Too Charming (23 page)

‘We’re not charging your mother yet,’ she told him in her controlled, officer-of-the-law voice. ‘But I have to warn you that everything does point to that, yes. We’ve found a body …’

If anything, his expression became grimmer. ‘She didn’t do it,’ he told her forcefully. ‘For God’s sake, Megan, what’s her motive?’

She expelled a deep breath. ‘Scott, I can’t talk to you about the case. Don’t put me in a difficult position.’

‘I’m not having her sent to prison.’

His eyes turned bleak and Megan looked away, unable to bear the pain she saw in them. God, how must he be feeling? First one parent and now the other. ‘I can understand how you feel, but …’

‘Can you?’ he interrupted harshly. ‘Can you really?’ Clearly struggling to keep his emotions in check he turned his face away from her.

‘Let’s focus on what your mother needs right now.’ This was so difficult. Megan ached to touch, to soothe. She could do neither. ‘We’ve talked with the police doctor and he’s recommending she stays in hospital to detox. When the drugs and alcohol wear off, she’ll be in a bad place. She needs expert care around her.’

‘Yes, you’re right.’ He swore. ‘This just gets better and better, doesn’t it?’ Seeming to gather himself, he stood taller and looked her in the eye.
‘Thank you. I appreciate you not detaining her here. The thought of her staying in a cell …’ He trailed off, a muscle jumping in his clenched jaw. ‘Right then, I’d better go and check up on her.’

He was about to leave when she put a hand on his arm, stopping him. ‘How are you doing?’ she asked gently.

‘Me?’ Laughter, harsh and hollow, ripped out of him. ‘Oh, I’m just dandy, thank you. The woman I’ve been seeing thinks the job I do puts me on the same rung of the evolutionary ladder as a leech and my mother, who, by the way, was living with a drug-dealing pimp, is about to be charged with murder. But other than that? Life is great, thanks.’

She recoiled from the anger that lashed at her through his words. ‘I guess I asked for that.’

‘Find out who really was responsible for this murder, Megan. And keep my mother out of prison,’ he replied flatly.

He was
hurting. It was understandable, she reminded herself, and took a deep breath. ‘I’ll do what I can.’ About to turn away, she stopped. ‘Scott, about what you do …’ Her voice broke slightly, and she was forced to swallow before continuing. ‘I don’t think it makes you, what did you say, a leech? God, Scott, how could you think that?’

Shaking his head he thrust a hand into the pocket of his jeans. ‘Well, it doesn’t really matter now, does it? I’m unlikely to be heading up to the top of your
guys-I-want-to-date list
in the foreseeable future, am I?’

She watched his retreating back, wondering about the pain in his voice, in the depths of his beautiful grey eyes. Was he really that upset that their relationship had ended, or was this business with his mother simply making all his emotions raw and vulnerable? She’d be a fool to believe it was anything but the latter. But fools could hope, couldn’t they?

Chapter Twenty-Five

Scott left the station and walked out to his car cursing himself. If there was one trait he couldn’t abide in a person, it was self-pity. So why on earth had he just vented at Megan like that? If he carried on in that vein, he’d have no hope of ever worming his way into her life again. Not that his hopes weren’t already gasping their last breath anyway, what with him being not only a bastard
defence lawyer, but one with a mother suspected of murder. Thank God Megan didn’t know about his father. That would really be the cherry on top of the icing that was already on the blasted cake. Yeah, he was exactly the type of man a second-generation police officer would go for.

The only good thing to come out of this morning was getting his mother transferred to a place where her addictions could be properly assessed and treated. He’d half feared the police would insist on detaining her in one of their cells. She was suspected of murder, after all. Though he’d have fought tooth and nail against it, at least now that was one battle he didn’t have to fight. Thanks to Megan. In fact Megan seemed to be coming up trumps all round, and that was more than could be said for him. What a colossal shame that he hadn’t seen what was going on with his mother years ago. Sure, every now and again he’d sent her to a clinic to dry off, but he hadn’t exactly gone out of his way to check that she stuck to it afterwards. He also hadn’t insisted she get looked at by a real expert. One that dealt with the mental issues often associated with addiction. If he had … hell, if he’d paid more attention she wouldn’t be in this bloody mess now. A fine son he’d turned out to be.

Riddled with self-loathing, he drove over to the hospital where his mother had spent the night. When he found her on the ward, he had to stop himself from gasping. Never a large lady, she lay back against the crisp white sheets, looking impossibly frail. At least the glassy-eyed look had gone, though he wasn’t sure if the sad, defeated look was any better.

‘Scott, I’m so sorry to be a burden.’

Not the words he wanted to be greeted with. ‘Mum, you’re not a burden.’ His voice sounded strangled, and he knew he was on the verge of breaking down again. He bought himself some much needed time by moving his chair closer to the bed, so he could hold her hand. ‘We’ll sort this out, you and I,’ he told her quietly after a moment. ‘Get to the bottom of who killed the girl and why you were left holding the knife.’

