by M A Comley
“I don’t know, Carol. You’ve done enough for us already. Why don’t we leave it up to the professionals now to conclude the search and locate the body, eh?”
“What harm can it do, Lorne? The professionals might start digging in the wrong place and get disheartened.”
“I can see your logic. Look, it really is Katy’s call. Let me ask her and get back to you later, okay?”
“All right. Please consider my request carefully, though. Promise?”
“We will. I promise. I’ve gotta fly now. Speak later. And, Carol, thanks for your input so far. We couldn’t have done this without your help.”
“I could do so much more if only you’d agree to let me go to the house with you.”
“Nice try. Talk later.” Lorne looked up as Katy arrived at her desk. “I just wanted to update Carol. Hope that was okay?”
“Of course. Is she excited?”
“Yes and no. She wants to be there for the search. She thinks Noelle could point the team in the right direction. I’m not a hundred percent sure about that.”
“Why not? Are you referring to exposing her and Noelle to the rest of the teams and the possible ridicule attached to that?”
“I suppose so. I told her the choice would be yours in the end.”
“Gee, thanks. Well, I vote that she should be there.” Lorne’s eyes widened. Katy continued, “Don’t look at me like that. I know I used to be the biggest sceptic going, but after witnessing Noelle’s spirit, it’s hard to question the legitimacy of the spirit world. I’m sold on the idea anyway.”
“Wow, I never thought I’d hear that come out of your mouth. As soon as we get an action plan together, I’ll tell her to meet us at the location.”
“You do that. If anyone has a right to be there, it should be Carol, along with Noelle’s spirit.”
* * *
The convoy of vehicles turned up at Mrs. Jackman’s house at four o’clock on the dot. Carol hopped out of the car and walked confidently up the path to the house beside Lorne and Katy. Ringing the doorbell, Katy winked at her two companions.
The door opened, and Mrs. Jackman glared at them with utter contempt. “I told you this morning—no one comes in this house without a warrant.”
Katy pushed open the door and handed the warrant paper to the woman. “Excellent. Then you’re not disappointed. This gives us the right to search the grounds and your house. Now we can do this in two ways: obstruct us, and we slap the cuffs on you; step aside and let us carry out our work properly, and you will be free to observe our activities. What’s it to be, Mrs. Smalling?”
The woman’s mouth gaped open for a while, then she recovered her voice. “I’ve already told you, my name is Jackman.”
“It might be at present, however, we have reason to believe you have recently remarried. There’s really no use in you trying to hide the truth any longer.”
Her shoulders slumped, and they heard movement upstairs. Lorne was the first to react. She whistled for Stephen and Graham and beckoned them to join her. Katy warned Mrs. Jackman to be quiet while Lorne, Stephen, and Graham quietly climbed the stairs. Lorne burst through a door to a back bedroom, to find the same young man she had spotted driving away from the forest the previous day.
He launched at the open window, but Stephen and Graham rugby-tackled him to the floor.
“Get the fuck off me, you jerks.”
“Danny Smalling, unless you want resisting arrest added to your charge sheet, I’d advise you to keep calm.”
“I ain’t Danny Smalling. Don’t know what the effing hell you’re talking about, lady.”
“Stephen, can you search his pockets for ID please?” Lorne noticed the distinctive tattoo on Smalling’s forearm. It dawned on her then, that without a doubt, they’d just captured the right man.
The two detectives slapped a pair of cuffs on Smalling’s wrists and Stephen withdrew the man’s wallet from his trousers. He took out a driving licence and a credit card to confirm his ID.
“Just as I thought. Both you and your mother find it impossible to tell the truth. Take him back to the station, gentlemen, and throw him in a cell. Hit him with a resisting arrest charge for now. We’ll add to it once we’ve searched this place. I’m pretty confident about that.”
Smalling sneered and spat in Lorne’s face as he was frogmarched towards the door. “You won’t find anything here to incriminate me. I’ve done nothing wrong.”
Lorne held on to the vomit dying to escape and wiped the man’s spittle from her face with her sleeve. “That’s strange. Noelle’s spirit tells us otherwise.”
Smalling’s shocked expression amused Lorne as she watched the intense colour that had filled his cheeks moments before drain away.
The detectives ushered him from the room without giving him the chance to respond, and the four of them descended the stairs under the watchful gaze of Carol, Katy, and Mrs. Jackman.
Carol stepped forward, and before anyone could stop her, she smacked Smalling around the face.
“What the f—,” Smalling started to object.
