Commitment

Chapter Fifteen

Eddie was quite aware that the police would not waste precious resources on the likes of Lorna, especially when she had basically turned her back on what help they had already offered her. After all, they had  now got the information they needed from her to get Coulter, so she wasn't really a priority to them any more.

He  realised he probably would not have cared either, except for the fact  he knew she was still Paula's mother.  So when Jack, who showed more concern for her welfare for Lorna's wellbeing suggested that they should still get a few of their fellow officers on the beat, to make some enquiries, just to find out if they could come across her again in some of her old haunts, and bring her in, to perhaps persuade her to return to the safe house for her own good.  Eddie had only too readily agreed,

Recalling Eddie had not seemed particularly taken with Lorna from the beginning, Jack had been a little surprised, he  didn't think his partner would have given her that much forethought, making him muse that his partner must be softening up in his old age.

Apart from that, there was little else they could do, so Eddie tried to get on with his job. He had a pile of  other cases  sitting on his desk that needed his full attention. Then, there was Coulter's trial at the end of the week, were he and Jack might have to get up in court and testify against him. as they had been the arresting officers on the scene at the time.

Under a certain amount of personal and professional pressure with these latest circumstances, Eddie found the idea of talking to Paula over the phone when she called him, something he was not ready to deal with so he avoided talking with her just texting het to say he was rather busy and caught up with his job.   But at the same time, feeling slightly guilty about.  

But, he wasn't in the mood for talking with her, knowing what was going on in the background with her mother somewhere on the loose, in rather precarious circumstances that made him uneasy. and he knew she might pick up on it.  So he stuck with his story, he was busy preparing for going to court to give evidence on an important case, which was partly true

 Thankfully She texted him back, assuring him it was ok, and that she understood. Wishing him the best for forthcoming trial, hoping the bad guy got put away for a long time, and he could  to just give her a call when he was able too.

Eddie felt a little of the pressure off him for now, knowing that Paula was being understanding and reasonable. But he now pondered a little ruefully, if that would be the case if she knew the truth about her mother, and finding himself once again conflicted about his relationship with her, and where it all might lead in the end.

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Over the next few days, the discreet enquiries, that had been made about Lorna McKay in her former home ground, were  turning out to be a fruitless exercise, much to Eddie's frustration. Those that knew her, claimed they had not seen her, or knew of her whereabouts. Part of him was hoping she would see sense, and return back to the safe house herself, realising the folly of her actions.

But now, his main focus was on Coulter's trial, and he couldn't afford to let himself get side-tracked by anything else.

The case went on for just over a week, Eddie and Jack had been called in on the middle of the week to give their evidence on how they were able to finally make Coulter's arrest

His defence tried to imply the police had a beef with Coulter and were out to do his reputation damage. That he had just been an innocent business man who had been targeted by the police, caught in an unfortunate situation, because was unaware  the man he was meeting up with, was a criminal.

But this was a weak defence, considering all the evidence they had discovered in the subsequent follow up into his business and bank accounts. Then with others now crawling out of the woodwork, intent on saving their own necks, and giving him up for some of the things he got up to.