Unknown Diners

Chapter Fifty-Two

"It's public record, but much easier for you to get access than me," Lorne said as he looked at Denise. "Robotham and Frick, their sentence details, time served, release dates."

"Even though it's public information, I can't." Denise pursed her lips. "I'd love to, but we're not allowed."

"Yeah, it's better I go to the Commissioner. Do this through the proper channels." He glanced at the oven clock. "Nineteen ten, twenty-two ten in Ottawa. He's long gone for the day. The evening watch can get it started."

Denise watched him with her head tilted as he rose to get his iPhone. "Commissioner?"

"Yeah, Harold." Lorne thumbed his phone on, thumbed in, then scrolled to Recent and pushed Ottawa Duty Desk. He gave his code, waited for the line to be answered, then proceeded through the authentication.

"You're safe?"

"Yes, settled in at the loft again." 

"I see that. I've your dossier on my screen. How can I help you?"

"Connolly's 2003 trial. The aftermath, the charges against Frick and Robotham. I need details of the charges, sentences and releases. A contact in E Division to work with on this, and also permission to work directly with their paedophile people again."

"We'll have them contact you. Onto something?"

"Yeah, a real heavy one this time."

"Keep us in the loop."

"Thanks, I will." He ended the call, clicked off his phone and put it in the pocket of his bathrobe.

Denise was still watching him, her eyes now stretched wider. "Connected, aren't you?" she said, still shaking her head.

"We've been helping each other over the years." He smiled at her and shrugged.

"So Frick and Robotham are into things again?"

"Don't know about Frick, but Robotham's flashing bright red at the moment. Can I get you more tea?"

She looked into her cup, then at both of them. "I really do need to get going." She glanced at her watch. "Jim's calling in a short while. Groceries need putting away."

Catherine put a hand on Denise's arm and gave it a little shake. "If you've some free time the next while, I'd love you to come over and talk. I think I've just lost my best girlfriend, and I need to find another."

They stood and hugged. "Yeah, I'd like that. The contact's kind of sterile with the job. I'll call you tomorrow."

After Denise had left, Lorne and Catherine stood in the hall by the door and hugged. "Makes sense, doesn't it? Robotham, Bottom Line. Clever, lawyer, corrupt, paedophile, wants revenge. Appears he won't stop at..." Lorne's phone interrupted him. He pulled it out, thumbed on and in and slid the answer.

"Staff Sergeant Watson, Duty Officer, E Division. Ottawa told us to call you."

Lorne gave Watson the details and an email address for him to send the information. He clicked off and pocketed his phone, then resumed the hug. "You have no idea how much easier it is for me to handle this stuff having you for comfort."

"I can't imagine how lonely, how awful that must have been. All these years." She released her hug, undid her sash and his, letting their robes fall open and wiggled into a closer hug. "That's better."

"Oh my God! Such an amazing way to comfort. You're such an amazing woman. I love everything about you."

They stood pressing their flesh into each other, gently swaying and caressing. Enjoying the warmth and comfort. Several minutes later, she kissed his neck and wiggled her face into it. "We should do something."

"We are."

"Yeah. Wonderful something." She trailed her lips across his chest and bent to nibble a nipple.

He shifted his hips to allow nature a little more turning room. "We could continue the hug on the bed." He pressed himself into her belly.

She wiggled into it, then stepped back and looked down. "Is this gift wrapping or a white flag of surrender?" She giggled as she began unwrapping the winds of Kleenex from his penis. "It's a bit stuck."

"We could continue in the shower." He shrugged his robe off his shoulders, then slid hers off, picked her up and headed to the bathroom.

Nearly an hour later, as they began cooking dinner, she lifted her head from quartering the criminis. "Didn't think in there, but the hot water seemed to be limitless. You must have a huge tank."

"No tank. And it is near limitless. This building was one of the first hooked-up to NEU."

"Any you? What's that?"

"N-E-U. It's the acronym for Neighbourhood Energy Utility, the system which recovers heat from greywater. You must have heard about it."

"Yeah. Seems I forgot about it. So your heat and hot water are all from recycled waste heat. That's this whole area now, isn't it?"

"Yeah. Supplies more than we can use. The building developers jumped on it — cheaper to buy into NEU than to install heating systems in their buildings."

"And you're left enjoying near-limitless inexpensive heat and hot water, knowing it's bright green and recycled."

"That was among the things which attracted me to this place." He glanced over at the chopping board in front of her. "How are the mushrooms coming along?"

She looked down. "Got a bit distracted. Another half-minute." She turned her attention to the quartering. "You're fully into this, aren't you? Natural energy, recycling, things green." She chuckled. "I'm still chopping."

"Simply makes sense. Use the wind, the sun, the tides, recycle and use again. Crazy not to use what's given."

"There's still a lot of crazy in the world." She passed him the board of mushrooms, he slid them off into the sizzling butter and gave the pan a few tosses.

They heard his phone do a bing-bong. He turned from the stove to look toward it. "That's likely the information on two of the crazier crazies."

"You want to get that? I'll do the sauté."

"Dinner first. I'm not crazy."