WHYTE LIES

by KC Acton

Faith was transfixed by fear. If she reached out, she would be drawn to a watery grave with the woman. She turned away and ran until she came to a bridge. The silence was deafening as she crossed the bridge; the river made no sound as it rushed beneath her to the open sea. In the distance, she could see the expanse of water with not a ship, a small boat, or a seagull in sight.

  The toll of a church bell broke the silence as a black hearse appeared. Slowly, the funeral procession approached, followed by women with veils covering their faces. The undertaker got of the hearse. Sunglasses hid his eyes, and he wore a butcher’s apron, covered in blood.

  Then Faith saw the coffin which, like the windows of the hearse, was made of transparent glass. The corpse was a woman with long black hair like her own. As the hearse drew near, the woman’s eyes opened. She turned towards Faith, her hands outstretched. It was Isabelle English.

  Faith recoiled. Splashes of blood from the undertaker’s apron dripped on her hands. She felt herself being dragged into an eternal void, and with all her strength, she resisted. The church bell rang louder as she felt the ice-cold grip of Isabelle’s dead hands. Before it was too late, Faith jolted awake, knowing that nothing in her subconscious could match the horrors of reality.

  Faith opened the curtains against the shattered webs of her nightmare. Sunlight flooded the room as the expanse of the sparkling lake stretched towards the infinity of the horizon. She wandered into her study and checked her diary. A woman had called her the previous day, requesting an urgent meeting. She had insisted they meet alone. Faith had agreed, but now she was beginning to regret her decision, wondering if her nightmare was a premonition?

  45

  Faith reckoned that Rita was in her mid-forties, and had seen better days, which was emphasised by her over-enthusiastic application of makeup, and clothes that would have better suited someone at least a decade younger. However, the story that came from her blood-red lips was shocking. Faith found it difficult to keep up with her; it was as if she was rushing to get the words out before something prompted her to stop.

  “I’m guilty of not coming forward sooner,” she said. “I’m not proud of what I’ve done.”

  “You’re here now,” said Faith, “that’s all that matters, but I have to advise you that any criminal behaviour found on your part will not be beyond the appropriate punishment.”

  Rita hesitated, digesting her words. “I’ll take my chances.”

  She told Faith about the drunken conversation she’d had with her husband, when they’d discussed killing Isabelle. “It was my drunken jealousy talking,” she explained. “We bumped into her one day in town, and he couldn’t take his eyes off her. I never thought he’d kill her.”

  “There was nothing you could have done. You didn’t kill Isabelle. You had no control over the forces of his mind.” Faith wondered what choices Rita had made that had led her to become involved with a monster. She paused before asking the most important question. “Do you have any proof to corroborate your story?”

  The colour drained from Rita’s face as she placed the silver charm bracelet on the table. Faith picked it up and turned it over. On the clasp was an inscription: To Isabelle, Love always, Rory. “Where did you get this?”

  “My husband gave it to me.”

  46

  “Why did you do it?” asked Faith, searching his face for answers, desperate to make sense of the truth.

  “Because I could,” replied Detective Inspector Greg Kelly.

  “Because you could?” Faith was incredulous. “Is that it?”

  He shrugged. “What do you want from me? A deep and meaningful reason? Well, I’m afraid there is none, Faith. Why does anyone kill?”

  “You’ve been a respected police officer for almost thirty years, Greg.”

  “Respected? Yeah, right. I was so respected that you were given the role of Detective Chief Inspector. You: a woman, someone I trained. There’s no respect around here. It’s who you know, not what you know, or who’s the better ass-kisser.”

  “I got this job on merit,” said Faith.

  “You keep telling yourself that, love. One day, you’ll learn the truth the hard way.”

  “Three murders, Greg. Three. What did they ever do to you?”

  “Why does there have to be a reason?” He sighed. “Okay, I’ll give you a reason. I saw the Gleesons playing happy families in town one afternoon. I was jealous. I wanted what they had. Something snapped.”

  “But you have a wife and a daughter.”

  “My wife hates me. I haven’t seen my daughter in months, not since she moved away to university. She probably hates me too.”

  “Whose fault is that?”

  “Mine. I know it’s all my fault, and you know what?” He leaned across the table conspiratorially, “I don’t care.”

  “Why didn’t you kill Lucy?”

  “My bloody gun jammed.” He shrugged.

  Faith watched him, realising that he had no remorse. “Why did you kill Isabelle?”

  “She was a different story.” He smirked. “I wanted her. That was pure lust. I knew she’d never give me a second glance, so I took what I wanted.”

  “Did you kill the soldier, Victor Jones?”

  “No, that was all his own doing, the over-sensitive moron. I should have done him a favour and put him out of his misery sooner.”

