Silent PayBack

By Jaye Marie

A city on edge… a detective on shaky ground…

A killer roams the streets of Brighton.

As the body count rises, detective Mallory finds himself sinking under the weight of a heavy secret. A secret that could jeopardise his job, his reputation, and the lives of those he protects.

When the case lands on his desk, will his personal demons prevent him from bringing the killer to justice?

With the pressure building for him to step up, can he leave his past behind and solve the case before more women die?v

• Language: English
• Publisher: Jaye Marie
• Release date: May 9, 2022
• ISBN: 9798201164454

Jaye Marie

I have been an editor and proofreader for many years, but only recently written my own book.It was an enjoyable experience, once I stopped fighting with my characters and let them have their own way. Consequently, I ended up with quite a different book from the one I intended to write. But I like it and hope you will too.

Book preview

Prologue

Somewhere on the outskirts of the sprawling seaside town, a man waited. It was late evening, a cold damp mist seeped through the deserted streets, giving the view from his car window a melodramatic Victorian atmosphere.

The woman he needed to kill was inside the Bingo Hall. From the safe concealment of his car, he watched as she mingled with a crowd of other women. Women who quickly went on their way, leaving his target alone as she made her way to the bus stop.

The bus was not due for a while, and on the previous occasions he had been here, watching, the woman usually gave up and started walking. Her journey to the housing estate involved going through a rough neighbourhood, something he would be making good use of tonight. He waited until she left the High Street before parking his car and following her on foot.

She was getting closer to the point he had chosen. At that moment, one of the overhead streetlights began to flicker and go out, creating dark pools that crawled along the ground like demented black snakes. This dramatic change to the scene had to be a sign that this trip would be successful.

The woman hesitated, causing his heart to miss a beat. She was probably concerned about the lack of light. ‘Come on woman, a little darkness shouldn’t worry you at all, considering the evil you spread around...’

As if she heard him speak, she began walking again, faster than before. She arrived at the designated spot, and he reached out, his knuckles solidly connecting with the side of her head. She went down like a sack of coal, and he had the plastic bag over her head before she reached the ground. He had chosen the spot well, right by the doors to the estates rubbish chutes. He dragged her inside in seconds, closing the doors behind him.

She did not take long coming around, and he sat on her chest until her breath ran out, watching her frantic struggle and fear-filled eyes. It always struck him as funny that even the vilest of people tended to look terrified just before they died. Why did the evil desert them then?

Once he was sure she was dead, he removed the bag and left her propped up against the vast paladin that caught the descending rubbish from the floors above.

Chapter 1

The light in the misty bathroom wasn’t great, but I didn’t want to switch on the shaving light to see myself better. My reflection looked back at me, the lack of light concealed the thinning patches in the designer stubble I had been so proud of, but my fingertips knew where they were. If this decline continued, I would be forced to shave it all off before I looked ridiculous. Although this would meet with the approval of my job with the Sussex Police, it signified a much more severe stage in my deterioration. Something I refused to think about, let alone admit anything was wrong. I often wondered if this was nature’s way of getting her own back, simply because I disagreed with her about who I really was. I shivered as if someone just walked over my grave as I stared at my face, deliberately avoiding my eyes. I didn’t need to see the fear reflected in them to know it was time to admit defeat and get medical help.

In the kitchen, Maggie was busy at the cooker, humming a familiar tune along with the radio as she put the finishing touches to my breakfast.

‘I was about to come and get you, David...’ She said, smiling the same smile as yesterday and the day before. She was several years older than me, something that never bothered me before, but as the years passed, the age gap and appearance had become an uncomfortable difference. She always reminded me of one of the fairy godmothers in a Disney cartoon, small and cuddly, with a permanent smile on her chubby face.

I kissed her on the cheek and sat down at the table, inwardly groaning at the amount of food she put in front of me. At the risk of upsetting her, I sandwiched the bacon between two slices of toast and devoured it, washing it down with milky coffee.

That was another thing. You would think by now, Maggie would remember I liked my coffee black, but this was all part of her insisting on always doing what she thought best for me.

‘You left your dirty socks on the bathroom floor again...’ She tried to look annoyed but wasn’t convincing. As quickly as my annoyance arrived, it faded away beneath the guilt that always came after any rebellious resentment on my part. Upsetting her still left me feeling like the worst human being on the planet. When we first met, a close mother-son relationship had developed between us, something I didn’t need any more but could no more hurt her feelings than fly to the moon. I always hoped that her unfailing wisdom would kick in and she would realise what was happening and find someone else to fuss over.

