DI Sally Parker Thrillers Box Set, page 40
part #1 of DI Sally Parker Series
“What a callous woman you are. Not once thinking about how damaging your actions would be to the one you say you love most in this world. Samantha will be traumatised for life because of what you have stolen from her. How could you kill Kathy with your granddaughter upstairs in the same house?”
Tears trickled from Yvette’s eyes. Sally suspected they were tears of sympathy for her own selfish sake and not for the two victims, whose lives she had ended so recklessly. “For a split second, I forgot she was even there.”
“Really? You expect me to believe that when you’ve just told me you parcelled the girl off to her room a few seconds before?”
She shrugged. “That’s how it happened. I’m telling you the truth in the hope it will ease my guilt, Inspector.”
“Nice to see you showing some kind of remorse at last, Yvette. Tell me this; did you know that both women were pregnant?”
“I had an idea. If you’ve ever been through a pregnancy, you get a nose for these things.”
Sally was appalled by the woman’s admission. “And that fact didn’t prevent you from reconsidering your murderous actions.”
Yvette flinched when Sally emphasised the word murderous. “No. I keep telling you, you would need to put yourself in my shoes to understand the anguish I was riddled with.”
“I doubt I’d ever be driven to the lengths of killing someone. Let alone four people. Because that is what this amounts to, Yvette. You’ve robbed this world, and your family, of four innocent lives.”
Yvette’s head dropped swiftly onto her chest as the magnitude of what she had done finally sank in. She could try to justify her actions all she liked, but the truth was there for all to see: her craziness had ripped her own family apart.
“What I don’t understand is your willingness to apportion the blame on others. You had no compunction in trying to frame either of your sons. Boy, you must really hate them.”
Her head snapped back up. Anger shone in her eyes. “I love my sons. How dare you infer that? Even after Colin did what he did to Gemma.”
“What did he do, Yvette?” Sally asked, intrigued.
“They didn’t have an affair. That is what he told you, isn’t it? Don’t make him out to be a blameless party here. It’s Colin’s fault that Gemma was leaving. I’m sure it was.”
“What did he do?” Sally repeated with a sigh.
“He raped her. That child wasn’t conceived out of love.”
“What? Does Mark know about this?”
“No. We kept it a secret between ourselves. Colin being the father wouldn’t have come out at all if he hadn’t shown up at the house that day and opened his big mouth to Mark. I should have revealed to Mark then that I was aware that Colin had raped Gemma. My son was delusional. Colin loved Gemma so much, but she did all she could to escape his advances.”
“How did you know about the rape? Did Colin admit it to you?”
“No. I was in the utility room on the day of the barbecue. No one knew I was there. I overheard Gemma warning Colin that she would tell Mark about the incident if he didn’t stop harassing her.”
“Why? Why didn’t you intervene? Why didn’t you tackle Colin about the assault?”
Yvette shrugged. “Because I had my own agenda to deal with, I suppose. During the argument, I discovered Gemma’s intentions to leave Mark. She rubbed Colin’s nose in it, told him that because of his actions she could no longer be a wife to her husband in the bedroom.”
“And what did Colin say to that?”
“He acted like an excited puppy, thought that Gemma meant she was going to leave Mark for him.”
“Wow, your family truly have a way of twisting the truth to suit their needs, don’t they? That’s bloody priceless.”
Yvette shrugged. “I was hoping you would come down heavily on Colin, arrest him for Gemma’s death, but you didn’t.” Yvette sneered again.
Jack nudged his knee against Sally’s under the table, urging her to retaliate, “Oh, I get it—now it’s our fault for not arresting the wrong person. You really are a perverse, nasty woman. Everyone is to blame but you, eh?”
“I’ve showed Samantha real love. She would’ve wanted for nothing had she come to live with me.”
“You had no right to kill those women just so the access channels to your granddaughter remained open to you.”
“In your opinion, Inspector.”
Sally exhaled a large breath. “And the unborn children meant nothing to you, either? Is that what you’re telling me?”
“No one could replace Samantha. She’s an absolute treasure, the sweetest girl ever to walk the earth, and that is down to me. All the care and love I’ve shown her since the day she was born.”
Sally had heard enough. She could no longer bear to be in the same room as the loathsome woman. “We’re going round and round in circles here. Yvette Whiting, I am placing you under arrest for the murder of Gemma Whiting and Kathy Whiting…” Sally left the room after completing the arrest announcement under the glare of Yvette, who said nothing further in her defence.
EPILOGUE
The team met up at the pub they usually frequented to celebrate the conclusion of a case.
“Here’s to our success,” Jack announced, raising his pint. The others chinked their glasses against his.
Sally smiled weakly. Her mind was full of regrets for the innocent people whose lives had been affected—not only by a screwed-up grandmother, but also by her delusional son.
She doubted very much if Mark would ever fall in love with another woman, even though his mother would spend the rest of her life behind bars. He would always be wracked with guilt for what his own mother and brother had put the women he loved through. Mrs. Whiting’s husband was at present recuperating in the hospital after suffering a heart attack, brought on by Sally revealing the truth about his wife. The poor man had had no idea the lengths that his wife’s obsession with their granddaughter had gone to.
