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- Herausgeber: Saxon Publishing
- Kategorie: Gesellschafts- und Liebesromane
- Sprache: Englisch
When a brutal attack on a business owner is followed by a suspicious death, the police first suspect the beginning of a new underworld drugs war.
Then a second victim is found dead, and the truth starts to look like something much worse.
With the death toll rising and her career under scrutiny from the media and her own superiors, Kay Hunter is running out of time to unravel the deadly secrets hiding behind ruthless ambition and treachery.
But Kay isn’t going to give up easily. Because this time, the first victim is closer to home…
A Lethal Deception is the 11th book in the Detective Kay Hunter series by USA Today bestselling author Rachel Amphlett, and perfect for readers who love fast-paced crime thrillers.
Praise for A Lethal Deception:
"Shocking, chilling and far too good to miss, A Lethal Deception is another must-read Kay Hunter thriller Goodreads
"All the hallmarks of a classic, pacy, drama-laden investigation" Goodreads
Das E-Book können Sie in Legimi-Apps oder einer beliebigen App lesen, die das folgende Format unterstützen:
Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2022
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A LETHAL DECEPTION
A DETECTIVE KAY HUNTER CRIME THRILLER
RACHEL AMPHLETT
A Lethal Deception © 2021 Rachel Amphlett
The moral rights of the author have been asserted.
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
This is a work of fiction. While the locations in this book are a mixture of real and imagined, the characters are totally fictitious. Any resemblance to actual people living or dead is entirely coincidental.
CONTENTS
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Chapter 52
Chapter 53
Chapter 54
Chapter 55
Chapter 56
Chapter 57
Chapter 58
Chapter 59
Chapter 60
About the Author
ONE
Her calves burned, her breath escaping in a fine mist.
Silence, except for the sound of her footsteps.
Her lungs strained against her ribs as she took another gulp of air and leapt over a low timber barrier separating the asphalt from a rough footpath, its dirt and stony surface crunching under her shoes.
Ghostly forms emerged from the thick fog that surrounded her on each side – stunted trees struggling to grow in the thin soil discarded by the developers that had completed the latest additions to the housing estate, and stubborn shrubs that reached out and wrapped thorny tendrils around her cotton sweatshirt.
Faster now, away from the shadows, away from the darkened windows of houses that backed onto the footpath, increasing her pace to offset the chill air that clung to her skin.
An orange glow ebbed and bobbed in front of her, the streetlamp morphing into a blob of light that cast a pitiful arc over the far end of the next street as her feet found pavement once more.
Then she stumbled, the loose laces from one shoe catching under the other and pitching her forwards.
Throwing out her hands to the side to steady herself, she slowed to a standstill and peered at her feet.
‘Shit.’
Detective Inspector Kay Hunter dropped to a crouch and reached out for the errant laces, her gaze sweeping the fog shrouding the housing estate.
Fine wisps of moisture clung to her hair while she secured the bow, and she brushed a strand from her eyes before straightening. Her breath clouded in front of her as she checked over her shoulder for approaching cars.
The fog thickened the air, deadening the sounds of traffic from the main road only half a mile away, and gave the atmosphere a milky hue that would cause havoc on the M20 motorway tonight.
Her colleagues in the traffic division would be busy.
Kay pushed away the thought and broke into an easy jog, keen to complete her route and get home before eight.
Raising her arm, she peered at the wristwatch’s screen and stopped the clock.
She wouldn’t beat her fastest time, not now.
Instead, she resolved to add an extra lap to increase her distance and build up the muscles that had fallen foul of too many long days, too many late nights in the incident room, and a tendency to fall asleep in front of the television when she got home.
Her top lip curled as a cramp threatened in her right calf.
Tonight was the first chance in a long time to relax, to ease back into her old routine. Despite the drab March weather, she smiled. It was the start of a new week with a couple of days off before her next rostered shift, and nothing in the diary.
It was only two months until she and her partner, Adam, were due to fly to Portugal for a holiday in May, and Kay was determined to squeeze into the denim shorts currently packed inside a dusty suitcase on top of her wardrobe along with her other summer clothing.
Running was a cure, as well as a cheap alternative to the extortionate fees some of the local gyms charged. She thrived on the time to herself, to let the day’s problems wash over her as she found her pace once more.
She crossed a mini roundabout and turned right, nodding to a man walking an elderly greyhound that eyed her swift movement with envy.
