baby, what happened?” She gently ran her finger down his cheek.

“This darn thing just doesn’t want to come out. Maybe I’m not cut out to be a lumberjack.”

“Let’s get someone in. I wouldn’t want that pretty face of yours to get all mashed up by the nasty tree.” Tony already had a few scars on his face from his time as an agent. When they had first met, he had a pronounced, ugly scar on his right cheek, which had drawn her eye. That particular scar had faded well over the few years she had known him. But that was nothing to the permanent scars the Taliban had left him with on his chest and stomach. The Taliban had been brutal when they had tortured him, publicly flogging his front instead of his back. The bastards were always trying to figure out ways of upping the pain they dished out to their victims.

“We’ll see. Maybe if the PI business takes off, we can consider hiring a full-time handyman, because I sense that all this land is going to be a full-time job to look after in itself.”

“We’ll see. Not regretting buying this place, are you?”

Tony mimicked the way her mouth had turned down and kissed the tip of her nose. “I’ll be fine once I can get the hedges trimmed back. What’s up, anyway? You’re not your usual chirpy self.”

“Fiona just rang. The police aren’t interested in Linda’s case.”

“We thought that would happen. Did you tell her what your intentions were?” he asked, leaning on the axe in front of him.

“No. I’d like to see their faces when I do that. I just wanted to check if you had any plans for this evening. Only I said I’d drop Blackie off around six. I’d like to stay there a little while to help settle him in and talk over the PI aspect with the girls. That’d mean either an early or late dinner for you and Dad.”

Tony shrugged. “Suits me. You could pick up fish and chips from the chippie on the way home.”

She laughed. “You better get cracking and start burning off some excess calories, then.”

Lorne spent the rest of the afternoon exercising the dogs, cleaning out the kennels, and gathering Blackie’s food, bowls, and a selection of toys, getting him ready for his temporary home.

At five thirty, she and Blackie set off in the van to the girls’ flat. She observed the dog in her rear-view mirror. He was panting excitedly, happy to be out of his kennel and eager to get to their destination. As she got the dog out of the van she said, “You’ll be good, Blackie. For a few days, at least. Maybe longer, who knows?”

Lorne pushed the buzzer.

Fiona opened the door. The first thing she did was to crouch down and give Blackie some fuss, which was good to see, from Lorne’s point of view. One down, two more to go.

Lorne handed the leash to Fiona and closed the front door behind her.

Linda approached the dog with a tiny bit of trepidation, but once the dog licked at the sores on her face, she fell in love with him.

Ami, however, was a different story altogether. Whether it was a cultural issue or something else, Lorne wasn’t entirely sure. Didn’t they eat dogs in China? Only that morning, Lorne had received a Facebook message from Charlie, urging her to sign a petition to put a stop to the fur farms in China, where the poor creatures lived their whole lives in cages and were skinned alive, then dumped on a heap to die the most horrific of deaths.

She shook the sickening image from her mind and continued to watch Ami’s interaction—or lack thereof—with Blackie.

Fiona prompted Ami to stroke Blackie. “Go on, Ami. He won’t hurt you.”

Lorne wasn’t keen on the idea of Ami being forced into something she didn’t want to do. She walked over to stand beside Ami and beckoned the dog. She felt and sensed the fear emanating from the young woman. “Ami, can you look at me? It’s obvious you’re scared of Blackie. Give me your hands.”

Ami looked at Lorne as if she had just escaped the local asylum.

Lorne smiled reassuringly as the other woman placed her hands lightly in hers. “Good. Now copy me. Breathe in deeply, and let it out extra slowly. Keep your gaze locked on mine.”

Ami did as instructed. The intense anxiety the woman had been suffering from visibly slipped away.

That was, it slipped away until Blackie jumped up and hooked his paws over their arms. Ami squealed and ran to the sofa. Lorne hooked her fingers through Blackie’s collar to prevent him from chasing Ami.

Fiona gave Lorne a look that asked ‘How do we overcome that?’

The truth was, Lorne had no idea. She’d never met anyone with such an acute aversion to dogs before. She also knew that if Ami showed Blackie fear, he could react in one of two ways either by pestering her until she was forced to take notice of him or by acting aggressively, growling or attacking her, although Lorne doubted the latter scenario would be true of Blackie.

