No Second Chances: A British police dog-handler mystery (Daniel Whelan #4)(6)

‘I can’t leave the horses.’

‘No. I guess not. Unless you could get someone else to look after them. I’d offer but I’m not sure Fred can spare me at the moment.’

‘Of course you can’t – why should you? But if I did know someone, wouldn’t they be in danger, then?’

Daniel nodded. ‘I suppose that’s a possibility.’

They sat in silence for a few moments, the light in the barn illuminating the swirling dust motes disturbed by Daniel’s activities. In the stables across the yard, one of the horses snorted and another scraped the floor, restlessly.

‘Did you manage to make your peace with Zoe?’ Daniel asked, then.

‘She’s not happy. She thinks I’m keeping secrets.’

‘Which you are.’

‘I know, but I don’t want to worry her. Do you think I should tell her?’

‘Maybe not until you’ve had a chance to talk to Harvey. As I said, I think you’ll be safe enough for a day or two, but if they don’t get what they want, then yes, I think you’ll have to. She should be warned not to go anywhere alone – stick with the crowds, just in case.’

‘You think she’ll be in danger?’ Lorna looked horrified.

‘I think it’s wise to take precautions, is what I’m saying. They’ve already told you they know about her. But hopefully it won’t come to that. Get hold of Harvey and get him to sort it all out.’

‘I will.’ She rubbed her face and sighed deeply. ‘Oh God! Why is this happening? I want my old life back.’

Daniel drained his mug and stood up.

‘I’m sorry, Lorna, but I’d better be going. Fred’ll think I’ve crashed the lorry or something.’ He took his wallet out and found one of Fred Bowden’s business cards. ‘I’ll write my home and mobile numbers on here. If you’re at all worried, call me, any time, day or night. And if you can’t get me, call Fred. He’s a good bloke. He’s ex-army and his son’s CID.’

‘Yes, I know Fred. Thank you, Daniel. Thanks for everything.’

‘And let me know how you get on with Harvey, OK?’

‘Yeah, I will.’

Daniel gave a low whistle to Taz, who was busy ratting among the forage bins, collecting a quantity of dust and cobwebs on his ears and whiskers in the process, and went out to the lorry.

Daniel thought of Lorna Myers several times over the next twenty-four hours and after work the next day mentioned the confrontation at Abbots Farm to his boss, who, it turned out, had known Lorna for many years. They were having a coffee in Fred’s office at the yard, as they often did prior to going their separate ways, and Taz was lying next to Daniel’s chair. Mindful of Lorna’s wish to avoid police involvement, he played down the drama of the situation, merely saying that she had been understandably upset at having the two men arrive unannounced demanding to see Harvey.

‘Oh, dear, poor Lorna! I wonder what Harvey’s been up to …’

‘I don’t know. I got a partial on the Transit’s plates and ran it past Tom but he’s pretty sure they were fake or stolen.’ Tom was Fred’s son and worked in the regional CID. ‘So whoever these bastards were, they didn’t want to be traced. No surprises there, then. So what’s Harvey like? I’ve only ever seen him once and that was just a hi and goodbye.’

‘Harvey Myers? Oh, he’s OK. Don’t really know him that well, myself. I went to the wedding but I’ve probably only met him half a dozen times since. He seems to be away more than he’s at home. A bit of a workaholic, I gather. I don’t think Lorna minds too much. They’re fond enough of each other, I think but I don’t think the Grande Passion was ever very grand, if you know what I mean. She’d been through a bit of a rough time and wanted security for herself and her daughter, and he didn’t like coming home to an empty house when he’d been working away. When he’s not there, Lorna keeps busy with the horses. It’s worked very well, as far as one can tell.’

‘I knew her when I was at the Bristol Met,’ Daniel told him. ‘She worked on the switchboard for a while, it must have been just before she met Harvey. A lot of the guys had a bit of a crush on her, I remember.’

‘You included?’ Fred asked with a sideways look.

Daniel shook his head. ‘Me? No, I was a newly married man. I had eyes for no one but Amanda; thought the sun shone out of her every orifice! Just goes to show how ridiculously immature I was. As I remember it, Lorna would come for a drink with the lads after our shift sometimes, but I don’t think she ever went out with any of them. It wasn’t that she wasn’t asked, though, that’s for sure.’

‘It doesn’t surprise me. Zoe’s father was a police officer. Tom knew him, which is how I knew Lorna. Anyway, once he found out that Zoe was on the way, you couldn’t see him for dust! I imagine Lorna didn’t want to risk getting stung like that again, and who could blame her? Mind you, he probably did her a favour, there – he was a total waste of space as far as I could see.’

‘I thought it was something like that. The trouble is, the more she played hard to get, the more the lads wanted her. No wonder Harvey seemed like a good bet.’

‘In more ways than one,’ Fred said, nodding. ‘I’m pretty sure she was in financial difficulties. Her brother got himself into debt on the horses and went to her for money – which she didn’t have a lot of, being a single mum. He promised to turn his life around but then proceeded to lose that money at the bookmakers’ as well. Ended up killing himself with booze and pills. Not sure she’s ever really got over it. Well, you don’t, do you?’