Heathen/Nemesis

Thirty-Four

‘It doesn’t make sense,’ said Detective Constable David Mackenzie. ‘They disable the alarm, use a glass-cutter to get in, don’t leave any prints behind and wear masks in case they’re spotted. They cover every eventuality but they don’t take anything.’ He shook his head.

Standing in the sitting-room he looked around in bewilderment.

‘Nothing’s even been broken, let alone taken. Burglars usually ransack the place. These two look as if they were being careful not to disturb things too much. As if they didn’t even want anyone to know they’d been inside.’ Again he shook his head. ‘I’ve never seen anything like it before.’ He looked at Donna, who was sitting on the edge of the sofa stroking her neck slowly. ‘You’re sure nothing was taken, Mrs Ward? I know you say you’ve checked ...’

‘Nothing was taken,’ she interrupted him.

The clock on the mantlepiece said 2.36 a.m. The police had arrived more than thirty minutes ago. Already they’d dusted for fingerprints but found none that shouldn’t have been there. Donna had called them from Jackie Quinn’s house, telling Jackie there was nothing to worry about.

Did she really believe that herself?

She’d told Mackenzie that one of the men had been injured, badly, as far as she could tell. Word had been put out to surrounding hospitals that all casualty admittances with leg injuries were to be reported.

The two women had not been able to help much by way of descriptions apart from recounting details of the horrific masks the burglars wore and that one appeared to be rather thin (the one with the broken leg).

Mackenzine had no doubt that the masks and the clothes they wore would have been discarded by now.

‘You say no shots were fired by you or the burglars, Mrs Ward?’ the policeman enquired again, checking his notepad.

‘No. You only have to check the gun for that,’ Donna said wearily.

‘And you can verify that the guns are licenced?’

‘My husband and I both held Firearms Certificates. We were members of a gun club; we shot there regularly. I’ll give you the number if you want to check it out.’

‘Just routine,’ he said, smiling. ‘Why did you have guns in the house, Mrs Ward?’

‘My husband was away from home a fair bit. He said I should have more adequate protection than a burglar alarm. It was my husband who insisted I learn to shoot.’

Mackenzie nodded.

‘Am I the one on trial, Detective Constable?’ she said irritably.

‘I have to ask these questions, Mrs Ward,’ he said apologetically. ‘I mean, this isn’t New York. It’s not every day a young woman pulls a gun on a burglar. This is new to me.’

‘I didn’t pull a gun on him,’ Donna corrected. ‘I was protecting myself and my sister. God knows what would have happened if he’d got upstairs.’

‘Would you have shot him?’ Mackenzie asked flatly.

‘My house has been broken into, my sister and I could have been in danger and all you’re concerned about is whether or not I would have shot the bastard who did it.’ She glared at him for a moment. ‘To tell you the truth, I don’t know, but I’d like to think that I could have pulled the trigger if I’d had to. But if I had, it’d be me you’d be arresting, wouldn’t it? To hell with saving my own life and my own property.’ She ran a hand through her hair.

Mackenzie lowered his gaze a moment, his voice softening.

‘Mrs Ward, do you think this break-in could have anything to do with your husband’s death?’ he asked.

‘You’re the policeman; you tell me.’

Mackenzie could only shrug.

‘It was just a thought,’ he added belatedly.

Donna was already certain there was a link.

Mackenzie looked around him. ‘I don’t think there’s anything more we can do here now. We’ll leave you in peace.’

Donna got to her feet, ready to show him out, but the DC motioned her to remain seated.

‘There is one thing, Mrs Ward. The fact that they broke in but didn’t take anything, and also that they were obviously professionals, makes me think they were looking for something specific. Something particularly valuable, perhaps. Can you think what it might be?’

Donna shook her head gently.

‘Do you think they’ll come back?’ Julie wanted to know.

‘Normally I’d say no, especially after having had a gun pointed at them. But if they were looking for something, and it’s that important to them, then it’s possible.’ He looked at both women. ‘Be careful.’