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

thinking along the lines that one of the men may have possibly returned and dug the woman up, maybe to give her a proper burial. Ugh…pure speculation, who sodding knows if that’s true or not?”

“Whoa! That’s some wacky theory, boss, if you don’t mind me saying? How long will you be?”

“Tell me about it. We’re twenty-five minutes out according to the satnav.”

“See you soon then. Any movement, we’ll give you a bell.”

“Do that.” She nodded for Charlie to end the call.

They pulled up outside Keith Pittman’s house. Situated in a quiet suburban road, it was semi-detached with a pretty front garden in full bloom with dahlias planted amidst dozens of rose trees of various colours and varieties.

Katy stopped off to talk to Patrick and Graham first. “We’ll go in. Any problems…just be alert at all times.”

“Are you sure you don’t want either of us to go in there with you?”

“I think we’ll be fine. I’ve got a few questions to ask, and then we’ll take him down the station to book him on a murder charge.” Katy joined her partner at the gate. “You ready for this? It could go one of two ways, you know that, don’t you?”

Charlie withdrew her hand from her jacket pocket and waved the can of pepper spray. “I’m all prepared.”

“Let’s go.” Katy rang the bell.

A man in his mid-fifties answered the door almost immediately. “Yes. Can I help?”

“I think you can, Mr Pittman.” Katy flashed her ID in his face. “All right if we come in for a moment?”

“Not until you tell me what this intrusion is all about.”

“Intrusion? Okay, we’re investigating several murders in the area and—”

“And what? You think I have something to do with them? Are you crazy? I’m a law-abiding citizen, I would never…”

Katy smiled and inclined her head. “You were saying? Don’t let me stop you. Why pause? Unless you know that’s not the truth, sir. Are you going to let us in?”

He spun on his heel and stormed ahead of them, up the hallway and into the first room on the right, which turned out to be a through-lounge divided by an arch which led into a dining area.

“What do you want from me?” He paced the floor, close to the TV.

“Take a seat, sir. We’d like to ask you a few questions.”

The three of them sat, and Charlie withdrew her notebook from her pocket and flipped it open.

He stared at Katy and said, “I know nothing.”

“I haven’t asked you anything yet. As I said, we’re investigating several murders in the area which took place in the past week or so. I believe the victims are all people you know, sir.”

“What? Who?”

“Bruce Crawford, Robin Hewitt, Dale Peters and Ellis Bird.”

With each name she mentioned, his mouth gaped open wider, and the colour drained from his reasonably tanned face.

“No way…this can’t be true.”

“I’m afraid it is. Now, what we’d like to know is, who do you think killed them?”

“How should I fucking know? What is this? I haven’t done anything wrong.”

“Let’s set the recent murders aside for a moment. How about you tell me why you and the four men I’ve just mentioned killed Sonia Crawford?”

His left hand covered his eyes, and he wailed, “It wasn’t down to me. I wanted no part in it. He forced me to do it.”

“Who did?”

“Bruce. He was a bully. If you didn’t do as he said, he could cause trouble for you, if you see what I mean?”

“So rather than stand up to him, you went ahead and robbed that poor defenceless woman of her life.”

“I’m sorry. I’ve regretted my actions all these years.” He pointed to a shelf on the bookcase. “I take forty-odd tablets a day because of what happened back then. I’ve been in and out of hospitals, mental hospitals because I can’t get rid of the images from that night.”

“So, what you’re telling us is you have a conscience, yes?”

“Yes. I suppose so.”

“Not enough of one to want to turn yourself, and the others, in to the police, though, right?”

“I’ve tried numerous times. Plucked up the courage to go down the cop shop, only to back out at the last minute. Please, you have to believe me.”

“Oh, I do. Unable to fight your conscience any longer, you thought you’d kill your so-called friends instead, is that it?”

He stared at her, his expression one of horrified confusion as her words sank in. He eventually jumped out of his seat and paced the room again. “No, you’ve got this all wrong. I would never…”

“What? Commit murder? That’s a lie, and you know it, Mr Pittman.”

“It was an accident all those years ago. We didn’t mean to kill her, we were only having a laugh.”

“You perceive raping and strangling a woman as a laugh, a game? How warped are you? All of you.”

He paced and fell silent. After a while, he stopped and stared at them. “I didn’t want any of this. It’s so wrong for you to come here and challenge me about this after all these years.”

“We found the burial site.”

“What? That’s impossible.”

“It’s not. We found it. The only trouble is, Sonia Crawford’s body wasn’t there. Now, why do you suppose that is, sir?”

“Shit! How the fuck should I know? She was there. We all saw her placed in the ground. We all did our bit to dig that hole deep enough so that she would never be discovered.”

“If you were all involved, why kill off your associates?”

“I haven’t, I’m telling you. You have to believe me, why would I lie? I’ve told you the truth about the woman. I did not kill my…friends.”

“Why should I believe you?”

“Why shouldn’t you? I’m telling you the truth. Oh God, it’s just occurred to me. If they’re all dead, that means someone is out there still, they could be coming for me next. You can’t let that happen. I don’t want to die.”

Katy hated this man. He was a snivelling wreck with no morals or remorse running through his veins. But, unfortunately,