by M A Comley
UNFAIR JUSTICE
M. A. COMLEY
Table of Contents
Title Page
Acknowledgments
UNFAIR JUSTICE | CHAPTER ONE
CHAPTER TWO
CHAPTER THREE
CHAPTER FOUR
CHAPTER FIVE
CHAPTER SIX
CHAPTER SEVEN
EPILOGUE
Acknowledgments
Thank you as always to my rock, Jean, 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.
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 (15,000 word short story)
Prime Justice (Book #14)
Unfair Justice (a 10,000 word short story)
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)
Web of Deceit (DI Sally Parker Novella with Tara Lyons)
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 Due out in July 2017)
Sole Intention (Intention Series #1)
Grave Intention (Intention Series #2)
Devious Intention (Intention Series#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
Twitter @melcom1
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UNFAIR JUSTICE
CHAPTER ONE
The air was thick with a heavy mist as DI Lorne Simpkins drove cautiously into work on Monday morning. She sighed wearily, seeing the similarities in the weather to the doom and gloom she’d experienced at home during the weekend. Things with her husband, Tom, were declining rapidly, and the arguments were becoming all too frequent. However, Lorne felt sorriest for Charlie, her thirteen-year-old daughter, who was stuck in the middle of their petty squabbles. Lorne had attempted to take Charlie roller-skating over the weekend, but Tom had kicked up such a fuss about her not wanting to spend time with him, that the idea had been blown out of the water. Life was so boring and filled with angst, it left her wondering how much longer she could cope with being trapped in such a suffocating marriage. Where was the excitement in her life? Apart from being a detective inspector in the Met, there really wasn’t another ounce of excitement anywhere to be seen.
She pulled into the car park and spotted her partner, DS Pete Childs, unfurling his large frame from his clapped-out car. Lorne had nicknamed it the “Sherman tank” because it always deafened her whenever she had the misfortune to ride in the damn thing. “Morning, Chunky. How was your weekend?”
“Morning. Dismal, as usual. How was yours?”
Lorne laughed. “Pretty much the same. Good job we’ve got this place to brighten up our dreary lives, eh?”
Pete raised his eyes up to the grey sky above. “If you say so.”
They walked up the stairs, discussing the appalling Arsenal match they’d both been forced to sit through the day before, and Lorne looked up to find DCI Roberts waiting for them. “Hello, sir. Do you need a word?”
“Morning, Pete. In my office, Lorne, if you don’t mind.” He turned and headed down the hallway, expecting her to follow him.
“Looks like I’m in trouble again.”
“Give him hell. We ain’t done nothing wrong,” Pete mumbled under his breath.
Lorne winked at him and trotted after the DCI, whom she had a mixed working relationship with. Back when they’d first started out in the force together, she and Sean Roberts had been romantically involved—until Lorne had met Tom. Sean Roberts had recently come back into her life as her DCI. Most of the time, he was amicable towards her, but other times, she picked up on a certain amount of animosity, as though he detested her for dumping him all those years ago.
DCI Roberts sat in his chair and pulled it under his large, cluttered desk. “Close the door, Lorne, and take a seat.” He sought out a file from the stack in front of him and threw it across the desk at her. “Your next case.”
She raised an eyebrow. “Do you want me to read it, or are you going to give me a brief synopsis?”
“In summary, a young woman’s body was discovered in the early hours of yesterday morning. I want you and your team to take up the investigation.”
“Why am I being told about this now and not yesterday, sir?”
“Because I had other things on my mind.”
“That’s helpful. You’re aware of how crucial the first twenty-four to forty-eight hours in an investigation are, aren’t you?”
“Less of the sarcasm, Inspector. If you must know, the case was originally assigned to someone else, but I thought it would be better suited to your team.”
“And that’s it? That’s all you’re going to share with me?”
“Yes. I have my reasons, and that’s all you need to know. Now go read the file and start the investigation. Your first stop should be the mortuary. I believe the pathologist is getting ready to perform the post-mortem first thing this morning. I’d suggest you give him a call, try and persuade him to postpone it until you get there.”
“And who is the pathologist, sir?”
“Jacques Arna
ud.”
“Crap, this day just gets better and better, and it’s not even nine o’clock yet.”
“Do you have a problem with the man?”
“Nope. Let’s just say our relationship can be as turbulent as yours and mine.”
