by M A Comley
DEADLY
ENCOUNTER
M A COMLEY
New York Times and USA Today bestselling author M A Comley
Published by Jeamel Publishing limited
Copyright © 2017 M A Comley
Digital Edition, License Notes
This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to the site and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are a product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental.
OTHER BOOKS BY M A COMLEY
Blind Justice (Novella)
Cruel Justice (Book #1)
Mortal Justice (Novella)
Impeding Justice (Book #2)
Final Justice (Book #3)
Foul Justice (Book #4)
Guaranteed Justice (Book #5)
Ultimate Justice (Book #6)
Virtual Justice (Book #7)
Hostile Justice (Book #8)
Tortured Justice (Book #9)
Rough Justice (Book #10)
Dubious Justice (Book #11)
Calculated Justice (Book #12)
Twisted Justice (Book #13)
Justice at Christmas (Short Story)
Prime Justice (Book #14)
Heroic Justice (Book #15)
Shameful Justice (Book #16)
Immoral Justice (Book #17)
Unfair Justice (a 10,000 word short story)
Irrational Justice (a 10,000 word short story)
Seeking Justice (a 15,000 word novella)
Clever Deception (co-written by Linda S Prather)
Tragic Deception (co-written by Linda S Prather)
Sinful Deception (co-written by Linda S Prather)
Forever Watching You (DI Miranda Carr thriller)
Wrong Place (DI Sally Parker thriller #1)
No Hiding Place (DI Sally Parker thriller #2)
Cold Case (DI Sally Parker thriller#3)
Deadly Encounter (DI Sally Parker thriller #4)
Lost Innocence (DI Sally Parker thriller #5)
Web of Deceit (DI Sally Parker Novella with Tara Lyons)
The Missing Children (DI Kayli Bright #1)
Killer On The Run (DI Kayli Bright #2)
Hidden Agenda (DI Kayli Bright #3)
Murderous Betrayal (Kayli Bright #4)
Dying Breath (Kayli Bright #5)
The Caller (co-written with Tara Lyons)
Evil In Disguise – a novel based on True events
Deadly Act (Hero series novella)
Torn Apart (Hero series #1)
End Result (Hero series #2)
In Plain Sight (Hero Series #3)
Double Jeopardy (Hero Series #4)
Sole Intention (Intention series #1)
Grave Intention (Intention series #2)
Devious Intention (Intention #3)
Merry Widow (A Lorne Simpkins short story)
It’s A Dog’s Life (A Lorne Simpkins short story)
A Time To Heal (A Sweet Romance)
A Time For Change (A Sweet Romance)
High Spirits
The Temptation series (Romantic Suspense/New Adult Novellas)
Past Temptation
Lost Temptation
KEEP IN TOUCH WITH THE AUTHOR
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Thank you as always to my rock, Jean, who keeps me supplied with endless cups of coffee while I punish my keyboard. I’d be lost without you in my life.
Special thanks as always go to my talented editor, Stefanie Spangler Buswell and to Karri Klawiter for her superb cover design expertise.
My heartfelt thanks go to my wonderful proofreader Joseph for spotting all the lingering nits.
And finally, to all the wonderful Bloggers and Facebook groups for their never-ending support of my work.
TABLE OF CONTENT
Cover
Titles Page
Copyright
Other Books by the Author
Acknowledgements
Prologue
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Epilogue
Note To the Reader
PROLOGUE
Fifteen years ago...
Fear clawed at Anne’s throat. She glanced over her shoulder for what seemed like the hundredth time in five minutes to find the man was still chasing her and getting nearer.
Why didn’t I cry for help when I was able to? No one is going to hear me out here. The muscles in her legs burnt and felt as heavy as concrete. Doubt clouded her mind. Have I got enough energy to outrun him? Her lungs were on fire, and her breath had been labouring for a while. She scanned the industrial unit the man had forced her to turn into and shook her head. Nothing. No form of help.
No one is going to find me here, not at this time of night. Please, God, if it’s my time to die, make it swift and painless. Let me drop down dead from a heart attack rather than let this beast get his hands on me.
Beads of sweat trickled down her forehead and dripped into her eyes. She coughed, her throat parched from her exertions. The inkiness of the night sky grew blacker the deeper she ventured into the unit. Should I confront him? Ask him what his problem is? Why is he chasing me?
Distracted by her thoughts, she stepped on something, and her ankle buckled immediately. Her fall felt as if it were happening in slow motion. The palms of her hands slid along the hard, uneven pavement, and she wasn’t quick enough to prevent her chin from hitting the ground. Tears of pain mixed with frustration quickly formed. Within seconds, her stalker was standing over her, his own breath ragged.
