Indefensible (DI Sara Ramsey Book 12) Read online

  Contents

  Acknowledgments

  Also by M A Comley

  Prologue

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Epilogue

  Keep in touch with M A Comley

  Indefensible

  M A Comley

  Copyright © 2021 by M A Comley

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  Created with Vellum

  Acknowledgments

  Thank you as always to my rock, Jean, I’d be lost without you in my life.

  Special thanks as always go to @studioenp for their superb cover design expertise.

  My heartfelt thanks go to my wonderful editor Abby, my proofreaders Joseph, Barbara and Jacqueline for spotting all the lingering nits.

  Thank you also to my amazing ARC group who help to keep me sane during this process.

  To Mary, gone, but never forgotten. I hope you found the peace you were searching for my dear friend.

  For Linda, one of my dearest friends and an inspiration throughout my career.

  Also 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)

  Justice at Christmas 2 (novella)

  Justice at Christmas 3 (novella)

  Prime Justice (Book #14)

  Heroic Justice (Book #15)

  Shameful Justice (Book #16)

  Immoral Justice (Book #17)

  Toxic Justice (Book #18)

  Overdue Justice (Book #19)

  Unfair Justice (a 10,000 word short story)

  Irrational Justice (a 10,000 word short story)

  Seeking Justice (a 15,000 word novella)

  Caring For Justice (a 24,000 word novella)

  Savage Justice (a 17,000 word novella Featuring THE UNICORN)

  Gone In Seconds (Justice Again series #1)

  Ultimate Dilemma (Justice Again series #2)

  Shot of Silence (Justice Again #3)

  Taste of Fury (Justice Again #4) Coming March 2021

  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 thriller#3)

  Deadly Encounter (DI Sally Parker thriller #4)

  Lost Innocence (DI Sally Parker thriller #5)

  Goodbye, My Precious Child (DI Sally Parker #6)

  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)

  Dying Breath (Kayli Bright #5)

  Taken (Kayli Bright #6 coming March 2020)

  The Hostage Takers (DI Kayli Bright Novella)

  No Right to Kill (DI Sara Ramsey #1)

  Killer Blow (DI Sara Ramsey #2)

  The Dead Can’t Speak (DI Sara Ramsey #3)

  Deluded (DI Sara Ramsey #4)

  The Murder Pact (DI Sara Ramsey #5)

  Twisted Revenge (DI Sara Ramsey #6)

  The Lies She Told (DI Sara Ramsey #7)

  For The Love Of… (DI Sara Ramsey #8)

  Run For Your Life (DI Sara Ramsey #9)

  Cold Mercy (DI Sara Ramsey #10)

  Sign of Evil (DI Sara Ramsey #11)

  Indefensible (DI Sara Ramsey #12)

  I Know The Truth (A psychological thriller)

  She’s Gone (A psychological thriller - coming August 2021)

  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)

  Criminal Actions (Hero Series #5)

  Regrets Mean Nothing (Hero #6)

  Prowlers (Hero #7 Coming July 2021)

  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)

  Cozy Mystery Series

  Murder at the Wedding

  Murder at the Hotel

  Murder by the Sea

  Death on the Coast (April 2021)

  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

  Tempting Christa (A billionaire romantic suspense co-authored by Tracie Delaney #1)

  Avenging Christa (A billionaire romantic suspense co-authored by Tracie Delaney #2)

  Prologue

  Keeping a safe distance, they watched and waited.

  “How much longer do we have to wait? This is doin’ my frigging head in.”

  “Patience. You know what youngsters are like, I doubt if she’ll hang around too long.”

  The younger one, Adam, hunkered down in his seat and zipped up his hoodie. “Give me a nudge when you see any action.”

  He tutted and observed all that was taking place on the street through his mirrors, hating this time of the year; the nights were getting lighter and hampering their business.

  His attention was drawn back to the bungalow ahead of them. He saw movement in the lounge and then two figures appeared at the front door. He elbowed his partner. “We’re on. She’s leaving.”

  Adam sat upright. His hoodie still in place, he fidgeted in his seat. “What are we waiting for? We need to make the move now.”

  Expelling an impatient breath, he glared at his partner. “What have I told you about being too hasty? Pace yourself, lad. At least, wait until her visitor has left. Hide your face, she’s coming this way.”

  They both looked in the opposite direction until the young woman had passed, her pace quickening the closer she got to the main road. They had kept the bungalow under observation for a while now, knew who the girl was and what she did after she paid her grandmother a visit. She’d be heading for the bus stop on the main road. That bus was due to arrive in two minutes.

