Cruel Justice (DI Lorne Simpkins (Book one)) Read Online Free PDF

with ease once the body has begun to decompose."

    "Oh Jesus," Pete cried as he bolted through the heavy plastic door.

    "I see your colleague appears to have lost his stomach for the job," the Frenchman said, smirking, with a glint in his smouldering dark brown eyes.

    A smile touched her taut lips. So this incredibly complex man did have a sense of humour after all.

Chapter Four

    The drive home was an arduous one. Lorne's autopilot kicked in without much effort. Before long, she had her front door open and was easing her way along her narrow Minton-tiled hallway. Leaning against the decorative dado rail, she removed the shoes that had imprisoned her aching feet for the past five hours. Standing over a corpse in a sanitised cold environment certainly took its toll.

    The post-mortem had turned out to be disappointingly inconclusive. Doctor Arnaud suspected the cause of death would only be determined once the missing limbs had been recovered. He'd been positive about only one thing — a homicide had been committed.

    Exhausted both mentally and physically, she couldn't summon up enough energy to climb the stairs to take a shower, despite having the putrid smell of rotting flesh lingering uninvitingly on her clothes. Instead she wandered through to the kitchen. The newness of the wood was a welcome relief to her nostrils, Tom had recently refurbished it in a contemporary style of beech and stainless steel.

    Henry approached her sleepily. "Hello, boy, how's it going?" she asked, petting his silky head. She took a crystal tumbler from the cupboard above the granite breakfast bar and filled it with the remains of the whisky.

    The sharp aroma of the amber-coloured liquid transported her to pastures far away. To the sumptuous heather-clad hillsides of Scotland. To a little holiday cottage Tom and she used to visit regularly before Charlie came along. Life had been so different back then, they'd been free spirits without a care in the world. Now they were just an ordinary married couple trapped in the midst of time, waiting for their child to fly the nest.

    With Henry close to her heels she crept back into the lounge, switching on the lamp on the small table beside the sofa. She groaned as she settled her weary body on the cushions her husband had left strewn across the floor. The burning embers of the fire still radiated enough heat for the room to feel comfortable. Henry sidled up to her, she stroked him and he licked her face in return.

    The whisky warmed her insides as it slid gracefully down her throat. She sighed with contentment and removed the band that had kept her shoulder-length hair in place throughout the post-mortem. She ran her fingers through her locks as she reflected on her day. Eventually her coil-sprung mind cleared and she drifted off to sleep, wrapped around her devoted four-legged friend.

    Four hours later, she woke to find Tom standing over her, glaring.

    She stretched and yawned noisily. Henry ran to the back door and whimpered to be let out.

    "What time did you get in?" Tom asked.

    "I don't know exactly, about three. Are you still in a mood?"

    He turned and headed into the kitchen. Lorne shook her head in dismay. After a few minutes, she followed him. He had his back to her. She tiptoed across the room and wrapped her arms around him, her head resting on his back, she asked again, "Are you still in a mood with me?"

    Untying himself from her grasp, he stepped away. "Don't you ever stop interrogating people?"

    His angry words sent a chill running up her spine. He looked handsome in his burgundy silk robe that was draped open, revealing a muscular, thickly thatched chest she usually adored running her fingers through. Her heart skipped a beat as her eyes lingered on the stunning Mediterranean dark looks he'd fortunately inherited from his father. The problem was he'd also inherited other traits that weren't so charming, such as his temper and unwillingness to compromise.

    "Once a policewoman,