‘You don’t think I did it?’

He gazed at her, holding her eyes, looking deep into her soul. ‘Mum, you’re no more capable of murder than Dad was.’

She sniffed and then collapsed, weeping, into his arms.

It was early afternoon when Megan slipped into her car and waited while Ann, who’d thankfully also been assigned to the case, slid in alongside her. Their port of call was a return to the crime scene. She wanted to go back and talk to a few more of the girls who worked in the area. They were bound to give her a feel for whether
Reg was cheating on Cathy, which was the only motive Megan had at the moment.

They knocked on the door of a small terraced house.
One that had paint peeling from the window frames and weeds growing through the cracks in the path. It looked like it needed a bit of TLC. Then again, so did its neighbours. The vice team believed Reg’s prostitutes worked from several of the houses along the street. Possibly all of them, from the look of it. Clearly the girls weren’t into gardening or DIY.

The door was eventually opened by a woman with jet-black hair and bright red lipstick
. She could have been anything from twenty to forty. Certainly she looked like she was at the older end of the spectrum, but working girls aged quickly. They became hardened to life, and it showed in their faces.

‘What do you want?’ the woman asked, eyeing them both with suspicion.

She showed her ID card. ‘I’m Detective Sergeant Taylor. This is Detective Shaw. We want to ask you some questions regarding the murder of one of your colleagues.’

The woman laughed. ‘Well, aren’t I the popular one today?’ She opened the door wider, giving Megan a glimpse of a tight red shirt and even tighter black skirt. ‘You might as well come in and join the party. There’s a guy already here wanting to talk about the same thing.’ She looked Megan up and down, and did the same to Ann. ‘He’s real easy on the eye and far more my type.’

Instantly Megan had a horrible feeling she knew who the woman was referring to. It was confirmed when she came face-to-face with Scott in the front room, sitting on a garish red sofa. He didn’t even have the grace to look embarrassed. He simply gave her a half-smile of acknowledgement.

The girl looked from Megan to Scott. ‘Do you two know each other?’

‘You could say that, yes.’ Scott stood and pulled out a couple of chairs from the adjoining dining room. ‘Sit down, Detective.’ He glanced at Ann. ‘Or should I say Detectives. Mandy was just about to tell me whether she saw or heard anything unusual last night.’

Giving him a hard stare, Megan sat down stiffly on the chair. ‘We’ll be asking the questions,’ she told them both firmly.

Scott acknowledged her statement with a wry grin. ‘The floor is yours.’

‘How well did you know the victim?’ she began, taking out her notebook.

Half an hour later they walked back outside.

‘Ann, would you mind waiting for me in the car?’

Her friend hesitated. ‘I think it might be best if I stay,’ she replied at length, giving Scott the evil eye.

Trying not to smile, Megan lightly touched her friend’s arm. ‘I’m okay, honest,’ she whispered. ‘You can back down.’

After giving Scott one final, pointed glare, Ann walked slowly over to the car.

‘I don’t think she likes me.’ Scott was staring at Ann’s back, as if trying to work out what it was that he’d said.

‘She’s looking out for me. Which is good to know, especially when I have to deal with you, pulling stunts like you did back there. What the hell did you think you were doing?’ she demanded, squaring up to him.

‘The same as you,’ he replied calmly. ‘Finding out what really happened last night.’

‘This is police business, Scott.’

‘No,’ he shot back. ‘It’s my business. You’re accusing my mother of murder. It’s my business to prove you wrong.’

‘Don’t you trust me to do my job properly?’

He grimaced and jammed a hand in his trouser pocket. ‘It’s not a matter of trust. I need to find out what happened. I won’t have my mother charged with a murder she didn’t commit. Can you imagine what the stress of a court case would do for her?’ The emotion in his voice was making it hoarse. ‘It will kill her,’ he finished quietly.

Megan fought to keep calm and professional. Fought to remind
herself that this was a murder investigation, pure and simple. That she had no interest in Scott, or what he was feeling. ‘Scott, if you keep getting in my way, annoying key witnesses by talking to them first, it won’t help her case.’ She put a hand on his arm, noted the rigid way he was holding it. ‘This is the part where you need to trust me.’

He hesitated. She could almost see the tug of war happening in his head. She understood why he mistrusted the police, but she wasn’t asking him to trust DS Taylor.  She was asking him to trust Megan Taylor.
To believe in her enough to ferret out the truth. Clearly he didn’t. ‘I guess your silence speaks for itself.’ She turned away, so he wouldn’t see how hurt she was.

Scott didn’t have to see Megan’s face to know she was cross with him, but he couldn’t, in all honesty, say that he trusted her. No, that wasn’t right. He trusted
her
, but he didn’t trust in the system. Not after what he’d seen happen with his father. Evidence could be tampered with, statements altered. He’d seen it. And whilst he knew for absolute certainty that Megan wouldn’t do any of that, he couldn’t say that for any of the other detectives who might be working on the case. ‘What I need to do, Megan, is vindicate my mother,’ he replied softly.

