Cruel Justice (DI Lorne Simpkins (Book one)) (35 page)

"And did you, John? Did you have sex with her?"

"I started kissing her and she tugged at my clothes, undressing me. That's when it all went wrong."

"How did it go wrong, John?"

Lorne pushed for his confession.

"It just did."

"Have you ever had a girlfriend, John?"

He was silent for a long while, breathing in deep breaths, and slowly exhaling them like he was carrying out some kind of ritual. Calmer, he answered, "No."

Lorne suspected Jacques was right in his assumption Scott was impotent. "So, why did you kill her?"

"She laughed at me when I …" He stopped and ran his hands through his hair.

"When you didn't know how to respond, is that right, John?" Lorne rubbed the rope up and down a rough part of the chair, she'd located.

"She … kept calling me names."

"What names?"

"Nasty, mean, names. 'Johnny, no sperm' 'No come, Johnny', things like that. I couldn't take it anymore and I lost it. She shouldn't have teased me like that. It was her fault. She was to blame for what I did to her. I knew if I'd let her go, she would've been the type to cry rape. I didn't touch her. I couldn't." His voice trailed off.

"Did your parents abuse you as a child, John?" It surprised her, the genuine compassion she had for him.

Again, another long silence before he whispered, "Yes. They abused me for years, but when they started on Katherine, I wanted them to stop."

"Is that when you sought help, John?"

"Yeah, but they did nothing. They broke us up instead of helping us. If I'd kept my mouth shut none of this would've happened."

"Things were different in those days, John. The authorities didn't know how to handle abuse cases back then. The women you killed, they did what they could to help you. They were restricted."

Scott snarled, and said, "That's enough. I don't want to talk about it anymore. We should get some sleep."

"I'm hungry." Lorne glanced around the cabin hoping to find signs of food, there weren't any. Her stomach groaned.

Scott turned to her and shrugged. "I didn't think about food. There again, it wasn't my intention to come up here. You forced this situation upon me." At first he gave the impression he was embarrassed, but ended his sentence with another sneer.

She shivered, never forgetting she was in the hands of a man who'd already abducted five women, killing four of them without a second glance. Through their conversations he'd shown little remorse for his actions, making Lorne fear for her safety. He'd already shown signs he had a volatile nature and was liable to snap at a moment's notice.

 Before he curled up on the sofa, Scott threw a blanket over her. The gesture surprised Lorne. When he turned out the lamp her nerves jangled. Her backside was numb and her arms ached from hours of sitting in the same upright position. Scott started snoring and that's when Lorne upped her attempt to get out of her bindings.

As the sun's rays slithered through a gap in the curtain, she felt the rope giving way. Her heart raced, she glanced at Scott who was still caught up in his dreams. Her ears pricked up when she thought she heard a noise outside the cabin.
Is my mind playing tricks?
Snap. There it was again. Her arms moved faster at the same time she pulled the rope taut, suddenly it broke. She sucked in a breath and froze as Scott stirred.

Another noise, this time it sounded as though it was just outside the window. Scott also heard the noise and leapt to his feet. He bolted to the window.

"Shit!" He peeked round the side of the curtain. Returning to the centre of the room he ran frantic hands through his hair, pulling out clumps from the root. He rotated a full turn, deep in thought, his eyes scouring the room for something.

Scared by his reaction, Lorne asked, "What's going on?"

"They've found us." Scott appeared distracted for a moment but then jumped into action, stacking furniture, including the sofa, against the only door to the property. Lorne bided her time trying to gauge what his next move would be.

"John Scott. We know you're in there. We have you surrounded. Give yourself up."

Lorne's eyes fluttered shut when she recognised Roberts' voice booming through a megaphone.

"Never.
Never!
" J.S. ducked behind the curtain where Lorne assumed the bathroom was, and came back carrying a petrol canister.

Lorne's heart leapt into her throat.
Oh, shit.
She swallowed and spoke to him in the calmest of voices. "John, give yourself up. You have my word I'll get you the help you need. None of this is your fault."

"I don't need
you
to tell me that." He tipped up the canister and emptied the contents around the room.

