Taste of Fury by M Comley (dark academia books to read txt) 📗

glanced at each other with unspoken questions in their eyes.

Why would anyone come out here when the light was fading? Shit! Do I have blood on my face? She hadn’t anticipated that. She hurried to her car and peered anxiously over her shoulder. They were heading in the direction of the corpse. She needed to get out of there, fast.

Throwing the carrier bag in the boot, she hopped back in the car and started up the engine. Suddenly, in her rear-view mirror, she saw the man and woman emerge from the trees. He was waving his arms frantically. Megan reversed the car, the red mist descended, and she drove at the couple. The man managed to jump out of her path, but the woman stood still, frozen to the spot. Megan yanked on the steering wheel, doing her best to swerve around the woman. There was a thud. She continued to drive, but glanced in her mirror once again to see the man run to the woman’s aid. He lifted the woman’s limp body onto his lap and rocked back and forth.

Megan burst into tears. What could she have done differently? Nothing, the couple shouldn’t have been there. Now, instead of one corpse, the police would be called out to attend two murder scenes, each completely different.

You bloody idiot! Why run her over?

“Stop it! It wasn’t intentional. I tried my hardest not to hit her.”

You failed, didn’t you? That woman was an innocent bystander. Your carelessness will lead the police to your door now. You’ve fucked up! Well and truly fucked up this time.

“I haven’t, I’ll get the final one sorted. Up my game. I’ll go without sleep tonight if I have to. I have it all worked out. I have a plan that I’m sticking to rigidly, you’ll see. I’ll make you proud of me once more, I swear I will.”

Ha, we doubt it. You’ve screwed up this time. The police will be on the hunt for you. Did you have to spit on him? Didn’t you consider the impact of leaving the DNA evidence behind? Now, not only that, you’ve left a witness at the scene as well.

“I know. I’m such an idiot. What should I do?”

I would turn the car around, go back and finish the fucker off, but then, you’re not me, are you?

Her mother’s taunting added to her confusion. “No, I’m not. I won’t do it. I refuse to kill another innocent person. She was a mistake that will live with me for the rest of my life.”

Yadda, yadda. Innocent or not, they shouldn’t have stuck their noses in. Turn around, go on, finish off the job properly. Or the police will hunt you down in no time at all.

Megan slammed her foot on the brake so hard she hurtled forward and bashed her forehead into the steering wheel. “Ouch! I will not have you calling me a coward, after all I’ve done already. How can you throw that one at me? How dare you?”

If the cap fits, daughter dearest!

Megan shifted into reverse gear and drove back to the scene to find the man still cradling his wife. He glanced up at her, fresh tears evident in his eyes. “Why? Why kill her?”

Megan was lost for words. She raised the blood-smeared cricket bat high and struck him in the head several times until she saw the light die in his eyes in the glow of the nearby streetlamp.

She trudged back to her car. With an exceedingly heavy heart, she left the crime scene.

7

Katy was in her car, heading home for the evening when her phone rang. She hit the button and the woman on control said, “So sorry to disturb you, ma’am.”

“It’s okay. What’s up?”

“We’ve received a call from someone saying they found a body in the woods.”

“Okay, isn’t there anyone else who could attend?”

“That’s a negative, believe me, I’ve tried, but they’re all busy on other cases.”

“And I’m not? I’m on my sodding way home, for fuck’s sake.” She grumbled and then offered an apology. “Sorry, you didn’t deserve that. So, a body was found in the woods you say, where?” She searched ahead of her, indicated into a road on the left and pulled into the kerb to continue the conversation.

“Hawthorn Forest, do you know it? If not, I can send you the postcode for your satnav.”

“That won’t be necessary. I know where it is. Who found the body? It’s usually a dog walker, am I right?”

“Not really. A man called it in, we dispatched an ambulance and a patrol car, but when the ambulance got there first, they contacted base to say there are actually three bodies at the scene, not just one.”

Katy frowned. “How peculiar. Any sign of the man who made the call?”

“I thought it was odd as well. I tried to ring the number back and one of the paramedics answered the phone. The man was lying dead, holding his wife.”

“How strange. Okay, I’ll shoot over there now and try to fathom things out when I get there. Can you arrange for my partner, DS Simpkins to join me?”

“I’ll give her a call now, ma’am.”

Katy completed a three-point turn and drove back the way she’d come until she reached the main junction five minutes away. There, she took a right and continued for fifteen minutes until she arrived at the forest car park.

She let out a relieved breath. Patti was there and so was Charlie by the look of it. Katy pushed open her door and raced to the boot where she put on a white paper suit. She collected a set of shoe coverings and carried them to the edge of the scene. One look from Patti, warning her not to come closer, had her putting the covers on swiftly.

“What have we got?” she called out as she got within a few feet of Patti and Charlie.

“Do you want the facts or my interpretation of what happened?” Patti replied.

“Wow, that’s unusual for you to have the