Cold Case Read online

  COLD

  CASE

  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)

  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)

  Shameful Justice (Book #16)

  Unfair Justice (a 10,000 word short story)

  Irrational Justice (a 10,000 word short story)

  Seeking Justice (a 15,000 word novella)

  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)

  Hidden Agenda (DI Kayli Bright #3)

  Murderous Betrayal (Kayli Bright #4 coming June 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

  Lost Temptation

  Keep in touch with the author at

  http://melcomley.blogspot.com

  On Facebook

  On Twitter @melcom1

  Subscribe to newsletter

  Follow me on BookBub

  ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

  A special thank you to my dear friend, Noelle Holten, for sharing her expert advice to write certain parts of this book.

  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.

  TABLE OF CONTENT

  Cover

  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

  Epilogue

  Note To the Reader

  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?”

  “Does there have to be a specific reason other than this station never likes to leave a case unsolved?”

  “But why now? Why ten years later?”

  He tutted again. “If you flip to the back page, which has been updated in the last few days, you’ll find out.”

  Sally flicked through the pages and read the final sentence, then her gaze met his once more. Frowning, she asked, “New DNA evidence has surfaced?”

  “Indeed. The culprits were always thought to be two burglars who had carried out a number of burglaries around the time of Aisha Thomas’s death. However, those two burglars’ bodies have now been uncovered a
t a building site out in Thetford. During the post-mortem, a sample of DNA was found in the deceased’s mouth. Apparently, the pathologist assumed that the deceased had bitten her attacker before she had passed away. He also assumed that the culprit had tried to remove that DNA from the deceased’s mouth before he left the crime scene. However, the perpetrator still left behind a bite mark which can be matched to dental records.”

  “If the SIO at the time attributed the crime to these burglars then why weren’t they arrested?”

  “By the looks of things, they were both killed around the same time as Aisha Thomas. So, in fact, I’m handing over a cold case which involves three unsolved murders, not just one. They might be connected; they might not. Any objections, Inspector?”

  Sally shook her head. “Not at all, sir. It seems a complex case, one that could take a long time to solve. How long have I got?”

  “I’ll give you a month.”

  Sally’s eyes bulged. “A month? Is that open to be extended?”

  “We’ll see. Report back to me at every opportunity as usual.”

  “And you want my whole team working on this, or are there man-hour constraints on this one, sir?”

  “Your whole team. You can work other crimes as they come in. If a major crime comes up, then we will reassess the situation. How does that sound to you?”

  “Doable, I suppose. I’ll get on it right away, sir.”

  “Good. Close the door on your way out.”

  Sally rose from her chair and exited the room. A sinking feeling settled in her stomach. She would spend the next couple of hours looking through the file, making notes about what had happened and what the investigating officers had neglected to follow up on, before she involved her team.

  The rest of the team had arrived at their desks in her absence. “Morning, all. We’ve got an interesting cold case ahead of us today. Let me read through it first, and I’ll bring you up to speed in an hour or two at the most. Until then, finish off any cases you’ve been dealing with. We’re still going to have to deal with the day-to-day stuff, but the DCI wants this case to get priority for the next month or so.”