Murderous Betrayal

by M A Comley

  Dave started the recording machine and said the usual, then Kayli took over. “Dylan, is there anything you want to say about the charges we have against you?”

  “No comment.”

  Kayli rolled her eyes. “Is that how you’re going to play this, Dylan?”

  “No comment.”

  Every question or statement Kayli uttered after that was met with the same response. In the end, she gave up and instructed the constable to escort Dylan back to a cell and to bring Sharon back with him.

  “I guess that was to be expected,” the solicitor said.

  Kayli nodded. “I suppose so. I’m warning you now that I won’t let Sharon get away with doing the same.”

  The solicitor smiled. “I thought you might say something along those lines. Just don’t overstep the mark, Inspector.”

  “I won’t. Don’t worry,” Kayli replied.

  The door opened, and a dishevelled Sharon walked into the room and slumped into the chair next to her solicitor. Again, Dave introduced everyone in the room and gave the date and time for the purpose of the recording machine before Kayli took up the reins and began the interview. Only this time, she opened up her laptop and pressed the Enter button. The footage Graeme had downloaded to her computer filled the screen. “Is that your car, Sharon?”

  “It might be.”

  “What a coincidence! Isn’t the jumper you’re wearing driving the car the same that you have on today?”

  “It might be,” she repeated.

  Kayli exhaled an impatient breath. “What about this?” She pointed to the screen at another car. “Perhaps you can tell me whose car that is, Sharon?”

  “Nope, never seen it before!” she shouted before her head dropped onto her chest.

  “Really? I would think very carefully before you start lying, Miss Potts. That car, as you well know, belongs to your stepfather, Paul Potts. Am I right?”

  “You might be,” Sharon said quietly.

  “May I ask why you were following your stepfather’s car that day?”

  “Can’t remember. Are you sure it’s his car?” Raising her head, she looked Kayli in the eye and held her gaze defiantly.

  “We’re definite. Do you want to revisit your answer?”

  “Not really.”

  “I put it to you that on Saturday, the twenty-fifth of November, you followed your stepfather’s car over the border into South Wales. How am I doing so far?”

  Sharon crossed her arms and shrugged. “Whatever.”

  “To a remote location where you and your brother, Dylan, jettisoned your stepfather’s car over a ravine with your stepfather, who may have been unconscious, curled up in the boot of his vehicle.”

  Sharon’s eyes narrowed. “Whatever. Prove it.”

  Kayli smiled. “We’ll use your brother’s statement, along with other critical evidence we have uncovered so far to do that in the courtroom itself. Do you want to revisit your answer, Sharon?” Kayli knew she was chancing her arm by bluffing about what Dylan had revealed, but past experience told her that sometimes the tactic worked when questioning more than one suspect, especially when there was a grave crime involved.

  Her mouth dropped open for an instant then closed again. “He wouldn’t!”

  Kayli smiled and nodded. “He would, and he has.” She avoided glancing in the solicitor’s direction, though she saw the woman looking up from her notes in her peripheral vision.

  “I don’t believe you. Anyway, there’s nothing to tell. Your assumption is wrong.”

  “Okay, let’s leave that aspect of the case for a moment or two, shall we? Oh, before we do, did you get on well with your stepfather?”

  “We tolerated each other,” she snapped back quickly.

  “Did you kill him because of the money?” Kayli pressed, deciding to stick with her line of enquiry after all.

  The sudden rise and fall of Sharon’s chest indicated her stress levels were on the increase. She made a guttural noise before she slammed her fists on the desk. Her face contorted with anger, and her cheeks went the shade of a ripe tomato. “He deserved it. They all did!”

  “All? Meaning what? Are you referring to Anita, as well as someone else, in that sweeping statement?”

  Sharon held her gaze once again before she tipped her head back and let out an evil laugh that chilled Kayli to the bone. “You’re supposed to be the detective. Why don’t you work it out for yourself?”

  Kayli smiled, flicked through her notebook and sat back in her chair. “Okay, let’s try this, for starters. Your grandparents, they died in a car accident, didn’t they? I’m guessing that you and Dylan had something to do with that accident. You tampered with the car’s brakes. How am I doing so far?”

  Sharon shrugged.

  Kayli pressed on. “Why? Because you expected some kind of inheritance bequeathed to you in their wills?”

  Again, Sharon glared at her.