He sat back in his chair and intertwined his fingers over his slim torso. “Maybe you should try harder in that case, Inspector.”
Lorne’s eyes widened. “Me? Me try harder? Not sure that’s possible, sir. I give my all to this job, and for some people, that just isn’t good enough.” She folded her arms in defiance.
“Cut the bloody crap, Lorne. There must be something wrong if you continually fall out with this pathologist—and me, for that matter.”
She ground her teeth together as the hot, searing blood rushed through her veins. Don’t rise to the bait. He’s got you by the short and curlies. He’s just trying to initiate a fight. She uncrossed her legs and stood up. “If that will be all, sir, I’ve got work to do.”
“Running away as usual, Inspector?”
“Not at all, sir. You know me where confrontation is concerned. I’d rather avoid it where possible.”
Roberts smirked, no doubt thinking he had won this particular battle of wills. “Keep me informed on this one, Inspector, and don’t let me down.”
She shook her head and left the room. Let him down? What an absolute tosser you’ve become, Sean.
“All right, team, we’ve got a new case we need to look into. Let me peruse the file over some much-needed caffeine and get back to you in a few minutes. She stopped at the vending machine then marched into the office. After taking a sip of coffee, she breathed in and out a few times before she plucked up the courage to call the pathology department. “Hello, is it possible to speak to Dr. Arnaud please?” she asked the female who answered her call.
“One second. I think he’s just about to step into his theatre.”
“Oh no, it’s okay. Please don’t disturb him.”
“He’s here now. Just a moment.”
“Hello, who is this?” Jacques Arnaud’s thick French accent filled her ear.
Lorne gulped. “Hi, Dr. Arnaud. It’s DI Lorne Simpkins. I was ringing up to see if you wouldn’t mind postponing the post-mortem you have planned on a female murder victim this morning...”
“May I ask why you would ask such a thing?”
Oh crap, there’s that bloody unfriendly tone again. “I’ve only just been handed the file...”
“And? You are asking me to delay my schedule so that you can catch up on the case? Is that right?”
“Yes—I mean no. Dr. Arnaud, I’m just asking you to delay it for half an hour. That’s all.”
“You have fifteen minutes.”
Lorne heard a click and knew he’d hung up. “Ignorant bloody shit.” She slammed her phone down onto its receiver. “Pete!”
Seconds later, her partner appeared in the doorway.
“We’ll be setting off soon. We have a PM to attend.”
Pete’s face turned a pale shade of green. “Really? You want me to go with you?”
Lorne blew out a breath. “I know you hate them, hon, but I could really do with the moral support. You know what I’m like around Arnaud.”
“Yeah, but...”
“Bloody hell, it’s about time you manned up in that department. Tell AJ to get ready to accompany me then. Here’s the file. Get it copied for me ASAP so AJ can fill me in on the way.”
“Okay. Sorry, boss.” Pete left the room with his head slumped into his broad shoulders.
CHAPTER TWO
Lorne and AJ donned their obligatory green outfits before joining Dr. Jacques Arnaud in his “theatre,” as he called the examination room where he carried out the post-mortems.
“Nice of you to join me, eventually, Inspector.”
“Sorry, there was a hold-up in the traffic.”
“Excuses, excuses. Right, let’s begin.”
Lorne shuffled closer to the table, while AJ remained a few feet behind Lorne. On the way to the hospital, she had checked with him to make sure he would be all right to attend the PM. Though he’d assured her he would be, but the worried expression on his face gave Lorne grave doubts that he’d been telling the truth. She reached out and pulled him closer. His eyes widened as the pathologist inserted his scalpel. Fearing another lashing from Arnaud’s venomous tongue, Lorne decided it would be best to ignore her partner’s behaviour.
“The victim is Maria Collins, according to the photo ID we discovered at the scene. Aged nineteen. Here are the photos of the scene; I thought you might be interested in them as you’ve only just been handed the case.” He pointed to the stainless-steel table beside him.
Lorne moved along the length of the corpse and picked up the photos. She shook her head. “She was found half-naked. Probable sexual assault then? Is that a love bite on her neck?”
“The murderer strangled her with her own bra. It could be a mark from that, but it does look like the remains of a love bite which is a few days old. There is evidence of sexual assault—to what extent, I won’t know until I’ve conducted a full examination.”
