Shameful Justice

by M A Comley

  Thankfully, his punishment didn’t last long. He hoisted her to her feet. She purposefully kept her eyes closed. The last thing she wanted was to see the look of satisfaction etched on his ugly face.

  “I have a gift for you,” he whispered.

  Her eyes flew open. He grasped something from the shelf behind him and placed it on her head.

  She yelped in pain as droplets of blood dribbled onto her face. “You’re hurting me. Please.”

  He laughed. “It’ll bring you closer to Jesus. That is what you want, isn’t it? A crown of thorns will do that.”

  She couldn’t reply. No words formed in either her mind or her mouth. The pain in her head was too intense. Still laughing, he lifted her into position, deposited her in her cell once more then replaced the lid. Once she was alone, fresh tears joined the others staining her cheeks, adding to the burning sensation on her skin. When will this torture end? What will he do when he’s had enough of my body? Kill me? I’ll be better off dead than to remain in this hellhole for years. Please, God, don’t desert me. Take care of me until my parents rescue me.

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  The church was smaller than Lorne had anticipated. When she pulled up outside, it was almost four thirty, and dusk had settled around half an hour before. Lorne and Katy left the car. The church was lit up inside, so they knew they were in luck. Lorne would have been furious if they’d come all this way and the church had been empty and locked up.

  “Maybe we should set up an office at the local nick. It would save us time coming back and forth,” Katy suggested, rolling her eyes.

  Lorne chuckled. “I think you might be onto something there. Come on. Let’s get inside before we get soaked.”

  The spitting rain intensified the closer they got to the entrance of the church. Lorne took the lead and stepped through the gothic-style stone opening. The church was vast inside, despite its exterior appearance. They walked up the aisle to where the vicar was checking over the hymn books.

  He looked up when he heard them approach. “Good evening.”

  Lorne produced her ID and introduced herself and Katy. “Would it be possible to have a chat with you, vicar?”

  “On police business? I’m Chris Salcombe, by the way.”

  “Yes, very important police business.” Lorne extracted the printed image from her coat pocket, unfolded the sheet of paper and held it up for him to see. “Do you recognise this man?”

  He adjusted the half-moon glasses on his nose so that he could see better. “Why, yes. That’s Frank Parker. What’s this about, Inspector?”

  “How well do you know this man, Mr. Salcombe?”

  “Well enough to know that life has treated him unfairly. Why? What’s your interest in him?”

  Lorne heaved a long sigh. “We believe that he has abducted a young woman and is holding her somewhere—where, we’re not sure. It’s a matter of urgency that we find her, sir. Have you seen this man recently?”

  There was a look of sheer horror etched into his features. He shook his head in disbelief. “Oh my. I’m sorry, but I find that incredibly hard to believe. Frank has always been a very quiet man.”

  “When was the last time you saw him?”

  “Thinking about it, I suppose that would be around two months ago. He used to do a few odd jobs for me around here. Said he felt a connection to the church that gave him a good feeling.”

  “Do you happen to know where he lived?”

  “He used to live in a small flat just around the corner. The last I heard, someone else had moved in. I just presumed he’d moved on to pastures new, perhaps moved areas to be with his family. He lost his wife to cancer around four months ago. He was inconsolable for a few weeks. We chatted now and again when he turned up to carry out the work here.”

  “That is sad. It could have been the trigger to make him do what he’s done. Umm… there’s every chance that he might have killed another young girl too.”

  “What? I can’t believe what you’re telling me, not of Frank.”

  “We’ve yet to have that confirmed by the pathologist, but that’s our perception so far. That’s why it’s imperative that we find him quickly, before he hurts the young woman he’s abducted, Emma Lansbury.”

  His brow furrowed. “Emma Lansbury… where do I know that name?”

  “There has been a recent appeal aired asking for the public’s assistance in locating her car, the car we believe Frank Parker used to abduct Emma.”

  “Forgive me, but I haven’t seen such an appeal. No, I know the name from somewhere, though. I can pretty much guarantee that.”

