Chapter 5
Chapter Five
Lachy got into my car when we both parked up at the pub, probably because if I’d jumped into his passenger seat he’d have heard a story about a family of mice living in cars that looked like his.
He enjoyed protein shakes on the go and energy drinks, the remains of which were in the passenger footwell.
“What did you make of her?” He checked his phone.
“Odd. Which I expected.”
“I thought she would’ve been a ton different. She’s spent most of her life in a hospital, charged with the murder of her dad and brothers. She’s hardly going to be normal.”
“Did you think she was normal?”
Lachy shrugged, putting his phone on the charging mat between the front seats.
“More normal than I expected. She was attractive and made the most of it; her house is pretty nice, and the gardens were gorgeous. She was polite – very different to a lot of ex-cons. I wouldn’t have guessed she’d spent all that time in secure.
” He sat back in his seat, rain beginning to pelt against the windscreen.
I thought for a moment about what he’d observed. “She’s maintained her innocence all the way through. What do you make of that?”
“Maybe she is. She would’ve been easy to pin it on. Wrigley was interesting when he spoke about her; made it sound like she was a psychopath.” Lachy tapped the side of the car, a sign he was thinking.
“She doesn’t have an alibi for last night apart from the cameras at the front and the back of the house.”
“And you don’t trust cameras.” He nodded at me, the tapping stopped.
“No. I don’t. There’s also a window at the side of the house which I bet I could get out of and she’s not much bigger than me.
We’ll check whether the cameras would cover a route from that.
” The pressure would be to find a connection between Lily Mayhew and the fire that killed her mother, because that would be tidy, but poor detective work and I was not about that.
“She’s not being ruled out on that basis.”
I shrugged. “We can’t. But even if there is a way out of the house that isn’t on camera, we wouldn’t have evidence that she used it, or that she was at the house – and her mother’s not the only victim. She could’ve been there by chance.”
“It’s a big coincidence. She survives one fire only to die in another nearly two decades later. I don’t believe in coincidences.” He pulled the door open. “I’m going to head back to the Fishbowl and type up the notes from today’s visit, then I’m going.”
“Enjoy. I’m heading to the morgue.”
“Lovely. I found which dentist Mike Mulligan was registered at and sent it over to Nate’s team. You never know, one mystery might be solved by the end of the day.” He slammed the door too hard, making the car shake slightly and headed off back to his cesspit of a vehicle.
I was at the morgue in less than twenty minutes, the traffic was light which meant my patience wasn’t further depleted. I walked straight into Vinny as soon as I fobbed open the door, neither of us paying any attention whatsoever.
“I always knew you’d fall into my arms one day.” He kept hold of me a little too long.
“Literally knocking me over is the only way that’s ever going to happen.
How’s things?” I hadn’t seen him for a couple of weeks; he’d been immersed in the operation around a drug deal gone wrong which had led to three rival gangs levelling up their beef, and a long running undercover op coming to a head.
“Yeah, busy. That was the PM from yesterday’s stabbing. He was nineteen.” He looked away from me, biting his tongue.
It was sensory seeking, the tongue biting, trying to give him something to distract himself else he’d break.
“Tough. But you’ll get the shits involved.”
He shook his head. “There’s every chance we’ll get one of the chiefs this time, that a couple of them will sing. But you cut off one head and another grows back, or even two.” His eyes were back on me. “One of them mentioned your dad’s name today.”
“Really? Did it happen to come with an address?”
“If only. It was a reference, nothing current. No one’s any clearer about where he might be than when he escaped.”
Stan Garrity had somehow managed to con his way out of prison.
Every few weeks, the detective in charge checked in with me and Nate, giving us an update which was that there was no update.
The case was a joint enterprise between us and Interpol, as it was suspected he’d left the country.
I didn’t need to be a detective to tell them that Stan Garrity would be somewhere hot and sunny, with a new identity and all traces of how he’d got there buried.
“He’ll know what’s going on here and he won’t care.” There was no way he wouldn’t have a finger in the current turf wars, but it was well below his paygrade to be involved directly.
Vinny nodded. “It’s a shame he doesn’t want to help your career by giving you some insider tips.”
“Even he’s got more sense than that.” I really didn’t want to discuss my father. “Are you finishing now?”
