Indefensible (DI Sara Ramsey Book 12), M Comley [world of reading TXT] 📗

keep his mother’s account active in the hope the perp will use her card. I need to pre-warn the bank and ask them to get in touch with us as soon as her card is used. That is, if the killer decides to use it, which is a distinct possibility if their main aim was to extract cash from the victim in the first place. I also need to ring SOCO, see if they can turn the place upside down for us to try and find any extra cash the victim might have been hiding. I’d hate for the perp to return and find it before we’ve had the chance to locate it.”

“Is that likely?” Carla asked, frowning.

Sara shrugged. “Your guess is as good as mine.”

“I’ll ring SOCO, if you want?” Carla suggested.

“Thanks, saves me a job. Right, let’s get things started, peeps.” She left the incident room and entered her office via the vending machine. It usually took two cups of coffee to get her going in the morning. When she called the bank manager, he turned out to be very accommodating. Mr Osbourne stated that he would ensure all the cameras on the ATMs were working correctly and would send over any subsequent footage that came his way regarding the use of the victim’s card. Sara thanked him and ended the call.

Then she picked up the phone and rang Mark.

“Hey you. I was just thinking about you.”

“You were? Saucy thoughts at work, you naughty man.” Hearing Mark’s easy-going tone boosted her mood.

Mark laughed. “Hardly. I was going to ring you to suggest meeting up and going to the supermarket after work, so we can do a weekly shop together. What say you?”

“Hmm… that’s a tad disappointing but practical, I suppose. It would have been nicer if you’d said I’ll meet you in town and we’ll go out for a nice meal together. But hey-ho!”

“There’s nothing stopping us from doing that after we’ve finished the shopping. I hear Morrison’s café run special offers on their meals during the week.”

“What the…?”

Mark laughed. “I can just imagine the downright disgust on your face at this moment. I was pulling your leg. I wouldn’t do that to you.”

“Phew, glad to hear it. If we’re watching the pennies, we could go to the Cock at Tupsley, they have a two-for-one offer on.”

“Sounds good. It’s just up the road from Morrison’s too. What time shall I meet you?”

“Meet me at the supermarket at six-fifteen, is that okay?”

“Perfect. I’ve got no extra surgeries planned this evening, so there’s no reason why I shouldn’t be there on time.”

“Good. How’s the nose by the way? That’s the reason I was calling you.”

“It’s fine, a little sore, but nothing too bad. Thanks for caring.”

“Of course I care. Nevertheless, I still reckon you should lay assault charges on the thug who attacked you.”

“Not going to happen, love, so it’s a waste of time you trying to twist my arm.”

“Worth a try. He needs to be taught a lesson in self-control, if nothing else. I’m sure a night in the cells would sort him out.”

“Sara,” he warned.

She groaned inwardly, all she wanted to do was support him, the way he always supported her. “All right. I’ll back off. Think about it though, I’d willingly drop round to his place and read him the riot act on your behalf. What’s the use of being married to an inspector if I can’t intercept now and again?”

“Ha bloody ha, no way, Sara. There’s no point, the bloke was concerned about his dog. To me, that’s a positive in this world, not a negative; there are plenty of people out there who don’t give a stuff about their animals. Let’s leave this here, okay?”

“I suppose. Okay, you’ve won this round.”

“The final round.”

“All right. End of subject, I’ll see you around six-fifteen, unless anything major strikes beforehand.”

“You’re on. Have a good day and thanks for calling.”

“You too. Try to dodge any flying fists, if you can,” she chuckled.

“I’ve learnt my lesson, don’t worry.”

Sara ended the call and grabbed a handful of paperwork to get started on.

3

He watched and waited for someone to enter the alley. His heart pounding as the adrenaline rushed through his veins. This was all the high he needed to get his fix while some people relied on drugs to make them feel this way. He had other means of obtaining his pleasures. Five minutes quickly turned into ten, his leg bounced and he drummed his fingers on the steering wheel to help keep him occupied.

A young blonde woman, tottering on four-inch heels, entered the alley. He liked what he saw, he preferred petite women he could easily control. His dick sprang into action and throbbed against his zip.

Jumping out of the car, he followed the young woman down the alley. Halfway down, he made his move. His hand slapped over her mouth, rendering her powerless to scream. She lashed out with her arms, but didn’t manage to make contact.

“You’re going to be mine. Fight it and I’ll kill you, you got that?”

He swivelled the girl to look at him and adjusted his hold over her mouth. Her eyes doubled in size. She shook her head and his hand suppressed her muffled pleas. Her gaze flitted to either end of the alley, but it was pointless; he knew very few people used this as a shortcut nowadays. It had taken around ten minutes for her to appear while he was waiting.

“You and I are going to have some fun.” He raised a knee, pinning her in place against the wooden fence and reached into his pocket. He extracted a length of rope and a pair of black socks. He was already wearing gloves.

She tried to wriggle out of his grasp. His knee dug into her stomach, causing her to wince. She stared at him, her eyes welling up with tears of frustration.

“What did I tell you? Fight the inevitable and I’ll kill you.”

“Please, don’t hurt me.” He could just make