Tarot's Touch (13 page)

As they had both traveled to the hospital in an ambulance, Alex arranged for them to hitch a ride home in a patrol car. He spent the entire journey examining Conor’s face for any sign of pain.

“You’ll get a crick in the neck if you keep twisting like that,” Conor said. “I’m not three years old, Alex. I said I would tell you if anything hurts too much. I actually feel like I’m floating on a cotton wool cloud. I’ve been dosed up with so many painkillers.”

“Concussion is unpredictable. I won’t be happy until we’re home.”

“I can’t deny it will be a relief to get back and settled.”

“You need to rest. The after-effects of the anesthetic they gave you when they put your shoulder back in its socket will make you feel wiped out for a bit.”

The journey didn’t take too long. The hardest part was getting Conor out of the car without hurting him. Between Alex and the constable that had driven them, they managed to support Conor so that there was no pressure on his shoulder. By the time they got into the house, Conor’s face was bone white. Alex thanked their chauffeur and sent him back to work.

“I don’t really need to be in bed. I can sit on the sofa or even work on the laptop…”

“I don’t think so.” Alex growled. He couldn’t help it. “You have one good arm and I will handcuff it to the bed if you don’t promise to stay put and rest.”

It was telling that Conor didn’t resist as Alex helped him up the stairs and into their bedroom.

“Sit on the edge of the bed while I get your shoes and trousers off.”

Conor was naked beneath the scrub trousers and Alex gave himself a couple of brownie points for not touching as he helped his lover into bed and plumped up the pillows for him. He took the blanket from around Conor’s shoulders and folded it neatly before putting it on a chair.

“Are you going to be warm enough? I can get you some pajamas…”

Conor’s eyes looked a little glazed. “I’m fine. Really. Just need to rest a bit.”

“Okay. I’m going to call Robbie now and let him know we’re back. It won’t take him long to get over here. I’m going to get showered and ready for work.”

“’Kay.”

Alex smiled as Conor’s eyelids started to droop.

“Bed’s not such a bad place to be after all, is it?” He leaned forward and pressed his lips to Conor’s. “Sweet dreams, love.”

His words fell on deaf ears because Conor was already asleep.

In the interests of not disturbing Conor’s rest, Alex phoned Robbie from downstairs then used the main bathroom rather than the en suite to shower and shave. He crept around their bedroom collecting his clothes then went out to the landing to dress. He left the bedroom door open a crack so that he would hear if Conor called for him, then went downstairs to make a much-needed coffee and grab a bite to eat. They’d missed breakfast and lunch at the hospital and he hadn’t realized how hungry he was until he started thinking about food and his stomach contracted with a growl.

He was puttering around in the kitchen when the rumble of a powerful engine in the street signaled the arrival of Robbie Polson, a long-time friend of Alex and more recently of Conor. Robbie had proved invaluable in a case they’d been involved with where Conor had gone undercover at a nightclub called Spikes. Alex had asked Robbie to keep a discreet eye on Conor and it had saved his lover more than a few bruises.

Alex pulled open the front door and grinned as Robbie’s huge frame blocked out the light. He was wearing heavy leathers and carrying his crash helmet under his arm. His hair was shorter than normal and his beard had been replaced by fashionable stubble. He looked almost respectable.

Alex looked him up and down with a smirk. “I can see Jamie’s having a positive influence on you.”

Robbie growled and pulled Alex into a rough hug.

“He reckons his dick is too ticklish for my beard. Brat. It was easier to shave it off than put up with his hysterical giggling.”

Alex gaped, realized what he was doing then slammed his mouth shut. Robbie was huge, intimidating and fierce but when it came to Jamie Medlicott, he was hopelessly soft. Jamie ran rings around him most of the time.

“Come on in. Let’s go through to the kitchen. I’ve got a pot of coffee on.”

“How’s Conor? And what the hell’s going on, Alex?”

Robbie balanced his bulk on one of the stools next to the kitchen counter and put his helmet down.

“Like I told you on the phone, it was a hit and run. It may or may not be related to a case we’re working on. He’s battered and sore. They had to put him under at the hospital to get his shoulder back into its socket, so he’s a bit groggy. They wanted to keep him in but half a day in that place is enough for anyone. He’s upstairs sleeping at the moment and he should be fine in a few days.” He handed Robbie a mug of coffee. “Thanks for coming over at such short notice, Robbie. I can’t leave him alone and there aren’t many people I trust to look after him.”

