by M A Comley
Chapter One
At the sound of helicopter blades whirling in the distance, Detective Inspector Lorne Simpkins leaned over the steering wheel and peered up at the sky. She couldn’t see the chopper but judged it to be hovering beyond the towering buildings to her left, which bordered the Thames. She imagined the armed response team crouched inside it, guns locked and loaded, waiting for her call.
If this tip-off turned out to be good, precious minutes would be lost getting the team to her. For the millionth time, she rued the fact that she and Pete couldn’t carry guns on these missions. Damn politics!
For the second time, she drove past the alley: still quiet, nothing suspicious. She eased the car to a standstill.
Pete shifted uncomfortably in the seat beside her.
She turned and asked, “Nervous?”
“No. As usual, the dry cleaners sent these trousers back to me a size smaller than when they went in…”
“Yeah, right, Pete. The fact you’ve gained about twenty pounds lately wouldn’t have anything to do with them shrinking, I suppose?”
“Hey, it takes a lot of calories to keep my shape, you know. Besides, I eat more when I’m stressed, and these wild goose chases don’t help.”
“Let’s hope this one’s for real and we finally nail the bastard.”
“Fifty quid says it’s another Brixton?”
“No thanks. Take the far side of the alley, get into position, and stay put until I give the all clear—Christ, Pete, fasten up your bullet-proof, and start taking this seriously, will you? If it turns out to be another dud lead, so be it, but—”
“The bloody thing gives me indigestion, squashes me in like a fat thigh in a stocking. I’ve had a bigger one on order for yonks. One of the vest-type that fastens at the side, but—”
“Look, zip up, and shut up, ’‘cause if this is for real, we’ll be sussed before we get out of the car.”
Lorne took up her position, leaned forward, and surveyed the long, narrow alley. The stench of urine and the rotting, fly-infested waste spewing from overturned bins tinged her nostrils. She motioned the all clear to Pete, waited for him to dash across to the other side before she checked the alley again and gave him the thumbs up.
They picked their way along the graffiti-stained walls. A skinny dog, hunting for its next meal, growled at them, but hunger won over conflict, and he grabbed a chicken carcass and made off with it.
Lorne released the breath she’d been holding and mouthed to Pete, “Anything?”
“Not a fucking dickey bird. If you’d taken up the bet, I’d be fifty—”
A crack split the air.
Pete slumped to the ground. Horror held Lorne rigid as his bullet-proof flew in all directions. Oh no, Pete, no! You didn’t do the bloody thing up.’
His body jerked as he took another hit. Lorne bent over, making herself as small as she could, trying to cross over to him, but a sting vibrated off her face and spun her to the ground.
She swallowed back the rising panic and delved into her inner resources. Everything by the book, Lorne—make the call!—
She grabbed her radio. “Backup needed… Officer down!”
The sound of the helicopter changed from a distant hum to an urgent drumming, and its blades chopped the air faster as it sped towards her and Pete.
Pete groaned.
Thank God, he’s still alive’… But he needed her help. Another spray of bullets echoed down the alley. Dust and rubble jumped into the air. Lorne looked around, desperate to find a way of getting to him.
A large steel rubbish bin stood just inside the backyard of one of the shops behind her. Its contents bulged out of the top, but the wheels looked in good condition. She positioned it between her and the gunman as more bullets ricocheted off the walls and the ground. Some hit the bin. Splinters of plastic bottles, tin cans, and debris showered her, but her shield held, and she made it across to Pete.
His throat rasped as she ripped open his shirt. A ragged hole in his stomach and a wound near his heart put the fear of God into her.
Shit… this is bad.
After whipping off her jacket, she removed her blouse, tore it in half, then used it to plug the holes. Her hands trembled as she pressed on the wound.
Bullets rained down around them. A tyre blew on a nearby delivery van. Sweat flowed from her pores. Jesus, where’s the bloody response team?’
“Lorne…” A cough stopped Pete’s croaky voice. Blood trickled from his mouth.
No… Oh, please, God… Let us both get out of here alive…
“It’s too late, Lorne… I’m…”
The tears she’d held back trailed down her nose and dripped onto his chest.
