by M A Comley
Table of Contents
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
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Epilogue
Other Books by M A Comley You Might Also Like to Read
THE MISSING
CHILDREN
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)
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)
Unfair Justice (a 10,000 word short story coming June 2017)
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 #3)
Deadly Encounter (DI Sally Parker thriller series #4)
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) coming Jan 2018
Hidden Agenda (DI Kayli Bright #3) coming Feb/March 2018
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 (available now)
Lost Temptation (available now)
Keep in touch with the author at
http://melcomley.blogspot.com
On Facebook
On Twitter @melcom1
Subscribe to newsletter
Follow me on BookBub
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.
Thank you to Kayli, Donna and Michele from my ARC group for allowing me to use your names in this novel.
And finally, to all the wonderful Bloggers and Facebook groups for their never-ending support of my work.
NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR
Although I found this book extremely hard to write, when I researched the subject the statistics were mind-boggling. In the UK alone, over 140,000 children went missing during 2016. Reading that, I felt compelled to write this story.
If this book helps to save just one child’s life it will have been worth all the emotions I went through bringing you this story.
Thank you for reading The Missing Children.
PRAISE FOR THE MISSING CHILDREN
“The first installment of a new series, The Missing Children introduces a new team of detectives who are led by a female detective, DS Kayli Bright. Their newest case means the unthinkable for the victims’ families, and the story is likely to hit close to home for many readers. Though Comley treads familiar investigative waters that her fans are sure to enjoy, this story features several strong supporting characters with fresh backstories that promise to play out in future books, and I look forward to their development as they each use their special insight to crack the toughest cases.” Stefanie B., Line Editor, Red Adept Editing
“M. A. Comley writes to the heart of the deeply emotional task of finding missing children and bringing their abusers to justice. Detective Inspector Kayli Bright captures all the heartache and anxiety of this monumental task, but she performs with such determination and conviction, it’ll make you wonder: Could any kidnapper escape her?” Amanda K., Proofreader, Red Adept Editing
TABLE OF CONTENT
Cover
Titles Page
Copyright
Other Books by the Author
Acknowledgements
Note from the Author
Praise for The Missing children
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
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Epilogue
Other Books by M A Comley You Might Also Like to Read
PROLOGUE
Sinead followed her boyfriend, Jeremy, through the derelict house with the crumbling walls, shuddering at all the cobwebs dangling from the discoloured ceilings. The wallpaper, what was left of it, dated back to the fifties, and the large bold flower pattern had faded over ti
me. One panel in particular had peeled away from the wall and hung to the floor. “Do we have to go any further? This place is giving me the creeps.”
“Where’s your sense of adventure? You want to do the same thing every time we meet up, but do you hear me complaining? We’re nearly there now. It’s not as if it’s a big house.”
“Thank God. It will be worth all this hassle in the end, won’t it?” Her voice came out barely louder than a whisper.
He chuckled. “Believe me, babe, it’ll be worth it. I have a surprise for you that you’ll be talking about for years to come.”
Sinead gulped loudly. She was even more terrified, not just of the creepy surroundings, but because she had a feeling her boyfriend was expecting her to surrender her virginity to him there. She could think of better places than this shithole, but if it meant holding on to him, she knew she would have to put out. She had a feeling he was keen on the new blonde girl in their class; Sinead had caught him staring at her a few times during maths. If she didn’t give him what he was craving, he would move on to pastures new.
Jeremy cleared the cobwebs at the top of the stairs. He looked down into the cellar then at Sinead. “Cool, I’d heard there was one down here. I love cellars, ever since I saw that horror film where Dracula lived in a coffin in a cave-like cellar. Looks like we’re in for a real treat, babe.”
Sinead backed up a couple of paces. “Oh no, I hate cellars. I can’t go down there, Jeremy. Please don’t make me. This place is creeping me out. My heart feels like it’s going to spew into my mouth any second.”
“Coward. Come on.” He grabbed her hand tightly and began to descend the stone steps.
Sinead dug her heels in, but when he turned and scowled at her, she relented and followed him down the stairs. The stairwell was dark until her eyes adjusted, aided by the light from the tiny window at the bottom of the stairs. Something crunched under her foot, and she glanced down to see she’d just squashed a huge woodlouse. She wasn’t about to lose any sleep over that, but the same thing couldn’t be said for the spooky depths of the cellar that awaited her. The smell of damp earth hit her nose, making it twitch. Christ, this guy has a lot to learn about romance if he expects me to put out down here. “Jeremy, please? It’s too scary for me. I don’t like it.”
He tugged on her arm, refusing to let her go, and continued down the stairs with a grunt of displeasure. She’d heard rumours about his reputation—if he didn’t get what he wanted from a girl, he would dump her and move on to the next one. That thought devastated her. She was in love with him.
She bumped into his back at the bottom of the stairs. Although it was good to be on solid ground, she shuddered and glanced around the vast area. Some areas were darker than others the farther they ventured away from the window. Sinead let him guide her, and when he stopped suddenly, she barrelled into him a second time.
“What is it? What have you seen?” she whispered urgently, her heart pounding rhythmically.
“Ssh! Stay here.” He let go of her hand, but she grabbed his hand again quickly.
“No, please don’t leave me. I’m coming with you.”
“All right. Keep schtum and don’t piss me off.”
“I will. I promise.”
They slipped deeper into the darkness. Sinead tried but failed to prevent her body from trembling as they stepped into the unknown abyss. Be brave. I mustn’t show him how scared I am. She peered into the darkness ahead of them and saw the outline of something against the far wall. Holy crap, what’s that?
“Seriously, I need to take a closer look. You stay here. Nothing is going to harm you. I’ll be three feet away. That’s all.”
