DCI James Hardy Series Boxset

by Jay Gill

“Who?” I said, trying to sound innocent. “Detective Inspector Cotton?”

  “Not her. The other one.” Monica looked at me seriously. “Should we be concerned?”

  I got up and stood behind her. I wrapped my arms around her and kissed her hair. “I made a promise.”

  “I know you did. And I know you meant it. But what if Lyle comes after you or Alice or Faith or your parents?”

  “She won’t do that.” I knew I was on shaky ground making a statement like that.

  Monica brushed me off and looked angry. “Can you look me in the eye, your daughters in the eye, and tell us that this… this Lyle who has killed God knows how many people will not come near you or your family?”

  “Why are you getting angry with me?”

  Monica crossed her arms. “Because I don’t know what I want. I don’t want you in danger. I never want to go through feeling I might lose you ever again. But all the time she is out there, I don’t feel safe. And…”

  “And what?”

  “I hate to say it, but you need it. I can see it now. You’re not the same when you’re not all… I don’t know. All high-octane, Mr Sheriff of Dodge City.”

  “Mr Sheriff of Dodge City?” We both laughed. “Where do you get this stuff from?”

  “You know what I mean, though, don’t you? I don’t want you in danger, and I need you to promise you’ll listen to me and not go all mean and moody. I won’t stand for it.”

  I pulled Monica close to me and kissed her. “I thought you liked me mean and moody.”

  “I’m being serious, James. I think it will do you good to take a look at the investigation. Speak to Emma Cotton. Help her out. It will also make me feel safer to know that you’re involved in trying to stop this crazy bitch before she turns on us. Just don’t get completely sucked in by it all. Learn to moderate.”

  She was right. A part of me had hoped by staying out of the investigation I’d be left alone. I’d be keeping my family safe from Lyle. In truth, the more it went on, the more personal the investigation had become. It was time to stop hiding and push back instead.

  “I’ll offer advice and maybe make some calls. I’ll get involved,” I said.

  “Maybe you’ll stop moping around,” said Monica with a grin.

  “Moping around? What do you mean? I’ve never moped in my life.”

  “Come on, James. That big brain of yours needs a proper challenge. Preferably before you drive us all crazy.” She pinched my waist. “Getting out of the house a bit more will help in other ways too.”

  “Hey! That’s not fair. I’m the same weight I was when I was twenty-one.”

  I started tickling her.

  “Yeah, right.” Monica tried to escape.

  “Why do I think you and Emma are ganging up on me?”

  Sandy started barking and jumping up as I tickled and chased Monica. She slid to the floor and Sandy licked her face. The barking and laughing brought Alice and Faith into the kitchen. They cheered and helped me tickle Monica, who was now crawling on her hands and knees across the kitchen floor trying to get away.

  “Get her,” called Faith eagerly.

  “I’ve got her leg,” shouted Alice. “Daddy, you stop her.”

  “I’ve got a better idea. How about I get you two? Rooagh!”

  The girls squealed and ran upstairs into Alice’s bedroom. The door slammed. Monica and I smiled at their giggles.

  “I’m coming to get you,” I called. “Wherever you are. You can’t hide from me. I’m coming to get you.”

  Chapter Eighteen

  Lyle had spent the day preparing the farmhouse. She’d gone over every scenario in her mind and felt confident that, whatever happened, she’d come out on top. Sustained success doesn’t happen by chance.

  Having driven around for a while, she was satisfied she hadn’t been followed and headed home. Close to home, she once again circled around several times before finally pulling into the driveway and parking the car.

  She opened the front door and immediately sensed movement in the house. She gently shut the door behind her and looked around for something she could use as a weapon. If the police were in the house, she wouldn’t go quietly.

  Lyle pushed off her shoes. She moved silently.

  From the other room, she heard singing. She relaxed, a curious smile spreading across her face. Stocking-toed, Lyle crept to the kitchen.

  She had told Sienna to leave, but apparently this young woman had a mind of her own. It was time to see what she was made of. Lyle crept up behind her as she added sauce to a tray of pasta.