Carol cut him off mid-sentence. “That’s from Noelle, you despicable excuse of a human being. How dare you take the life of an innocent young woman like that?”
“You’re insane, woman. I ain’t hurt nobody. Tell ’em, Ma!”
His mother shook her head, as if recognising how pointless it was to keep defending her son.
“Get him out of my sight,” Katy demanded.
Carol left the hallway, and Lorne followed her into the lounge, where she walked up to the French doors and looked out at the garden. “She’s out there. Two people in this house know where Noelle’s body is buried—Danny and his mother, not that she will admit it.”
“Shall I try and force it out of her? Make some threats?” Lorne asked, willing to do what was necessary to get to the truth.
Carol shook her head. “It’s not going to help, Lorne. Let me try and summon Noelle up. Now that Danny’s out of the way, she might come forward.”
“Do you want to take a wander outside? Will that help?”
“Yep, I was thinking the same. Leave me to it for a few minutes.” Carol pulled open the door.
“Call me if I can assist at all. The light will be fading soon.” Lorne looked up at the sky.
Carol stepped onto the patio. She held out her arms and raised her head heavenwards, silently beckoning Noelle’s spirit to show up.
Lorne went back into the hallway and pulled Katy to one side. “Can we give Carol a few minutes before we let the teams get down to business?”
“Ten minutes is all we can spare, Lorne. Time is getting on.”
Lorne and Katy asked the teams to be patient then went into the lounge to watch Carol.
“There!” Lorne pointed at the dull light that had emerged close to Carol’s side. The hairs on her neck reacted, and she glanced at Katy, who had tears in her eyes. They clutched hands then punched the air.
“This is it, Lorne.”
They observed, their fingers tightly crossed, as Carol walked around the garden. She finally came to a halt close to a wooden shed in the corner. Carol looked back up at the house and pointed at the spot.
“She’s done it,” Lorne cried joyfully.
“Don’t get too excited just yet. We’ve been here before, remember? I’ll instruct the team to begin digging there.”
The cadaver dog indicated that they had hit the jackpot, and within an hour, the forensics team discovered Noelle’s body buried four feet beneath the surface.
Mixed emotions circulated Lorne’s body as the events unfolded. “He couldn’t even be bothered to bury her at the correct depth. Bastard,” she muttered under her breath.
Carol placed an arm around Lorne’s shoulder and whispered, “She’ll have the burial she deserves soon enough, in the presence of her friends and family.”
EPILOGUE
Everyone was jubilant when Lorne and Katy returned to the station and shared the news. Lorne l
istened while Katy rang the Chesterfields and informed them of their daughter’s death. She found it a surreal moment when Katy ran through the events leading up to the discovery of their daughter’s body.
Lorne smiled at the tears welling up in Katy’s eyes as Mrs. Chesterfield grudgingly accepted that Noelle would never walk through her front door again then thanked Katy for bringing their daughter back home.
A thorough search of Mrs. Jackman’s house resulted in the evidence the team needed to throw the book at her and her son. Sitting in Mrs. Jackman’s jewellery box was Noelle’s ring and the heirloom necklace Carol had mentioned that morning in the forest.
Relieved they had solved the case in record time, Katy ordered the team to join her at the pub after work. Sean Roberts surprised them all when he walked into the lounge bar and announced that he would be staying with the team after all.
Lorne took him aside. “So it was actually on the cards then? You leaving, I mean?”
He nodded. “It certainly was, right up until this afternoon, Lorne.”
“Oh, what changed your mind, Sean?”
“You guys. Look around us—this team is remarkable. How many other teams could honestly solve a cold case within a week? You didn’t exactly have a mountain of clues to chase up.”
“No. But we did have divine intervention, I suppose you’d call it. There’s no way we would have solved this case without Noelle’s spirit prompting and showing us the way.”
“Hmm… I’m afraid the jury is still out for me on that front, Lorne.”
“Well, the truth is always out there, as they say. It’s just a matter of digging it up, no pun intended. I’m glad you’re staying anyway. I don’t think Katy could have stood getting used to another chief inspector this early on in her career. Between you and me, how do you think she’s doing?”
He sighed and glanced over at Katy. “She’ll never be you, Lorne. That’s for sure. Let me put it this way—she’s an adequate substitute.”
“We make an excellent team. You’re right about that. Right, if you’ll excuse me, I have a family to get home to. I’m glad you’re staying, Sean. Better the devil you know, and all that.”
“Cheeky. See you in the morning.”
