Page 82 of Her Lips Are Sealed

Sian pointed to the living room where the Benidorm theme tune was still playing. ‘Can I pause that?’

‘Yes.’

‘Phew, it’s driving me mad.’

Morgan looked around, there was nothing out of place, no sign of a struggle, no forced entry, and on the table next to Mrs Foster was her purse, next to that a stack of twenty pound notes. One side of the woman’s face drooped and it looked as if she’d had a massive stroke. Not that Morgan was a doctor, but it looked like natural causes.

‘Bless her, at least she died happy. In her own house, watching her favourite TV show.’

Sian nodded. ‘Yeah, that’s a good way to go, don’t you think?’

‘The best. Have you spoken to Wendy?’

‘Who’s Wendy?’

‘She’s one of our CSIs. She lives next door and rang it in.’

‘No, haven’t seen her.’

‘I’ll go speak to her. You can let Control know I’m happy that there’s nothing suspicious. This is most likely a natural death and they can notify the undertakers.’

‘Okay, thanks.’

Morgan left Sian to go speak to Wendy.

She knocked on the door and waited, wondering what was taking so long. Trying the door handle, she found it was locked. Taking off the gloves, she phoned Wendy, and it rang out, making her worry something was wrong with her friend. She peered through the front window but couldn’t see anything because the blinds were almost closed. Lifting the letter box she hollered, ‘Wendy, it’s me.’

A miaow was all that answered her, and Morgan felt a chill so icy run down the full length of her spine that she shivered. There was no way to get around to the back of Wendy’s house unless she went around into the back alley. Morgan sprinted around there and tried the handle of the back door. It was locked too. She used her radio.

‘Sian, have you got a whammer in your car?’

‘I don’t know, let me check.’

There was a wheelie bin a little further down, so Morgan dragged it to Wendy’s wall and prayed she wasn’t about to break her neck trying to climb over. She managed to get onto it, balancing precariously on top before grabbing onto the wall and climbing over it. She didn’t think about the drop down into Wendy’s back yard and hoped her ankle was up to it. Somehow managing to land on her feet without causing herself serious injury, she ran up to the kitchen window and felt time stand still.

Inside was Jaxon Cartwright and he was straddling Wendy who was on the floor.

‘IR now to the house on the street where Sian is. Jaxon Cartwright is attacking Wendy in her house.’

‘I’ve got a whammer, Morgan. I’ll go in from the front.’

Sian’s voice was confident, giving Morgan hope.

Morgan picked up a small terracotta plant pot and launched it at the window that smashed with a huge explosion of glass. Jaxon jumped up off Wendy and looked in disbelief to see Morgan climbing through the window at the same time as there were three almighty bangs from the front door and it imploded.

He turned to run and was met by Sian who was a good foot shorter than him, but she swung the whammer towards him, managing to get him in the knees, then Morgan was on him from behind.

The crook of her elbow wrapped around his neck, she began choking him and dragging him backwards. He fell towards her, taking her to the ground with him, but she didn’t let go even though he was a dead weight struggling and trying to shake her off.

‘Morgan, incoming,’ Sian shouted, and Morgan squeezed her eyes shut, turning her head away as Sian released a stream of CS gas straight into Jaxon’s eyes, and it made him scream in fury.

Temporarily blinded, Morgan clambered on top of him, dragging his hands around and cuffing him before dragging him off Wendy. Just as officers piled in through the door, Morgan got on her hands and knees and crawled towards where Wendy was gasping on the floor.

‘Hey, I got you, you’re okay.’

Wendy looked at Morgan. Wendy’s neck was an angry red, but she was conscious and that was all that mattered. Morgan helped her up.

‘Thanks, he tried to strangle me. I only offered him a cup of tea,’ Wendy croaked.