Zig-zagging through a gap in a wooden fence that bisected the road at the end of the housing estate, Kay used her sleeve to wipe moisture from her forehead and felt the incline in her knees as the street dipped down to the main road leading to the village green.
Almost there.
A siren wailed in the distance, closely followed by another and her heart rapped against her ribs in response when she recognised first a patrol car, and then the unmistakable sound of an ambulance in a hurry.
Exhaling, trying to lose the tension building in her chest, she turned left, away from the glow that shone through the windows of a pub a few hundred metres away, the scent of woodsmoke clinging to the thick air.
Another left, and she was on the home straight, following the narrow lane that preceded the housing estate. There were older homes here, and in the summer she loved walking past and admiring the thatched roofs and red-brick chimneys while absorbing the history of her surroundings.
Tonight, a renewed sense of urgency surged through her at the sound of a second police vehicle. The siren faded quickly, the fog softening the noise as quickly as it had appeared, smothering it as she reached the next mini roundabout.
She slowed as she turned into the stretch of lane where she lived.
When she reached the local pub and glanced through the windows as she passed, she noted the small crowd gathering in the front bar. A man’s laugh carried through the gloom towards her, and one of the smokers standing under the wooden gazebo outside – no more than a shadow – waved in greeting.
She pulled her mobile phone from its carry strap on her left arm, wondering if she should phone Adam and find out if he was almost finished at his veterinary practice for the evening, then groaned as she saw the blank screen.
‘Bloody hell.’
Ruing the optimism that the battery charge would last until she finished her run, she shoved it back into place and resolved to plug it in the moment she walked through her front door.
She wasn’t on call tonight, nor for the next two nights, but a sense of duty remained as she berated herself for the oversight.
Kay raised her hand to the group of smokers and decided to drag Adam back there after she had a chance to shower, a smile on her lips as she realised the irony of having a drink while trying to regain her fitness levels.
Slowing to a walk and stretching out her leg muscles to calm her heart rate, Kay peered over her shoulder at the sound of an approaching car and stepped onto the verge as blurry headlights rounded the corner and pierced the murky lane.
Long grass swept against her bare ankles, and she raised a hand to shield her eyes from the lights, choking out a snort of disgust as the driver roared past, clearly over the speed limit.
She stepped back out onto the lane and started to stretch her arm muscles, watching as the car braked heavily.
Its tail lights flared, red blobs that pixellated in the fog before the vehicle swerved to the right and stopped.
‘What are you up to?’ she muttered, a frown pinching her forehead.
A faint glow emanated through the back window, and then she heard a door slam before a silhouette of a man launched from the car. His shoes connected with the gravel driveway of the house beyond a low privet hedge and then he was out of sight, his footsteps moving with purpose.
An uneasiness crawled through Kay’s veins as she hurried towards the vehicle, a sense of foreboding creeping over her that sent a shiver of goosebumps racing across her skin.
She heard a fist pounding against a wooden door followed by a muffled voice carrying through the air.
Kay’s breath caught in her throat as she approached the car and recognised the licence plate from the pool of vehicles allocated to Maidstone police station.
The footsteps scuffed the gravel once more.
‘Guv?’
She spun at the familiar voice to see a spiky-haired man in his late twenties emerge from her driveway, his face troubled.
‘Gavin? What are you doing here? Isn’t Barnes on call tonight?’
‘He is, guv.’ The detective constable gestured towards the car and opened the passenger door. ‘I’m sorry guv, but he thought you’d want to know straight away so he told me to come and get you.’
‘Get me?’ Kay swallowed.
Her colleague’s features were grey in the faint light from the streetlamp opposite her house. She blinked away a sudden sensation that her world was tilting, and took a shaking breath.
‘Gav? What’s going on?’
‘You need to come with me, guv. There was an armed break-in at the vet practice, and Adam’s been rushed to hospital.’
TWO
Kay watched helplessly as a porter approached the senior nurse managing the triage of patients flowing through the A&E department and nibbled at the corner of her thumbnail.
Her throat dry, she fought down the urge to cross to the desk and ask for another update despite the sickness that consumed her, despite the fear.
After approaching the information desk, she had been directed to a bank of chairs, row upon row of brightly coloured plastic seats that were bolted to the floor and resembled the same ones used in the Maidstone police station’s custody suite.