As for Colin Whiting, divorce was definitely on the cards for him and Leona. She’d forgiven him once for his ‘affair’ with Gemma. However, once Sally had disclosed the real nature of his relationship with Gemma, Leona had broken down in tears and said enough was enough as far as their marriage was concerned. Colin was, at that moment, sitting in a remand cell, awaiting trial for rape. Sally was uncertain if he would actually serve any time for his crime now that his victim was dead, but she would do all she could to see that he was punished for the crime he’d committed.
Jack clashed elbows with her. “Hey, you’re miles away. You should be happy, not gloomy about this, boss. We did it.”
“I know. I’m just sad for those who lost their lives. That’s all. Needlessly at that. Who gives people the right to snuff out another person’s life because they don’t conform to their wishes?”
Jack shrugged. “Pass. At the end of the day, boss, we’ve done our job and caught the culprits. At least there are no recriminations on our part.”
“Isn’t there, Jack? Maybe not for you, but I’ll always have deep regrets that I didn’t arrest Yvette sooner. Maybe, just maybe, Kathy would still be with us today if we’d picked up about the car sooner. I’m off home. Enjoy the rest of your evening, everyone. See you at work bright and early, to do it all over again.”
Sally left the pub and drove home. After bidding her mother and father a good evening with one of the most suffocating, loving hugs she could muster, she took Dex out for his evening walk to contemplate what lay ahead of her. Life was pretty darn good, and she envisaged it getting a whole lot better, now that Darryl had been punished and was permanently out of her life.
The End
COLD CASE
PROLOGUE
Ten years ago...
Aisha Thomas stepped through the front gate of her semi-detached Thetford home just after five thirty. She was back from work earlier than normal as she had made plans to go out to the theatre with a couple of girlfriends she hadn’t seen in a while. Flake, her one-eyed black rescue cat, greeted her at the front door. She swooped him into her arms and snuggled her face into his fur. “Have you missed me, baby?”
Flake’s purring was all the response she needed. She carried her fur baby into the kitchen and placed him on the counter while she opened a can of cat food. “Now don’t get in the way. Have some patience for a change.”
After dropping a few biscuits into the bowl alongside the tinned meat, she placed the bowl on the floor. Flake jumped down and eagerly started eating.
“Right, I better get ready now, or the girls will string me up.” Before going upstairs, Aisha checked to see if there were any messages on the answerphone, or if her husband, Patrick, had left any post for her to open. She found neither and continued up the stairs with a spring in her step, keen to jump in the bath and get ready for her night out.
She opened the wardrobe doors, removed several outfits, and laid them out on the bed before she hopped in the bath for a quick soak. When Aisha returned to the bedroom, a towel wrapped around her torso and another one in a turban around her hair, she thought she heard a noise downstairs. She glanced at the clock—it was too early for her policeman husband to be home. She ignored the noise, thinking it must have been Flake. He was a clumsy cat and frequently knocked things off shelves due to his limited vision.
Aisha sat down at the dressing table, ruffled her long black hair with the towel, and began to dry it with the hairdryer. Not until she had finished did she sense someone was watching her. She swivelled on the dralon-covered stool and gasped.
“What? What are you doing here?”
The masked intruder rushed forward, grabbed her by the hair, and forced her onto the carpeted floor. “Lie there and don’t move,” the gruff voice ordered, muffled by the balaclava.
“Please don’t hurt me. I have money I can give you—not much but enough—if you’ll let me go.”
“Shut up.” The intruder paced the floor, scratching nervously at his mask.
“What do you need? I have to go out soon.”
“You ain’t going nowhere, bitch. Now shut up, let me think.”
Aisha swallowed the bile that had lodged in her throat. She had no idea what to do for the best—lie there in silence as instructed, or attempt to negotiate a way out of the situation? She pulled the towel tighter around her, covering her slim legs. Keep calm! Just listen and do what the person says, then I might get out of this alive.
The intruder continued to pace the floor, agitation, increasing their speed.
Aisha looked over at the door to see Flake standing there. “Go, Flake, get out of here.”
The intruder swiftly pounced on the cat, wrapping their hands around Flake’s neck.
“Please, he’s done nothing. Let him go. You’re scaring him.”
Flake squealed, scratched the assailant’s hand, and managed to wriggle free.
“Run, Flake, run.” Aisha heard the cat run down the stairs and out through the catflap, leaving her alone with the intruder.
“He might have escaped, but don’t think you’ll do the same.”
“What do you want from me? My husband will be home soon. Take what you want and leave.”
“Stop giving me orders.” The intruder stepped forward and slapped her around the face.
Blood started to pour from her lip. The metallic taste seeped into her mouth, and she held her hand over the wound, staring up at her assailant. “Please... why are you doing this? Give me a reason.”
“I don’t need a reason. I told you to be quiet. Let me think.”
“About what? If you’re having to think about being here, then that proves you really don’t want to pursue this situation. Let me go, and I promise not to say anything.”
“You won’t get a chance to say anything.” The intruder withdrew a knife and flicked their thumb against the blade.
