by M A Comley
“What about asking the boyfriend?”
Lorne nodded and took the box into the lounge, where a shell-shocked Jerome was sitting on the sofa. Holding the locket in her gloved hand, she asked, “Do you recognise this?”
“Of course, it’s Maria’s. Where did you find it?”
“In Warren’s room. Did Maria ever go in his room?”
“No, she had no reason to.”
“Are you aware that Warren liked your girlfriend?”
“What sort of question is that? Of course he liked her. Everyone liked Maria.” His eyes widened as Lorne’s words sank in. “No, you’re not saying that he...”
“He what? Killed Maria? There’s every possibility. Are these Maria’s, too?” Lorne held out the other pieces of jewellery one by one for him to study.
“I don’t think so. At least I don’t recall her ever wearing any of them.”
“We need to find Warren ASAP. Any idea where he might have gone? Another friend in the area perhaps?”
“No, he’s a bit of a loner, doesn’t have many friends. He hung out with me and Maria most of the time.”
“How did Maria feel about that?”
“She used to be fine, but just lately she had started complaining that we never got time together.”
“Was Warren aware of Maria’s complaints?”
“Yes, I had to ask—well, tell him to give us some space when Maria came over.”
“When did this conversation take place?” Lorne asked, her eyes narrowing as she thought.
“A couple of weeks ago. Maria told me that he freaked her out. I laughed, thought she was being over the top, but...”
“Maybe you should have listened to Maria’s instincts more. Perhaps your girlfriend might not be sitting in a fridge in the mortuary now.”
His hand swept over his face, and he bowed his head and started to sob. “I loved her. I would have done anything to save her had I known. Please don’t blame me.”
Lorne’s heart hurt for the young man. The pain etched on his face was hard to discount. “I’m sorry.”
“Sorry, boss. This is all very touching, but we’re wasting time,” Pete interrupted, shuffling his feet uncomfortably.
“My partner is right. You need to think where Warren might have gone. Is there anywhere he likes to hang out, a park, a snooker hall, anywhere?”
Jerome thought for a few seconds then nodded. “Yes, he goes down to the lake now and again to feed the ducks. Loves the tranquillity of the surroundings. Helps him to think, he says.”
Lorne couldn’t recall a lake in the vicinity. “Is there a lake near here?”
“Sorry, that’s a bit misleading. It’s a duck pond over the back of the estate here.”
“Thanks. Right, we’ve had to call in Forensics to gather DNA samples and look for any other clues. We’ll leave a couple of uniformed officers here just in case Warren comes back, but I’m going to have to ask you to leave the premises for the next day or two. Do you have anyone you can stay with?”
He nodded. “I understand. I can stay on a friend’s sofa for a while. Is Warren dangerous?”
Lorne thought it was a bizarre question given what they’d found at the house. “Yes, very dangerous. If he should contact you, do your best to find out where he is and ring me right away.” Lorne handed him a business card. “I can’t emphasise enough how much we need to trace him and quickly.”
“I promise I’ll ring you. Can I pack up some things?”
“Yes, of course.”
Lorne and Pete watched the dejected young man go into his bedroom. “We need to get over to that duck pond, Pete. Choose two of the uniforms to stay here, make them aware of what’s going on with SOCO, and get the other two to come with us.”
CHAPTER SEVEN
They arrived at a small park. Outside the gates, they found a scrambling bike lying on the ground. Lorne pointed at the bike as they got out of the car. After instructing the two uniformed officers to guard the entrance, she and Pete entered the park. Pete was the first to spot Warren Morris standing by the edge of the pond, his hand dipping in and out of a bread bag, feeding dozens of the ducks gathered in front of him.
Lorne pointed for Pete to go wide, to cut off the boy’s path if he tried to escape. She stepped onto the grass, using the soft ground cover to deaden the sound of her approach. As she drew closer to Morris, she heard him mumbling. Tilting her head, she strained to hear what he was saying.
“I didn’t mean it... All I wanted was a kiss... She shouldn’t have hit me like that. Why do these girls refuse to be my friend? It was the same with that Jemima Sutton... She refused to even talk to me. Well, I showed her. I showed them both... They can’t treat anyone else as if they’re invisible again.”
“Is that what happened, Warren? Is that why you killed the two girls?”
The boy spun around, his eyes darting in different directions to see if Lorne was alone. Then his lip curled up. “Yeah, they both deserved to die. Both sluts who flaunted what they had, teasing men.”
“Is that right? I wonder if Jerome thought that way about his girlfriend. Did you ever ask him why he loved Maria? You are aware that he loved her, yes?” Lorne kept her gaze glued to his, but in the distance, she could see Pete getting closer to Morris from behind.
“He didn’t know her like I did. She was using him.”
“For what? Sex?”
He flinched. “Yes, that’s all girls want from boys.”
That was news to Lorne. Had times really changed that much? It was always the other way around when she’d been in her teens. “If you say so, but did they truly deserve to die?”
“Yes, rid the earth of the unclean, and the beautiful people will conquer.”
“Is that some kind of quote? I’ve never heard that before.”
He thumped his chest with his fist. “It’s me speaking from the heart,” he snarled.
“I see. Is it just the two girls you’ve punished, Warren, or are there more?”
His snarl turned into a smile, and his eyes twinkled. “You’ll have to figure that one out yourself.”