Blinking at the bright orange surface, she perched on the end of the second row, then craned her neck to see around a burly man in his thirties who swayed from side to side on the seat in front of her and mumbled incoherently under his breath.
Wrinkling her nose to evade the stench of alcohol emanating from him in waves, she willed her heart rate to slow.
The emergency room was packed, voices from relatives and friends tinged with fear as they waited for news of their loved ones, while hospital staff in different coloured overalls denoting their expertise hurried back and forth with harried expressions.
She exhaled, reminding herself that Adam was receiving the best care, that he was at least conscious when whisked away by the ambulance, and grateful that her colleagues were already processing the crime scene.
‘Kay.’
Turning at the sound of Gavin’s voice, she pushed herself to her feet as he paused beside her, his eyes searching the far end of the room where a gaggle of porters were gathered.
‘Any news?’
‘Nothing yet. They told me to wait over here.’ She hugged her arms around her chest, goosebumps freckling her exposed arms and legs before she turned to face the reception desk, her training shoes squeaking on the tiles.
‘Do you want me to get you a coffee or something, or a bottle of water, or…’
Gavin flapped his hands at his sides, and she noticed a damp patch on his jacket with traces of smeared blood at the edges.
‘No, that’s okay. Thanks.’
‘Let’s sit at the back – there’s no-one there, and it’ll be quieter.’
Kay followed meekly behind him, and checked over her shoulder towards the reception desk.
Would she hear them if they called out to her?
‘Here you go.’ Gavin was gesturing to two seats – blue this time – and waited until she sat. ‘I phoned Barnes. It sounds like it’s all under control that end.’
‘You’ve got some blood on your jacket.’
‘I tried to wash it out just now, but…’
‘What happened?’She stared ahead, her gaze shifting from the cleaners and the porters that passed by in a blur.
Gavin exhaled. ‘From what we can gather, Adam was working late in his office at the back of the practice…’
‘It’s behind the consulting rooms. He likes to be on hand if anyone needs him.’
‘Right. His computer was on. He was writing––’
‘He’s got a deadline for a journal article that’s due at the end of the week…’ Her voice faded away as she realised she was babbling now, processing her shock.
‘They probably didn’t expect anyone to be there at that time of the evening,’ he said. ‘From what we could work out, they were after the anaesthetic drugs, painkillers, things like that.’
‘Ketamine hydrochloride and methadone hydrochloride,’ said Kay, dully. ‘They’re kept in a cabinet behind the door in Adam’s office for safekeeping. It’s locked.’
‘They took his keys, after they… after…’ Gavin broke off and bit his lip.
She uttered a shuddering sigh. ‘What did they do to him?’
‘He’d locked the front doors so they went around the back to the fire exit. They broke the window next to it––’
‘The one in the bathroom.’
‘Yes, and then made their way down the corridor to his office. We think he turned around as they walked in.’ Gavin shook his head. ‘He didn’t have time to react, Kay – sorry – guv. They hit him with something – wooden, we think. He was out cold when the ambulance got there, but he came around while I was with him, then again when they lifted him into the ambulance.’
‘Did he say anything?’
Gavin shook his head. ‘I didn’t catch it – sorry.’
Beside him, Kaychoked back a whimper. ‘Who called it in?’
‘Stephanie, the receptionist. She’d left after the last appointment but forgot her mobile phone – she’d left it plugged into her computer, so she popped in on her way to meet a friend at the cinema. She phoned triple nine from the car park when she saw the broken window and Adam’s four-by-four outside.’
A shuddering breath escaped Kay. ‘If she hadn’t turned up––’
‘Yeah, but she did, guv – and the paramedics were there really quick. Me and Barnes were on the Sittingbourne Road when we got the shout so we got there within a few minutes, and they turned up just after us.’
Kay wrapped her arms around her chest while she listened.
‘Barnes is at the practice, guv. Stephanie stayed behind – she wanted to help, and Adam’s business partner––’
‘Scott.’
‘He turned up just as I was leaving to pick you up. Barnes wants me to stay with you while he’s processing the… the scene.’ He clamped his mouth shut, his cheeks flushing. ‘If that’s all right.’
‘Thanks,’ she whispered.
THREE
Detective Sergeant Ian Barnes paced the tiled floor of Turner’s Veterinary Practice and glared at a junior CSI who scurried past in protective booties.
It wasn’t the woman’s fault – the thief had been well-prepared, with his – or her – hands covered in disposable gloves and their face obscured with a balaclava.