Aware of her scrutiny, I rinsed the coffee mug and put it on the draining board, wondering what else was on her mind.

‘Not sure what I’m doing tonight, so don’t cook for me, okay?’

I grabbed my leather jacket from the hook by the door, checking her face for signs of disappointment, but saw none. She smiled at me, increasing my sense of guilt.

On the walk to the train station, I looked forward to the journey down to the South Coast, my guilt rapidly turning into depression. Lewes, a short distance from Brighton was so different from London. Away from all the concrete and chaos I could breathe in the sea air and imagine a new future. Once I plucked up the courage to seek medical help, that is. There wasn't much about my life that I was happy about, but I didn't really know what to do about any of it. Sometimes I felt like getting on a train and leaving everything behind.

The only thing that stopped me was my job. I had fought long and hard to be good enough to become a detective and loved the work.  On my promotion to Detective Sergeant, I was posted to Lewes, the Sussex Police headquarters down on the south coast. I needed to find somewhere to live in the area, but until I adjusted to the new job and the people, I travelled the sixty miles back to London every night. I was nowhere near comfortable with everything yet. I wanted to wait until I felt accepted before making the journey for the last time, leaving London and Maggie behind for good. Being ‘the new kid on the block’ was proving awkward, but they couldn’t treat me like a rooky forever.

There were days when there wasn’t much point in me being there, as they continually ignored me, always passing the better jobs on to the regulars. When I graduated, they warned me that this might happen but thought I would fit in better if I changed my appearance. Meaning I should cut my long hair.  I could but wasn’t going to. My hair was important to me, for reasons I didn’t fully understand. The last vestige of who I once was perhaps, and they would have to accept this.

Even though they disapproved of my hair, I was used to being bullied in one way or another.  I was one leopard who would never change his spots, not the ones that mattered, anyway. There had been more than enough changes in my life already, and I wouldn’t be changing anything else to fit in.

There was one thing I wished I could change, and that was Anna Lukas, the major annoyance in my working life. Within minutes of meeting her, I knew she was playing around, trying me and the job on for size.  I couldn’t wait for the day she would move on to someone or something else.

The thought of solving crimes and helping people was worth all the aggravation, allowing me to cope with other parts of my life that were less than ideal. One of these days I hoped they would let me work on a case, rather than just being a general dogsbody for everyone else.

The moment I walked into the incident room that morning, the tension coming from everyone was palpable. A peculiar air of excitement, like an electric current, ran through the building, and I knew there had been a murder.

Some of the officers' attitude might appal some people, likening their behaviour to a morbid and greedy fascination, a bit like ambulance chasing. But it wasn’t much use adopting a sad and dreary demeanour in this job. The challenge to catch the bad guys was the whole point of living and getting up in the morning. There was nothing quite like outthinking or out-witting a criminal and bringing them to justice to get your adrenaline racing.

I scanned the room, expecting to see my boss, Jane Randall, lauding it over her favourite detectives, but she was missing. Instead, a tall, distinguished but casually dressed man seemed to be holding court, asking questions, and repeatedly referring to the information on the whiteboard behind him. There was a new face on the board, so I had been right about there being a killing. Her name was Linda Harrison, the mother of a university student. She had been found dead in a local housing estates rubbish bin cupboard.

From my vantage point behind the vending machine, I watched the Sussex police's well-oiled division as they started to piece together the details of this recent case. With a bit of luck, they might need me now. The new man caught my attention and signalled for me to join him. I tried not to expect too much, after all, he probably only wanted some of the foul coffee they all drank around here. I found myself breathing the same air as Detective Inspector Snow. I had heard the name before but never expected to meet him. A bit of a legend, supposedly retired, so what was he doing there and where was my boss?

‘Mallory, isn’t it? Good to have you on board. You will have gathered I am here to fill the breach while Jane is away. I would love to clear this case before she returns if it’s at all possible.’

My brain was busy, figuring out what this might mean, so all I could do was nod like an idiot. Realising this was hardly a great response, I added, ‘Yes Sir.’

Snow smiled, confirming that he knew I was the joke around here, but what he said next surprised me.

‘You are new here, I understand, and not yet made your mark. I have a feeling this is about to change, so don’t let me down, okay?’

Before I could answer, the catcalls and whistles behind me heralded Anna Lukas's arrival, the new trainee assigned to me and thorn in my side. Snow’s attention drifted in her direction, quickly turning back to me and the answer to his question.