“Fuck, no.” Vinny moved to lean against a post. “I’ve got two witnesses to interview, the sort where the sky’s purple with pink dots.”
“I’ll be thinking of you while I eat my take out.”
“You’re here to pick up take out? That’s a little grim, even for you.” The usual Vinny was back out now.
“Hilarious.”
“You know you can eat me anytime.” He gave me a wink that made me want to commit violence.
“You’d give me an upset stomach.” I shook my head, used to this from Vinny.
We were the same rank and had worked together for probably too long.
He was a comfortable pair of slippers most of the time and I knew exactly what to expect from him.
“I need to go – Nate’s got the other vic in from the fire and there’s a good chance we’ll be able to ID him. ”
Vinny’s expression changed to suitably serious. “Shit way to go that. Burned alive.”
“I’d rather drown.”
“I’d rather live forever.” He popped a piece of chewing gum in his mouth. “Drinks on Friday?”
“I think so.” If we got to Friday. It was only Tuesday and today felt like it had been the length of a month.
He paused, clearly wanting to say something but not sure if he should.
“What?” I had no time for him fluffing his way around me.
“Are you still seeing your trainer?”
“No, Vin, not going there, ever. So it doesn’t matter if I’m still seeing him or not.” Like most things, my love life was complicated and irrelevant. My trainer was slightly higher up than a friend with benefits with no drama other than we were both always cancelling on each other.
Vinny looked disappointed, or at least feigned it. I suspected he was secretly relieved. “You don’t know what you’re missing, Mac.”
“Chlamydia and a disappointing experience.” I patted his arm. “I need to go. Look after yourself and phone me if you need to.” Despite the banter and my continual rejections of his poor attempts to get in my pants, we did actually get along.
“Oh, recommendation - ”
“What?” I braced myself again.
“Don’t order pork.”
“Fucker.”
Nate was waiting for me when I arrived in his domain, arms folded, the body of second victim covered up on the mortuary slab.
“You look like you have news.”
“Yep. You’re in luck. I’ve confirmed these are the remains of Micky Mulligan.
And I’ll also throw in that he died through smoke inhalation – fortunately the fumes got him before the flames.
” He relaxed his arms and took off his gloves.
“I’ll do his PM first thing in the morning and I’ll be able to tell you more after that.
The robot and the team that removed the body managed to get some decent pics.
It looks like he was chained to the chair he was on so I’d say someone really had it in for him. ”
“Jesus. Those aren’t a good few hours.” Again, I’d choose the water.
“Not at all.”
“You know you could’ve told me that over the phone.” I pulled a face at my brother. ‘Why’ve you dragged me over for a meeting that could’ve been a phone call?”
“I need a lift home. Jenna’s car’s in for service and I’ve lent her mine, so can you drop me off?”
“Via the take out.”
“What are we having?”
I looked at the cover on the table, hiding the remains of what had once been a person with a history and dreams and friends. “Something vegetarian. I need to let Wrigley know we have an identity and we can find out who his next of kin is. They need to be informed.” The work truly never stopped.
“The dentist sent that detail over. It’s a daughter who lives in Dubai; her contact details are on the email I sent you.
Meet you outside in fifteen minutes.” He disappeared, probably to get changed, and I made my way outside to my car, calling Wrigley and arranging for someone to get hold of the police force near to where Micky Mulligan’s daughter lived to give her the sad news.
Nate made me jump as he got in the car, making me question my career choices.
“What are your thoughts on this case then?” He fastened his seatbelt and then cracked open a drink. “What’s your theory?”
I started the car. “I don’t have one yet; there’s too much I don’t know.”
“But do you know what you don’t know?”
“That’s far too abstract for this time on a Tuesday.
I need to start with how Amanda and Micky knew each other – why was she in his house?
We have no idea of how long she’d been in there – the perp or perps could’ve been in their hours before setting the fire.
Then we need to explore whether this has anything to do with what happened seventeen years ago.
” I took a rogue right turn to get away from a crash that had happened on the motorway.
We’d do more miles home, but it’d be quicker.
“What do you know about seventeen years ago?”
“I think the response to that has to be what do you know? You sound knowing.” I glanced at him and saw him smirking.