The chances of finding anything to test against DNA records of prior convictions were rapidly disappearing.
He picked at the protective gloves covering his hands, the material damp against his warm skin and clinging to his palms while he eyed the computer equipment on the beech-coloured reception desk.
‘Whoever did this didn’t seem to be interested in any of that.’
A female voice jerked him from his thoughts, and he turned as a woman in her fifties approached.
She gave him a faint smile and handed him a steaming mug of coffee. ‘Thought you could all do with some refreshments. Instant, I’m afraid.’
‘Anything else, and they’d start wanting it at the station.’ Barnes winked, taking the hot drink from her. ‘Thanks, Stephanie. How are you holding up?’
‘As good as I can be in the circumstances.’ The receptionist’s eyes clouded as she followed his gaze to the desk. ‘They were after the drugs, weren’t they? I-I’ve heard about break-ins at other practices, but you always think it’s the sort of thing that happens to other people… not us.’
‘You did the right thing calling us and staying in your car,’ said Barnes.
Stephanie shuddered. ‘I hate to think what would’ve happened if I’d walked in on them…’
‘But you didn’t.’ Barnes turned his back to the computer and frowned. ‘Did you see anyone around when you pulled into the car park earlier?’
‘No – the place was deserted save for Adam’s four-by-four. To be honest, I was glad when I saw it – John, my husband, said I was better off leaving my phone here until the morning but a friend of mine had texted me some details about a show she wanted to see in London next month and I couldn’t remember her phone number off the top of my head.’ Her face fell. ‘It seems so silly now in the circumstances – we were going to buy the tickets tonight while they were still half price. I was meant to call her to say I’d go with her.’
‘When did you spot the broken window?’
‘As I turned into the parking space beside Adam’s. The headlights caught it, and I braked hard because I didn’t want to drive over any glass.’
‘And did you call 999 straight away?’
‘Yes.’ Her face fell. ‘I felt silly, because I couldn’t hear the alarm going off or anything like that but when they turned up and I handed over my keys, they found Adam. If I hadn’t called them, I might not have guessed he was out the back and injured…’
She shivered, and Barnes reached out and squeezed her arm.
‘But you did call them, and he’s receiving the best care possible.’ He moved to the front door, then turned back.
‘How would they have known where the drugs were kept?’ he said.
‘They’ve done this before, I assume.’ The receptionist’s brow furrowed. ‘I suppose once they’ve broken into one veterinary practice, they get a feel for where things are. Any drugs are kept away from the consulting rooms, they’re always locked away in that secure cabinet in Adam’s office because we need to account for everything. It’s why our procedures require two signatures when the drugs are prescribed or used in surgery.’
‘And that’s all they took?’
Stephanie flashed him a rueful smile. ‘I imagine they could see the computers aren’t worth much – Adam’s been going on for months about upgrading all of them. And we keep very little cash on the premises, so they wouldn’t be breaking in for that. Everyone pays contactless with their cards these days, don’t they?’
‘True.’ Barnes turned at movement from within one of the consulting rooms to see another CSI technician start dusting graphite fingerprint powder over the door frame.
Stephanie sighed. ‘I’d better start making a list of people we’re going to have to call in the morning to rearrange appointments. I imagine it’s going to take us most of the day to tidy up.’
‘Did Phillip take your statement?’
‘Yes, and I’ve said I’ll pop in tomorrow to sign it once he’s had a chance to type it up,’ she said. ‘Don’t worry – I know how busy you’re all going to be tonight.’
‘That’s what we’re here for.’
Barnes left the woman to sit at her desk and crossed to where the CSI technician was working.
‘Got anything yet, Charlie?’
The man’s mask wrinkled. ‘Nothing concrete. Smudges here and there, but it looks like whoever did this wore gloves.’
‘Of course he did.’ Barnes rolled his eyes.
‘At least we have the footage from the security cameras, Sarge.’ PC Phillip Parker scuffed towards him, dropped into one of the plastic seats opposite the reception desk, and tugged plastic covers away from his boots. ‘Scott’s just downloaded the recordings from tonight onto a USB for me.’
Barnes grunted a reply, then glanced down at his phone screen as it buzzed.
‘Is that from Gavin?’
He glanced up at a soft Lancashire accent to see DC Laura Hanway heading his way, her usual smart business suit replaced with well-worn jeans and a long-sleeve T-shirt with an American college logo emblazoned across the front.
