Ultimate Dilemma (Justice Again Book 2) by M Comley (best books under 200 pages txt) 📕

difficult losing a loved one, grieving and doing all that’s necessary for their funeral. Don’t you have anyone local who can help you? Relatives or close friends?”

“No, Penny will be here tomorrow. We’ll bounce some ideas around between us, she’s far more organised than me. I’m sure she’ll have it all figured out within a few hours.”

“That’ll help take the pressure off your shoulders.”

“That’s what I thought. I miss her, it’ll be nice seeing her again, even if it is in these dreadful circumstances. I can’t believe he’s gone. I thought they might be able to save him. The surgeon told me the wound was very deep and had severed his voice box and even nicked his cervical spinal cord, so I doubt he would’ve been able to walk again even if he had survived the attack.”

“Sorry to hear that.” Katy was tempted to add that maybe it was a good job he hadn’t survived with such debilitating injuries, but kept her mouth shut instead, unsure how callous that might have sounded, coming from a complete stranger.

“The whole thing is a mess. Why kill him? He’s never done anyone any harm, not from what I can remember.” Nadia’s shoulders shook as her grief overwhelmed her again.

Katy took a step closer to the bed to try to comfort Nadia, but she pulled away. “Would you rather we leave this until the morning?”

“No. I’m on duty at nine, doing a twelve-hour shift. We’re short-staffed, I refuse to let my colleagues down.”

“You can’t work, it’s too soon. You need time to come to terms with your loss first. I’m sure your bosses will understand, in the circumstances.”

“You don’t understand, I want to work. What else would I do? Sit and stare at the four walls of our lounge? That reminds me…” She stood and placed her chair against the wall behind her. “I need to go home, to clean up, ready for when Penny arrives.”

Katy raised a hand. “Hold on a second, I’m afraid you won’t be able to do that. Your house is a crime scene. SOCO will need to examine it thoroughly, searching for clues to tell us who did this to your father. You’ll be allowed to gather some personal belongings to see you through the next few days. If you don’t have any relatives or friends you can stay with then my suggestion would be for you to get a hotel room for at least two days.”

“Great, as if I have funds for that. Maybe I’ll do my long shifts here and then crash in my car. That’s all I’m likely to be able to afford. Can’t you section the house off? I promise not to go in the living room, if that’s what you want.”

“It’s not as simple as that. I’m sorry for any inconvenience caused, needs must, I’m afraid. Every surface will have to be examined and analysed if we’re to secure a conviction against the person responsible. I know that’s an inconvenience to you.”

“It is what it is. I don’t want to cause any trouble. I’m sorry if it came across that way.”

“It didn’t. Why don’t we take you home now, so you can pick up some of your belongings, and then we can drop you off at a hotel?”

She shook her head. “No, I don’t want that. Yes, I’ll go back to the house to gather some clothes and essentials I need but I refuse to waste money on a hotel room.”

“I hate to say this, but what about your sister? You can’t expect her to sleep in your car, can you?”

“She can sort herself out when she gets here. I shouldn’t have to make her arrangements for her. Bloody hell, I’ve just lost my father, don’t do this to me. All I want to do is sit here with him, and you’re causing all this anxiety. I. Don’t. Want. It.”

“Okay, would you rather we leave you alone? It’s late, we can complete the questioning tomorrow, if you’d rather.”

“Say what you need to say and leave me alone. Isn’t your job to be out there looking for the vile person who did this to him?”

“Of course it is, and we’ll get around to doing that once we have a clearer indication of what we’re searching for. At the moment, we have nothing.”

Nadia grunted and held her arms out to the sides. “Are you blaming me for that?”

“No, I really wasn’t. Nadia, we’re on your side here. I’m sorry if you’ve misunderstood what I’ve said. My intention was to try and ease your burden.”

“No, it should be me who is apologising. It’s the grief talking. I’m not usually snappy, my colleagues will tell you that. All this is too much. To find my father in that state, to sit around here for a few hours, waiting to hear news, and for him to come out of surgery only to go and die on me. I guess the stress has just got the better of me.”

“It’s fine. It’s also extremely late. I can pay for a hotel room for the night, if that will help you out?”

Nadia gasped and swept her hand, still spattered in dry blood, through her long auburn hair. “I’m not a charity case. I can rob Peter to pay Paul if necessary. The thing is, I shouldn’t need to. Not when I have a perfectly good house waiting for me.”

“In our defence, a house which is running alive with forensic technicians in an attempt to find your father’s killer swiftly.”

“There’s no easy solution. I’ll be fine. I can see if there’s a room available in the nurses’ quarters attached to the hospital.”

“If you’re sure.”

“I am. I’m tired now, can we put an end to all this?”

“Sure. I’ll leave you my card, in the hope you get in touch with me if you can remember anything else about what happened during the incident that you believe we should be interested in.”

Nadia took the card and tucked it in her small handbag nestled on the