The Dark Series: Books 1 – 3
Catherine Lee
Contents
DARK CITY
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
DARK HEART
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Chapter 52
Chapter 53
Chapter 54
Chapter 55
Chapter 56
Dark Past
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Chapter 52
Chapter 53
Chapter 54
Chapter 55
Chapter 56
Dark Secrets
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
The Dark Series
Thank You!
Dark Chemistry Chapter 1
Copyright © 2017 by Catherine Lee
All rights reserved
* * *
This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organisations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.
* * *
For more information about the author, including other books in the series, please go to http://catherineleeauthor.com
* * *
Cover design by https://ebooklaunch.com/
* * *
Edited by Phoenix Editing and Proofreading, http://phoenixeditingandproofreading.com
DARK CITY
1
Detective Sergeant Charlie Cooper couldn’t win. The car was packed, the boys were strapped in, and they had just been about to pull out of the driveway when his phone rang. It was his first weekend off in a month, the first chance they’d had to get away down the coast since Patrick had been born. One night away, that’s all he’d wanted. Two days to go swimming, to teach Michael how to fish, to sit next to his wife and watch the sun go down outside a little beach cabin. But, no.
“Don’t answer it,” Liz pleaded. “You’re not on call. C’mon, Coop. This is our time.”
It was Detective Sergeant Russell Stockton, his partner of ten years, and Stocky hated it when Cooper didn’t answer the phone.
Cooper answered.
“We’ve left already,” he said.
“No you haven’t. It’s not even ten o’clock yet, no way you got that family ready and on the road by now.”
“Come on, Stock. We’re literally sitting in the car. Aren’t we, boys?” Cooper looked around to his eldest son, Michael, who usually wouldn’t shut up but was already engrossed in some kids’ program on Liz’s iPad. Way to help Dad out.
“We’ve got a missing woman, Coop.”
“So call Missing Persons. We’re Homicide, remember?”
“You know we have to take this.”
Cooper undid his seatbelt and got out of the car. He wanted to slam the door, but was conscious of his pissed-off wife still sitting in the passenger seat. Yes, he knew they had to take the call. It was July, and the Adultery Killer — the prick they’d been chasing for nearly the whole time they’d been partners — was due to kill again. Every report of a missing woman came straight to them.
“I’ll pick you up in fifteen,” said Stocky, and ended the call before Cooper could complain further.
Liz got out of the car and gave him the look. She could yell and complain all she liked and it wouldn’t bother him too much, but the look always got him. Disappointment, that’s what it was. The look said it all.
“Why don’t you take the boys and go yourself?” he sugg
ested. “It’s only a two hour drive. Maybe I can sort this one out quickly and get a train down to meet you?”
“And what if you can’t? I’m stuck in a little cabin on my own with a baby and a toddler? No thanks, I can do that here.” She opened the back door and released Patrick from his capsule. “At least help me get them back inside before you disappear.”
Cooper opened the back door on his side of the car and squatted down next to Michael, who up until now had been oblivious to what was going on. He was so absorbed in the iPad Cooper had to reach in and turn it off to get his son’s attention.
“Daddy!”
“Sorry, mate, but you need to go inside.” He undid the restraints on the car seat.
“But we’re going to the beach.”
“Not today. Daddy has to work.”
There it was again, the look. Jesus, when had he learnt that from his mother? Not even three years old, and already he was settled in for a lifetime of disappointment from his father. Michael climbed down out of the car and walked back into the house, clutching the iPad.
Cooper unloaded the bags he’d carefully arranged in the boot just minutes earlier, and took them into the house. Liz was nowhere to be seen. He took the bags to the bedroom, quickly changed his clothes, and got his badge and gun from the safe in the wardrobe. When he came back downstairs Michael was again engrossed in the screen, while Patrick lay on a rug on the floor and Liz made herself a coffee.
“Smells good,” he said, trying to make peace.
