Page 76 of Her Lips Are Sealed

He looked at Lucy. ‘What the hell just happened? She was nipping to the vets to check if anyone had brought a sick cat in.’

Lucy shook her head. ‘The cats, all the victims had cats and lived alone. He would know that if he worked in the vets, know where they lived. I bet all the victims use the same one. How did we miss this?’

Ben didn’t know but he was furious that they’d overlooked the cat angle. He hung on to the side of the seat to stop himself from flying off it as Cain overtook a long line of cars at the roundabout leading into Ulverston at seventy miles an hour. ‘Where’s Morgan?’

‘We’re halfway down the alley opposite The Chippy Bank.’

‘I want the entire area cordoned off, someone get to the vets and tell them that’s now a crime scene, get anyone in the waiting room out of there, names and addresses in case we need to speak to them. I want all the staff in one room. Nobody leaves, is that clear?’

‘Yes, boss. I’m on my way there now with Mac.’

Scotty’s voice was calm compared to the stress clearly audible in Ben’s.

The van screeched to a halt at the entrance of the alley and they all piled out. Ben saw Morgan on the floor and felt as if his heart might actually just stop beating. He wasn’t sure how much he could put it through before it had enough and stopped dead. Then he was kneeling next to her.

‘Hey, talk to me?’

She looked at him. ‘Sorry. I’m good, just felt a bit faint but I’m fine now.’

‘ETA for paramedics?’ he asked the Control room.

‘Any minute now.’

‘No, I don’t need them. I’m fine, it just knocked me a bit sick that’s all.’

‘Morgan, you’re bleeding down the side of your face, let them clean you up at least because it’s making me feel sick.’ Cain was bending down. ‘How many fingers am I holding up?’

‘Too many, get lost.’

He straightened up. ‘She’s okay.’

Ben glared at him. ‘Well, thanks for that diagnosis, Doctor Robson.’

Cain shrugged. ‘Anytime, if she can give sass, she’s not brain damaged, is she? Where did he go?’

‘I lost him.’ The failure in her voice made Ben reach out and take hold of her hand.

‘No, that’s not true, Morgan; in fact it’s the complete opposite. You found him, we could have been looking forever. Good job.’

Lucy was smiling at her.

‘If it was a good job, he’d be in cuffs back in the vets. I was waiting for Kevin’s flea treatment, but he knew who I was before I realised who he was and if he hadn’t frozen for a split second when I looked at him, I may not have even given him a second glance. It was purely by chance.’

‘Remind me not to send you to pick up a prescription or anything, Brookes, you’re a total liability. You didn’t even get your cat’s flea powder or whatever.’ Cain winked at her, and she grinned back.

‘Told you, get lost.’

Ben knew she didn’t mean it.

‘I’m good, you lot are wasting time here, get looking for him, there must be bins, back gardens, a whole host of places he could be hiding in.’

Ben stood up and nodded. ‘You’re right.’

‘Can you wait with her till she’s been checked out, please,’ he asked the officer hovering nearby.

She nodded.

Then they were walking away. His heart had slowed a little and he thought that Morgan had a point. He couldn’t have got far. How did he get to work from Coniston if he lived there? He wanted to go speak to the staff at the vets.