  Absorbed in the music playing and her own singing, Sienna had no idea Lyle was behind her. She slipped an arm around Sienna’s neck and pulled tight. Sienna gasped, dropped the tray and tried to release herself from Lyle’s grip. The arm was too strong.

  Lyle released the hold a little. Interpreting her embrace as playfulness, Sienna turned to face her.

  “Please don’t be angry,” she said. “Let me say something.”

  Lyle let Sienna continue. She’d better make this good.

  “I know what you said, and I don’t believe you. We had fun, and I find you incredibly sexy and interesting. I thought perhaps you are scared of getting hurt. I wanted to let you know that I am too, and perhaps that means we made a connection. Maybe that’s why we’re both feeling apprehensive.” She got up on tiptoes and kissed Lyle, then unfastened several buttons on Lyle’s blouse and softly kissed each breast.

  Lyle watched Sienna and said nothing. She enjoyed the soothing pleasure of her touch while listening to her point of view. She felt conflicted. There was something about Sienna that, for the time being at least, was intriguing.

  Sienna looked up into Lyle’s eyes and waited for her response. Instead, Lyle ran upstairs, leaving her alone and confused.

  Chapter Nineteen

  Lyle slammed the bedroom door behind her. She paced the room, her mind racing. How could she complete her game with her mind drifting to thoughts of Sienna? Lyle knew what she should do. But Sienna fascinated her. She liked her spirit. To avoid killing her she needed to prove to herself that keeping Sienna around wasn’t a mistake.

  She lifted her head. Listened.

  Silence.

  Then the sound of a cupboard door slamming. Sienna.

  Lyle smiled.

  Did she need this complication in her life right now? Lyle could run through the pros and cons, but ultimately there was no escaping the fact that for the first time in a very long time someone had touched her heart. The trouble was, she knew very little about Sienna. Would she be willing to accept Lyle for who she was and understand her the way Leanne Dupres had? Lyle had not said that name out loud in a long time. Everything she had planned, the game she was playing, she was doing was for her. And yet, until now, she had been unable to speak her name. She was changing. She could feel it.

  If Sienna became a threat to her or her plans, could she move fast to dispose of her? It would be safer to have no involvement at all.

  Lyle went back downstairs to the kitchen.

  Sienna was slicing salad, loudly. She picked up the chopped leaves and dumped them in the salad bowl. Lyle walked up behind her and took the knife from her hand.

  “I’m a very private person, and I cannot afford to allow just anyone into my life.”

  Sienna lowered her head. Lyle put the tip of the knife under Sienna’s chin and lifted her face. Lyle looked her straight in the eyes.

  She said, “I never want another living soul to know about me. There are things about me that I don’t expect you to understand, things I must deal with.”

  “If that’s how you feel,” said Sienna, “if that’s how you truly feel, then I’ll leave. I was wrong about us.”

  “You haven’t let me finish. I’d like you to stay for a while, but there need to be certain conditions. There must be rules.

  “First, you will never disobey me again. If I tell you to do something, you do it. Second, you must never discuss me, what
we do together, or what I do. I never want another living soul to know about me or us. First thing tomorrow you will go and collect your passport and bring it here to me. It might be necessary for us to leave the country at very short notice.

  “I need you to think long and hard before you agree to these rules, because if you break any of them there will be consequences, the sort of consequences you won’t enjoy and could be very final for you.” She stroked Sienna’s throat with the blade of the knife to emphasise her words.

  “My life is mundane,” said Sienna. “If I don’t make changes, there’ll be more of the same. You thrill me. With you, I see a future of excitement and risk. I can’t go back to the mundane, not now. I won’t. I want to be with you. I want to be with you for as long as possible.”

  “In that case,” said Lyle, smiling triumphantly, “we’ll have to see how exciting we can make the future for us. I can promise you it won’t be mundane.”

  She took the knife and cut the straps on Sienna’s dress and let it fall to the floor. She pulled her to her and kissed her shoulders, then put the knife down on the worktop and ran her fingers tenderly down Sienna’s soft back.