“It’s too early for wine,” Liz replied. She turned around to face him, and managed a small smile.
Cooper came over and wrapped his arms around her. “I’ll be home as soon as I can. I’m really sorry.”
Liz accepted the embrace for a few short seconds then pushed him away when the sound of Stocky’s car horn filled the room. “Say goodbye to your sons,” she reminded him.
* * *
“So what’s the deal with the Cadogan case?” Cooper asked his partner when he got in the car. Cooper had taken paternity leave when Patrick was born, and Stocky had consequently spent a few weeks partnered with Ray Davis. It looked like one of their cases was coming back to bite them, but Cooper hadn’t been around yesterday afternoon to hear the details.
“I don’t know,” Stocky replied, pulling away from the house. “Munro called me in to talk about it, but then something happened and he got called away. So I probably won’t know until Monday, unless we catch up with him this weekend.”
“I thought it was a clean case on your end. What’s to discuss?”
“If I knew that, I’d tell you. I can’t think of anything.”
“What about Davis? He stuff something up?” Cooper pressed.
Stocky shrugged as he pulled the car to a stop outside a house in Gladesville that was already surrounded by patrol cars. “Wouldn’t tell me if he did, would he? You know what Davis is like.”
Cooper nodded. He knew exactly what Detective Senior Constable Ray Davis was like, and he couldn’t stand the guy. He remembered feeling sorry for Stocky when they found out he’d be partnered with Davis. Stocky had half-heartedly appealed to Cooper not to take the three weeks off, but Stocky was no match for Cooper’s wife.
“What have we got here then?” Cooper asked, as they looked over the house and all the commotion the morning had brought.
“House belongs to Royce and Rebecca Gilmore and their two grown children,” said Stocky, reading from his notes. “Rebecca was reported missing this morning when her husband went into the bedroom to find the bed they shared every night — except Friday nights — empty. Apparently Friday’s the night Royce has a few drinks with his mates, and it’s his custom to come home and sleep on the lounge on account of his snoring.”
“What’re the chances it’s one of ours?” The Adultery Killer case constantly occupied Cooper’s thoughts. The killer, named by the press due to his penchant for kidnapping and murdering adulterous women, had struck every year at around this time for the past nine years. A few days after they went missing, he sent a packet of photos to each woman’s husband. To add a particularly nasty touch, he also sent copies to the press. The photos depicted proof of the woman’s adultery, as well as proof of her murder. No bodies had ever been found, so they’d had precious little evidence to work with. Cooper and Stocky were itching to get the bastard, and as such they treated every missing woman as his potential next victim.
“Let’s keep an open mind for now,” Stocky replied.
“They’re through there,” said a uniformed officer standing at the door to the house, once Cooper and Stocky had shown their credentials.
“The husband and kids?” Stocky asked.
“Yeah. Having a hard time keeping the husband still.”
Cooper nodded and followed his partner into the house. The living room felt small with all the people in it, and Stocky quickly cleared it so there was only the two of them and the three remaining members of the Gilmore family left. It still felt cramped.
“You’re Royce Gilmore?” Stocky asked the big man seated on the edge of the lounge.
“I am.” Royce stood and held out his hand. “Who are you?”
“Detective Sergeant Russell Stockton. This is my partner, Detective Sergeant Cooper.” Stocky turned towards the other two. “You must be Ashley and Josh.”
Cooper studied the family while these introductions were being made. Royce Gilmore was physically shaking; he didn’t know where to put his hands. The girl, who was twenty-two years old according to Stocky’s information, was pale and still, while the son, nineteen-year-old Josh, looked almost bored.
“I want to go out and look for my wife. Why won’t they let me?”
“Royce, we need to ask you a few questions first.” Stocky indicated that Royce should sit back on the lounge, and took a seat himself in a nearby arm chair.
“I’ve answered questions all morning.”
“Not from us you haven’t.”
