by M A Comley
To Die For
DI Sam Cobbs #1
M A Comley
A very special thank you to the wonderful Clive Rowlandson, my special Facebook friend, who has allowed me to use his stunning photos of the Lake District as covers for this series.
Wishing you many more fabulous adventures with Alpha in the future, Clive.
Acknowledgments
Special thanks as always go to @studioenp for their superb cover design expertise.
My heartfelt thanks go to my wonderful editor Emmy, my proofreaders Joseph, Barbara and Jacqueline for spotting all the lingering nits.
Thank you also to my amazing ARC group who help to keep me sane during this process.
Thank you to my good friends, Alex and Claire, for allowing me to use your names in this series.
To Mary, gone, but never forgotten. I hope you found the peace you were searching for my dear friend.
Also by M A Comley
Blind Justice (Novella)
Cruel Justice (Book #1)
Mortal Justice (Novella)
Impeding Justice (Book #2)
Final Justice (Book #3)
Foul Justice (Book #4)
Guaranteed Justice (Book #5)
Ultimate Justice (Book #6)
Virtual Justice (Book #7)
Hostile Justice (Book #8)
Tortured Justice (Book #9)
Rough Justice (Book #10)
Dubious Justice (Book #11)
Calculated Justice (Book #12)
Twisted Justice (Book #13)
Justice at Christmas (Short Story)
Justice at Christmas 2 (novella)
Justice at Christmas 3 (novella)
Prime Justice (Book #14)
Heroic Justice (Book #15)
Shameful Justice (Book #16)
Immoral Justice (Book #17)
Toxic Justice (Book #18)
Overdue Justice (Book #19)
Unfair Justice (a 10,000 word short story)
Irrational Justice (a 10,000 word short story)
Seeking Justice (a 15,000 word novella)
Caring For Justice (a 24,000 word novella)
Savage Justice (a 17,000 word novella Featuring THE UNICORN)
Gone In Seconds (Justice Again series #1)
Ultimate Dilemma (Justice Again series #2)
Shot of Silence (Justice Again #3)
Taste of Fury (Justice Again #4)
Crying Shame (Justice Again #5)
To Die For (DI Sam Cobbs #1) Coming Dec 2021
Clever Deception (co-written by Linda S Prather)
Tragic Deception (co-written by Linda S Prather)
Sinful Deception (co-written by Linda S Prather)
Forever Watching You (DI Miranda Carr thriller)
Wrong Place (DI Sally Parker thriller #1)
No Hiding Place (DI Sally Parker thriller #2)
Cold Case (DI Sally Parker thriller#3)
Deadly Encounter (DI Sally Parker thriller #4)
Lost Innocence (DI Sally Parker thriller #5)
Goodbye, My Precious Child (DI Sally Parker #6)
The Missing Wife (DI Sally Parker #7) Out Feb 2022)
Web of Deceit (DI Sally Parker Novella with Tara Lyons)
The Missing Children (DI Kayli Bright #1)
Killer On The Run (DI Kayli Bright #2)
Hidden Agenda (DI Kayli Bright #3)
Murderous Betrayal (Kayli Bright #4)
Dying Breath (Kayli Bright #5)
Taken (Kayli Bright #6 coming March 2020)
The Hostage Takers (DI Kayli Bright Novella)
No Right to Kill (DI Sara Ramsey #1)
Killer Blow (DI Sara Ramsey #2)
The Dead Can’t Speak (DI Sara Ramsey #3)
Deluded (DI Sara Ramsey #4)
The Murder Pact (DI Sara Ramsey #5)
Twisted Revenge (DI Sara Ramsey #6)
The Lies She Told (DI Sara Ramsey #7)
For The Love Of… (DI Sara Ramsey #8)
Run For Your Life (DI Sara Ramsey #9)
Cold Mercy (DI Sara Ramsey #10)
Sign of Evil (DI Sara Ramsey #11)
Indefensible (DI Sara Ramsey #12)
Locked Away (DI Sara Ramsey #13)
I Can See You (DI Sara Ramsey #14)
I Know The Truth (A psychological thriller)
She’s Gone (A psychological thriller )
The Caller (co-written with Tara Lyons)
Evil In Disguise – a novel based on True events
Deadly Act (Hero series novella)
Torn Apart (Hero series #1)
End Result (Hero series #2)
In Plain Sight (Hero Series #3)
Double Jeopardy (Hero Series #4)
Criminal Actions (Hero Series #5)
Regrets Mean Nothing (Hero #6)
Prowlers (Hero #7)
Sole Intention (Intention series #1)
Grave Intention (Intention series #2)
Devious Intention (Intention #3)
Merry Widow (A Lorne Simpkins short story)
It’s A Dog’s Life (A Lorne Simpkins short story)
Cozy Mystery Series
Murder at the Wedding
Murder at the Hotel
Murder by the Sea
Death on the Coast
Death By Association
A Time To Heal (A Sweet Romance)
A Time For Change (A Sweet Romance)
High Spirits
The Temptation series (Romantic Suspense/New Adult Novellas)
Past Temptation
Lost Temptation
Contents
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Epilogue
Keep in touch with M A Comley
Prologue
Tom Douglas was exhausted. He’d had a very productive couple of days, packing boxes, trying to get ahead of his big move. He couldn’t wait to begin the new chapter in his life. After almost fifty years running the farm, getting up before dawn and working long after dark most days, he was ready to take life easy. Whatever that entailed for someone who had only ever had a few weeks off in his lifetime. Work, and the routine of running a farm, were all he’d known.