Sinead let out a shuddering breath and nodded. She watched him ease his way into the darkness. Her breath caught in her throat when the blackness enveloped him before her eyes adjusted to the light again.
“What the fuck is this?” he said angrily.
“What? Jeremy, you’re scaring me. What have you found?”
“Quiet, let me concentrate. There’s something here. Not sure what it is.”
Furious with herself for not thinking of it earlier, Sinead reached for her phone and switched on the torch. Jeremy looked her way and shielded his eyes against the light, then they both turned to the object that had drawn his attention. Sinead screamed and almost dropped her phone in her haste to escape the cellar.
“Sinead, come back. It’s okay... it’s just a sack. Nothing to be scared of.”
She halted at the bottom of the stairs and hesitantly returned to where he was standing, barely a foot away from the sack. “Why would anyone put a sack there?”
Jeremy approached the hessian and spun it around. He gasped.
Sinead slid up behind him and peered over his shoulder. “What is it?”
A large red splodge coated one side of the sack. “I think it’s blood.”
“Oh no!” Tears of frustration misted her eyes, but she rubbed them away angrily. “Do you think there’s an animal inside?” The thought of an animal being tortured and thrown in a sack really upset her. She hated any form of animal abuse.
He took another step forward. “There’s only one way to find out.”
“No, don’t touch it. We should call the police.”
“And say what? We found a sack with blood on it?”
“Please, Jeremy, don’t touch it. I’m scared, too scared for this. We need to get out of here.”
“I’m not going until I’ve had a look.”
“That’s morbid. It’s obvious something is dead in there. I’d rather not know what it is.”
He laughed then proceeded to unhook the sack. “Ugh... it’s heavier than I thought it would be.”
Sinead gulped and took a step closer. She watched as he loosened the knot at the top of the bag.
“Shit! Fuck... what the hell? Get out of here, Sinead. Quick, run.”
She didn’t get the chance to see inside the sack before he began pushing her towards the stairs. Witnessing the terror in his eyes was enough to tell her that he’d discovered something far more sinister than he’d bargained for. “What was it?”
“Just get out of here. Stop pissing around and move.”
Her legs wobbled, as if they’d turned to jelly, but they scampered out of the cellar almost on their hands and knees in their haste to get away.
He grabbed her phone and punched in three numbers. “Yeah, I want the police. I’ve just discovered a body.”
Sinead’s eyes almost popped out of her head. She switched off from what Jeremy was saying to the operator. A body? What sort of body? That sack wasn’t nearly big enough...
He handed the phone back to her and led her through the house to the outside. “We’ve got to wait here for the police to arrive. Shit! Sinead, it was... it was a child!”
Sinead covered her face with her hands and sobbed. She felt Jeremy’s arm slip around her shoulder before she crumpled to her knees in the wet grass. Who would do such a thing? A child!
CHAPTER ONE
Kayli Bright let out a relieved sigh. She was happy with her life, finally. She had a fiancé who adored her and a wedding to look forward to. Even though the big event was months away, a sense of accomplishment seemed to fill her with each passing day. Her hand slid over Mark’s back. He moaned, still sleepy from their late night and probably a little hungover if the truth be told. It was all right for him—he could stay in bed the rest of the day to recover from his sore head, but she had work to do. Her shift at the Avon and Somerset Constabulary, where she worked as a detective inspector, was due to start in an hour.
“Let me sleep, you wicked woman. Didn’t you have enough of me last night?” Mark eased open an eye to look at her.
She flung back the quilt, exposing both their naked bodies, and slapped him on the arse before she ran for the bathroom. “Lazy sod. Hey, let’s get one thing clear, Mr. Wren. I’ll never get enough of your body.”
“That’s what I thought. I’ll just have another hour
or so, and then I promise I’ll get my backside out of bed and try to find a job today. Last night, Clive said he might have an opening for me down at the gym. I’ve got to call in there today to have a word with his boss.”
Kayli ran back to the bed and threw herself on top of him. “That’s brilliant news, love. I know it’s been difficult finding a job since you left the army, but I’ve never lost faith in you.”
He turned over and held her close. She could feel his erection stirring beneath her. “Glad you have faith in me. Mine’s begun to dwindle a little lately.” He kissed her neck, aware of how much it turned her on. “Time for a quickie?”
Kayli slapped him. “You’re so unfair. No, I don’t have time. Why don’t you pick up a couple of steaks for dinner tonight? I’ll leave a twenty on the kitchen table before I go. You never know, we might be celebrating you getting a new job by then.”
“Why don’t you look after your money, just in case? You know I hate taking money off you. I’ve still got a bit of savings tucked away. I’ll use that if I need to.”
“No, that’s for our wedding fund.”
“Nonsense, twenty quid won’t hurt.”
She kissed him hard on the mouth, and his arms crushed her to him. Kayli groaned. “Damn, I wish I could stay in bed with you all day, but I have a meeting with the chief first thing.”
“What about?”
“No idea. I was summoned late last night and told to report at nine. I need to make myself beautiful. Who knows? I could be joining you in the dole queue by the end of the day.” She wriggled off the bed and headed towards the bathroom again.
“Don’t even say that in jest. They wouldn’t get rid of you; you solve half the bloody crimes at that station. More than the others do put together.”
She blew him a kiss from the doorway then stepped into the cool shower. Damn, I forgot to heat the water last night.
With Mark out of work, she was doing her best to be frugal without letting him know. Cutting back on the utilities wherever possible, she had got away with it, but as September dawned and the temperatures started to drop, that task was going to be much harder to accomplish. I hope he gets the job today—it’ll take the pressure off for a while, what with Christmas looming just around the corner.