“Don’t try to talk. Everything’s okay. The team is on its way…”
“It’s… It’s not…”
“Look, you idiot. I’m the boss around here. If I say…”
“I… I’ve got… I… must tell… you…”
The helicopter swooped into the airspace overhead and hovered above the building from where the shots had come. Two officers slid down ropes from the helicopter and landed on the roof.
“Stay where you are. Don’t move,” a voice ordered through a megaphone.
“Like we’re… planning on… going anywhere…”
Pete’s dry, cracked lips stretched into a half smile. Lorne smiled back at him, appreciating his attempted humour.
“How’s the pain? Is it bad?”
“It’s nothing… Listen, I…” The ambulance siren’s whine joined the helicopter’s racket.
The gunfire had ceased. Had the Unicorn escaped again, or had they finally caught him? She hoped it was the latter.
She sat back on her legs and looked up. An officer on the roof gave her the thumbs up, and the helicopter moved away. For a moment, the chaos descended into an eerie silence, then a bin crashed behind her. She turned and saw two officers kicking at rubbish and throwing bins to one side. The ambulance crew followed just behind them, laden with equipment and a stretcher.
Thank God…
A smile of hope froze on her lips as she looked down at Pete. His head rolled to one side. A throaty breath gurgled from his lungs. Through half-closed lids, he looked up at her, staring, but not seeing her. Everything that had been Pete fell into an expressionless, waxy mask.
The cold lining of her jacket around her shoulders chilled her as strong hands helped her to stand. She didn’t resist. Standing to one side, she stared at the paramedics, willing them to revive him. Then she heard the words she’d been dreading.
“Dead on arrival at the scene.”
With an officer supporting her on each side, Lorne stepped into the ambulance. She sat up and watched them load Pete’s covered body into a second ambulance. It pulled away, not bothering to use its siren. A paramedic tended the wound on her face, cleaned her bloody hands, and injected a vial of something into her arm.
She did little to stop the tears flowing. She thought of the information relayed to her as she left the scene. The Unicorn had escaped. The bastard had been a thorn in her side for too long, and now he’d taken her dearest colleague and friend from her. Every nerve and sinew of her body screamed its hate and her need to take her revenge.
As she drifted off into a drug-induced sleep, she repeated the same words over and over again… ’I’ll take care of things, Pete. I’ll get him, I promise…”’”
~ ~ ~
Thank you for reading Mortal Justice; I sincerely hope you enjoyed reading this novel 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.
Subscribe to newsletter
Other books written by M A Comley you might also like to read.
CRUEL JUSTICE (Justice #1)
#1 #1 Best-selling novel in two categories, Police procedurals and Women sleuths in both US and UK and Amazon top 20 novel in 2013.Best-
selling novel in two categories, Police procedurals and Women sleuths in both US and UK and Amazon top 20 novel in 2013.-
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.
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 devastated 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 t
he 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?
BLIND JUSTICE (a Justice 20,000 word novella and prequel to Cruel Justice)
DI Lorne Simpkins and DS Pete Childs are called to investigate the death of Jenny Bartlett, who’s decomposing body is found in a wooded area. When Lorne informs Jenny’s parents of her death they are understandably shocked but also confused by the news as they were under the impression their daughter was out of the country, working as a volunteer in Africa. Delving deep into Jenny’s personal life leads Lorne to Jenny’s former boyfriend, Simon Killon, after Lorne discovers they had a secret liaison in a restaurant shortly before her death. But is he guilty of Jenny’s murder?
After learning what traumas Simon himself has encountered lately, Lorne has her doubts that he’s the culprit. However she finds it hard to disprove the evidence pointing in his direction.
MORTAL JUSTICE (12,000 word 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?
WRONG PLACE (DI Sally Parker thriller series #1)
DI Sally Parker has a serial killer on her patch. One thing that sets this killer apart from the others she’s hunted before: his willingness to leave DNA at each of the crime scenes. It’s up to Sally and her partner DS Jack Blackman to find out why before the body count rises to double figures.