“And what makes you so different I have to go through it all again?” The man was getting more agitated, and Cooper tried to put himself in his shoes. If Liz was missing, he didn’t think anyone could keep him from looking for her. What Stocky was about to explain next wasn’t going to go down very well, and Cooper positioned himself in the doorway in case anything went wrong.
“We’re from Homicide, Royce. Now that doesn’t mean we think Rebecca is dead, not at all. We’ve just been taking an interest in missing persons cases lately. Trying to get a handle on things early, you know what I mean? The first twenty-four hours in a missing persons case are crucial, and it’s very important we get all the information to work with. That’s why we want you to go through it all again, please.”
Royce’s eyes had widened at the mention of homicide, and Cooper had watched the man visibly tense up even more than he already was. But Stocky handled it well, leaning forward in his chair so there was less than a metre of space between him and Royce.
“What do you want to know?” the big man finally asked.
“When was the last time you saw Rebecca?”
“Last night, before I went to the pub. She told me not to drink too much, like she always does, and gave me a kiss on the cheek. Like she always does.”
“And what time was this?”
“Just after six. I watch the news headlines then walk down after that. Usually get to the bar at six-thirty.”
“Last night you did the same thing? Followed that same routine?”
“Yes. I left when the first set of ads came on in the news. Rebecca was in the kitchen, so I went in to say goodbye, she kissed me, like I said, and then I left. Got to the pub at the same time as John, one of my mates. You can ask him, if you like.”
“We’ll need to talk to everyone you came into contact with last night, Royce. Just run me through the story for now, we’ll get full names from you later.”
Royce sat back a little in the lounge. “Right. Um, I stayed at the pub until somewhere around nine
or nine-thirty, I’m not a hundred percent sure of the time. I bought tickets in the meat raffle, but I didn’t win anything. Here.” He pulled a strip of blue paper with numbers on it out of his pocket and thrust it towards Stocky. Stocky looked at Cooper, who took the raffle tickets and placed them on a nearby coffee table.
“So you left the pub somewhere between nine and nine-thirty. Then what?”
“Then I walked home.”
“Did you stop anywhere on the way?”
“No, I always come straight home.”
“Royce, I need to know specifically what you did last night, not what you always do.”
“Okay. Last night I came straight home.”
“What about dinner? Did you eat anything?”
“I got some fish and chips at the pub.”
“How long did it take you to walk home?”
Royce shrugged. “I don’t know specifically about last night, but it’s a fifteen minute walk. I’ve done it so often I could do it in my sleep.”
“Which is nearly the case some Friday nights,” interjected Ashley. Royce shot her a look and she shut down again, sinking back into her spot on the lounge.
“Yeah, well, I managed fine last night.”
“Tell me exactly what happened when you got home, please Royce,” asked Stocky, glancing up at Cooper to make sure he was taking notes.
“I let myself in the front door, locked it behind me. The house was quiet, so I assumed Rebecca had gone to bed early. She usually does on Friday nights. We’ve got into this routine, you see. The kids both go out with their friends, I go to the pub, and Rebecca enjoys some quiet time in the house on her own.”
“That’s what she told you?” asked Stocky.
“Yeah.” Royce looked at Ashley. “That’s right, isn’t it?”
Ashley nodded. “Mum never liked Dad staying at the pub so late on a Friday night when we were kids, but now that we’re old enough to go out ourselves she said she doesn’t mind because she gets to spend time on her own.”
Stocky looked over at the teenage son. “That right, Josh?”
Josh sat in a second arm chair on the other side of the room, spinning his mobile phone in one hand. “I guess,” he replied, shrugging.
“Was it normal for her to go to bed early on these Friday nights alone?”
“Sometimes,” said Royce. “She liked to go to bed and read. I used to go in there when I got home, but she complained that I stank of beer. I’d fall asleep and start snoring, and she’d be prodding me to shut up all the time. So I’d go and sleep on the lounge. Then I just started sleeping on the lounge in the first place. Save the drama.”
The Dark Series Page 1