As soon as she’d heard about the break-in, she’d left her boyfriend watching the TV and eating the remains of the pizza they’d ordered and turned up moments after the ambulance had roared from the car park with Adam inside.
‘He’s sent a text,’ he said when she drew closer. ‘Adam’s conscious but they’re keeping him in for observation. Poor bastard’s going to have one hell of a headache for the next few days.’
Laura wrinkled her nose. ‘I’ll bet he will. He was bloody lucky though, Sarge.’
‘That he was.’
‘What about Kay? Is she okay?’
‘Shocked, obviously. Gavin will take her home after she’s finished talking with the doctors.’ Barnes tucked his phone away and craned his neck to see over his colleague. ‘What’s the latest back there? Phillip said there’s some CCTV footage.’
‘I’ll make a start on it first thing in the morning.’
‘It’s your day off.’
She waved his words away. ‘Don’t be daft, Sarge. You lot would do the same for me. I can take a day off when we find the bastards who did this.’
FOUR
The following morning, Kay bit back a yawn and closed the car door, peering at the locksmith’s van parked close to the rear of the veterinary surgery.
Her alarm had gone off at five o’clock, enough time to give her six hours of sleep after leaving the hospital before making an early morning phone call to Adam’s parents in Canada.
The conversation had left her wrung out, her nerves fraught from the late-night conversation with the specialist assigned to Adam, and then the sight of her partner swaddled in hospital sheets, his face a motley shade of purples and yellow.
Yet he was a resilient man – and lucky, according to the doctor treating him.
She had sat and held Adam’s hand as the specialist had assured her he was out of danger, and that the blow to his head had been a glancing one. It was the effect of his head hitting the tiles that had knocked him out cold – and why he was being kept in for observation for the next two days at least.
A fresh wind tugged at Kay’s hair after she locked the car and made her way around the locksmith’s van to the open back doors.
A man bent over a key cutting machine, the high-pitched whine of metal against metal filling the air, tiny sparks flying across the asphalt at his feet. He paused in his work, glanced over his shoulder and nodded.
‘Morning,’ she said, and gestured to the keys in his hand. ‘Did they get the whole lot?’
He shook his head. ‘They don’t think so, but Scott wanted to be on the safe side and change all the locks. Makes sense.’
‘True.’ She watched for a moment while he worked, and frowned. ‘I’m Adam’s other half. I heard they took his keys to break into the cabinet.’
‘Looks that way – Scott’s asked me to replace that as well but I’ll have to order it in. It’s a specialised piece of equipment.’
‘Have you got a business card?’ She shuddered. ‘And could I book you in to replace the locks on our house? I’d hate to think they know where we live, and if all of his keys were taken…’
‘Of course.’ The locksmith pulled out his phone and swiped to his calendar. ‘I can fit you in last thing this afternoon if you want. Does four thirty sound all right to you?’
‘Perfect.’
Kay gave him her mobile number and address, then hurried along the side of the building and headed towards the reception doors, which opened automatically as she approached.
She smiled, recalling Adam spending the money on the innovation so that clients with injured animals could pass through the doors without dropping his patients while trying to negotiate a door handle.
‘Kay.’
Stephanie crossed the brightly lit room and wrapped her into a fierce hug.
‘Steph. Are you all right?’
‘Am I all right? Of course I am – how on earth is Adam doing?’
‘A lot better than when he left here last night.’ Kay broke away. ‘I’ve seen him for a quick visit this morning and he was sitting up in bed. He’s tired, and obviously in a lot of pain but his doctors are pleased with the way things are going in the circumstances. Gavin’s there at the moment taking a formal statement from him.’
‘Nothing wrong with his memory, then.’ Stephanie beamed. ‘That’s a relief. We were so worried about him. Will you send him our best when you see him again?’
‘I will, thanks.’
Kay took a step back and cast her gaze around the room, a sinking sensation clutching at her chest.
Barnes, his team of officers, and the forensic investigators had been thorough, that much was clear.
The telltale graphite smudges of black fingerprint dust covered the surfaces of every drawer beside Stephanie’s desk, as well as the doors leading from the reception room out into the consulting rooms.
Beyond those she could hear the steady sweep of glass being brushed away.
‘It looks like a bomb site now, but Scott’s phoned a couple of locum vets to help us out while Adam’s on the mend, and we’ll have this place back to normal in no time.’