Robbie patted his shoulder. “My pleasure. Nothing and no one will get past me, don’t you worry. I’m not working tonight so I’m here as long as you need me. Jamie will be round this evening when he’s finished at college.”

“That’s great. I’d stay, but I really need to get back to work and see how the investigation is going. I can’t tell you much, but this incident has added a complication we could well do without. The fridge is stocked. Help yourself to anything you want.”

“I won’t tell you to stop worrying, Alex, because I know you won’t. We’ll be fine. Does Conor need to be woken to take medication or anything like that?”

“No—he has painkillers if he needs them but let him sleep for now. He may be hungry when he wakes. He hasn’t eaten yet today, but he might feel a bit queasy from the anesthetic.”

Robbie sipped his drink. “Fine. Maybe some soup or toast if he fancies it. I’ll keep an ear out.” He delved into his jacket pocket and pulled out a battered copy of
Wuthering Heights
. “In the meantime, I have a date with Heathcliff.”

Several sarcastic remarks leaped into Alex’s mind but he resisted the urge and said nothing. He grabbed his phone and keys from the counter. “I’ll give you a call later. Oh, and there’ll be someone posted outside soon, so don’t worry if the garden is invaded by police. I’ve let them know that you are here but if Jamie is going to show up before I get home, you’d better warn him.”

“Or I could just look out the window and watch the show when he arrives! Now get going, for goodness sake. Conor will be well looked after. Promise.”

Chapter Eight

It was almost five o’clock by the time Alex got back to the station. He went straight to the incident room and the moment he pushed the door open, he knew something was wrong. Sergeant Higgs was the only member of the team in the room and he was on the phone, his face serious. He gestured Alex over.

“Another body,” he mouthed silently. “Okay, we’re on our way”. He put the receiver down. “Nice timing, boss. We’ve got another one. Someone else that was at the launch of Leather and Lace. Adrian Hamilton—I’ll brief you on the way. How’s Conor?”

“He’ll live. I’ll tell you about that in the car too. Come on. Let’s go.” Alex had to disguise his deep anxiety over Conor with gruffness. “We’ll take your car.”

Higgs tackled the rush hour traffic while Alex fought to focus his mind on the case. It was almost impossible to keep images of Conor out of his head. He let Higgs talk and tried to absorb the scant details they had about the latest murder.

“It sounds like another body dump, boss. This time the victim’s been found behind an empty warehouse on a run-down industrial estate. You know the place—on the other side of the river.”

“I know it. Most of it’s derelict, isn’t it? Most of the companies moved across to that new development on the old gas works site. They got some incentive, didn’t they? I vaguely remember reading something in the local rag about it.”

“That’s the place. The long-term plan is to level it and build a shopping mall and some upmarket flats.”

Higgs swore as a cyclist swerved in front of him. “Some local kids built themselves a skate park of sorts there. You know the type of thing—old planks, pipes—anything they could salvage. Well they got a shock when they showed up today. They found a semi-naked body inside an empty oil drum. One of the lads has an older brother who’s in the job. Works with the fraud squad apparently—not someone I know. Anyway, the kid called him. He got over there to check it out and called in the cavalry.”

“And now here we are, heading toward another corpse and another set of ruined lives.” Alex squeezed his eyes shut. The headache starting up at his temples throbbed along with his pulse.

“That’s all I can tell you until we get there. Now what the hell happened with Conor?”

Alex sighed. “A car hit him. We’d been for a run and were just about home. It aimed straight at him. There was no time for him to get out of the way. I yelled but…”

“You saw it?”

Alex nodded. “I got back a bit before him. Just a few seconds. Turned round and saw the car heading for him. It’s a bloody miracle he’s not too badly hurt. Mainly bruises, but he also dislocated his shoulder.”

“That must hurt like a bastard.”

“He was unconscious and by the time he came round, the paramedics had given him some pain relief. When they relocated the joint, he had to have a general anesthetic. I left him at home with a friend. Thanks for sending a uniform over, by the way. I feel better that there’s a visible presence outside the house.”

