Impeding Justice by Mel Comley Read Free Book Online Page A

large payments credited to her account.’
    ‘ How large, how many and how
often?’
    Lorne listened in disbelief as he told her
payments of ten grand had found its way into Crane’s account twelve
times so far, but no set pattern as to when, the intervals between
payments varied. They had started May 2004.
    ‘ Shit, I’ll have to check
her personnel file, but I think that’s about the time she joined
the team. The question is: Was she vulnerable and easy to turn or
was she planted?’
    ‘ I’d go for the first
option. Money talks, I know, but when it is a woman being used as a
mole it is usually emotional not financial.’
    ‘ You mean, he used the fact
that she’s no oil painting and had a lonely life to pull her
in?’
    ‘ Exactly, she’s
stereotypical. He wines and dines her, screws her like she’d never
dreamt would ever happen and she’s hooked. Add the “never could
earn as much money in her life,” factor and a mole is born. She’ll
do anything for him and has no inclination that one day she’ll out
live her usefulness.’
    ‘ You mean, he’ll kill
her?’
    ‘ Mess with evil and you
usually die by the hands of evil. That’s been my
experience.’
    ‘ If we wanted to help her,
how could we do it?’
    ‘ Don’t set her up. Confront
her and bang her up for a while for her own safety.’
    Telling him she’d speak to the DCI, she
changed the subject and asked if there had been anything on the
bomb threat. It seemed a thorough search had taken place of the
area around the Houses of Parliament, but nothing had come to
light. This prompted her to share some further information with
him.
    ‘ Maybe he isn’t planning a
bomb. We’ve had reports loosely linking him to terrorism, in
particular Islamic extremists.’
    ‘ What? Why the fuck didn’t
you tell me this in the beginning?’
    ‘ We were talking moles,
remember? And…’
    ‘ Fuck that, Lorne, you
should have said, so am I to take it you’re thinking suicide
bomber?’
    ‘ It’s a possibility. Don't
you think?’
    ‘ I think, I’m spending far
too much time on this damn phone with you!’
    She knew by now, not to expect a goodbye.
But, she began to wish she had trusted him in the first place.

 

    Chapter Eleven .

    ‘ Get Crane in
here.’
    ‘ I’m not sure that
is…’
    ‘ Now, Lorne, time is of the
essence.’
    ‘ Yes, sir, but I think you
are going about it in the wrong way…’
    DCI Roberts
glared at her as usual he wanted action and wanted it fast. The
news of Crane’s identification as the mole had shocked him, she
could see that.
    　
    When Lorne entered the squad room she could
see no sign of Crane. John informed her Crane had called in and
said she had to take her mother to the hospital.
    ‘ When I reminded her about the urgency of the case, ma-am,
she seemed pretty upset about letting everyone down. She’s
volunteered to drop into forensics on her way back, see if they’ve
had any joy with the facial recognition, yet.’
    ‘ The minute she comes back
tell me. I’d like a word with her, nothing important, just let me
know.’
    The downright liar, how dare she hide behind
her dead mother's skirt!
    ‘ Right, by the way, Sergeant
Harris has been looking for you, said he’d like a word in your
shell-like, ASAP.’
    Lorne went into her office and closed the
door. She punched the button on the phone that would get her
through to the front desk.
    ‘ Sergeant Harris, it’s me.
What’s up?’
    ‘ Do you want the good news
or the bad news first, ma’am?’
    ‘ The good news first, I
suppose.’
    She braced herself, as she tumbled into her chair. What the bloody hell has Charlie done
now?
    ‘ We’ve found Charlie. Umm…
I’m afraid she was with a gang of hoodies causing chaos in the town
centre.’
    ‘ Christ, Burt, if that’s the
good news, it doesn’t bode well for the bad…’
    ‘ No, ma’am. I suppose I’d
better ask if you’re sitting down first before I tell
you.’
    ‘ Yes, Burt, I am