Lorne comforted the dog while Fiona settled on the sofa next to Ami to see what her problem was.

“I had no idea you didn’t like dogs. Is there any way you’ll try to get over your problem?” Fiona leaned in closer and whispered, “We need to show a united front, for Linda’s sake. She needs to feel secure around here—we all do, hon.”

Tiny tears dripped onto Ami’s cheek. “I know, Fi, and I’m so sorry. But…‌dogs petrify me. I was bitten by one when I was a little girl. I can see Blackie is a nice dog, but my heart is pounding so hard just being in the same room with him. To be honest, I’m not sure I can cope with him living here with us.”

“What are you saying? That you’re not prepared to give it a try?”

“I didn’t say that. But…” Ami refused to look up.

There was something more to her behaviour than she was willing to admit to. Lorne waited patiently as Fiona tried to encourage Ami to confide in her.

“Come on, Ami. For Linda’s sake. Give Blackie a chance, at least for a few days.”

Ami thought for a little while before she gave a brief nod.

But Lorne wasn’t totally convinced that she was about to do the right thing, leaving Blackie with someone who appeared to be his prime carer, as both Linda and Fiona worked full time. Although, granted, Linda was off from work on the sick at the moment.

“Just to clarify the situation. Ami, once Linda goes back to work it’ll be your responsibility to look after Blackie. To exercise, feed, and play with him, is that right?”

Ami shot Fiona a terrified look, then stood up and bolted into her bedroom.

“Ami…” Fiona called after her.

“Leave her, Fiona. I’m sure we’ll find a way around this problem. Is she always so timid?”

“She’s always been a quiet girl, but in the last month or so, she’s been really different. We’ve been a bit worried about her. Since the attack, I’m afraid my primary concern has been Linda’s welfare.”

“How are you, Linda?” Lorne asked, smiling at the way the dog was looking up at her. He seemed happy in his new home, despite Ami’s reluctance to make friends with him.

Ruffling Blackie between the ears, Linda replied, “Truthfully, I’ve had better days. I just can’t understand why the police don’t believe me. Do they think I did this to myself?” She pointed at the wounds on her face and wrists.

“I know how unfair it seems, Linda, but without any physical evidence—DNA, et cetera—their options are limited. Has the doctor said when you can go back to work?”

“In a day or two. I’m an estate agent. It’s going to be hard for me to return to work. However, my boss is very understanding. He’s told me I can stay in the office until I feel up to facing clients again or my ankle is out of plaster.”

Satisfied that Linda was resigned to accepting the police decision not to go after Gibson, Lorne decided to broach the subject of her taking over the case. “Okay, here’s where I stand on things: I’m willing to leave Blackie with you for a few days, as I’ve already stated. I do, however, have some concerns in regard to Ami’s reaction to him. If that can be overcome in the near future, then I can see the arrangement becoming a permanent one.”

Both Linda and Fiona looked relieved and in turn stroked the dog.

“I have something else—a proposition, if you like—to run past you both.”

“Go on,” said Fiona, her forehead furrowed.

“As you know, I used to be a detective. I retired from the force last year with the intention of concentrating on the animal rescue centre. Well, things have changed. I’m about to start up my own private investigation firm.”

“Wow, how exciting for you,” Fiona stated, admiration on her face.

“I hope so. Here’s where you guys slot into the equation: I’d like you to be my first clients. Free of charge.”

Astounded, Fiona dropped down onto the sofa, almost crushing Blackie in the process.

Linda cleared her throat. Her eyes misted over, she placed a hand to her breast. “You’d do that for me, for us?”

Lorne couldn’t help feeling a little embarrassed by their reaction. “Linda, I believe in you. This guy needs to be caught and taken off the streets. He can’t go on raping women and getting away with it. From what you’ve told me, I doubt you’re the first or the last that he’s lured away from that club.”

From the doorway, they heard a sniffle, and a pained voice uttered, “You weren’t.”