  “Then there was your mother’s tragic death due to cancer. I doubt you would have had anything to do with that, but I’m surmising that you were expecting her to treat you well in her will. Only she didn’t. She left everything to Paul, didn’t she? There’s no point denying it. I’ve had access to the will and read it for myself.”

  Sharon sighed heavily and folded her arms tighter across her heaving chest but remained silent.

  Kayli had the feeling Sharon was mulling over her options and decided to play her last card. “Then we move on to what went on with your stepsister, Anita, who, to my knowledge, is still unconscious in hospital after you tried to kill her.”

  Sharon shook her head, slowly at first, but the more Kayli stared at her, the more the shaking of her head increased. “I was helping her out. She wasn’t sleeping.”

  “So you decided to steal a patient’s tablets from the care home where you work and give them to Anita? Knowing the risks that action would carry? Is it advisable to give someone another person’s medication without a doctor’s authority? I don’t think so. Why did you do it?”

  Her look darkened in an instant, and her lip curled. “I was fed up with her crying over him. He was nothing. He promised us that we would have an equal share from Mum’s estate, even though she left everything to him. The next week, he informed us that he’d bought that shitty house full of tenants who abused his trust.”

  “Do you know how ironic that last part of your sentence sounds? People who abused his trust! That’s why you killed him and attempted to end Anita’s life for her? So that you and Dylan could finally get what was owing to you in the form of inheritance?”

  “Whatever. Read into it what you will. I’m not saying another word.”

  “You don’t have to. The evidence is clear. You and Dylan hatched a plan that started with the deaths of your grandparents and ended with Anita almost losing her life.”

  She looked Kayli in the eye and sneered. “Shit happens.”

  Kayli shook her head when she witnessed the hatred deep within Sharon’s eyes.

  “I think we’ve heard enough. Constable, take Miss Potts back to her cell. You’ll spend the next few hours here before you’re transferred to a remand centre. I hope for your sake that Anita pulls through this, because at present, both you and Dylan are going down for three murders—Paul’s and that of your grandparents. I’ll also be adding an attempted murder charge to the list too.”

  Sharon’s shoulders rose and almost covered her ears before they dropped again. “Whatever, like I’m bothered.”

  Kayli motioned for the constable to escort her from the room. After they left, Kayli let out a relieved sigh. “What a twisted bitch. Why the hell are some people so driven by money? If she and Dylan were that fond of it, why in God’s name didn’t they get out there and secure better jobs for themselves and start earning it like normal folks do? Bloody makes me so angry! It’s as though there are some people walking the streets today who believe life owes them the world.”

  Dave nodded and tucked his notebook in his pocket. “They’re a
couple of nasty characters. That’s for sure.”

  “It takes all sorts,” the solicitor agreed.

  EPILOGUE

  Kayli received the call from Samuel at three o’clock that afternoon. She jumped in the car and headed to the hospital immediately. After flashing her ID at the uniformed officer guarding the private room, she barged in and smiled at Anita, who was sitting up in her bed, looking bewildered and confused.

  “Hello, Inspector. It’s good of you to come,” Samuel said, appearing as if the weight of the world had lifted from his shoulders since she’d last seen him.

  “Good to see you too, Samuel and Anita. How are you feeling?”

  “My head doesn’t feel like it belongs to me. Can you tell me what happened?”

  Kayli sat in the chair close to Anita’s bed and covered the young woman’s cold hand with her own. “I was hoping you’d be able to fill us in.”

  “My head is filled with confusion. Did you come to tell me that Dad’s body had been found?”

  “I did. Can you remember anything else?”

  “I remember Sharon showing up at the house. She was angry. I tried to calm her down when she…”

  “When she what, Anita?”

  The colour drained from her cheeks when she turned to face Kayli. “She said she had asked the doctor for some pills to help me sleep. I told her I wasn’t keen on taking pills and refused to take them. Her anger scared me, but she produced a kitchen knife and ordered me to take a handful. When I refused a second time, she pounced on me, held the knife to my throat and forced me to take them.” Anita began to sob.

  “It’s all right. You’re safe now.”

  Anita’s breathing came in short bursts. “She warned me that either I took the tablets, or she would slit my throat.” Anita turned to Samuel and reached for his hand. “Either way, she was going to kill me.”

  Kayli was still covering Anita’s other hand, and she squeezed it reassuringly. “You’re safe. We’ve arrested Dylan and Sharon. I’m sorry to have to tell you this, Anita, but they killed your father.”

