Lethal Instincts (3 page)

“I never disbelieved you.”

“So why not reopen the case? The passport proves Tatiana didn’t leave the UK.”

“No, it only suggests she didn’t. No hard evidence either way. Why are you so hung up on this particular case?”
 

“I like when justice is served.”

“Then we have at least one thing in common.”

“I think Tatiana Petrenko was taken and is still in the country. I know her passport isn’t conclusive evidence but it should ring alarm bells.”

“Like I said, I will look into it.”
 

“Seriously? Or is that just a way to get me off your back?”

“I take my job seriously, Lexi. When I say I’m going to look into it, that’s exactly what I intend doing. I’m not sure how things work down under but here we have procedures to follow, rules to abide by, and we try not to step on other detectives’ turf, if you know what I mean. Are you going to cause me trouble, Lexi?”

“That’s not my intention. What I don’t understand is, why was the case closed so quickly?”

“One woman’s suspicion and gut feeling are not enough to sustain an investigation. We already have an understaffed and underpaid workforce. It’s about prioritising. Budget cuts and the like.”

“Shouldn’t they all be equal?”

“That’s a very naive way of thinking, and one thing I’m certain of is that you are anything but naive, Lexi,” the detective said. “I am curious though, what brought you to this murky part of the world?”

“I needed a change of pace, away from my family,” Lexi said, wondering why the last bit had come out. Normally, she wouldn’t give the family a second thought.

“You don’t like them?”

“We don’t always see eye to eye. I like to do things myself, my family like to pay for things to be done. They don’t understand my need for simplicity where they require opulence and fame.”

“Your family is famous?”

“Not really. My father runs a large import-export business and my mother enjoys entertaining in the social circles of the wealthy and snobby. I can have everything money can buy but not much of what it cannot. Gosh, doesn’t that make me sound like an ungrateful bitch?”

“Just a little,” she said, smiling. “So I suppose journalism is not a career they’re proud of.”
 

“No. Ideally, I’d finish a law degree, marry well, have children, let nannies look after them, and attend brunches and galas all year long while resembling a well-kept Barbie doll.”
 

“Sounds like a tough life, though I’m not sure whether the Barbie look would suit you.”
 

“Not my style,” Lexi said. Sure she could tolerate a fancy brunch or a charity event occasionally, but if it was on her repertoire on a daily basis she’d soon enough go crazy. She needed more, much more. So, from a young age she turned herself away from her family as much as she could and continued to do so.

“So you turned to journalism.”

“I wanted to do something that had some significance. Plus, I get to meet interesting people instead of those just interested in my bank balance,” Lexi said. “What’s your story?”

“I like solving crimes.”
 

“That’s it?”

“That’s it. I’ll look into Tatiana Petrenko, now please try to stay out of trouble. London can be a dangerous place when you start stepping on the wrong toes.”

Lexi couldn’t help but wonder if that was a threat or a warning.

Chapter 6

The next morning, Lexi got dressed early and decided to do some of her own investigating. The dreary London weather had decided to clear up for the morning, but she carried an umbrella in her handbag regardless. It was the first habit that she had picked up after moving to London; heading outside without one was like asking to be caught in a downpour. She was getting used to the rain, but it didn’t do much to keep her mind from drifting to the warmer and drier climate she had left behind.
 

The detective’s words from the previous night stayed in her mind. How dangerous could London get? Was she putting herself in danger by getting involved? Stepping on toes was part of her job description, she’d just have to remember to be extra careful. And besides, what harm could asking a few questions do?

Lexi’s first stop was the bakery where Tatiana Petrenko had occasionally worked.

It was one of those Eastern European bakeries that had opened up shop since the EU opened its borders. The cakes and pastries melted in your mouth and there was always a ‘babushka’ in the back, kneading dough or folding flour.
 

As soon as Lexi walked in the sweet smells hit her senses, from the freshly baked bread to the jam donuts sitting on the counter, and the cheesecakes and pastries behind the glass. Lexi’s mouth salivated. She’d have to grab a slice of cake when she finished otherwise her taste buds would never forgive her.

