Chapter 28
TWENTY-EIGHT
The office smelled good, like a Chinese restaurant, and nothing made Morgan happier.
She’d demolished her chicken satay, salt and pepper chips, noodles and prawn crackers and was stuffed.
Ben had shut himself away in his office with some paper towels and his food, and he had closed the blinds so nobody could watch him eating.
They all had forms to fill out about the various incidents they’d been involved in, and Ben had also given them a victim each to focus on.
Morgan had Scarlett. She was currently cross-referencing Instagram followers with Scarlett and Lizzie Thomas, who had officially been identified as the woman found in the lake.
She was looking to see if they knew each other, looking for a link between the missing women from the Airbnb and the group of teens, but up to now it wasn’t looking hopeful.
She wanted to know why Lizzie and Janey had been out on that fell just days before Scarlett and her friends.
She felt there had to be a connection somewhere.
And if the two women were both ghost hunting for a podcast, who had even told them about the legend? Where had they heard it from?
They were all busy when Marc strode in. He sniffed the air.
‘That smells so good, anyone got any leftovers? I didn’t fancy a Chinese when you asked, but God I could kill for one now.’ He patted his washboard stomach as if to confirm his hunger.
Cain pushed a tub of chicken curry and egg fried rice towards him. ‘You can have that, I’m full.’
Marc stared at the plastic containers. ‘They’re full, have you not touched it?’
Morgan nodded. ‘He’s full because he’s already eaten chicken in black bean sauce and sweet and sour chicken with chips.’
Cain patted his stomach. ‘Got to take care of this physique, can’t let it slip.’
This made Morgan giggle. Marc snatched up the containers before Cain changed his mind.
‘Cheers, appreciate that. I’ll buy you one back next time you order.
’ He turned, about to walk out of the door, then stopped in his tracks.
‘Oh, nearly forgot what I was coming in here to say. I think you need some extra help, and Amber has offered, so I said yes. She knows the score, so it makes sense.’
Morgan silently groaned inwardly, but Cain groaned loudly.
‘What’s the matter, Cain, have you got a problem with that?’
‘I do, as a matter of fact, she’s the reason I left working response, a much quieter, a much easier ride than working in this office. She’s hard work, boss, full of attitude and, quite frankly, a pain in the arse.’
Amber walked in and stared at Cain. ‘Who’s a pain in the arse?’
Cain rolled his eyes. ‘Who do you think?’
‘You are talking about me? I am no more of a pain than you lot are. Look at the state of you all. Morgan almost drowned earlier, and Ben looks like he’s been fighting down on Cornwallis Street on a Saturday night.
Wow, that’s the thanks I get for offering to work with you lot who are all liabilities. That’s not cool.’
Marc looked mortified. ‘Stop it now, children, behave yourselves and work like the great team I know you are.’
Amber forced a smile at Cain, who nodded. Marc walked out of the door with his food, and Cain whispered, ‘I would never have given him that if he’d mentioned it first.’
Morgan laughed. ‘He played you.’
Cain’s eyes widened. ‘He did, the sneaky bastard.’
Ben opened the office door, and Morgan didn’t miss the look of misery that filled his face.
Amber was shaking her head. ‘You lot are so bloody ungrateful. I just wanted to help, but if you’re going to be such dickheads about it, I won’t bother.’
‘No, we do need some help. Everyone has had a bad day, that’s all. Please, I’d appreciate it if you could start the background research for the woman pulled out of the lake earlier. Lizzie Thomas was staying at an Airbnb on Rydal Road, I think.’
‘I know, I went there and spoke to Sandra the cleaner who reported her. I’ve already started the background checks and, just to cheer you all up even more, when Brett’s finished his tea he’s going to be joining me.
I think it would be good for him to get to experience this and tick mispers off his PDR.’
‘Who is Brett?’ asked Ben.
‘Brett is my student, he attended the scene the other night.’
‘They’re letting you train a student? God, we’re all screwed,’ muttered Cain under his breath. Morgan caught it, but Amber was too far away. She turned to him. ‘Huh, what was that?’
‘He said how wonderful to have two of you helping out, didn’t you, Cain? And is this the student that got the ID wrong of Scarlett Peters?’ said Morgan, who thought that at least if Amber had someone to mentor, she wouldn’t be driving them all insane.
Amber shrugged. ‘Rookie mistake. Hey, did you see the headlines in the paper? They printed a glorious picture of you, Morgan, all wet and bedraggled.’
