Free Dubious Justice by M A Comley Page A

able to cope… if you can stay out of my way long enough for me to investigate the crimes we’ve been dealing with.”
    “Still as spiky as ever, Lorne. So, to go with your role, you better have this new title, Acting Detective Inspector Warner. How’s that?”
    “Sounds kind of suffocating even to my ears. I’ll stick to DS Warner if it’s all the same to you,” she responded, unimpressed by her newly acquired promotion. All she could think about was how annoyed Tony was likely to be about her temporary role once she informed him. Even though Roberts had twisted her arm, Lorne had gone against the promise she’d made to Tony about not getting too involved when she returned to the Met. She hated the thought of him thinking she was a liar and that, a few years down the line, she would discard the promise as if it meant nothing in the grand scheme of things. This wasn’t of her choosing—none of it was. He’ll understand that, won’t he? She asked herself, then cursing her insecurity. She was being totally unreasonable, letting her mind continue to dwell on how her ex-husband—not her present husband—would deal with the scenario. Lorne realised Tony and Tom were akin to yin and yang in that respect.
    You’re worrying unnecessarily, Lorne.
    Katy and AJ came out of the office, neither of them looking as if their time alone had helped.
    “Are you sure you’re going to be able to drive all that way by yourself, Katy?” Lorne asked, rubbing her partner’s arm again.
    “Unless the Met wants to let me highjack one of their choppers, I have limited options open to me. It’s only a couple of hours, Lorne. I can remain focused for that long I’m sure.”
    Lorne nodded. “Keep us informed on how your dad is, all right?”
    “I will. It’ll be via AJ, if that’s all right. I want to devote as much time to being with Dad as I can while I’m there. Crap, the guilt is rife right now. Does that ever ease?”
    “With time. You have nothing to feel guilty about, Katy. Just go. You should get there before it gets dark.”
    “I’m going.” She turned to AJ and pecked him on the cheek. “I’ll call you when I get there, and yes, I’ll drive carefully.”
    The team wished their boss well then returned to work once Katy had left the room. Lorne was aware that she would need to keep AJ busy so his mind wouldn’t wander too much. “AJ, I want you to contact both men’s places of work to get their itinerary for the last few days. Let’s see if we can see any similarities there first before we go down any other lines of enquiries. They might have met up on a previous job or something.”
    Sean held his hands up in front of him. “Right, I see you have this under control for now, Lorne. I have a few tasks awaiting my attention on my desk. I should be finished within an hour or two.”
    “You can leave the investigation in our capable hands for now, Chief. I’ll call you if I need any assistance.”
    Sean raised an eyebrow, shrugged, and walked out of the room.
    During the rest of the afternoon, the team embarked on their duties in a subdued atmosphere. Lorne found herself distracted when her mind drifted to what Katy was going through. Losing her own father suddenly had been a devastating ordeal for Lorne, one that she wouldn’t wish on her worst enemy. She hoped that Katy’s father had a strong heart and that he overcame his plight quickly. The statistics of people suffering a heart attack the second they gave up work to enjoy their retirement had never sat comfortably with Lorne. The body was an undiscovered law unto itself at times. She made a note to say an extra prayer for Katy’s dad that night.
    Mentally exhausted, Lorne instructed the team to call it a day at six. Wearily, she drove home, running through how she should broach the subject to Tony about her forced temporary promotion.
    Charlie was in the paddock, training Sheba on the obstacle course, when Lorne pulled into the drive. “Hey, you two,