Kay nodded in response, lost for words.
She had attended so many crime scenes in her career, but it slipped her mind how people coped with the devastation to their lives once she and her team were gone. In her detective role, she was often too busy trying to catch the perpetrators of crime to consider the aftermath.
Stephanie was putting a brave face on the situation, but she noticed the woman’s lips tremble as she reached out for a microfibre cloth and began scrubbing at her desk once more.
‘Is Scott out the back?’ Kay managed.
‘He is. Hasn’t gone home yet.’ Stephanie wiped at her eyes, and forced a smile. ‘Perhaps he’ll listen to you. We’ve phoned everyone who had non-urgent appointments today, and the emergencies have been sent over to another practice who’ve offered to help us out. Hopefully by tomorrow we’ll be ready to open again.’
‘I’ll tell him.’
She followed the sound of the brush through the left-hand consulting room and out into the real hub of the veterinary practice, a large open room with operating tables and paraphernalia that wouldn’t look out of place in an emergency room in any hospital.
Pushing away the thought, she made her way over to another doorway, the one leading into Adam’s office.
Splinters of wood and glass covered the floor, and her throat tightened at the sight of Adam’s chair pushed over on its side, the desk in disarray.
Scott Mildenhall placed his broom against the plasterwork wall as she entered.
‘I should’ve been here, Kay,’ he said, his face distraught. ‘I only left half an hour before they broke in.’
‘It’s not your fault, Scott.’
‘I can’t help feeling that whoever did this planned the break-in, then panicked when they found out there was someone still here. If I’d have been here too we might have been able to overpower them, or at least chase them off…’
‘We’ll do our best to find them.’
Scott exhaled. ‘You need to, Kay. Those drugs that were stolen – they’re lethal.’
‘I guessed they were after the ketamine hydrochloride.’
‘That, and the other drugs we use to euthanise animals. It’s why they’re kept in a locked cabinet, and why two of us have to sign them out. We have to keep strict records for anything we do with those drugs.’
Kay jerked her chin at the empty cabinet. ‘How much was in there?’
‘We were fully stocked.’ The vet turned to Adam’s desk and pulled a delivery docket from the top tray. ‘The delivery turned up yesterday.’
‘Did Barnes take a copy of this?’
‘Yes, along with the contact details of our suppliers.’
She handed back the docket and ran her gaze over the jagged scarring to the secure cabinet and the neat pile of glass shards Scott had swept up.
‘Stephanie said you’ve been here all night.’
‘I had to – the place wasn’t secure, and I couldn’t get a locksmith to show up until an hour ago.’ He shot her a rueful smile. ‘She’s been nagging me to go home for the past two hours.’
‘She’s right. You need to. I saw the locksmith outside – he’s nearly finished.’
He pointed out the office window to a range of outdoor pens arranged in a grid pattern at the back of the surgery. ‘I need to check on the animals next – the ones who are boarding with us this week – and then I’ll head off. We’ll open again tomorrow when things have calmed down.’
‘I’ll be in touch, Scott. I know Barnes will have everything under control but you know where to find me if you need anything.’
‘Thanks, Kay.’
After making sure Stephanie planned to leave at the same time as Scott, Kay wandered back to her car.
The locksmith’s van had gone, and the new glass fitted to the bathroom window by the glazier overnight sparkled with polish.
Opening the car door and resting her hand on the roof, she ran her gaze over the building.
Adam had invested so much of his life into the practice, into the animals he treated, and into the people he encountered every day.
It wasn’t just a job to him.
It was a passion, a calling that he couldn’t ignore.
She wouldn’t let him down, despite the odds being stacked against her.
Break-ins at veterinary practices were all too common, and she knew of at least three others in a neighbouring Division within the past year.
This time though, it was different.
This time, it was personal.
Kay bumped her fist on the car roof and swore under her breath.
She would do all she could to find the thieves before the lethal drugs claimed a victim.
‘I’ll get you for this, you bastards.’
FIVE
Kay stood outside the incident room, her heart racing.
Beyond the closed door, she could hear muffled voices.
She checked her watch.
The morning briefing would be in full swing, with everyone who wasn’t out on call or due at court expected to attend.
She checked over her shoulder at the sound of approaching footsteps, then stood to one side as an administrative assistant she recognised from a previous investigation gave her a slight smile before hurrying through the door, a bundle of documentation cradled between her hands.