  “According to her family, her faith is extremely important to her. She regularly attends her local church in Hatch End. Plus, she usually works as a volunteer at a homeless centre. We believe that’s where she first came into contact with Parker.”

  “At the homeless centre or through the church?”

  “While she was working at the homeless centre.”

  He shook his head again. “You’re telling me that Frank Parker is now homeless?”

  “According to our sources, yes. You seem surprised by that.”

  He nodded. “Very surprised. I would never have thought it. Of some people who I have come into contact with, maybe, but not Frank.”

  “Would it be possible for you to give us his former address? Maybe there’s more to his story than meets the eye.”

  “Of course. It was flat three, number five Woodland Gardens. Just around the corner. I pass it every day on my walk into work. I live a few streets away, refuse to jump into the car for such a short distance.”

  Katy jotted down the address in her notebook. “Any idea how long he lived at the address?”

  He glanced down at the hymn book he was holding. “At least six months to a year. I’m sorry… you’ve caught me on the hop a little. I’m still in shock by your revelation. You think you know someone and what they’re capable of when really you don’t know a person at all. What is the world coming to, that people feel the need to hide behind a façade?”

  Lorne nodded. “I’m sorry to break such devastating news to you. If you can think of anywhere he liked to go? By that, I mean places that were possibly special to him and his wife. That might help us. He’s keeping this girl somewhere. We just need to find out where that place is.”

  The vicar shook his head. “No, nothing is springing to mind.”

  “Did he have any other friends or acquaintances in the area that you’re aware of?”

  “I don’t think so. He always struck me as a bit of a loner but a devoted family man.”

  “Family man? Are you saying that he has children?”

  “No, sorry. What I meant to say was that he was devoted to his wife. I really can’t believe that he has it in him to hurt another human being, let alone kill someone. Are you sure it’s Frank you’re looking for?”

  “At this point, we’re pretty definite we have the right man. What we’ve yet to have confirmed is if he was involved in the murder of Gillian Knot.”

  “I still can’t comprehend that he would sink to such levels. He seemed such a genuinely pleasant guy.”

  “Perhaps his wife’s death unhinged him in some way. That’s not uncommon. Especially if he and his wife were cocooned in their own little world.”

  “I’m sorry I can’t be any more help. If you care to leave me a contact number, I’ll be sure to ring you if he drops by in the next few days.”

  Lorne handed him one of her cards. “If he does, please don’t tell him that we’re searching for him in connection to the crimes I’ve mentioned. I’d appreciate you calling me as soon as you lay eyes on him, though, if you’re willing to do that?”

  “Of course I will. That goes without saying, Inspector.”

  “It was nice meeting you. Thank you for your help, Mr. Salcombe.”

  “I hope you track down Frank soon and that he is able to allay your fears about him.”

  Lorne smiled and walked back down the ai
sle with Katy. “Looks like he went off the rails when his wife died.”

  “Hmm… I suppose to some people, it’s easier for them to blame their actions on something that has rocked their world. However, I still believe murderers are born with their killer instincts.”

  They got in the car before Lorne replied, “That’s pretty profound.”

  Katy shrugged. “There’s enough evidence out there to say that my thought process on this one is right.”

  “Maybe. One more stop, and then we’ll call it a day. Hopefully, we’ll be able to contact the landlord of the flat and get his perspective on why Frank left.”

  ~ ~ ~

  They arrived at the address within a few minutes. There were six flats in total in the building. The bottom flat had a notification on the buzzer that it was owned by the landlord.

  “That’s fortuitous. Doesn’t often happen that way,” Lorne said as she rang the bell to the ground-floor flat on the intercom system.

  “Yeah, what do you want?” a stern voice replied through the tinny system.

  “Hi, I’m DI Lorne Warner. I’d like a chat with you about one of your former tenants if it’s not too much trouble, sir.”

  “Well, it is. They’re former tenants for a reason. Nothing to do with me now once they’ve left these premises. Good day.”