‘Yes, Sir, I will do my best.’

The next couple of hours were a dream come true when I was included in the mornings briefing. I wanted to ask what I was supposed to do about Anna but assumed she would have to tag along and learn on the job.

She was far too young, with her long blonde hair, six-inch heels, tight skirts, and incessant chatter, altogether the wrong type of person for this job. I tried my best with her but forced to give up once I discovered she didn’t have a severe bone in her body.

Her constant flirting with me had slowed down a little once I made it clear she wasted her time, and she moved on to some of the more receptive males in the department. Rumour had it that she was related to one of the senior officers, explaining her presence. At that moment, she was blatantly caressing the face of one of the junior detectives, causing him to blush to the roots of his hair.

Deliberately walking past her on the way to my desk, I said, 'When you are ready, Anna, we have work to do.'

‘I thought there was no 'we', or are we talking about a personal thing? Don't tell me they have actually included you for a change?'

I kept walking, the noise of her high heels clattering on the tiled floor as she tried to keep up with me.

‘David, wait for me...’ She stumbled, almost falling flat on her face, forcing me to reach out and grab her arm. I wanted to remark on her footwear's unsuitability again but had already made my opinion clear in that regard, so said nothing. She left her hand on my arm while she regained her balance and checked the heel of one of her shoes. ‘You’re right, of course. I shouldn’t wear these at work, but what can I do? Anything else wouldn’t be me, now would it? A bit like your hair, David. How many times have they nagged you to cut it?’ Her closeness and the strong perfume she wore were giving me another headache. She was right, of course. I could hardly complain about her when I was the original square peg. I stared back at her, close enough to see the tiny specks of mascara that had fallen from her eyelashes and speckled her cheeks. ‘Are we going to do some work today?’

She laughed, revealing excellent dental work, moving her hand from my arm to my face. Before it landed, I caught it and held it firmly between my fingers. I didn’t need to say anything; the message was clear.

She snatched her hand back with more than a slight annoyance and literally stomped around to her side of the desk. ‘Trouble with you, David Mallory is you’re no fun at all.’

‘We’re not here for fun, Anna. Please try to remember that.’

‘I can't believe we are going to play at being real detectives for once. What on earth did you do to pull this off?’

My temper began to rise, frustrated at dealing with someone with no real idea of how to conduct herself in a grown-up world.

I had always dreamed of being a detective. Still, the reality of the job was turning out to be nothing like my expectations. The good part, helping people and solving cases, gradually wore away, leaving dull routine and unnecessary paperwork. Most of the exciting stuff went to the A-team', those good old boys who always toed the line, at least when the boss was looking. I didn’t seem to belong there, something they managed to remind me of every day, but I hoped today would be different for the first time.

Chapter 2

Will Taylor had finished his morning ablutions when he spotted his wife’s nightgown hanging on the hook on the back of the door. The sight of it annoyed him intensely. Again. How many times must he tell her to stop doing this? He ripped it from the hook and stuffed it into the laundry basket. Now he would have to spend valuable time checking the rest of the house.

By the time he reached the kitchen, he thought he had found the only discrepancy and that everything else was as it should be. As he waited for the toaster, he scanned the room, willing there to be nothing amiss, but fearing the worst. And there it was. The dishwasher door was standing open, the cloth on the rail beside it dangling like a broken flag. Why was it so difficult for Julie to do anything properly?

It was always something. Yesterday it was the trace of toothpaste on the bathroom sink and the misplaced bottle of shampoo. There would have to be another discussion about it all and soon.

He shoved the offending door closed with his foot, the loud click signalling satisfaction. He would correct the dishcloth when he rinsed his coffee cup. It was a great pity Julie had already left for work, robbing him of the opportunity to point out her failings, but at least he wouldn’t be subjected to any of her laughter. She always thought his attention to detail hilarious, refusing to take anything he said seriously, or be contrite. She never understood that his life and everything in it had to be as perfect as he could possibly make it.

He never understood why she found this difficult, for she could be more than fussy about her own personal requirements. This was what attracted him to her in the first place, thinking she was someone with desires like his own. At least, this was how it seemed in the beginning.

Will met Julie in London when they applied for the same teaching job before coming to Falmer in East Sussex. Neither of them made the shortlist that day but had kept in touch, comparing each other’s progress. When she was offered a job with a fancy recruitment firm, he thought their relationship would die.  But as her new career soared, so did their