He glanced around the dining room and saw box upon box of useless stuff, most of which was earmarked to go to the local charities. He’d made arrangements for them to collect everything at the end of the week, and he’d only managed to sort out two rooms so far. He found life, in general, overwhelming at present. Unexpected tears clouded his vision and a large lump clung to the inside of his throat. What has my life come to? Life without Audrey to share it with will be meaningless now, like it has been for the last five years since she left me.
Shaking out his arms, he gave himself a good talking-to. “Stop dwelling on the past and start looking forward. It’s time to begin living. I hear retirement is good, once you put your mind to it and give it a chance.”
Daisy, his loyal Border Collie, barked in response. Tom laughed and stroked the top of her head. “It’s going to be a new chapter for both of us, girl. What will you do with yourself all day, without chasing the cattle from field to field for me? Aye, you’ve been one of the best dogs I’ve ever worked with. I suppose we’ll find ways to fill our days soon enough, let’s not think about that for now, eh? Time to go for a pee and then we’ll get to bed. I’ll start packing up the rest of my belongings tomorrow. Horrendous job to do on your own, but it’s got t
o be done. How some people cope with moving house every few years, whenever the fancy takes them, I’ll never know.”
He went into the dimly lit hallway and opened the front door for Daisy to run out to the yard. He flicked on the outside light and peered up at the sky. It was cloudy, so the stars he often watched twinkling in the black sky were shielded tonight. Disappointment flooded through him; over the years, he’d taken comfort in seeing all the stars watching over him, at least, that’s how he’d perceived it. Reluctantly, he stepped back into the house. “Daisy, come now. It’s time for bed.”
Daisy instantly came, as she always did when he called her name. Carefully locking the door behind him, he secured it with the chain his wife had insisted he should install nearly ten years before, when there had been a spate of burglaries at several farms in the area.
Wandering into the kitchen, he half-filled a tumbler with the malt he had left over from Christmas. Daisy whimpered beside him. He patted her on the head. “Purely medicinal, pet. You know I have trouble sleeping most nights. Want some?”
Tom offered her the glass to sniff. She turned her head to one side and flopped a paw over her nose. He laughed and patted her again. She was a wonderful companion. Such an intelligent dog, she put most humans he had the pleasure of knowing to shame most days. “I hope you and I are going to be happy once we leave this place in a few weeks. I wish someone could wave a magic wand and do all the packing for me and just whisk us off to our new home. It’s not much, Lord knows how we’re going to adapt to our new beginnings living near town when we’ve had nothing but beautiful countryside on our doorstep for years. Still, needs must. Right, you, let’s get up them stairs to bed.”
His breathing was laboured by the time he reached the top step, holding on to the banisters with one hand and carrying his drink in the other, with Daisy patiently climbing the stairs behind him. “Oh, Lordy, that’s one thing I’m definitely not going to miss. It should be a bonus living on one level. Whoever invented two-storey or more living, needs to be shot. These old legs of mine only have a few days climbing ahead of them, thank goodness.”
He walked into the main bedroom which was cold and gloomy since his wife’s passing. Every home needed a woman’s touch to bring it to life. This one had been lacking in that department for several years. Tom shook the dreary thoughts from his mind, placed his glass on the bedside table and collected his pyjamas from the bed. After visiting the bathroom for his evening strip-down wash, he returned to his room, climbed into bed and patted the quilt beside him.
“Come on, girl. Let’s have a snuggle before we go to sleep.”
Daisy didn’t need telling twice. She jumped up beside him and laid her head on his lap.
“I wonder what lies ahead of us now, Daisy. You know that old adage, ‘life’s what you make it’? Well, I’m going to ensure we have the best life possible from now on. It’s you and me against the world, precious dog.”
Daisy whimpered. Understanding everything he said to her, she offered her paw for him to hold. Tom picked up the paper lying on the bedside table and sipped at his drink until his eyes drooped. “Okay, I think it’s time for me to go to sleep now, girl.” He switched off the bedside light and wriggled down under the covers. Daisy shifted beside him, getting closer to ward off the October night-time chill.
Tom, with the aid of his tipple, drifted off to sleep within minutes.
A few hours later, he was woken up by Daisy growling beside him. He sat upright, aware that her behaviour wasn’t normal. He had a shotgun under his bed; he tried to reach for it and lost his balance, landing heavily on the floor. Daisy appeared at the edge of the bed, her head tilted as if asking if he was all right. Then she began growling, a deep guttural growl, and stared at the bedroom door. Tom hastily stretched out an arm for his gun. He had his back to the door, but the pain in his hip did a good job of hampering his movements. Daisy leapt off the bed and guarded the door while he twisted, wincing against the pain searing through his lower body.