Aisha shuffled back towards the bed, her gaze drawn to the blade as her mouth dried up.
“You mentioned money—where do you keep it?”
“My husband and I keep a couple hundred pounds tucked away in the drawer over there for emergencies.”
“Ha, you could say this is an emergency.” Keeping one eye on her, the masked person moved backwards towards the drawer she had pointed at. They rummaged around, withdrew a wad of notes, and fanned them. “That’ll do for starters. What about jewellery? Where do you keep it?”
Aisha’s hand trembled as she pointed to the small drawer in the middle of the dressing table. “In there. There are some valuable pieces that I’ve inherited from my family.”
Yanking open the drawer, the intruder began stuffing the jewellery in their pocket. Then walked back towards Aisha, the person’s pace slow and full of intent.
“I have nothing else,” she pleaded, clutching the towel.
“Then my work is done here.” The intruder grabbed her arm and yanked her to her feet.
She clawed and tried to bite the person. Her assailant sank their teeth into her arm in retaliation before the knife sliced her throat. The movement happened so quickly that Aisha didn’t get the chance to defend herself. Her attacker pushed Aisha away, and she fell in a heap to the floor. The excruciating pain coming from her throat worried her. Her hand instinctively covered the gaping wound, and she felt the sticky blood seeping through her fingers. She looked her assailant in the eye and found the strength to say one word before she slumped to the floor as the darkness overcame her. “Why?”
CHAPTER ONE
Detective Inspector Sally Parker of the Norfolk Constabulary arrived at work as the hands on the incident room wall clock hit eight thirty. She had left home early to avoid being snarled up by the roadworks hampering her route into work. Better to be safe than sorry, girl.
“Morning, Joanna. You’re early this morning. How come?”
“Morning, boss. I thought I’d come in early to tie up a few loose ends on the Morgan case.”
“Boy, was I glad to see the back of that case. He was a sly bloody fox, wasn’t he?” Sally asked the young detective constable.
“He was, ma’am. It’s surprising just how many of these cases end up with the same result, the husband killing the wife.”
Sally nodded and walked into her office as the memories she tried to suppress came flooding back. She shook her head, refusing to live through the ordeal yet again. She did enough of that in her bed at night and didn’t need to relive the experiences during the day, as well. However, sometimes a domestic violence case cropped up for her team and caused her to revisit her punishing past all over again. She had to admit that although the pain was subsiding, she still flinched when she encountered a certain type of man—such as their last suspect. Instinct had told her not to trust the man as soon as she’d interviewed him. But it had still been a shock to discover he was the one who had killed his wife and disposed of her body in that well on his friend’s farm. He’d tried to lay the blame on his friend, but the DNA evidence gathered at the scene disproved his claim and pointed firmly in his direction. That was when Sally saw the similarities between Morgan and her ex-husband—both were suave and sophisticated until pushed into a corner, and that was when the masks slipped.
Thankfully, Darryl was serving time as his punishment for raping her. It had taken all her strength and courage to speak out in court. People were under the illusion that type of thing wasn’t supposed to happen to strong coppers. But it did. Since her revelation, Sally had received numerous e-mails from serving female police officers who had found themselves in the same heartbreaking situation, trapped in senselessly violent marriages. Her courage had given them the bravery to lay charges against their own husbands or partners, in some cases. That had made Sally feel proud and far from alone. It had also confirmed that she was right to speak out about her problems living with an abusive partner. Her parents had supported her decision, too. They’d been in the dark up until then and had no idea of the living hell that had entrapped her for years. They had thought the sun shone out of Darryl’s backside until she had sat them down and relayed what the evil man had put her through.
The phone on her desk shrilled, pulling her away from her bad memories. She rushed around the desk and flopped into her chair. “Hello. DI Parker. How can I help?”
“Inspector, I’d like to see you in my office immediately.” Sally recognised her DCI’s officious voice instantly.
“I’ll be there right away, sir.” But she was listening to the dial tone. He’s so damn rude! She marched out of her office.
Joanna looked up as Sally swept past her. “Where’s the fire, boss?”
“Up my arse. I’ve been summoned. Be back soon.”
Joanna chuckled.
Hmm... no laughing matter for me, I can tell you.
DCI Mick Green’s door was open when she arrived. She rapped on it and stuck her head around the doorframe. “All right to come in, sir?”
“Of course. Take a seat, Parker.”
Sally sat opposite him, her hands clutched in her lap. She smiled briefly and asked, “Have I done something wrong, sir?”
“I don’t know. Have you? Why is that always the first question out of your mouth when I summon you?”
She shrugged. “Natural reaction, I suppose. I can’t think of anything that I’ve done wrong.”
“Good. One less thing for me to worry about.” He picked up the blue folder in front of him and threw it over the desk towards her. It skidded across the surface and landed in her lap.
She caught the folder before its contents tipped on the floor. Sally placed the folder on the desk and flipped it open. Then she looked up at him. “It’s not one of my cases, sir.”
He tutted, his annoyance evident. “I’m well aware of that, Inspector. It’s going to be yours from now on. It’s a cold case from ten years ago. I want you to reinvestigate it for me.”
“Any specific reason, sir?”