Lorne said her farewells to the rest of the team then drove home in the dark, her fingers tapping merrily to the sounds of Luther Vandross booming out of the car stereo.
She opened the back door to find Tony and Charlie looking upset. Her mood dipped instantly. “What’s wrong? Is it one of the dogs?”
“Henry hasn’t been too good today, Mum.”
Lorne threw her bag on the floor and knelt by the back door. She peered under the kitchen table. Her old pal, who was lying on a rug, raised his head to look at her. His eyes had lost their usual sparkle.
“Come on, boy. Come and give your Mum a cuddle.”
Henry struggled to get to his feet then crossed the floor, swaying from side to side. She held out her arms, and his tail managed the faintest of wags. He licked her face and sat down beside her. Lorne cuddled the dog and whispered, “I love you, boy.”
Henry settled down and placed his head on her lap. A few moments later, his body shuddered and he took his final breath.
Heartbroken, Charlie ran into her mother’s arms. They both sobbed openly whilst stroking their treasured friend. Lorne glanced at Tony; even the hardened ex-agent was wiping tears from his eyes.
Lorne knew she had to hold things together for her daughter’s sake. Swallowing the lump constricting her throat, she placed a finger under Charlie’s chin and lifted her head to look at her. “He’s in a better, pain-free place now, darling. We’ll never forget him, and he’ll always be around us.”
Lorne ran her hand over her beloved dog’s head and down the length of his neck. Resting her palm over his silent heart, she whispered, “Farewell, my devoted friend. Farewell.”
Note to the reader.
Thank you for reading Rough Justice; I sincerely hope you enjoyed reading this novella as much as I loved writing it.
If you liked it, please consider posting a short review as genuine feedback is what makes all the lonely hours writers spend producing their work worthwhile.
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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 an 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)
Retired DCI Lorne Simpkins thought she knew what she wanted when she started an animal rescue centre with her husband Tony. Although saving and retraining exploited dogs is fulfilling, Lorne can’t help but feel that something vital is missing from her life. Linda Carter is brutally raped and left for dead in an alley. By some miracle, she survives, but now she lives each day terrified by the perpetrator’s final threatening words—that her sister, Fiona, will be his next victim.
The sisters decide to adopt a guard dog and contact the rescue centre. During a home check to see if the girls and their flat are suited for a German Shepherd, Lorne witnesses Linda’s horrendous injuries. The young woman knows the identity of her rapist—wealthy, playboy Graham Gibson—however, the police haven’t made an arrest. The shocking story turns into a life-altering moment for Lorne. She decides to become a Private Investigator, and urges the girls to let her take up their case. Little does she know that more victims will come forward to accuse Gibson of rape.
Lorne is determined to se
e this vicious criminal behind bars, but is anyone ever guaranteed justice?
ULTIMATE JUSTICE (Justice #6)
A ship wreck—
Dozens of bodies washed ashore—
Clear evidence that evil has made port in London.
The horrific case piques the interest of P.I. Lorne Simpkins. It doesn't take long before Lorne learns that young, helpless women are being caged and sold to the wealthy and salacious. Old wounds are wrenched open when she suspects a cover-up by the very authorities that should be keeping lawful order. Can she trust the self-serving journalist bent on making the human-trafficking ring his next big story? When her daughter is involved in a life-threatening accident, it's difficult for Lorne to keep her head in the game. But Lorne and her ex-MI6 husband, Tony, are determined to end the repulsive slave trade and bring the criminals to justice—even if it means Lorne ends up locked in a cage herself.
VIRTUAL JUSTICE (Justice #7)
Internet Dating - A Stalker's Paradise
P.I. Lorne Warner is back in Virtual Justice, the seventh instalment in the Justice series.
The body of a strangled woman draws Lorne into an intricate investigation that expands swiftly when a second innocent is murdered. A serial killer is on the loose, plucking victims from Internet dating sites. But when a third victim--this one male--is discovered, Lorne is forced to admit her worst fears... she is on the trail of a serial killer duo.
Lorne's personal life grows complicated as her sister, Jade, struggles to come to terms with their father's death. Lorne suggests drastic measures to cure Jade's grief.
The answers are out there, but will Lorne solve the crimes and find the killer before the next victim dies?
HOSTILE JUSTICE (Justice #8)
Enticed back to the police force, Lorne again teams up with Katy, her former partner. Things are no longer the same between them, though. Katy is now Lorne's superior which could prove detrimental to their latest investigation.