  “Did you write RIP in the mud?”

  “Yes, that was me.” He held his hands up. “Guilty, as charged. I knew that’d make you think. I could see your little brain working overtime trying to figure out if they were the killer’s initials.”

  Faith stared at him, wondering how she could have worked alongside him almost every day for years and still have no idea who he really was.

  “Did you send me the photograph?” Faith held her breath.

  “‘Love Daddy’? That was an interesting touch, don’t you think?” He grinned.

  It was all Faith could do not to punch him in the face. She should have followed her instinct; she had never liked him, and he had played her for a fool. “How did you get the photo?”

  “The key to the flat over your garage fits your front door, don’t you remember?” Faith’s heart pounded, wondering what else he’d found. He sat back in his chair and watched the thoughts flick across her face.

  “I don’t have any secrets.” Faith forced herself to look him in the eye.

  “Now, now, Detective Chief Inspector, don’t lie. It doesn’t suit you. I won’t tell anyone. I’m happy knowing the truth about you. Don’t worry, your little secret is safe with me. I promise I’ll take it to the grave.”

  Faith stood up and opened the door to the interview room. “Byrne, get him out of my sight.”

  “With pleasure, boss,” said Byrne, striding into the room.

  “Greg,” Faith turned and looked over her shoulder at him, “go to hell.”

  He smirked up at her. “I’ll save a place for you there.”

  Letter from Kate

  Thank you so much for reading WHYTE LIES (DCI Faith Whyte, Book 1). I hope you enjoyed it.

  Writing and publishing WHYTE LIES is a dream I’ve had since childhood. I know it’s a cliche to say that it’s more than a book to me, but this book has helped me realise how important it is to face my fears and pursue what matters to me.

  This time last year, I was stuck in a dead-end job and a dead-end relationship with the self-declared love of my life. It all came to a head one day when I’d finally had enough. I was sitting at the train station, on my way home from work, when I decided that I didn’t want the life I had any more. I was sick of the abuse, the mood swings, and the bickering. For too long, I had been afraid to leave, afraid to strike out on my own, afraid to be alone, afraid of change.

  It’s amazing how one seemingly innocuous incident can be the catalyst for change. I had to face my fears of being alone, of not being good enough, of worrying about what other people think. I had nothing left to lose, so I dug deep and followed a dream. It�
��s amazing how once I started believing in myself, once I lit the spark of hope, how good things and people came into my life. I met a wonderful group of people via an online book club on Facebook (TBC) — people who support me and cheer me on, people whose daily posts make me laugh and brighten my day more than working in an office ever did. I had people offering to review my book, an editor — Cheryl Rawling– contacted me and said she’d edit and review it, and I found a talented book cover designer — Akira.

  This past year has taught me that by facing my fears and taking a chance, I can make my dreams happen, so thank you for reading my book.

  Kate

  PS I’m currently working on WHYTE HEAT, the second book in the series, which is available to order now at Amazon.

  WHYTE HEAT (DCI Faith Whyte, Book 2)

  Whyte Heat: A chilling serial killer thriller (Book 2 in the DCI Whyte Crime Thriller Series).

  Click here to preorder.

  DCI Faith Whyte, Book 2

  Beware the person with nothing left to lose…

  It was just a fling, one last flirtation before settling down. But what starts off as a bit of fun, soon becomes the biggest mistake of Irene Kennedy’s life. Desperate to keep the affair secret, she tries to continue her old life. However, someone is stalking her; someone who knows what she did.

  Irene finds herself caught between the self-declared love of her life and someone who will stop at nothing to exact revenge.

  When a woman turns up dead, Irene realises she is in imminent danger, but her nightmare is just beginning.

  Detective Faith Whyte is called in to lead the murder investigation. Can Faith and the Serious Crime Team find the killer before Irene’s time runs out?

  Find out in this gripping story of obsession, jealousy, and the ultimate betrayal.

  A page-turning thriller full of suspense. Discover a gripping new series of detective thrillers, set against the beautiful backdrop of Killarney, County Kerry, Ireland – WHYTE HEAT – available to preorder now.

  Look out for more from DCI Faith Whyte.

  The dead are silenced, but Detective Faith Whyte will stop at nothing to give them a voice.

  Book 1. WHYTE LIES

  The perfect family or the perfect lie?

  What happens when the present collides with the secrets of the past? Find out in Whyte Lies, a story about family secrets, the ties that bind, and the true cost of the lies we tell.

  Book 2. WHYTE HEAT

  Beware the person with nothing left to lose.

  It was just a fling, one last flirtation before settling down. But what starts off as a bit of fun, soon becomes the biggest mistake of Irene Kennedy’s life.

  Click here to preorder WHYTE HEAT.