by Paul Gitsham
“There were no direct witnesses to the attack, but a number of neighbours confirmed what Lenny Seacole told us about that area being used by dealers,” said DS Jorge Martinez. A skinny man in his mid-thirties, it was the first murder the officer had been involved in since he had been assigned to Middlesbury CID, and he was keen to please. Very keen.
“A couple of old biddies confirmed that a car corresponding to Kyle Hicks’ BMW would regularly park up, engine running and sit with the windows down and music playing. One of them gave a description of the driver that matches Hicks,” Grimshaw took up the story. He too had also been recently assigned to Middlesbury, alongside his friend, and now rival, Martinez. He too was eager to please. If there was to be a new opening for a Detective Inspector position on Warren’s team both men were embarrassingly desperate to fill the role, hence the pair’s unflattering moniker. Warren had spent the afternoon going over both officers’ paperwork, checking everything was in order before they started the process.
He really missed Tony Sutton.
“Good work. What about his dealers?”
Martinez took over again, “People were reluctant to talk but some reckon there were one, sometimes two of them. Young, probably no more than twenty. They usually wore hoodies and baseball caps and were white. That’s all we’ve got. I doubt their buyers would be willing to give us anything more concrete and I get the impression that everybody else in the area turns a blind eye.”
“To be honest,” continued Grimshaw, “the general grumblings were that something like this was inevitable. They reckon they stopped reporting the dealing months ago as we never seemed to do anything about it and they didn’t want any trouble.”
It was a depressingly familiar tale. Cutbacks to the numbers of foot patrols and community-based police officers had eroded what little faith the residents of estates such as this had in the police. Kyle Hicks and his ilk largely enjoyed free reign.
Before Warren could reply CSM Harrison called out,
“Sir, you need to see this.”
The CSI was standing past the end of a passageway between two of the lock-up garages next to a white-suited female technician. Another colleague was holding a portable lamp. Three yellow, numbered flags had been placed at roughly equal distances leading through the narrow gap.
“Blood spots. Leading through here and up that garden path,” the technician directed the light obligingly.
Warren felt his breath catch in his throat.
“Stop what you are doing. Retrace your steps and make sure everyone is safe and accounted for.
“The killer might still be here.”
Dear reader,
Thank you for taking the time to read Forgive Me Father. For those who have spent time in the world of Warren Jones and his team before, a heart-felt welcome back and I hope this latest adventure meets your expectations! For those new to the series, thank you for your willingness to try a different author.
This story covers distressing and controversial ground, and I make no apology for that. Whilst the characters, the settings, the organisations and the stories told within are fictional, they are inspired by events that we now know were, and are, too common.
In this book, we see Warren and the team still coming to terms with the events in The Common Enemy. We also properly meet some newer characters, and I hope that you enjoy reading about them as much as I have enjoyed writing about them.
Best wishes,
Paul Gitsham
You can follow me on Twitter @dcijoneswriter or Instagram @paulgitsham
Visit my facebook page: www.facebook.com/dcijones or my website www.paulgitsham.com
Or email me on [email protected]
Dear Reader,
Thank you so much for taking the time to read this book – we hope you enjoyed it! If you did, we’d be so appreciative if you left a review.
Here at HQ Digital we are dedicated to publishing fiction that will keep you turning the pages into the early hours. We publish a variety of genres, from heartwarming romance, to thrilling crime and sweeping historical fiction.
To find out more about our books, enter competitions and discover exclusive content, please join our community of readers by following us at:
@HQDigitalUK
facebook.com/HQDigitalUK
Are you a budding writer? We’re also looking for authors to join the HQ Digital family! Please submit your manuscript to:
[email protected].
Hope to hear from you soon!
If you enjoyed Forgive Me Father, why not try another twisty crime novel from HQ Digital?
About the Publisher
Australia
HarperCollins Publishers (Australia) Pty. Ltd.
Level 13, 201 Elizabeth Street
Sydney, NSW 2000, Australia
http://www.harpercollins.com.au
Canada
HarperCollins Canada
Bay Adelaide Centre, East Tower
22 Adelaide Street West, 41st Floor
Toronto, ON, M5H 4E3, Canada
http://www.harpercollins.ca
India
HarperCollins India
A 75, Sector 57
Noida, Uttar Pradesh 201 301, India
http://www.harpercollins.co.in
New Zealand
HarperCollins Publishers (New Zealand) Limited
P.O. Box 1
Auckland, New Zealand
http://www.harpercollins.co.nz
United Kingdom
HarperCollins Publishers Ltd.
1 London Bridge Street
London, SE1 9GF
http://www.harpercollins.co.uk
United States
HarperCollins Publishers Inc.
195 Broadway
New York, NY 10007
http://www.harpercollins.com