Dying breath, p.17
Dying Breath, page 17
part #5 of DI Kayli Bright Series
Patrick didn’t hold back—years’ worth of pent-up emotions tumbled out of his mouth. His words were full of regret and remorse. By the end of the interview, Kayli found herself feeling sorry for the teenager in spite of his callous actions. It was obvious that he’d intended only to cause an accident, not actually kill Jessica Porter. Kayli suspected the youngster would regret his decision for years to come.
Once Patrick had given his statement, he was placed in a cell to await transfer to a remand centre. He would then likely be transferred to the Young Offender Institution at Aylesbury. When they were alone, Cordelia broke down in Kayli’s arms and sobbed. She was inconsolable for half an hour or more. Kayli’s heart bled for the woman whose life had been turned upside down because of her son’s spiteful act of petulance. Eventually, Cordelia pulled herself together enough to venture home. Kayli arranged with the desk sergeant for a squad car to give her a lift back to the church to retrieve her car.
When Kayli returned to the incident room, the team weren’t as jubilant as they usually were at the end of a case. If anything, they were rather subdued.
Kayli left the station at just gone six and arrived home to find Mark in the kitchen, as usual, slaving away at the stove, rustling up pork chops, green beans, broccoli, and sautéed potatoes. She slid her arms around him.
“Hello, you. Have you had a good day at work?” He turned to face her.
“Not really. I don’t want to talk about work. I want to talk about us. What we’ve become.”
Mark frowned and held her at arm’s length. “I wasn’t aware that there was a problem between us, love.”
“Maybe it’s just me then. Something is screwing with my head, Mark, and I need to get it out. Please, don’t judge me until you’ve heard everything I have to say. Promise?”
He switched off the gas under all the pots, and they sat at the table, their hands grasping each other’s.
Kayli sighed. “To be honest with you, I’m not sure how much longer I can cope with our situation. I miss you when you’re not around. I know I probably see more of you than I ever did when you were in the army, but I accepted that for some reason. Perhaps it’s the fact that you were in a different country and so far out of reach that it didn’t matter. Having you working down the road and not spending time with you is killing me—us.”
He fell back in his chair. “I know we’ve had our differences about my job lately but I didn’t realise things had got so bad for you, Kayli.”
“I came to see you the other night,” she admitted quietly.
His brow furrowed again. “You did? When?”
“The night before last. Dave and I were on surveillance and finished early after the suspect went home with a woman. As I was in town and at a loose end, I thought I’d drop by and say hello. I left my car and walked towards the nightclub just as a group of women appeared. They were fawning all over you, taking selfies and giggling. To my amazement, you did nothing to deter them. I drove home and spent the rest of the night tossing and turning.”
“It happens, love. I know the group of girls you’re referring to. One of the lasses in the group works as a barmaid at the club. That’s the only reason Jeff and I allowed the selfies.”
Mortified she’d read the situation wrongly, she dipped her head as shame rippled through her. “I’m sorry. I should have trusted you. It’s been eating away at me ever since.”
He left his chair and pulled her to her feet. His arms encircled her waist. “Kayli Bright-Wren, when are you going to get it through that head of yours that it’s you I love? I might take a glancing look at other girls, but none of them would hold a torch to you. I know I keep saying this, but it’s you I come home to every night. I’ve never, as far as I know, given you any reason to doubt my love for you, have I?”
She swallowed noisily as their gazes met. “No, I guess not.”
“After all we’ve been through together, how could you doubt the love we share?”
“I wasn’t.”
His head inclined to the left. “I think your heart and your head are giving you mixed signals, love.”
“I’m sorry, Mark. Sorry for doubting you. Will you ever be able to forgive me?”
“As daft as that question seems, of course I will, only if you promise me that if you have these feelings again you’ll air them with me straight away. Don’t let them fester.”
“I promise.”
“Right. Let me get the dinner out of the way, then we’re going to spend the rest of the evening in bed, making up.”
“What? But you have work.”
He winked and kissed her gently on the lips. “I think it’s about time I called in a sickie. You’re worth it, Kayli. Worth risking everything for. You’re my life, my soul, my everything. Please, please, don’t ever forget that.”
“I feel the same, and I won’t, ever.”
THE END
NOTE TO THE READER
Dear Reader,
Thank you for coming on the journey with me, did you guess who the killer was? More importantly did your heart go out to Jessica’s family after all they had to endure?
Kayli and Mark will be featuring in a novella due out in October so stay tuned for that one.
Watch out for another cold case coming soon in the DI Sally Parker thriller series set in Norfolk, which is due to be released in September.
In case you haven’t read the first book in the series here’s the link.
Wrong Place
As always, thank you for all your wonderful support. If you can find it in your heart to leave a review, I’d be eternally grateful.
Happy reading,
M A Comley
Table of Contents
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
Epilogue
Note To the Reader
M A Comley, Dying Breath
