by Celina Grace
Karen must have seen her distress. Her set face softened a little, just a little, but her hands remained where they were, gripping the grubby duvet.
Kate took hold of her emotions. “Why now, Karen? Why did you wait so long for your… for your revenge?”
Karen’s gaze slid off to the side. “I was abroad. Australia. I was… I did some time. For a few things.”
Kate mentally raised a salute to Chloe, who’d suggested both those possibilities. “So why come back?”
She had almost forgotten the armed men in the room, so focused was she on Karen’s face. That face contracted briefly and then hardened again. Karen’s gaze met Kate’s once more.
“I was raped,” Karen said softly.
Kate’s intake of breath was echoed by one of the ARU officers. She nodded, slowly, keeping her eyes on Karen. “I’m sorry,” was all she said.
Karen half-smiled. “You know,” she said, after a moment, “I actually think you are.”
Kate took a deep breath. “I am sorry. I want to help you.”
Karen looked down again. “You can’t.”
“So, what happens now?”
Karen looked up. A tear tracked its way down her cheek and slid into the black neckline of her fleece. There was a long silence.
“Now it’s over,” Karen said, almost in a whisper. She looked down at Melanie, lying on the floor. “I was going to kill her. I think I was.”
“But you’re not now,” said Kate; a statement, not a question.
“No, I’m not now,” Karen said. Her shoulders sagged and she released her hands from the edge of the bed, spreading trembling fingers.
Kate took another deep breath. “Karen Black, I’m arresting you—”
She got no further. In one swift movement, Karen whipped her hand behind her back and stood up, bringing something forward in one hand that shone in the dim light. Kate barely had time to react before Karen lunged towards her. A millisecond later, she was deafened by gunshots as all four officers opened fire. Karen, hit in the chest and stomach, dropped like a stone to the ground, directly onto the silent still body of Melanie Smith.
Kate stood, rooted to the spot, trembling, her ears ringing. The smell of cordite in the room was acrid, the air hazy. The ARU officers ran forward, and for a moment, all Kate could see was a mass of black-clad bodies bending over the two women on the ground. She opened her mouth to ask the question, but she wasn’t able to find the words or her voice.
A strong arm gripped her shoulders from behind, and Chris Wilde’s voice said in her still-ringing ear, “With me, DI Redman, if you please. Come back this way with me, nice and slow now.”
Kate was grateful for his arm. Her legs were shaking beneath her. He walked her back out into the hallway and into the open air and the night, where Chloe was standing with her hands to her mouth. The moment she saw Kate, she opened her arms and Kate, stumbling forward as Chris released her, fell into them with relief.
Chapter Twenty Nine
“Bloody hell,” was Theo’s opening remark, the next morning in the office. Rav said nothing but just whistled, his eyebrows raised. “So, she’s dead?”
“Of course she’s dead,” snapped Kate, who was feeling as stretched as if she were made out of rubber. Chloe, sitting beside her, put an arm around her shoulders, and Kate gave her a grateful glance. “She was shot four times. Nobody could have survived it.”
“Bloody hell,” said Theo, again. “But she had a weapon, right?”
Chloe and Kate exchanged glances. Kate opened her mouth to reply but was prevented by the sound of the door opening. They all looked around to see DCI Weaver entering the room, looking tired.
“Good morning,” said Nicola. “I’ll make this debrief as quick as possible, I can appreciate we’re all exhausted. Kate, how are you?”
“I’m okay, thanks.” Kate smiled at her boss, thinking what a change a few months had made. She heard Theo clear his throat and wanted to squeeze his hand in a show of support, but he was standing too far away.
“Right. Good.” Nicola became brisk. “Now, as you no doubt all know by now, our prime suspect Karen Black was apprehended last night at the home of Melanie Smith. She attempted to attack DI Redman and was shot dead by the ARU officers on the spot.” She paused and there was a moment of silence. “Naturally, as is usual with the death of the suspect in custody, there will be an internal investigation, but I don’t think we or indeed Chris Wilde and his team have anything to worry about. The subject was armed, after all.”
Kate raised an arm. “May I say something?”
Nicola looked surprised, but inclined her head in acquiescence. “Go on, Kate.”
“I’m sorry, I haven’t had a chance to tell you yet.”
Nicola frowned. “That’s okay. Please go on.”
Kate lowered her arm and glanced about the room. She sighed before speaking. “She wasn’t armed.”
Chloe, who knew what had happened, was the only person not to react.
Theo said “What?”
“That’s not the impression I had from my conversation with Sergeant Wilde,” said Nicola, her frown deepening.
Kate reached for her phone and brought up her picture gallery, flicking to the photographs she’d taken late last night. She held up her phone so that everyone could see it. “This is the only thing she was armed with.”
They all crowded round to look. Rav gasped.
“That’s a toy gun,” said Theo, blankly.
“Yes.” That was all Kate could say, for the moment.