“No problem. Are you sure he was the target?”

Alex gave his Sergeant a curious look. “Yes… Well, I assume… Fuck. I’ve made a rookie mistake, haven’t I? It was raining this morning. We both wore caps on the run and the most obvious difference between us is our hair color.”

“If you don’t mind me saying, boss… It’s only natural that you made assumptions. You saw Conor hit. You had more on your mind than mistaken identity.”

“I’m an idiot, Higgs. How many times have I told the team to cover all the angles?”

“Stop beating yourself up. It’s only a possibility. Conor got the letter, didn’t he? It’s far more likely that he was the target. Anyway, we’re here.”

Higgs parked the car behind a skip so that it was well out of the way of the crime scene crew, which was just arriving. Alex and Higgs took the opportunity to have a quick look at the body before the circus descended. They walked across the makeshift skate park to where a gaggle of teenage boys stood huddled together. Standing between the youngsters and the oil barrel, a sandy-haired young man watched them approach.

Higgs flashed his badge. “Sergeant Higgs. This is Inspector Courtney. You must be Lucas Hearne?”

“Yes, Sarge. Sir. My little brother Jonah found the body. He gave me a call. They’re all pretty scared that they’re going to get into trouble for being here.”

Alex shrugged. “If they hadn’t been here, this guy may have gone undiscovered for ages. Someone will take their statements but then they can disappear. Have you touched anything?”

“I felt for a pulse, sir—though it was pretty obvious he was a goner—and I could see his wallet sticking out of his pocket, so I pulled that free to get an ID. I used a tissue though—didn’t touch it directly. His driver’s license is in there.”

Higgs pulled an evidence bag from his jacket pocket and held it out. “Drop it in here, son.”

Alex looked into the barrel. The victim was male, early forties with an expanding waistline and receding hair. It was the same incongruous sight as the last victim—the man wore a jacket, shirt and tie but nothing from the waist down. The multiple stab wounds were clearly visible. There was no obvious sign of a tarot card, though, Alex knew it could be hidden from sight beneath the body. He looked away. Staring at the corpse was not going to tell him much. Higgs pulled on a pair of latex gloves then carefully removed the wallet from the evidence bag.

“Driver’s license just like Lucas says. Picture matches, so it’s a nice straightforward identification this time. There’s also cash and credit cards, so robbery was clearly not the motive. Adrian Hamilton, forty-four. I remember this one from the arson investigation. He was a reporter on the local rag and covered the story. He was also present at the opening. There were a few journos there.”

“Great.” Alex frowned. “The press will be all over us like a rash.” Increased media interest in the case would now be inevitable and he hadn’t wanted to publicize the link between the arson and the first murder too soon. He hunched his shoulders and turned back toward the car. “You stay here and wait on the coroner, Higgs, I’ll head back and start the ball rolling. It’s going to be a late night. I’ll have to call the team back in.”

“That’s the job, boss. I’ll get any more information I can and see you back at base later.”

“Are you okay to get a lift back if I take your car?”

Lucas Hearne piped up, “I can bring the Sergeant back. I’ve got my car here. Jonah will want to be with his mates.”

Higgs nodded. “Perfect. I’ll take you up on that, Lucas. You never know… You might be tempted to transfer from the fraud squad once you see a veteran homicide detective in action.”

Alex choked back a laugh and caught Higgs’ keys as they came flying in his direction.

He was just getting into the car when his phone rang. He recognized his home number on the screen and his stomach cramped.

“Conor.” He almost dropped the phone in his haste to answer, panic gripping his heart in a cold fist.

“Don’t throw a fit. He’s fine.”

Robbie’s calm, deep tones reverberated into Alex’s ear and his pounding heartbeat slowed a fraction.

“Fuck, Robbie. Are you trying to kill me?” Alex leaned against the car and forced his hand to stop shaking by tightening his grip on the phone.

“Sorry. My battery’s flat and this couldn’t wait.”

Alex clambered into the driver’s seat and made himself more comfortable. “Tell me.”

“Okay. Conor got up to use the bathroom. I heard him staggering around so I went to see if he needed any help. He insisted on coming downstairs and joined me in the kitchen.”

“Robbie, he’s supposed to stay in bed,” Alex scolded.