“Yes, dear. I’ve stayed inside most of the day. I did look out the window once or twice to see if the neighbours were up to any mischief, but with you locking that little bugger up, things seem to be a bit calmer.”
“Well, I’ve got news on that front. I rang the council to lodge a complaint against the family. They informed me that they’d already issued the family with a final warning and will be following through on that warning and serving them an eviction order.”
“Wow, really? How wonderful.”
“Great news, except there’s every chance the family might kick off when they’re turfed out. If we can pin the council down to a definite day when that is going to take place, I could get uniformed police to patrol the area. It would put all our minds at ease, yes?”
“It would indeed, love. Have you rung the vets?”
“Yep, just got off the phone to him. Dex is still sedated, but recovering well. He’s young. I’m sure he’ll be fine once his bones knit together, Mum.”
“You’re full of good news today. What time will you be home? I’ve made toad in the hole for dinner.”
Sally groaned. “Bugger, I love that, but I’m going to pull an all-nighter, Mum. I have shitloads of paperwork and an interesting development has cropped up on the case that I want to focus on.”
“You can’t do that. Come home and start afresh tomorrow, love.”
“I’ll grab a few hours in the chair, Mum. I need to do it. I quite often do this. You just never hear about it.” Sally laughed when her mother gasped.
“How dreadful! I had no idea. Your father won’t be happy to hear about that.”
“I’m a grown woman. He’ll have to lump it. I’m going before the lecture goes OTT. See you both tomorrow.”
“I know it’s pointless to argue with you. Take care, darling.”
Sally hung up and immersed herself in the paperwork that had built up over the past few days. She finally gave into exhaustion and fell asleep at around one in the morning.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
A few days later, and with no other murders to contend with, Sally received the call from the prison to say that Dorling had regained consciousness and was now available to interview. She grabbed the sketch of the suspect and prodded Jack in the back as she walked through the incident room. “Time to go, partner.”
“Where are we going?” He trotted to catch up with her on the stairs.
“Prison. We’ve got the all-clear to speak to Dorling.”
“Hey, there’s one thing that’s bugging me about this.”
She stopped on the stairs and looked at him. “What’s that?”
“If it turns out that Dorling is innocent, in spite of the DNA pointing him out to be the killer, then surely he should be released, shouldn’t he?”
“One step at a time, Jack. Let’s see what he has to say first.”
During the journey, Sally contemplated her partner’s words. If Dorling was innocent, someone must have set him up. But who? And for what reason? Maybe showing him the sketch would help him answer that himself.
The prison warden, Ted Mountford, greeted them and showed Jack and Sally into the hospital wing. All the beds were empty, except one. They approached Dorling’s bed; he had his eyes closed.
“Dorling, are you awake?” Mountford shook the man’s shoulder gently.
Dorling’s left eye opened lazily and blinked shut again. “No. Go away,” he replied groggily.
“Wake up. The police are here to see you.”
“I’m tired. I’ve got nothing to say. They wouldn’t believe me anyway. That’s the bitch who banged me up.”
“Less of the insults, man. Wake up!” Warden Mountford’s voice grew in volume.
Sally tugged on the warden’s arm and moved closer to the bed. “Dorling, if you cooperate with us, I’ll do my very best to get you out of here. I promise.”
“Ha! When the filth makes a promise, I know you’re lying.”
“Not in my case, I assure you. Can you open your eyes and look at me?”
“No. For one thing, I can’t keep them open for long because of the drugs they’re pumping into me, and for another, why would I want to look at an ugly bitch like you?”
“That’s enough, Dorling. Show some respect,” the warden said.
“To someone who banged up an innocent man? That’ll be me by the way. I told her I didn’t do it, but she wouldn’t listen.”
“I’m sorry. At the time, we had DNA proof that put you at the scene. We call that incriminating evidence and find it hard to ignore.”
“So what’s changed? You didn’t believe me then. Why now?”
Sally sighed and pulled the sketch from her pocket. “Since then, another murder has been committed, while you were in here. Please, I have a picture of a possible suspect, if you’ll just open your eyes and look at the likeness our sketch artist drew.”
“I told you I wouldn’t be able to focus. Another murder, you say?”
“Yes, the thing is, the murderer left your DNA at the scene.”
Dorling sat upright in bed, his eyes twitching furiously but refusing to open. “What? How is that possible? Unless one of your lot effing done it, that is. You guys are known for tampering with evidence, ain’t ya? Well, this time, it’s come back and taken a chunk out of your arse, lady.”
“I really don’t think that’s the case. Please, look at the sketch.” Sally implored the prisoner.
One eye eased open, then the other. Before long, they clamped shut again, the effort proving to be too much for Dorling. “Nope, no help. Sorry.”
“Please try harder. Give me a break. It’s your skin I’m trying to save here.”
He tried a second time, with the same agonising, lacklustre result. “I can’t. Come back in a few days.”
Warden Mountford shook his head and escorted them from the room. “It’s no good. I don’t think he’s playing silly buggers, either. You’re aware of what injuries occur when someone tries to hang themselves, aren’t you?”
“Yeah, I’m aware. Possible tearing of the eye muscles from the force.” He nodded. “Okay, we’ll leave it a few days and return on Monday. How’s that?”
“Sounds good to me. Sorry you’ve had a wasted trip.”
Once they were settled in the car, Sally struck the steering wheel with her hand. “Shit! You know what this means, don’t you?”
“No, what?”
She exhaled an impatient breath. “The weekend is fast approaching.”
“Sunday and Monday are when the killer strikes. I understand. Have you got any plans for the weekend?”
“I have to pick Dex up from the vet’s tonight, then I plan on making a fuss of him for the next few days—while mulling over the case, of course.”
“Why am I not surprised about that? You working the case on your weekend off, I mean.”
“What about you?” She started the car and drove out of the prison car park.
“Same old thing: Confrontation City, dead ahead.”
She glanced at him then looked back at the road. “I thought things had settled down at home?”
“They have slightly. It’s still like walking on a frozen lake, though. One wrong step, and you end up in the drink, gasping for breath.”
“Families! Don’t you just love them?”
“Not particularly, no!”
Back at the station, they found Detective Chief Inspector Mike Green standing at the whiteboard in the incident room.
“Hello, sir. Can I help at all?” Sally asked.
He continued to read the information, his arms folded and his brow furrowed. “I just thought I’d drop by so that you can bring me up to date on the case, Inspector, as you’ve neglected to do that particular task so far, in spite of my instructions.”
“Not intentional, I assure you, sir. The facts have been very hard to come by on this one.”