Suddenly, Pete pounced. He jumped on the boy’s back and wrestled him to the ground. Lorne withdrew her handcuffs and slapped them on the boy’s wrists.
“Warren Morris, I’m arresting you for the murder of Maria Collins. You do not have to say anything, but it may harm your defence if you do not mention when questioned something which you later rely on in court. Anything you do say may be given in evidence.”
Pete scrambled his heavy frame off the boy and yanked Morris to his feet. They walked back to the car in silence. Pete sat in the rear with the suspect while Lorne drove to the station, pleased that they had apprehended the suspect before he could harm anyone else.
EPILOGUE
Once they had questioned the suspect with his solicitor present, Lorne returned to the incident room. “Any news on his background, AJ?”
“Yes, ma’am. It’s not good. He was in trouble at secondary school for touching up girls. But that’s not the end of it. He was also institutionalised a few years ago for depression. According to his medical records, he’d been diagnosed as bipolar. He takes regular medication for his condition—at least he should be.”
Lorne frowned as she walked through the boy’s bedroom in her mind. “I didn’t see any evidence of medication in his room.”
“Maybe it was in the bathroom,” Pete suggested.
“Perhaps. Ring the forensic investigators at the house, Pete, ask them to do a thorough search for any pills.”
“Why didn’t the college tell us?” AJ asked, perplexed.
“Good question. I wonder if the principal even knew. What about the other name I gave you, AJ?”
“Jemima Sutton was reported as a missing person last month, boss. I’ll phone the mortuary now to see if they have any Jane Does down there matching her description.”
“Let me know. If not, we could be searching for her body for years to come, unless Morr
is decides to confide in us where he disposed of her body.” At least we have a suspect in custody. “I’ll be in my office, breaking the good news to Maria’s mother. Good work, team. That’s yet another one solved under our belts.”
THE END
Thank you for reading UNFAIR JUSTICE; I sincerely hope you enjoyed reading this short story 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.
Other books written by M A Comley you might also like to read.
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.
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.
MORTAL JUSTICE (Novella)
What would you do if you saw a stranger's life in danger?
DI Lorne Simpkins and her partner, DS Pete Childs investigate a violent attack. Lorne becomes increasingly concerned when her star witness, Donna Moran, goes missing. She knew Donna was petrified, but has Donna just gone into hiding, or has she been taken by the offenders?
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)
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 see 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.
The crime itself is perplexing: Four small boys discover the corpse of a woman in an abandoned warehouse. CCTV footage shows the woman was abducted in broad daylight by two hooded men. When questioned, the woman's husband swears she had no known enemies and he thought she was on holiday at the time of her death.
During the investigation a personal problem unfolds for Lorne when her teenage, daughter, Charlie, attends a friend's eighteenth birthday party - with dire consequences.
TORTURED JUSTICE (Justice #9)
Revenge... some cups spilleth over.
DS Lorne Warner and DI Katy Foster are investigating the murder of a man killed with an unusual weapon. The case takes a turn when two brothers disappear within the vicinity of the murder.
Lorne and Katy quickly determine that they may be after a group of serial killers out for their own sort of justice.
ROUGH JUSTICE (Justice #10)
After two detectives are suspended, the Met is forced to return to all the cases the partners investigated. The cold case of a missing university student, Noelle Chesterfield lands on DS Lorne Warner's desk.
Because Noelle was working her way through school as a pole dancer, Lorne and her partner DI Katy Foster find themselves with plenty of suspects on their radar. However, when the leads run dry, they call in the services of an unusual ally to find the missing student and give her de
vastated family some peace.
DUBIOUS JUSTICE (Justice #11)
DS Lorne Warner and DI Katy Foster are called to the scene of an electrician's suspected suicide but quickly discover that they're dealing with a murder case instead.
Katy's family emergency forces her back home to be by her parent's side in Manchester, leaving Lorne as detective inspector, working alongside a new, and frustrating, partner.
When two more murders of tradesmen occur, the investigation throws suspicion on a couple who have recently renovated their home. However, the forensic team uncovers a lot more than anyone bargained for.
CALCULATED JUSTICE (Justice #12)
Let the chase begin...
Lorne Warner, newly reinstated as Inspector again, is confronted with one of her worst cases to date. She knows who kidnapped the Hardy family—their kidnapper contacted her himself. But he forces Lorne and her team into a game of cat and mouse that leads them on a chase across London.
As each clue brings Lorne closer to finding the family, she realises that saving the lives of the Hardy might mean sacrificing her own.
TWISTED JUSTICE (Justice #13) (A joint investigation between Lorne Warner and DI Sally Parker)
When the local pathologist asks DI Lorne Warner and DS Katy Foster to attend the scene of an accidental explosion, it's not long before the capable detectives find that the victim was murdered aboard his boat before the "accident" occurred.
Delving into the victim's past leads Lorne across the county border into Norfolk, where she calls upon her good friend DI Sally Parker to assist in the investigation.
What the joint team reveals about the victim's extended family blows them away. Can Lorne and Sally find the crucial evidence in time to prevent the notorious family from carrying out their own twisted justice to sustain their wealth?
PRIME JUSTICE (Justice #14)
A killer, an abductor, and a villain intent on revenge - just a normal week in the life of DI Lorne Warner.
When a wealthy woman is found murdered in a country lane, close to her home, it's up to Lorne to find the evidence to track down the rural killer.
When another resident in the same vicinity is abducted, the evidence points Lorne to believe both cases are connected.