by M A Comley
“Truthfully, nothing surprises me after what I’ve heard in the last few years. I wish capital punishment was still an option in this country. We need a deterrent of sorts. The gallows sounds a good enough one to me.”
“I can’t disagree with you there, Lorne.”
“If I had my way, anyone tampering with kids would be hanged as soon as they were arrested. There’s no smoke and all that.”
After an exhausting night, Lorne breezed through her tiredness and glanced around at her team. They’d done her proud. Each and every one of them had pulled out all the stops and achieved more than was expected of them in a working week, let alone twelve hours. Sean sent Graham for bacon rolls, and while they ate their breakfast, they summed up what they’d established so far. An adrenaline rush had pushed away any tiredness Lorne had expected to feel.
She walked over to the incident board. “Right, let’s try and make some sense of this.” She took a bite of her roll and pointed at AJ. “You start, AJ.”
“I’ve managed to locate some of the children they fostered in the system, but there are so many that I think it’s going to take me a full week to track all of them down—if they’re trackable, that is.”
“Okay, I’m not expecting miracles, so a few is a great start. At this point, I’m mainly interested in one in particular. Karen, any luck?”
Karen’s tired eyes met Lorne’s, and she smiled. “Just doing final checks now, but I think I’ve hit the jackpot.”
Lorne’s heart skipped several beats. “Really? That’s fantastic news. Well, between the rest of us, we’ve been appalled by what we’ve unearthed. The magnitude of this case has just gone through the roof and half way to the moon. The people, if you can call them that—I’d rather they were known as animals—have been fairly easy to identify, thanks to the way the Platts have listed them. Was that intentional on their part? Probably, I wouldn’t put it past them to do everything they could to implicate all concerned. None of them can be labelled as having morals, any of them. So, we have an extensive list of depraved human beings in some very high-profiled positions, including apparently the head of social services at the time. Sick shits, the lot of them! The chief even spotted a former superintendent in another force amongst the visitors to the house. Fortunately for him, he’s no longer with us. We’ll pass all the information onto the Paedophile Unit, let them deal with the lowlifes while we concentrate on the three murders of the tradesmen, for now, until Patti has identified the remains at the house.”
Sean nodded. “Good idea. I’d like to say something, if I may?”
Lorne propped her backside on the nearest desk. “Be my guest.”
“I’d just like to add my congratulations to the team for what you achieved last night. All of you have gone above and beyond on this one. I want to personally thank you for that. Lorne and Katy are always singing your praises, and after working with you closely this past week, I can totally understand why. I am extremely proud and honoured to have such a devoted and professional team working under me.”
Lorne smiled and vigorously nodded her agreement. “Hear, hear.” She clapped. “I couldn’t have said it better myself.”
At five o’clock that evening, Lorne shooed the team home. Some of them, notably AJ, showed their disdain for being ordered to go home, while others looked relieved to call it a day after their thirty-two-hour shift. She pulled into the drive and got out of the car. Leaning against the closed door, she shut her eyes and raised her face to the warm evening sun, letting the slight breeze tickle her skin.
“Hey, you.” Hearing Tony’s voice came as a welcome relief. He kissed her. “You haven’t got time to take in the sun’s rays.”
“Haven’t I? Why?”
“I want my dinner.”
Lorne shook her head. “Charming! After the long shift I’ve just embarked upon, you’re expecting me to come home and cook!”
He shrugged. “Unless you fancy burnt offerings again for dinner?”
“Where’s Charlie?”
“Packing. She’ll be leaving in a little while for her weekend away.”
“Damn, is it Friday already?”
“Yes, Lorne. Come on. I have some news for you.”
Lorne hesitated before walking towards the house. “Is this good or bad news?”
“Both. I’ll tell you over a coffee.”
Charlie was sitting at the kitchen table, stroking Sheba when they entered the back door. “Hi, Mum, I hope it was worth it.”
“The long shift? Definitely. Are you ready for the off?” Lorne noticed the overnight bag at her daughter’s feet.
“Yep, just having a final cuddle with Sheba. I wish she was coming with me. You will look after her over the weekend, won’t you? You won’t be spending all your time in bed, I hope?”
Lorne laughed. “Not at our age, love. She’ll be fine with us.”
“I’m going to take off now and leave you to it then. Have fun, kiddos.” Charlie hugged Lorne then Tony. She pulled away and wagged her finger. “Nine months down the line, I don’t want to be hearing the patter of tiny feet around the place. You hear me?”
“You cheeky mare, I should be saying that to you, not the other way around. Anyway, I couldn’t take the stress of having another child as demanding as you running around the place.”
“Who’s the cheeky one? Hmm… we’ll see. Love you,” she called over her shoulder and ran out the back door, leaving a forlorn-looking Sheba staring after her.
Lorne sat in the chair Charlie had just vacated and proceeded to pet Sheba while Tony made a coffee.
When Tony joined her at the table, Lorne said, “Okay, I want the good news first.”
He looked down at his mug. “We solved the case.”
“That’s brilliant news. Today?”
“No, yesterday.”