“May I?” Nicola took the phone from Kate’s hand and brought it closer to her face. “So it is. Just a plastic toy gun.” She handed the phone back to Kate. “Why, I wonder? Bluffing? Madness?”
Kate put her phone back in her handbag. “I think… I think she wanted to die.” She thought back to the single tear sliding down Karen’s cheek just before it happened, a liquid trail of gold in the warm lamp light. “A soldier’s death. A certain, quick death.”
Chloe nodded. She put her arm around Kate’s shoulders again. “I think so too. Death by firing squad, as it were.”
“Well…” That was all Nicola said, softly.
There was a moment of silence while they all contemplated the fact. Then, Nicola stepped back over to the whiteboards and scanned them, taking in the victims and the suspects. But who were the real victims, thought Kate. Who were the real victims?
Nicola turned back, clearing her throat. “I do have one more thing to say before I dismiss you.”
They all listened expectedly. Nicola, turning slightly pinker than normal, went on. “I’ve taken up the offer of a transfer—a promotion, in fact. I’ll be moving over to Bristol CID. Over the next six weeks, obviously we’ll be interviewing for my successor.”
Kate felt her eyebrows shoot up. She didn’t dare look across at Theo. Or perhaps this wasn’t a surprise for him?
It was funny; six months ago, the news of Nicola’s departure would have had her cheering, but now… Now Kate almost felt sorry about it. Her relationship with her boss had changed so much for the better. Oh well, it was Nicola’s choice. Kate focused her attention back on what DCI Weaver was saying.
“—wanted to thank you all for your hard work on this. It’s not been the easiest of cases and I, for one, appreciate the effort that you’ve all put in.”
Nicola’s eyes met Kate’s and she smiled, properly. Touched and pleased, Kate smiled back.
***
Later that day, Kate drove to Anderton’s cottage, a decent bottle of red wine rolling gently on the car seat beside her. The sun was setting in a blaze of orange and gold cloud and the last remnants of the autumn leaves on the trees fluttered in the gentle breeze. Kate parked her car next to Anderton’s in his driveway and hurried towards the door of his cottage, clutching her wine bottle and shivering. The meagre warmth of the sun was rapidly fading as the autumn night took hold.
Anderton opened the door and kissed her. “What a day you must h
ave had.”
“It’s over now.” Kate stepped gratefully into the warmth of his house and put her arms around him. “I’m home now.”
“Yes, you are.” Anderton tipped her face up to his and regarded her. “You are home.”
There was a moment of silence while they looked at each other, hearing the words that weren’t being said.
“Come on in,” said Anderton. “I’ve made up a fire. Come and sit by it with me and we’ll talk about the future.”
“I’d like that,” said Kate. She took his hand, and they walked into the sitting room together.
THE END
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Want some more of Celina Grace’s work for free? Subscribers to her mailing list get a free digital copy of Requiem (A Kate Redman Mystery: Book 2), a free digital copy of A Prescription for Death (The Asharton Manor Mysteries Book 2) and a free PDF copy of her short story collection A Blessing From The Obeah Man.
Requiem (A Kate Redman Mystery: Book 2)
When the body of troubled teenager Elodie Duncan is pulled from the river in Abbeyford, the case is at first assumed to be a straightforward suicide. Detective Sergeant Kate Redman is shocked to discover that she’d met the victim the night before her death, introduced by Kate’s younger brother Jay. As the case develops, it becomes clear that Elodie was murdered. A talented young musician, Elodie had been keeping some strange company and was hiding her own dark secrets.
As the list of suspects begin to grow, so do the questions. What is the significance of the painting Elodie modelled for? Who is the man who was seen with her on the night of her death? Is there any connection with another student’s death at the exclusive musical college that Elodie attended?
As Kate and her partner Detective Sergeant Mark Olbeck attempt to unravel the mystery, the dark undercurrents of the case threaten those whom Kate holds most dear…
A Prescription For Death (The Asharton Manor Mysteries: Book 2) – A Novella
“I had a surge of kinship the first time I saw the manor, perhaps because we’d both seen better days.”
It is 1947. Asharton Manor, once one of the most beautiful stately homes in the West Country, is now a convalescent home for former soldiers. Escaping the devastation of post-war London is Vivian Holt, who moves to the nearby village and begins to volunteer as a nurse’s aide at the manor. Mourning the death of her soldier husband, Vivian finds solace in her new friendship with one of the older patients, Norman Winter, someone who has served his country in both world wars. Slowly, Vivian’s heart begins to heal, only to be torn apart when she arrives for work one day to be told that Norman is dead.