She turned to face him, shocked to see a familiar face. No, it can’t be. I must be wrong! As her eyes adjusted to the dark, she peered closer then gasped. “Why? Why were you chasing me?” Anne sat upright and pushed herself up on her feet, only for the man to shove her back onto the ground with a mighty force. She’d never suspected he was so strong.
“Stay there, bitch.”
Her fear escalated, threatening to cut off the air to her lungs. She’d known him for years, and he’d never spoken to or treated her so roughly before. “What… what do you want from me?” her voice trembled. Did I really say that?
“It’s obvious, or are you truly that dense?”
“Why are you talking to me as if I’m a piece of dirt?” Her concern wasn’t with what was about to happen to her, only why.
“I’m in charge here, not you. Just shut up for once. You’ve always liked the sound of your own voice, haven’t you?” He bent down and swiped her hard across both cheeks.
She gulped. His rage confused her to the point that she really had no idea what to say or how to act. If she shouted and showed anger, the punishment he was about to mete out might be that much worse
. She’d read somewhere that if a woman spoke gently to a man who was intent on attacking her, it would likely baffle him or make him come to his senses and realise that he was making a huge mistake. “Please, why are you doing this? Let’s talk this over before you do something that you’ll regret.”
He leaned down, placing his face inches from hers. Hot breath tickled her cheek. “You talk too much—you always have. Why do you insist on making this worse than is necessary?”
Petrified, Anne decided another tack was called for. After all, she had nothing to lose, except her life. Her gaze met his. “I’ll do anything you want, but please don’t hurt me. Think of the children. They need me. I need them. I want to be there when they move up into secondary school. When they start dating or consider getting married.”
He struck her again, harder than the previous time. The blow took her breath away. “I told you to shut up.” He withdrew a knife from his jacket pocket. Its blade glinted with reflected moonlight.
She raised her hands in front of her. “Please, please don’t hurt me. For the children’s sake, I beg of you.”
“Your children will be better off without you. I assure you.”
Tears began to cascade down her cheeks, and she brushed them away swiftly with the back of her hand, refusing to show him how broken and weak she had become. “How can you say that? No child should be without their mother to guide them through the early part of their lives. Please, take what you want from me and let me go home to my babies. They need me.”
He took a step forward. His gaze never left hers as he towered over her. The knife rose into the air at the same time a blood-curdling scream left her mouth.
Please God, let someone hear me.
She felt the tip of the knife puncture her neck then sink into her chest. Several thrusts later, her body could stand no more, and she fell backwards, smacking her head on the ground. With her children’s adorable faces prominent in her mind, she took her final breath.
CHAPTER ONE
Arriving at Wymondham Station, Norfolk, on a sunny June morning, DI Sally Parker greeted her partner, Jack Blackman, with a smile. “Blimey, you look terrible. Dare I ask what’s wrong?”
“Nothing a little sleep wouldn’t put right.”
“Still teething, is she?”
“Yep, and some. How long are we expected to put up with this?” he replied, looking sorry for himself.
“Not so easy the second time around, old man, eh?”
“Less of the ‘old man’ if you don’t mind, boss. I’ve only just celebrated my forty-second birthday. What the heck was my teenage daughter thinking when she set out to make me a grandfather at the tender age of forty?”
Sally chuckled. “I doubt you came into your daughter’s mind when she did the deed. Anyway, the baby should be past that stage any day now, I’m presuming. Not that I know anything about babies and how much it takes to care for one. Give me a puppy to handle any day of the week.”
They walked through the entrance, greeted the desk sergeant with a smile and a nod, and continued their conversation on the way up the stairs to the incident room. “The experts in all the books I’ve read reckon around two. I’m sick to death of not having a full eight hours’ kip. It’s like someone switched on the ‘punish this guy non-stop for two years’ button. I’m getting close to snapping.”
Sally shrugged. “If things are that bad, then you’re going to have to ask Teresa and her boyfriend to find alternative accommodation, matey.”
He sighed wearily. “Right, and I can see that going down well with Donna. If anything, she’d rather tell me to pack a bag and move out instead of Teresa and her tribe.”
Sally smiled and sympathetically rubbed the top of his arm. “Sorry, Bullet,” she said, calling him by the nickname he’d brought with him from his time serving in the army. “I wish I could offer you wise words and a solution, but, as usual, I’m totally out of my depth on this subject.”
“Not your problem, boss. You might have to elbow me during the day to wake me up if I drop off to sleep over the paperwork I have lined up.”
Sally raised a finger. “Unless another case has come in overnight, you mean.”
“Crap, yeah. that. We’ve only just completed the last case. It would be nice to have a breather in between.”
“Wishful thinking on your part, Jack.” Sally made her way over to the vending machine, bought two cups of coffee, and deposited one of them on her partner’s desk before she walked into her office. The room felt stuffy, and the warmth of the morning sun covered her desk. She opened the window a fraction then picked up one of the many envelopes lying on her desk. Before she had a chance to tear it open, her landline rang.