  “A brief chat is all I want. I won’t take up too much of your time. I promise.”

  Silence filled the air for several moments until a buzzer sounded and the front door clicked open. Lorne winked at Katy and entered the building.

  Inside, a rather rotund man was leaning against the door to a flat, his arms crossed and his eyes narrowed. “Who are you talking about?”

  Lorne produced her ID and held it up in front of his face. “Frank Parker.”

  He groaned. “I might have known it’d be him. Bastard walked out on me, owing me a few months’ rent.”

  “When was this, sir?”

  “A couple of months ago, maybe three. His wife was desperately ill, or so he said, so I let him off paying his rent for a few months. Heart of gold, that’s me. Well, not any more after what that shitbag did to me.”

  “Did his wife die?”

  “Yeah, that’s right. I felt sorry for him. No one likes to come down heavy on someone who’s grieving. Two months after she died, I said to my wife, ‘Enough is enough. I want that back rent.’ I knocked on his door and got a mouthful from him. I peered over his shoulder, and the place was a bloody tip. I went ballistic. Told him if the back rent wasn’t paid by the end of that week, he could do one.”

  “I take it you didn’t get the money he owed you.”

  “Nope. He did a moonlight flit and wrecked the flat before he left. I’m out of pocket by bloody thousands now. Glad that type of thing only happens once in a while. I’d soon go out of business if it was a regular occurrence. Bloody sickening.”

  “I’m sorry that happened. I guess that’s all we needed to know. If that was the case, I don’t suppose you’d have a forwarding address for him? Perhaps you have an address for a member of his family? A guarantor maybe?”

  “Nope. I don’t go down that route ordinarily. The wife reckons I should do in the future, to ensure this type of shit doesn’t happen to us again. We don’t make much as it is. The amount of damage these tenants cause to the property is mind-blowing, I can tell you. If it were up to me, I’d get shot of this place tomorrow, but the missus loves it here. Haven’t got a clue why.”

  “Thank you for your help. Hoping you have a stress-free 2018, sir.”

  “You’re not the only one. See yourselves out,” he said before slamming the door on them.

  Katy sniggered. “Grumpy bugger. Not surprised people wreck the place before they move out.”

  Lorne shook her head. “People just don’t have any respect nowadays for other people’s property. Okay, I’ve had my fill for the day. We’ll head back, see if the team has got anything for us and then venture home.”

  “Frustrating that we know who this guy is but can’t locate him.”

  “Just a tad,” Lorne agreed.

  ~ ~ ~

  When she walked through the doors to the incident room, Lorne was pleased to see the three other members of the team still hard at work at their desks. “Hi, guys. Anything interesting we should know about?”

  Disappointingly, they all shook their heads.

  “I’m still waiting on a call from my contacts, as frustrating as that is, boss,” Graham told her.

  “Okay, let’s end it there for the day and pick up things in the morning.” Lorne’s mobile rang, and she answered it. “Hello. DI Warner. How can I help?”

  “Hello, Inspector. It’s Maurice Cathcart. Sorry I haven’t rung back earlier. I had to lend a hand with the preparations for dinner. Some of the volunteers left us in the lurch.”

  “Sorry to hear that. Do you think it’s because of what happened to Emma?”

  “Possibly, although they refused to say that when they called in. Never mind. The evening meal is set up now and ready for the onslaught.”

  “Good to hear. I didn’t doubt it for a minute. The volunteers we spoke to appeared to have their heads screwed on and were busy organising things while we were there earlier. Anyway, did you manage to have a word with them?”

  “I did. Matt seemed to think he overheard Frank Parker saying that he preferred to live by the banks of the river.”

  “Is that it? No hint where?”

  “If he did drop a clue, Matt didn’t pick up on it. Sorry I don’t have more for you.”

  “It’s a start and more than we had a few hours ago. I appreciate your call, Maurice. Would you mind asking around the homeless people tonight, during their meal?”