Tom and Charlie's faces lingered in her mind. If only she'd been a better wife and mother over the years.
Please, give me the strength and courage to get out of this.

"Scott. You have two minutes to send Inspector Simpkins out," Roberts's voice bellowed again.

Scott moved to the kitchen area and tore around hunting for something. "There you are." He stood up.
Oh God …
Lorne fidgeted in her seat when she saw a small box of matches in his hand.
Shit, what can I do? He's blocked the door, if he sets fire to…

"Want to say goodbye to your friends, Inspector?" Scott goaded. He took a couple of matches from the box, struck them and held the lit flames above the sofa he'd pushed in front of the door.

"John, please don't do it. What about Katherine? She needs you. Don't you want to be with her again? She's probably out there with them now, waiting for you. Ask them?" Lorne said, grasping at straws.

He blew out the match and peeked out the window again. "I can't see her," he replied, bewildered. He paced the floor inches in front of her. "Why? Why did it have to end like this? All I did was ask for help. All I ever wanted was to protect Katherine from those bastards. I was only eight … when it started."

"Let me go, John, for both our sakes." Lorne's voice trembled as she begged him.

"Talk to them. Ask them where Katherine is?" he demanded, preparing to light another match.

She didn't need telling twice. "Sean? John wants to see his sister, is she with you?"

"She's on the way. Are you all right, Lorne?"

Searching Scott's eyes, she shouted, "John's taking good care of me. He's tired of hurting people. He just wants to be with his sister."

"He's
lying
." John bent over and shouted in her face. "She's not coming. You've all lied to me. The headmistress, the teacher, the social worker, all lied to me. To us, they swore we'd never be parted. Five years we were forced to live apart. No one will know how much that time apart hurt Katherine and me, the damage it caused us. Damage that could've been avoided if only we'd been kept together. That wasn't too much to ask, was it? Someone had to pay for it. They all had to pay for it, in the end. They had their happy families. Mine was torn apart, destroyed. That's why I killed my parents. I took great pleasure in watching the
fuckers
burn. Now they're in hell where they belong." His eyes were wild and his tone fierce and unrelenting.

"Mistakes happen, John, no one's perfect."

"Like you, you mean? How could you carry on with the doctor like that, when you have a loving family waiting at home for you? You drove your husband and child away. People are crying out for what you've got. A happy family home … You treat them like shit, pick them up and put them down when it pleases you. You're heartless, just like the others. Family life is a hindrance to you instead of something you should cherish." Tears sprang to his eyes.

His words hit Lorne with a powerful force. "You know
nothing
about my marriage or my family life."

"Tell me I'm wrong, but I know for a fact your husband and daughter moved out when that doc came on the scene."

Instead of placating the man, Lorne's guilt caused her to shout. "You're wrong! It's true Tom and I were having problems, but it's wrong of you to think the problems coincided with my
friendship
with Dr Arnaud. For your information, I've known the doctor for quite a while. He's been kind to me. A good friend and
nothing
else."
Why am I defending my actions to a bloody murderer?

Before Scott could respond, Roberts' voice echoed around the cabin again. "One minute, John. You have one minute left, before we come in."

Scott seemed like his nerves were in tatters. His lips pulled back and he clenched his teeth as he lit another match. "Everyone will be better off without
us
." He threw the tiny flame onto the petrol-soaked sofa. The fire took hold instantly and spiralled out of control.

Lorne knew it was now or never. She had to fight for her life. While J.S. watched in fascination as the sofa burned and the flames sprinted across the floor in every direction. Lorne stood up, grabbed the chair she'd been tethered to and broke it over his back. Scott toppled onto the blazing sofa. Within seconds the flames were dining on his flesh. His screams followed the flames to every corner of the cabin.

Lorne was shocked when Scott refused to fight his inevitable death. His screams ceased and a smile spread across his face. Lorne felt sickened to her stomach.

"
Sean
. The cabin's on fire! The door's blocked, I can't get out."