  “What now?” Adam demanded.

  “We wait it out, until we’re sure the granddaughter has got on the bus and
is safely on her way back into town.”

  “I hate this!”

  “That much is obvious. Think of the reward we’re about to receive, that should put you in a good mood.”

  “You reckon? Nothing is guaranteed in our line of business, you know that.”

  It was true, but he’d been in this long enough to know these pensioners were ripe for the picking. Always have a stash of cash hidden somewhere. Most old folks detested putting their money in a bank, now that the banks were encouraging people to go over to online banking. He and his new partner had been making a killing lately, careful how they went about their business to avoid being captured by the police. So far it had worked out well, but he had always planned things methodically in the past—he regarded himself as a professional in his field. That was before he’d teamed up with his partner.

  He jabbed a finger in his partner’s thigh. “Come on, time to go. Remember what I said, keep your head down low. Take your hoodie off once we’ve reached her front door, though, got that? The last thing we want to do is make her suspicious.”

  “All right. You’re beginning to sound like a broken record, repeating yourself over and over all the time.” He jabbed a finger at his temple. “I ain’t got shit for brains, no matter what you think.”

  Debatable at times. “Of course you haven’t, I was only going over the plan—”

  Adam slammed his fist on the car door. “Again! For the seven hundredth time.”

  “Slight exaggeration.”

  “All right, can we get on with this now?”

  He swallowed down the acid which had lodged in his throat and got out of the vehicle, pressing the key fob as he took a few steps towards the woman’s house. He cautiously glanced over his shoulder, to check the coast was clear. They stepped onto the path that led up to the woman’s front door.

  After he rang the bell, he motioned for his partner to remove his hood and they both straightened their hair. “Ready? Don’t go steaming in there, right? She seems a feisty one.”

  Adam grunted. “I’m going to leave it all to you, as planned.”

  The door opened and immediately closed to a couple of inches. The woman, already on guard, peered around it and demanded, “What do you want? I’m not buying anything.”

  “Hello, love. We noticed you’ve got a few slates missing on the roof. Hear me out, we’re trying to do you a favour. We’ve stopped off and helped a few of the old dears on the street in need of assistance.”

  “Is that right? Well, my son happens to be a roofer and he gets up there to check it out regularly. So bugger off!” She began closing the door, but Adam thrust his foot in the way and shoved it open. The woman stumbled backwards into the hallway. “I’ll scream if you don’t leave this instant.”

  Adam raised his fist and threatened her. “Do that and you won’t live to spend another Christmas with your family, Grandma.”

  “Oh my! What do you want? I don’t want any trouble. My husband is on an errand, he’ll be back soon. If he catches you here, there’ll be trouble.”

  Adam took a pace forward, getting right in her face. “Don’t bullshit us, we know you live alone. Where do you keep it?”

  Her hand shook as she placed it on her cheek. “Keep what?”

  “The money. Hand it over and we’ll let you get on with your day.”

  “I don’t have any. I’m a very poor pensioner. I’m telling you, he’ll be back soon.”

  Adam gave the woman a backhander and knocked her to the floor. “We know you ain’t got a husband, so stop lying to us.”

  “I do. He’s gone out to the shops, he’ll be back in a few minutes. Leave while you’ve still got the chance.”

  The older one remained with the woman while Adam took off, searching her home. Drawers could be heard opening and banging shut again at the end of the long hallway. “It would be better if you told us where the money is, sweetheart. We don’t mean you no harm.”

  “I won’t. If I give it to you, then what am I supposed to live on? You need to both get a life, and more importantly, a job. Go on, jog on. If I get to my feet, I’m going to ring the police.”

  “We’ll be out of your hair soon enough, providing you tell us where you keep your loot.”

  “Nope, it’s not going to happen. Did I mention my other son is a copper? See that camera up there, he’s watching my every move. I bet you didn’t know that, did you?”

  His head shot around to the equipment sitting on the wall and he laughed. “Nice try, old lady, that’s a smoke detector, nothing more.”

  “It’s a camera made to look like a smoke detector, dimwit. He’ll be here soon, mark my words. Not all old folks are incapable of looking after themselves, you know. You’ve picked on the wrong pensioner this time.”

  Adam appeared at the end of the hallway with a bundle of notes in his hand. “Any more of the readies anywhere else, bitch?” he demanded.