CHAPTER NINE

T
he three of them
turned to look at Ami, who, after voicing the words, had collapsed against the doorframe.

“Ami, what do you mean?” Lorne asked cautiously, hoping the girl wasn’t about to say what she was thinking.

The girl stood unsteadily on her slim legs, and Lorne inched forward, ready to catch her if she fell.

“Linda’s not the first.”

“For God’s sake, Ami, get on with it!” Fiona snapped. “What are you trying to tell us?”

Ami closed her eyes. Lorne lunged forward.

But the girl didn’t fall. The only thing that fell were tears onto her cheek. “Gibson raped me, too.”

Everyone else in the room gasped. It was a while before any of them found their voices.

Lorne guided the young woman to the end of the sofa and pushed her down. “Ami, when did this happen to you?”

Ami took a tissue from up the sleeve of her jumper and wiped her nose and eyes with it. “About a month ago.”

“My God. Why didn’t you tell us?” Fiona asked finally.

“I couldn’t. I was so ashamed,” she whispered, her head bowed with embarrassment.

Lorne placed a hand on Ami’s shoulder. “Did you report it to the police, Ami?”

“No. I was too ashamed,” she repeated.

A dumbfounded Linda said quietly, “But you don’t or didn’t have any injuries…”

“I know. I feel terrible, for not telling you, for not looking like you do.”

Lorne had a feeling which way the conversation was going and interjected, “You don’t have to apologise, Ami. When it happened, did you give in to him?”

“Yes. He’s a powerful man. After he had finished, he spat on me like I was a piece of dirt.”

Lorne squeezed Ami’s shoulder and glanced up at the two sisters. Linda was staring at Ami with compassion and regret. Fiona on the other hand, looked as though she was capable of committing murder. Lorne couldn’t decide if it was Gibson or Ami she wanted to kill.

“How could you?” Fiona screeched at her.

“Please, Fi, don’t be cross with me,” Ami pleaded, still unable to make eye contact with anyone.

“Don’t be cross! How the fuck do you expect me to react? If you’d told us—either of us—this probably would never have happened to Linda! You do realise that, don’t you?”

As Ami sobbed into the palms of her hands, Linda pulled on her sister’s arm and shook her head. “Don’t do this, Fiona. What good will it do? The damage is done now.”

Fiona’s eyes widened, and her fists clenched and unclenched by her sides. “I’m sorry, Linda. I can’t and won’t let this lie. She should’ve told us. I don’t mean that Gibson attacked you but the fact that you were attacked at all. We could have helped you get over it. Do you agree, Lorne?”

Lorne cringed at being put on the spot. “Perhaps it would’ve been better in hindsight if you had confided in Linda and Fiona. It’s not something you should have dealt with on your own. But what’s done is done. I suggest we move forward, quickly.”

“I’m sorry. Truly sorry,” Ami muttered under her breath.

Fiona huffed, and Linda slapped her arm. “Fi, Ami was petrified. Unless you’ve been in that situation, you can’t possibly know what it’s like. Lorne, where do we go from here?”

Ami glanced up at Lorne and frowned.

“I’m just starting out as a private investigator, Ami. I’ve offered to look into Linda’s case for free. With what you’ve just told us, I’d say it’s imperative we get this guy off the street ASAP. I’ll need you to help us, though. Are you up to that?”

“Anything. I’ll do anything to help.”

Lorne smiled and heard the two sisters breathe a heavy sigh of relief. “I’ll need you to go to the police and inform them that Gibson raped you, too. Can you do that for me?”

Ami’s chin dipped against her chest. Without looking at the others, she asked, “What good will it do?”

“I can understand your hesitation, but the more complaints the police have against Gibson, the better. They’ll begin to take the case far more seriously.”

Fiona shook her head. “I doubt that’s going to happen. They’ll probably think Ami is just making up another attack. You know, what with her living with us. Without any proof, I have a feeling they’ll discount Ami’s accusation from the outset.”

Lorne nodded. “Fiona’s right, but Ami, if you’re willing to go through with it, I know from my experience in the force that Gibson’s name will be put on a ‘One to watch’ list. If any other crimes similar to yours occur in the same area, his name will immediately be flagged.”