“Bloody hell,” he hissed through clenched teeth.
Training an ear to what was going on downstairs, he picked up on the sound of the creaking stairs and knew there was an intruder working their way up towards them. “Shit! Girl, get on the bed, get away from the door.”
Daisy, for once in her life, disobeyed his command and stood rigid in the spot she’d claimed, close to the door.
Tom did his best to swivel into position and tried to reach under the bed to locate his shotgun. His fingertips touched the cold metal, but nothing more than that. He closed his eyes, blocking out the pain and the noise coming from outside his room, in an attempt to make a concerted effort to get to the gun. He issued a silent prayer to his maker. God, give me the strength to get to my gun. Help me to protect myself and Daisy.
Finally, the weapon was within his grasp. He dragged it out and cocked it, aimed it at the door and then tugged on Daisy’s collar, warning her to get back. He reached for the box of cartridges, just in case he needed to reload. He had this. He was in complete control now. The second someone stepped through that door, he’d fire and they’d be history. His heart pounded violently against his ribs.
Aiming the barrel at the door, and with Daisy now tucked safely behind him, he waited patiently, his finger poised on the trigger, his breath exiting his body in short, sharp thrusts. His mind whirling with different scenarios, but there really would be only one outcome: he would fire first and ask questions later.
The pain in his hip intensified as the adrenaline pumped around his body, but he tried his hardest to block it from his mind and concentrate on the matter in hand. Another creak sounded directly outside his door. Daisy growled. He raised a finger to his lips to silence her, and it did the trick. She just had to trust him. He had the situation under control; at least, he hoped he did.
The doorknob turned. Tom sucked in a breath and prepared himself for the fight ahead.
The door eased open. Daisy shot forward, baring her teeth at the intruder who hadn’t been expecting the attack. The person lashed out and kicked Daisy, sending her flying across the room. She yelled out in pain. Tom was distracted for a split second until his anger bubbled to the surface. “You bastard, leave my dog alone.” He fired off a shot. The force of the discharge rippled through his body with the intensity of a tsunami and jarred his hip.
“You, fucking bastard,” the intruder shouted and pounced on Tom. He disarmed him swiftly, pointed the gun at Daisy, let off a shot, then aimed the gun at Tom.
Tears emerged and swiftly escaped as he saw the light fade in his beloved dog’s eyes. “Daisy!” he yelled in a strained voice.
The masked intruder jabbed Tom in the stomach a few times with the butt of the gun to get his attention. “Listen up, old man. Do as I tell you or the same thing will happen to you, got that?”
Everything was a blur. Tom’s gaze drifted from Daisy to the masked person who had ended his dog’s life. Anger erupted and charged to every nerve ending throughout his body. If he could have got to his feet, he would have given the intruder what for, but as things stood, his movements were restricted.
“Get up!” the man ordered.
“I can’t. I think my hip is broken.”
The intruder mumbled something indecipherable and kicked him in the leg.
Tom yelled out, the pain unbearable, far worse than anything he’d ever encountered in his life. “Please, you have to believe me.” He took a breath, unable to continue, the debilitating pain doing its utmost to prevent him from breathing properly. Shit! I’m going to die, if I don’t do as he tells me. “I can’t move, I tell you. You have to believe me, I’m not trying to trick you.”
His gaze remained on the man. He was struggling to keep it together now; looking over at Daisy would only devastate him further. I might as well be dead, now that she’s gone. “What do you want from me?”
“Your money and your medals.”
He shook his head. “I don’t have any money and the meda
ls are tucked away in a secure place somewhere else.”
“Don’t give me that. Where are they, old man?”
“I swear it’s the truth, why would I lie?”
“All right, where?”
The nose of his gun jabbed him in the chest. Tom cried out. “Screw you! I’m not telling you. You’re going to have to kill me.”
The intruder aimed the gun at Tom’s head. “If that’s what you want, old man.”
Tom raised his hands, shielding himself. “No, please. I don’t want to die.”
“Make your mind up. A second ago you were prepared to die, what’s it to be? Are you going to tell me where your stash is or not?”
“No. Go out there and get a bloody job. Louts like you need to realise what it’s like to graft for the money you get, not go around breaking into people’s houses and holding them at gunpoint.”
“Shut the fuck up. You know nothing about my circumstances. What gives you the right to judge me?”
“Doh! You’re standing in my home, threatening to kill me for a start.” Tom shifted position, or tried to, but the pain quadrupled and he slumped, defeated, against the bed. “I’m too old to fight you. Take what you want and get out.”
“You’re not listening to me. Where do you keep them?”
“Hang on, how the hell do you know I have medals of value, anyway?”
The intruder paused to think before he responded. “It doesn’t matter. Hand them over or say goodbye to life as you know it.”
“Suits me. Go on, clear off out of here, you sodding waste of space. Go get a real job, like ninety per cent of the population in the UK, and yes, I plucked that figure out of thin air.”
The man laughed, grabbed the box of cartridges and quickly reloaded the gun before Tom had the chance to realise what was happening. “Talking shite again, old man. You do that a lot.”