  Anita turned to face her swiftly. “Why?”

  “Because of the money. Greed on their part. We don’t have the evidence yet, but I also believe that they killed your grandparents.”

  “But they died in a car crash.”

  “Accidents can be caused by a vehicle malfunctioning. I’ll get the report looked over again to see what we can find. Anyway, Sharon virtually admitted it on tape during her interview this morning. I’m sorry you had to go through this trauma, Anita. I truly am.”

  “My family, all my family has disintegrated within a week.”

  Samuel cleared his throat. “Nonsense, love. You have me, and I’m not planning on going anywhere anytime soon. For a start, I want those two brought to justice first.”

  “Who knew? I know I didn’t suspect anything. They’ve always been all right towards me. Although thinking back briefly, I can recall a couple of instances where I caught Sharon looking at me in an evil way.” Anita shuddered.

  “It’s all over now. They can’t hurt you again. I promise. I’ll ensure they go away for a very long time indeed.”

  Anita and Samuel both smiled at Kayli and said thank you in unison. Kayli left the hospital and drove home. It was early to end her shift, but since she’d put in extra hours the day before, she felt entitled to go home and spend some time with her husband. She stopped off at the local butcher’s to pick up a couple of fillet steaks for their dinner.

  Mark was excited to see her home early, and they spent the next few hours together, preparing the meal and chatting about everything under the sun. When he left the house at eight o’clock, Kayli settled down on the couch and rang Giles. “Hi. How’s everyone doing?”

  “We’re fine. I was going to ring you later.”

  “Oh, why?”

  “To invite you and Mark round for Sunday lunch. Mum and Dad will be here.”

  “We’d love to come. What time?”

  “Be here around one, or before, if you want to lend a hand in the kitchen.”

  Kayli laughed. “Gosh, you must be desperate if you want me to help out in the kitchen. Does this mean you’ll be cooking?”

  “Yep. I volunteered, and I’m kind of regretting that decision now. Do you have any idea of the amount of work involved in throwing together a roast dinner for seven people?”

  “Idiot. Mark and I will be there around ten to assist you, oh hopeless one.”

  “You sound cheerful.”

  “Yes and no. We wrapped up the case I was working on, so I came home early to spend some time with Mark before he left for work.”

  “That’s great news. Sorry you guys are working opposite shifts. Hope that works out better for you both soon. See you on Sunday then, bright and early.”

  “Well, ten o’clock as agreed,” she corrected him before ending the call.

  ~ ~ ~

  On Sunday morning, Kayli and Mark turned up at her brother’s house, laden with bottles of wine. Although Giles had been his normal cheery self on the phone, she had no idea what kind of reception she was about to receive from Annabelle. Her concerns were unwarranted, however.

  Annabelle hugged her tightly the minute she laid eyes on her and whispered in her ear, “I know what’s going through your mind, and I want you to stop it right now. There is no way either of you are to blame for me losing the baby, so get that thought out of your head.”

  Kayli squeezed her tightly then released her. With tears misting her eyes, she touched Annabelle on the cheek. “You’re such a caring person, love, always putting others’ feelings before your own. Yes, you’re right—I do feel guilty. But I want you to know that if you ever want to discuss the baby, it’s all right with me. Please, whatever you do, don’t ever feel the need to brush your feelings under the carpet.”

  “I won’t. I promise.”

  “After all, we’re a loving family who fight for each other. Through good times and bad, we stick with each other.”

  “That’s pretty profound. Is everything all right, Kayli?” Annabelle asked with a concerned expression.

  “I’ve just solved a pretty shitty case, and all it did, really, was highlight how much you guys and our family unit mean to me.”

  Annabelle hugged her again. “No one could ever doubt that after the great lengths you went to get Mark back.”

  “I know. It doesn’t hurt to tell you guys now and again, though.”

  The day was filled with tender moments of love and laughter. It was the tonic they all needed to move on with their lives, knowing that their family bond was as solid as ever.

  THE END

  NOTE TO THE READER

  Dear Reader,

  What an exhaustive ride that was! I’m sure glad Kayli returned to save the day.

  Kayli and the team will be back later in the year to solve more heinous crimes, I hope you’ll join them.

  For more fast-paced thrillers from my backlist why not try the intention series which begins with:

  Sole Intention

  Grab your copy today, it’s available on all sites.

  Thank you as always for reading my work, reviews are always welcome and a privilege to receive.

  M A Comley