Coughing as the smoke penetrated her lungs, she watched in fear as the fire crept towards the propane gas cylinder. She ran towards the window. As the cylinder exploded the window blew out.
Maybe there is a God after all
. Thick black smoke hampered her vision. Her chest tightened as she gasped for air. Her thoughts became foggy and dazed. Gripping the window's edge, she threw herself through the broken glass, shards sticking into her skin, but she felt no pain. She staggered away from the cabin on to the scrubby grass as Sean Roberts dashed forwards to grab her. Collapsing to the ground, she could hear voices in the distance and then slipped into unconsciousness.

Chapter Fifty-Two

An ethereal, blurred image hovered over her. She'd arrived safely.
So this is heaven
. She'd often heard about the tunnel of light and being greeted by an angel. "What's your name?" she whispered to the angel.

A Scottish voice answered, "Lorne, I'm Dr Collins. How are you feeling?"

Doctor, did he say? So she wasn't dead after all. "How? Where am I?" she asked, her vision clearing.

"You're in hospital. Would you like to see your family? They're waiting outside." He checked each eye with a penlight.

"Tom and Charlie are
here
?"

The doctor opened the door and her family ran in.

"Oh, Mum. You're safe … You're safe." Charlie cried, throwing herself on the bed.

"Charlie, get off there," Tom chastised their daughter, and bent down to plant a kiss on Lorne's forehead.

"What's happened to me?" Lorne gazed at her bandaged hand as she nestled Charlie's head against her chest. "What's wrong with my hands, Tom?"

"Superficial burns and a few nasty glass cuts, the bandages are precautionary."

Holding the sheet up, she checked underneath and felt relieved to see the blue hospital gown and her bare legs.

"Can you tell me what happened?" Lorne's brow furrowed. "I have a hazy image in my head but everything's still jumbled.

"Maybe later," Tom said, nodding towards Charlie.

"I need to know, Tom," she asked in frustration, before two more visitors entered the room.

"I'll be outside with Charlie. You've got five minutes then I want my wife back," Tom told Pete and Chief Roberts before he left.

Pete gave Lorne a small bunch of flowers and Sean placed a box of chocolates on the cabinet beside her.

"How're you feeling, boss?" Pete's eyes were damp.

"I wish everyone would stop asking me that and tell me what the bloody hell happened?"

Sean pulled up a chair and took a deep breath. "When the explosion blew out the window, you tumbled out. They couldn't save Scott."

Lorne was quiet for a few minutes as her brain slotted the pieces together. "That's right. I managed to untie myself, I hit him with my chair and he tumbled onto the sofa. The crazy thing is he didn't even try to get off it. It was as if he'd accepted his death." Unexpected tears welled in her eyes.

"Perhaps he thought it was a better option than spending the rest of his life in prison," Pete suggested with a shrug.

"What about Katherine?" Lorne asked.

"We've arrested her, charged her with accessory to abduction and murder. She'll be banged up for years, if the CPS do their job properly." Roberts smiled.

Eager to go home with her family, Lorne asked, "How long do I have to stay in here?"

"I'm not really sure," Roberts said.

"Well I'm ready to go home now." Lorne pulled back the covers and tried to get out of bed.

Eyes blazing, Roberts said, "You dare, Inspector and I'll make sure your demotion is waiting for you."

"Don't make matters worse, boss. We're already in deep shit for going it alone," her partner grumbled.

"That was all my fault, Pete was only obeying orders. Any reprimands you have to make should be aimed at me, not him." She faked a cough and patted her chest, hoping to gain some sympathy.

"Hmmm … We'll see when you're back at work, Inspector. I haven't quite decided what to do with the pair of you, yet. Come on, Pete, let's leave Lorne to reacquaint herself with her family."

As Tom and Sean Roberts walked by each other, an awkward glance passed between them.

Charlie flung herself on the bed beside Lorne again and asked, "Is it all right if we come back home now, Mum?"

"I don't know, darling, you'd better ask your father that?"

Tom's cheeks coloured when Charlie went on to tell Lorne about his new job.

"I see, and your father is agreeable to you working for him, again? Despite walking out on him when Charlie was born?" Lorne asked, surprised.

"Yep, he said it was time to move on. He also said I was the best mechanic he'd ever had. So…"