  “I must work tonight. But I have a few hours before I need to leave.” She gently lowered Sienna to the kitchen floor, where she kissed every inch of her body.

  Chapter Twenty

  “There’s a good spot just up ahead. Why don’t we pull in there?”

  “Just here?” His hand trembled.

  “That’s it, sweetheart. You seem a little nervous. Don’t be. I’ll look after you. We’re going to have a lovely time. It’ll be something you’ll remember for the rest of your life, I promise. What’s your name, darling?” She ran her hand up the inside of his thigh.

  “Lee. Lee Nunn.” His voice trembled, and his heart was drumming out of his chest. The anticipation sent adrenaline coursing through his body, making him feel lightheaded. He felt like he might overheat. His skin was moist with sweat. He opened the window a little.

  “Are you still at home, darlin’?”

  “Yeah.” He laughed it off. “Getting my own place soon as I can get the deposit together. Been doing double shifts at my shitty job. Working weekends too.”

  “You don’t need to tell me. I know how difficult it can be. I bet your mum looks after you really well, doesn’t she? A sweet boy like you.”

  Nunn wanted to change the subject.

  “I… I haven’t done this before. This is my first time. With anyone. It’s my birthday today, you see. I’m…” He hesitated, embarrassed to say it out loud, but he liked her, so he continued. “Thirty.”

  He’d spent quite some time studying her profile online before choosing her. He knew what she was. His mum called them tarts and whores. Then again, she insisted any woman in a short skirt or low-cut top was flaunting it. She’d say, “Stay well clear of women like that. You get mixed up with a tart like that, she’ll get herself knocked up. You won’t even know if it’s yours. She’ll demand child support, then she’ll be off with the next fella she meets with more money or a fancy car. I’ve seen it happen time and again. You’ll find a nice girl. Be patient.” He’d waited. And now, on his thirtieth birthday, he was in a car with Jo-Jo Rox.

  He was a pragmatist. He knew Jo-Jo Rox was being nice because of his money and hoping he might become a regular. Which he might if it all went well. She was a bit older than him, mid-forties at a guess, but that was okay. She was very attractive, and he didn’t want anyone his own age or younger. That would feel wrong. No, she was just right. Just how he’d imagined. Her lips were glossy with lipstick. Her nails were painted, and her hands looked soft. He glanced at her breasts. He swallowed hard, and his breathing became jerky as he exhaled. He hoped it wouldn’t be over too quickly. That would be embarrassing.

  “First things first,” Jo-Jo said. She put out her hand.

  “I’m sorry. Yes, of course.”

  He got out the money, and she tucked it into her purse.

  “Thank you. Now, no funny business. We discussed earlier what I will and won’t do within your budget.” Jo-Jo winked at him. “Look, it’s your first time, and it’s your birthday, so perhaps I could throw in a little extra. Something I save for my regulars. How does that sound?”

  Lee nodded. He didn’t know what that might be, but he wasn’t going to refuse.

  “Don’t look so nervous. We’re going to have fun – I promise.”

  His chest was pounding so hard and his head was spinning so fast he wasn’t sure he’d heard what she said. He smiled and nodded again.

  “How about you unzip yourself and pull down your trousers and undies for me. Get yourself comfortable. I’ll find us some protection. Don’t be shy, handsome. It’s why we’re here.”

  While Jo-Jo rooted around in her purse, Lee did as he was told. He pushed his seat back and reclined it.

  “Is Jo-Jo Rox your real name?” asked Lee.

  She laughed sweetly. “That’s my working name. We all have working names. It’s sexier than my real name. Do you like it?”

  Lee nodded.

  “Having a street name or online name – I do a lot of online work for fans as well now – keeps us safe from the nutters too. You wouldn’t believe the nutters you meet doing this job.”

  Lee thought that perhaps he would.

  Jo-Jo unwrapped the condom then leaned over and rolled it on. “Lovely. We’re good to go. I’ll let you in on a little secret. My real name is Kelly, but I prefer it if you call me Roxy or Jo-Jo. Are you ready?”

