Chapter 10
TEN
Morgan had gone into the station by the side door that led into the Task Force changing room.
She was not in the mood for banter or conversation.
She had already worked her eight-hour shift, this was a call out and she couldn’t help feeling that it was a call out that should never have happened.
The guilt was almost unbearable, how the hell was she going to get over this?
They had pegged Justin, Lydia’s horrible boss, as a potential suspect, then it had all gone a bit feral.
Jack’s murder had thrown them all, then Amy had given birth to her gorgeous baby girl.
She stood still, the smell of stale sweat, body odour and the damp smell of clothes that had been wet and were now drying out filled her nostrils.
Morgan had to bend double to suck in a gulp of air and try to calm her nerves.
She stuffed a fist into her mouth to stop herself from screaming out in frustration.
The automatic lights finally kicked in and flickered into life just as the door to the room burst open, and Al let out a screech she would have been proud of to see her bent double in the middle of the room.
‘For God’s sake, Morgan, you scared the shit out of me.’
She’d straightened up, but her cheeks were damp from the tears.
‘Hey, are you okay, kid? You look like crap.’
This made her chuckle. ‘No, I’m not okay, Al. I think I’m losing the plot.’
He nodded. ‘Completely understandable. Look, let’s go grab a coffee out of the machine in the canteen. I know how I can get two for the price of one. I’ll show you my special trick.’
‘You’re admitting to stealing from the canteen?’
He shrugged and grinned at her. ‘Not technically, if the piece of shit machine can’t count, who am I to argue with it.’
‘Are you not off shift?’
He shook his head a little. ‘Paperwork, lots of it, and I honestly need a coffee to clear my brain fog so I can type. You can keep me company for ten minutes, can’t you?’
She nodded. ‘Of course I can, thanks, Al.’
‘Hey, no need to thank me, I’m just doing my job.’ But he winked at her, and she felt all of the tightness in her chest begin to slowly ease. She could have a coffee with Al; it might help her.
They walked to the lift, and she grinned at him. ‘Thank God you didn’t suggest running up those bloody stairs. I’m knackered.’
‘Yeah, I thought you were into running and stuff. Aren’t you and Cain like running buddies?’
She laughed so loud it echoed around the atrium. When the lift doors slid open, he shoved her inside. ‘Easy, you’ll have Madds out here asking why we’re this happy in our work.’
He jabbed the button for the second floor and the doors slid shut. Morgan was still laughing.
‘What’s so funny?’
‘I am like the least healthy person in the world. I blooming hate exercise and I live off coffee. I only took up jogging to beat Cain at a bet, and I failed miserably, although he failed worse than me, as he went and got himself stabbed so he didn’t have to race me.’
It was Al’s turn to laugh. ‘You lot are crazy; I had no idea that you had to be off your tits to work in CID.’
Morgan nodded. ‘It helps if you are and yes, we are. I don’t know how Ben copes with us.’
‘I think Ben is pretty lucky to be fair, you’re all far more exciting than my team.’
‘Come join us then, Al.’
He shook his head. ‘I don’t think I could cope with that level of commitment.’
They walked into the canteen and the lights flickered into life; Morgan followed him to the vending machines.
He stopped at the one that dispensed coffees and began feeding money into the machine.
He pressed the button for a latte then looked at her.
She nodded and as soon as the cup dropped, he pressed the reject button and by some miracle his money was spat out, but the coffee still dispensed.
He was grinning at her, passed her the cup when it had finished and put his money in to get another.
This time he didn’t press the reject button. She took the coffee from him.
‘Thanks, have you tried it to see what would happen if you did that again?’
‘I’d be lying if I said no, but it doesn’t work a second time and I’m pretty sure that when they come to top it up, it won’t happen again, so for now it’s yours and my secret.’
She laughed. ‘I guess the amount of everyone’s money it’s swallowed and not given coffee out makes it even.’
‘Exactly, it’s had a fortune off me and not even given me a black coffee, so we’re definitely even now, although don’t go telling Benno on me.’
They walked to a table in the furthest corner and sat down, both of them blowing at the cardboard coffee cups.
‘So, what’s wrong with the formidable Morgan Brookes? This is between us by the way, the same way that my vending machine fraud is.’
She smiled at him. ‘Vending machine fraud is nothing compared to letting a woman die in complete and utter terror.’
He arched an eyebrow at her. ‘How do you take that and blame yourself?’
‘It’s true, we messed up, Al. We took it for granted that Beth Montgomery killed her daughter, Sharon, and then Lydia and Jack, too, before killing herself.’
He nodded. ‘Did Beth confess to the murders?’
‘Well, yes.’
‘Okay, did Beth hit you over the head, tie you up and leave you for dead in a pit in the garage?’
She nodded. ‘Yes.’
‘Okay, then why would you think she was lying? She was clearly psychotic; her behaviour was borderline psychopath. You can’t blame yourself.
Obviously you’re going to feel bad because you’re a nice person, but you did not kill the woman in that hotel as far as I know.
Some raving lunatic did that. All you can do is focus on who could be responsible, who could have done it and who had ties to all the previous victims. Beth could well have killed her daughter and Jack, Lydia too.
Do what you’re so good at, Morgan, review the files, find the killer, close the case and for God’s sake cut yourself some slack. ’
‘PSD are going to be all over this.’
He shrugged. ‘So, let them. Nobody can dispute how hard you work, how amazing your success rate at catching killers is. You’re not a robot, you’re a human being and you thought you had the right person.
You have done nothing wrong and if PSD come here acting like they’re the shit, send them my way, I’ll get them told. ’
Morgan laughed. ‘Thanks, Al, I’ll tell them that you’re the shit and they should talk to you before pointing fingers.’
‘Exactly, maybe just don’t mention the vending machine fraud though, that might tip them over the edge.
’ He winked at her. ‘Look, Morgan, you have the most incredible track record of any detective I’ve ever known.
It’s going to be okay; you’ll find whoever did this.
I mean, what if someone thought this was the perfect excuse to get rid of their girlfriend or pain in the arse friend?
It happens and right now for all you know the cases might not even be connected. ’
Morgan nodded, he could be right, it could be a copycat but if it was then it had to be someone who had inside knowledge about the case. Why was she so keen to think they had messed up when it could be a jealous boyfriend or friend? ‘Thanks, Al, you’re right.’
He nodded. ‘See, I always am. You should listen to your uncle Al’s advice. I’m older and maybe not wiser but I have been around this block a few times.’
He reached out and squeezed her hand. ‘This place would fall to pieces without you, Morgan, don’t let it make you be the one to fall apart, because they don’t care one bit about you, you are a name and number to the big bosses.
That’s it, easily replaced in the blink of an eye, so make yourself the priority. ’
She sipped at her latte, then smiled at him. ‘Thanks, Al.’
‘You’re more than welcome.’
He stood up, drained the last of his coffee and threw the cup into the bin. ‘Catch you later, Morgan, don’t overdose yourself on free caffeine.’
Then he was walking away, and she felt her shoulders lift a little. She could do this. Al was right. She needed to cut herself a little slack and believe in herself as much as everyone else did.