Lorne frowned. “Why didn’t you tell me when I rang last night?”
“Be fair. I didn’t really get the chance to.”
“I’m sorry, love. I feel guilty now.”
He placed his hand on top of hers. “There’s no need.”
“Okay, what’s the bad news?”
“He’s dead. We fished Alec Edmonds out of the river.”
Lorne gasped. “Oh no. That’s terrible. Was it foul play, do you suspect?”
“We don’t think so. Looks like he lost his footing and fell into the river. He was intoxicated, remember. Of course, we’re waiting on the pathologist’s report to verify that. Poor bloke.”
“I bet his fiancée was distraught, wasn’t she?”
“I ended up calling for a doctor to sedate her.”
“I’d be the same if I ever I lost you, Tony.”
He leaned over and kissed her. “Do you want to show me how much I mean to you upstairs?”
Lorne hesitated, her stomach growling through hunger. “Crap, can we eat first?”
“It’s all in hand. Come with me, young lady.” He locked the back door and grabbed her hand as he passed, pulling her upstairs behind him. He pushed open the bedroom door. The bed was covered in pink and red rose petals, and on top of the quilt was a tray filled with oysters, strawberries, and champagne. I guess I won’t be going hungry after all.
Chapter Nineteen
After spending a restful, romantic weekend with Tony, Lorne ventured into work on Monday morning on a high.
AJ was at his desk, as usual, when she walked into the incident room.
“How’s things? Have you heard from Katy?”
“Did I hear my name mentioned?”
Lorne turned to face her partner and crossed the floor to hug her. “You’re back. That’s stating the obvious, I know. I take it your dad’s all right now?”
Katy smiled. “He is. Not fully out of the woods yet. The hospital said he needs a heart operation to unblock a few valves. They�
�re keeping him stable, and he’s improving daily, so Mum insisted I should come back to work.”
“That’s great news.”
Katy ran a hand over her face. Lorne grabbed it and pulled it towards her. “What’s this?” She stared at the glistening diamond sitting on Katy’s ring finger.
“Doh! What does it look like, numpty?”
AJ left his desk and joined them. He threw an arm around Katy’s waist. “I asked Katy to marry me before she went to Manchester. She was mulling it over when she got the call from her mum.”
Lorne placed a hand over her chest. “So that’s what was on your mind. Jesus, I had a horrible feeling for a minute there that you were pregnant.”
Katy and AJ quickly glanced at each other and started to laugh. “We are!” they said in unison.
“What?” Lorne fell into a nearby chair and stared at them both, her mouth hanging open.
“You don’t look overjoyed by the news, Lorne,” Katy said, looking concerned.
“But… but what about your job?”
Katy raised an eyebrow. “You coped all right raising a child and being an inspector at the same time.”
“Urm… hardly! I hate to dash your dreams, but actually, I didn’t. Tom raised Charlie. He was a stay-at-home dad, if you remember.”
“We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it. We have a few months yet before we are forced to make any drastic decisions on that front.”
“Whatever Katy decides to do is okay with me,” AJ added, supporting his fiancée.
“I’ll add my support if you need it, too. You know that,” Lorne added, not sure if she actually meant the sentiment or not.
The rest of the team arrived, drawing a halt to their conversation. Karen called Lorne over to her desk not long after their shift began. “Here you go. I think you’ve been waiting for this.”
Lorne looked down at the scrap of paper on which Karen had scribbled a name and address. “Thanks, Karen. You’re a star.” She walked into Katy’s office and stood in the doorway, shuffling her feet.
“Go on, out with it,” her partner said.
“Do you mind if I pop out for an hour or so? It’s to do with the case, I promise.”
“Okay, I’ll be tied up with this shit for a while anyway. One thing before you go—the remand centre where Mrs. Platt is residing at present just rang me.”
Lorne flopped into the chair. “And? Has she tried to top herself?”
“Nothing like that. She requested to speak to a psychiatrist over the weekend.”
“Surprise, surprise. I had a feeling she’d try and pull that one.”
“Hear me out, Lorne. The woman made a full confession about all the murders, the tradesmen and the kids.”
“Never! Really? Can we get her to repeat that in a statement? You know we can’t use anything she says to a doc, don’t you?”
“I’m aware of that. Now, shut up and listen. First, she said the electrician, plumber, and the plasterer were all killed because they discovered the skeleton in the cupboard, plus they all pissed her off by talking constantly to her about their wonderfully happy families.”
“Jesus! What a twisted sick bitch. What about the kids whose remains are yet to be identified? Is she willing to give us their names? That will save us months of trying to identify them.”
Katy nodded. “They’re going to work on her about that. She did offer us one of the identities, though—that of the skeleton in the cupboard.”
“Who does it belong to?”
“Denis’s sister. Or the person he grew up thinking was his sister, Jill.”
“No! That’s going to come as a bloody shock to him. He thought she’d packed her bags and left for greener pastures.”
“Here’s the clincher. When the psychiatrist asked her why they killed all the kids, her reply was it was all Denis’s fault.”
