Page 52 of Their Burning Graves
‘Yeah, but you let her go to Bowness for it, I mean the roads are busy, you can’t get parked, the café will be heaving, she’ll have to queue forever. It was never going to be a ten-minute lunch run.’
Ben took out his phone and dialled Morgan’s number; it went straight to voicemail. The familiar, unwanted sense of panic that sometimes accompanied his worries about Morgan began to make his stomach clench. He left her a voicemail.
‘Hey, soon as you get this give me a ring. I need you back at the station. We’re going to make an arrest.’
Amy looked up from her unappetising lunch. ‘We are?’
‘Yes, we are, I want you and Morgan to be the ones to go in and search the house whilst Cain and I bring him in.’
‘Who are we arresting, boss?’ Cain said through the last mouthful of his lunch.
‘Luke Rigg.’
‘The neighbour, the guy who rang it in and went to see if he could get them out?’
‘Yeah, that’s him.’
Amy nodded. ‘Sounds about right, always the good Samaritans.’
‘No, it’s not but there is a lot going on with him and Sally Lawson that we weren’t aware of. There’s too much for it to be ignored. Morgan and I went to talk to him, but he got angry and threw us out, which is why I think, Cain, that you’ll be very useful in case he kicks off. Take your CS, cuffs and maybe your baton just in case you need them.’
‘I thought this was a move up from all the fighting on a regular shift?’
Amy laughed so loud both men turned to look at her.
‘Yeah right, this is where you’ve upgraded from drunken tourists and abusive spouses. You’re fighting with the big boys now, Cain. Welcome to killer club where one wrong move could see you as the one who dies on duty.’
Ben stared at her. ‘Amy, are you okay?’
‘Fine, but it’s true, isn’t it? Look at how many times Morgan’s had her run-ins with psychopaths, and Des. They should be paying us danger money on top of our shift allowance.’
Cain walked across and ruffled her hair. ‘As long as you’re with me you won’t be fighting anyone, I promise.’
Amy smiled at him. ‘Ah, you’re such a big softie, Cain, but I fear even you can’t keep us safe.’
He shrugged. ‘Soft but deadly if I need to be.’ He winked at her and grabbed his utility belt from the drawer with everything he needed on it, then headed out the door.
Before Amy could follow, Ben grabbed hold of her arm, tugging her back to him.
‘If you need to take a break from all of this it’s not a problem, Amy. It’s been difficult, and no one would blame you if you wanted to go away for a few weeks, forget about this place. Maybe get Jack to take you somewhere hot where you can drink cocktails and relax.’
She smiled at him. ‘You’re a good boss, Ben, thank you. I’m okay, I think I just get a bit edgy; you know what I’m like. I think it’s when I get worried, I get all defensive. Cain is great, he’s not Des, but then again there wasn’t anyone like him, was there? I think I just feel guilty that I couldn’t help him when he needed us, you know.’
Ben nodded. ‘Me too, I lie in bed wishing to God that I’d gone with Morgan to that church fete and not Des. I feel as if it’s all my fault.’
‘That’s the two of us then, come on, enough feeling sorry for Des. He wouldn’t have given a shit if it had been one of us who had been murdered, not as long as he was okay.’
Ben laughed. ‘You’re probably right, we should stop beating ourselves up so much over him; it wasn’t me or you that killed him.’
‘Not in the end, although come on, admit it how many times did he wind you up enough that you thought about it?’
She was laughing, and Ben joined in. ‘No comment.’
They went to find Cain, who was talking to the two response officers who were going to follow behind with an arrest vehicle to put Luke Rigg in, if he kicked off.
THIRTY-THREE
The house was huge, upstairs was very gloomy, dark panelling, dark wood furniture, huge flowery wallpaper and velvet drapes in each bedroom. Natalie led them from room to room. Annie didn’t say much, looking around, reaching out and touching things. Morgan thought it was creepy as hell because it was so dark.
