‘Torino and Thompson. Duty sergeant already talked to them. They claim they saw suspicious activity. Their story is that by the time I got there they’d already investigated and left.’
‘Suspicious activity? And that turned into potentially armed assailants how?’
Judith shrugged.
‘And they just forgot to let control know that they’d left the scene? The recording was a coincidence?’
‘What do you want me to do, Rock? Make a formal complaint? Initiate disciplinary over some animal noises? Where will that get me, exactly, except bogged down in a lot of process bullshit? While everyone at the station looks at me sideways and thinks I can’t handle a joke? That’s exactly what they want me to do. And I’m not going to dance on their strings.’
‘What about the phone?’
Judith didn’t want to admit that she’d crushed the thing and left it there. ‘It was a burner.’
She gave no hint about how she’d really felt. She didn’t mention that she’d stopped to buy cigarettes on the way home. She definitely wasn’t going to admit that they’d managed to scare her. That was beneath her. She should have been stronger, and she should have been smarter. Should have seen it coming. And the cigarettes were temporary. One pack, and she was back off them again.
‘You need a new partner,’ Rocky said. ‘I’m going to get that sorted. Today.’
Judith didn’t argue. ‘You’re worrying too much, Rock. If this is the worst they can do.’
Rocky looked unconvinced. ‘I’m not letting the bike go. That wasn’t a prank. And it happened in a secure area. We’ll get whoever did that, no doubt.’
‘How many cops go through the parking area every day? How are you going to narrow it down?’
‘Leave it with me,’ Rocky said. ‘And Jude? You watch your back. Eddie Fraser’s not finished with you. I’m hearing that the second blood test came back positive. Luke’s suspension is going to be permanent. Eddie’s not going to be able to save him.’
‘That’s a good thing. That’s what we want.’
Rocky nodded grimly. ‘Eddie’s a believer in an eye for an eye. You took his son’s career. He’s going to do whatever he can to take yours.’
The warning hit home, but Judith laughed like it hadn’t. She nudged Rocky. ‘It’s not the nineties, old man. And he’s not a gangster. What’s he going to do, send his heavies round to my place?’ Rocky opened his mouth to reply, but Judith talked over him. ‘I’ll watch my back, okay? But Eddie’s not the only one with friends, and plenty of people are going to be happy to see Luke gone.’
Rocky let it go. They walked in silence for a few minutes.
‘Did you call your mother?’
‘I went to see her. Yesterday.’
‘You did?’ Surprise in his voice.
‘I did.’
‘Everything okay?’
‘Fine.’
* * *
Judith tried Alexis Turner’s number again as soon as she got back to the station. It beeped once, and then she heard an automated message—The number you have called is not connected, please check the number and try again. Judith frowned, and drummed her fingers on the table. The Haddad case was her priority, but there was a team briefing scheduled for the end of the day, and really, she didn’t have any live leads. So. She should focus on Alexis Turner while she had time. She’d take a run over to the university and see if she could track Alexis down. Presumably Alexis just hadn’t paid her phone bill and had had her number disconnected, which was a pain in the arse, but it would be better to speak in person anyway.
Judith picked up another pool car and drove north on Elizabeth Street through the city. The drive took ten minutes, and it took her another ten to find parking. She eventually found a spot right outside Merrill Hall, which turned out to be a charmless red-brick two-storey wedged in between much older college buildings. There was a coffee shop on the ground floor. A small group of students sat on the steps outside, vaping and chatting, phones out. Judith walked past them and up the stairs.
The door to the building had an electronic lock. It occurred to Judith that the problem with Alexis’s phone might just mean that the girl was avoiding her, that she was having regrets about reporting Walker. That didn’t seem likely, given her anger in the interview, but Judith decided to take some care with her approach. At the intercom panel, she skipped the button for number fourteen and just pressed buttons for the twenty or so other apartments, ignoring the voices that answered. She kept pressing until someone hit unlock, then let herself in. She climbed the stairs to the second floor and soon found herself outside apartment fourteen. She knocked on the door. It was opened moments later by a young girl of Vietnamese appearance.
‘Beth?’ Judith said.
The girl looked confused.
‘I’m looking for Alexis Turner.’
