A Lethal Deception Read online

  ‘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 fo
rced 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.’