The owner was a short older man. He was balding on the top but keeping the thick sides intact. His belly protruded just above his apron; a spot of icing remained on the corner of his mouth. He wiped it off with the back of his hand as he approached Lexi and introduced himself.

“When was her last shift?” Lexi asked.

“Thursday, week ago. Came in for eight hours. Worked through without a break and left. We haven’t seen her since,” he said in good English with a hint of an unfamiliar accent coming through.
 

“What about her next shift?”

“We tried calling Tatiana two days ago but she never responded. Poor girl. She was so quiet, there was something very sad about her.”

“What do you mean?” Lexi asked.

“It was her eyes. You know, they say the eyes are the windows to the soul. It seemed like her soul had been eaten away by something dark. She was just going through the motions.”

“Did she ever say anything? Talk to anyone?”

“Other than pleasantries to be polite, she was not a social butterfly. Tatiana was kind and thoughtful but she didn’t go out of her way to make friends. There was one girl she spoke with. Grace. But I doubt she would know any more than I have already told you. She finishes her shift in ten minutes if you want to talk to her.”

She wasn’t convinced how much Grace might help but girls chatted, gossiped, let go of frustrations by spilling their hearts. Maybe Tatiana had confided in someone? And what better way than to the person you worked with, especially since Tatiana’s schedule was sporadic.

Grace was short and petite, with a gaunt face, and short spiky hair. She could have been in her twenties or pass for a teenager. Lexi didn’t waste any time on pleasantries but as she had expected, Grace couldn’t tell her much at all.

“Tatiana was nice. Quiet. She helped out a lot when she was here. I asked her once if she wanted a few of my extra shifts, you know I sometimes like to spend time with my boyfriend and if I can’t get someone to work my shift… well, taking a day off is not an option. But she said she didn’t need the money and wasn’t interested. Which is weird, because she only worked a few days a month. And whilst she always looked well put together, you could tell that the clothes on her back had come from a charity shop.”
 

“Thank you, Grace, you’ve been most helpful,” Lexi said.

“She’s dead, isn’t she?” Grace said, her gaze shifting towards Lexi’s feet.

“I hope not,” Lexi said and moved towards the door, wondering why Grace would have automatically drawn such a conclusion.
 

“Wait,” Grace said, grabbing hold of Lexi’s arm with her delicate hands. “I need to tell you something.”
 

“What is it?”

“I didn’t think anything of it at the time. It seemed innocent and normal but now that Tatiana is gone, well, I think someone needs to know.”

“Yes?” Lexi said, feeling hopeful that maybe a piece of useless information could be the clue she needed to find out what happened to Tatiana.

“A man and a woman came looking for her. They came into the shop when I was on a shift and wanted to know if Tatiana worked here and when.”
 

“Who were they?”

Grace shrugged. “They said they were family from Ukraine and they were worried about her. They wanted to get in contact and take her back home because of a sick relative.”

“Did you tell them anything?”

“I told them that I saw her heading towards UCL once. There’s one more thing. I swear I saw one of them parked in a car across the road several times last week. Just sitting there, watching the shop and the people walking by. It sort of creeped me out.”
 

Interesting, Lexi thought. Maybe visiting the bakery hadn’t been a waste of time after all. The information may have meant nothing but Lexi saw its significance. If someone was making the effort to search for Tatiana, they may have gone to the trouble to take her too.
 

“Can you think of anything else? Even if it seem insignificant? Did she talk about family? Friends? Anyone she was close to?”

“I don’t know. She never talked about herself. It was weird everyone talks about themselves.”
 

“If you think of anything, give me a call,” Lexi said, handing her a card. “Anything at all.”
 

Lexi sat down in one of the parks and contemplated the information she already had as she enjoyed the freshness of the fruit tart she had picked up at the bakery. The couple Grace had mentioned could be significant. What purpose did keeping an eye on Tatiana serve?