“Okay, I’d rather not hear all the gory details, Doc, if it’s all the same to you. How about DNA?”
“We found nothing of significance at the scene. Again, I might have something for you after I’ve completed the examination of the victim’s vagina.”
Lorne winced. She hadn’t expected him to come right out and say the word. A smile curled the edge of his lip—he had a tendency to try to embarrass her when it suited him. “Where was the body found?”
“By the railway track down at Plumstead.”
“How close to the track?”
His brow furrowed. “Close enough for the driver of the train to see the body from his cab. He was the one who raised the alarm.”
“That must have been a shock for him. You said you have her ID. Does that mean her handbag was found at the location?”
“Yes. Her clothes were scattered all around her also.”
“Hmm... so this wasn’t just a random robbery then?”
“That’s for you to find out, Inspector. I must get on with the PM now. I have another four lined up today, and I’m already running late.”
Lorne nodded, accepting his reprimand once more. She continued to analyse the photos as Arnaud completed the Y-section to the corpse. Lorne looked up and was glad to see AJ taking an interest in the procedure at last, unlike Pete, who usually took up his usual position in a seat close to the door, ready to dash to the toilet.
The post-mortem lasted a couple of hours, then Arnaud announced that the cause of death had been strangulation. However, the victim had initially been struck in the back of the head and was probably dazed when the attack and subsequent murder happened.
“Thank you, Doctor. Please keep me informed regarding the results from the other tests you’ve carried out,” Lorne requested as they left the theatre together.
“Of course. Good luck in your search, Inspector.” He turned his back and walked into his office, closing the door behind him.
“Wow, is he always so abrupt?” AJ asked as they slipped off their protective greens before heading out of the pathology department, which was located in the basement of the local hospital.
“Only with me. I believe he’s quite cordial with the other female officers on the force whom he comes into contact with.”
“How come? Have you ticked him off along the way, boss?”
Lorne shrugged. “Not as far as I know. I suppose the other women tend to swoon over his French accent. Between you and me, it gives me the willies.”
AJ laughed.
Lorne drove them to the crime scene. The location had been cordoned off, and a uniformed officer was still on-site, guarding the area.
Lorne produced her ID. “I’m the officer in charge of the case. Has anyone else been near the scene, other than the appropriate authorities, I mean?”
“No, ma’am.” The y
oung man looked frozen.
Lorne handed him the keys to the car. “Go and sit in my car for half an hour to warm up.”
The young man hesitated before he nodded and smiled. “Thank you, ma’am.”
“Take down some notes for me, AJ, as we walk the scene. Right, what have we got here?” Lorne noted the numbered markers still distributed on the ground within a three-metre-square area. “This is where the body was found. Hmm... what’s this?”
“Looks like a motorbike track. One of those scrambling bikes, perhaps? Narrow tyres compared to a normal motorbike.”
“Well spotted. Okay, that’s a start.” She withdrew the photos Arnaud had supplied and surveyed the area again. “Her body was found here. Her clothes were scattered around. That’s what most of these markers appear to point out.” She took two paces to her right and pointed at a marker with the number six written on it. “This is where her handbag was found, right by the tyre marks.”
“Do you think she was attacked here and then her body moved towards the railway line?”
“Maybe the murderer intended to put her body on the track, hoping that a train would finish her off.” Lorne shuddered at the prospect.
“Perhaps the person was disturbed. Dr. Arnaud said he put the time of death between three and six a.m. Would there be many people around at that time of the morning to disturb the murderer?”
“That’s what we need to find out, AJ. All we have at the moment are a lot of questions and very few answers. Bloody annoying that we weren’t given the case from the outset. I hate arriving at the scene forty-eight hours later.”
“I agree. Do you think that was intentional, boss?”
Lorne turned to face him, wrinkling her brow. “I have no idea, AJ. It did seem odd to be given the case after a few days, and the chief didn’t offer a reason.”
“Where do we go from here?”
“We’ll stick around here for a few more minutes and then head back to the station to begin the background checks and see where that leads us.”
CHAPTER THREE
Lorne and AJ returned to the station. Pete welcomed them with an apprehensive smile.
Lorne punched his arm playfully as she passed. “Get me a coffee, partner, while I make some notes on the board.” She approached the incident board and picked up the marker pen. At the very top, she wrote the victim’s name, Maria Collins.