She nodded, but he sensed that somehow he’d disappointed her.

Desperate to put his arms around her, or even just to touch her, he raised his arm. No sooner had his hand touched the material of her jacket than he caught a glimpse of her colleague-cum-bodyguard sitting in the car. Her eyes throwing daggers at him. Sighing, he let go. ‘Look, why don’t we work together on this?’

Megan didn’t say anything, but at least he had her attention.

Shoving his hands back into his pockets, Scott chose his next words carefully. ‘You’re not the sort of detective who only sees things one way. Not the type who’s blinkered to other possibilities, who only wants to prove that you were right all along. I know that. You want to uncover the truth. So do I.’

Scott’s heart
sank as she remained doggedly silent. He realised he wasn’t above begging at this point. ‘I’m asking you, please, as a …’ he hesitated, ‘as a friend. Let me work with you to find out the truth.’

Stripped of the façade of the self-assured lawyer, he was now simply a son, desperate to help his mother. Where once he might have arrogantly demanded, now he was humbly pleading. 

It didn’t seem to make any difference to Megan.

‘You know I can’t discuss the case with anyone outside the team, Scott.’

‘Yeah, but I’m already involved, aren’t I?’ he pointed out. ‘Surely it couldn’t harm to listen to my views, even if you don’t tell me anything.’

Megan Taylor wanted desperately to help him, but DS Taylor had to play by the rules. ‘This is my investigation, Scott. I’m in charge. Discussing it with you could lose me my job.’

‘I know.’

‘And what if this comes to court? We’ll be on different sides.’ He wouldn’t be allowed to take the case, but it wouldn’t stop him finding a way of orchestrating it behind the scenes.

‘I know that, too.’

Never had the gap between them felt more obvious.

His quiet eyes pleaded at her.

‘I will listen to you,’ she found herself saying. ‘I’ll consider your perspective. But I won’t do anything that will prejudice the case.’

‘Agreed.’ His face showed no sign of victory. Just a trace of relief, mixed in with exhaustion and worry. ‘Who’s next on your list?’

Megan sighed. She could just imagine how easy it was going to be to get Scott Armstrong off her back. Aside from the danger he might pose to her career, there was also the danger he’d pose to her mental state. How was she going to cope with seeing him every day? He’d be in her face and in her business, which he saw as his business, too. Damn him, he’d also be in her head and in her heart. She needed to wrap the whole sorry mess up as fast as she could. Find enough evidence to charge Cathy Armstrong or, please God, prove that someone else was responsible for killing the call girl.

‘Next on my list is Reg Blake.’ She watched him flinch and told herself to harden her heart. ‘And no, you won’t be coming with me on this one.’

‘What, you don’t trust me not to punch his eyes out?’ Though the words were harsh, his voice carried a hint of self-mockery.

‘Frankly, no, I don’t.’

He glanced away, into the distance. ‘I have to see him, Megan,’ he told her quietly. ‘The way I look at it, my mother has been framed. So I have to ask myself, who had motive to kill the girl and frame my mother?
Reg looks like a pretty hot candidate to me.’

‘Why would he want to kill one of the girls who work for him?’

He shrugged. ‘I don’t know. Which is why we need to talk to Reg.’

‘No,
I
need to talk to him. You can wait in your car.’ She saw him about to protest and put her foot down. ‘You know I can’t have you sitting next to me when I interview him, Scott. Talk about totally inappropriate. How can you even ask me?’

‘How can I not?’ he countered softly.

It was the same voice she’d heard him use many times in court. Calm, professional, dripping with persuasion. She’d cursed it then, as she did now. ‘Can’t you see how you being too involved could compromise not only the case, but me?’

Finally she’d got through to him, and he slowly inclined his head. ‘Okay. I’ll be waiting in the car.’

‘And make sure you stay there,’ she told him firmly. ‘If I find you ringing on the bell, inviting yourself in …’

‘You have permission to stamp on my foot.’

‘Believe me, it won’t be your foot I trample on.’

Scott found his eyes drawn to hers and for a brief moment he forgot all about the hell that was happening around him. Her cheeks were slightly
flushed, her blue eyes bright and, despite her irritation with him, a trace of amusement lingered on her very kissable lips. He moved towards her, zeroing in on her mouth, desperate to taste her again.

‘Everything all right over there?’

Megan’s sidekick, who’d clearly had enough of waiting in the car, was now climbing back out of it. Whatever Megan had told her buddy about him, it wasn’t good. She clearly saw her role as protecting Megan from the clutches of the evil lawyer, at all costs.

He took a small step back. What had he been doing anyway, thinking of kissing Megan when his mother was about to be charged with murder? Never mind the fact that Megan had already made it plain she wasn’t interested in him any more.