They could have been Tatiana’s family but something in her gut told Lexi that they were definitely not. The vague description didn’t help but the knowledge of the couple suggested foul play. Where was this story headed? Initially she wanted to learn about the disappearances that plagued the city. Then came Tatiana Petrenko. One woman who disappeared without a trace. There was a chance that her disappearance was linked to many others, and a group of individuals who treated women as nothing more than a commodity. Once again, Lexi felt drawn to the dark side, to solve a mystery and not just write a story.
 

It wasn’t her job to solve crimes but she was always drawn to investigative pieces that left her in such a position, and she was beginning to question what was more important to her: getting the story or solving the crime.
 

Considering what little she knew about Tatiana, her next thought was to look at her money. Where did she get it? Where did she keep it?

Lexi tried calling the detective. Taking a look at Tatiana’s bank statements could give them an indication of where her money was coming from. Money had a power over people and if Tatiana had been getting hers from unsavoury sources it could explain her disappearance.

“I can’t help you. I need a warrant to access bank details and no judge is going to give me a warrant on a closed case based on a journalist’s hunch,” Detective Simmons said. “And I told you to stay out of trouble.”

Before Lexi could ask for another favour, the detective had hung up and she was talking to a dial tone. Bugger it, she thought. There had to be another way. She phoned Hannah instead and was not at all surprised with her response.

“Sure I know someone who can help,” she said as soon as Lexi explained her theory.

“Are we going to break any laws?” Lexi said.

“Do you really want me to answer that question?”

“Probably not. If we can get a look at her bank statements, we might get an idea of what else she was doing besides working at the bakery. You can’t afford the UCL lifestyle on a pauper’s wage. And if she had no family, well, the money had to be coming from somewhere.”

“She could have worked on the side. Cash in hand. No record. A lot of people do that. Especially in the clubs.”

“What sort of clubs?”

“Most of them, but especially the sleazy ones.”

“You think she might have been stripping to make the extra cash?”

“This is Europe, Lexi. I’d say she could have been doing much more than taking her clothes off for a living. Times might have changed but the Soho district is still a popular spot for quickies and male clientele getting into trouble.”

“Prostitution?”
 

“Now Lexi, you don’t strike me as the prudish type and yet you sound as shocked as a twenty-year-old virgin,” Hannah said.

“I guess UCL and prostitution don’t go well together.”
 

“We all have to make a living somehow. Some simply choose the easier route,” Hannah said. “But I don’t think Tatiana was that sort of girl.”
 

Obviously Lexi didn’t know Tatiana, but from what she gathered, the girl did not strike as the type to turn to prostitution for quick cash. But then again, how did one explain the UCL lifestyle, a random job, two people searching for her and then the sudden disappearance no one noticed? Or was paid not to notice?

How many girls disappeared in London on a yearly basis? How many washed up in the Thames? How many did the police ignore or put down to suicide or drug induced accidents? It was cheaper and faster if no one reported them as missing. How many Jane Does were there?

“I’ll call you back when I have something,” Hannah said.

It was the second time that day Lexi was speaking to a dial tone. She didn’t get to tell Hannah to be careful. But Hannah seemed to function on her own planet. She was dangerously curious and didn’t see any obstacles in her way. Lexi saw this both as an asset and a liability but she could also tell that Hannah had her own motives for looking for Tatiana. Maybe it was just her studies, but Lexi suspected there was more.
 

Lexi made her way towards the university campus, on foot again, her stomach grumbling. She needed to start eating more before her energy was completely depleted. She grabbed a sandwich but as she walked out of the shop a few metres down, an older man was huddled against the wall, a raincoat and blanket beside him. She stopped and handed him the sandwich that she had just bought and walked on, her hunger could wait. She arrived at UCL for the second time in two days and headed for the administration building.

The lady behind the reception desk didn’t bother smiling. Lexi sensed she was interrupting a busy moment reading the latest OK! magazine that was quickly slipped beneath some documents as Lexi glanced down. No doubt the woman would return to the riveting stories as soon as Lexi left.