  “No. You put that money back, I’ve put it aside for my funeral. You take that and my family will have to bear the burden.”

  “Tough, it’s ours now.” Adam came towards them. “Is this all of it?”

  “Yes, that’s my life savings in your hands. Mine, not yours. Why don’t you get a proper job instead of robbing elderly folks who have worked hard all their lives and have a pittance to show for it?”

  Adam leaned down and sneered in her face. “This is so much easier than working for a living. Stop messing with me, lady, tell me where the rest of it is. I know you oldies prefer to scatter your funds around the house. Hand it over, or suffer the consequences.”

  “Hey, hurting her wasn’t in the plan. Let’s take what you’ve found and get out of here.”

  “What’s the rush? I’m having fun. She’s got more stashed away, I just know it. Hand it over, Grandma.”

  The woman held a hand up, guarding her face. “I haven’t. I’ve told you, that’s all I have. Take it and get out of my home.”

  “Ain’t gonna happen. We’re not in any rush. We’ll stay here all night if we have to.”

  “Adam, come on. She’s got a son in the police, let’s get out of here.”

  Adam bent down again, his nose almost touching the old woman’s. “Is that right? You wouldn’t be trying to pull a fast one now, would you?”

  “Me? No, I don’t know what you’re talking about. Ring the station and ask for Roger Purcell, he’s my son.”

  “Nah, can’t be arsed. The money, where is it?”

  She sighed and squirmed away from him. “I haven’t got any. That’s all I have. Please, don’t take it. Go now before my husband returns.”

  Adam knelt on one knee, getting ever closer to her. “Lies, lies, lies. We’ve been watching you for months, you haven’t got a husband so don’t lie.”

  “I… I have, he doesn’t get out much. If you’ve been watching us, you might not have seen him.”

  Adam raised his fist and punched her in the face. Blood poured from her nose.

  The older one yanked on Adam’s arm. “Get up, leave her alone. We’re out of here.”

  “Not going to happen until I get more money out of her. I know she’s hiding it somewhere. Where is it, bitch?”

  The old woman leaned back on her elbow, distancing herself from Adam. “I haven’t, that’s all I have. Why won’t you believe me and leave?”

  “Once a liar, always a liar. You ain’t got no husband, but I believe you’ve got another stash of money somewhere, so give it up and we’ll leave you in peace.”

  “You’ve broken my damn nose. Eighty-five years on this earth and no one has ever struck me like that. What gives you the right to bully me? To steal what is mine?”

  “Hand it over or…” Adam drew a hand across his throat; his meaning was obvious to all three of them. “You want to die today?”

  She trembled and her shoulders dipped as if defeated. Her voice shaking, she said, “What sort of question is that? Of course I don’t, but I have no other money. I would tell you where it was if I did, I
swear I would. Please, leave me alone, you’ve got what you want.”

  “We want more, this isn’t going to keep us in beer for more than a few days.”

  “Beer money, is that what this is about? You’re prepared to kill me for beer money? My Lord, I’ve never heard the like. Just go.”

  “Come on, Adam, you heard her, she hasn’t got any more cash around here. Time’s getting on, we need to be elsewhere.”

  Adam rose to his feet. His hand went behind him and came out holding a ten-inch kitchen knife.

  “Wait! That wasn’t part of the plan. Don’t do it. Put it away, Adam. Now!”

  “Shut the fuck up, old man. I ain’t leaving here until she hands over all the cash she’s got hidden in this crummy house. You hear me, lady?”

  The old lady gasped, her gaze drawn to the knife in his outstretched hand. “Don’t you think I would give you the money if I had any extra? I haven’t, I swear. Please, leave me alone. Don’t do this.”

  Adam tipped back his head and let out a demonic laugh. “Now she’s scared, good and proper, but she’s still not giving the money up. Your loss, lady. You’ve probably led a full life already, it’s all downhill from now on, you’re going to thank me for putting you out of the misery that lies ahead of you.”

  The older one grabbed Adam’s arm. He could see the terror in the woman’s eyes, almost pleading with him to intervene. “Adam, no! Leave her alone. I won’t allow you to do this. She’s done nothing wrong. She doesn’t deserve to go out like this.”

  “Shut the fuck up. That’s your problem, you’re all talk and no action. Whereas I, always see a plan through to its conclusion.”

  “Your plan, not mine. I didn’t want this to end like this. There’s no reason to kill her, let her be.”