Ben said, ‘Right, well, when he turns up let’s have a bit of a briefing, so we at least have an idea what everyone is up to. Morgan, can I see you for a minute?’
Morgan, who knew he had done this to stop her from snapping at Amber, followed Ben into his office and closed the door. ‘She’s hard work. Did you manage to eat something?’
He pointed to the empty containers on the desk. ‘Yes, I feel better now. Sorry about this, but I suppose we do need the help, and it’s kind of like buy one get one free, so I don’t want to argue too much with Marc over it, but I would have appreciated being asked about it first.’
‘You don’t need to apologise to me; it’s Cain who has a problem with her.’
Ben paused. ‘Oh, yes, it is. Right.’
Morgan wondered why he was acting all weird, but then there was a commotion in the office, and Ben muttered, ‘What now?’ before he threw the door open so they could see what was going on.
Cain was holding up some new copper by the scruff of his neck, and Amber was yelling at him to put him down. Ben ran over to the pair of them.
‘Cain, let go,’ he said in a low voice, then he turned to Amber. ‘Shut up. For Christ’s sake stop shouting.’
Cain released the guy, who was staring wide-eyed and open-mouthed at him.
Cain was a good foot taller and twice as broad.
Ben took hold of Cain’s arm and marched him towards his office, pushing him through the open door and kicking it shut with his foot.
Morgan looked at Amber and the new guy, who didn’t look injured thankfully; his cheeks red and eyes wide, he just looked shocked by Cain’s outburst.
‘What the hell?’
‘Brett walked in and asked if he could sit at the serial killer’s desk because it wasn’t every day you got to work in the same place as one. How did you put it, Brett? Did you say he was a legend?’ said Amber.
‘Oh fuck,’ muttered Morgan, staring at Ben’s office. ‘You’re lucky he didn’t break your neck.’
‘I was only joking and I said he’d probably become a legend in the true crime field. What’s his problem? Do you guys not have a sense of humour?’
Morgan flexed her fingers a couple of times to stop herself from punching him in the neck; the urge was great though.
‘Cain’s fiancée was murdered by that sick creep you called a legend, so no there is nothing remotely funny about working in the same office that he did.’
Brett, whose cheeks had been flushed and burning seconds ago, now looked as if he was going to faint. All the colour had drained from them in what Morgan thought could be a new world record.
‘Oh my God, I had no idea. I swear down I didn’t know that. I need to apologise, what an idiot I am.’
He strode towards Ben’s office, and Amber asked with a voice filled with panic, ‘Should we stop him?’
Morgan shook her head.
Brett knocked on the door and, after a few moments, Ben opened it and he stepped inside, shutting the door behind him. Morgan didn’t know if he was brave or a complete fool, but either way, what a spectacular introduction he’d made.
After a few minutes the door opened and Cain walked out.
Morgan mouthed, ‘Are you good?’
He nodded, then left the office. She turned to Amber, about to ask if she should go after him, and realised she didn’t need Amber’s advice. Instead, she rushed after him, slipping into the lift just before the doors shut.
Cain half smiled at her and whispered, ‘I lost it.’
She smiled back. ‘I’m just glad it wasn’t Amber you were trying to strangle.’
This resulted in the pair of them belly laughing so loud the sound was deafening inside the small lift. When they got out at the ground floor, they tried to contain themselves and straightened up, Cain releasing his grip on Morgan’s arm.
‘Brookes, you are such a bad influence.’
‘I beg to differ, Robson, you are not much better. Where are you going?’
‘To see Amy, boss’s orders.’
Morgan thought that was probably the sweetest idea Ben had come up with until Cain continued talking. ‘He needs her to look into some stuff for this case ASAP.’
‘Does he? Won’t Amy be busy with Ava though.’
‘That’s why I’m going there instead of phoning her; I’ll cuddle Ava while she does something useful.’
It hit her that Ben was a genius; by sending Cain to go and see Amy and Ava, he was getting him out of the way with purpose and compassion, and she wanted to tell him how brilliant he was at being their boss; she would if she remembered.
‘Do you need a lift there?’
He shook his head. ‘Nah, I better go to the Co-op and get her some chocolate and crisps to sweeten her up a little. Thanks though, Morgan.’
He bent down and kissed the top of her head, then walked into the changing rooms.
She smiled after him, hoping that Ben had also talked Brett into not filing a complaint about Cain, because in all honesty, the guy deserved a lot more than being held up by the scruff of his neck.