“Hello. DI Parker. How may I help?”
“Ah, glad you’re at your desk bright and early, Inspector. I should have called you last night, but something cropped up and distracted me.”
Sally groaned inwardly. DCI Green was constantly on her back, demanding to be kept informed about cases as they progressed. The man never gave her the room to investigate a case without sneaking a peek over her shoulder. As for praising her and her team when they solved a case, well that was absolutely non-existent. Though she had accepted his ignorance for what it was over the years and it didn’t affect the way she conducted her job, the last thing she needed was a call first thing from her DCI. “Good morning, sir. What can I do for you?”
“We have a very important visitor arriving this morning. Chief Constable Stockard, no less.”
Sally automatically looked down to assess the suit she was wearing and breathed a sigh of relief. For some reason, she’d possessed the foresight to don her best suit for the day. “Oh, right. Any particular reason why he’s coming to see you, sir?”
“It’s not me he’s coming to see, Inspector. It’s you.”
Sally’s mouth hung open, and her mind raced at a hundred miles an hour. Her last case whizzed through her brain. Did I do something wrong? Is he about to reprimand me about a case? She hadn’t stepped out of line, not that she could remember. What the hell could the chief constable want with me?
“Parker? Are you still there?”
“Yes, sorry, sir. Me? He’s coming all this way to see me? May I ask why?”
“You’ll find that out when you meet up in my office. He’s due here in ten minutes. Leave it five minutes for him to get comfortable, and then come and see us.”
Sally gulped down the bile that was tickling her throat. “I’ll see you in fifteen minutes, sir.” She hung up and stared at the phone for a second or two. “Jack, get in here, quick.”
Her concerned partner rushed through the door seconds later. “What? Jesus, the colour has drained from your face. Is it your parents?”
“No. Sit down.”
“Crap, is it Donna or one of my kids? Damn, why did I spend ten minutes complaining about them earlier, when—?”
“Hush. If you’ll let me get a word in, man. It’s nothing like that.”
“What’s up then? Another case?”
“The truth is, I don’t know.”
Jack’s brow furrowed. Exasperated, he said, “You’re not making any sense, boss. If you don’t know what’s wrong, then why do you look like shit?”
“I’ve been summoned by the DCI,” she replied flatly.
“And? In connection to what?”
“That’s just it. I don’t have the foggiest idea. I thought you could help me out.”
Jack placed a hand over his chest. “Me? How the fu… how can I help? Boss, you’re talking in riddles. Just spit it out.”
“Green should have rung me last night. Actually, I’m glad he didn’t, or I probably would have joined you in the not-sleeping department if he had.”
Jack sighed. “You know how annoyed you get when an interviewee goes around in circles about something? I know how that feels now. What’s going on?”
“The bloody chief constable is on his way to see me—that’s what’s frigging going on. To see
me? Why?”
Jack collapsed into the chair opposite her, tilted his head back to look up at the ceiling, and let out a deafening whistle. “Holy crap. What the effing hell have you done?”
Sally’s mouth gaped open for the second time in as many minutes. Recovering, she said angrily, “Me? I haven’t done anything. At least, I don’t think I have. Can you think of a case I haven’t solved by the book lately? Anything along those lines?”
“Nope. Jesus, Sally, this sounds major.”
“No shit, Sherlock! I was kind of hoping that you would reassure me—you know, persuade me to put any doubts I had to one side—but I guess I was wrong about that.”
“Umm… sorry about that. Just speaking openly, boss.”
Sally shook her head, reached for her handbag, and headed for the door. “I might as well make myself look presentable for when they sack me. I’ll be in the loo.”
Once she was standing in front of the mirror in the ladies’ toilet, she opened her handbag, withdrew her mocha-coloured lipstick, and applied it to her thin lips. Can’t think what I’ve done that warrants me being raked over the coals. She pulled a comb through her shoulder-length blonde hair, yelping when it snagged on a knot at the end. Her apprehension was teetering on the edge of being deemed out of control. Stop it! What good is it going to do you to get wound up about this? Que sera, sera! After one last lingering look at her reflection, she inhaled a large breath to steady her nerves then rushed back to the incident room to dump her bag in the office. Sally retraced her steps through the silent room, aware that Jack had obviously filled in the rest of the team. “Well, wish me luck, guys. I think I’m going to need it.”
“Good luck, boss,” the team said in unison before she left the room again and began the long, torturous journey up the hallway to the DCI’s office. The closer she got to her destination, the weaker her legs became, as if they had turned into jelly. She fought the urge to run back to her office and ring her fiancé, Simon. Crap, why didn’t I think to ring him rather than nip to the loo? He would have offered me the comforting words that Jack failed to deliver.