A rumbling voice barked from inside, the familiar baritone of Detective Chief Inspector Devon Sharp issuing orders and organising the investigation team providing her with some comfort.
Kay exhaled, grateful that her superior officer and mentor had travelled from headquarters at Northfleet to be there.
As a DCI, he was expected to be on hand to manage the more serious crimes that were committed in the county, and his presence filled her with relief.
At home, she’d been at a loss what to do, the early hours of the new day stretching out as she’d tossed and turned under the duvet until she’d fallen into a restless sleep, before the alarm woke her.
Here, she was amongst friends and colleagues who would do all they could to find the man responsible for Adam’s injuries and the drugs theft.
She squared her shoulders and pushed open the door, noticing the concern etched on her colleagues’ faces before hanging her jacket over the back of her chair and moving towards the whiteboard.
‘How’s Adam?’ Sharp broke the silence that filled the space as the administrative assistant handed him a report. ‘Any news?’
‘He’s not in danger. Thanks, guv,’ she said, nodding to PC Dave Morrison as he stood and gestured to his seat beside Laura. Sinking into it, she heard the sigh of relief that flittered through the gathered group. ‘His doctor told us this morning that as long as he doesn’t give them any cause for concern over the next forty-eight hours, he can come home.’
‘That’s good to hear,’ said Sharp. His eyes sparkled. ‘I take it, then, that we’re going to have to put up with you nagging us about our progress on this one?’
‘If you don’t mind, guv.’
‘I wouldn’t have expected anything else from you. We’ll have a chat after the briefing. Right – Gavin, you’re up next. What did you get from Adam this morning?’
Kay opened her notebook as her colleague moved in front of the gathered officers and took his place beside Sharp.
‘Guv, Adam confirmed that he was working late after the surgery closed for the afternoon. He said he was behind on a deadline for a journal article, and wanted to email it to the editor before leaving for the day.’ Gavin peered over the stapled document at Kay and gave an apologetic shrug. ‘He said he has a tendency to get distracted at home sometimes.’
Kay blushed as a ripple of laughter flittered through the assembled officers before they fell silent when Sharp glared at them.
‘Adam said that his colleague, Scott, left at six thirty. He was going to be on call that evening, and Adam locked the front doors while Scott was leaving the car park. He confirms that he didn’t see anyone approaching the building, although the beam from the security lights on the front of the surgery only reaches about halfway.’ Gavin turned the page. ‘He reckons if someone was hiding in the shadows, and wasn’t caught in the headlights from Scott’s vehicle as he left, then he wouldn’t have spotted them. It was too dark by then.’
‘We’ve made a start on the CCTV footage Scott gave us last night,’ said Barnes. ‘So far, we’ve got nothing but I’ll have someone take another look at the film from that time with a view to honing in on the fringes of the car park in case they spot anything we’ve missed.’
‘Thanks, Barnes,’ said Sharp. ‘What did Adam have to say about the break-in and subsequent attack, Gav?’
‘He didn’t hear them approach. Reckons he was listening to music while he was working. He said it helps him concentrate.’ Gavin lowered his gaze to the statement. ‘The first thing he knew about anyone else being there was when he heard someone’s shoes squeak on the tiled floor outside his office. He said that scared him, and he turned down the music on his laptop. When he turned around in his seat, there was someone standing behind him wearing a balaclava over his head holding what looked like a broken-off end of a snooker cue – the bit with the handgrip around it.’
Kay swallowed, feeling the colour drain from her face. She shook her head as Laura rested her hand on her arm, and clenched her jaw as Gavin continued.
‘He said he could hear the man breathing heavily, as if he was taken by surprise at Adam being there, but when he started to get up out of his seat and ask him what he was doing, the man swung the weapon at him, and caught the side of his head.’ Gavin lowered the stapled pages. ‘He knows he toppled to the floor, but he doesn’t remember anything after that, not until he came around again in the hospital. He couldn’t even remember us or the paramedics talking to him last night.’
‘Does he recall whether there was more than one intruder?’ said Laura.
‘He said he only saw the bloke who hit him, and didn’t hear anyone else. That doesn’t mean his attacker was working alone, of course.’
‘Thanks, Gavin, and that’s a good point you raise.’ Sharp cleared his throat as Gavin returned to his seat. ‘Does anyone have more information to confirm how the intruder got in? Has the preliminary forensics report come in yet?’