It seems a straightforward death, but is it? Why did a particular photograph disappear from Norman’s possessions after his death? Who is the sinister figure who keeps following Vivian? Suspicion and doubts begin to grow and when another death occurs, Vivian begins to realise that the war may be over but the real battle is just beginning…
A Blessing From The Obeah Man
Dare you read on? Horrifying, scary, sad and thought-provoking, this short story collection will take you on a macabre journey. In the titular story, a honeymooning couple take a wrong turn on their trip around Barbados. The Mourning After brings you a shivery story from a suicidal teenager. In Freedom Fighter, an unhappy middle-aged man chooses the wrong day to make a bid for freedom, whereas Little Drops of Happiness and Wave Goodbye are tales of darkness from sunny Down Under. Strapping Lass and The Club are for those who prefer, shall we say, a little meat to the story…
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More Books By Celina Grace…
Hushabye (A Kate Redman Mystery: Book 1)
On the first day of her new job in the West Country, Detective Sergeant Kate Redman finds herself investigating the kidnapping of Charlie Fullman, the newborn son of a wealthy entrepreneur and his trophy wife. It seems a straightforward case… but as Kate and her fellow officer Mark Olbeck delve deeper, they uncover murky secrets and multiple motives for the crime.
Kate finds the case bringing up painful memories of her own past secrets. As she confronts the truth about herself, her increasing emotional instability threatens both her hard-won career success and the possibility that they will ever find Charlie Fullman alive…
Hushabye is the book that introduces Detective Sergeant Kate Redman.
Available as a FREE download from Amazon Kindle.
Imago (A Kate Redman Mystery: Book 3)
“They don’t fear me, quite the opposite. It makes it twice as fun… I know the next time will be soon, I’ve learnt to recognise the signs. I think I even know who it will be. She’s oblivious of course, just as she should be. All the time, I watch and wait and she has no idea, none at all. And why would she? I’m disguised as myself, the very best disguise there is.”
A known prostitute is found stabbed to death in a shabby corner of Abbeyford. Detective Sergeant Kate Redman and her partner Detective Sergeant Olbeck take on the case, expecting to have it wrapped up in a matter of days. Kate finds herself distracted by her growing attraction to her boss, Detective Chief Inspector Anderton – until another woman’s body is found, with the same knife wounds. And then another one after that, in a matter of days.
Forced to confront the horrifying realisation that a serial killer may be preying on the vulnerable women of Abbeyford, Kate, Olbeck and the team find themselves in a race against time to unmask a terrifying murderer, who just might be hiding in plain sight…
Buy Imago on Amazon, available now.
Snarl (A Kate Redman Mystery: Book 4)
A research laboratory opens on the outskirts of Abbeyford, bringing with it new people, jobs, prosperity and publicity to the area – as well as a mob of protesters and animal rights activists. The team at Abbeyford police station take this new level of civil disorder in their stride – until a fatal car bombing of one of the laboratory’s head scientists means more drastic measures must be taken…
Detective Sergeant Kate Redman is struggling to come to terms with being back at work after long period of absence on sick leave; not to mention the fact that her erstwhile partner Olbeck has now been promoted above her. The stakes get even higher as a multiple murder scene is uncovered and a violent activist is implicated in the crime. Kate and the team must put their lives on the line to expose the murderer and untangle the snarl of accusations, suspicions and motives.
Available now from Amazon.
Chimera (A Kate Redman Mystery: Book 5)
The West Country town of Abbeyford is celebrating its annual pagan festival, when the festivities are interrupted by the discovery of a very decomposed body. Soon, several other bodies are discovered but is it a question of foul play or are these deaths from natural causes?
It’s a puzzle that Detective Sergeant Kate Redman and the team could do without, caught up as they are in investigating an unusual series of robberies. Newly single again, Kate also has to cope with her upcoming Inspector exams and a startling announcement from her friend and colleague DI Mark Olbeck…
; When a robbery goes horribly wrong, Kate begins to realise that the two cases might be linked. She must use all her experience and intelligence to solve a serious of truly baffling crimes which bring her up against an old adversary from her past…
Buy Chimera (A Kate Redman Mystery: Book 5) from Amazon, available now.
Echo (A Kate Redman Mystery: Book 6)
The West Country town of Abbeyford is suffering its worst floods in living memory when a landslide reveals the skeletal remains of a young woman. Detective Sergeant Kate Redman is assigned to the case but finds herself up against a baffling lack of evidence, missing files and the suspicion that someone on high is blocking her investigation…
Matters are complicated by her estranged mother making contact after years of silence. As age-old secrets are uncovered and powerful people are implicated, Kate and the team are determined to see justice done. But at what price?
Now available from Amazon.
Creed (A Kate Redman Mystery: Book 7)
Joshua Widcombe and Kaya Trent were the golden couple of Abbeyford’s School of Art and Drama; good-looking, popular and from loving, stable families. So why did they kill themselves on the grassy stage of the college’s outdoor theatre?
Detective Chief Inspector Anderton thinks there might be something more to the case than a straightforward teenage suicide pact. Detective Sergeant Kate Redman agrees with him, but nothing is certain until another teenager at the college kills herself, quickly followed by yet another death. Why are the privileged teens of this exclusive college killing themselves? Is this a suicide cluster?