  “It’s a busy time, as you can imagine, but I’ll certainly do my best. Not sure what reaction I’ll get, however, as they can be a secretive lot when they choose to be.”

  “That’s all I can ask, that you do your best. Speak soon, Maurice, and thank you.” Lorne disconnected the call and filled the others in. “According to the volunteers, Parker prefers to pitch his cardboard box by a river. That’s as much as I know at present. Graham, it might be worth you ringing your contacts and relaying that information to them in the hope it sparks some recognition.”

  Graham nodded. “That’ll be my first job in the morning, boss, unless I can squeeze it in this evening.”

  “It would be great if you could. Right, come on, peeps, time to get out of here. See you all bright and early.”

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  The traffic was less congested on her drive home, and Lorne pulled up to her house at seven forty. She was surprised to see Carol’s car there. She locked the car and walked through the back door to find Carol standing at the cooker, stirring a pot. The smell emanating from the pot made her stomach groan with approval. Tony was sitting at the table, stroking Sheba.

  “Well, this all looks like domestic bliss. Carol, that smells amazing, but you didn’t have to do that for us.” She approached her dear friend and hugged her.

  “Carol insisted. I was prepared to cook, but she told me to put my feet up. Who am I to argue with a determined woman? Living with you all these years has told me what a waste of time that would be.”

  “Hello, love. He’s a card, that husband of yours. It’s my pleasure. Thought I’d do you a pork goulash with the meat I found in the fridge, which I presumed was left over from Sunday. It’s something a little different. Just waiting on the rice to finish cooking, and then we’ll be good to go.”

  Lorne hugged her again. “You’re an absolute gem. You look tired, Carol.”

  “Nothing a good night’s sleep won’t put right.”

  Lorne looked over at the table, saw that it wasn’t laid yet and withdrew the cutlery from the drawer. She handed the cutlery to Tony and kissed him. “Make yourself useful, lazy bones. How’s the leg?”

  “It’s getting better by the hour. In my defence, I was prepared to cook the meal tonight, but Caro
l insisted I should rest my leg. You know I don’t like arguing, so I decided to do as I was told and sit here.”

  “I take it you didn’t take much persuading,” Lorne said, shaking her head at him.

  “Not much,” Tony agreed.

  Lorne hitched out of her coat, hung it up on the coat stand by the back door then returned to lend Carol a hand with the dishing up. “Can I warm the plates for you?”

  “They’re already in the oven. Everything is in hand, love. You’re home late. Everything all right at work?”

  “Yes and no. Are you staying for dinner?”

  “Too right, I am. Why don’t you tell me afterwards?” Carol smiled then sighed.

  Lorne rubbed the top of her arm as she stirred the pot. “What’s wrong, love? You don’t seem your normal chirpy self.”

  “I’m fine. I promise. We’ll discuss it after we’ve eaten. Can you take the plates out of the oven for me? The rice is cooked now.”

  Lorne did as she was instructed and placed the warm plates on the counter. She was concerned by what Carol had said and wondered if everything was all right between her and Ted. They’d been seeing each other for a few years now. Perhaps he’s popped the question and that’s put her in a quandary. Carol’s one of the most independent women I know. Will she be willing to give that up if they move in together?

  “How’s Ted?” Lorne asked as Carol divided the rice into equal portions between the three plates.

  “Same old Ted. He seems to breeze through the day without a care in the world, bless him. Tony, do you want extra rice?”

  “I’ll have extra everything, if you don’t mind. I kind of forgot to eat at lunchtime,” he replied sheepishly.

  Lorne looked over at him and shook her head in disgust. “You know what the doc said about how important it is for you to eat proper meals at regular intervals.”

  Tony pulled a face at her and poked out his tongue. “I know, but I thought catching up on my sleep was more important.”

  “Here we are then. It looks delicious, even if I say so myself,” Carol interrupted them. She placed two plates in Lorne’s outstretched hands and carried her plate over to the table. “I hope you enjoy it.”