“What? Why? Christ, this just keeps getting better. Go on, surprise me.”
“They blamed him because he refused to die.”
Lorne sat back in her chair and covered her mouth with a hand. Tears sprang to her eyes. Dropping her hand, she whispered, “They’re insane. There is no other word for their state of mind, is there?”
“Yeah, I was thinking along the same lines. Let’s just hope they don’t try and pull that card when they go to trial. Are you all right?”
“I will be. Can I shoot off now?”
“Go. Drive carefully.”
Lorne pulled up outside the small terraced house and knocked on the door. The woman in her early fifties had a worn, kind-looking face. She seemed anxious to meet Lorne, but after Lorne assured her everything would be okay, the woman finally agreed to accompany her to Denis’s house.
Sam opened the door to Lorne and raised a questioning eyebrow. “Hi, Sam. Is Denis up to receiving visitors?”
“I’m not sure. He’s still devastated by what he found in the loft the other day. We’ve had a horrendous weekend. He’s wracked with guilt, Lorne.”
She patted Sam on the forearm and winked. “I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t think this visit would help him recover.”
“Is she some kind of therapist?” Sam asked, looking at the woman standing apprehensively alongside Lorne.
“In a way.” She winked again and added, “Trust me. Have I let you down before?”
“No, you haven’t. Okay, come upstairs.”
With each step they took, Lorne’s heart beat faster. Finally, they entered the lounge.
Denis was sitting on the sofa, flipping through an old photo album. He looked up and tilted his head, seeming surprised to see Lorne standing there.
He rose from his seat and shook her hand. “Hello, Lorne. What are you doing here?”
“Hello, love. I think you better sit down again.”
He did as she suggested. Lorne linked arms with the woman and steered her gently across the room. “Denis, I’d like you to meet your mum.”
The two people stared at each other for a second or two. Then Denis’s mother dropped to her knees in front of him and held out her arms.
Without hesitating, he fell into them. “Is it true? You’re my real mother?”
“Yes, darling. I’ve been searching for you for the last twenty-nine years. They stole you from me.”
“When? How?”
“One step at a time. Let’s just rejoice at being reunited after all these years.”
Lorne kissed Sam on the cheek and waved farewell before quietly sneaking out of the room. She prayed that all the arduous memories Denis had stored in his mind would dwindle into obscurity once he realised how powerful a real mother’s love truly was. His healing would take time, but Lorne had every faith that the kind and gentle man would one day recover fully from his torturous ordeal, with Sam and his real mother by his side.
Note to the reader
Thank you for reading Dubious Justice; I sincerely hope you enjoyed reading this novella as much as I loved writing it.
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Also by M A Comley
CRUEL JUSTICE (Justice #1)
#1 Best-selling novel in two categories, Police procedurals and Women sleuths in both US and UK and Amazon top 20 novel in 2013.
The headless body of a wealthy widow is discovered
decomposing in Chelling Forest. Then a second victim is found. Detective
Inspector Lorne Simpkins and her partner, DS Pete Childs are assigned the case.
Before they can discover the identity of the killer they must make a connection between the two victims.
After a third murder, Lorne receives
a grisly surprise. Clearly, a vicious serial killer is on a rampage...and Lorne has become the killer’s fixation.
Lorne can’t allow her failing marriage or her new boss—a man with whom she shares a sensuous secret—keep her from focusing on her job. She must catch the macabre murderer, or risk becoming the next victim.
IMPEDING JUSTICE (Justice #2)
For eight long years, Detective Inspector Lorne Simpkins has tracked the vicious criminal known as The Unicorn. But the killer has frustrated MI6 at every turn and remained successful at Impeding Justice.
When Lorne is targeted in a trap that results in the death of her partner, the tragedy shakes her confidence to the core. Before she has time to recoup, her teenage daughter is kidnapped. More than Lorne’s professional reputation rests on her bringing The Unicorn to justice.
FINAL JUSTICE (Justice #3)
A ruthless killer returns—and former DI Lorne Simpkins is forced to revisit her ugly past.
After suffering a breakdown and quitting the force, Lorne Simpkins finds herself embroiled in a MI6 covert operation to hunt down her old enemy, a sadistic and merciless criminal whose ambition is to become the world’s richest man.
Lorne tracks the madman through France, attempting to thwart his plans and bring her long-time nemesis to Final Justice.
FOUL JUSTICE (Justice #4)
Detective Inspector Lorne Simpkins is back on the force. Before she can get comfortable with her new partner, newly-promoted DS Katy Foster, the two are assigned a tragic murder case that looks like a robbery gone wrong. However, when another wealthy footballer’s family meets the same deadly fate within twenty-four hours, it is clear the crimes involve something far more sinister.
Keeping her focus on unravelling the complex case isn’t easy for Lorne when she learns news that throws her personal life into a spin—her fiancé, M16 agent Tony Warner, is involved in a dangerous covert operation in Afghanistan.
But innocent people are dying on her patch, and someone must catch the killers. Lorne can’t allow this Foul Justice to prevail.
GUARANTEED JUSTICE (Justice #5)