  Lee groaned as Jo-Jo used her mouth on him. He thought he might be in love. He was definitely in love. He loved her.

  Jo-Jo reached back for the scissors she had in her purse. Opening the blades, she lifted her head and said, “Everything okay, Lee?”

  “Uh-huh. Don’t stop. Whatever you’re doing, keep doing it. You’re amazing.” Lee pushed back in his seat, his eyes tight shut. This was the best birthday ever.

  “That’s what I like to hear. Lyle.”

  “What’s that?” said Lee.

  “My real name. Kelly Lyle.”

  “I like that name. It’s nice,” said Lee. His eyes were shut tight. At this moment in time, he didn’t care what the hell her name was. She could call herself whatever she wanted. All he could think was he didn’t want her to stop.

  Jo-Jo brought the scissors up close, the blades wide open. She took a firm grip of Lee again. He moaned with pleasure. She held him steady and with only three strokes cut his penis clean off.

  Unsure what had happened Lee opened his eyes and looked at Jo-Jo. He was hurting. Something wasn’t right. In the darkness of the car, he couldn’t see the blood; he only felt its warmth as it flowed between his legs. Lee flicked on the car’s internal light. There was blood on him and on her hands.

  “What happened? Are you okay? Is it me?” Lee checked himself. His brain was confused. He caught a glimpse of the scissors. “What did you do?” he demanded.

  Kelly Jo-Jo Rox Lyle opened her hand and showed him what she’d cut off. She showed him the scissors. “Snip-snip, snip-snip.”

  Lyle drove the scissors deep into Lee Nunn’s neck. She did it again and again and again. Savage repeated thrusts. Finally, she pressed the scissors deep into his left eye, where she left them.

  “Sorry, Lee, you picked the wrong woman tonight. I’m not sure how your family are going to react when they hear the circumstances surrounding your death. It’s going to be embarrassing, to say the least.”

  Lee was grasping at his throat. He tried to speak but only managed a deep, guttural choking sound. He kicked out at her in anger. His hand reached for the door handle. The door swung open, and he fell out onto the pavement. He tried to crawl away, but his foot was trapped behind the hinge of the door. He didn’t have the strength to move it.

  She walked around the car and leaned over him. The moonlight lit up his face, the scissors protruding from his eye socket. “That looks painful. Does it sting? I’m going to leave you s
hortly. You’ve got to admit it was fun while it lasted. Anyway, I’ll post your dick to your mother. I’ll make sure she gets it the day after your funeral. Just when she thinks things can’t get any worse, she’ll get your manhood in the post.” She held up a clear zip-seal bag holding his penis. “I’ll include a note from yours truly telling her all about tonight.”

  Lee spluttered. His lungs gasped for air and his one eye stared.

  “I’d love to be a fly on the wall when she realises the rest of you has been buried, and now she’s got to decide what to do with this little dinky of yours.”

  Lee’s efforts to get to safety stopped. Fighting for breath through all the blood was his only concern. The blood looked black in the moonlight.

  Lee put out his hand to Lyle. He tried to say “Help.” Lyle crouched down beside him and watched him drift away.

  She stayed with him until it was finally over. She checked his pulse. Nothing.

  “Goodbye, Lee. We had fun, didn’t we? Happy birthday.”

  She looked up at the moon and the stars. She looked around and regretted picking this spot for the death of Lee Nunn. It would have been interesting to come back and observe the crime scene when DI Cotton and friends were doing their thing, but this spot would not allow her to observe from afar without being noticed.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Emma’s mobile phone buzzed and its face shone bright. She reached out in the darkness and knocked the phone to the floor. She scooted around and reached down. Still leaning over the side of the bed, she looked at the message. It was from Dave. It said, “Can we talk? Soon.” No kiss, she noted.

  She guessed he was ready to collect his stuff. He could wait. She didn’t reply to the message. They were over, and she was okay about it. Probably for the best. Probably. She rolled into the centre of the bed and pulled the duvet over her head. She tried to sleep. After forty minutes of tossing and turning, she dressed and went for a run.